New Orleans Real Estate by Eric

Where else can a guy run his candy business virtually unchanged since 1915. In New Olreans this business is an icon. You can buy Sam Cortese's candy for 75 cents for a stick. You get the same flavors for the last 80 plus years. Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry. See it and pull over and buy your stick of taffee. I saw him yesterday and took the photo on St. Charles Ave. There are several wagons so you can usually catch him. Did not have time as I was busy with real estate but had time to stop. Roman Candy in New Orleans 

I think people are thinking twice about long commutes. People from New Orleans hate commutes more than most areas. They live in old homes to be close to relatives, friends and jobs. Many people are beginning to realise a commute of an a hour one way is starting to add up in time. 10-12 hours is a high per centage of your waking hours. When you start to add the cost of fuel it is going to get people to start thinking. Putting the time and money issue on the plate is making the young professional generation make stratigic choices. Have any of you seen this? Its another good reason to stay nearer work. if you make $30 per hour and you can cut back 6 hours of commuting thats like $180 of time. Couple that with saving a tank per week thats about another $40 per week.

New Orleans ranks number three in the country in wettest cities according to a recent study that looked at the average over a 30 year period.New Orleans averaged 64 inches per year.  Mobile, Alabama was number one with 67 inches per year. Pennsacola, Fla. was number two with 65 inches. It is some what deceiving because we have very few days where it rains all day. When it rains here it pours and the drops are large. The most I can ever remember was May 9, 1995 when we got 20 inches in about a 12-15 hour period. That was a rain to remember. The bennefits are low water bills which average about 20-25 dollars per month. Lots of plants that grow quickly and plenty of wildlife that enjoy the sub-tropical climate. I have an umbrella but never use it,  you can dodge the drops they are so large.

I have never met a stager in person. I read their blogs all the time on Active Rain. What makes a good market for stagers. If it was little competition then we would have one. Are people too cheap here to pay the fees? Are the returns on doing this worthwhile? Do stagers wilt in high humidity? Do the homes have to be expensive? I do not know the answers but it seems like one could make it in New Orleans.

 New Orleans is surrounded by water as you may or not know. It is surrounded on one side by Lake Pontchartrain which is a brackish lake that empties indirectly into the Gulf of Mexico. it is 24 miles acroos and 40 miles long in the shape of an oval. It is unusual in that the deepest spot is about 14 ft. deep and has no rocks. It provides boaters of all types to enjoy the outdoors 15 minutes for the central business district. Its a great place to sail your sailboat day or night. The water is usually warm and there are no sharks. There are several  harbors near West End where parking your boat is inexpensive compared to other cities. Most of the fishing is at the salt water end of the lake where speckled trout are the main catch. Louisiana is a great place to fish and lake Pontchartain is one of them. Happy sailing to you!

"The Gulf Coast, where home prices had roared back at a double-digit clip the year following Hurricane Katrina, is one such market. Biloxi, Miss., grew by 15.7%, and Baton Rouge, La., by 9.7%, but the subprime hammer came down on New Orleans, where a 20% delinquency rate on subprime loans contributed to an 11% drop in home values, the NAR reports."

I may have had one sub-prime loans in the last two hundred sales. The media reports something but it just doesnt compute. The reason the averages are down is that homes that have been gutted nad flooded sell for less, a lot less and this will bring the averages down. I would think that sub-primes have very little if anything to do with the prices being down. I live here and do business here 7 days per week and this is not my market. Where is th4e truth or the rest of the story. Puzzeled in New Olreans

St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans is home to many historic homes and apartment houses that have been turned into condos. The street cars run down the middle of a divided Ave. under stately oak trees. In this particular condo you are several blocks to Audubon Park, several blocks to Tulane and Loyola Universities. You are a short ride to shopping areas, places to eat and drink. You can jog under the oak trees or walk to the park which is one of the nations oldest. You are on the Madri Gras parade route if you are from Naploeon Ave and town. its like living in a piece of history. These areas are great for a second home, student, med students, residents and people starting out who do not want to own a home yet. Take a look at New Orleans Condos to get some additional ideas. Its a great place to enjoy a different life style. Why pay over $3.00 per gallon when you can walk to some pretty exciting stuff.

Today I closed on a condo with Cathy who has a bit of misfortune over the last couple of years. She is always in great spirits. Katrina kind of started it when her home was under ten foot water for 2 weeks losing everything in the process but still having a mortgage to pay off. She and her 80 year old mother rented a place of last resort that happened to have a drug dealer living next door. Her mother moved out to go home which was also gone. She has a FEMA trailer in Chalmette for a year while her home is put back in shape. She worries about her and the drive across town. She wants to stay,period. A fema trailer is like living in a can.

She was desperate to get out so we found her a nice condo about 6 weeks ago that was brand new. living in a  She has a second job helping ssecurity at Jazz Fest so she wanted to wait till it was over to close. Last week the apt. next door caught on fire damaging all the things with smoke and water she had gotten since Katrina. The developer let her move in before closing with her cat and air matress. She was so excited to close today, one of these tearly things where guys do not do well. She was sorry that the Jazz posters that she bought for me, may be smoke damaged. God bless Cathy and the thousands like her. My son took this photo in Chalmette after Katrina. 60-70% of the people no longer live in the area. 

One of LSU's most interesting football player is Trinton Holiday from Baton Rouge. He is 5'6" tall and about 160 lbs. What makes this guy a footabll is his speed and ability to get lost in the line. He recently ran a 100 meter time of 10.08 in winning the SEC tract meet. Its not all size and hopefully he can put up some numbers for the Tigers.  

I am seeing this more and more. Its a neat feature but I do not know how to add it to my blog. I am sure some of you can help me out. Just need a couple of steps. Great feature and it looks good to see the recent readers.

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