A reflection two years in the making.

I started this blog post actually in November of 2012.  I never got around to publishing it, but I didn't want to let it fall through the cracks again.  So bear with me if the timing of this post seems slightly off.  I promise if you stick with me at the end, I'll bring everyone up to speed!

This past week, most of us celebrated Thanksgiving.  A day typically used to give thanks and reflect upon how fortunate we've been over the past year.  When you're self employed, being thankful personally is often tied to professional success.  I thought this would be a fitting time to put together a quick note to highlight Finish Line Realty's success and why we are so very thankful.

This past year was a great year for real estate.  The market heated up quickly beginning as early as January.  We experienced unseasonably warm temperatures in February and buyers took advantage.  With a limited amount of viable inventory, homes that were priced correctly and in good shape were picked up by buyers before we typically even get our seasonal season started.  It's impossible to say when we hit bottom, but it's pretty easy to show that 2012 was the start of the recovery.  We still have a long way to go, and we need the federal government to do their part by taking care of key issues to housing such as protecting the mortgage interest deduction and by creating legislation that alleviates the burden on small business owners to hire and employ people.  I'm hopeful that enough can be done to keep the momentum for 2012 moving forward.

The city of Louisville has Ford producing trucks again, and GE building appliances again.  Downtown continues to see growth, especially in bourbon tourism.  The KFC YUM Center has new management and continues to attract national acts that flood the city streets.  If downtown developers could figure out how lower the price per square foot for downtown housing, it could explode.  The Big Four pedestrian bridge is set to open in early 2013 and we're supposed to get not one, but two new bridges spanning the mighty Ohio!  21st Century Parks continues to march forward with the Parklands of Floyds Fork project.

Now that 2013 is rapidly coming to an end, I can say that the 2012 info was pretty accurate.  Housing did pick up for 2013.  Mortgage rates stayed near historic lows and people were able to take advantage by buying more home than they thought they would be able to get.  The bridges ARE being built.  Ford and GE continue to move forward with their investments in Louisville.  Downtown housing still hasn't figured out how to make it affordable, but that hasn't seemed to slown down investors who have moved forward with projects aimed at the rental market.  At times this year it seemed like "Chicken Little" was around every corner for Louisville's downtown, with new commercial real estate entering the market and large companies using one landlord against the other for leverage... but as we get ready to tie a bow on 2013 there are no less than 4 new hotel projects being proposed for downtown.  Including one in NuLu which was prominently and flatteringly featured in a video by USA Today that I posted last week.  

Personally, 2013 ushered in a new job title.  I officially added father to my list of titles.  It's extremely rewarding and I feel blessed every day that I'm able to help people with their dreams and still spend precious time with my baby girl who seems to be growing up so fast.  To all of my family and friends ( many of whom have become clients ) Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!  Your support, faith and willingness to include me in your real estate needs means the world to me.

This year also saw a lot of hard work behind the scenes at Finish Line Realty.  I've developed in-house technology for marketing homes via text message since it seems everyone has a smart phone now.  I created an "intro video" for a video series which I hope to launch in the first quarter of 2013.  This website was updated to be responsive... which means if you are viewing the website on your iPad, Android phone, or even your desktop -- you're getting an optimized experience.  I also have rededicated myself to sharing interesting updates with you, so expect at least a couple of blog posts a week from me.  

We'll also hopefully be expanding our agent count soon.  If you know someone who would be interested in speaking with us, and having access to the suite of tools and the branding of LouisvilleRealEstate.com -- have them get in touch!  But more on that in a separate post about your goals for 2014.