HOLA!

Feb4

Time to brush up on my Spanish, as we leave for the Choluteca region of southern Honduras on February 5th. This will be the 8th time (I have lost count) I have been to this area to work on various projects. Although each year is different, each year is the same in so many ways. Although I will miss welcoming our new buyers into their brand new homes in the Nashville area, it will be a great time to reflect on just how fortunate we are to live in Middle Tennessee.

We will arrive in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the capital city around lunch time.

Arriving at Tegucigalpa, Honduras

It will be warm and we will probably stop at KFC for a bite before beginning the 4-hour drive to Choluteca, where we will rendezvous with others and drive another 1.5 hours to our home for the week, Hotel Barcelona, in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras, very close to the border with Nicaragua. The first floor of the hotel is a department store chain operated by WalMart.

This is our home for the week!

We will pick up our rental trucks and trek down the Pan American Highway, where you see something different every time. Landslides are very common, and so are the ways they are fixed.

This is actually one of the neater road repairs you will see along the Pan American Highway in Honduras

Along the road less traveled is where you will find the homes we will be working in.

This year, our group will be installing electricity into the homes of 21 families. During the week, we will spend time with many old friends, and make a lot of new friends. More details to come when we return!

If you would like to read about our other trips to Honduras, click the ‘Life In Honduras” tab on this site.

See you again soon!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee and Vice-President of Sales for Tennessee’s largest home builder, OleSouth.com, specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Gallatin, Clarksville, Fairview, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Another day, another year in Nashville, TN!

Dec30

Tomorrow evening at midnight, we turn the final page of the book of 2013. It’s a pretty thick book, because lots of great things happened in Nashville this year.

Nashville made the top of just about every notable published list in the country, most recently named among the top places to buy a home by Forbes Magazine.

Downtown Nashville will also be among the top places in the country to be for New Year’s Eve, with Hank Williams, Jr. headlining the “Bash on Broadway.” This celebration, featuring the “music note drop,” is not to be missed.

We were hoping to take the boat downtown to enjoy the festivities, but once again, our welcoming Metropolitan Government has closed the Riverfront Park Docking Facilities for the festivities. If a relocating corporation with thousands of jobs onboard were relocating to Nashville by boat on New Year’s Eve, they would be out of luck. We’ll still be there in spirit! Hopefully our next Mayor will be a boater.

New Year’s Eve is also the birthday of Ruby, our Blue Doberman, who turns 3 this year. Here she lies, waiting for her birthday festivities to begin.

Back to sum up 2013. Nashville was, and really is the place to buy a new home in 2014. We appreciate everyone that bought one in 2013 and look forward to your many referrals in the coming year!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Battle Ground Realty, 615.593.6340, specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Franklin and Williamson County, Tennessee.

New Homes, New Holiday Traditions

Dec5

This year, the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee is starting a new tradition, The Holiday Showcase of Homes.

Middle Tennessee Home Builders will be hosting open houses for two weekends, December 6-8 and December 13-15. Friday and Saturday 2-8 pm and Sunday 2-5 pm.

Everyone likes to tour a new home. Everyone likes Christmas Lights. Why not combine them both?

Tour the newest homes in the newest neighborhoods all over the Greater Nashville area including, Downtown Nashville, Arrington, Franklin, Nolensville, Thompsons Station/Spring Hill, Mt Juliet, and Murfreesboro.

The area’s finest home builders, Building Masters, Celebration Homes, Drees Homes, Ford Custom Classic Homes, Goodall Homes, The Jones Company, Kings Chapel Realty, Ole South, and Regent Homes all encourage you to attend!

Many of the new homes will have their exterior illuminated each evening until January 6th, 2014 for your evening viewing pleasure. See page 4 & 5 of the Showcase Program Guide HERE.

For a complete list of participating locations and our sponsors, CLICK HERE.

HBAMT is proud to participate in Toys for Tots. Please bring any new, unwrapped toys to any participating Showcase location.

Merry Christmas!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, 615.896.0019 & direct 615.593.6340; and VP Sales for Tennessee’s largest home builder, OleSouth.com, specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Gallatin, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

It’s that time again.

Nov28

nashvillehomesblog.com

Here we are. It’s that time of year once again.

Time to finish blowing leaves into your neighbor’s yard. Time to put up the garden hoses. Time for decorating. Time for holiday parties. So much to do in such little time. Damn.

The busy holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, when we gather with family and friends to give thanks for what we have.

We cook. We eat. And then we eat some more.

Then we shop so there is more stuff to be thankful for next year.

But Thanksgiving is a lot more than that. We just need to allow it to be. Before the busy-ness of the season kicks in, take a few moments. Relax. Think and reflect. (Eat just a little bit more too!)

We all have so much that we need to be thankful for and this song sums it all up:

After you reflect, say one more…

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A Thanksgiving Reflection – Looking for Solutions Within Problems

Nov26

(Religion and politics are two things we are warned about openly discussing. We may offend someone. We may lose a friend. I choose to think that we might actually move toward solving something, if given an open mind.)

It is now the time of year for Thanksgiving, a tradition started by the Pilgrims after their landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620. I can only imagine what would have happened if the Pilgrims had waited until 2013 to arrive.

If only the Native Indians had known, right? LOL

Many people say, with true statistics in hand, that illegal immigration is a huge problem in this country. No one, Republican or Democrat, can deny that. At present, there are an estimated twelve million illegal immigrants in the United States!

Just imagine, there are enough illegal immigrants in the United States to replace the current legal population of Tennessee AND Kentucky combined.

These illegal immigrants are already here. They have already set up house. They are already participating in our economy, albeit a shadow economy in many ways. Lets do some math!

Assume the number of illegal immigrants is 12 million, and they average 4 per household. That is 3 million individual homes that are established. The average monthly rent paid in the United States is currently $821.

WOW. That is 9.85 BILLION dollars in rent paid each month by illegals. That equals over 118 BILLION over a year paid to US landlords.

And these illegal immigrants have to eat every day. They buy groceries. They buy cars. They buy gasoline. Multiply what you spend by 12 million.

They have no need for insurance, because they’re really not here! Besides, our government has many safety net programs that they can use to their benefit. Yes, the same government that is technically BROKE.

Could it possibly be that a solution lies within the problem? What would happen if we actually created a pathway to citizenship for these illegal immigrants? Here are a few ideas…..

Embrace their presence with a work permit, where their earnings are taxed just like everyone else – using a Single/0 dependent tax rate. All of the taxes deducted from their wages go directly into the US Treasury. They do not have to file any tax returns and they do not receive any tax refunds. They are simply charged a “work tax” until their citizenship is obtained after a period of, for example, 5 years. Go ahead and require them to be proficient in English at the end of the five year period. They will prevail and learn it. And in turn be smarter than most of us.

Lets do the math. 12 million immigrants (X) 8.00/hour =$ 96 million in wages per hour, or 3.84 BILLION per week, or almost $200 BILLION in wages per year. Assuming 25% in “work tax” deductions, you have $50 billion annually going into the general treasury. That is REAL MONEY that can go to solve REAL PROBLEMS.

And once they are on their legal path to citizenship, they too can participate in Obamacare! (laugh, dammit)

We live in the greatest country on earth. You have to be stupid to not realize why people want to come here.

While some may migrate here with the sole purpose of destroying our way of life, the largest majority of illegal immigrants come here for opportunities. The opportunities for a better way of life for themselves and their families. An opportunity for a life without religious persecution. They are already here. More are on the way.

Do we continue to stick our head in the sand, or do we address the situation and in doing so, solve some of the many financial problems we face?

That, friends, is something to think about while we give thanks for what we have this Thursday.

I am truly thankful that the Pilgrims got here when they did!

The Summer of 2013 – The End

Nov26

I admit it. I have neglected my blog, but it has not been intentional. Like they say, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” They also say, “all good things come to an end.” (Do you ever wonder who “they” were? “They” sure have said a lot of things over the years!)

Now, let me tell you how we ended the Summer of 2013.

Shortly after The Rogers Group took our Academy of Architecture and Construction Board to tour their Louisville operations, the 2013-14 school year started. I had the pleasure of hosting the freshmen class of the Cane Ridge High School’s Academy of Architecture & Construction on a tour of one of our new home construction sites.

I cannot say enough good things about the new direction of the Academies of Nashville in all of our local High Schools. There are many great things happening throughout the system and I encourage everyone to get out there and take a look for yourself. You, too will be impressed, and probably want to get involved! After all, it is our city.

No summer can end without a little whitewater rafting! You owe it to yourself to sneak away for a few days and visit the Nantahala River, and the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

The area is pristine, with so much to do! This was my second time to visit and really enjoyed relaxing in our humble mountain abode.

I won’t bore you with the balance of our activities that ended the summer and will just say they were fun. On the last weekend of summer, Nashville hosted the First Annual Stand-Up Paddle-boarding Championship Event.

We were there on The Princess, headquarters for PaddleUpTn.com to cheer on Cindy Sorcer, Neil Newton, and Julie Ann Vanderpool.

One of the neat things about having our boat on the river at Rock Harbor Marina is seeing the many boats that transient our area. Is was simply amazing to see the motoryacht Elegante docked at Rock Harbor for a few weeks.

This yacht is incredible. Check out the you-tube video on this 1964 classic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgADJzvaFEM

Well, that’s about it for the Summer of 2013. Thanks for reading!

Thank You, Veterans!

Nov11

Today is the official day marked to honor all of our Veterans, although we should honor them each and every day.

nashvillehomesblog.com

November 11th is the day we as Americans celebrate and honor the sacrifice of all U.S. Veterans. This isn’t one of those holidays created by Hallmark. It isn’t one of those holidays to give bankers a day off, although they are getting this Monday off!

It is a official day for all of us to say, “Thank You” to a veteran.

Let’s carry the tradition one step further and say ”Thank You” to the active-duty soldiers too! And remember, those “thank-yous” aren’t confined to November 11th, they are deserved and appreciated every day!

But why November 11th?

Back in 1918, on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, an armistice, or treaty of sorts, was signed to end hostilities in what we now call World War I. It was called the Great War back then because no one was planning a sequel at…

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The Summer of 2013 – (Part 2)

Sep27

We returned to Nashville to find my mother had fallen the night before and was in St. Thomas Hospital. Back in March, she experienced a serious fall, breaking her jaw and nose, which kept her hospitalized at Vanderbilt for 2 weeks, followed by 2 months at rehab, where she healed remarkably. She had only been back at Park Manor less than a month when she fell again. At least this time, nothing was broken.

If anyone has aging parents, there is not a better place for them to live than Park Manor on Woodmont Blvd. It compares to being on a cruise ship, with gourmet meals and daily activities. The staff there is simply marvelous. They even stayed with her at St. Thomas until our return. After a few days, she was back home at Park Manor, with arrangements made for 24-hour care when necessary.

We also found The Blue Moon Waterfront Grill at Rock Harbor Marina was in full swing upon our return. The new slip where we were to keep our boat was nearing completion too!

When we moved into the new slip, I installed some neat color changing lights on the top deck.

It was great to see Rock Harbor Marina come to life after the new additions. It seemed like a Hatteras Convention one weekend! The new sport of Stand-Up Paddle Boarding was also in full swing at Rock Harbor. PaddleUpTn has been a great addition to the marina. www.paddleuptn.com

Although summer was in full swing according to the calendar, the weather seemed not to get the message! Rain was constant and almost ruined the July 4th Fireworks celebration at Riverfront Park. The rain stopped just in time, but the sky was not clear at all. Ruby, our Blue Doberman, slept through it all.

We had a kicking summer at our own Rock Harbor Yacht Club. We were glad to find the Brit Stokes Band available for our Jimmy Buffet theme party, and also the end-of-summer celebration Labor Day weekend.

Since Nashville’s Cane Ridge High School opened its doors, I have had the pleasure to represent Ole South Properties by serving on the Advisory Board of the Academy of Architecture and Construction, along with many other business leaders. It is really rewarding to see just how much a difference can be made when everyone works together.

One of the Corporate Partners at Cane Ridge is The Rogers Group, who arranged for board members to visit their Louisville operations and become more familiar with their company and its operation. Board members arrived at Nashville International Airport to join Darin Matson, of Rogers Group, on the company’s jet for the short flight to Louisville.

We arrived in Louisville, just as rock stars do, to be escorted to the underground quarry operations. One thousand feet below the ground is this mine, where approximately 10,000 tons of rock products are mined daily. One thing for sure, we all take rock for granted! Nashville is very fortunate to have The Rogers Group as a Corporate Citizen.

Everyone on the Cane Ridge Academy of Architecture and Construction Board is excited that the academy just received National Accreditation! The first of its kind in the country! The 2013-2014 school year will be even better.

Meanwhile, the Summer of 2013 continues in Nashville, Tennessee, the greatest place to live in the world!

Part 3 of the Summer of 2013 coming soon!

The Summer of 2013 – Where did it go? (Part 1)

Sep26

I’ve always considered Summer to officially start on Memorial Day and end on Labor Day. I suppose it will always be that way for me. The official dates of Summer for 2013 were June 21st through September 22nd, so that’s the period I will cover!

Beth and I started the Summer of 2013 off in Boston, taking a cruise on the Carnival Glory to St. John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. We had never ventured north on a cruise ship, and were very glad we did something different for a change.

This was the scene leaving Boston Harbor.

If you haven’t cruised on a Carnival ship lately, you need to. Almost all of the ships have now undergone extensive renovations. Guy’s Burger Joint, The Red Frog, Blue Iguana, and other venues have all been added to bring your cruising experience to new levels.

And the staterooms are awesome as well. For this cruise, we chose an 11th floor balcony.

Making this cruise even better was knowing that one of our favorite crew members from past cruises, Nolan Villamor, would also be aboard the Glory. I am confident Carnival will one day promote Nolan to Maitre’d!

St. John, New Brunswick is a neat port city, where the St. John’s River flows into the Bay of Fundy. The tide fluctuates as much as thirty feet daily, making the “reversing falls” a continual attraction.

During Lobster Season, you will even find McLobster at the golden arches! Yes, I had to try one, and it was surprisingly good.

We bought tickets for the “Pink Bus,” where you can ride anytime the entire day for one price. We ride out to the falls in the morning, and then back that afternoon to see the river flowing both ways!

St. John is full of beautiful, historic buildings. One fine residence displayed this plaque by its front door.

Onward to the seaport of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The harbor is very active, and historical buildings are everywhere!

Pubs and eateries are everywhere along the harbor in Halifax. You can also purchase a Harbor Ferry pass, where you can also access the city’s bus transit system all for one low fare.

Thomas The Tug is another popular sight along the harbor. You can purchase rides on it also!

After departing Halifax, we would have a full day at sea before arriving in Boston. Our cabin was the most forward cabin on the port side of Deck 11. Would recommend this part of the ship to anyone.

Boston Harbor is a beautiful place. The sun was coming up as we entered.

Cruising from the Port of Boston is a breeze. Just a $20, 15 minute cab ride from the airport to the ship! If you love cruising, but are somewhat tired of the Caribbean, give cruising out of Boston a try. It was a refreshing change!

Next time, we will plan at least a day for sightseeing in Boston. This year, we had to get back to Nashville for the rest of the Summer of 2013! Be on the lookout for Part 2!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, 615.896.0019 direct 615.593.6340 and VP Sales for Tennessee’s largest home builder, OleSouth.com, specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Gallatin, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Just like it was yesterday…..

Sep11

A lot has happened over the past twelve years. I have met survivors of the September 11 attacks, and I have met those that lost family and friends that day. Everyone I meet has a story about September 11, 2001.

I remember it just like it was yesterday and still cannot believe that twelve years ago today, Osama Bin Laden & company perpetrated the single largest attack ever on American soil. They targeted the heart of our financial centers, and the heart of our military command. Their plan was to bankrupt America and watch us tear ourselves apart from within. (Note: Their plan is still in place)

Everyone remembers what they were doing that morning. I was having a cup of coffee when the news broke out on the TV. Then my phone rang. It was by Broker/Sales Manager/Mentor, Sandi Sharpe.

Over the years, Sandi acquired many friends through working with international college students. She was their family away from home. She was “Mom” to many. One family, from Uzbekistan, bought a new Ole South home and became extended family to all of us.

The grandmother of this family had spent the summer in Nashville to help her grandchildren get properly settled in their new home. She knew no English whatsoever, but was very easy to communicate with. After all, a smile means the same thing in every language. All of us loved her, and her family, dearly.

She was returning home to Uzbekistan on September 11th on the first flight to New York from Nashville. She was armed with basic signs that Sandi made to hold up when she arrived in NYC. With her smile, and those signs, she would never be lost…. well, as long as the plane landed in NYC.

But it didn’t. The flight was routed to Raleigh, NC. She did not understand any of the announcements, and only had her signs, which were useless in Raleigh. The airline personnel at the gate calmed her and checked her in a nearby hotel, but none of us knew that yet. Sandi was on the phone many hours before we knew the situation and that she was safe. In the meantime, she is in a strange location, in a hotel room, knowing only what pictures were shown on TV.

The grandson was loading up for a drive to Raleigh, which probably was not the safest thing for an olive-skin immigrant, with a name too long to pronounce, to be doing that day. Rumors of fuel shortages and curfews abound. There was nothing else to do but go with him to Raleigh.

Long story short, I will never forget the look on the grandmother’s face when she opened the hotel door and saw us standing there. She was in tears pointing at the TV. She had been terrified not knowing where she was, or why she was there. That fear turned to joy and relief as we loaded her things into the car and headed back to Nashville!

That day, America pulled together. Democrats and Republicans joined together without unnecessary drama and rallied around our President. America would prevail.

At least for a while. Then we would eventually forget.

Remember, the intention of Osama Bin Bastard and Company was to bankrupt our country and watch us destroy ourselves from within. They did not have a specific time frame in mind. Even with Osama dead, his movement and ambitions seem to be alive and well.

Fast-Forward to today and look around. What do you see? Democrats and Republicans constantly battling each other. America debating involvement in yet another foreign conflict. We are slowly emerging from a recession that did not discriminate. Everyone has been affected, financially and otherwise.

The United States has always served in the role of “world police” for humanity? We have always ended up being the “protector” of human rights in world conflicts. If not us, who will be? Russia is hardly qualified to sincerely step up to the role. Maybe it is their turn now? That’s a question I cannot answer but I do know that world peace is a very complicated objective with many moving parts.

Where would the world be if Saddam Hussein had been allowed to remain in power? Where would the world be if Osama Bin Laden was still alive? Great questions to ponder. I can say that if Adolph Hitler had been taken out when he invaded Poland, World War II would have been averted.

Regardless of your political preference, now is the time to encourage elected officials to put politics aside and pull this country together. This country has the resolve to fix our problems and its not supposed to be about ”who will get the credit or blame.” We don’t elect people to find blame, we elect people to find solutions… or at least that is supposed to be the plan.

It is our obligation not to forget what happened to our country on September 11th. It is also our obligation to remember the sacrifices of countless people, that day, and every day since. If we choose not to remember, Osama Bin Bastard & Company wins. We will be bankrupt and will have destroyed our country from within.

You know, we are still having tough times in this country but until you see people wading off of Miami Beach preparing to swim to Cuba, there’s still time to get it right.

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