Tag Archive for: Louisiana

Three Rivers Art Festival Huge Success in St. Tammany

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After narrowing down the field of prospective participating artists for the Three Rivers Art Festival from 400 to 200, 3 judges spent countless hours evaluating and viewing with unbiased eye the artwork of these 200 talented artists that were part of the festival on November 14th and 15th.  Judges were Cindy Pulling, executive director of the St. Tammany Art Association, STAA board member Jessica Danby, and STAA Advisory Council member Sarah Sparkman-Boyd.

“The goal is that all the artists feel heard and seen,” said Peggy Schoen Des Jardins, the festival’s coordinator for jurying and judging.

The first day of the Three Rivers Art Festival was spent visiting each artist to go over the presentation of their booth Three Rivers Art Festivalsetup and then to judge their artwork for its creativity, craftsmanship, and concept, and how the artist “tied it all together.”  The 2nd day of the festival, the judges were tied up themselves using a computer program to assign a score to each artist.  Artists were scored on a scale of 1 to 10 for multiple categories.

Winners included artists from all genres from jewelry making, to sculpting, to metalwork, to painting.  There were 5 main awards including the Best of Show and City of Covington Awards.  The Best of Show Award went to Susan Elnora of Minneapolis, MN, who presented her jewelry and metalsmith skills.  The City of Covington Award went to Katie Burckel, a sculptor who constructs sculptures using different items that have been discarded or donated to thrift stores.  Ethan Lillemoe of Norcross, Ga., won the Three Rivers Award for his unique sculpture. Jessica Stoddart Ladd of Cookeville, Tenn., garnered the St. Tammany Award for her colorful paintings in distinct stainless steel frames, and James Bird won the Bogue Falaya Award for his colorful photography.

In addition to the main awards, there were 15 Awards of Distinction given out during the Three Rivers Art Festival. Artwork from students from the Center of Performing Arts were also displayed – approximately 400 pieces, and the St. Tammany Art Association’s gallery exhibitions as well as local galleries were also available for visitors to peruse.  For more information on the Three Rivers Art Festival, visit www.threeriversartfestival.com.

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More Homes Are Being Built to Supplement the Housing Inventory Shortage

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A shortage in homes and a strong job market in the Greater New Orleans area definitely strengthened the housing market, especially in new home construction and the advent of new subdivisions. Solid hiring in the job market, low mortgage rates and easier credit conditions have driven the demand for new home buyers to purchase a new home8-217-st-calais-place-backyard-view for sale. The Greater New Orleans area alone represents 20% of the new jobs that have been created this year in the state of Louisiana which has led to the strong home sales on both the north shore and the south shore.

West St. Tammany Parish has seen a decrease in housing inventory making the average sales price increase.  The housing market in general is leaning more towards a seller’s market because of the lack of supply of homes for sale.  This lack of inventory in homes priced from $190,000 – $300,000 is causing a bidding war pulling the average sales price for metro New Orleans up by 7.8% from $197,300 to $212,610. New Orleans has seen an increase from 21,954 homes sold annually in 2010 to 30,322 in 2014. Homeowners are starting to realize that this is the time to sell, and for home builders now is the time to build new homes for sale in St. Tammany Parish on the northshore.

On the flip side, home buyers will not have long to wait because more homes are being built which means the inventory problem will start to correct itself. According to Richard Haase, president of NAI/Latter & Blum, who 1-1036-cypress-crossing-drive-exterior-2reported at the UNO/Latter & Blum Economic Outlook & Real Estate Forecast Seminar for the Northshore Region, which was held at the Clarion Inn & Suites Conference Center in Covington, ”There’s a lot of pent-up demand,” he said, because tight lending standards have kept potential buyers out of the homebuying market, even as the economy recovered. ”For the next one or two years, I’m extremely optimistic about housing prices and housing affordability,” Haase said. ”We’re in a very healthy supply-and-demand market.”

Bedico Creek Preserve in Madisonville, Louisiana, offers new homes for sale that could plug the dearth of homes priced from $190,000 – $300,000.  Two neighborhoods being built in this master planned community in St. Tammany Parish offer new homes for sale from the $230’s – $300’s.  These two neighborhoods are called Cypress Crossing and Deer Park.  Also, if you purchase one of our lots for sale in the Garden / Courtyard section of this St. Tammany Parish subdivision, you can build a home starting from the $290’s.  For more information about our homes for sale, Contact Bedico Creek at 985-845-4200 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.

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Guidelines to Use When Purchasing a Home in a Seller’s Market

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The housing market is hot right now as can be seen in all the statistics gathered from real estate professionals. Multiple offers and shortage of homes on the market along with low interest rates have driven the market to where it is today. This can make for a challenging situation for home buyers. Bidding wars could lead you, as a buyer, to purchase a home priced higher than the appraised value of the home, or you may even spend more than you can1-133-st-calais-place-exterior-front-1 afford. One of the downfalls of the Recession is that homeowners ended up owing more than their home was worth – home buyers don’t want to repeat this trend.

In the market for a new single-family home but are a little apprehensive because of the low inventory, increased prices and bidding wars? Don’t be…here are some guidelines to use when purchasing a home in a seller’s market.

Recognize the Supply and Demand. If there are not many real estate listings, it can be difficult to find what you are looking for when your pickings are slim. When you do find what you are looking for, you can bet other buyers want the same thing which will only drive the price up. You do not want to purchase a home at a higher price when the price rise is determined by low inventory versus a strong economy. A strong economy can support a strong market.

Scout Out the Neighborhood. Are there any signs of new construction or have the housing starts increased? If so, this is a good sign that the local housing market is thriving. Remember, if the local economy is strong it can sustain a rising housing market. Research the market by noting the number of developed lots in the community and the amount of building permits that have been issued. The St. Tammany Parish Residential Permits office provides information regarding the amount of building permits that have been issued in the Greater New Orleans area. Speak to a Realtor in the neighborhood market in which you are interested. They can tell you if new home construction is strong in the neighborhood and how many lots are for sale in the area.

Sometimes Losing Can Be in Your Best Interest. Buyers who push to any limit to win the bidding war can overpay and loose in the long run. Go into the bid with your game shoes on…set a budget and think about getting a preapproval from a mortgage lender. When setting a budget, remember to compensate for living expenses and emergency funds. If the bidding war sets the price too high, walk away!

Do Not Let Your Guard Down. Use smart self-defense when purchasing a home. Many buyers who want to win the bid give up rights that are standard in sales contracts. Contingencies are there to protect the buyer. It is pretty risky to give these up to appease a seller into accepting your offer. Buyers can lose their deposit if they do not have a preapproved mortgage and have been denied a mortgage after they have a house under contract or the inspection comes back with costly repairs. Another way a buyer can lose cash is if an appraisal comes in low and the mortgage lender reduces the loan amount making the buyer put up the cash to compensate for the gap between the loan and purchase price. If you feel you have found the house for you, then determine if the risk of waiving any contingency clauses outweigh any hidden financial surprises you might find.

Now is still a good time to buy as mortgage rates are low. In St. Tammany Parish at Bedico Creek Preserve, we have many new homes for sale from which to choose, including new homes priced from the $230’s – $300’s in two exclusive Neighborhoods called Cypress Crossing and Deer Park. To find out more about our homes for sale, Contact our sales office at 985-845-4200 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.

 

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