When my wife and I moved back to Louisiana seven years ago, we searched high and low for the perfect house for us.  We didn't find exactly what we were looking for so we decided to build our own home.  The first step for us was to locate a lot to build on.  We finally chose to build in the Pelican Point Golf Community.  The lot has lake frontage in the back and on the other side of the lake is golf course property giving us a great view during the day.  The sunsets, however, were what finally sold us on the site. 12/16/2007

A bridge replacement project, started in June, has shut down LA Hwy 44 which leads to the Pelican Point Golf Community.  This has been a major inconvenience to residents and has made home sales in the subdivision even more difficult through the peak selling season of June-September.  It now looks like there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.  The new bridge has been constructed.  Right now they are pouring concrete to form the guard rails.  I was told by one of the construction workers that they expect to re-open the road in 2 or 3 weeks.  Here are some photos taken today. 11/15/2007

Here are some updates Real Estate sales statistics for the Pelican Point Golf Community located in Gonzales, LA.  The raw data were extracted from the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors MLS database.  It is my hope that potential buyers as well as residents considering a move will find this information useful.New construction sales prices continue to grow.  In the resale market, however, there has been a slight drop in the sales price per sqare foot of living area although still substantially higher than in the pre-Katrina market.  There is currently a 13-month supply of new construction in the subdivision.  In the resale market segment, there is nearly a 12-month supply, a buyer's market for both.  In the fastest moving price segment ($250K-$350K), however, there is a seller's... 11/07/2007

As of October 19th, there was a 6.2 month supply of new construction in Ascension Parish although this varies significantly with the price of the home.  In the higher price ranges, it is definitely a Buyers Market and there are some opportunities for saavy home shoppers looking for a home in these price ranges. I thought it would be helpful to prospective home buyers to know where these homes were located.  The following chart shows the number of new (detached single family) homes available in the various parish subdivisions.Please contact me directly if you'd like more information.Visit www.HomesOfAscension.com to search for Ascension Parish Homes for sale or www.DonAndAlishaStern.com.Raw data supplied by the Greater Baton Rouge MLS. 10/25/2007

Visitors and residents alike have had to detour five miles to get to the Pelican Point Golf Community while the bridge on state highway 44 which spans the Panama Canal is being replaced. At the same time new drainage lines are being installed along Hwy. 44 causing further disruption of traffic. The project was started in June so the detour has been in effect throughout the peak real estate selling season. According the the LA DOTD website, the road is expected to be closed to traffic until January 18, 2008. I took the opportunity to visit the work site today and snap a few photos.The bridge decking is in! Hurrah!Ever notice that on public works projects there always seems to be more guys watching than working? Anyway, today's project is to dig up and reinforce the underground gas line. 10/25/2007

The Pelican Point Golf Community is currently the largest subdivision in Ascension Parish.  The last filing for the subdivision is currently being built.  Pelican Point still ranks among the most active subdivisions for new home sales in the parish.  The bad news for sellers is that there is currently more inventory available than demand can consume within a reasonable period of time creating a buyer's market.The following analysis was developed from raw data gathered from the Greater Baton Rouge MLS database.  For the purposes of this analysis only detached single family dwellings were included although a similar analysis is available for townhomes.  The raw data was for sales from January 2002 through September 2007 which were reported as of 10/5/07.  The current inventory reported wa... 10/13/2007

Gonzales, Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers News - Accurate Valuations Group Study Reveals Pelican Point Golf Community Pre & Post Hurricane Katrina Increases 17% from 1/05 to 5/07Accurate Valuations Group Appraiser, William D. Cobb, is delighted to announce a gain in average home prices within Pelican Point Golf Community Subdivision.  Based on data obtained from The Greater Baton Rouge Board of Realtors, the gain in average homes prices within within Pelican Point Golf Community Subdivision Pre to Post Hurricane Katrina has been 16.71%.  The median price has increased 15.98%.  The average price per sq. ft. has increased from $113.40/sf  to $132.40/sf or 16.75%. Market Summary 4/2006 to 4/14/2007 POST KATRINA:Avg Sold: $341,119Median Sold: $330,558Avg $/SF: $132.40Avg Days on the Market... 05/09/2007

Gonzales, Louisiana Real Estate News - Accurate Valuations Group Gonzales Appraiser Study Shows Villa Gardens Subdivision Pre To Post Hurricane Katrina Increases 21%William D. Cobb, a home appraiser with Accurate Valuations Group in the Greater Baton Rouge, LA market, is pleased to announce a gain in average home prices within Villa Gardens Subdivision.  Based on data obtained from The Greater Baton Rouge Board of Realtors, the gain in average homes prices within within Villa Gardens Subdivision Pre to Post Hurricane Katrina has been 21%. The median price has increased 22%. The average price per sq. ft. has increased 21%.Why Study Villa Gardens Subdivision?  Villa Gardens Subdivision is just one of the many "Garden Home" developments being built in the Greater Baton Rouge Market to hous... 04/16/2007