Archive for February, 2008
Camp Coleman - Camp Committee Meeting - Road Trip
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, Flavors of Chattanooga
By David Israel, Business Manager - Andy Hodes and The Scenic City Team
This weekend Andy and I attended a Camp Coleman - Camp Committee Meeting in Orlando. We decided that we were going to make a road trip to this 6 hour meeting that was scheduled for 9:00am Sunday. We left the Chattanooga area, at 8:00am on Saturday and started our “road trip”. We have spent a ton of time together in the past years, this one was the quickest turn around we have ever made. Not only did we make our way to Orlando, the hotel we were staying at was the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport. We had no idea that the hotel was above the airport. It certainly would have been a lot
easier if we just flew into Orlando, went upstairs to check in, had our meeting and went back downstairs to the airport and left. Who knew? Well, actually we did know that it would be pretty expensive to fly from Chattanooga to Orlando. We could have flown on Allegiant Air into Sanford, but we would have had to stay an extra couple of nights.
We all met at 7:30pm Saturday night in the lobby to head to dinner together at a great restaurant in Downtown Orlando called HUE Restaurant. We had a set menu with three choices for entree, chicken, fish or pasta. The appetizers were fantastic, the salad was incredible and the main course was really enjoyable. We were a little disappointed with the dessert. They served us Orlando’s version of Pecan Pie. Please remember, we live here in Chattanooga, the heart of the South, we kinda know a good Pecan Pie when we taste one, and this was not one of them. However, the service was great and the atmosphere, though loud, was a lot of fun.
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Publix - “Where Shopping is a Pleasure” - Not just a slogan!
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, Flavors of Chattanooga, Things to Do in Chattanooga
By David Israel, Business Manager - Andy Hodes and The Scenic City Team
Several months ago Publix Supermarkets came to East Brainerd, TN, and they certainly have made a mark in the Chattanooga market.
Growing up in South Florida, Publix was the norm for my family. I can remember getting my driver’s license and volunteering to go to Publix to pick up items for my mom. I am old enough to even remember when Publix was closed on Sundays. There was a Publix in every town, sometimes several locations in one city. There were other supermarkets, but none that trained their employees to take ownership of their jobs.
When my family moved to Chattanooga several years ago, the only thing that we missed was the grocery shopping experience we had come to love, enjoy and depend on, Publix! We traveled to Cartersville, GA on a regular basis, 71 miles round trip, to grocery shop. I can tell you it was not a fun drive, but we needed to get items that other supermarkets here in Chattanooga didn’t carry.
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Mortgage Rates Rise on Inflation Concerns
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, Mortgage and Finance
By Angel Sherlin of Greator Chattanooga Lending, Guest Mortgage Author
Fed Chief Bernanke told politicians that the Fed stands ready to cut rates as needed to stimulate the economy. The politicians approved of faster economic growth, but mortgage investors worried that the stimulus could lead to higher inflation and pushed mortgage rates to the highest levels since January 2. According to Bernanke’s testimony on Thursday, the Fed’s next forecast will lower the economic growth projections made in November. The Fed expects a sluggish start this year followed by a second half pickup in growth. They are concerned that housing and labor market conditions could deteriorate more than previously anticipated, which led investors to expect additional rate cuts.
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7 Tips on Making your home more appealing to Buyers
Categories: Ask Andy, For Home Sellers, Home Maintenance
By David Israel, Business Manager - Andy Hodes and The Scenic City Team
I have blogged regularly on first impressions, the buyer will only get one. So, to make your home more appealing, I have come up with 7 Tips on Making your home shine for the buyers.
1. Trim all bushes so they don’t block windows or cut down on the natural light entering your home. You want to let in as much natural light as you can.
2. Use warm, incandescent light bulbs for a nice homey feel. You don’t want to shock a buyer with “bright light”.
3. Set your Dining Room table for a dinner party. Be creative with a centerpiece, use cloth napkins, and be sure that
everything matches.
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Setting Sail Again..
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, Mortgage and Finance
By Angel Sherlin of Greator Chattanooga Lending, Guest Mortgage Author
The Jolly Roger flag was starched straight Wednesday as the winds of the economy propelled the SS Federal Reserve into ever more uncharted waters. You can almost hear Celine Dion singing as Swashbuckling Ben once again stands on the bow and screams, “I’m the King of the World!” as he cut rates once again.
As expected the Fed cut rates by 50 basis points. The move was predicted and as expected had very little impact on rates or stock market trading. It seems that everyone is now expecting another cut of equal proportions at the next meeting.
According to Market Watch, mortgage rates have reversed their downward trend of the last month and rose over the last week. Rate cuts and the proposed stimulus package have helped to ease some market fears and have led to money moving back into equities. The next month will be interesting as the market continues to digest the effects of the cuts. Most analysts are predicting that rates will get cut again during the Feds next meeting. Only time will tell if an eye patch is next on Ben Bernanke’s spring wardrobe must haves list.
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