100 days left in 2009!! $8,000 Tax credit- Time running out!!

I have to ask myself where did 2009 go? With only 100 days left in the year, I can say I am glad we are in the fourth quarter of 2009. Remember the doom and gloom that was being talked about last October? Well most Realtors already knew the country was in a recession well before it was "officially announced that it began back in December of 2007. Here locally, I am thankful that our market is stable and is holding it's own. Our overall inventory for our Board of Realtors is falling and our days on the market are under 100 days in some price points. While the news still shows other parts of the country that have been devastated, we are blessed that our company wrote more sales contracts last month than we have in any other month this year.

What is the big difference of 2009? Besides the foreclosures and short sales, I have seen real estate agents having to jump through more hoops with financing problems, appraisals, inspection issues and unrealistic expectations of buyers and sellers more than any year I can remember. This market has however had a great effect on our market because it has forced our Real Estate agents to improve their skills by making them try new ways to market themselves and the properties we represent in Bowling Green and South Central Kentucky. Yes, this year of 2009 has been an interesting one. Being an eternal optimist, I have to believe that our market will continue to improve, be it ever so slowly, but improve it will.

REMEMBER, The first time home buyers tax credit is running out and must be used by the end of November 2009

For more information on homes or real estate in Bowling Green Ky. please visit our website at http://www.realestateinbowlinggreen.com/ .

If you would like to talk real estate or have a question just contact me at ktinsley@crye-leike.com.

Take care,

Kirk

Crye-Leike Executive Realty Launches New Website

Crye-Leike Executive Realty "The Number 1 Franchise of Crye-Leike Realtors in the nation", is proud to announce the launch of their new company website RealEstateInBowlingGreen.com. Crye Leike Executive Realty is again leading the way with features such as Virtual Market Analysis, Integrated Map Search, Virtual Tours, Home Finder automated email service and online registration for Crye-Leike's exclusive Voicepad mobile information service. Please visit the new site today. The site will be actively changing and updated to keep the correct information of today's market in front of the consumer. Crye-Leike agents will also have a distinct marketing advantage with all the tools now available to them with the launch of the new site. For more information visit us online or email at executiverealty@crye-leike.com.

Take care,

Kirk Tinsley-Principal Broker

Spring has Sprung

Welcome to spring and the lowest interest rates I have ever seen, since I have been selling real estate. I am thankful that winter is finally over and the spring weather and spring home buyers are out and about. I have said before and will continue to tell you that regardless of the media, Buying a home in South Central Kentucky is still a great investment. The first time homebuyers tax credit is now available till December 2009 and may be worth up to $8,000 tax credit to you if you buy a home this year. Contact us and we will be happy to get you more information and guidelines on the tax credit and if you qualify. Crye-Leike Executive Realty is here and ready to assist you on the home buying process or your goal of getting your home sold in today's market. Do not trust your most valuable asset to just any agent. Today you need a professional who is up to date with the rapidly changing market conditions. Do not list your home with anyone until you talk to a Crye-Leike professional and see what we offer you to help you home sell in today's market.

Where is the bottom?

This is a great question don't you think? Nationally the bottom of the real estate market has hit in some areas but others continue to take a beating. In Bowling Green, Kentucky our market will finish the year with a modest increase to the average sales price for residential homes with the average marketing time around130 days just up 6 days over 2007. The job market here is stable but I think everyone is sitting tight for home purchases through the holiday's. I am hoping that the new administration will pass the housing stimulus plan proposed by the National Association Of Realtors. This plan would give everyone including first time home buyers, a no repayment $7500 tax credit that purchased a home for a limited period and also allow the automatic buydown of the loan interest rate to 4.5%. Nationwide, we must have assistance in getting all the backlog of inventory off the market to experience a full housing recovery. I am enjoying the gas prices these days as I am sure you are as well. It feels great not to have to spend a Ben Franklin every time you go to the pump. Take care and MERRY CHRISTMAS, If you have a real estate question please email me at ktinsley@crye-leike.com and I will do my best to answer it.



Kirk Tinsley
Principal Broker
2009 RASKY President

Wall Street vs Main Street

It has been a while since my last post. I want thank everyone who reads this blog. I am the incoming president in 2009 for the Southern Kentucky Board Of Realtors. I have been getting ready to assume control and I am very thankful to have the honor of serving this great organization at a time when nationally markets continue to correct. It is a time when a true REALTOR will step up and perform and today in selling your home you need a Realtor to help you expose your property at its highest level and cut through all the other choices out there. Locally, the market is still fairly solid but it has been slowing somewhat with the upcoming election and the recent meltdown on Wall Street. I would not be doing my job if I did not tell you it is one of the best times to buy a home in recent history that I can remember. No, that is not a sales pitch or my trying to drum up business. It is the absolute TRUTH. The inventory on the market provides lots to choose from. The interest rate is still very reasonable right now with the promise of rising in the coming months. Our local market has not lost any value and is holding. I am going to tell you what your stock broker will not. I want you to remember this powerful statement because it has the capability to improve your current financial doldrums. "IF purchased correctly with the right conditions Real Estate is the single best investment one can make in their lifetime. Why do you think Donald Trump likes Real Estate. Because he believes just like I do, that real estate has made more people financially independent than any other investment that one can make. I believe long term real estate investment will outperform most stocks on performance and return. Let me know what you think.

Kirk Tinsley

Bowling Green Kentucky- Still Thriving !!

As the owner of one of the leading real estate firms in the Bowling Green Ky. market, I have the honor of working with some of the finest Realtors in the business today. I see my agents compete everyday in a marketplace that is not always easy or fair and I think we have all seen dramatic changes in the financial and housing sector in the past 18 months which has been amplified by the price of oil. The age of 24 hour news and constant drum beat of panic peddling has lulled everyone into thinking it is worse than really what it is. It is just like if I tell you "you don't look good" or "are you feeling alright?" about 100 times in a row. You would start to think you're sick.


The great news is locally homes in Bowling Green are still selling, if the are priced to compete with current market inventory. I feel that the market which was starting to head down a little at the beginning of 2007 finally has hit a soft bottom a few months ago. We still have quite a bit of inventory on the market and it will take a little time to work through but on the horizon I see good things. I also feel that the country as a whole will bounce back from all the sub-prime lending mess within 12-16 months from now. Hey it was a big mess in other places that's why it will take a while to come back in areas like; California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada. Bowling Green however is still a thriving economy when compared to even some of the hottest markets in the country like Franklin, Tenn. We are so blessed to live in this part of the country where jobs are still being created. We have a great university, Western Kentucky which adds untold millions to our local and regional marketplace. Bowling Green for sure will be on the grow for some time to come.


I have been selling and brokering real estate in Bowling Green for almost 13 years now and I have seen tremendous achievements in our area's quality of life over that time. As one of my agents said "We will not participate in any slow down". That is the mantra of the fine agents here at Crye-Leike. Will the election of 2008 change anything, I simply do not know. What I do know is that we should learn as a country that loose lending practices, oil dependence and fighting a war on a trillion dollars of borrowed money has a few consequences. I got to spend some time in the Persian Gulf as a younger man in 1990-91. I went there to serve my country and my country went there because of our oil dependence to the middle east and to keep the unrestricted oil flowing to our country. I guess we really did not learn our lesson during the late 70's- 80's oil embargo, 90's Desert Shield-Storm or the new and lengthy current Iraqi Freedom war. I see this as an issue that can be resolved if our country will get back to the morals and standards of God, family and country that made us the most prosperous nation on the face of the earth.


The moral of the story I guess is that after seeing much of the world and other cultures it made me appreciate what we have here, even more. I honestly could not wait to get back home to South Central Kentucky. I realized the day I made the last turn off of I-65 to the Bowling Green exit after 4 years of being away that I was home to stay. I have never found a place in all my travels as unique and offering the unlimited opportunity as Bowling Green and South Central Kentucky. In Bowling Green I have been able to realize my dream of owning a real estate company and I attribute the success that has allowed us to become Crye-Leike's #1 franchise for the past six years to hard work, long hours and the thriving market in Bowling Green. One of the rewarding parts of my job is I get to meet and talk to so many people that are moving here from other places. Some people come because they are being transferred, while others come because of attending one of many area gatherings and conventions such as the annual Corvette Homecoming. Finally, some have just gotten off of I-65 on the Bowling Green exit and simply fell in love with our town and the people. I am not surprised at the amount of visitors that simply visit here a few times and decide to stay because it truly is one of the best places to live, work, play and raise your children that exists in our country today. So the next time you are watching that negative news story about the failed housing market realize that it is not here folks, to put it other terms " We are not participating in any slowdown".

We as professional Realtors at Crye-Leike Executive Realty are doing our part everyday to make sure that our local economy remains strong and continues to thrive. Let me know what you think at ktinsley@crye-leike.com

You Don't Need A Real Estate Agent To Sell Your Home?

You also don't need a lawyer to represent you or a doctor to see what is the matter with you. I tend to cringe everytime I hear someone say"Hey you don't need an agent, you can sell it yourself online. True, there are plenty of ways to list a house online yourself, just as there are plenty of unskilled agents out there that will be proud to just get a sign in your yard and would do anything to get you to list with them. Does that sell your home? The answer is absolutely not.

There is a movement for everyone to look at real estate agents as the enemy. We are not the problem. The online powers that be would have you believe that all agents are bad, we are not needed and we are extremely overpaid. However study after study shows that the average experienced agent makes somewhere between $30-$40,000 per year. That same agent may put in 60 -80 hours a week on the phone, running all over town showing property and negotiating offers well into the evening when most people are with their families. The average income and hours required is not exactly sipping tea on the French Riveria as most people believe. As an agent, I am speaking from experience, you never get to turn this job completely off like most other jobs. We don't end the day at 5:00 p.m. Successful agents are on call 24-7 and will answer email or calls just about anytime. Successful agents today are not like they were even 5 years ago. This business is very rewarding and humbling at the same time. There is a huge misconception about what the agents earn to what a homeowner can save.

A experienced full time agent is invaluable and will usually pay for themselves by giving good sound advice to buyers and sellers when they need it most, just like a good lawyer or doctor would give you. It has been my experience that most people when they buy a home unrepresented tend to pay too much for the house. For Sale By Owners also make a mistake when they price according to what they think will pay off their bills or pay for another home in another market. They should price according to what the house is actually worth in the current market. The key word being "current". Our market is changing at a rapid pace, now more than ever you need to seek the guidance of a trained real estate professional.

At Crye-Leike Executive Realty our agents are highly trained and skilled in selling real estate in the current market. We have all the tools needed for our buyers and sellers to achieve their goals and we strive to create lasting relationships and to earn your respect through our proven marketing plans and providing that WOW that is missing in so many aspect of our society. We sell real estate 24-7 and are here whenever you need us. We are your kids coaches, community leaders and your neighbors. We give our time and effort as well as our money back to our communities. A true sign of a real estate professional from a so called one is that a true professional is always paid upon closing a transaction and a successful sale has taken place. The burden to perform is on us. If we do not perform you do not owe us anything. Try that with one of those online companies. let me know your thoughts at ktinsley@crye-leike.com