THIS JUST IN – The National Folk Festival will be held in downtown Nashville for the next 3 years! This event promises to bring all sorts of  great music, from salsa to bluegrass, into the streets of Nashville.

The decision to hold the festival here is a result of Mayor Karl Dean’s aggressive campaign to put the Music back in Music City. Last spring Mayor Dean organized the Music Business Council to boost Nashville’s trademark industry.

“One of the things the music council has been discussing is bringing more live music to Nashville,” Dean said. “We certainly are Music City. We are the epicenter of the music industry in the country and we need to have more festivals. We need to have more live music available to our visitors and citizens of Nashville.”

I believe this is a great way to breathe more life into our already great city. Way to go Mayor Dean!!!

Read the full story in the City Paper online.

No, I’m not talking about the artsy music scene or the hipsters that inhabit much of Nashville. I’m talking about ART.

You may not think visual arts when you think of Nashville but actually Nashville has a very large art community.

Besides the Frist Center, there are many art galleries scattered throughout the city featuring everything from modern art sculpture to classic oil paintings to photography.

The best way to see these is to check out Art After Hours or First Saturday Art Crawl. The Nashville Association of Art Dealers or NAAD puts them on every month free to the public. Check out their website for more information.

As the spring heats up, get outside and see the artsy side of Nashville.

To me, helping people buy and sell real estate is an adventure. The sale is the destination (and cause for celebration for sure) but the journey from the time a client calls me to the closing table is my favorite part.

Everyday I get to help people understand all the twists and turns and ups and downs of a real estate transaction. I’m a tour guide, if you will. This way, my clients can enjoy the ride instead of worrying about what’s coming up next. The best part of it for me is that I get to share in the excitement and take the journey along side them, building unique relationships with every one.

Often times, a client is so focussed on the end result that they forget to enjoy the journey it takes to get there.  I have to remind them that it’s a process and hopefully, you will look back fondly on the process it took to find that place you call home.

It’s a journey, a grand adventure. I have been down that road before and I can’t wait to share it with you!

For todays Friday food review I’m reviewing one of my all time favorite Nashville restaurants: Arnold’s.  This small unassuming place at 605 8th Avenue South has been serving up the best meat and 3 lunches for decades and they are still going strong.  Still, so many people have never had the joyful experience of eating at Arnold’s. Hence, this post.

Today I went with an old friend of mine and as expected, the line was out the door. Don’t be overwhelmed by this though, it moves fast because they serve cafeteria style. The features today were fried catfish, chicken & dumplings, meatloaf, roast beef and BBQ chicken. If you’re not sure what you want, ask the staff. They’re all incredibly nice and have been working there for years.

I chose the catfish. Even though I’m from Mississippi, which is catfish central, Arnold’s catfish is the best I’ve ever eaten. Period. When I go, I seldom choose anything else. I paired it with their homestyle green beans and whipped potatoes with cornbread and a glass of sweet tea. Mmmm Mmmm, that’s good. Food like that just makes me happy! I skipped out on the banana pudding today, but I’ve had it before and it’s a fine way to cap a true down home meal.

No matter what you get at Arnold’s, you can’t go wrong. They say perfection takes time and I think they’ve been around long enough to call it perfect. Go check them out for lunch and you’ll ask yourself why you waited so long to try a true Nashville culinary landmark: Arnold’s Country Kitchen.

There’s good news and bad. The good news is that right now, interest rates on home loans are at record lows. The bad news is, it’s very likely they’re going to go up this year. When they do, buyers will lose major buying power.

Did you know for every 1 pt. interest rates rise, buying power is reduced by 11 percent? That means if you qualify for a $250,000 home now, you will only qualify for $222,500 when the interest rates go up 1 pt. If they go up another 1 pt, you qualify for $198,025.

The double whammy is that generally when interest rates rise, home prices rise too. If prices go up 5%, a $250,000 home becomes a $262,500 home and because interest rates rose you only have $198,025 to buy a $262,500 home… Not gonna happen.

What does happen is that you end up settling for much less house than you wanted or buying a house in a less desirable area or even having to wait even longer to save for the house you really wanted.

The choice is yours. Buy now or wait? The power is in your hands.

I have a confession… I really dislike sales people, at least the ones who try to sell me something. As a consumer, I feel like I’ll buy what I want, when I want.

Do you feel the same?

On the other hand, I really like it when there is someone there to help me when I need assistance or have a question. Often times the one to help me is a sales person by title, but they are acting more as a service person. Take an Apple Store for instance. When you walk in, you are greeted and asked if you need assistance, if you do, there is someone there to answer your questions and help you through your purchase. If you don’t need help, no worries, you can browse freely. Never do they try to sell you anything.

As I build my real estate business, I want to approach it the same way as Apple approaches it’s sales staff:

I am here to provide expert advice to help you make the best decision possible. I will not try to sell you anything you do not want or need. When you have finished your transaction, I hope it will have been an experience worthy of telling your friends about and worthy of your repeat business.

I really dislike sales people, therefore, I am a person… at your service.

2010 is going to be a great year for home buyers… are you going to be a part of it?

The Greater Nashville Association of Realtors report has come in showing 1033 closings for January. This represents a 6% increase in home sales over the same period last year.

“The year has started with positive news for home sales in Greater Nashville,” said GNAR President Lucy Smith.  “The extended and expanded tax credit continues to be a significant factor in prompting people to consider both buying and selling homes. As the deadline approaches in April, it is possible that activity will increase as people take advantage of this exceptional opportunity. Prices did decline in January, which is due largely to the first-time home buying activity prompted by the tax credit.”

I interpret these numbers as a good barometer of where our Nashville housing market is now and where we’re headed. Recovery is coming (hooray!) but it’s going to be a long slow road.

If you are considering buying a home this year, the time is now. Prices and interest rates are low and the inventory is high. As Nashville begins its recovery, prices and interest rates are likely to rise, greatly reducing housing affordability.

If you have questions, let’s sit down for a cup of coffee and talk about it. 2010 is going to be a great year!

Let me first say that BBQ is probably my favorite food so, when I saw B & C BBQ was opening in the Kroger plaza on 8th Avenue, I got really excited! Finally a BBQ joint close to my house. I just hoped it was good. The name stands for Bacon & Caviar to emphasize their high quality approach to down home BBQ.

I rounded up some friends to go check it out and we loved it! Not only was the food good but the prices were very reasonable. The only downer was a very temporary one. They don’t serve beer… yet.

I tried the pulled pork (I thought it was a great place to start) with green beans and their grits of the day (buffalo chicken grits. OH MY GOSH, AWESOME!) I was loved every bite. Also they had 4 sauces to choose from, sweet, hot, sweet & hot and vinegar. All were very good. My friends tried the ribs (which got 2 thumbs up) and the smoked salmon (apparently, they are famous for this in their farmers market location).

I can see this small restaurant really taking off once the word gets out. The patio is sure to be a good hang when the spring rolls around too.

If you’re looking for great cheap eats this weekend, try B & C BBQ. You won’t be disappointed!

I have heard from lots of buyers recently who want to take advantage of the $8000 First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit before it expires on April 30, but they won’t have enough saved for their downpayment in time.  If that’s you, there’s good news!!!

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) has programs available to assist you with your downpayment. There are a few different programs based on your needs and income level.  Some will even front you all of the cash you need for a downpayment.

I have found that not all lenders are familiar with these programs so they are not getting offered to clients. However, I have a great lender that has successfully helped my clients through this process.  If you would like to find out more, I’d love to chat with you and introduce you to my lender.

You never know, you may be able to buy that home this spring after all!!!

I have banked with Regions since way before it was Regions (17 years!!!) and most of the time I feel like they do a fine job. Nothing incredible but stable and comfortable so I’m still there.

Today though, Regions really impressed me. They announced that they are partnering with nonprofits to put on a range of FREE events throughout 2010 for people who may not otherwise get to experience the best of what Nashville has to offer.

Events will be held at The Frist Center For The Arts, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, the Nashville Children’s Theatre, the Nashville Symphony, the Nashville Zoo, the Nashville Ballet and several other locations.

To me, this is what business getting involved with community should really look like. Next time I go to the bank, I’ll walk proudly through those doors knowing that I support a bank that supports me and the community I love. Way to go Regions!

Click here for the full story and event schedule.