If you believe that buying local helps Louisville, you’ll want to put the Buy Local First Fair on your calendar. Held on Sunday, May 20 from 2– 6 PM at the Louisville Visual Arts Association in the Water Tower at 3005 River Road, the fair will spotlight locally owned and operated boutiques, shops, galleries, breweries, restaurants, and businesses. You can enjoy some good Louisville food and beer, bring home some treasures made by local artists, and become more aware of services provided by entrepreneurs right here in our city. Even farmers markets will be represented at the fair, so you can enjoy raw snacks or take home a bag of local produce if you are looking for an alternative to the delicious prepared food

If you enjoy collecting T-shirts from local events, the shirt from this fair is definitely a keeper a pair of glasses, inscribed with the words “Buy Local,” are perched above a big handlebar mustache that says “Keep weird with Louisville 2012” right below the wording, of course, picks up on the motto of the Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA).

Of course, there's nothing weird about buying local. Money spent in Louisville stays here, into the pockets of local employees who provide goods and services. Though any dollar spent here benefits our local economy, more of the money spent at Walmart or TGI Fridays is absorbed by the national chains. LIBA says that patronizing local ally-owned businesses leaves three times as much money right here.

Given that the emphasis of the By Local First Fair is on promoting what's available right here in Louisville, it's not surprising that one of the partners in the event is Grasshoppers Distribution. Based on that model of local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which matches up local farmers  with local consumers who sign up to buy a box of seasonal food every week, Grasshoppers works with many farms to acquire a supply of produce, dairy products, beef, chicken, and pork to supply schools, hospitals and other institutions with local food options. The company was formed in 2005 to help family farms make a shift from tobacco production to produce and meat.

The other festival partner, the Louisville Visual Arts Association, (LVAA)  hopes to promote "synergy” between local artists, craftsmen, and locally produced food growers. LVVA will display local children’s art . Louisville is well known for its independent art scene, so the fair provides one more venue for artists to strut their stuff.

Now in its fourth year, the festival is expected to draw over 100 businesses and feature activities to entertain the whole family. You can watch an iron show competition between the chefs from Lilly’s versus the St. Charles Exchange or sample craft beers produced by local breweries - all while listening to a concert by Members of Vessel and other groups. There will an activity area for kids sponsored by PNC Bank. 

“Buy local first” is a great idea year round, but this exciting Buy It Local First fair brings it all together.  Come and enjoy! If you want or buy or sell real estate with a local hometown girl, give me a call! I’m Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource!.

As I was writing my recent blog about the Great Bed Races featured as part of the Derby Festival, I got the thinking about local bedding manufacturers right in the Louisville area. Although we have our share of mattress warehouses and other national chains, we also have companies that make mattresses and other bedding nearby.

Right here in Louisville, that Giddings Bedding Company has made mattresses since 1942 when George Bernard opened the doors. Now made by the third generation of family members, the company offers regular size bedding and also special sized bedding for antique beds, which tend to be shorter. Giddings also offers Symbol Mattresses, a line of luxury foam mattresses, which are also available in standard or special sizes. These beds are similar to Tempu-pedic mattresses, which were founded in 1992 by Robert Trussel, a horse breeder from nearby Lexington.

In nearby Jeffersonville Indiana, the Bowles Mattress Company has offered quality mattresses to customers within customers within 200 miles of its factory since 1975. As a family-owned business, George and Opal goals sold mattresses directly to the public and to local furniture stores to local furniture stores. By 1981, the Bowles move their company to an old warehouse building at 1221 Street in Jeffersonville. This additional space allowed for business growth, so by 1990 the company expanded again and then added equipment to make for a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Bowles supplemented their line of residential mattresses with 37 types of bedding for university dorms, nursing homes, hotels, private label products, and specialty items such as waterbed replacements, round beds, truck sleepers, sofa bed couches, adjustable beds, and antique beds. They also make "Air" Digital Sleep systems, a sleep product similar to the Sleep Number bed which surrounds air pockets with foam. The company is currently managed by Billy Bowles, son of the original owners.

Strobel Technologies, also from Jeffersonville, IN, has perfected their line of Supple-Pedic mattresses, which use space spring-wire rods and fulcrums to create a system that works like a teeter-totter to provide excellent support, and according to the owner, Mark Stroeble, "the lowest surface pressures" of any mattress on the market today. Originally a waterbed maker, the company still makes an upper-end soft-sided ultra-waveless waterbed mattresses with lumbar support. In an era when many manufacturers add chemicals like boric acid, arsenic, and silicon, formaldehyde to their products to meet national fireproof standards, Strobel mattresses are toxin-free.

Offering bedding accessories, Louisville Bedding Company has grown from its humble roots in 1889 to now having over a million square capacity to produce 14 million pillows and 18 million mattress pads each year in its US and international facilities. Originally founded by Samuel Cruse as the Louisville Pillow and Mattress Company, it got current name in 1917. In addition to pillows and mattress pads, the company’s product line include comforters, sheets, and foam pads. Louisville Bedding manufactures for chain stores under national brands like Croscill, Nautical, Beautyrest, and  Deepsleep, and private labels like Sleepsations, SensaLoft, and EcoSmart. The firm was one of the first to make sheet that fit deeper-pocket mattresses with its Expand-A-Grip line. Despite its international scope, 98% of Louisville Bedding products are made in the United States. It is the world’s largest producer of mattress pads. Over 7000 of its 1,000 employees are in Kentucky.

With so many exciting things to do in Louisville, we can get our rest on local products that would be a great addition to your new home.  For information about buying and selling homes in the area contact me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource, today.

Teams sponsored by area corporations piloted beds along a figure 8 track designated by cones at Yum Center. Prior to the race, the 25 five-person team decorated the beds in keeping with this year's theme, Bedtime Stories. To facilitate steering, beds can shed some of their decoration during the race, but decking out the beds as part of the fun. Betting teams are paired off to run heats. The goal is achieving the best time, but teams pace themselves to avoid crashing at the crossing point of the figure 8.  Of course, when beds crash, the crowd cheers and traffic cones go flying

Needless to say, the beds that were raced were far cry from what's in your bedroom. Though the bed must incorporate standard full-size mattresses, they are mounted on a special four–wheeled frame, such as those made by Louisville's Knight School of Welding. The bed must be steerable, have exactly 4 wheels, and must follow all specs determined by the Kentucky Derby Festival. During the race, at least one team member must remain in the bed at all times.

The event is an actual race, with the fastest team proclaimed the winner, but beds can win as the Most Decorated, the Most Entertaining, the People's Choice, the Most Likely to Break Down, and Cone Eater. This year's winner for speed was once again Curtain Call Photo Booth, who has won the last four races, followed by West IP Communications and UAW/Ford Louisville Assembly Plant. The victors in the other categories were:

Best Decorated Bed: Bigelow Tea (Mama Teacup and Baby Teacups theme)

Most Entertaining: Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar (Snow White and Seven Dwarfs theme)

People's Choice: Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar

Most Likely to Break Down: Whole Foods Market

Cone Eater: Apple Valley Gang

As the winner, Curtain Call participated in the Pegasus Parade on May 3. The race is run for fun and charity, as money raised by the People's Choice voting is split between the Kentucky Derby Festival and local charities.

The Great Bed Race began in 1990 as "Bedlam in the Streets." First run in downtown Louisville in theater square it moved to broadband arena and ultimately Yum Center. As noted in the video, it is promoted as a “Buy Local Event.” This is good timing, given that the Buy Local First Fair is coming up on May 20^th.

For information about buying and selling homes in this neighborly area, contact me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource, today.

With the Kentucky Derby just a couple week away, my pups are running for their earplugs this weekend while the rest of

The fireworks show is produced every year by Zambeli Fireworks Internationale, which attempts to exceed the wonders of the previous year’s show. Set in motion from a command center in the Galt Hotel, this year’s show will synchronize music with the the explosive burst sof light to create a 28 minute show containing 57 pieces of music. Thunder Over Louisville has come a long way from its roots in 1989 when 20,00 balloons were quicly released after a daytime ceremony.

Held at 9:30 pm, the military-themed show caps off a 7-hour air show with 90 aircraft. Since 2012 is the 100th anniversary of Marine Aviation and the 70th anniversary of World War II’s Battle of Midway. there will be over 100 miitary and civial planes in the show, including some vintage models.

Depending on the weather, over 500,000 might attend the events. Because the events attracts a lot of people, planning your visit in advance will limit your surprise to the wonders of the shows, and spare you aggravation. 

Traffic may be madness, so be prepared. Some interstates and many streets will be closed and traffic rerouted.  Roadwork on I-71 will continue, adding to probable traffic jams. See the Courier Journal’s list of street closings. so you can plan ahead. Louisville Metro Police will have 606 officers assigned to Thunder Security ,plus 633 for traffic enforcement. 

Anticipate where you will park. If possible, to avoid some traffic tieups, park a few blocks away or take public transportation, which has been increased for the event. If you want to park close, near the Clarksville Memorial Bridge, the old Colgate plant will charge $20 for passenger cars, $10 for motorcycles, and $200-250 for  RVs, Otherwise, there are about 52,000 parking spaces within a 10 blog walk of the park.

Come equipped. With rain and cool temperatures predicted, bring rain gear, extra jackets, and blankets.  The event is long, so bring in lawn chair or a picnic blanket or tarp (less than 10’x10’) to make yourself comfortable. You cannot camp at the site or erect a tent. To make the veent comfortable, include some ear plugs, especially for kids.

Don’t forget your Pegasus Pin. Available for $5 having a pin will allow you the best access to festival events and make you eligible for prizes.

No pets. Louisville is usually pretty dog friendly, but for this crowded event, please leave pets at home.

Plan for meals. You can bring your own food and drink, so long as it is not in glass bottle. There will be plenty of delicious food on hand from vendors or at the sites such as Thunder Chow Wagon, West Belvedere Beer Garden and Derby Festival BoomTown, where no outside food is permitted. No grilling!

Other options. Though this event is classic Louisville, if you can’t make the show or if you kids (or you!) poop out before the fireworks, you can watch the event on WDBR TV, listen on WVEZ (106.9 FM), or follow along on Facebookor Twitter (@kdfboom). Undoubtedly, there will be plenty of videos and photos of the show t fill you in on what you missed live.

If you’ll be there, join the Thunder Twitter Team and share  your tweets with the Courier-Journal. Sign up for the Thunder Twitter Team. 

Even when it’s all calmed down, Louisville is still a great place to live. If you want to join the fun year round, call me, Jessica Gaines of Louisville Gaines Real Estate ...

No matter how old, young, rich, or poor you are, Mayor Greg Fischer is challenging all in the city of Louisville to participate in the 2012 Give A Day week, to be held from April 15 – 22nd. You can make a difference.

We all know that it’s the people in Louisville that make the city great. As we showed by our response to the recent tornadoes in southern Indiana in Northern Kentucky, we are willing to reach out and help others in our community. Especially in tough economic times, our compassion is not just needed in times of disaster, but in helping everyday people – and the organizations that help them – make it through. You may not be in a position to write a $10,000 check, but you can make a difference by contributing an hour, day, or week any of the projects compiled by Metro United Way or by doing any act of kindness. Monetary donations are welcome of course, but what many organizations need is your time and talent.

Organizations in need of help submitted projects, along with the number of volunteers need. Some, like the Volunteer sof America or Wayside Christian Mission put a mix of spring cleaning, spring landscaping and planting, and interaction with program participants on the list. Others, like St. Peter’s Evangelical United Church of Christ, a small church in the Russell neighborhood that reaches out to the neighborhood, needs serious maintenance by many skilled workers. It would be a dream come true to have these needs met next week – and even better if a crew caught the volunteer spark and committed themselves to donating time after the official week ended.

If helping animals is your passion, Metro Animal Services  needs 48 volunteers to help with a different project each day. The Animal Care Society, the No-Kill adoption agency for dogs and cats, needs 98, while the Kentucky Humane Society needs 12. Projects at these animal facilities range from cleaning and painting the facilities to helping with animals. There is plenty of work to do.

If you look through the 22 pages of volunteer projects, you will see that whatever your interest or skill is, Louisville needs  it. Whether you want to read to a child or help with homework, do some painting or cleanup, or write some letters to military personnel, there's a job for you. All you have to do is register for Give A Day. If you are part of a group of people, the leader can register for all who will come to help. Once you sign up, you will get a confirmation. There are some ways to help out that require no registration or special registration. Please click this link for Give A Day Week of Service Associated Projects.

Louisville started planning for Give A Day in 2011, when Mayor Greg Fischer announced his goal to make Louisville a more compassionate city through volunteering. The concept was given a test run in the fall between October 17-23^rd, but the official April start coincides with the start of the 2012 Derby Festival. Mike Berry, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival, was delighted to incorporate the volunteer effort into Derby events. The Festival is dependent on volunteers.  He states, “We literally could not produce our events without a large and dedicated corps of volunteers. We’re proud to be part of this important initiative.” As a matter of fact, many of the volunteer projects on the Metro United Way list will help prepare the city for the visitors who will come for Derby related events.

Volunteerism will not only help others in our city, but offers a way to make a difference. It can become a way to add to meaning to your life and can be fun as you mingle with fellow volunteers and program participants.

Interested in living in a great city where doing for others is a priority? Call Jessica Gaines of Louisville Gaines Real Estate if you're looking to buy or sell a home in the area.

If 2012 is the year when you will finally

Having acreage of any size can be a dream come true or a nightmare for homeowners. In theory, living on a piece of land where there is distance between you and your neighbors represents having a calm place to get away from it all. You can forget the hustle and bustle of the city, see the stars at night, smell clean air, and be at peace, as you live the “Walton life,” perhaps with fewer children at hand. The downside? You have less interaction with your neighbors whether you just want to socialize or when there's an emergency. You are more dependent on a car. But there are other maintenance realities you must consider.

Do you enjoy yard work?

The more land you own, the more maintenance it needs. You may only plan to landscape the area around your home, but beautifying the yard, cutting the grass, removing weeds, and raking leaves is time-consuming and can be costly, whether you do it yourself or hire out these tasks. Do you enjoy this type of yard work? You want to devote your time and money to it? Some people find it therapeutic, others traumatic. Which are you?

Having a wooded area behind your home can offer a beautiful view and provide a natural habitat for wildlife. The downside is that the landscaping in your yard is a cafeteria for deer and other animals, which means that you must either research plants that don't appeal to four-legged visitors or plan on frequent replanting. You may get more bugs. When storms come, more debris will land in your yard.

Why do you want more land?

Aside from the lure of the lifestyle, if you are looking for more than a big yard, you must also ask yourself why you want to own the land, Regardless of whether you plan on letting the land grow wild or whether you plan to farm, race horses or cattle, or have acreage for hiking, exploring, hunting , or fishing, the extra land will need some type of maintenance that you must figure into your schedule and budget. If you hope that the land will be income producing, you can offset your maintenance costs with revenue, but you must think this out very carefully. You may be happy owning a smaller lot near green space that offers the facilities you need.

Finding the right space in Louisville

In Louisville, you have many housing choices, but in general, the nearer you are to the city, the more expensive the land. If you're looking to buy a home up to the mid-250s or so, you can buy a condo with little or no land downtown or throughout the region, a home on a fairly small lots in nearby neighborhoods like Phoenixville, Butchertown, or St. Matthews, a home on a larger piece of ground in Indian Springs or Anchorage, or one with acreage in southeast Jefferson County or surrounding counties like Bullitt or Oldham. If you have more money to spend, there are beautiful properties throughout the city with more land.

Do you know how much land you want and where to find it in greater Louisville? A good Realtor® can help you find the perfect house on a space that matches your interests and pocketbook. You'll want to work with a Louisville native who knows the area. That's why, if you call me, Jessica Gaines of Louisville Gaines Real Estate, you can't go wrong. 

Regardless of nationality, many people embrace being Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. And why not? The day is rich with camaraderie, good food, plentiful beverages, and hope for the future. As such, Louisville embraces the day.

Wearing the green. Blue was the original color so St. Patrick’s Day, but green replaced it the the 18^th century, in honor of the landscape of Ireland, dubbed the “Emerald Isle,” shamrocks, and the green Irish revolutionary flags. Early revelers thought green made them invisible to leprechauns who would pinch and steal those not wearing the color. Now, even my pups wear green in honor of the day.

Leprechauns: These little fairies were ill-tempered tricksters in Ireland, but were given a genial nature when touched by Walt Disney. The 1950 film Darby O’Gill and the Little People made leprechauns the symbol of St. Patrick’s Day in American and Ireland too.

Corned beef and cabbage: Irish settlers to America replaced the bacon in traditional Irish meal with corned beef that was plentiful here. They often bought from Jewish butchers to create corned beef and cabbage, an Irish-American favorite. Louisville delis like Stevens and Stevens serve up corned beef all year, while Irish pubs and other restaurants like the Irish Rover, Bristol Bar and Grill, O’Shea’s serve up corned and cabbage during the two-week celebration.

Drinking:  St. Patrick’s Day was traditionally a religious  holiday in Ireland, where the pubs were closed in observance. In the mid-90s, a new emphasis on tourism instituted a 5-day St. Paddy’s Day festival in Dublin. Partiers in Louisville often attend Mass before the parade.

Guiness: Green beer might be a novelty beverage, but darkly-colored Guiness and delicious microbeers are the real beverages of the day. Guinness has always been tied to the day, though the company is not Irish. In Louisville, local breweries turn out Bourbon Barrel Stout and Celtic Hell and other favorites and joina number of Irish pubs in serving up the beverages.

Shamrock Shakes: McDonald’s  mint-flavored green shake was been a favorite from 1970-1990, but was only featured in some restaurants in the chain since then. For a time, it was unavailable in Louisville, but returned this year as Mickey D’s went national with it again.

Parades: Not an Irish tradition, the St. Patrick’s Day parade began in the U.S.in 1762 in New York City, when Irish soldiers who served in the British military started the tradition. Especially festive in NYC, Boston, and Chicago, site of large Irish settlements in America, there was no parade in Ireland until about 1927. Louisville held its parade on the 10^th.

As a Louisville native who enjoys celebrating the holiday and as a Realtor® who loves my profession, I particularly enjoy the many Irish house blessing that zero in on what homeowership is all about.

May your home be bright with cheer,
May your cares all disappear,
May contentment come your way,
And may laughter fill your day.


Wishing you always—
Walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain
And tea beside the fire—
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you—
And all that your heart might desire!


May you have warm words
on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill
all the way to your door.

To capture this warm Irish joy in your home all year round, contact me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource, today. I can help you buy or sell a litle piece of heaven in Louisville.

These two little towns were caught in a group of at least 44 tornadoes that cut through the south and the Midwest, leaving a  path of destruction  in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio.  As 2012 enters its third month, the year could rival 2011, when over 550 died and damage exceeded $25 billion in insured losses.  So far, the storms this year in the US are unusually powerful and long-lived, according to Greg Corbin, the warning coordinator meteorologist Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Storms like this make you think. Especially in Louisville, where tornados have been part of our history, you realize that had the winds blown in slightly different direction, you might have gotten caught up in them too.  Even as you emphasize with the victims, now coping with homelessness or at least great loss, you feel gratitude that you or your family were not affected. All you can do is reach out to the victims.

So what can you do? If you have money to give, the Red Cross will put it to good use to help victims.  You can donate today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. However, according to Pastor Phil Cheek of the Henryville Community Church, people are in great need of “survival items,” such as food, blankets, paper products, plastic ware, diapers, etc.  The Voice-Tribune collected and delivered supplies from the community on March3.  You can contact Managing Editor Angie Fenton at angie@voice-tribune.com or 502.551.2698 to see if they are still accepting them.

Cheek’s church has been a leader to in helping those in need in the community and beyond. The members work with Dare to Care to feed the hungry in Louisville, and last year travelled to eastern Kentucky and Alabama to help tornado victims. This year, with no power from the storm, Pastor Cheeks and his congregation will fire up grills to cook food donated by Wick’s Pizza, The McMahan Group, and others and will help distribute donations.

The disaster has caused another problem that also concerns me deeply.  Many people with pets either lost them or are unable to keep them in the shelters or other temporary housing they have.  The Eastside Animal Hospital has stepped up to offer shelter to animals whose families without a home after the storm. (You can reach them at (812) 282-3855.) However, their space is limited, so if you can volunteer to board a few pets, call Eastside or any local shelter.

Shamrock Pet Foundation and No-Kill Louisville have stepped up with free pet food that will be distributes at St. Francis Church, U.S. 31 and Ind. 160, Henryville, and Pekin United Methodist Church, 244 S. Shorts Corner, New Pekin. If you would like to donate food, contact these organizations, and watch for news of other businesses and organizations who are collecting food for distribution.

If you have lost your pet in the storm, checkout http://www.facebook.com/KyInOhLostAnimalsFromFromTheTornadoes, which seeks to matchup owners and finder of missing pets.  The page is also a forum to match up other needs, such as burial of animals killed by the storm.

As Henryville rebuilds, there are plenty of ways to reach out to your neighbors. Based on the past, I know Louisville citizens will again show the generosity and compassion that has matched their response in past disaster.

For information about buying and selling homes in this neighborly area, contact me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource, today.

With St. Patrick's Day fast approaching, it is time to plan your strategy to enjoy the variety of holiday events right here in Louisville. Though the day itself is on March 17, Louisville citizens enjoy the wearing of the green for over a week.

True St. Patrick's Day lovers prepare for the day beginning on March 3, with the annual Wearin’ of the Green Dinner Dance and auction at the Boys and Girls Haven Gymnasium. Since drinking is usually associated with St. Patrick's Day revelry, you won't want to miss the Blessing of the Beer on March 8 at the Bluegrass Brewing Company and Brew Pub. A parade will lead the way into the pub, where a Catholic priest will bless all the official beer of the St. Patrick's Day parade, Bourbon Barrel Stout, on hand in the brewery.  The group will then proceed to up O’Shea’s on Baxter Ave. for the Tappin’ of the Keg. A representative of the Ancient Order of the Hiberians ( AOH) lead the crowd in prayer before the cask is tapped and served until it's gone. Let the holiday officially begin! Beer connoisseurs may sneak back to Bluegrass Brewing Company, for a taste of Celtic Hell, a beer aged in bourbon barrels for over a year.

The traditional St. Patrick's Day Parade is on Saturday, March 10, 2012. Prior to the parade, you can enjoy breakfast at St. Lewis Bertand’s O'Brien Hall, complete with entertainment by the McClanahan Irish step dancers and good food, followed by Mass at St. Louis Bertrand’s at noon. Winners of the St. Patrick's Day coloring contest will be announced at the breakfast as will the winner of the I wish Person/s of the Year.

This year’s parade theme is SHAMROCKS & SHILLELAGHS.  Bands, decorated cars, and organizations will join the parade at 3 PM that goes from the corner of Broadway and Baxter and down Baxter to Bardstown Road. The AOH is still taking applications for entries in the St. Patrick's day Parade.

On the day following the parade Sunday, March 11, you can combine holiday fun with a good cause. At The Saint Baldrick's Shaving Event at Fourth Street Live, you can shave your head in solidarity for children with cancer as Louisville participates in the world's largest volunteer driven fundraising event for childhood cancer research. You can volunteer to be shaved or participate as a barber, volunteer, or donor and then enjoy the festival like atmosphere of the day.

Throughout the week, Louisville has plenty of Irish bars where you and your designated driver can celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but you won't want to miss the big annual tent party on the 17th at Irish Rover Pub in Clifton- Crescent Hill.. You can enjoy traditional live music Irish dancing, food, beer, Irish whiskey, and "Cead Mile Failte" – “One Hundred Thousand Welcomes.”  If you're in Oldham County, you can visit the Irish Rover Too in Lagrange.

Whether you're Irish or not, there is plenty to enjoy in the weeks before St. Patrick's Day and throughout the year in Louisville. If you're interested in making the lively Louisville area your home, contact me,  Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource, a call today. Whether you need a starter home for your first job or a mansion that proclaims your success to the world, we have it all in Louisville. I'm a Louisville native and I can lead you to your new home.

When you're looking for a town to call home, you want a place that offers good employment opportunities for yourself and your family. Even if you relocate to work with a specific company, you want to make sure that you're not moving to a “one horse town,” with limited arenas for your talent.

UPS is Louisville’s top employer. The well-known parcel delivery service UPS is based in Sandy Springs Georgia, but since 1980, Louisville has been the home of UPS air service, now called Worldport. Over 250 flights originate from Louisville each day. UPS has continually expanded and Louisville most recently in 2010, when it increased the sorting capacity of the Louisville hub by 37% to 416,000 packages per day. Since 2005, Louisville is also the hub for heavy freight. UPS employees nearly 60,000 people, making it Louisville's biggest employer, in areas ranging from customer service, package handling  and sorting, logistics specialists, mechanics, and more. In addition to over 20,000 full-time employees (FTE's), UPS provides jobs to college students and other part-time workers. Many of the part-timers participate in the coalition was Louisville colleges to allow them to pursue higher education have reduced or no cost.

In addition to UPS, Louisville has many opportunities in healthcare, food and beverage, advanced manufacturing, and more. Nearly 85,000 are employed in health enterprises. Humana Corporation, a health insurance company that is Louisville's second-largest employer, employs over 10,017 FTE’s in Louisville, and plans on adding at least 200 more in the area in 2012. Norton Healthcare Inc.with 9,421 FTE's and nearly 300 job openings for physicians, nurses, and another medical support  personnel, has the city’s third-largest payroll. The fourth biggest employer, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare Inc., a large regional network of more than 70 facilities, employs more than 5,819 FTE's the Louisville area. The burgeoning life sciences business provides research that complements health care services delivered. The city is also a center for pharmaceutical fulfillment.

Louisville has over 10,000 employees in the food and beverage industry. Yum! Brands, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silvers, A&W restaurants and more, is based here, as is Brown-Foreman Corporation, one of the 10 top spirits companies in the world. Kroger Corporation, of grocery store frame, is the fifth largest employer in the city. Papa John's Pizza, Texas Roadhouse, and Tumbleweed Southwest Grill have their headquarters here. The University of Louisville has a food processing program that offers resources to local food companies to assist in labeling, analysis, and marketing.

Other job opportunities beckon from major firms like General Electric, Ford Motor Company Raytheon, and to smaller more specialized firms such as Steiner-Rice (organs), Steepleton Co. (billiard tables), Louisville Slugger (bats), and Radio Sound (radios for Harley Davidsons.)

Based on the benefits of locating here, Louisville actively recruits new businesses and offers incentives for expansion and job creation. With art and culture booming in the region, beautiful parks, a legendary annual horserace, and some of the best housing values is a country, Louisville is a great destination if you're relocating.

If you want a new house in a great neighborhood near your new job, give me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource, a call today. Whether you need a starter home for your first job or a mansion that proclaims your success to the world, we have it all in Louisville. I'm a Louisville native and I can lead you to your new home.

 As a Realtor® in Northwest Louisville,

Although Butchertown was established in 1796, when a grist mill was set up there, it became urbanized with the arrival of German settlers in 1827. Many became butchers, a trade relegated to the outside of town. The area, situated along a major Turnpike (present day Frankfurt and Story Avenues) and Beargrass Creek, was perfect for processing meat, dumping animal waste, and sending the meat off to other markets. The new settlers also worked in related industries such as tanneries, cooperages, soap making, agricultural supply, blacksmithing, and other needed services. In their off time, the new German residents celebrated their heritage by drinking beer and bowling at the Woodland Gardens.

Streets in Butchertown were set up on a grid by the early 1840’s, and named for figures in early-American history with names like Washington, Franklin, and Adams. Homes in the area are architecturally diverse, with most be brick or frame, in a style known as Victorian brick-a-brack. Because many businesses were located in Butchertown, there are clusters of homes separated by industrial buildings. Due to zoning and the flood of 1937, many of the original homes were torn down.

Modern-day Butchertown is a historic neighborhood where the emphasis is on rehabbing the old houses rather than demolishing them to make way for new construction. There is a small rental market, but most residents are homeowners. Since 1966, the Butchertown Neighborhood Committee sets forth guidelines that renovators must follow to gain approval from the remodeling efforts. Prices in Butchertown are modest.

Still important to the economy of the Butchertown neighborhood is the JB Swift plant, the current owner of the meat processing facility in the neighborhood. The plant gives off a distinctive smell of pork, which is a concern to many new residents of the neighborhood. To more long-term residents, it smells like money, as Swift is a major employer in the area. Several restaurants in the area, such as The Blind Pig, offer menus in line with the history of the neighborhood.

Butchertown, along with neighboring Phoenix Hill and East Market, is considered a part of NuLu, a major urban revitalization district. The neighborhood is gaining a reputation for its boutiques and art galleries, which pulls in visitors to area shops and restaurants.  Every year the Neighborhood Association holds an art fair to emphasize local talent and build community; this year the Butchertown Art Fair is scheduled for June 2, 2012.

If the thought of living in an exciting Louisville neighborhood that is both historic and new, you might want to look at Butchertown. Call me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource.

Last week in our blog, we started to talk about how to take advantage of the current low interest rates in Louisville. Getting preapproval for your loan is crucial. Experts recommend that you approach several lenders, including banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and mortgage brokers, to see where you can get the best deal.

Each lender has their own underwriting requirements which determine whether you can even get the loan and for how much. If you go to several lenders for preapproval, you may find some variation in the amount you qualify for as well as whether you qualify at all. In addition, lenders vary not only with their rates, but also with points, closing costs, and types of loans. Any of these costs will affect the amount of your mortgage payment.

Lenders base their lending decision on the documents you provide. You should go to your preapproval sessions armed with your last two pay stubs, W-2s or 1099s to prove your income, income tax returns, and bank statements.

In the past, if you had a good relationship with your local banker, you could discuss life circumstances that may have impacted your credit report. If you lost your job or had a siege of illness that caused you to pay late, your banker might go to bat for you with the underwriting committee, assuming that you're now on track and are paying your bills on time. Relationship may not matter as much these days as loans are automated its, but you may find a lender that is more sympathetic to your past unemployment or other circumstances the computer may flag.

If you work in a profession where your income is variable and you receive 1099s rather than W-2s to document your income, you may have a harder time proving that your income is sufficient and reliable enough to make your mortgage payment. Most lenders look at the last 24 months of your reported income. If you have not reported all your income or if you overstated your expenses, your records may indicate lower income than the lender requires.

You may need to work a little harder to find a lender, as well as be prepared to put more money down if you have mainly 1099 income. (This may seem harsh, but keep in mind that the recent foreclosure crisis was caused in part by lenders issuing mortgages to people without sufficient income to pay them. Having verifiable W-2 income as compared to stated income from a 1099 is no guarantee that things won't change in the future, but lenders regard W-2 income is more stable.)

The more “issues” you have in your credit history or with your income, the more time you need to allow to obtain your preapproval. These days, it is unwise to put a bid on a home unless your financing is assured. Sellers anxious to move their property are less willing to accept financing contingency clauses. If your financing is uncertain, you may lose your dream home to another buyer whose financing is ready to go. Especially if you are going through a government programs such as FHA, be sure to start your search for financing 2 to 3 months before you start your active housing search.

As a Realtor®, I have experience working with different lenders. I will gladly make suggestions of lenders to try based on your situation. Seek and you may find a great loan! My goal is to help place you in a home you can afford in one of the many exciting neighborhoods in the Louisville area. Call me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource.

First, know what you're dealing with. Pull a copy of your credit report to see what your score is and to determine whether information is reported correctly on your report. If you find errors, take the time to correct them. If you have late payments or other blemishes like past bankruptcies, repossessions, or judgments, nothing but establishing good payment habits and the passage of time will make them go away.  The good news is, by improving your payment habits you can raise your score in a few months. Assuming that your finances are now on track, these blemishes will still impact your ability to get the best rate, but you may still be able to get a loan from some lender, even if your interest rate is somewhat higher.

One thing that creditors consider when determining your credit worthiness is your debt-to-credit ratio. They do not like nearly – maxed out credit cards and ideally want to see you using no more than 10 to 30% of your credit limit. If possible, pay down credit cards to conform to those limits. This may delay your homebuying process a few months, but it can be worth it if having a lower debt to credit ratio raises your score enough to enable you to qualify for a lower rate.

Before you go to the bank, consider what you can really afford to pay as a mortgage payment. You do not want to put yourself in a situation of being house poor. If you know you like to travel or enjoy hobbies, you realize you may have to cut down on these expenditures for a while but you do not want to sacrifice your lifestyle for a house. If part of your income goes to support your parents or you have pets with high vet bills, you need to plan for these expenditures. You may be tempted to gloss over these expenditures when you are discussing your finances with a loan officer, but you need to be realistic with yourself.

This is important because your next step to prepare for homebuying is to get preapproval from lenders on your financing. The lender will evaluate your credit report and tell you how much they will lend you. This amount may be more or less than you expect. If they tell you that you can afford a $2,000 house payment, but you know you would be struggling if it is more than $1,600, you need to follow your gut and only commit to buy a home that will leave you with the payment in that price range.

As a Realtor®, I respect the financial situation of my clients. I consider how much you are able to spend and do not show you multimillion dollar mansions if you're pre- approval limit indicates that you should be looking in the $150,000 range. It's true that some homes slightly out of your price range might be negotiated down to something you can afford, but you have to be realistic. A seller over million-dollar home is unlikely to cut the price to $100,000. If they do, consider watching the movie The Moneypit before going any further.

Buying a home?  I want to work with you. Call me, Jessica Gaines, your Louisville real estate resource.

If you are thinking of putting your house on the market, you may be  put off by last year’s stats. You also wonder how a Realtor® can help you in thismarket. You figure that if you wait until spring, you will have a better chance of being competitive.  As a Realtor® who loves to

• The economic impact is relative
  
• List now
  
• A good agent does matter
  

How are you doing?

Last year in real estate was a good one for me, but area agents sold 4% fewer homes in 2010 than in 2011 and sold them at about 3% less. The median sales price was $134,500 vs. $138,000 the year before. The economy, as usual, was the culprit. At 9.1%, current unemployment, figures are the lowest since 2008, but  in 2011, unemployment was more than a percentage point higher. Even now, a staggering number of people are still out of work. The European economy is shaky, tax revenues at the YUM! are down, many people in area are hungry, a disturbing number of homes are “underwater” – news like this shakes consume consumer confidence and keeps them out of the real estate market.

If you are thinking about moving, it comes down to “What is your situation?” If you have what you believe to be a stable job, low debt, and good credit so you can buy another place, go for it! Interest rates are low and people are buying.

You real estate spring is now

The common wisdom in real estate is that the housing season begins in April and ends in September or October, especially for families with kids. In a city with four seasons, moving in the winter can be a hassle. The reality is that people buy homes all year around. Homes that come on the market in the off season face less competition, so if you list your home now, you will have a jump on the April rush.

You may think, “Who wants to house hunt on a cold winter day?” Consider this. Many buyers look at homes online and only see those in person that seem to be a good match. If the stock of homes in the neighborhood they are interested in is stale, they may look elsewhere. If you add your freshly-listed house to the mix, you may offer just what some weary online shopper is looking for. Trust me, when someone falls in love with a house online and sees potential in it, neither cold nor snow keeps them from reaching out to the agent to see the place. Call me to list it now!

A good Realtor® does matter

A Realtor® is not a magician, but by offering the right advice about preparing, pricing, and timing the listing of your home, and by marketing it effectively, your agent can make a difference in the outcome for you. 

Here is a recent testimonial from one of my sellers on this point:

My house was an "unsellable" - it was in a subdivision where the builder was still building. You could have got a brand new house, the way you wanted it, for far less than what I was selling mine for. We were going to wait until the spring to list it - silly me, I thought it would be prettier if the flowers were in bloom. Jessica convinced us to put it on the market early. She sold that pile of bricks in less than 30 days for 98% of the asking price... Then helped us purchase our dream home. Hands down, best realtor in KY. Don't wait!! List now!! :D

If you have started to prepare your home for the spring market, I encourage you to speed things up so you can list it ASAP. If you have major work to do, you will have to wait– but if you have done a good job with performing regular maintenance, a couple weekends of cleaning, decluttering, and painting may be all that you need to make it look appealing to potential buyers.

If you want an honest opinion about whether your home is ready for “prime time,” I am happy to take a look.  Call me, Jessica Gaines! I am your Louisville real estate resource.

Over the course of our last few blogs, we have talked about considerations you might have when buying or selling a home in Louisville. What do you want when you are a buyer?  What should you do if you’re selling?  The reverse of these questions are: What don’t you want as buyer and what you shouldn’t do as a seller?

You may buy a house and plan to make changes you want to fit your preferences of style and color and improve your kitchen to be a gourmet work center and your bath an in home spa.  You may want a pool in your yard or a pottery studio in your garage.  As a homeowner, you can do as you like, but there may be consequences when you go to sell if your improvements don’t appeal to the bulk of buyers.  Not only may you not get back much of what you put into the home, but selling it may be harder. According to a recent article on MSN Real Estate, some improvements actually turn away buyers. 

Most real estate agents will tell you that pools are tricky additions that may be a deterrent to selling – especially a quick sale – unless you are talking about pools in warmer climates or in more affluent areas. But there are more things that can turn off the average buyer.

Improvements that don’t pay are often those that turn the normal function of an area into something else. If you blacktop your entire backyard to make tennis court, you won’t earn much rate of return on the improvement and may have to wait a while for a kindred spirit who prefers tennis to lawn care.  The same goes for covering your yard with green cement.

A motorized lift may keep your mother in her home longer, but will add about four months to the selling time.  The device takes up most of the staircase and is costly to remove for younger families who don’t need the convenience. Just the right older buyer might like the staircase, but would more likely choose a facility designed for seniors or a one floor home.

Fancy bathrooms with steam showers, TV, seating, another spa amenities may make the home design magazines, but cause the house to stay on the market a few extra months.  The upgrade may have cost tens of thousands of dollars, but will return only a few thousand. Buyers may fantasize about such bathrooms, but don’t want to pay for them.  Features like urinals won’t bring much rate of return; whether buyers even like this upgrade is a toss-up between sexes.

Like the romance of a wood stove and have no other source of heat?  Buyers tend to walk on by homes like this for year or more until just the right buyer who want to be bothered with hauling in wood falls in love with the house. 

Converting a bedroom into a home office may be a good solution if you work at home, but if you add paneling, built in shelving, and hi-tech entertainment systems in a room that can’t be turned back into a bedroom, your house can linger on the market for an extra year.  This might not be a huge problem when the house is large, but to take one bedroom away when there only three or four will lessen the appeal and recoup less than 60% of the cost.

Barns in non-farm area, horse stables, a bank of garages for classic car, and hobby rooms are hard to sell – unless the next owner has specialized needs. Features like this can keep home on the market months or years longer and bring a rate of return that ranges from 1-60%.  Obviously, none of these features are upgrades, but reflect the passions of the current owner.  Passion seldom plays well in the real estate market.  Your best hope of selling a home with an unusual feature is to appeal to potential buyers through specialized advertising.

If you are a buyer, you may jump at the chance to buy a place with some of these improvements.  Make sure to tell you Realtor® of your special interest.  If a paneled office/den on the second floor or a barn on the property is on your “wish list,” you may be able to get this feature in a home in your price range.

Have a home with hard to sell features?  Looking to buy something special?  Call me, Jessica Gaines! I am your Louisville real estate resource.

As we discussed in our last blog, you might be weighing whether to move or stay put and remodel your Louisville home.  Your issue is space, as your family is growing or you want more room for at-home business, so you look to the attic for available living  space that will not require you to expand the footprint of your house. If you have a shotgun house with a pitched roof in Germantown or Old Louisville or a rambling old house in Butchertown or St. Matthews, you wonder if remodeling the attic is good option.

In terms of rate of return of return at sale,  Remodeling Magazine surveys verify that attic remodels are a great investment that pay back over 90% at time of sales. In an economy where kids come back home and parents move in, maximizing available space makes sense to you - and to the next buyer as well. Fixing your attic, or your basement , for that matter, give better pay-back than an addition.

There are two things to remember.  First, attic remodeling is not cheap. Unless you are just improving a previous remodel and just need to do some cosmetic upgrades, you can spend nearly $50,000 in bringing  utilities to the space, reinforcing the floors, adding insulation, drywalling, and finishing the area. Putting this much into the house and paying additional utility costs might still end up being cheaper than moving. If you love your home and really don’t want to move, you need to consider if your attic is a good candidate for expansion.

How is the current roof supported? . If your attic has A-shaped roof supports, your attic is a good candidate for remodeling.  If the supports look like big W-s, that means that you have trusses where each board helps support the roof, so you won’ t have enough walk-around space left to make a room.  A crawl space won’t work, but if you have a home built after 1960, you might have prefabricates trusses that can be altered

How strong is the floor? Most local building codes dictate that floors support 10 pounds per square foot for dead load space (the materials) and 30 square foot of live load space (furniture, belongings, you.) Old attic floors tend to only support 10 pounds, so your floor may have to be brought up to specs by strengthening  he ceiling joists of the rooms below.

How much “clear span” or open space do you have between beams and joists? You don’t want to hit your head on the ceiling when you are getting out of bed. What is considered usable space is the part of the  attic is at least 5 feet high, but at least 50% of your attic must be 7 feet, 6 inches or more above the floor to comply with building codes.  In an attic, beams that are perpendicular to the floor might be load bearing, so you cannot move them to give more open space. You can also add dormers or skylight windows to part of the space to give more height in certain parts.

How do you access the attic? If your attic already has a staircase, you are know how a staircase will  impact the rooms.  If the space was only reachable before by a ladder, you need to plan on about 5 square feet in diameter for spiral staircase, 16 feet x 3 feet for a straight staircase, or 8 square feet for stairs broken up by a landing. (you can use a ladder to access a loft, but ladders to the attic don’t pass most codes.) If the access to the attic is from a closet or a private area of the house, finding an access point can be a challenge. If you have grown kids or boarders in the attach, you will want the access to be as non-intrusive to your family life as possible. Also, for safety purposes, you need an escape route.

Are there utilities there? If so, will your current systems handle the expansion?  You will need heating and cooling, electricity, and perhaps water so you will be comfortable. You may need a separate furnace unit or an additional circuit box to handle the load.  Especially if you are creating a bedroom, a separate living space, or rental space, you will need a bathroom.

If your architect can address all these consideration, your attic can be upgraded to create an ideal space for an extra bedroom, office space, a family room, or game room. If not, there are plenty so spacious homes in the Louisville area that can match the needs of your family.  Want to see some?  Call me, Jessica Gaines! I am your Louisville real estate resource.

 

 

Happy New Year, Louisville. After a couple weeks of holiday celebrations, it is time to focus on your real estate agenda for 2012. Is this the year you will get serious about moving?

 

 

Over the past couple years, the housing market has been down, so sellers have hesitated to sell unless they absolutely needed to. Though most of us anticipate making a profit on our homes when we sell, it is still shocking to realize that serious price cutting may be the only way to get the type of buyer attention that results in a “sold” sign in the front yard.  For buyers, there is more choice in a down market – but when sellers hold back, the choice is less than it would have been. 

This state of affairs beckons anyone who anticipates house shopping in the new year to carefully consider what is important to them in a new home. Over the past decade, the first thing on most people’s list is more space. Considering that the average home size in 1970 was 1,400 square feet as compared to 2,700 square feet in 2009, they fulfilled their dreams. Since in that same time period, family size did not change much while the number of people living alone increased, the need for more space is due to preference, not need.

According to a blog post Remodeling trends: Smaller homes appeal to buyers that appeared in the ReliableRemodeler.com blog, size preferences are decreasing a bit, in view of the economy, environmental consciousness, and changing views on using space. The blog references a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey that shows that size preferences for new homes have already dropped to about 2.400 square feet in 2010 and predicts a further drop to 2,150 square feet by 2015.

In Louisville, there are homes of every size and configuration, every age and condition, that will suit your lifestyle. How much space do you need? What do you need it for? Where do you want it? If you take the time to figure this out, you will be able to approach the homes you see differently. If a home is smaller than you want, how usable is the space? If it is not in move-in condition, what is the potential for making the space just what you want? If is home is bigger than you need, how will you use the space? What are the economics of heating, cooling, and maintaining it?

With a variety of nice homes out there, it is just a matter of finding one that will work for you. Call me, Jessica Gaines!  I am your Louisville real estate resource.