Today in New Orleans is Black and Gold day. Everyone from Doctors to school Children will wear their New Orleans Saints Color. In addition, tonight is the first of two weeks worth of Mardi Gras parades. If you want to party like a Super Bowl Champ or a Rock Star come to New Orleans and pass a good time.   WHO DAT! SAINTS GOING ALL THE WAY 02/04/2010

Surely, the rest of the country cannot possibly be having as much fun as New Orleans this weekend.  They might getting ready for a couple of days off and even the Super Bowl, but right in the middle of preparations for the Big Game, we have a whole other party starting. Friday kicks off Mardi Gras 2010 in earnest, with 5 parades rolling in the metro area (plus a couple on the North Shore as well). On the West Bank of New Orleans, this Friday is when folks that haven’t seen each other for a year meet up again on the Krewe of Cleopatra parade route along General de Gaulle in Algiers and Terry Parkway in Terrytown. Getting there early and waiting for the parade to pass is never a waste of time. It’s a chance to catch up with friends and gives you time to sit back and take a deep breath bef... 02/04/2010

ABEK Real Estate and I have exciting news and want you to be the first to know! I have teamed up with another awesome ABEK agent to form a new in-house partnership: Stewart & Smith, "Your Home Team." David Stewart and I have combined our strengths to better accommodate all aspects of the industry and can now officially be "in two places at one time." Look for us to continue to grow with double the market exposure for your property, double the energy to make things happen and a well rounded approach to selling real estate! We are very excited to share this news with you, our valued clients, and look forward to journeying with you to the closing table! Feel free to contact either of us in the future as we are both here to serve you! Karin :) Contact Us 02/01/2010

The New Orleans Warehouse District is , Home of the New Orleans Hornets at the Arena!        The New Orleans Arena turned 10 years old in 2009.  The New Orleans Warehouse District is home to the NBA Hornets and various concerts help here on a monthly basis.  People living in the area can walk to the games.  It more than likely some of the cheapest seats in the NBA.  Its much more than just a basketball game as basketball in New Orleans is not a great draw but the Hornets have been doing well.         The New Orleans Home court advantage is alive and well as the Hornets are 16-3 at home this season.   Chris Paul is the star.  He is an amazing player to watch in person.        The Hornets have some of the cheapest tickets in the NBA and the games are a lot of fun. If you live in the Wareh... 02/01/2010

We like to do things just a little differently here in New Orleans. And one of the things we do best is throw an impromptu parade for just about any reason. For years and years, Buddy Diliberto (affectionately known as Buddy D) was the most prominent local sportscaster. He called the Saints games and reported on sports both on television and radio. The one thing he stuck to his guns on was the fact that the New Orleans Saints were not, and would never be, a good team. Callers to his radio show that would proclaim “this is the year” were labeled squirrels. He was so sure that the Saints would never be a winning team that he promised to wear a dress if they ever made it to the Super Bowl. Well, we made it. But Buddy passed away a few years ago and isn’t here to make good on that promise. ... 01/31/2010

It may have been cold and gloomy outside, but onboard the Steamboat Natchez, the Krewe of Choctaw celebrated their 75th anniversary with the annual river parade yesterday.  We boarded bright and early in the morning for a 2 hour party cruise up and down the Mississippi River that was full of fun, music, food and Mardi Gras royalty.  The view of the city of New Orleans was a bonus, with such a different perspective of the city when it’s seen from the river. With a fireboat from New Orleans leading the way and one from Plaquemines Parish following behind, there were picture perfect moments all along the way.   Since it was pretty darn chilly and windy, most people were smart enough to stay inside, where the food was hot and the music kept them moving.     Choctaw’s street parade will roll... 01/31/2010

Your New Orleans Condo can be your second home and a place for your student to live! Two uses for the price of one!  Condo Knowledge, Second Homes       I sell quite a few condos to students going to Tulane, Loyola, LSU Medical School, Tulane Medical School,  Loyola Law School,  LSU Dental school and others.  The same goes for young doctors doing their residences or fellowships at local hospitals.  A condo offers a carefree lifestyle for the student to concentrate on their students in a safe and quiet environment.  They can also double as a second home for the parents.       The Second Home Advantage-  You can borrow at the same rate as you can on a primary home.  At around 5% , this rate is great.  The values have been stable in most of these areas for the last 4 years.  You may not ma... 01/30/2010

Did you know that City Park in New Orleans is home to the largest stand of mature live oaks, not just in the country, but in the world? Dripping with ghostly looking spanish moss, they are a beautiful sight to see, whether you are driving or walking through the over 1,300 acres that make up the park.   With branches that soar into the sky and reach out to touch the ground (just begging to be climbed on), some of the oak trees in City Park are over 600 years old. They have survived numerous hurricanes and the tendency of man to clear a path for progress. They sheltered the original Native American inhabitants that lived along the banks of Bayou St. John. They were witness to many duels of honor right into the 1800's. These live oaks were watching over the bayous and swamps long before th... 01/29/2010

New Orleans Second Home Market ! The Twos are in and the Ones are not! Market Trends, Second Homes       The New Orleans second home market for condos in alive and well.  Its not doing as well for the one bedroom segment.  The tw0 bedroom condos are more more in demand.   This makes sense on a couple of fronts.  Many buyers want the two bedrooms for family and guest to use.  Buyers in the market today for second homes are skewed to the middle range condos from 200-400k.  The low end market is just not there.         Many of the sales are cash or the buyers have 20% to put down.   The interest rates on second homes is still around 5%.  There has never been a lot of investors in the Condo Market in New Orleans and now that is a good thing as prices have drifted lower but have not cratered... 01/26/2010

The first thing that we advise a potential home buyer to do before beginning their home search is to determine how much they are qualified for and what price range makes them the most comfortable with their monthly mortgage payment.  Once they have done that, we start narrowing the search based on location, condition and amenities.  While the old real estate mantra is location, location, location, the primary driver in most home purchases is price, price, price. Here’s a quick look at the 2009 home sales on the West Bank, broken down by price range: There are some interesting statistics here when you review 2009 sales, because we are seeing not just a reduction in the overall number of homes sold in the area, but also a shift by buyers into lower price ranges.  Some of this shift may be... 01/26/2010

The NFC Chamionship win for the New Orleans Saints was obviously huge for the city and the fans, but it was one of the most memorable nights I have ever had out in the French Quarter. And with Mardi Gras and all the other celebrating we do down here, that's saying a lot! I was on a sidewalk watching the game in one of my favorite bars one block off Bourbon (there was no room inside the bar). The streets were virtually empty, then Hartley kicked THAT field goal. The noise from every direction was deafening as people from everywhere exploded into the streets jumping, screamning, and crying. There was lots of crying! It was a magical moment watching the city come together like that with its joyful noise bouncing off that beautiful architecture and up into the night sky. We considered findi... 01/26/2010

Needless to say, we're a little excited down here in Louisiana today!  I got this video of Bourbon Street "Who Dat" celebration from one of my Twitter friends.  Listening to it you can't help but catch some of the excitement. Over the next two weeks I am sure that all over the U.S. those who wish to catch it will learn all about the athletic abilities and strengths of this football team.  Our hats off to Tom Benson and the entire Saints team.  But what about the behind the scenes contributions of some of the players and this event to the city of New Orleans and the gulf south?  I found some facts about the quarteback Drew Brees not touted too much in the media.  Did you know that it was when Sean payton got lost on a tour and stumbled into the hurricaine ravaged parts of New Orleans tha... 01/25/2010

In any other part of the country, you’d think I was talking about some pampered pooches.  In New Orleans, a Lucky Dog has a whole other meaning.   The hot dog carts have been a fixture in the French Quarter for as long as I can remember (and was the one craving I had when expecting child #1).   The company has expanded and now will provide carts and servers for company picnics, parties and more.  Fun, but to me they should still be eaten late at night while standing on the sidewalk just off of Bourbon Street…. Visit the Lucky Dog website for more information   For information about living in New Orleans or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team.  It would be our pleasure to welcome you to our hometown! 01/23/2010

This week, David Stevens, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner, announced policy changes to how FHA loans will be handled later this year.  We don’t have specific dates or all of the fine print yet, but here is the gist of the changes: The upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) will be increased from 1.75% to 2.25% of the loan This cost is typically rolled into a home buyer’s loan, increasing the monthly payment.  The additional half percent MIP charge will result in negligible changes in payment amounts for most borrowers.  This change is expected to go into effect in the spring. New borrowers will now be required to have a minimum 580 FICO (credit) score in order to take advantage of the 3.5% down payment program This is change is unlikely to impact very many buyers... 01/22/2010

I have but two words this morning ..... "Who Dat!" GEAUX SAINTS, GEAUX!!!!! 01/22/2010

A little bird recently put a bug in my ear (yeah, I’m know I’m mixing metaphors or whatever you call them) and told me that there are going to be a good number of military relocations from San Diego to NAS JRB New Orleans in the next couple of months. If you are amongst those that leaving behind sun, sand and an ocean view, let me welcome you to New Orleans and to the West Bank. I was recently in San Diego and Newport Beach and I have to say that I was hard pressed to leave. It’s a stunningly beautiful place and the weather is exceptional – it’s no wonder that real estate is so expensive there. Moving anywhere new always brings at least a little bit of culture shock…from the different weather to the strange local customs and food. Although, I have to say that I think you’ll enjoy our se... 01/21/2010

Current real estate activity in Algiers LA 70131 (excluding English Turn): 173 homes are for sale in Algiers 70131 High list price $895,000 Low list price $37,900 Average list price $183,380 Median list price $155,000 28 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $40,000 to $429,000 Based on the number of December sales (13), there is a 13.3 month supply of homes for sale in the area Algiers LA 70131 | Number of Homes Sold | December 2009 2009 home sales in Algiers fell just short of those in 2008, ending the year with 208 successful sales.  This is the second year of severely reduced home sales in the area and it’s reflected in the average days on market (see chart below). I wish I had a crystal ball for why Algiers is performing so poorly, but I don’t.  What I am hearing fr... 01/20/2010

Current real estate activity in Algiers Point: 29 homes are for sale in the Point High list price $425,000 Low list price $140,000 Average list price $275,293 Median list price $275,000 3 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $123,500 to $399,000 Based on the number of December sales (1), there is a 29 month supply of homes for sale in the area Algiers Point | Number of Home Sales | December 2009 The number of homes sold in Algiers Point dropped from 35 in 2008 to 20 in 2009.  This is less than half of the number of homes being sold in the neighborhood prior to Katrina, and represents one of the hardest areas on the West Bank to sell a home in.  It’s important to note that these are single family homes only – doubles and other multi-family homes will be addressed in a se... 01/20/2010

Current real estate activity in Algiers LA 70114: 121 homes are for sale in Algiers 70114 High list price $599,000 Low list price $13,000 Average list price $147,446 Median list price $119,900 16 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $28,000 to $399,000 Based on December 2009 sales (6), there is a 20 month supply of homes for sale in the area Algiers LA 70114 | Number of Homes Sold | December 2009 After a brief uptick in 2008, the number of home sales in the 70114 zip code of Algiers dropped almost 37% in 2009, ending the year with 73 homes sold. Much of this can be attributed to declining sales in Algiers Point, which has been hard hit by the changes in the West Bank real estate market. Interestingly, the days on market for homes sold in the area has remained flat for t... 01/20/2010

Current real estate activity in the English Turn subdivision in New Orleans, LA: The are 30 homes for sale in English Turn High list price $1,995,000 Low list price $400,000 Average list price $682,897 Median list price $549,000 3 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $395,000 to $599,000 Based on the number of homes sold in December (2), there is a 15 month supply of homes for sale in the English Turn subdivision English Turn | Number of Homes Sold | December 2009 English Turn ended 2009 with the exact same number of homes sold as in 2008. While home sales are substantially below the 2005-2007 period, it’s encouraging to see some stabilization in the one of the high end West Bank real estate markets. How long is it taking to sell English Turn homes? The days on market f... 01/19/2010