Having Fun, Helping Others in Shelby County

Wow, can people involved in real estate be a fun bunch! The best part is when you can do something fun and help people in need at the same time, which is what happened the morning of November 19th in Pelham.

The Oak Mountain Realty Network—a group of Shelby county area real estate agents and associates in related fields—held its annual Christmas Auction at The Margarita Grill on Highway 119.

Lots of folks helped raise money for SafeHouse and Family Connection, Inc. Special thanks to RE/MAX Advantage agent Robert Scott, who was a great auctioneer. This was a team effort with many different folks helping out, including agents, attorneys, lenders, home inspectors, insurance providers and other associates.

What makes this even better, according to Carmell Cantrell, a Loan Officer with First Federal Mortgage, is that—for every dollar raised during the auction—the state of Alabama will kick in a matching amount.

Some scenes likely won’t be forgotten soon—who would have ever imagined seeing John Holliman, an attorney with Holliman & Shockley in Pelham, showing off men’s holiday underwear?

Check out the fun below — click on any of the pictures for a larger version, too:

David

Homes For Sale in Birmingham & Shelby County

Here’s a look at how many homes are currently for sale in:

Alabaster – 389
Altadena/Cahaba Heights – 50
Calera – 297
Clanton – 179
Columbiana – 52
Chelsea – 255
Helena – 269
Hoover – 982
Indian Spring – 32
Inverness – 56
Liberty Park/Vestavia – 452
Meadow Brook – 13
Montevallo – 100
Pelham – 333
Vincent – 27

Source: Birmingham Area Multiple Listing Service

David

Metro South: Shelby County’s New Key Real Estate Team

Phil Taylor says it best: “We choose not to participate.” Taylor is referring to the general climate of economic doom so prevalent right now. But those aren’t hollow words.

Taylor and 39 other Shelby County area real estate agents officially began backing up their words with actions shortly after 9 a.m. Friday, November 14th. That’s when the ribbon was cut on Metro South, Keller Williams’ fifth office in the Birmingham area, and the first real estate office in Alabaster.

Instead of dwelling on negatives, members of the Metro South team maintain a decidedly upbeat outlook on the Birmingham and Shelby county real estate market. They know that real estate is cyclical, and that the future looks promising.

You can listen to some of these agents for yourself, by watching a short video from the ribbon cutting ceremony:

By the way … to back up what the Metro South agents say, if you want to hear someone very knowledgeable discuss what’s happening in the real estate market, we had a great interview with Dave Jenks, one of the top people in Keller Williams Realty, last month–if you missed our interview with Dave, you can click here to listen.

Talk with any of the Metro South agents about the Shelby Co. real estate market, and you might hear a few surprises. Houses are still selling. Lenders are still lending. And buyers are still buying. While the Birmingham and Shelby Co. real estate market is experiencing a slowdown, it’s nothing near the scale many people have been led to believe.

While the Metro South office may be ‘brand spankin’ new,’ some of the people involved are long time Birmingham area agents with many years experience, giving them a superior knowledge of housing inventory and availability, neighborhoods, pricing trends, quality of life and the market in general.

Come by and say hello. Kathy Wheeler is Metro South’s Team Leader. The office is located a few doors south of the movie theater in the Colonial Promenade Shopping Center, off I-65 at exit #238. Click here for a Google map.

Many thanks to Alabaster Mayor David Frings, Alabaster Industrial Development Director and State Rep. Cam Ward and State Sen. Hank Erwin for taking time out to join us for the ceremony. Also attending was Keller Williams Operating Partner Elizabeth Raines, one of the driving forces behind turning the Metro South dream into reality.

So why would all these agents take a chance? Why would they make the commitment to gather under one roof and serve the Alabaster and Shelby County real estate market at a time when there’s so much negativity and pessimism all around?

The answer lies within the people themselves. They are professional. They are confident. They are optimistic. It says a lot, I believe, about the people themselves. It’s one of the reasons Colleen and I are proud to be a part of the new Metro South team–you know, the one that chooses not to participate.

David

Alabaster, Alabama Home Sales – October 2008

Here’s a look at home sales in the Alabaster, Maylene and Saginaw areas of Shelby county during October, 2008 (source: Birmingham Area Multiple Listing Service):

Total sales during month: 32

Average SOLD price: $158,525

Average LISTED price: $165,351

Average percent of list price: 95.24%

Average Days on market: 108

Highest price sale: $494,900 (new, custom, 4/3 brick home in Sterling Gate)

As of 11/11/2008, 443 homes were listed for sale in the Alabaster, Maylene and Saginaw areas, and among those were some awesome deals for buyers (one seller cut $20,000 off the price of a one-year old brick four bedroom cul-de-sac home).

Thirty year fixed and fifteen year fixed rate loans continue to be available at well under six percent for many buyers…

David

Helena, Alabama, Home Sales – October, 2008

Are you a numbers fan? If so, here are a few statistics on October, 2008, home sales in Helena (both Jefferson and Shelby counties), taken from the Birmingham MLS that you may find interesting:

Are homes selling? Yep. In Helena, nine homes sold within 30 days during October...

Number of sales during month:  27

Average price: $192,501

Average days on market: 85

Miscellaneous notes:

Lowest price:  $13,000 (38-year-old mobile home on Highway 93)

Highest price:  $350,000 (New four bedroom home in Long Leaf Lake, reduced from $389,900)

Two of the month’s sales were foreclosures, both in Laurel Woods, for $127,100 (on the market for 70 days), and for $120,000 (on the market for 109 days).

22 of the 27 properties sold for 95% of their list price or higher

Fifteen homes sold in 90 days or less

Eleven homes sold in 60 days or less

Nine homes sold in 30 days or less

Longest time on market: 270 days

We plan to publish updates like this from time to time, so you’ll have a snapshot of what’s happening with the real estate market in the Birmingham and Shelby county, Alabama areas. Let us know what you think!

David