Hello everyone, and I hope 2009 is off to a good start. Our market has definitely picked up. The phones are ringing, properties are being shown, and contracts are moving to pending status. We have had an unusually large drawdown on Lake Hamilton this year and surpriseingly even our lake properties are already getting attention.... So I had to go renew my tags and have always wanted to get the REALTOR plate, but the hassle of the extra paper work? Sigh! This year it was super easy because they have them at certain revenue offices now. I asked how it worked and if I could use my initials, she said they were pre-printed and it wasn't an option, but shockingly she let me choose thru the stack of 20 or so..I think well maybe I'll get lucky and get some random designation, instead I end up wi... 01/07/2009

This is what I am fixing for dinner tomorrow on beautiful Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs Arkansas. Cheers! Course One Blueberry Stilton, French Camembert, Kavli Norwegian Crispbread & Sesame thins with cuts of sun-dried tomato                                          Korbel Blanc de Noir from Geurneville                                                         Course Two Spinach, fresh sprouts, walnuts, julienne radish, carrot stars, purple cabbage chards, Hearts of Palm, walnut pieces & Caper Berries, drizzled Lemon, Tarragon, Herbes de Provence, Rice & Balsamic Vinaigrette and Indian Papadam. Course Three Red wine braised, sun-dried tomato and garlic whole roasted Beef Tenderloin sauced with fire roasted red pepper & shiitake Beurre Rouge, green beans with Asian Japones, pearl onions, & ... 12/16/2008

 Season and Roast 5 large chicken breast (my seasoning is secret!) Allow to cool. Trim any fat away and dice remaining chicken In a mixing bowl combine fresh minced Tarragon 1/4 cup 1 cup mayo salt and pepper to taste ( I use white pepper ) Pecans or Walnuts are great in this as well (use as many as you want) I like celery in mine. 2 stalks diced loosely, some people like grapes. The fun thing is you can form it into a Christmas tree for that party you are supposed to bring something to. Use black sesame seeds to decorate, and dried cranberries for ornaments. ITS ALWAYS A HIT! 12/14/2008

OK its not like Real Estate is challenging enough at times, but then there is the jerk that steals your sign! Now I have had the prankster who might move a sign to another address. My favorite was the time it was in a yard for a week or so before I found it. The funny part was people lived there and just left it there and did not bother calling or taking it down! But this latest jackass takes the cake. Everyone here knows I just finished my house and am working on selling it. My house is half a block from a busy street, so if I have an open house I stick a sign with a pointer at the corner. I am on my 3rd sign. Fortunately I caught it early today. This time I am actually a bit pissed as I quickly assemble a sandwich board that I can chain to the sign. I put the sign together AND boobie ... 12/07/2008

Mashed Potato Subsitute 1-2 heads Cauliflower 1/2 stick butter(optional) salt in water pepper in water White Pepper while mashing Season to taste Cut Cauliflower from stem place into boiling water until soft. Mash just like potatoes, use your same ingredients from your favorite potato recipe if you wish. Enjoy with friends.  Roasted Garlic Whole clove Garlic, Preferably Elephant Garlic Peel extra paper from garlic leaving just a small amount of covering In a small piece of foil, Leaving pod in tact, simply use a small amount of Olive oil(teaspoonish)salt and pepper, wrap and bake on 350 for 15-20 minutes or until pod is soft and spreadable. Pod will be dangerously hot, beware. Allow to cool a few minutes, baked garlic will simply squeeze from pod and spread nicely on a crostini. 11/29/2008

I hope everyone has been busy with buyers the past couple of days. I have had several good contacts and will hopefully bring them to contract. Having your listings ready for the Holidays is critical. Families are in town visiting relatives and have shopping on their brain. I have had a lot of traffic on my Lake Hamlilton listings. Several second home purchase interests. So always have those pointer signs in place and flyers handy! My open houses have been attended nicely as well. I placed a Poinsetta at the front door simply to draw the eye and promote a touch of understated cheer that any Religion can relate to. I believe that simple pleaures such as this are better touches than the over used cheap Apple Pie scented candle that causes the smell sensative buyer to all but run through th... 11/29/2008

1 gallon Apple Cider 1 Red Apple 1 Orange 5 whole Cinnamon sticks 3-5 cloves Slice apple thinly seeds and all, Quarter Orange peel and all. Put everything in a large pot, heat and serve. This will always make you a star and people will never understand your complex recipe. PS mine has a few more ingredients! You will just have to catch an open house of mine! Happy Holidaze. 11/27/2008

Southwestern Cream Cheese Roll Ingredients: 2 cream cheese squares slightly softened 1 can whole cooked black beans 1 small can shoepeg corn 1 small can chopped green chilis small bunch Cilantro small bunch green onion 1 small red bell pepper   Open and drain all cans. Chop Cilntro. Dice bell pepper and slice green onion very thinly. Between 2 sheets of wax paper, combine cream cheese and flaten to about 1/4 " thick. Remove 1 side of the wax paper. Spread Black beans, maybe not the whole can, on the cream cheese Follow with all the rest of the ingredients saving just a touch of the fresh ingredients for garnish. Do a lite salt and pepper Do not over load with ingredients. Pick up one side of the wax paper and carfully roll into log removing the wax paper as you roll It would be best to ... 11/27/2008

So maybe we should start with Barbque in Hot Springs. I like different things at several stops, so I will give you the skinny... 1st stop Stubby's on Central just South of Oaklawn. Chris Dunkel is usually there. I like this stop for the deviled eggs, the famous pot o beans(yum) and the sauce. It is also very clean. The meat is good and rarely fatty. I love the chicken here. 2nd place is McClards. I don't really care what president or celeb ate here, I know good Q. I think the sauce is too vinegary and a bit spicy for most palates. This is the ticket though...getch yoself one of the masterpiece "half spread" with slaw on top or a "whole spread" if you haven't eaten in a month. 3rd place is definitely Mickeys on Park Avenue at the Gorge entrance. Good Heavens man. The pit beef Barbque san... 11/25/2008

So Real Estate might be slowish for some but I know we all still eat! If you happen to be in Hot Springs let me just save you time and keep you from wasting any of your hard earned $$. We have a lot of restaurnts in our little town and just a few worth walking in to. If you are looking for super fine dining and expecting to drop a lot of money, save that for another trip. The best restaurant that approaches fine dining is Central Park Fusion 501-623-0202. This Restaurant offers fresh fish, pastas, steaks, even burgers. The menu has an offering for everyone all ages. There is actually a chef/owner that prepares all of the delightful selections. Some of those are the filet with Boursin cheese melted on top. They offer a chicken fried Portabella burger stuffed with Goat cheese and I often ... 11/24/2008

Sellers you can still sell your house in the Hot Springs market! A recent article published by the Arkansas Realtors Association was a breathe of fresh air for our area. In this article, Paulette Mann, president of the Hot Springs Board of Realtors®, said one thing that discourages sellers is that national reports about the housing market rarely point out that Arkansas real estate markets have, by and large, not been hit as hard as those across the country."Quit listening to the national news because that's not us," she said. "We took a little bit of a hit but, as compared to the rest of the nation, we're in good shape." Mann described the Hot Springs market of 2005 and 2006 as one that "was on steroids" - a market that was atypical for Arkansas. She pointed out homes sales were abnorma... 04/18/2008

By Ethan C. Nobles- Arkansas Realtors® Association ●                      Seeing how spring in Arkansas this year has resembled monsoon season in South America, a lot of homeowners are considering how to make their houses storm proof and whether they've got the proper insurance in case disaster strikes.            Marty Strough of Strough Construction in Berryville said his business has fielded a lot of calls lately from people interested in above ground safe rooms. Strough said his company sells and installs the DuPont StormRoom, a system which effectively turns a room in a home into a Kevlar reinforced box with a vault door.            A StormRoom must be installed in a home built on a concrete slab and must be located in a room - such as a bathroom or walk in closet - that has no win... 04/16/2008

On my recent visit to Arkansas I got the opportunity to visit the Southern Living Magazine Idea House. The house is located in Red Oak Ridge, near Hot Springs Arkansas. This house was everything I expected a large new construction Southern house to be. The 5,500 square foot house has 4 bedrooms and an office, 5 ½ bathrooms, game room, theater room, wine closet, sewing room, computer loft and a 3 car garage. And little, if any environmental elements. List price approx $1.65 million.   What struck me most about this house is how differently people live around the country. Sure Southern Colorado has it's large houses, even extravagant homes. Maybe it was all the holiday decorations (included with a full price offer) that threw me. But in the West for that kind of money we would get a nicel... 01/02/2008

The National Geographic Adventure magazine has chosen Hot Springs as one its 50 Best Adventure Towns in the United States for 2007.  Hot Springs will be featured in the upcoming September issue that hits newsstands on this Tuesday, according to Ethan Fried of the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C."Choosing one town per state for the cover story feature - 50 Top Adventure Towns - National Geographic Adventure breaks the top adventure towns where you can live the adventure dream daily into five categories:  Wilderness, Small Town, Mountain, Waterfront, and City and also highlights a few select Hot Spots", Fried said."With an ideal mix of terrain, activity, and opportunity, Hot Springs is a place where you can live the adventure dream daily."  -- article published by the Senti... 10/11/2007

A bustling city nestled in the Ouachita Mountains, the only city inside a National Park system, Hot Springs has a long and storied past.  From the thermal waters that have drawn millions, to new developments and attractions that keep them coming back, our little town is the perfect destination for all.  We offer anything and everything you can think of.  From A to Z there is literally something for everyone.  Minus outrageous Real Estate and property taxes that is.  Our median price of homes is only $139,500, and our property taxes remain the lowest in the U.S.  But what else does someone looking for a place to move look for?Outdoor activities?  Health facilities?  Recreation?  Sports opportunities?  Shopping?  Quality of life?  Infrastructure?  Job/Business opportunities?  Retirement? ... 10/10/2007

There's always lots of action going on when it comes to Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine in Hot Springs.  There are now more than 4,000 residences along the shorelines filled with people enjoying life on the lakes.  With all this growth, Entergy is also experiencing much growth and have added more staff to help manage and oversee all the operations and requirements in regard to the lakes.  If you haven't signed up for their very informative newsletter, do it now.  The Fall issue is packed full of information such as the winter schedule for the lake draw-down, a new process for boat dock transfer permits, an update on the Entergy Park, and much more.  Email Blake Hogue at BHogue@Entergy.com and request to be added to their newsletter. 09/25/2007

Just becuase summer is over doesn't mean the Spa City has cooled down.Come for a massage, a thermal bath, or to go hiking, but dont think that just because the sun goes down that the fun is over!  Numerous local hot spots keep things moving and shaking.The 'retirement' buzz is great, and very true, Hot Springs is a great place to retire, but there is something for the younger crowd too!Take a look and you'll see, some of the most fun you can legally have is still open and awaiting your visit. Don't know where to go?  What to do?  Call me, email me....find me out and about and I'll be happy to show you whats going down. 09/07/2007

I have been talking with a potential seller who has some great lots available in Diamondhead.  If your not familiar with the area, or a gated golf course type community; there is great potential for future development and growth.  We have Hot Springs Village to the north of town, and although much more developed and larger in scale, there are some things Diamondhead offers that the Village doesn't.Location, and amentites about the same, although some may argue the Village has more shopping, restaurants, etc., with the recent straightening road work to Carpenter Dam Rd, the drive from Diamondhead is only about 12 minutes to the bypass...and from there you can be anywhere in Hot Springs in another 5 minutes.Great golf, a PGA level course without the abundance of golfers means better and m... 09/07/2007

So Hot Springs is still a fairly active, strong market.  Plain and simple the "scare" of rest of the U.S. housing market has had limited effect on the Real Estate market here.  Yes we have seen some slow down, but after 5 of the greatest years in history, it had to slow down sometime.  We feel the local market will see an increase in the number oflistings (homes for sale) and a slight downward adjustment in pricing.  This is good news for buyers obviously, but sellers need not panic, as the favorable conditions for buyers to be looking means if your priced right, and have the right marketing in place, you will sell quickly and for close to list price!   If you have been looking for investment property, or property to flip, you feel like there's nothing out there, or only properties that... 08/29/2007

Hot Springs named by National Geographic Adventure Magazine as one of the top 50 best adventure towns in the United States.  The upcoming September issue names Hot Springs as one of the top 50 small towns to live in for adventure and recreation.  Editor Dan Keoppel spent months tracking down the list, and explained why Hot Springs made the list. "With an ideal mix of terrain, activity, and opportunity, Hot Springs is a place you can live the adventure dream daily."We are excited about this and can add it to the already popular lists of Top Places to Retire, and Top Vacation Destinations that Hot Springs, America's First Resort, already place!  08/13/2007