Murfreesboro Real Estate has a name: Bob Parks Realty.
A real estate agent is only as good as the tools, resources, and company said agent calls home:)
I can be the most gung-ho, hustling, energetic, outgoing agent I can be, but certain tools and resources are necessary for me to maximize the opportunities and market presence I need to fulfill my obligations to my buyers and sellers…so…I thought that giving some background for the company I am with would be beneficial. I chose Bob Parks Realty when I got my license for 3 reasons: 1.) REPUTATION, 2.) MARKET PRESENCE, 3.) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Staying on the cutting edge of the industry during this time of growth and change is key, and I feel that I am best served and able to do that at Bob Parks Realty. Here is a synopsis of our company, and a word from Bob Parks…
A Message from Bob Parks: The Future of Real Estate in Middle, TN

Now is the time to think about real estate! With tax credits, the low interest rates, and with the over-correction of the local real estate market, affordability has reached levels that we have not seen for years! And, it’s unlikely buyers will see this type of market for many, many years to come.

Promising news for home buyers and owners:

January 2010 marked the fourth straight month where homes sales increased. This is followed by 39 straight months of declines. This trend is expected to continue with a 5-10% increase throughout 2010.
New construction experts agree that 2010 will see this number begin to climb too. A shortage of inventory is likely to occur in late 2010 in lower to mid-range price points.
Steve Murray, a nationally recognized real estate expert notes: We are in a soft-bottom and have started a long slow recovery.
A Time to Buy! An $8,000 tax credit is available for first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010

A $6,500 tax credit is available for current home owners who have been in their home for five consecutive years and plan to purchase a new or used home by April 30, 2010. (see all the details under the “client resources” link at www.bobparks.com)
Interest rates remain at historic lows. As of late February 2010, 15 year fixed rates are near 4.5% and 30 year rates are around 5% for home loans.
Most financial experts believe rates will begin to rise in the coming months
Who We Are

Nominated for “Best in Nashville Business” and winner of numerous other awards, Bob Parks Realty is home to over 400 agents in Brentwood, Franklin, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro, Mt. Juliet, Nashville, Smyrna and the surrounding area. Bob Parks Realty is a member of “Partnership 2010,” a program developed and managed by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. This partnership program is comprised of leading local companies who are the first to be informed on growth and opportunity within Nashville and Middle Tennessee. This means we are able to play a crucial role in recruiting companies to relocate to our area bringing employment opportunities and new residents.

We are proud to offer a full menu of residential real estate services including relocation expertise, mortgage assistance, residential development, auction services, a commercial real estate division, property management, and much more.

Click here to see Murfreesboro Homes for Sale.

Happy House Hunting:)

I can show you any home on the market in Murfreesboro and Middle Tennessee! You can simply Click here to do an MLS Property Search or give me a call and I’ll do the work for you!

True Real Estate professionalism is an ever-changing art in our correcting Real Estate market. We are truly fortunate to be in a changed but healthy market here in Middle Tennessee, and I pride myself on being on the cutting edge of the technology, trends, and changes that we face in the Real
Estate industry currently.

I am in constant communication with my buyers and sellers, and utilize the many tools at my disposal to effectively market my listings, and search for my buyers. I run my business as a high energy, heavily connected, technology-driven entity that has proven to be remarkably effective even as
our market continues to correct its self.

Though I use technology to market my properties, I market my self primarily through referrals. Referrals are the highest compliment of a job well done.

Professional Organizations:
Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors, Tennessee Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors

Accredidations/Awards:
2007 Rookie of the Year Award
2007 Silver Award in Sales

Education/Licensing:
I hold a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, with an emphasis in Graphic Communications, as well as my affiliate broker’s license in Real Estate.

Community Involvement:
* Coach Indoor Soccer, Basketball, JR Pro Cheerleading for all age groups 
* Donate a percentage of each transaction to the Make-A-Wish Foundation
* Active in charitable walks/runs benefiting AIDS, Cancer, and Child Advocacy
* Member of the Chamber of Commerce in Rutherford County

Office Phone: (615) 896-4040

Cell Phone: (615) 507-9349

Fax Number: (615) 523-8787

E-mail Jackie Hogencamp

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Alright…so in a down market everyone in the real estate industry turns into a creative marketing machine. Volume down, guard up, value added service in check, and creative marketing implementation on lock! So…what are incentives and how do they affect buyers, sellers, and home sales? Incentives are the way in which some agents are electing to get their listings noticed, some sellers are offering to entice scarce buyers, and buyers are reaping the benefits due to all of the above…

Point blank, incentives are enticements for 1 property to be chosen over another. The examples are endless: Closing Costs Paid, Furniture Provided, Discount Points Bought, Landscaping Packages, Outside Living Area Upgrades, Appliance Upgrades…the sky is the limit and the offers can get as benign or as outlandish as you can imagine.

The best incentives seem to be those attached to dollar signs for many buyers. They wanna know how much they can save, how much they can have, and what they can do with it… Buying real estate at this point can be as lucrative as a full-time job if you do it right! Obama’s gonna give ya $8k if you’ve never done it before, your closing costs can be paid which could be as much as 4.5% of the purchase price, you can go from LG to Kenmore Professional Series at no cost to you, and hell- How bout a plasma to mount over the fireplace?

The downside to incentives is that sometimes, appropriating that money to be a reduction in list price coulda been much more effective in luring buyers to the property when the listings are plentiful and the buyers are scarce. Aesthetics are key in this theory as well. A lower priced home with proper staging can lure a buyer just as effectively as a home with tons of freebies and enticements…

So, the money for the incentives might keep a listing at the bottom of the price pond, where it can be overlooked by those skimming the surface of the pond.

I’ve never had a buyer that bought a house just because they were gonna get a plasma tv thrown in…I have had many buyers buy homes that they thought were gonna build equity quickly and were great deals…and yes, I’ve even had buyers who wrote offers on the great deals and asked for the plasma to be thrown into the mix…lol. I suppose at this point in the game, the thing to bear in mind is that each and every real estate transaction will have an enticement afforded- aesthetic, monetary, geographic…but incentives can sweeten the pot. The question is, what is more effective for agents- Fire sales or incentives? What is more lucrative for buyers- lower prices or incentives? And what makes seller’s feel more enticing- bottom line pricing or built-in incentives that require higher pricing? I need a creative marketing consensus…

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So, today was disheartening. Awesome client, awesome house, awesomely excited…and the dreaded home inspection day came.
Hands down, when I talk to clients before, during, and after transactions the home inspection is the most dreaded, nerve racking, grueling experience of all when making a home purchase… and selling a home!

So here’s my wise phrase that I use: EVERYONE involved feels the same way. The agents, the seller, the buyer, heck, even the mortgage person handling the loan! Every house has something wrong with it. Even brand spankin new construction will have a flaw- human beings build homes and there is room for human error, there are cosmetics that will be affected by a house being marketed/viewed, there are hidden elements that any upstanding and competent home owner can accidentally overlook.

There are certain things that will be deal breakers for different people. Home inspections are all different. There are good inspectors and bad inspectors. There are little things and big things. There are certain things that are found that would be nothing to one buyer, and everything to another. They are SUBJECTIVE in all rights of the word.

That said, there are ways to avoid the dreaded home inspection’s potential devastation…
For sellers of existing homes, have it pre-inspected by someone you know, like, and trust. If you don’t know any inspectors, handy men, or other home professionals, call an agent and get some recommendations.
For buyer‘s, don’t get too excited about things that turn up on the inspection until you have done some research, talked to your agent, and/or talked to a professional who can explain things to you.

Half the battle has been fought by the time we get to the home inspection. The rest of the battlefield is the half that leads to HOME!…so put down your bludgeoning tool and take a deep breath! Short of a sink hole, tectonic plate movement, or dead bodies int he basement, almost everything is fixable Even if a deal falls apart due to a home inspection for one buyer, repairs can be made, and the next buyer may have a completely different outlook:)

But…for now…looks like me, the buyer, and the seller all get to go back to the drawing bored. Yippee. LOL!

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Well as expected last Friday, in the face of wonderful employment statistics indicating a continued economic improvement, mortgage rates rose. I’m still in shock that some people are up in arms about it! They went from 4.71% on a 30-yr fixed-rate mortgage to 4.81%. On a 15-yr fixed-rate mortgage the rates went from 4.27% to 4.32%. So, yes, they rose, but are still at historic lows and still lower than a year ago in the same month…

If the Federal Reserve stops buying mortgage-backed securities next March rates will rise, but it won’t be anything Earth shattering. If and when it occurs, rates will go up, however, reknowned financial observers state that it is most likely they will nominally increase, not rise exponentially. Keith Gumbinger, VP of HSH Associates, predicts that when the FED discontinues it’s intervention, it will bolster rates approximately 3/4 of a point for a 30-year conforming loan. He also predicts that at the end of 2010 rates will be somewhere around 6%.

Several real estate experts as well as financial experts contend that the Fed will more than likely continue it’s intervention as long as the housing market’s recovery is teetering…

That said, this is all conjecture. With rates at a record low, continued rate increases projected, home prices incredibly low, absorption rates improving, the extension and expansion of the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, and Builder/Seller incentive offers more creative and lucrative for buyers than ever, it truly is the best time to buy!

The continual correction and improvement of real estate trends will continue to fuel consumer confidence, and along with all of the above mentioned motivators, I think that a huge surge in real estate purchases will soon be upon us, and Middle Tennessee will continue to be an amazingly healthy and corrected market. The vast majority of homes that are continuing to sell with a lower absorption rate in Middle Tennessee are under $200k, with the majority of that price point subset that is selling being actually under $150k. It is going to be very interesting to see in mid-2010 how these lower price point absorption rates compiled with the extension and expansion of the Tax Credit to include those who are not first-timers will affect the broader spectrum and all of the price points.

For now though, let’s all take a deep breath and sigh…mortgage rates rose a whole tenth of a percent, but are still under 5%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing. Ok, call me and buy a house now lol.

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