Well, I did another neighborhood video tour today.  This time it was one of my favorites….Still Meadow.

Still Meadow is in the Northeast part of Fayette County.  It is between Richmond Road and Todds Road, and is outside Man O War Blvd.  I remember when this area was way out in the country.  The road that you enter the neighborhood from has a little remnant of one of my favorite country roads.  I think it was called Walnut Hill-Chilesburg?  Anyway, there isn’t much of it left, but you do come into Still Meadow on this road.  That seems a little random to some, but if you know the history of the area, it makes more sense.  Many of the residents of Still Meadow use this road to jog or ride bikes when the weather is warm.

To me, the calling card for this neighborhood is style.  The houses aren’t much bigger than most newer homes.  The floor plans are what you’d expect, but they were built with swagger and bling.  The builder is Jimmy Nash.  He is known for his style, which is all about knocking you out with high level finishes and attention to detail.  All but a couple of the houses I have been in out there have incredible crown moldings, unique wood doors, lots of detail around the fire places, etc.  The exteriors are just as nice.  He uses a lot of Hardiboard, which is a cement fiber product that looks great and weathers well.

Prices?  most seem to be in the mid to upper $400’s.  I have seen some sell for around $600k.  Schools?  The most desirable combination you can get in this part of town:  Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, Hayes Middle and Henry Clay High.  A.C.E and Hayes are just a few stop signs away too!

What makes it unique?  While houses like these could sell well in any part of town, The combination of style, location, and  desirable public schools seal the deal.

Let me know what you think too 🙂

 

Man it felt good to get out with the video camera and tour a neighborhood again!  I went to one of my fave places in town…..a neighborhood called Beaumont.  Really there are several different Beaumonts all clustered together:  Beaumont Enclave, Beaumont Meadows, Beaumont Crossing, Beaumont Reserve, Beaumont sanctuary, and Beaumont Farms.  Like all neighborhoods with sub-neighborhoods, it is commonly referred to as one name, which in this case is Beaumont.

Beaumont really is about the best mix of all the positives anybody could want in a suburban environment.  Within the neighborhood are 2 city parks, an elementary school, a YMCA, post office, restaurants, retail, dining, banks, a grocery store, and a gas station.  Plus the high school is just across the road from the rear entrance.

Check out the video, but here are some things to know:

The schools:  Rosa Parks Elementary, Beaumont Middle, and Dunbar High.  That is about the best, most well-rounded mix of schools you can get.

The Prices:  I have seen a few of the older, or plainer, or foreclosed ones go for as low as the upper $300’s.  The value of some of the nicest ones are nearly $2 million.  Most seem to be in the $350-550k range.  There are a few ranches out there on slabs or crawlspaces that can be had for $260-300k too, plus an apartment complex and townhouses in the front part of the neighborhood.  You also have one little section called Beaumont Enclave that has more normal houses in the $190-235k range.

What is to like beyond this?  Well, I think this area is a good investment.  Houses sell pretty quickly when priced right out there.  It really has all the pluses but none of the negatives.  I think it is one of the safer places to sink that kind of money in Lexington.  It attracts a lot of out-of-town buyers, so there is always a lot of demand.

Now…..not that I am plugging myself here, but you really need somebody who knows this neighborhood if you want to prevent yourself from paying too much money for a house.  Prices are all over the board.  I had a client pay $387k for the exact same model that I have seen sell for almost $500k…..and no, the time of the sales were close and the houses had similar finishes.   In fact, less than a year later the house next door to him that didn’t have a finished basement but did have about $20k more in kitchen upgrades went for $527k the first day on the market.  How does this happen?  Heck, I don’t know for sure, but I do have a few theories:  1)  The buyer’s agents aren’t or don’t know how to read the comps out there.  2)  Listing agents that don’t do enough work out there either over or under price the house….which seems not to matter sometimes and feeds into the next theory.  3)  Since it attracts a lot of out-of-town buyers moving here for work, I think they blow into town, have only a few days to pick a house, and don’t see enough to really compare houses, so they assume the asking price is realistic.  3)  I also think smart sellers out there know they may catch somebody who will over pay.  Who knows?  All I know is that I am always amazed.

I had a good time shooting this and hope it finds its way to somebody that will find it useful!!

~John

What a nice day to be out in the convertible.  It was pretty windy, so I thought I was using my head when I got the idea to put the windows up…..only bad thing is that now you can see all I am doing inside the car from the reflection on the window.  I thought about refilming it, but I thought what the heck, maybe there is someone out there who wondered how I was able to drive, shift gears and film.  It can be tough being the producer, director, camera man, and star!

Anyway, I was in an old favorite today.  A neighborhood called Fairway.  It is located well inside New Circle Road very close to downtown.  The perimeters are Richmond Road, Henry Clay Blvd, the Idle Hour Country Club and Carolyn Drive.

The range of values for the 388  houses runs from as low as $200k, and I think there are a couple that might be near a million.  Most seem to be in the $275k to $600k range.  I have worked with 3 buyers this year and have been in almost all of them for sale in that range.

The schools are Ashland Elementary, Morton Middle and Henry Clay High.  All of those schools are really close to this neighborhood.

What I really like about Fairway is the vibe.  I think Fairway has a little more of a formal feel to it, especially the part closest to Richmond Road.  All of the streets are very straight and are perfectly lined with what’s left of the original Pin Oak trees.  You can tell when you see it that it was an upscale place when it was new and has aged well.

Like all areas…..there are some things that are less than perfect.  There is a train track that runs behind Carolyn Drive.  It doesn’t get much use, but it is there.  Also, Henry Clay Blvd can be a busy cut through street.  That isn’t that big of a deal since just about any neighborhood has a street like that.  I just want to make you aware of it.  Some of the houses on Henry Clay Blvd back to the second and third block of a neighborhood called Kenwick….which is drastically different from Fairway.  Then there is the old Julia R Ewan school building.  It is no longer used as a school and is for sale.  Some people are worried about what will happen with that property, but I am not.  It will eventually be something, but the neighborhood association has a strong enough voice to make sure that whatever happens won’t adversely effect the neighborhood.

Fairway is one of my favorite neighborhoods in town.  I think if you are on old house person wanting something in town, you should put it on your radar!

 

Did another video tour today.  This time I hit one of my favorite areas…..Lans-Merik.  The neighborhood is located inside New Circle Road between Tates Creek and Alumni Drive.

What do I think is so cool about this area?  Well, the main thing is that you get a fantastic location.  Lans-Merik is in the 40502 zip code, so it is surrounded by some of the most desirable neighborhoods in town.  The lots are big, there is a park and elementary school right in the neighborhood, and you have great shopping very close.

 Most of the neighborhood is split levels, split foyers, ranches and two-story houses, ranging from traditional to modern to even a few Spanish looking ones…..No need to tell you that this area was built in the 70’s, right!

Right now, houses from the 1970’s  and 1980’s don’t get much respect.  They aren’t old enough to have the charm of homes built before the 1940’s, and don’t have that mid-century modern vibe like ones from the 50’s and 60’s.  Anything from the 90’s up is considered pretty much current.  But I think in time they will come into their own…atleast in Lexington since this era was pretty much the end of nice big lots and closer in locations.  It may take the mid-century homes to become too expensive for the average buyer to consider them, but no doubt it will happen, and when it does we will all be wishing we had bought in Lans-Merik while prices were good!

The prices seem to mostly be in the $200-250k range.  Granted, many of the houses are pretty outdated, but I think they are a bargain considering the fact that you can go half a mile in almost all directions from this area and the houses are much much more expensive.  That is also a great thing because you know that you have room to spend money updating.  I really think that in the next 10 years people will be putting more money into these houses and we will see the average prices take a big jump.    Why not?  People will always want a terrific location and nice lots!

The schools are Julius Marks Elementary, Morton Middle, and Henry Clay High School.  All are pretty desirable!

Check out the video to see more.  Oh….I did make a mistake in the video.  I meant to say Tates Creek Road, but said Todds Road….Ooooops!

Enjoy 🙂