Regardless of whether you had to move away from the "Lovliest Village on the Plains" or are still living here, if you enjoy Auburn, Alabama as much as me you can keep an eye on what is going on my viewing the following webcams: http://www.auburnalabama.org/cams/default.asp These webcams are placed in the heart of Auburn. Alabama.  Hope you enjoy them and War Eagle!!!!!!  08/14/2008

The following report is calculated by the Alabama Center of Real Estate. This report, along with more detailed information, can be found on their website: http://arerec.cba.ua.edu/  Are you considering a move into or out of Lee County Alabama? If you would like to receive these monthly reports, emailed directly to you, along with other local area information, just send your request to me at mhawks7@aol.com. http://www.marahawks.com ACTIVE REALTOR in Auburn, Alabama 07/15/2008

LEE COUNTY HOUSING STATS     JUNE 2007 & JUNE 2008 RESIDENTIAL - JUNE 2007 RESIDENTIAL - JUNE 2008     ALL AREAS: ALL AREAS: 855 Houses on the Market this month 991 Houses on the Market this month 129 Properties sold 110 Properties sold 162 Average days on the marker 181 Average days on the marker 167 New listings 200 New listings $210,000 Median Sold Price $200,000 Median Sold Price $236,905 Average Sold Price $217,963 Average Sold Price $30,560,759 Total Properties Sales Sold Dollar Volume $23,975,900 Total Properties Sales Sold Dollar Volume AUBURN: AUBURN: 500 Houses on the Market this month 508 Houses on the Market this month 78 Properties sold 62 Properties sold 174 Average days on the marker 174 Average days on the marker 95 New listings 107 New listings $230,950 Median Sold Pri... 07/14/2008

The following is the contact information for the City of Auburn, Alabama's Planning Department. Auburn Planning DepartmentHours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. M-F171 North Ross StreetAuburn, AL 36830Phone: 334.501.3040Fax: 334.501.7293 http://www.auburnalabama.org/pl/ This is oftentimes useful to have when buying or selling a home in the Lee County area.  06/25/2008

The Auburn Parks and Recreation Department will host the 16th Annual Fishing Rodeo from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at the lake in Auburn Technology Park South. This year's rodeo is in conjunction with the Water Works Wonders National Fishing and Boating Week. The family event is for children 12 and younger. More than $300 in door prizes will be given away to participants, and prizes will be awarded for the biggest fish and smallest fish caught. Participants are asked to bring their own fishing poles. The cost is $5 to participate, and bait will be provided. There is a five-fish take-home limit for each child. For more information, contact the Dean Road Recreation Center at 334-501-2930. 06/06/2008

Don't miss the Wildflower hike at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve this Saturday, June 7th at 10:00 am.  Curtis Hansen, the curator of the A.U. herbarium will be present to give exciting tips about the flowers.  There is no charge for this event and everyone will meet at the pavillon.  Hope to see you there!   06/05/2008

What is a short sale? A short sale is when the lender will accept less than the full amount due on a mortgage when a property is sold. Usually, the lender will accept the short sale to avoid the time and expense of a foreclosure.When a borrower is in default on a mortgage they not only owe back payments but also may owe late fees, attorney fees, etc.   These items may become very costly and may erase any equity the owner had in the property.  The lender may foreclose on the property if the borrower is not able to bring their account current.  Foreclosures are very costly to the lender and generally more expensive to the lender due to the extra costs such as: attorney fees, court costs, lost interest, eviction costs, property maintenance costs, and selling costs. Foreclosing on a propert... 06/04/2008

Don't miss the First Annual Auburn Arts Association Jazz and Blues Festival Fund Raising Event onFriday, May 30th, 2008 5-11 p.m. at Pebble Hill's Lawn & Greystone's PatioFestival goers are encouraged to bring a blanket or chairs for the lawnand move between the two locations while great Jazz /Blues bands playalternately between the locations. These include: Patrick Bruce Trio,The Alabama Gravy Soppers, Little Jimmy Reid, Todd Vickery, and BluesNine.The front lawn of Greystone will host many local restaurants as "vendors"presenting an affordable 'taste' of delicious foods found in Auburn. Thevendors include: Creole Shack, Gnu's Room, In Italy, Big Blue Bagel, MellowMushroom.  There will be a cash bar at Greystone.Tickets will be sold for the event at the following locations: Stamp,Gnu's... 05/30/2008

If you are looking for fresh foods then look no further. The Market at Ag Heritage Park has the following goodies: Baked goods (cheese straws, casseroles, cinnamon rolls, and more) Coffee (Fair Trade coffee roasted right here in Alabama) Cucumbers Goat cheese (including cheddar and blue cheese) and soaps Greens Honey (from Lee County bees) 'Mater dirt New potatoes Onions Peaches Peanuts Peppers Plants (from herbs to shrubs to hanging baskets) Shrimp (raised in Alabama ponds) Stone-ground grains (from grits to granola; from oatmeal to corn meal) Summer squash (yellow and zucchini) The Market at Ag Heritage Park is scheduled to be open from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM on Thursdays during the Summer growing season.  The next time it is open is on Thursday, May 29th.  It is located at Ag Heritage Par... 05/28/2008

If you love to go on hikes you will not want to miss the Wildflower Hike scheduled to take place at the Forest Ecology Preserve on June 7, 2008 at 10:00 am.  Admission is Free so bring the whole family. For more information please call (334) 844-8091. 05/19/2008

Looking for something fun to do?  Then check out the Full Moon Wine and Cheese Hike being held at the Forest Ecology Preserve on May 23, 2008 at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $15 per person.  You must register in advance for this event by calling Jennifer at (334) 737-6512 or (334) 844-8091.  There is a limit of 30 and this is for adults only. This is a fund raiser to benefit the Preserve and should be a lot of fun!  The hike will begin at the pavilion and lead to the pond where fabulous spring and summer wines will be enjoyed along with delicious cheeses.   05/19/2008

For a fun night in Auburn, Alabama be sure to come to the Sundown Concert Series held at Kiesel Park in Auburn, Alabama.  The dates are as follows: Sundown Concert SeriesThe May Sundown Concert Series will kick off Thursday, May 1 with Martha's Trouble. This free concert series, hosted by the City of Auburn Parks & Recreation Department, will include five concerts for the community to enjoy during the month of May. Bring your family, your dog, and a picnic dinner and enjoy live musical entertainment. Don't miss the following outstanding performances during the May Concert Series:May 1 Martha's Trouble May 8 Jamie Barber and Granville May 15 Noisy Deirdre May 22 Saugahatchee Ramblers May 29 Caterpillars of the Community For more information, please visit the website or contact the City o... 05/19/2008

If you are looking for something fun and educational for the children to do this summer than please check this out! "Summer science camps offer hands-on activitiesThe Youth Experiences in Science (Y.E.S.) summer camps sponsored by the College of Sciences and Mathematics will take place at Wright's Mill Road Elementary School on June 2-6, June 9-13 and June 16-20 for rising first- through sixth-grade students. Camps on the AU campus will occur on June 18-20 and July 21-23 for rising sixth- through ninth-grade students. In addition, a special "Summer Y.E.S. for Girls" will occur on July 9-11 for rising sixth- through ninth-graders. Summer Y.E.S. is a great opportunity to let children explore the many wonders of science by participating in lots of hands-on experiments and make-and-take act... 05/16/2008

Are you moving to the Auburn, Alabama area and need to know what to expect from the City of Auburn's schools.  If so, please check out the following website:  http://www.auburnschools.org/schools_copy(1).htm Also, please consider the following link for information on the public and private schools in Auburn, AL:  http://realestate.aol.com/srp.jsp?cpage_SCHOOL_LISTING=1&loc=Auburn%2CAL&p=0&m=Find+Listings&t=3   .   05/16/2008

Thursday's bond market has opened in positive territory after this morning's economic data showed much weaker manufacturing activity than was expected. The stock markets are showing modest gains with the Dow up 9 points and the Nasdaq up 7 points. The bond market is currently up 5/32, which should keep this morning's mortgage rates near yesterday's levels.April's Industrial Production report was released this morning, revealing a surprising 0.7% decline in output. It was expected to show that production at U.S. factories, mines and utilities fell 0.3%. This is good news for bonds and mortgage rates because slowing manufacturing activity is an indication of a weakening economy.The Labor Department gave us last week's unemployment figures, saying that 371,000 new claims for benefits were... 05/15/2008

Wednesday's bond market has opened in positive territory after this morning's economic data eased inflation concerns. The stock markets are showing gains with the Dow up 105 points and the Nasdaq up 22 points. The bond market is currently up 7/32, but we will likely still see an increase of approximately .250 of a discount point in this morning's rates as a result of weakness in bonds late yesterday.The Labor Department reported that April's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.2% and that the core data reading rose only 0.1%. Both of those readings were 0.1% below forecasts, indicating that inflationary pressures at the consumer level of the economy were not as strong as expected. That is very good news for bonds and mortgage rates, however, limiting this morning's improvements are stron... 05/14/2008

Tuesday's bond market has opened in negative territory following the release of this morning's only economic data. The stock markets are showing losses with the Dow down 80 points and the Nasdaq down 13 points. The bond market is currently down 13/32, which will likely push this morning's mortgage rates higher by approximately .250 - .375 of a discount point.The Commerce Department gave us April's Retail Sales data this morning, showing a 0.2% decline in sales. That matched forecasts, however, is more volatile auto sales were excluded, sales rose 0.5%. That reading was well above forecasts of a 0.2% increase, meaning with exception to auto sales, consumers were more active than many had thought. This is bad news for bonds because consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the U.S. econom... 05/13/2008

The following report is calculated by the Alabama Center of Real Estate. This report, along with more detailed information, can be found on their website: http://arerec.cba.ua.edu/  Are you considering a move into or out of Lee County Alabama? If you would like to receive these monthly reports, emailed directly to you, along with other local area information, just send your request to me at mhawks7@aol.com. http://www.marahawks.com/ ACTIVE REALTOR in AUBURN ALABAMA 36830 05/12/2008

There are several important pieces of economic news scheduled to be released this week, but two stand out above the others. There are a total of five reports scheduled for release, so it can be considered a fairly active week. There is no relevant data due out tomorrow, so expect the stock markets to help drive bond trading and mortgage rates. The first piece of data is the release of April's Retail Sales data early Tuesday morning. This is an extremely important report for the financial markets as it measures consumer spending. Since consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the U.S. economy, this data can have a pretty significant impact on the markets. Current forecasts are calling for no change in sales from March to April. A weaker than expected level of sales should push bond pric... 05/12/2008

Monday's bond market has opened fairly flat despite stock weakness. The major stock indexes are showing losses with the Dow down 53 points and the Nasdaq down 6 points. The bond market is currently down 3/32, which will likely push this morning's mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point over Friday's rates.This week is very light in terms of economic releases scheduled to be posted. There are actually three reports scheduled that are worthy of addressing, but none of them are considered to be highly important to bonds and mortgage rates. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services Index was posted this morning and came in stronger than expected. However, the variance between the actual reading and the forecasted reading was not enough to cause much concern... 05/05/2008