Happy Halloween Watchers!  In this week’s installment of Foreclosure Watch, active listings, pendings and closings are all slightly up for the second week in a row. So is that a trick or a treat?

In new listing news, 37918 blew away the competition with 5, but it’s still nowhere close to 37914 and 37917 for first place. Other zips with more than one new listing included 37912, 37920, 37921, and 37923.

There were 9 closed foreclosure listings this past week, two of which were in Powell (37849). Go figure. The only other zip with more than one closing was 37921. 37915, 37917, 37918 and 37920 all had one each.  And it looks like 37917 isn’t just at the head of the pack for new listings, it’s also had the most closings since I started keeping count in September.

Now for the breakdown:

Knox County Foreclosure Property Statistics as of 10/29/08 *

Current On-Market Listings - 178
Average Asking Price: $140,900
Median Asking Price: $99,950
Most Expensive New Listing: $349,900 (4 BR, 4 1/2 BA, 5400+ sq ft home in Walnut Grove in Farragut)
Least Expensive New Listing: $39,900 (3 BR, 1 BA, 900+ sq ft home in Fountain City)

Notable New Listings:
North: $155,500 (4 BR, 3 BA, 3100+ sq ft in Beverly Acres in Fountain City)
South: $69,900 (3 BR, 1 BA, 1000+ sq ft on Tipton Station)
East: No new east listings!
West: $279,900 (5 BR, 4 1/2 BA, 4700+ sq ft in Village Green)

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Current Pending Sales -106
Average Asking Price - $87,097
Median Asking Price - $70,200

Closed Sales October 22, 2008-October 28, 2008 - 9
Average Asking Price - $87,344
Average Sales Price - $83,824
Median Sales Price - $75,000
Average Days on Market -59

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/29/08 for Knox County single family residential properties only, and does not include condos or PUDS.

As always, if you need more information on any of these properties, just drop me a line.

If you’d like to receive new foreclosure listings automatically, send me an email with “Foreclosure List” in the subject line, and I’ll do the rest. Spam is wack, yo.

Why take the chance of ever missing out on Foreclosure Watch? Make sure you get all your foreclosure goodness every week by subscribing to All Around K-Town today, either by RSS or email!

There’s a new addition to the Knoxify Neighborhood Guide - Westmoreland in west Knoxville. Head over to Knoxify and check it out and while you’re there, don’t forgot to check out the other great ‘hood guides. C’mon, we worked REALLY hard on them!

You know I love to take requests for Neighborhood of the Week, right? Well, over the last several weeks, a lot of you have written to me wanting more information on communities that are zoned for the new Hardin Valley Academy.  So, this week Neighborhood of the Week is heading out to Hardin Valley  to take a look at one of those places, a little neighborhood called Conner’s Creek.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Located off of Hardin Valley just east of the Pellissippi Parkway, Conner’s Creek is a very nice, newer subdivision that is one of the most affordable in the area. Not only is it currently zoned for the new Hardin Valley Academy as well as Hardin Valley Elementary*, it is also within walking distance of both schools.

Homes in Conner’s Creek are traditional in style, and most are 1 1/2 stories or two stories. The neighborhood is roughly 12 years old with most homes falling in an age range of 4-12 years.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

In addition to it’s proximity to schools and  I-140, Conner’s Creek is also an easy 15-20 minute commute to both Oak Ridge and downtown Knoxville.

So if you’re looking for an affordable community that is not only currently zoned for the new Hardin Valley Academy*, but is also within walking distance of it, Conner’s Creek might be your ideal location.

*Current school zoning per Knox County School Zone Search and is subject to change.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Thanks to AAKT’s resident photographer, Robert Stockdale for these super shots of Conner’s Creek. To learn more about Robert and his work, visit his website.

Here’s Conner’s Creek by the numbers-

Conner’s Creek*

Current On-Market Listings - 4
Average Asking Price: $237,075
Median Asking Price: $236,950
Average Square Footage:2316

Most Expensive: $249,900 (4 BR, 3 BA, 2600+ sq ft, 11 year old home)
Least Expensive: $224,500 (3 BR, 2 1/2 BA, 2100+ sq ft, 8 year old home)

Middle of the Road: $249,900 (3 BR, 2 1/2 BA, 2400+ sq ft, 4 year old home)

Current Pending Sales -0
Average Asking Price: NA
Median Asking Price: NA

Closed Sales - Q3 2008 - 3
Average Sales Price - $229,667
Median Sales Price - $224,000
Average Days on Market -65

Closed Sales - Q3 2007 - 3
Average Sales Price - $226,633
Median Sales Price - $235,000
Average Days on Market -64

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/27/08 does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos, PUDS, or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Conner’s Creek Listings” or “New Conner’s Creek Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. Ich bin kein Spammer.

Don’t keep your little corner of K-Town all to yourself.  Let me know about it so it can become a future Neighborhood of the Week.

The weekly poll has its porch light on and is all ready for trick or treaters. Go vote now before all the good candy is gone.

Since Halloween is on Friday, I thought I would have a little fun and ask about haunted houses. And I’m not talking about the haunted corn mazes or fright houses, I’m talking about real ghost infested places. I know I’ve shown more than one home that’s given me the heebie jeebies, and according to some folks, there are several places in K-Town that have a haint or two. But what do you think? Is there such as a thing as haunted houses or do you think there’s something scarier than ghosts lurking in some homes…like overdue mortgage payments? Cast your vote and let me know. And if you DO know of somewhere in Knoxville that you really, truly think is haunted, tell me all about it in the comments. I love a good ghost story.

Scared you won’t be able to get the latest news on the Knoxville real estate market any time you want it? Don’t be afraid - subscribe to All Around KTown in a feed reader or by email today!

photo credit: Great Beyond

Ok, so you know the drill - another week, another episode of Foreclosure Watch. This week active, pending and closed foreclosures listings were all slightly up. I for one, am fine with no massive movement in either direction, considering all the other financial hub-bub going on in the world right now.

In new listing news, not only did 37914 had the most with 3, it actually tied 37917 for the most new listings since I started keeping count in mid July.  Other zips with more than one new listing included 37806, 37849 (not in the double digit club with 11), 37912, 37918, and 37920. And again, no new listings for 37917. If this keeps up, we could very well have a new zip in first place by next week.

Out of seven closed listings, two were in 37918 and there was one each in in 37914, 37917, 37920, 37921, and 37924.

Now for the breakdown:

Knox County Foreclosure Property Statistics as of 10/22/08 *

Current On-Market Listings - 173
Average Asking Price: $136,961
Median Asking Price: $95,000
Most Expensive New Listing: $429,900 (5 BR, 4 BA, 4600+ sq ft in Wexford at Lake Loudon)
Least Expensive New Listing: $18,400 (3 BR, 2 BA, approx 1200 sq ft off of Asheville Highway)

Notable New Listings:
North: $106,000 (3 BR, 2 BA, approx 1800 sq ft in Fountain City)
South: $99,90 (4 BR, 1 1/2 BA, 2100+ sq ft on Woodlawn Pike)
East: $255,900 (5 BR, 3 BA, 2400+ sq ft on 15+ acres in Mascot)
West: $109,900 (3 BR, 1 BA, 1100+ sq ft on Dutchtown Road)

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Current Pending Sales -99
Average Asking Price - $88,462
Median Asking Price - $74,900

Closed Sales October 15, 2008-October 21, 2008 - 7
Average Asking Price - $62,777
Average Sales Price - $68,486
Median Sales Price - $40,000
Average Days on Market -61

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/22/08 for Knox County single family residential properties only, and does not include condos or PUDS.

As always, if you need more information on any of these properties, just drop me a line.

If you’d like to receive new foreclosure listings automatically, send me an email with “Foreclosure List” in the subject line, and I’ll do the rest. Spam? What spam?

Why take the chance of ever missing out on Foreclosure Watch? Make sure you get all your foreclosure goodness every week by subscribing to All Around K-Town today, either by RSS or email!

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

This week we’re revisiting a Neighborhood of Neighborhood of the Weeks Gone By that is just north of downtown and which is steeped in history and rich in architecture:historic Fourth & Gill.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Located just east of Broadway about a mile or so north of downtown, Fourth & Gill is one of Knoxville’s oldest “streetcar suburbs” and is full of many styles of historic homes. From the Fourth & Gill neighborhood website:

Historic Fourth & Gill is an excellent example of the neighborhoods that flourished in Knoxville during the last quarter of the 19th Century…

…The architectural styles present in the Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay District are a good representation of the residential architecture popular in America between the 1880’s and the 1940’s…The Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay District features over 280 residential structures, including single family houses, duplexes, and apartment buildings. The district also contains one school and three churches. The houses are primarily of frame construction, with large porches and complex rooflines. Most of the masonry veneer and load bearing construction occurred in the 20th Century. Although a number of different styles exist in the Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay District, the majority are Queen Anne and Craftsmen styles.

Many of the houses were designed by some of Knoxville’s most notable architects, including George F. Barber and Joseph Bauman…Historically the area was made up of a varied group of people. Professionals and laborers, families and transients, blacks and whites all lived in close proximity to one another. The neighborhood was home to merchants, mayors and a governor, Robert L. Taylor…

…Within the last two decades the neighborhood has begun to reclaim much of its former glory. The district’s name reflects this effort, being derived from the location of a converted house that serves as the neighborhood center. Owners who could foresee the positive social value of cooperative inner city living have attractively restored many distressed properties to comfortable, modern standards. The Historic Fourth and Gill Neighborhood has a proud past and an equally illustrious future.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Fourth & Gill is just a hop, skip and a jump from downtown and the UT campus and is (normally) easily accessible by I-40 or Broadway.

It is a very walkable neighborhood, with sidewalks on just about every street. Veggies and organic foodies, can even walk to the Three Rivers Market, a whole foods co-op, located just across the way on Broadway.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Here’s Fourth & Gill by the numbers-

Historic Fourth & Gill*

Current On-Market Listings - 4
Average Asking Price: $254,275
Median Asking Price: $279,900
Average Square Footage: 2280

Most Expensive: $314,900 (4 BR, 3 1/2 BA, 2700+ sq ft on Luttrell)
Least Expensive: $142,399 (3 BR, 1 1/2 BA, 1300+ sq ft on Eleanor)

Middle of the Road: $299,900 (4 BR, 2 BA, 3000+ sq ft restored Victorian on Luttrell)

Current Pending Sales -0
Average Asking Price: NA
Median Asking Price: NA

Closed Sales - Q3 2008 - 0
Average Sales Price - NA
Median Sales Price - NA
Average Days on Market -NA

Closed Sales - Q3 2007 - 2
Average Sales Price - $272,550
Median Sales Price - NA
Average Days on Market -81

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/20/08 does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos, PUDS, or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Fourth & Gill Listings” or “New Fourth & Gill Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. Spam ain’t part of the deal.

Know of a corner of Knoxville that would make a great Neighborhood of the Week?  Let me know about it and you might just see it featured here soon.

The weekly poll is ready to go in its usual spot. Go get your vote on.

This week’s topic is the September Home Sales Report numbers that just came out and how you feel about them. Numbers were down all the way across the board last month, which is obviously not a good thing. But do you feel mad at the general state of the national economy? Glad that you don’t have a house to sell any time soon? Or maybe just sad that you don’t have any money to invest during this buyer’s market? Cast your vote and let me know.

Don’t get mad, get glad that you can get the latest news on the Knoxville real estate market any time you need it- subscribe to All Around KTown in a feed reader or by email today!

photo credit: futureshape

It’s time for the numbery goodness that is the monthly Home Sales Report - the monthly sales stats that come from the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors. It’s fun stuff.

September was an ugly month for the financial market. I know you’ve been busy trying to keep up with all the global economic insanity that October has brought us, but it was just over a month ago that Fannie and Freddie were taken over by the governmet, Lehman Brothers collapsed, AIG was bailed out by the government, and Washington Mutual was seized by the FDIC. Those were the days, huh?

So how did all of that financial turmoil affect the housing market right here in good old Knoxville? There’s only one way I know to find out and that’s to breakdown the September Home Sales Report All Around K-Town style. Aw, yeah.

You know i like to start with the good news first. Except there isn’t any. Well, not about the home sale numbers, anyway. That’s right, NONE of the sales numbers went up. Go ahead, digest it and suck it up, because it’s time to move on to the not so good news. Ready? OK, here goes:

Average sales price for 2 or less BR homes is down.
Sept ‘07 - $107,400
Sept ‘08 - $88,600

Median sales price for 2 or less BR homes is down.
Sept ‘07 - $80,000
Sept ‘08 - $78,000

Welcome Back Watchers. This week on Foreclosure Watch, active listings went down for the first time in weeks, pendings finally went up, and closings went up by one. Interesting for a week of total global financial turmoil, no?

In new listing news, 37912 and 37914 had the most with 3 each. Other zips with more than one new listing included 37918, 37920, and 37921. No new listings in 37917 for the first time in a long time.

There were only five closed listings, one in 37918 and two each in 37917 and 37920.

Now for the breakdown:

Knox County Foreclosure Property Statistics as of 10/15/08 *

Current On-Market Listings - 171
Average Asking Price: $133,770
Median Asking Price: $95,000
Most Expensive New Listing: $449,000 (5 BR, 4 1/2 BA, 5400+ sq ft in Wentworth in Farragut)
Least Expensive New Listing: $24,900 (2 BR, 1 BA, 700+ sq ft in East Knoxville off of Magnolia)

Notable New Listings:
North: $149,900 (3 BR, 2 BA, 1700+ sq ft in Emory Estates in Halls)
South: $120,000 (3 BR, 1 1/2 BA, 1100+ sq ft on Sevierville Pike)
East: $68,000 (updated 3 BR, 2 BA, 1800+ sq ft off of MLK)
West: $342,000 (4 BR, 3 BA, 3100+ sq ft in Concord Hills)

dklj;lskj;dlk

Current Pending Sales -98
Average Asking Price - $88,166
Median Asking Price - $60,900

Closed Sales October 08, 2008-October 14, 2008 - 5
Average Asking Price - $56,320
Average Sales Price - $53,322
Median Sales Price - $31,000
Average Days on Market -49

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/15/08 for Knox County single family residential properties only, and does not include condos or PUDS.

As always, if you need more information on any of these properties, just drop me a line.

If you’d like to receive new foreclosure listings automatically, send me an email with “Foreclosure List” in the subject line, and I’ll do the rest. Yo no hablo Spam-O.

Why take the chance of ever missing out on Foreclosure Watch? Make sure you get all your foreclosure goodness every week by subscribing to All Around K-Town today, either by RSS or email!

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

This week Neighborhood of the Week heads back out west to a groovy little neighborhood just north of Kingston Pike with its own pool and tennis club: Gulf Park.

Located just off the west side of Cedar Bluff Road about halway between I-40 and Middlebrook Pike, Gulf Park is cozy, affordable neighborhood that was developed mostly during the late 1960s and early 1970s. And true to the building trends of those decades, there are plenty of split foyers and tri-levels mixed in with the two story and ranch style homes in the community.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Other than it’s close proximity to Cedar Bluff Elementary, one of the nicest things about Gulf Park is the Gulf Park Pool and Tennis Club, which is conveniently located within the subdivision. Membership is open to residents as well as non-residents and does require a annual fee. The club features swimming lessons, a swim team, tennis interclub, and several social events.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Gulf Park is easily accessible via I-40, I-640, Kingston Pike, and Middlebrook Pike.

So if you’re looking for a relatively affordable west Knox home in a friendly community that has easy access to swimming, tennis, shopping and interstates, Gulf Park might be a good place to hang your hat.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Here’s Gulf Park by the numbers -

Gulf Park*

Current On-Market Listings -5
Average Asking Price: $203,640
Median Asking Price: $205,500
Average Square Footage: 2147

Most Expensive Listing: $235,000 (4 BR, 2 1/2 BA, 2400+ sq ft two story)

Least Expensive Listing: $172,900 (4 BR, 2 BA, approx 1700 sq ft rancher)

Middle of the Road: $205,500 (4 BR, 3 BA, 2000+ sq ft “basement ranch” that looks suspiciously like a split foyer)

Current Pending Sales -0
Average Asking Price - NA
Median Asking Price -NA

Closed Sales - 3rd Quarter 2008 -3

Average Asking Price - $197,167
Average Sales Price - $193,133
Median Sales Price - $192,900
Average Days on Market -62

Closed Sales - 3rd Quarter 2007 -6

Average Asking Price - $194,950
Average Sales Price - $187,962
Median Sales Price - $184,500
Average Days on Market -64

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/13/08 for Holston Hills proper, and does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos or PUDS.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Gulf Park Listings” or “New Gulf Park Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. I’m not into the whole spam thing.

Don’t keep a great neighborhood to yourself -  let me know about it and you might just see it featured here soon.