The start of the holiday season in the United States always includes a day full of eating turkey and homemade pumpkins pies, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santa arriving at the mall, black Friday for shoppers, and the lighting of downtown Christmas displays. For football fans in Alabama, the holiday season begins with the Iron Bowl. Auburn University vs. The University of Alabama is one of the oldest and strongest football rivalries in the country. The Auburn/Alabama football game is discussed, dissected, and brings bragging rights to the winner for the entire year. For a few short hours on the last Saturday of November, the malls will be quiet, Hwy 280 empty, and cell phones will stop ringing. As an Auburn alumni mom, I will be wearing the orange and blue, and cheering for the Tigers. With a 5-6 record, Auburn has had a very mediocre season, to say the least. However, a win would be sweet especially with the undefeated Tide gunning for a win after losing six Iron Bowls. I know in my profession, I should be unbiased on who I want to win, but if there really is a Santa, now is the time for him to make all Tiger fans wishes and dreams come true. War Eagle!!!!
Posted by Christina Rickey at 02:12 |
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As a mother of three sons, I have spent years sitting on the bench watching countless football and baseball games. Finally, I have the opportunity to participate in little girl activities. God has blessed me with three granddaughters to enjoy the softer side of children. On Tuesday, I attended a ballet recital at the Steeple Arts Academy of Dance in Crestline Village. The wonderful thing about the Steeple Arts Academy is generations have taken dance lessons there, and it is family owned. In fact my granddaughter, her mother, and her mother’s mother all took classes at Steeple Arts. The red painted façade welcomes you to the Steeple Arts Academy which is located in an old church poised in the center of the village. It is nice to know not all things have to change and sometimes the simpler things in life are the best. Maybe someday Margaret’s daughter will learn to stand in the first position, skip, and point her toes at the Steeple Arts Academy the way her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother did.
Posted by Christina Rickey at 08:15 |
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The affordability of homes in Alabama dropped nearly 8 percent in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, while it rose nearly 2 percent in the Birmingham area, according to the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama.
The statewide housing affordability index dropped to 154.4 in the third quarter of this year, compared to 167.4 in the second quarter.
An index of 100 means a family earning the state’s median income can qualify for a loan on a median-priced home in the state, therefore the higher the index the more affordable the housing, said the center in a news release.
The decline was a result of an increase in the median sales price of Alabama homes from $132,420 to $139,591 and an increase in the composite monthly interest rate to 6.39 percent from 6.12 percent in the second quarter, the report stated.
The center said the drop in the state’s housing affordability is far better than the third quarter national average of 127.1, which is a slight drop from 127.7 in the second quarter.
In Birmingham, the index registered 157 during the quarter, up nearly 2 percent from 154.2 in the second quarter.
Birmingham was one of three reported metropolitan areas in Alabama that saw an increase in affordability. The two others included the areas of Anniston and Montgomery.
Excerpts from Birmingham Business Journal – by Lauren B. Cooper
Posted by Christina Rickey at 03:05 |
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Every day you pick up the newspaper or hear the news about the depressed housing market around the country, the rise in foreclosures, and declining home values. Well, congratulations to Birmingham! Of the 25 national housing markets primed for a rebound, the November 2008 Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money Magazine has named Birmingham number 2. What has contributed to Birmingham’s high ranking–the economic stability of UAB, the close proximity to the Mercedes and Honda plants, low labor and land costs, and our area attractions including the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. In fact, Birmingham has tied Dallas, Texas for the sixth highest price growth during the past year out of the group of 25.
Unlike other parts of the country, Birmingham’s area builders did not overbuild. There is, however, an abundance of speculative inventory to sell in many of the area’s most desirable communities. Low new home finance rates and price incentives are available to help reduce new home inventories. For example, Eddleman Properties is offering substantial discounts on select homes in Highland Lakes, Chelsea Park, and Regent Park at the Village, where some new home prices have been discounted as much as $19,500.
According to the Birmingham MLS, a rebound may have already started with new home sales increasing 9% from August to September. As inventories are depleted, these attractive incentives will be gone. So, now may be the best time to buy if you are dreaming of a new home!
Posted by Christina Rickey at 09:58 |
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Christina Rickey 
