New Orleans Real Estate by Eric

I got an accepted contract today to close on Haloween for a client today. It made me think fo the other neat things I have had happened on holidays. I remember selling one of my own listing one 4th of July before I went on a picnic. I have had closing on the day before Xmas and on New Years Eve. I have written contract on Mardi Gras day which is a big holiday here and everything is closed. We wrote it before going to the parades. I wrote one with George 7-8 years ago when everyone had evacuated for a hurricane.He called me and said he had cabin fever and wanted to write the offer. Told him to come over to the house and we would get it done. I one couple who went to the Caribean for Valentines day and while resting on the beach decided they wanted this house and to fax a contract to the hotel so they could sign. You just never know when people get ready to write on a house or condo. Another great thing about the fall holiday season is the amount of contacts you make for the first quarter of the next year. If you have a highly ranked website this is a great time for people to be browsing the internet for homes?

One of the nice things about a mature market is many of the old homes from the late 1800s are being saved and turned into condos as these downtown areas come back. The 14' ceiling, 10' windows, pockets doors, fireplaces, porches, wood floors, balconies are being renovated for the young professionals to enjoy. The crown molding and restored woodwork really give these old house a new life. We need this trend to continue. Cities and States should all look to tax breaks and deductions to offset a developers cost of restoring these prperties. This is a great saver of wood, gas, entergy, and materials. We talk about saving so we need to put the money where people are doing. People love to walk or ride the streetcar to work. Its a return to an earlier period where craftsmanship was appreciated. Just not many closets!!

This past year I got a new Toyota Avalon and with it I got the GPS map as a real estate toy. Its been great even though I usually know where I am going. Its been a great help to be in finding some streets. I used it today as many street signs have disapeared and streets are not easy to find with missing signs even if you know the streets. Its a neat gadget for a real estate agent. do you have one?

Wow! we all took half a day off, what an emotional game for the Saints fans. I bet "Buddy D" and "Hap G." enjoyed this one. I am drained but will write a short blog. New Orleans gets into football more than most. You have to remember we have won one playoff game. For tonite we were world beaters. Not much real estate was done but had some good luck. A guy from U.K. emailed me about buying a condo and he picked one out from my list. He had lived there 20 years ago when 1750 St. Charles was an apt. complex. I couldn't remember what the view was so dropped by to take a look. A security guard who had helped me before showed me where it was and where the views were. Sometimes these guys can really help you out so I will have to remember to thank these guys more! I think they appreciate it. Smile after a great day. it ends in 20 minutes, Go Saints!!!!!!

                                                                  Who dat gonna beat them Saints, Who Dat???

Alligator season is in full swing. Living in the city you do not think about hunting alligators 30 minutes away. It is a 40 million dollar industry here in south Louisiana. 29,000 to 30,000 will be tagged and caught this year. It is a controlled hunt where each gator will be tagged. Did you know that gator hide is 20 times as strong as leather. the skins are sold mostly in Europe and the meat eaten here as fryed alligator or in gumbo.This hunt accounts for 80% of the hide sales in this country.They must just watch them in Florida. There are more alligators in Louisiana than in Florida which you may not have known. The Florida real estate market has taken their normal home in the marshes whould be my guess?

If you are going to one of the local Universities for college then you should think about buying a condo for your stay. Why pay rent when you or your parents can be paying your self. You are lucky to get something nice in the New Orleans Uptown market. Think of paying $800 per month for 4-5 years. That adds up to 38,000 to 48,000 for the time you are here. The appreciation rate has easily been 5% per year over the last 6-7 years. That means if you buy a condo, you will more than likley have a gain when you get ready to move on. You will get the tax breaks from being an owner. History may not repeat itself but all my clients have made money to date. The lending tip is to borrow 5 year fixed loan so you can get a better rate. Most likely you will not be in and let me sell it for you in 4-5 years. add it all up and it may be a great purchase for you.  

I live about 10 blocks from the Mississippi River. Most of you may not know that New Orleans and South Louisiana is a major entry point into the US. It is the number one port in the US for bulk cargo. This means things like steel, coffee, oil products, chickens, wheat, corn and much more. It is a major employer for the region. Upriver and downriver is a large concentration of refinery's that service the midwest and east coast. The levee separates the river from the nearby neighborhoods. Its a great place to look for driftwood that may have come from St. Paul or St. Louis. We are south of Pennsacola Fla. and about an hour and change fron Cancun, Mexico. A little geography lesson.

Most of us have a website but do we list our listings on the site. If your site has the flexibility you can do a nice review of the property by creating a separate page for each listing. You can use whatever photos you desire. They will be larger and of better quality than that of the local mls. You can give neighborhood info as you wish along with maps ect. The sellers will always like it. You can add the features they care about. I always make flyers for my properties and use the back of the flyer to advertise the site as a place to get more info and a photo tour of the property. Its easy to update since its on your site. This also drives more people to your site which is always a good thing. You are also creating another page on your website. You can incorporate the neighborhood info that you just cannot fit into the mls. 

2337 Magazine St. Condos  Click for more Photos	3201 St. Gharles Ave. #313 Click for more photos	4304 State Street Dr. Click for more photos