For Sale - 1837 Moonlight Dr. La Vergne, TN 37086

3BR/2BA home with bonus room,  located close to shopping and restaurants.
Listed at $200,000
MLS # 1928644
SqFt: 1423

Smith Real Estate
615-549-8301

Buying a Home in Today's Market - Video

Call Breanna's daddy!

1054 Secretariat Dr. Mount Juliet, TN 37122

THDA Update

THDA Update

THDA Update

THDA Update

Upcoming Events In Smyrna

Upcoming Events In Smyrna

COMING SOON in Oak Hill Townhomes

We have a beautiful Townhouse coming on the market in the next 2 weeks! It is located in the Oak Hill neighborhood in Nashville. It is 1645 sqft, 3 bedrooms, and 2 1/2 baths. For more info on this beautiful home, call us today.

Joshua Smith

Principal Broker of Dream Homes

(615) 885-9000 office

(615) 519-2538 cell

DOCUMENTS NEEDED FOR A GOOD SOLID PRE APPROVAL

Smyrna's Depot Days

Smyrna Tennessee's 10 Annual Depot Days is this Friday & Saturday! It is an event that the whole family can enjoy. On Friday is runs from 6pm to 9pm & Saturday from 10am to 4pm. We hope to see everyone out there!

Joshua Smith

Dream Homes

(615) 885-9000

THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU MOVE

Moving day is a very stressful day for most. Trying to remember all the things that need to be done. One of the most forgotten things is to let everyone know your new address! What I mean by everyone, is people like doctors, vets, banks, insurance agents, lawn care services, laundry services, etc. These are people that may need to send you important documents. One way to do make sure you receive these things at first is to change your forwarding address at the post office. This is just a temporary thing, you still need to reach out to everyone and let them know your new address. You also what to make sure you have contacted your utility companies to get services turn on at your new home and turned off at the home you are leaving. No one whats to be without lights and water!

Hopefully this little list will help you when moving day gets here. I have been the stressed out home owner running around on the day of the move, doing these things. Hopefully your REALTOR will send you a few reminders, to help you remember some of these things. Happy House Hunting!!

Joshua B. Smith

Principal Broker of Dream Homes

(615) 885-9000 Office

THE COST OF BUYING A HOME

After years of working with first time home buyers, one thing I have discovered is that people do not really understand the cost of buying a home. There are several things that must be paid for up front when buying a home. These cost are going to be different based on the loan and size of the home. Here are a few bullets on different costs.

• Earnest Money: This will vary based on the price of the home. There is not a “set amount” that you have to give. This is money that is usually held by the listing broker, stating that you will not just walk away from the contract for no reason, other than what the contract says you can. It is like a good faith promise. At closing this money will be credited back to you.
• Home Inspection: As a REALTOR® I will highly recommend that you get a home inspection. This is something that is not required, but recommended to protect you. The price for a home inspection varies from the size of the home to what all you want the inspector to look for. You can expect to spend anywhere from $250 to $500. Most of my clients spend around $300. I suggest that you call a few different inspectors and ask questions to see which one might be the best fit for you.
• Termite Inspection: This is a separate inspection from the home inspection. It is required by most lenders. They are looking for wood destroying insects. The cost can range from $35 to $55. This fee can be added to the final closing cost and paid at closing most of the time. If termites are found, a proposal will be sent to the seller to have the home treated.
• Appraisal: This is something that is ordered by the lender to make sure that the home is worth what you are paying for it. Most of my clients pay around $400 for their appraisals. This cost will vary based on the price/size of the home. This is also paid upfront to the lender before they order the appraisal.

These are just a few of the basic things that you can expect to pay upfront when buying a home. Of course you will have the down payment & closing cost that will be due at the time of closing. Other things can come up, well inspections, septic inspections, etc. Your REALTOR® or Lender will be able to help you through the process.

Joshua B. Smith

Principal Broker of Dream Homes

615-885-9000

Where To Start

Where To Start

Happy New Year!

November 2015 Home Sales in Rutherford County

It is a great time to sell a home!

Stats for Rutherford County Tennessee - November 2015 Closed Residential Sales.

All of Rutherford County:
Number Closed - 351 Homes
Average Sale Price - $211,325
Average Days on Market - 51 Days

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Smyrna Only:
Number Closed - 48 Homes
Average Sale Price - $205,221
Average Days on Market - 34 Days

La Vergne Only:
Number Closed - 33 Homes
Average Sale Price - $162,557
Average Days on Market - 68 Days

Joshua Smith, Broker | REALTOR

Reliant Realty ERA Powered

640 Broadmor Blvd. STE 100

Murfreesboro, TN 37129

(615) 519-2538 Direct

(615) 617-3551 Office

How Is Your Credit?

When it comes to buying a home there are two things that lenders look at pretty hard. Those are your employment history and your credit history. If you can't show a good job history and a good credit history, you will not be able to secure a mortgage. As a REALTOR one of the first things I will do for you, is to point you to a good lender. The lender will be able to pull your credit report and give you instructions on how to get your score to where it needs to be. Sometimes it takes very little work and other times it takes months.
If your ready to get started, give me a call today to get pointed in the right direction. Your credit may be better than you think. I have talked to lots of people that have told me they would never qualify for a home loan, and yet they are living in a home they own today! Call me (615) 519-2538.


Joshua Smith, REALTOR
Reliant Realty ERA Powered
(615) 519-2538 Direct
(615) 617-3551 Office

Why do we celebrate Labor Day?

I over heard someone ask "Why do we celebrate Labor Day?". I thought is would be nice to post the history of Labor Day from the department of Labor. The below information is straight from the Department of Labors website, enjoy.

http://www.dol.gov/laborday/history.htm

LABOR DAY: WHAT IT MEANS

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

LABOR DAY LEGISLATION

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

FOUNDER OF LABOR DAY

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

Who do you think is the real Father of Labor Day?

• "The Real Maguire - Who Actually Invented Labor Day?"

THE FIRST LABOR DAY

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

A NATIONWIDE HOLIDAY

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

IT'S A SELLERS MARKET!

Inventory of homes under $200,000 is still low and this is giving the seller, all the negoting power. As soon as homes are hitting the market they are going under contract! Its crazy how hot the market is right now. Of course some areas are hotter than others, but over all the Middle Tennessee area is on fire.
If you have been on the fence about selling, now is the time. The market is flooded with buyers and we need homes to show them. If your just wanting to know what your home is worth, we do free CMA (Comprehensive Market Analysis). This CMA is a report put together by a REALTOR that shows what your home is worth based off recent sells of homes in the area, that comparable to your home. Call us today and would be happy to put a CMA together for you!


Joshua Smith, REALTOR
Reliant Realty ERA Powered
(615) 519-2538 Direct
(615) 617-3551 Office

Growth in Middle Tennessee

I was reading a study the other day done by The University of Tennessee Knoxville on the population growth for Tennessee. They said to except the population to hit 8.5 million by 2040. That is a lot of people! The study also stated that 69% of the over all growth will come from the counties:

• Rutherford
• Williamson
• Davidson
• Wilson
• Sumner
• Montgomery
• Shelby
• Sevier
• Hamilton 

The Senior Citizen population (85 & older) is expected to triple during this time and Latino population is expected to grow about 11.2%. 

What does this do for the real estate market? I believe that we will start to see more and more communities catering to the senior population due to the tripling of their population. Over all the Mid State as a whole will have growing pains and we can expect to see a lot more new construction during this time.

Here is a link to the study posted by Fox 17 News: 

http://fox17.com/m/news/features/top-stories/stories/UT-Study-State-Population-to-Hit-8-5-Million-by-2040-Mid-State-Leads-Way-192131.shtml#.VeMfmyVVikp 

Joshua Smith, Realtor®

Reliant Realty ERA Powered
(615) 519-2538 Direct
(615) 617-3551 Office

Etux vs. Etvir, What do they mean?

          The other day I had some ask me this question. "What does Etvir mean?" I thought this would be a good topic to write about. On a lot of legal documents you may see "your name" and then the word Etux or Etvir and then "your spouses name" Here are the meanings.

Etux: and wife
Etvir: and husband

In real estate we see this a lot on the tax records. So next time you see this you will know what it means! If you anyone has anymore question, please feel free to shoot them my way.


Joshua Smith, REALTOR
Reliant Realty ERA Powered
(615) 519-2538 Direct
(615) 617-3551 Office