Find out about the latest news in Madisonville, Louisiana as well as St. Tammany Parish. We will keep you “tuned in” to all of the information about Southeast Louisiana as well as the real estate industry in general. Many new home buyers are concerned about the market, mortgage information, and builder trends. We plan on keeping you as up to date as possible on these and many more topics. There is a lot going on in the Greater New Orleans area, so you will have plenty to read!

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 [email protected].

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The Opportunity to Learn Construction Skills for Students in St. Tammany Parish

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World Changers, an entity of LifeWay Student Ministries, provides mission experiences for students looking to serve others and share the gospel.  By interacting with churches in different communities throughout the United States, students have the opportunity to learn construction skills such as sheetrock, painting, siding, roofing, windows & doors repair or replacement, interior repair / renovation projects, wheelchair ramps, fencing, landscaping, and St. Tammany Parish World Changersdisaster cleanup.  They also learn leadership skills which will help them with not only future mission trips but also future education and professional opportunities. The World Changers program began in 1990 and has expanded to 67 North American locations as well as international locations.  In 2011, World Changers  became a part of LifeWay Student Ministries which expanded the number of students involved as well as the church networking opportunities.

World Changers along with Northshore Baptist Association, Southern Baptist Association, Kent Design+Build and the St. Tammany Parish government will aid in this year’s project in St. Tammany Parish. A federal grant through the Community Development Block Grant program will be used to purchase $30,000.00 in lumber, paint, doors, windows and all other materials needed for the volunteers to get the job done.

This is the 4th year in a row that volunteers from around the country will repair and fix up homes for low and moderate income home owning families in St. Tammany Parish. Twelve homes in the community were chosen via an application process and the majority of the homeowners are disabled and/or elderly.

The 150 volunteer teens and adults from around the country will be housed at First Baptist Church in Covington. The volunteers’ week of construction work such as painting, scraping, demo and repair of these homes.

“We welcome the World Changers group back to St. Tammany. They have made such a difference in so many people’s lives over the past four years, and we cannot thank them enough,” St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister said. “Collaborative efforts like these between public, private and faith-based organizations, make our community stronger, improve our quality of life, and benefit everyone involved.”

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New Home Building Project in Covington Back on Track

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As the job market gets stronger, so does the housing market.  Building supply retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement have seen a huge spike in sales in building materials and accessories this spring.  According to New Orleans City Business, “Homebuilders broke ground on more houses and apartment complexes in April, a sign that they’re gearing up for more sales. The annual pace of housing starts jumped 20.2 percent from March to 1.14 million, the highest rate since November 2007, a month before the recession began. There was also a 10.1 percent increase in approved building permits, which suggests that construction levels should continue to improve.”

With an upward turn in the housing market, a new home building project which was put on hold during the market crash in 2008 is now resurfacing. The Oak Alley Meadows development in Covington, LA near the intersection ofOak Alley Meadows Being Developed in Covington Orchard and Dominic Drives went before the Covington Zoning Commission May 18, 2015 and was approved.

Lonesome Development is the developer which is interested in annexing the land in North Covington for the neighborhood development project.  The 87-acre tract of land under discussion will include both residential and commercial new construction.  Plans for this new subdivision in St. Tammany Parish include 205 single-family lots and two commercial sites. The developer will use 80.4 acres of the land for homesites to build new homes and 6.7 acres of the land for the commercial development. The plan is to build the development in four phases.

Even though it is adjacent to the land that is currently in the final phases of lot development at Oak Alley Subdivision, the new Oak Alley Meadows development is a separate community from the current Oak Alley.  DSLD Homes is building the final new homes for sale in this community and once it is completed, there will be a total of 300 newly built homes.

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Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week in Mandeville

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Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week is an annual event held every year the week before Mother’s day where women across America join together to help build new homes in poverty stricken communities. The women’s comradery and the blessing of each other’s company made this week’s event a huge success. Since the Habitat for Humanity Builds in St. Tammany Parishprogram began, more than 2,300 homes have been built with the help of National Women Build Week. This year, Habitat for Humanity was joined by the local St. Tammany Parish Lowe’s Home Improvement which donated close to $2 million to the week-long event.

You do not have to be a builder to volunteer. Both Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s encourage women to volunteer for a day to not only gain new construction skills but to make a difference in the lives of new homeowners living in St. Tammany Parish. These volunteers impact the lives of many families by providing them the chance at owning a newly built home. Volunteers are not only giving their time to a good cause, they themselves are learning the ins and outs of new home construction which gives them new confidence in being able to handle small construction projects on their own utilizing their building education. Lowe’s’ how-to clinics also assist in giving women the opportunity to learn the necessary skills for the volunteer jobs.

As a “life skills” learning experience, as well as an achievement and self-confidence booster for the new homeowners who get to live in the homes built by Habitat for Humanity, the construction of their new home offers a valuable life lesson as well. The project requires that they take pride in their new home by putting in their own time, energy, and effort into the building project. New homeowners are required to put in 300 – 400 hours of time in not only building their own home but also other Habitat for Humanity homes as well. During National Women Build Week, the focus is on the challenges and obstacles poverty-stricken women face when trying to reach the goal of home ownership.

More than 15,000 women volunteered during National Women Build Week May 2-10 across America. Of those 15,000 women, more than 25 volunteers, along with Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West, and Lowe’s Home Improvement (which contributed financially with a $5,000 Lowe’s gift card to Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West) helped with the building of seven houses in the Mandeville affordable housing community just north of Florida Street in Old Mandeville. The seven new homes under construction will be dedicated to the home buyers in June and October of 2015.

Parish President Pat Brister, who was among those that volunteered, said, “Over 400 children have grown up and/or are currently living in Habitat St. Tammany West homes. That’s 400 children that now have a safe and stable home to grow up in.” This new home construction project brought life changing education as well as shelter for residents of Mandeville, Louisiana, in St. Tammany Parish.

 

 

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Beginning Construction on Northshore Technical Community College at Tamanend

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The new STEM building, the first phase in the construction of the Northshore Technical Community College headquarters, will begin soon and is set to be completed in Spring of 2016.  A ground breaking announced the beginning construction on Northshore Technical Community College at Tamanend in St. Tammany Parish.  The new site is part of a plan which also includes a new Emergency Operations Center, and a commercial/residential Northshore Technical College Breaks Grounddevelopment in Lacombe off of Highway 434.  The overall community development will encompass an 850 acre tract owned by Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Development Company which donated 53 acres for the Northshore Technical Community College construction.

Along with St. Tammany’s reputation as the best schools in the Greater New Orleans area, the new 30,000-square-foot facility will play a vital role in the future growth of St. Tammany Parish; making the area attractive for relocation.  Conveniently located within a short drive to Mandeville, Slidell and Covington, the new planned development will make the area the center for economic expansion and the hub for workforce training.

Construction bids for the $10 million project will commence shortly. The construction will be financed through $9 million in state bonds and 12.6 acres contributed by St. Tammany Parish government which equates to $1.8 million.  The college plans to use $4.7 million in grant money provided by FEMA because of the destruction by Hurricane Katrina of the original college campus which operated in Slidell, LA.

Northshore Technical College is part of a master planned community named Tamanend which will have approximately 182 homes on estate lots for sale, 622 single-family homes for sale on smaller lots, 148 garden homes for sale, 108 townhomes for sale, and 210 apartments to be available for lease.  There will also be a retail and commercial section of the master plan.

Officials and educators are encouraged by the proximity of the new campus which is located in the center of St. Tammany Parish. They believe that the new state of the art facility will boost the reputation of a community college; making it easier to attract those local high school students whom previously believed they must attend a four year college for a successful future.

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A Taste of Covington Celebrates its Fourth Annual Food and Wine Event

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Covington Business Association is proud to announce the Fourth Annual “A Taste of Covington” happening April 9th through April 12th in Covington, Louisiana. A Taste of Covington celebrates its fourth annual food and wine event in and around downtown Covington and the historic district.  Chairman Cliff Bergeron created this family event to showcase downtown Covington’s restaurants and shops. The four-day event boasts numerous activities for local residents’ food & wine experiences.  Organizers so far are pleased with the response to the fourth annual event which they predict will be even bigger than the sold-out 2014 event.

Thursday begins the event with the Vintner’s Dinner, a four-course meal with expert wine pairings at top local a-taste-of-covington-vinters-dinnerrestaurants. The participating restaurants include Annadelle’s Plantation, Dakota Restaurant, Del Porto Ristorante, English Tea Room & Eatery, Gallagher’s Grill, Mac’s on Boston Street, Pardo’s, Ox Lot 9 and Seiler Bar.

The Grand Tasting takes place on Friday, April 10th under two tents at Acquistapace’s Wine Warehouse. Here you can enjoy approximately 75 different wines, along with dozens of cheeses. The tents can accommodate up to 400 people and will adjoin the wine warehouse where wine will be displayed.  There will also be room for more activities.

The Festa Del Vino Wine Tasting, presented by the Town of Covington’s Mayor Mike Cooper, will be at the Southern Hotel in the Historic District of Covington, Saturday afternoon, April 11th.  The featured wines will be premium wines donated by some sponsors of the event with exclusive attendance for only 100 connoisseurs to this high-end tasting.  Most of these wines are not found on the shelves in the local St. Tammany Parish stores.

On Saturday evening, April 11th, St. Tammany Art Association’s “Spring for Art” fills downtown with art, live music, food, shopping, a fashion show and more. Chairman Cliff Bergeron explains, “In each block of Columbia Street there’s going to be a loosely formed group of amateur chefs. It’s called the ‘Ancient Order of Southern Gourmets.’ These Chefs will sell food samples to passersby as they make their way from one shop to the next during this evening of art and entertainment in downtown.”

a-taste-of-covington“A Taste of Covington” wraps up April 12th with Sunday’s Champagne Jazz Brunch at Ox Lot 9. The fine dining experience will be created by Chef Jeffrey Hansel and accompanied with live entertainment from Steppin’ Up.

This year’s presenting sponsor is the Southern Hotel, while wine sponsors are Champagne Beverage Company, D&E Fine Wine Group and Acquistapace’s Supermarket. Grand sponsors are The French Mix and First Castle Credit Union, Festa Del Wino sponsor is Covington Mayor Mike Cooper, and five star sponsor is the City of Covington. Volkswagen of Mandeville will provide grand cars as the grand tasting sponsor; Music, food and spirits sponsors are Rosemary’s Closet, Stone Title and Mountain Valley Sparkling Water; and media sponsors are The Slidell Independent, Tammany West, New Directives, Covington Digital, WWNO, High 5 Studio, The New Orleans Advocate, Lake 94.7, the St. Tammany Farmer and Country Roads. A part of the proceeds from A Taste of Covington are donated to the St. Tammany Art Association.
For details and ticket information, visit www.atasteofcovington.com. For other inquiries, contact Cliff Bergeron at 504.439.2543 or email [email protected].

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