Neighborhood Reviews

Lexington Ky Neighborhood Tour by The LEXpert: Greenbrier

by John Rice

Went out to Greenbrier yesterday for a video tour.  Great day for a convertible.  Glad I did since it has done nothing but rain today.

Greenbrier is on the east side of Lexington.  When new, it was out in the country.  But since the 70’s and 80’s when it was built, the town has grown out to touch the edge of it.  Now you can get to Hamburg Pavillion in about 5 minutes. 

Greenbrier’s claim to fame is the peaceful, relaxed vibe and the big lots that it offers.  Most of the 70’s houses have acre lots.  The 80’s houses tend to have 1/3 to 2/3 acre lots.  Plus it is home to Greenbrier Golf and Country Club, whose 18 hole course runs through the neighborhood.

The schools are Dixie Elementary, Crawford Middle and Bryan Station High……not good really, but I imagine most residents of Greenbrier do private school.

The prices seem to be all over the board, but you can get one that needs some work in the $300-400,000 range.  I think if I had to give a range for most of the houses I would call it $400-600,000.  There are some that are less, some that are more.

What I like about Greenbrier is the vibe.  It is without doubt an upscale neighborhood, but it never has to shout it out to you.  You just see nice homes on nice lots.  The neighborhood has done a lot to protect the vibe.  They got the city to turn Walnut Grove into a dead end street to prevent through traffic.  They also worked hard to get a landscape buffer from encroaching development near the end of Antilles Drive. 

Here is a list of the streets that are in the neighborhood:  Bahama Road, Martinique Lane, Barbados Lane, Tabago Court, Trinidad Court, Marquesas Lane, Antiqua Drive, Caicos Court, Antilles Drive, Montego Court, Eleuthera Court, Jamaica Court, Cayman Lane & Walnut Grove Lane.

LEXpert Neighborhood Video Tour: Water, Park & Golf Course…Oh My!

by John Rice

Got out in the Miata and shot a few cool areas under $200k.  Not the usual neighborhood tour…..more like a collection of a few areas in southeast Lexington.

First I went to Squire Oak/Hunting Hills.  There is a really cool park in a giant median out there.  Big trees.  A creek.  Nice. Some of the lots along Farmview back to a huge horse farm.  Houses out there run about $140,000 to $180,000.

Then I went to East Lake…..more specifically I went to a street called Cool Water and all the cul de sacs off of it.  What is cool about this area is that several of the houses back to a lake.  We just don’t have many water front houses in Lexington.  The few that there are tend to be much more expensive.  One house in particular has a panoramic view.  Houses out there go for $170,000 to maybe just over $200,000.  It has been so long since one of the fantastic lot houses has sold that there really is no data.

I then jumped across Man O War and went down Carriage Lane and Tanforan Drive.  These streets back to Tates Creek Golf Course on one side.  

I finished up at Lake Crossing, which is across the lake from East Lake.  I’ve done a full video tour of Lake Crossing, so just scroll through my blog or my YouTube channel to see it.

Well, I like these neighborhoods because they have something unique and are affordable.  When I am out with buyers, I always am looking for that “Thing” that is going to be appealing to the next buyer when it is time for my peeps to sell it.  Finishes can go out of style and get worn out.  What you really want to look for is a house with a fantastic floor plan, a great lot, or a great location.  Location is the real estate code word for an asset that is tied to the neighborhood.  Chevy Chase is always going to be a great spot to be even if all the trees die and granite becomes passe.  Beaumont will always have the best combination of public schools for the foreseeable future.  Houses that are in neighborhoods with a city park, golf course, or are on the water will always be desireable.

Stick to these principles and you won’t be like the seller’s of a nice house on a busy corner in my neighborhood.  They’ve just reduced the house to an amount that will probably be the cheapest that one has sold for out here in a loooong time.   Since nobody wants to be there, all you can do is drop the price to the point that somebody feels so good about the price that they temporarily forget the big negative.  And if you disregard my advice, be sure to buy it soooo right that you can afford to be at the bottom of the comps when it is your turn to be the seller.

Lexington Ky Real Estate-LEXpert Video Tour of Andover Forest

by John Rice

I did a neighborhood tour today in Andover Forest.  It was nice.  Not too hot.  Sunny.  A day that really makes me glad I have my 1990 Miata.  I wish the neighborhood was bigger so I could have had an excuse to be out longer 🙂

Andover Forest is at the corner of Todds Road and Man O War Blvd.  Construction started in the late 80’s and ended in the mid 90’s totalling about 500 houses.  Most of the houses out there are 2500-3000 above grade square feet.  Most have basements.  There are some ranches too.

The prices seem to be mostly in the $330-$450k range.  There are a lot of them there worth over $500k, and even a few worth more than that.

The schools are Liberty Road Elementary, Edyth J Hays Middle School, and Henry Clay High School.  That is pretty well rounded, especially for any place that isn’t in South Lexington.

So, what is unique about this neighborhood?  It has half of a golf course running through it, so there are plenty of golf course lots.  Hamburg is minutes away…..easy minutes at that.  You have an interstate exit only one stop light away.  There is a cool bike path on what was an old railway, and a great city park.

Here are the names of the streets if you like to google:  Althorp Way, Andover Forest Drive, Aylesbury Circle, Bridlington Rd, Brighton Place Drive, Cheltenham Drive, Chetford Drive, Darlington Circle, Grantham Way, Haverford Way, Helmsdale Place, Kettering Court, Penbroke, Pleasant Ridge, Sheffield Place, Sherborne Place, Wakehurst Court & Weymouth Court.  My faves are Chetford, Haverford and Sheffield.

The LEXpert tours Cumberland Hill

by John Rice

Did a video tour today.  This time it was in Cumberland Hill.  I don’t know if it is just me, but I’ve always called it Cumberland Hills……..Either way, you’ll call it special when you see the video.

It is in South Lexington off of Tates Creek Road.  It was built in the mid 1980’s, which was, in my opinion, the end of the era for decent sized lots and houses built to be lived in rather than just to be marketed.

The houses are in the 2000-2500 square feet range.  Some of them have basements.  Some of the smaller ranches are going for about $190,000 right now.  Most of the two story houses are getting $220-250,000.  The highest sale in the past year was for $285,000…..which is more of the exception than the rule!

One of the best features of Cumberland Hill is that it backs up to Veteran’s Park.  It also has a really cool section of Veteran’s Park called Ribbon Park.  It has wooded areas, open fields, a creek, walking paths, plus everything else that Veteran’s Park has.

The school district is really awesome…..as long as you only care about the elementary school.  It is Veteran’s Park Elementary, which is practically in the neighborhood.  The middle and high schools are both Tates Creek, which isn’t a popular choice.

The neighborhood has a pool and clubhouse too!

It’s a combo neighborhood…..meaning it offers more than just one strong feature.  The large lots, the location, the relaxed neighborly vibe, and the park make it a wise choice.

Hope you enjoy it!

Video tour of West Wind

by John Rice

Took the Miata out today and did a video tour of West Wind.  If you don’t know, West Wind is an upscale neighborhood inside of Hamburg.  What do I like about West Wind?  Well, it is right in the middle of Hamburg, so you have all the shops, restaurants and entertainment only a few minutes away.  Unlike most newer neighborhoods, it isn’t really that far out on the edge of town either.  Since they opened Star Shoot to Liberty Road, you can take Liberty Road to Winchester Road and be downtown pretty easily.  Any way…….here’s the video!