The weekly poll is having a neighborhood get together - stop by and mingle a little.

This week’s poll topic is about something all of have - neighbors. They might not be close to you or with you, but there’s usually no getting around living around other people. Some people are great friends with their neighbors while others could hardly pick theirs out of a line-up.

So what about you? Are you best buds with the people next door or are you still trying to remember their names? Cast your vote and let me know.

You may not know your neighbors very well, but  you can get to know the Knoxville real estate scene inside and out - subscribe to All Around KTown by RSS or email today!

photo credit: Spooky Momma

The weekly poll is all ready to count down to the new year. Go over there and help it out.

This week’s poll topic is about the new year and what you think it holds for the Knoxville real estate market. It’s no secret that 2008 wasn’t the best year ever for K-Town home sales. But  judging from recent comments about those sales numbers, opinions vary about the extent of the damage and how much longer it will be before things turn around out there.

So what do you think? Will 2009 be a better year for housing here in K-Town or have we only seen the beginning of this roller coaster ride? Or maybe you just don’t think things are that bad to begin with? Cast your vote and let me know.

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photo credit: duplamox

The weekly poll is hanging its stocking by the chimney with care, in hopes that you and your voting soon will be there. Get to it!

It’s only 4 days until Christmas and this week’s topic is all about a certain Saint Nick and what real estate wish you would ask him to grant you if you could. Considering the November Home Sales Report numbers that just came out, I know I wouldn’t mind asking him to take us back to the real estate market of 2005.

So what about you? Would you ask for a kitchen remodel? Money to buy a new place? Or how about a ready to move-in cash buyer for your home that’s been on the market for 6 months? Cast your vote and let me know.

This year, give yourself the gift that keeps on giving  -  subscribe to All Around KTown by RSS or email today to get the latest news on the Knoxville real estate market !

photo credit: SpacePotato

The weekly poll is over there eating dinner on the sofa in front of the TV again. Tell it not to sit so close or it will ruin its eyes.

This week’s topic is something a lot of us may be using for the first time in a long time this time of year - the dining room. Some people have a formal one and some people don’t, but almost all of us have a dining area where we can sit down and eat a nice meal. But is that really where we’re eating? I know our dining room sees very little dining action, but then again, I do tend to work some crazy hours.

So I’m curious: do you eat at your dining room table every night or do you only use it for special occasions? Or does your dining room get used for just about everything -  office/play area/impromptu storage area - other than eating? Cast your vote and let me know.

You may wait for special occasions to use your dining room, but you can  get the latest news on the Knoxville real estate market every single day - just subscribe to All Around KTown by RSS or email today!

photo credit: Tostie14

The weekly poll is all nice and toasty in front of a crackling fire over there. Go vote and warm yourself up a bit.

This week’s topic is something I’m thinking a lot about tonight - how to stay warm inside when it gets really, really cold outside.  A few weeks ago we talked about where you set your thermostat this time of year, but sometimes no matter how far you crank that puppy up, you still find your toes turning to ice.

So what’s your favorite way to stay warm at home when it’s frosty outside? Is it flannel pajamas and and fuzzy slippers or maybe a stiff drink and a roaring fire? Cast your vote and let me know.

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photo credit: Hjem

The weekly poll was going to decorate itself for Christmas, but it can’t remember where it put all the decorations when it packed them up last year. Be a dear and go help it look.

This week’s topic is how you decorate your home for the holidays. Thanksgiving is over and December is upon us and for a lot of folks that means digging out the lights and tinsel and getting into the holiday spirit - I know I’ve already seen a bunch of homes lit up like, well, Christmas. For other folks, though,  this time of year might mean doing nothing different than they do the rest of the year.

So what about you? Are you a Clark Griswold, a Scrooge, or something in between? Will you have a tree or will you have enough lights to blind anyone who drives past your house? Or maybe you just enjoy driving around town to see everyone else’s handiwork? Cast your vote and let me know.

This year, get the gift that keeps on giving -  a subscription to All Around KTown! Sign up to get the latest news on the Knoxville real estate market by RSS or email today!

photo credit: McBeth

The weekly poll is freezing cold. Go vote and try to warm it up a little.

This week’s topic is something has to do with your thermostat and where you set it in the winter when you’re at home.  It’s been pretty darn chilly lately, which means we’ve all been turning the heat up. But this winter turning up the heat may cost you a good bit more than it did last year, thanks to KUB’s recent 20%  rate hike on electricity.

So what about you?  Are you putting on a sweater and leaving that dial on 60 or crankin’ it up to 80 and pretending to have Christmas in July? Cast your vote and let me know.

Don’t get left out in the cold. Get the latest news on the Knoxville real estate market all year round- subscribe to All Around KTown in a feed reader or by email today!

photo credit: mulmatsherm

The weekly poll is ready and waiting for your vote. And you know it doesn’t like to be kept waiting.

This week’s topic is mortgage modification programs, several of which were announced this week. Citigoup’s program aims to not only halt 16,000 foreclosures that are currently in progress, but also looks to help homeowners who are in danger of defaulting but have not yet done so. Meanwhile, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled a plan that they say will help hundreds of thousands of homeowners who are currently past due on their mortgage payments by enabling them to receive more affordable loans.

So what do you think? Are these programs a good idea, not enough, or too little too late? Cast your vote and let me know.

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photo credit: respres

The weekly poll is over there in it’s usual spot. Go vote before it gets foreclosed on and evicted.

This week’s poll topic has to do with the media and its role in the bursting of the housing bubble. When I was recently given the opportunity to talk to a local news station about Knoxville home sales and foreclosures, I was stunned by the reaction of another agent, who sternly warned me that if I knew what was good for me, I would stay as far away from reporters as possible, as “they are the reason we’re in this mess.” And I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t hear an agent, buyer or seller complain that if the darn media would just stop talking all that doom and gloom about real estate, this market would go ahead and turn itself around. And to be honest, there are some days that I agree with them and some days I think they’re just looking for someone to blame.

So what do you think? Are reporters, journalists, bloggers and other media types either fully or partially to blame for the current state of the housing market? Would homes really sell better if the media only reported positive news about real estate? Cast your vote and let me know.

Want to get all the latest news — good and bad — on the Knoxville real estate market? Subscribe to All Around KTown in a feed reader or by email today!

photo credit: Genista

This week’s poll is loitering over in the side bar. Go over there and click on it before it gets itself in trouble.

This week, former Bush Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neil said that in order to protect our financial system long-term, all future home loans should require a 20% minimum down payment. And that got me to thinking: even though we all know that it was a lot of no money down loans that got us into the mess we’re in now, is 20% down on every home realistic? And how many people would that knock out of the home buying market?

So, here’s my question this week - exactly how much money did you put down on the last home you bought? Could you have bought your last home if you had had to put 20% down or would you still be a renter today? I’m curious to see how many folks come in under 20% - I bet it’s a lot.

100% financing may have gone the way of the dinosaur, but you can still get the latest news on the Knoxville real estate market with absolutely no money down. Subscribe to All Around KTown in a feed reader or by email today!

photo credit: Leo Reynolds