Neighborhood Video Tours

Lexington Ky Neighborhood Tour by The LEXpert: Ashland Park & Chevy Chase

by John Rice

I did a tour of Ashland Park and Chevy Chase today……and it was a great day to be out in the convertible.  I picked these two neighborhoods because I have had 3 buyers recently that have been looking in these neighborhoods, as well as the general 40502 area.

So, if you’re not from Lexington and want to know what is so great about Ashland Park and Chevy Chase, here we go!

Both neighborhoods are in the heart of Lexington.  If you look on a map, they are between Richmond Road and Tates Creek Road out to around Cooper Drive.  When new, Ashland Park had bigger houses, while Chevy Chase had smaller houses…..but a lot of that has changed.  There have been a lot of houses with huge additions.  Some are on the back, and some ranches and 1 1/2 story homes have been transformed into 2 story houses. 

Besides the cool older architecture and mature trees, it is one of the few places in Lexington that is truly walkable.  There is a commercial district along Tates Creek Road/East High Street as well as on Euclid Avenue.  On the opposite side of Chevy Chase is a road called Romany with a few businesses too.  We’re talking barber shops, grocery stores, a french bakery, a hardware store, florist, restaurants, a post office…..and to sound like a Time-Life infomercial, plus many more!  Both spots are fun to be in.

There has been some debate among Hoodies like me as to what makes Chevy Chase and Ashland Park so popular.  (BTW, I’m starting a new term for people who are into neighborhoods.  It’s like how the people who are all into The Food Network are called Foodies…..Like it?)  Both neighborhoods  have a good stock of old houses.  Yes they have a great location.  But, I think one of the prime things is the way it was laid out.  There are lots of medians and many of the roads just kind of meander through.

I think another aspect that is over looked is that the neighborhood has never really had a period of decline like almost every other neighborhood goes through.  What I mean is this:  These neighborhoods had a lot of the original owners stick around through the 1960’s and 1970’s when older houses close in town were not the thing……although these were still very desirable.  Many neighborhoods this old had a rough time during those decades.  Having so many old ladies stick around for so long kept these spots from suffering.  Since they both have location/charm/character/good schools, it attracted the type of buyers that actually turned these areas into upscale neighborhoods.  I remember reading in the 80’s that several long term owners were having a hard time paying the ever-increasing property taxes for their house.  In other words, these neighborhoods actually improved as the original owners left, when most neighborhoods decline a little after the original peeps leave!

Okay.  The schools are Cassidy Elementary, Morton Middle, and Henry Clay High.  All are popular schools.  These have been the schools for these neighborhoods for as long as I can remember.

Prices?  Well, I have seen a few smaller ones that need TLC go for around $250,000.  Most of the ones I have seen lately seem to be in the $350-500k range.  I think for $350-400k you can get an updated smaller house.  To get an updated bigger one, you will be looking more along the lines of $400-550k.  There are some that are going for much much more, but that seems to be what I would consider typical.  Figure about $170-200 per square foot.

Hope you enjoy the video.  I did have a few bloopers.  I said the circular part of South Hanover was like a turn-a-bout rather than a round-a-bout.  I also think I might have turned on Ridgeway and called it Dudley.  If you look close, the blue Audi wagon that pulled out in front of me on East High Street was the SAME GUY that pulled right in front of me on Romany Road….watch out for that dude!

Lexington Ky Neighborhood Tour by The LEXpert: Stuart Hall

by John Rice

Did another neighborhood video tour yesterday.  Perfect weather again.  I love having my 20-year-old Miata for shooting these videos.

I was in Stuart Hall, which is between Richmond Road and Todds Road near I-75.  I love the location of this place.  If you go out on the Todds Road side, you’re at Hamburg pretty quickly.  If you take the Richmond Road side you can get to the rest of town and the interstate.  There aren’t many places that are really convenient to Hamburg that you don’t have to live with Hamburg traffic to get any place else in town.

Don’t know if it would have the same effect on you, but I have always loved driving out Richmond Road by Jacobson Park.  There are big lakes on both sides of the road and it reminds me of being in Florida with my grandparents.

Okay, there are 284 houses in Stuart Hall according to the PVA.  Most are two story traditional places, a few ranches, and some townhouses.  Several houses have basements.  Most values seem to be in the $225-$375k range for the houses, and $160-170k for the townhouses.  They are building some larger townhouses that will sell for about $250k, but they aren’t built yet.   The schools are Breckenridge Elementary, Edythe J Hays, and Henry Clay High. 

So, what makes it special?  To me, I think it is the lot sizes.  They just seem bigger than you normally get with new/newer construction in Lexington.  I think it is a good fit for the buyer who wants current styles, newer construction and a yard big enough to play in.  Also, the middle school is right in the neighborhood, so if you have or will have middle schoolers, that is a plus!

Here are the names of the roads:  Stuart Hall Blvd (Has some townhouses in the $160-170’s at the end.),  Hays Blvd (Busy Road!), Jane Briggs Ave, Richardson Place, Levi Todd Blvd, Holmes Way, Logans Fort Way (Part of it backs to the old houses along Athens-Boonesboro Road.), Hannah Todd Place (One side backs to $160-170k townhouses.), Emilie Lane and Isabella Lane.

P.S. I said in the video that the townhouses off Hannah Todd were in the $140’s……They are in the $160-170’s.  Guess I was remembering the base price when they were new…..Ooooops!

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.