Real Estate Information

 10705 COPPER RIDGE DR, by Bob Sokoler, www.weselllouisville.com

• Contemporary Montego floor plan by Ball Homes
• Live in comfort and style
• 3 year old - 3 bedroom 2 bath open floor plan
• Well cared for
• Upgrades include:
• Enormous stamped patio
• Very large fenced in back yard
• Built in book shelves on either side of the gas fire place
• Designer nook wall
• Open floor plan and is enhanced by volume ceilings
• Large windows
• Open staircase that overlooks the family room.

We hope you enjoy reading these blogs as much as we enjoy writing them! If you have any questions about Louisville Real Estate or Luxury Louisville Homes, or REMAX Properties East as a buyer or a seller please e-mail me directly at bob@bobsokoler.com , call me at (502) 376-5483 or visit our websites www.weselllouisville.com or www.louisvillehomestoday.com  

6303 BEULAH CHURCH RD by Bob Sokoler, www.weselllouisville.com

The best of all worlds! In this home you'll find the country charm of a farm house along with a large modern 580 square foot addition. Best of all the home is close to Louisville. You won't have to drive 60 miles to reach this house. It's 1 minute off the gene Snyder! Best of all you'll find more than 3 acres to spread out!

This is a one of a kind find in Jefferson County with 3 bedrooms (there's a 4th room upstairs that could easily be converted to a bedroom). The new 1st floor Master Bedroom suite has a walk in closet, bathroom windows and light galore with a sliding glass door that opens to a large private deck. The large family room and its windows bring views of the private backyard into the house. A wrap around rear deck helps you relax 12 months a year.

The large kitchen has a breakfast bar and plenty of counter and cabinet space. What was the original living room is now being used as a large formal dining room. A second bedroom and second bathroom round out the 1st floor. Upstairs, another large bedroom and large family room. There's also a fourth room currently being used for storage. Outback, 2 one car garages and enough land to farm or board several horses.

• By Bob Sokoler, www.WeSellLouisville.com
• Check out 2207 ARNOLD PALMER BLVD 
• Here’s a home that includes 7 Bedrooms 4 baths!
• Double story great room
• Gourmet kitchen features granite and Corian countertops, travertine tile backsplash, Kitchen aide Stainless Steel Appliances, circular breakfast bar and an abundance of cabinets, Circular eating area with tongue and groove ceiling.
• Large master bedroom is striking with similar views of the lake and golf course, Golf Course & Lake Views
• Two story entryway
• Large dining room
• Luxury master bathroom offers whirlpool type soaking tub, large separate shower, double vanity, ceramic tile and vaulted ceiling.
• California style master closet offers an amazing amount of storage. Upstairs 4 more large bedrooms all with California style closet inserts and 2 more bathrooms, one a Jack and Jill.
• Two Bars on separate ends, media area, another gas fireplace, 2 more bedrooms and full bath. Outback extensive landscaping and premium ornamental fencing, patio and water fall pond.
• All overlooking the golf course and lake.
• Other features include circular drive and daylight windows in finished lower level, Hot tub will stay. Natural gas hookup on patio for grill,
• Patio shaded in evening for entertaining, Smart lighting throughout home, one block from LFCC club house.
• Just 3 blocks from new Stopher Elementary School and 1 block from The Palmer Pool.

I hope you enjoy reading these blogs as much as I enjoy writing them! If you have any questions about Louisville Real Estate as a buyer or a seller please e-mail me directly at bob@bobsokoler.com , call me (502) 376-5483 or visit our websites www.weselllouisville.com or www.louisvillehomestoday.com

By Bob Sokoler www.WeSellLouisville.com

The Medley Sokoler Team is thrilled to announce the addition of Dedre Morse to our team! Dedre moved to Louisville in 1998 and after being a stay at home mom for years decided to get back into the business world as a Real Estate Agent. Dedre has worked for several Real Estate Companies and agents in the Louisville area closing more than 18 million dollars a year in Louisville Real Estate. 

Dedre has a strong background in relocations ( people moving into the Louisville area), having worked for the "Relo" division of a local area Real Estate Company and coordinating all internet leads for a team of agents.

Our newest team member moved briefly to Arkansas, but missed Louisville and her  family too much so she is back. Dedre says "I and happy to be back and working with the Medley Sokoler Team at RE/MAX Properties East". We're thrilled to have Dedre as a member of the team!

Looking for Louisville Real Estate? Call the Medley Sokoler team. Let us help you find your next Louisville Home!

I hope you enjoy reading these blogs as much as I enjoy writing them! If you have any questions about Louisville Real Estate as a buyer or a seller please e-mail me directly at bob@bobsokoler.com , call me (502) 376-5483 or visit our websites www.weselllouisville.com or www.louisvillehomestoday.com

Around the United Stated, people are moving and the top spot is Kentucky! A new report by U-Haul International Inc. titled "2009 Top 10 U.S. Growth States," and published by Real Trends says Kentucky tops the list of places to move for states with more than 20,000 families. The report shows Kentucky had the highest percentage of growth, with 5.76 percent more families moving into the state than out.

Why, well our Medley Sokoler Team can give you several thousand reasons but to sum it up just look at Louisville Kentucky. Quality of life, friendly people, low crime, clean streets and 20 minutes to get anywhere in town, in short it’s big city living with a small town feel.  We’re seeing people moving into town daily and our Louisville Homes Sales show jump through the roof.

Here are the states (with more than 20,000 families moving) that had positive in-migration:
1. Kentucky
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Oklahoma
5. Illinois
6. Alabama
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Louisiana
9. South Carolina
10. Arizona

If you’re wondering, for states with 5,000 to 20,000 families moving, Vermont had the highest percentage, with a growth rate of 16.67 percent in 2009, moving Maine to second place after two years of ranking first.

For more information on Louisville Real Estate call The Medley Sokoler Team at (502) 376-5483.

We are finding a mixed bag of news for home sellers and buyers as we head into March 2010. The number of homes going under contract in Louisville Kentucky was up 23% in February 2010 compared to February 2009. That is great news for sellers but bad news for buyers looking for their first home. The increase in homes going under contract was primarily due to the $8000 first time homebuyer’s tax credit. Buyers looking to make their first investment are finding a buying war for quality homes in the 80-170,000 price range. Unlike many cities around the U.S., Louisville has generally maintained property values in the 1^st time buyers market and in many cases (depending on location) increased over the past few years.

Home sales should increase for Louisville’s more expensive homes as the owners of the first time homes start looking for their move up home. The $6500 move up tax credit for anyone who has owned a home for that past 5 years is still available. Both the first time homebuyers credit and the move up credit require that buyers be under contract by the end of April and close by the end of June.

Feb 2010

 Feb 2009

A  new Chinese Buffet has opened in Louisville and all I can say is wow! Umai Zushi Buffet  (3710 Chamberlain Lane, new Westport) opened this past Friday night and I have to tell you it blew me away! As Louisville Real Estate Agents,  my wife (Norine) and I show hundreds of Louisville homes a month, we take our clients out to a number of local restaurants, Umai  tops many of them and I think our clients would love this place.

Norine is not a fan of buffet restaurants but she was so impressed with Umai we went back a second time Saturday night. This, my friends is unprecedented for my wife but there are a number of reasons why!  Let’s start with the atmosphere, bright clean (of course it’s new but I think they’ll keep it up) large yet cozy (they’ll need room if Umai catches on and crowds turn out to eat).  The only negative is sitting too close to the front door. Even though there are two entrances to buffer the wind, anyone sitting near the font gets a cold chill every time the door opens. My advice is to sit towards the middle or back.

The food is fresh and the variety is amazing. On the nights we were there, Crab Legs were large and plentiful the Stone Crab was good but the ginger sauce made them hard to handle. More than once the stone crabs slipped out of my hands (they had been precut but still tough to handle).  There was a wide selection of Sushi and Sashimi all being made in front of us by several chefs. The Mongolian Grill looked good (I stayed with the seafood) and the variety of Chinese food also was tasty (I only tried one or two dishes). 

There are too many items on the multiple food stations to describe but I suggest walking around the entire food area to get a feel for what is available. Pick your top 10 or 15 items and dig in. I never even came close to trying the salads to desserts.

The price with soda is about 16 dollars a person, pretty standard for local buffets, but for that price the quality is good, the selection is amazing and I could eat there every night of the week if my wife and my diet would let me!

For more information about Bob and Norine Sokoler head to www.weselllouisville.com

As Louisville Realtors we visit a number of places.. This week a new phenomenon has hit Louisville (and I suspect the rest of the country). American Idol’s pants on the ground, sung by 62-year-old Larry Platt is a hit! It’s not often we walk into a restaurant and hear people singing a tune, let alone “Pants on the Ground”, but we did last night!

 Larry Platt is no stranger to the media. He first attracted the spotlight back in the 1960s when he volunteered as a teenage crusader for the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia. If you’re looking for Louisville Real Estate visit www.weselllouisville.com. If you’re looking for a good laugh, watch the video below.

By the Numbers

New Home Sales numbers in the Louisville Kentucky area for December 2009 appear to have fallen. I say “appear”, because there are several reporting sources and updates may still come in. The numbers show that Home Sales for December 2009 were off 5.31% from a poor December 2008. To make matters worse, the December 2009 sales were actually better than they should have been. Remember that some of the closings in December were actually delayed from November 2009 because some mortgage companies (specifically their underwriters) dragged their feet approving home buyer’s loans and some appraisers slowed their pace to the speed of a snail.

The Big Picture

Up until December 2009, the picture looked rosy. Louisville Real Estate Sales started to climb steadily in June.  Thanks to the $8000 first time home buyer’s tax credit, a new home construction tax credit and low interest rates we could say with confidence that the home sales recovery was well underway in Louisville Kentucky.  As the deadline for the first time home buyers tax credit approached in November, home sales were actually brick. November Home Sales were actually up 57.16% (by one reporting services account) over November 2008.

What Happened

Even though our lawmakers extended the $8000 first time home buyers tax credit and added an additional $6500 tax credit for home owners (living in their current home 5 years) who wanted to move, sales in December fell flat. The urgency to buy and close before the original tax deadline was gone. The need to take advantage of the free money from Uncle Sam could be put on the back burner for the time being.

2010 looks ripe for a comeback

Our phones are ringing at the Medley Sokoler team office with requests to see properties; our websites are humming away with buyers looking for a good deal. Those are 2 good indicators that 2010 could end up being a recovery year for the real estate Industry in Louisville. Some new home builders we work with are starting new construction and interest rates are staying stable (at least as of this New Year’s Day writing) more good news for the housing industry. We also expect to see a lot more homes coming onto the market as sellers regain confidence in the market.

A word of caution to all would-be sellers

 Make sure your home has been staged properly and repairs have been made, make sure your realtor has done a through competitive market analysis (CMA) to determine an accurate price. Appraisers are watching prices closer than ever before; buyers are shopping longer and taking more time than ever to find the best home in the best condition with the best price. Only the most competitive homes will sell and only the correctly priced homes will pass the scrutiny of the appraiser.