From the Lexington`Herald-Leader Sunday, August 2, 2009LBAR announces $555 million in retail sales

The Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors reported 3,404 residential real estate year-to-date sales totaling $555 million for Central Kentucky as of June 30, 2009. 

The Housing Affordability Index (HAI) for June 2009 was 161.  The latest published national HAI was 171 for May 2009-the Bluegrass region outpaced this index in May 2009 with an index of 172.  An HAI of 172 means that the median family income is 173 percent of the necessary income to qualify for a median priced home using a 20 % down, 30 -year fixed rate mortgage.

Additionally, sales increased 8 percent in Fayette County alone for June  2009 vs. June 2008.  Median Sales prices prices remained stable year-to-date, falling 3 percent.

This is really true, as our TEAM Real Estate has had a great increase in sales.  Housing Affordability is phenonomenal and the first time homebuyer’s tax credit has finally kicked-in and folks are getting it !!!

If you haven’t  thought about buying a home now, whether it is a first-time home, a move-up (check with your agent about how great a time to move up in a down market), or down-sizing at this time or in this season of your life, NOW may just be the time.  As the trite saying goes, there may never be a better time to buy.  But this is true for my lifetime probably, and from my past experience of 26 years.

On another great note, my daughter, who has been in real estate for the almost 7 years as a Broker-Associate in Chicago, working now, for an awesome real estate brokerage, @properties in Chicago, has reciprocated to KY and is truly joining our TEAM Real Estate.  She will continue to be licensed in IL, as I am too now, but is looking forward to helping her friends and family in KY, as well as in Chicago, with all their real estate needs.  Kelly Karls (her old friends still call her Kelly Beth or KB, and her husband, Eric, and their 2 precious little girls, will also have a 2nd home in Lexington.   Welcome Home, KB !!!

I  now have my license in KY, TN, NC, SC, AL, FL, and IL.  With our TEAM, we can help you  with so many real estate needs, and help you make wise real estate decisions.

Our TEAM Real Estate is really enjoying such success with our staging company, Premier Designing Details, as we now have 4 sets of  staging furniture, to help merchandise/stage and market your home For Sale.  Check out  our website:  www.PremierRealEstateAndHomeServices.com  

 Call on our TEAM Real Estate now to Sell  or Buy.   maryanne simmons TEAM Real Estate

Wow, have I been bad about posting lately with all my travels!

I have been travelling for the last month and a half.  I will be settling in Lexington,KY in about a week for a while.  After all,  the racing season begins at Keeneland race course in Lexington KY and I love to go to the races in KY in the spring with all the new foilage.  It is breathtaking, refreshing, and uplifting.  I am sure you all enjoy spring in the midwest and north and northwest and northeast U.S.

In the last month I have been from Lexington to Costa Rica to Chicago to Atlanta and now in SE Florida showing property all along the SE Atlantic coast of FL to some upper midwest clients who are fairly tired of wintering in the upper midwest-OK really tired of the snow and cold.  They aren’t just buying a second home or third home as many of my clients/referrals from the North and upper Midwest, but are moving permanetly to sunny FL where it has been 81-84 degrees and clear for the last 7 days !!  With no state income tax and fabulous warm sunny winters, it is hard to resist becoming a permanent resident (6 months plus a day) in FL– Then head North or to the mountains of NC for the summer !!!

And don”t forget the FEI World Equestrian games are coming to Lexington, KY in Autumn 2010.  Come to the spring races in April to see how beautiful Lexington KY and the Bluegrass is in the spring.

Go to my website for more great searches and info from international info to new developments around the world to great featured properties.

After The International Real Estate Congress in Miami and on my way to Orlando, I stopped at Hutchinson Island to do a Luxury property tour at Sailfish Point, sponsored by my friend and peer, “ Doc” Ellingson.  Well,  I had a little extra time, so several of us stopped in Jensen Beach on the way to the south side of the island (Hutchinson Island).  If you have not been to this charming village at Jensen Beach, you need to make sure you get to Crawdaddys N’Awlins Cafe for the best bowl of New England clam chowder you ever chowed down on !! This restaurant has won many, many honors for great food in many categories, from cajun to clam chowder!!.  When Kelly and Kathy told me how good the chowder was, I had to skip the cajun items and have a big bowl of clam chowder !!  Try to make it for good food and stay around for “jamming Thursday at jensen”  !!!

There are some beautiful homes on the beach at Sailfish Point for sale.  Call me or e-mail me for more info on these beautiful beachfront homes in Stuart on the Atlantic Ocean.  The golf course is lush and perfectly manicured, and there are some very fine quality design and decor and luxury ammenities in the homes.

I have been so delinquent in writing regularly to my readers of my blog.  I am trying to do better, but I am in sunny ,beautiful  Florida, and my head spins when I am in the midst of sunshine and water, as well as friends and continuing my education.  I love the ocean and the ocean breezes.  I am in FL for R & R, and 3 conferences pertaining to Real Estate, my passion-one of my passions, i guess, if truth be told.  I am actually  quite a passionate person. I just wish my family were here with me. I have several Second Homes in SE FL and i am hopping around from one to the other, enjoying FL and all these conferences and congresses and convenions and  (C.E.) classes !!!

I graduated from University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and I am still a Registered Pharmacist and keep my license active through 15 hours of annual Continuing Education, but I have been selling and listing and buying and investing in Real Estate for 25 years.  Thus,  you see what one of my passions truly is.  I also love People and being involved in Real Estate usually means I am involved with people.  Because I am a Broker in 6 states (KY, FL, NC, SC, TN, AL), I get to meet so many great people from all over the world. I am still quite high on Real Estate as an Investment and a great way to enjoy life with friends and family, and helping others do the same.

As I have told you before, I have my certification in the Resort and Second Home market (RSPS), the International market (CIPS), and the Luxury Home market (CLHMS).  The International market, the Second Home market and the Luxury market are converging.  That flips my switch, if it isn’t already flipped!!!

Speaking of some great folks and friends, I have the good fortune of being a member of the greatest Realtors Association in the United States, RAMB, Realtors Association of Miami and the Beaches.  Now you may say I am not qualified to make that judgement but I do belong to about 50 mls services and many Realtors Associations throughout the 6 states in the Southeast USA.

I just received my (CHMS) Certified Home Marketing Specialist ( furthering my expertise on staging , advertising, and photography from Martha Webb, author of Dress Your House For Success) . I received this training and certification/designation there at RAMB Headquarters, and I also just took an Advanced Short Sale class there last week,  and tomorrow I am attending the second 2008 International Congress on Miami Beach with almost 200 International Brokers from around the world !!!  Then we are all off to the National Association of Realtors Conference in Orlando Nov.6-10th.  Last week I was in Miami for the Leaders in Luxury Conference hosted by  The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing  (ILHM–also the best at what they do).

The Leaders, Directors, and all the staff at RAMB ( from the CEO to COO to the Cocierge) are just amazing, and sitting in the middle of the International Hub for America makes it even more fun. These folks are my friends too, and like family (remember one of my passions is People).  If you are a Broker in FL you need to be a member of RAMB.

i know my minute is up and not very newsy today, but more passionate and personal.

Next blog, i will give you some more International Real Estate News.

Please come back and don’t give up on me.  My head is spinning and i am on “Information overload” and will start getting some of this great news out to you !!!

One of my favorite spots to enjoy the late afternoon-The covered porch at The Pelican Grande Resot in Ft. Lauderdale. What a happy hour.!!

I just finished attending the Leaders in Luxury Conference in Miami, FL and I got to see all my Realtor buddies from across the nation.  This is my 4th year to attend The Leaders in Luxury  Conference hosted for Guild members of The Luxury Home Marketing Institute. I have been a member of this for 4 years or so. 

I will be reporting to you some great new statistics about the Luxury market across the nation-statistics  giving you a new fresh perspective that will inform you and help you make wise real estate decisions and choices.

I am so pleased to be associated with all these fine agents/Brokers across America and I look forward to sharing my perspective about the Luxury Market, since this is one of my specilties/niches in the real estate profession.

Saved by the Sprinkler

Fire can destroy a home and everything in it within minutes. 

   As a Second Home Owner and a specialist (I am a RSPS-Resort and Second Home Property Specialist) in selling Second Homes to my friends, family, and referrals, I just read an interesting article in Kiplingers Tax Letter,  October 2008 newsletter.

Congress restricted a tax break for turning a second home into a main home: Some of the gain will be ineligible for the home-sale exclusion if the house is converted to personal use after 2008 and is later sold. The portion of the profit that’s taxed is based on the ratio of the time after 2008 when the home was used as a second residence or rented out to the total time that the seller owned the house. The rest of the gain remains eligible for the home-sale exclusion of up to $500,000 if you owned and used the house as your primary residence for two out of the five years prior to selling it.

This tightening may not bite you too badly if you owned the house for many years before converting it. For example, if you owned a vacation home for 18 years and make it your main residence in 2009 for two years before selling it, only 10% of the gain is taxed. The rest qualifies for the exclusion of up to $500,000. Homes owned for a short time prior to a post-2008 conversion fare the worst taxwise. And you can completely avoid the tax hit by converting before Jan. 1, 2009. Nor does the tightening apply if you turn a primary home into a vacation home. You can still exclude up to $500,000 of profit on the sale of the house if you owned it and used it as your principal residence for two years in the five years before the sale.

E-mail me if you are interested in buying or selling a second home at  PremierClients@gmail.com . Or if you want to talk about managing a second home as a rental, I do that also and have a property management/rental company. We also have a consierge service that you can view on our website.