New Orleans Real Estate by Eric

        Sometimes a camera can catch things we rarely see. When building these turn of the century building these works of stone art were not a great return on ROI so why did they do so much of it. Did they not have accounts on their staffs. Like the Lion head on this 1910 building,it almost too high to see. Could he be guarding the building to save on security. Since one was put every 10 feet someone was serious. The scroll type of work in the second photo is on the tenth floor and there was no roof top viewing areas. You have to wonder why so much time and effort was put into the details. It was the sign of the times. I can only assume tht the bottom figure which was a bank kept the bank safe. all these guys have been around for several generations.Your town msot likely has this type of stone detail if you only notice. The idea to reuse these old building and enjoy some of the charms is not new to real estate. Look up next time you are around some of these old buildings and see what you see. New Orleans above your head. 

As a group we work hard and many hours. I do a lot of business because I do work hard. I dont know if its Katrina fatigue or getting near the end of the real estate year but I am running low on energy and looking for ways to recaputue that spark. I started exercising again which I had stopped doing after the Hurricane which was a year ago. I got back into one of my volleyball leagues again this past month. I got my LSU season tickets for the upcoming basketball season today. Gives me a chance to go to the games with past clients, supporters ect which is a nice outing. Its like reinvesting in your business and having fun at the same time. Life seems to be getting more normal since the storm. Everyone has these down periods, what do you guys do to get refocused?

This place has great key lime pie overlooking Magazine Street. Its right across the street from a condo I showed this week. New Orleans has some great and simple places to eat. i coouldnt see writting a blog with a photo or two.

You rarely ever see much bamboo in these parts but this caught my eye as it was planted in the alley as you entered the rear condo. Taking photos through windows catches a monent and something unique.

Really a lot of local flavor in this uptown condo conversion 2 houses from Magazine Street and across the street from my favorite key liime pie.  

                                  Famous Artist ?

                                 Famous Author Lived here recently?

                                 My Favorite of the past 6 months served here?

                                       Some New Orleans trivia that you amy know the answers?

The Saint Charles Garden Condos located at 3915 St Charles Ave were converted from apartments into condos in 2004. The location on the tree lined St. Charles Ave half-way between the University-Uptown areas and the central business district made it a great location for Tulane and Loyola University students as well as those working downtown. It is an easy streetcar ride which ever way you go. The 93 units are mainly 2 bedroom units with several one bedrooms per floor spread over the 7 floors. Amenities include gated parking, security, elevators, swimming pool, exercise room, balconies, courtyard and some great views from the upper floors. The St. Charles Ave units sold quickly and were more expensive. Most of the units were totally redone with new kitchens, wood floors, new bathrooms, crown molding, new light fixtures, new appliances and pained with your choice of colors. For more information about these units visit 3915 St. Charles Ave or the website at

                                                                     New Orleans Condos

          The Saint Charles Ave Street Car line runs from downtown New Orleans to the University area across from Audubon Park. Great ride for the money even if you have no where to go. They are currently shut down for Katrina repairs.

The Destrehan-St. Rose area is a great place to live. You are close to a major city with all the things New Orleans has to offer. Its a place for the families who like the outdoors. You can be salt water fishing in 30 minutes, you can be fishing for Bass in 20 minutes. There are golf cources, well respected schools, playgrounds for all ages, and of course real estate that is very affordable. You have access to I-310 to the west bank which means you can be in Houma in 40 minutes and Iin Baton Rouge in 45 minutes.

The Elmwood Oaks Condos are moderately priced condo association of 101 units consisting of mostly two bedroom units mixed in with a couple of one bedroom units. The one bedroom units are about 800 sq. ft. while the two bedrooms are 1000sq. ft. There is plenty of easy parking. Each of the units will have a balcony or a patio. There are elevators and gated entry to the various floors, the units all open into a closed hallway. Each of the units has a full size washer and dryer. All the units are flats meaning they are on one floor. This is a well run condo association with many long time residents. There are tennis courts along with a large outdoor pool and picnic area. The Harahan location is ideal as it is adjacent to the Elmwood Business park, Oschner Hospital and an easy commute to Uptown New Orleans. The Mississippi River Brige and highway 90 are a mile away. The values have continued to rise for these condos because of the location and the fact that they are well mantained. all the shopping you will ever need are blocks away. This is the type of place where your mother would like enjoy. The Old Jefferson area is next door that is bocoming a demand area. Check out the website for additional information on living in Jefferson Parish.   New Orleans Condos 

I recently sold a nice two bedroom in Elmwood Oaks to a first time home buyer for the low 140s. It needed a little updating. Joey was going to put down wood and tile floors. These upgrades will last much longetr than he is going to own the place. This is an area where Joey will get his money back. He can repaint and pull down the wall paint the wall paper which is a lot of sweat equity. This is a great way to build equity for a first time buyer. Other wise the unit was nice. Your agent can really help you on what upgrades will pay off in the future. Go for location and the fact that most of the units tend to sell rather quickly here when priced correctly. When you see few sales and the sales that sell quick then you know you have a good demand for the units.

Fountains are always a pleasant site where ever you may find them. Its an artistic expression that is meant to enjoy in an urban setting. I enjoy them wether large or small, the sound of the water, the light reflecting off, and the fact some developer decided to add a quality of life item that in the end may help the real estate value of the condo or courtyard. It has been common place in New Orleans to do this for years. We have no hills or rocks here. I actually wish we had more. I always get a photo so I can end up writting a blog on it, I am sure no one else has.

I continue to see the trend that Krystal wrote about in an earlier blog, about that a certain segment does not want to drive long distances. They enjoy having all their needs close to work and home. Not everyone wants to get in a car every and drive an hour to work. Ride a street car which does not have a/c so you can enjoy the breeze and the sounds on your way to work. New Orleans is surrounded by water so things had to be built close togeather. No one wanted large yards because thing grow big and fast here with our 60 plus inches of rain per year. these street cars were put back in service just 2 years ago and really made a splash along the route in terms of real estate values rising. all the red street cars happen to flood during Katrina so we are putting them back togeather again. Another factor is people buying second homes in an urban area so they wont have to use the car when they are here.

                                                                     Canal Street Car Line

Wild things would be mild for this house I sold 4-5 years ago. You are seeing less than 50% of the collection in what the seller called his "game room". this was his families hobby over the last 50 years. the family was in the shipping business. i was not the listing agent but the selling agent several months later. The listing agent knwe she had the get the seller to pack the gang up as the focus of the house, you guessed it!!!! The room was 40x30 with this giant bathroom and sauna at one end. Talk about hobbies to overcome when selling. Laura finally got the seller to put these guys in a storage zoo unitl she could get the house sold. It made me remember the home. Met a nice lady and her daughter at an open house and gave them some ideas as to what was out there. I had my laptop with me and showed them how I could narrow their search down to a few. Gave them my card. They called the next day and wanted to see 2 homes that I suggested. One was the game room home and another one in Metairie. The lady said as we left this one that was a possible. The next one we stayed about 5 minutes and she said this was not me. She would think about it. She called me several hours later and said she wanted it and can her husband see it. He liked it,it was a cash sale and we closed in 4 weeks. Shows you what open houses can do?

It is a great relationship. I sold the daughter a nice home the next year, sold her house in 2 weeks, sold her college age daughter a condo later in the year. This is a roll all from an Open House. They called me a couple of weeks ago to sell this house so they could move closer to their daughter. I went and looked at the house. helped them get a handyman to fix some hurricane damage. I told them it owould be better to wait until next spring to put the home on the market. Katrina and more expensive homes have not done well. Not many agents are going to do this but when you have a great client you try to give them the best advice possible. o this was a story about the animals, open houses and repeat business. This was my first digital camera but I saved the photos because not many people are going to have this many wild ones in a game room.