Bob Parks Realty is pleased to welcome Belinda Butler Perry as a Realtor in the Smyrna office located at 557 Sam Ridley Parkway West.

“I am very excited to join Bob Parks Realty,” said Belinda. “The opportunity to combine my experience with Bob Parks Realty reputation as Tennessee’s premier real estate company will allow me to provide my clients with the highest quality of service.” Belinda recently transferred from Crye-Leike Realtors Starwood office. She has been a licensed Realtor for 15 years in addition to acting as sales & marketing manager for a Rutherford County builder since 1991. “I bring to my real estate clients a total of 19 years of experience assisting buyers in realizing their dream of home ownership,” said Belinda. “I have extensive new construction experience and have sold hundreds of homes in Middle Tennessee.”

Since becoming a licensed Realtor, Belinda has been assisting buyers and sellers in and around Rutherford, Davidson, and Wilson Counties. She specializes in residential real estate focusing on previously owned homes and first-time homebuyers. Belinda is a member of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors (GNAR) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR). She currently lives in Smyrna and has been a resident of Rutherford County since 1985. For all your real estate needs and personal referrals, please contact Belinda Perry at Bob Parks Realty, LLC by phone at (615) 482-4180 or email her at belindaperry@realtracs.com.

For more information about homes for sale in Smyrna, TN, check out these links:

• All Smyrna Real Estate
• Search for real estate by Smyrna Subdivision
• Smyrna Real Estate $200,000 - $400,000

  Posted By: Kimberly Fahey

I have a love-hate relationship with yard sales. I love scrounging through the stuff when I find a sale, but I hate holding yard sales because of the bargain hunters. I couldn’t believe it once when someone asked, “Will you take a nickel for this?” They offered five pennies for a brand new set of dining room glasses. I decided I’d rather give them to charity than to give them away for a nickel and I rejected the offer.

So who needs this kind of stress? I do. The parents of my Girl Scout troop are hosting a yard sale at the Bob Parks Realty Smyrna office this Saturday from 7:00 a.m. until ??. They are holding it in conjunction with the SRFC ‘99 Rapids’ select soccer team yard sale… one of the players is the son of another agent.

So if the weather cooperates this Saturday and if you’re driving in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. We’re at 557 Sam Ridley Parkway in Smyrna. Then get out your nickels (though we’d rather have dollars) and buy some items to support two good causes! See you there!

Posted By: Kathy Tyson

Both high schools on my side of the county held graduation events this past week. The entire county celebrated our brightest and best with ceremonies seemingly nonstop over the weekend. I am admittedly most interested in the graduation held for LaVergne High School, where my daughter graduated with honors.

I attended the rehearsal on Wednesday and the school administrators were very no-nonsense about the event. When one student danced across the stage, the principal stopped the practice, “This is an important occasion for all of you. You’ve worked really hard to get here today. If any of you belittle the event with nonsense, you will be escorted out by security.” Wow… serious stuff. BUT the graduates did behave like adults - joyful, delighted adults.

My congratulations to the newest alumnus of LaVergne High School, Smyrna High School, and all of the schools in our area! May you always have the wind at your back, your heart open, and your intelligence working on your behalf.

Posted By: Kathy Tyson

Along with the usual sounds of spring - birds chirping, leaves moving in the breeze - the sounds of “Aaaaarghhhh…” “Ugggghhh!” and “Errrrrrrrrrr…” will also be heard in downtown Smyrna on Sunday, April 26th. A zombie movie called Dead Start is being filmed by George Demick, a local independent filmmaker who is also directing.

If you’re interested in being a zombie for what’s sure to be a cult classic, come to 119 Front Street for zombie class from 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. After class, zombies will get their make-up (wear something you don’t mind getting messed up), then filming to be at Second Street and Jefferson Avenue until 2:30 p.m.

I hope to lurch into you there.

Photo by mush2274 via Flickr Creative Commons.

Posted By: Kathy Tyson

Although Earth Day was actually on Wednesday, that technicality isn’t stopping the people of Rutherford County from celebrating this Saturday, April 25th! The festivities are scheduled at the Civic Plaza in downtown Murfreesboro from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. In addition to learning about conservation through information booths, there will be free hot dogs, popcorn and drinks, games, other kiddie activities, and door prizes!

Tied in with Earth Day is a stream clean-up in Smyrna. Volunteers should arrive at 7:50 a.m. at Volunteer Park. Bring gloves and old shoes - and be sure to spray yourself against ticks! Volunteers will likely be done by noon. If you want more information about how to get to Volunteer Park, you can call or text me at (615) 491-2161.

Will we see you there?

Posted By: Kathy Tyson

You can spell it donut. Or doughnut. Either way, we know them to be delicious really-bad-for-your-arteries deep-fried pastries covered with chocolate, nuts, glaze, sprinkles. Or maybe you like the ones filled with creme, apples, strawberries, or custard.

Smyrna and LaVergne residents are cheering the opening of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts today. That red sign that says “Hot” will be like Batman’s beacon to all doughnut lovers in a 10-mile radius. You can click here to help decide your order ahead of time (save me some chocolate iced custard filled treats).

I don’t know if I’ll brave the crowds during the first two weeks of opening, but I expect we’ll start seeing more doughnut goodness at the office.

Posted By: Kathy Tyson

Warmer temperatures in Tennessee can inspire. Today, they might have been the catalyst for a discussion in our Smyrna Bob Parks Realty office about the value of a swimming pool. My question was whether or not appraisers have a little black book that identifies how much specific upgrades add to the value of a home.

For example, can granite counters add $2,000 in value to a home over laminate counters? Do hardwood floors add $10,000 over carpet? What’s the difference in the value of a one-car garage vs. a two-car garage? And how about them swimming pools?

One Realtor who took an appraisal class several years ago said - at the time - unless 75 percent of the homes in a given subdivision or neighborhood have pools, your pool will have no value. Zero. Zip. Nada. Our broker verified that when he sold his last home, he didn’t get one penny for the concrete pond. Another agent explained that if an upgrade could be gone in 30 years (for example a privacy fence can fall down), it adds no value to the home.

However, the bottom line is that an appraisal is still just an opinion. Another appraiser may say something completely different. I’m going to go find me one of those little black books because it would be great to have while negotiating contracts!

Posted By: Kathy Tyson

What an exciting day this is! It thrills me to be a part of the Bob Parks Realty Nashville-Rutherford team for this new site. People who know me know that one of my favorite things to do is WRITE. I write for other blog sites. I've written and self-published three books. I've written speeches. Letters. Memos. I even wrote a song once, but it was really bad. I mean REALLY bad.

"Why did he go... so very far from me? Doesn't he know... what his love means to me?"

See? I stopped myself immediately before more harm was inflicted upon the unsuspecting. Although I got over that lost love decades ago, I still love putting words into sentences and weaving sentences into stories.

Five years ago I became a Realtor and vowed that whatever I learned would be shared with my customers and clients. The best way I knew how to do this was through newsletters, emails, and web sites. When our office was given the wonderful opportunity of be a part of this site, I jumped at the chance. I'll look forward in the coming weeks, months, and years to sharing real estate information, as well as community activities, personal stories, and more with the readers of this site. I'm elated to partner with other talented agents in my office to bring this service to you.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted By: Kathy Tyson

Although we are experiencing a recession on a national scale, it may seem hard to prove if you look just at the commercial growth in Smyrna, Tennessee. In the last year alone, the town has welcomed a beautiful new movie theater, along with several popular restaurants.

We have a brand new CiCi’s, a pizza buffet that features an all-you-can-eat spread perfect for making the weight-conscious feel guilty. An IHOP (or International House of Pancakes if you’re not in a hurry and want to show off) for people who love getting on some Rooty Tooty’s. And just a week and a half ago, Cheddars opened its doors to feature some good eatin’ at an affordable price.

The housing market is still alive in Smyrna as well. Right now there are 25 home sales in full pending status and 43 homes have closed since January. One house a little over a thousand square feet sold for $65,001 and the most expensive that sold in Smyrna was an almost castle-like 5000 square feet home that sold for $740,000.

If you want to move to Smyrna, there are 326 homes available right now, and 113 of these are $150,000 or less! Smyrna is an affordable place to live with lots of places to eat and shop - and we’re just a hop, skip and a jump from Nashville! Call me at 615-459-4040 for more information on real estate in Smyrna.

Posted By: Kathy Tyson