Tulsa 's new City Council and Mayor Kathy Taylor are inviting Tulsa , Oklahoma residents and friends to join them for "Neighborfest ‘08" in Tulsa parks this summer.  This event is a great opportunity for residents of Tulsa to meet their elected officials, make new friends and bring friends to Tulsa . There are four events left: July 15, 22, 29 and August 5.  Each one will include free ice cream and drinks for everyone.  There will also be an on-going talent show, live entertainment, and informative displays.  The talent show is open to individual persons and group talents.  "Tulsa Talents" is going to be hosted by Wayman Tisdale and wife Regina this year.  Tisdale is a former US Olympic basketball player, an NBA star and a jazz bass guitarist.  Tisdale is also a performer and recording ... 07/09/2008

GOOD NEWS FOR DOG OWNERS Newblock park in West Tulsa, an unused Ball park is to be reutilized as a Doggie Playground.  Separate fenced areas for large and small dogs will allow pets to run and play leash free.  Tulsa Park and Recreation Department hopes to have Newblock Park operational by mid July. Two additional Parks were approved by Park and Recreation board members.  One of the proposed Doggie play areas will be in East Tulsa, at Hicks park, 3443 S. Mingo.  The other proposed play area is destined for Downtown Tulsa and a location to be announced.  All Parks are funded by Donations. One important note, all Dogs must be accompanied by a parent 18 years or older, who will assume responsibility and control for their Pet. 07/05/2008

Tulsa will be having many events and celebrations such as concerts, exhibits and outdoor celebrations this 4th of July and we hope you get to go out and enjoy them. Here is what you can expect to find in Tulsa this July 4th 2008: Arts, Crafts, Music and Cajun Festival in the Grove Civic Center.  There will be Bayou singing and the best Cajun food west of the Mississippi . IBC Bank Annual Car Show at IBC Bank on 101 and Riverside .  Join the Tulsa Vette Set on the 4th for their second annual car show.  There will be free food, drawings and giveaways all day.  You can vote for your favorite car and see if it wins the People's Choice Award.  There will also be a coloring contest for kids. The Fourth at the Fort at the Fort Gibson Historic Site.  Here you can celebrate Independence Day the ... 07/02/2008

It's not just the local buyers who are watching Tulsa's real estate market. The city is being recognized as one of the top bargain markets in the country. An annual report by MSN ranks Tulsa ninth in the country. Tulsa is considered a growing market, where home values continue to rise and cost of living remains low. And, it's not just Tulsa, but the suburbs as well. Many of Tulsa Real Estate experts feel that the Tulsa Market can be compared to the Dallas Market, only lots better. We aren't seeing the slumps that the very large metropolises are. And sales, while slightly down from last year, are still good.   06/27/2008

Here in Tulsa we have a battle going on between people with two different points of view. On the one side, you have the home owners in older and sometimes historical neighborhoods in Tulsa.  On the other side, you have prospective new home owners who are looking for a place to build.  The problem between these two groups is their view and understanding of redevelopment.  The existing home owners don't want the new home owners to come into their neighborhoods because the new home owners are building houses that are too big for the existing neighborhoods.  This happens when people look at these older neighborhoods, find a delapidated, uncared for, broken down house and buy the lot.  Sometimes they get more than one lot.  Then they tear down the old house and build their new bigger house. ... 06/23/2008

As Tulsa continues its efforts to revitalize downtown, I thought it would be great to highlight some of the fantastic restaurants within the IDL.  Most of these great places are open late nights & weekends to accommodate patrons of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Jazz Hall of Fame, and BOK Center which is set to open this fall.  Keep scrolling down for more photos and be sure to check out my other photo tours of Tulsa attractions. The Brady Arts District is home to some of my favorite hangouts including: Lola's at the Bowery 5 E. Brady Street 918-592-4995     Caz's Chowhouse 18 E. Brady Street 918-588-CHOW         Gypsy Coffee House 300 N. Cincinnati Avenue 918-95-2181                 Spaghetti Warehouse 221 E. Brady Street 918-587-4440         The Blue Dome District, also home to a n... 06/22/2008

The Lortondale neighborhood has begun steps for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.  You surely remember Lortondale from my previous post about mid-century architecture.   If you surf over to the neighborhood's website (the neighborhood is on myspace also), I read a few really interesting facts about this unique area. Lortondale was the first neighborhood in the nation with central H&A in every home. Lortondale was the first neighborhood in Tulsa with a neighborhood pool. The developer & architect of Lortondale built four "prototype" homes to test public opinion before beginning the first tract.  I wish the Lortondale neighborhood much luck in their quest for placement on the NRHP and thank them for their efforts to preserve & promote this chunk of Tulsa history!   06/21/2008

I used to live up North.  I understand how valuable and useful basement space is. However, here in Oklahoma, basements are NOT something you want to dig into.  Instead of going down, we go UP with bonus rooms and second floors. Check out these pics from an actual basement here in our area.  The home is in foreclosure and the story is that the people just left the basement flooded when they found out they were going to lose the house.  I don't know if the story is true or not, but it wouldn't surprise me.  From what I understand, this basement has flooded more than once! Notice the lovely mold spots.  They kind of add a certain "ambiance" to the room! I'll bet there's been some yucky stuff down that hole in the floor! Yep, that's mold on the wall.  You can make your own penicllin! Do you... 06/20/2008

One of Tulsa's greatest treasures is its namesake university.  The University of Tulsa is a private, nondenominational institution founded in 1894 by the Presbyterian Church.  Its undergraduate, graduate & law programs have enrollment of  just under 5,000.  One in ten undergrads is a National Merit Finalist and the average ACT/SAT score is 27/1270.  Keep scrolling down for more photos and be sure to check out my other photo tours of Tulsa attractions.     McFarlin Library is at the center of the University overlooking a huge lawn.                   Collins Fitness Center is a fairly new facility that compliments the campus while integrating intramural fields.                 Donald W. Reynolds Center is the home of Golden Hurrican basketball.                   Mabee Legal Information Ce... 06/18/2008

According to an article in the Sunday Tulsa World, the number of new Oklahoma foreclosures was 30% lower in May than in April.  That's great news because anytime you're in a crisis, you start looking for the bottom.  When you hit the bottom, you know you're on the way out of that crisis.  However, the reality is that we'll have to wait to see if this is the bottom of the crisis or if this is a temporary pause. picture created by Bob Haywood Our foreclosure numbers for the month of May were 1,213.  That's 30.7% above May 2007, but better than the 58.7% "year over year" increase in April.  Note:  these stats are taken from the article.  There's more good news in the article such as Oklahoma dropping to 29th in the ranking of states with the highest foreclosure rates.  We had been ranked 2... 06/16/2008

I opened the front page of our local newpaper this morning to find this story.  Here's an excerpt. By LAURIE WINSLOW World Staff Writer 6/6/2008Last Modified: 6/6/2008  2:47 AM Oklahoma's real gross domestic product showed one of the highest percentage growths in the country last year, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The state ranked No. 5 on the percentage growth of its real GDP from 2006 to 2007. By comparison, Oklahoma ranked 17th in 2006 and 30th in 2005, according to revised rankings by the bureau. Now contrast this with the story that popped up on my Google News Homepage this morning.  Jobless rates jumps to 5.5% biggest rise since '86Associated Press - June 6, 2008 8:43 AM ET Click here to read the rest of Tulsa World story Click ... 06/06/2008

To attract world-class entertainment you need a world-class facility.  Enter the BOK Center.  The 18,041 seat arena is the City of Tulsa's new $178 million dollar sports & entertainment venue scheduled to be completed September 2008.  The project is funded in part by Vision2025 and corporate sponsors such as OneOK and Bank of Oklahoma.  The facility in downtown Tulsa was designed by the internationally renowned architectural firm Pelli Clarke Pelli.  You can watch construction progress on the Vision2025 live web cam.  The BOK Center will be the new home of Tulsa Talons football and Tulsa Oilers hockey.  The Center's inaugural event will be Kenny Chesney with LeAnn Rimes on September 10, 2008.  Other events already scheduled include the final stop of the American Idol tour, Neil Diamond,... 06/02/2008

One thing that makes downtown Tulsa a beautiful place is the quality of architecture in the religious structures within the inner disperal loop (IDL).  Regardless of your faith or belief system, I think you can agree that these are some incredible buildings.  Keep scrolling down for more photos and be sure to check out my other photo tours of Tulsa attractions. Let's just start with one of the most recognizable buildings in Tulsa.   Boston Avenue Church is a wonderful example of art deco that was designed by architect Bruce Goff. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.                                           First Baptist Church                                    First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)                   First Church of Christ (Scientist) is celebratin... 06/01/2008

The economy. The real estate market.  Gas prices.  Although gas prices went up again (to $3.69/gal for regular unleaded in Tulsa) last week, we have it pretty darn good, right?  Tulsa was just ranked fifth in RelocateAmerica's America's Top 10 "Great Places to Live" report.  Tulsa has a great reputation for affordability and quality of life.  It has one of the nation's most generous philanthropic networks.  Downtown is under major revitalization.  Unemployment is much lower than the national average.  So, yeah we have it pretty darn good.  Well, let's not get too comfortable.  As we bask in the greatness of our little utopia, let us remember that it all could change overnight. Did you know American Airlines is Tulsa's largest employer?  That's right, Tulsa International Airport is home ... 05/31/2008

It's been over a year since I picked up the most incredible lemon-blueberry bread pudding at the Cherry Street Farmers' Market.  And ya know what?  I haven't forgotten about it.  If you'd like to pick up your own bread pudding, veggie pizza, fresh-cut flowers, or any number of other great items, check out these local Tulsa area farmers' markets:Cherry Street Farmers' MarketWednesdays from 8am - noon at 41st & Peoria (northwest corner)Saturdays from 7am - 11am at 15th & PeoriaThe Pearl Farmers' MarketMondays from 4:30pm - 7pm at 6th & Peoria Downtown Tulsa Farmers' MarketTuesdays from 10:30am - 2pm at 3rd & BostonNorth Tulsa Farmers' MarketSaturdays from 8:30am - 12:30 pm at 2620 E. 56th St. N.Jenks Farmers' MarketSaturdays from 7am - noon on the west side of the Arkansas River pedestria... 05/28/2008

White City Historic District is one of the most affordable of Tulsa's historic neighborhoods, appropriate since it was developed originally to target middle-class families.  It is centrally located in midtown near the University of Tulsa, major highways, and the airport.  At the entrance to the neighborhood is a triangular median that is well landscaped.  White City is home to Braden Park, a popular destination for White City and surrounding residents.  Of the 480 structures in White city almost half are Minimal Traditional style.  Of the total roughly one third are Tudor Revival, a related style.  Both are representative of architectural styles used during the 1920s and 30s, the period when White City was developed. Scroll down for samples of White City homes. Neighborhood Website:  Wh... 05/20/2008

Here in Oklahoma we have a mixture of city living and country dwelling.  Land is still relatively affordable, so it isn't unusual to own some property, either to build a house on or on which to "play" (ride horses, four wheelers, hunt, etc).  Last year I sold 10 acres of beautiful wooded property to a client for less than 65K! Due to the high cost of oil, a new problem is now surfacing in Oklahoma.  The oil companies are starting to drill for oil again.  They haven't done that here for years! Many people who own property do not own the mineral rights underneath their property.  That's because those rights were usually purchased years ago, when oil was cheap and drilling was big business in our state.  The oil companies quit drilling when it became too expensive due to the less expensive... 05/20/2008

 This is a super fun website you should be aware of! It will give you instant demographic information about various areas of the country.  The only thing I don't like is that it has a lot of Google Ads embedded within the site. You'll be able to see school stats, including the number of minorities.  You'll also see the median income level, education level and other helpful information. If you're thinking of moving to a different area of the country, be sure you check out this site.  And even if you're not moving, you should punch in your own zip code to see what you can learn.  You might be surprised. For some fun, punch in 90210! 05/16/2008

Here in our area, we are pretty fierce competitors among ourselves.  We have some great real estate companies.  Many of them claim to be number one.  However, the reality is that that spot is held most often by my company in dollar volume.  Below is a chart showing company dollar volume for the first quarter of 2008 in the greater Tulsa area. Lets think about that for a minute...We'll do it by having a conversation with ourselves.  This is a little bit weird, but it gets the point across! Dollar volume.  Hmmm.  What does that mean exactly?I think it has to do with how many bucks you bring in.  More bucks.  So what?  Well, how do you get more bucks?  You sell more houses at higher prices than the other guys do.Ohhhh!  Cool.  Very good! The good news on this chart is that all of the large... 05/13/2008

There are currently three great investment opportunities in historic Brady Heights.  Check them out!   The Bailey Arms Apartments - $439,900 - Currently 8 apartments + a private residence.  Could be converted back to 11 apartments.  This property is the epitome of hip urban housing.  For more photos & information view the Bailey Arms website.  Listing courtesy of CB/RaderGroup.           1021 N. Cheyenne Ave. - $120,000 - Upper/lower level duplex with historic charm up & modern flair down!  Beautiful property that you don't want to miss out on. Listing courtesy of Keller Williams Realty.           630 N. Cheyenne Ave. - $114,000 - Two homes for the price of one.  These homes are definitely fixer uppers, but possess tons of potential.  Situated on a corner, cul-de-sac lot.  Listing court... 04/22/2008