Wakefield Reutlinger Realtors

Insider
REAL ESTATE
Wakeeld Reutlinger Realtors, a Berkshire Hathaway Aliate

TESTIMONIAL
If I hear of anyone
buying or selling
their home,
Ill be sure to
recommend you!

- Mary Beth

Opportunities at
Olmsted Parks
Volunteer Events
Seneca Park
March 3, 1:30pm 4:30pm
Meet near basketball
courts. Gloves and tools
provided.

Bingham Park
April 4 , 10am -12pm
Meet in parking lot on Coral
Avenue.

1st Quarter 2015

Louisville Market Update

Sales of previously owned homes in the Greater
Louisville area finished the year at 14,486, down
2.0% from 2013, while prices were up approximately
2.7%. Inventory remained tight with approximately
11% fewer homes for sale than in December 2013.

Nationally, home sales totaled 4.93 million in 2014,

a decline of 3.1% from 2013. These results were
lower than many analyst predictions for the U. S.
housing market, and it was noted that the overall
market is moving sideways despite strong hiring, Despite his forecasted increase in sales, Yun cites the
good economic growth for much of the year and anticipated rise in interest rates, lenders being slow to
ease underwriting standards back to normalized levels,
continued low interest rates.
and homeowners unwilling to move because they are
Federal reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen noted, comfortable with their current low interest rate, as
"I've been surprised that housing hasn't recovered potential speed bumps that could slow the increased
more robust than it has," citing depressed household pace of sales this year. To see Yun's 2015 predictions
formation and tight credit conditions for many check out the graphic "Housing Expectations for
borrowers as possible explanations.
2015" on page 3 of this newsletter.

Louisville Real

Estate

Opportunities at
The Parklands

Wednesday Wonders
Science Wonder for Children
PNC Achievement Center
March 25, 2:30-3:30pm

Spring Break Hiking Camps
PNC Achievement Center
April 7, 9am-4pm

Call us for a complete
list of opportunities.
Units Sold January 1 - December 31

ALL THE WAY HOME...425-0225

Despite the lackluster year, Lawrence Yun, NAR

Chief Economist is forecasting a 7% rise in existing
home sales in 2015, spurred by a strengthening
economy, solid job gains, and a healthy increase in
home prices. "Furthermore, first-time buyers are
expected to slowly return as the economy improves
and new mortgage products are made available in the
marketplace with low down payments and private
mortgage insurance."

Year at a Glance

2013

2014

% Change

Houses Sold

14,775

14,486

-1.96%

Avg. Selling Price

$175,513

$180,200

2.67%

U P D A TE

P age 2

The Man Who Started it All... Frederick Law Olmsted

Born in 1822 into a prosperous family in Hartford, Connecticut, vision of bringing nature into neighborhoods, 21st Century
Frederick Law Olmsted initially worked as a journalist, traveling Parks, a private nonprofit corporation, was created to bring fresh
to England writing about the public vision to the development and preservation of new public
gardens and landscapes. Upon his parklands. The Parklands of Floyds Fork is the result: nearly
return, he reported on the economy 4,000 acres of parklands along 27 miles of Floyds Fork.
of the pre-civil war
South.
His friend and mentor,
landscape architect
Andrew
Jackson
Downing, introduced
him to architect Calvin
Vaux. With Vauxs
experience, Olmsteds
theories and political
contacts, they won the
1857 competition to
design and build Central
Park in New York City.
Painted by John Singer
Olmsted
went on to
Sargent at Biltmore in 1895
gain great respect for
his designs preserving the natural landscape across
the United States. He is best known for Central
Park, the grounds around the U.S. Capitol and the
Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.
After settling on a farm on Staten Island in 1859,
Olmsted married his brothers widow, adopted his Paddling down Floyds Fork under the Lyons bridge in Beckley Park Photo by John Nation
nephew, John, and added daughter Marion and
son Frederick, Jr. to the family.
Wakeeld Reutlinger Realtors Announces
Andrew Cowan invited him to Louisville in May of 1891 to meet
New Partnerships
with members of the Salmagundi Club, who were interested in
developing three large parks for the city. Within days he was
hired, a Parks Commission formed and 250 acres acquired for
Olmsted Parks
what became Cherokee Park. Shawnee, Iroquois, Seneca and
the Parkways plus more than 100 public and private projects
Conservancy
were added over the next 50 years.
&
He retired in 1897, passing away in 1903. The projects in
Louisville
were
The Parklands of
completed by his
sons, whose firm, the
Floyds Fork
Olmsted
Brothers,
closed in 1961.
The companys agents are now supporting
THE
LEGACY
the parks through gift memberships,
LIVES ON in the
donations and community work days.
Olmsted parks and
parkways throughout the city and now
in the string of parks
along Floyds Fork in
Be a
eastern
Jefferson
County.
Park Nut!
Over the last 120
years, the 18 Olmsted Bridge in Tyler Park.
parks and 6 parkways
have contributed to the quality of life for all citizens. Caring for
these historic treasures and seeing that they remain valuable
assets for our community is the heart of the work undertaken by the
Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
Taking a break on MLK
Looking to the future as the city grows, and building on Olmsteds
Service Day at Shelby Park

P age 3

Real Estate Insider

Open Spaces go Mainstream

An open floor plan may feel like old hat, but its becoming a wish beyond the young
hipster demographic, so youll increasingly see this layout in traditional condo
buildings and single-family suburban homes in 2015. The reason? After the kitchen
became the homes hub, the next step was to remove all walls for greater
togetherness.
Design experts
at Nurzia
Construction
Corp. recommend
going a step
further and adding
windows to better
meld
indoors
and outdoors.

The kitchen to the left was a traditional 1970s

Ranch in Louisville. The current owner is one of
Wakefield Reutlingers own agents. She had the
insight to take out walls between kitchen and living room as well as kitchen and dining room to produce a very open and livable space. The island is
large and very functional eliminating the need for
wall cabinets.

The Link Between Clutter and Depression

Dishes in the sink, toys throughout the house, stuff covering every surface; this clutter not only makes our homes
look bad, it makes us feel bad, too.
Thats what researchers at UCLAs Center on Everyday Lives and
Families (CELF) discovered when they explored the relationship
between 32 California families and the thousands of objects in their
homes. The resulting book, Life at Home in The Twenty-First Century,
is a rare look at how middle-class Americans use the space in their
homes and interact with the things they accumulate over a lifetime.
Our over-worked closets are overflowing with things we rarely touch.
It turns out that clutter has a profound affect on our mood and selfesteem. CELFs anthropologists, social scientists, and archaeologists
found:
A link between high cortisol (stress hormone) levels in female
home owners and a high density of household objects. The more
stuff, the more stress women feel. Men, on the other hand, dont
seem bothered by mess, which accounts for tensions between tidy
wives and their clutter bug hubbies.
Women associate a tidy home with a happy and successful family. The
more dishes that pile up in the sink, the more anxious women feel.
Even families that want to reduce clutter often are emotionally
paralyzed when it comes to sorting and pitching objects. They either
cant break sentimental attachments to objects or believe their things
have hidden monetary value.
Although U.S. consumers bear only 3% of the worlds children,

Lisa Kaplan Gordon

we buy 40% of the worlds toys. And these toys live in every room,
fighting for display space with kids trophies, artwork, and snapshots of
their last soccer game.
Although Life At Home documents the clutter problem, the book offers
no solutions. But there are some simple things you can do to de-clutter
your home and raise your spirits.
Adopt the Rule of Five. Every time you get up from your desk or
walk through a room, put away five things. Or, each hour, devote five
minutes to de-cluttering. At the end of the day, youve cleaned an hour.
Pledge to clear and clean your kitchen sink every day. It takes a
couple of seconds more to place a dish in the dishwasher than dump
it in the sink. A clean sink will instantly raise your spirits and decrease
your anxiety.
Return to yesteryear when only photos of ancestors or weddings
earned a place on a shelf. Put snapshots in a family album, which
will immediately de-clutter many flat surfaces.
Unburden your refrigerator door. Researchers found a correlation
between the number of items stuck to the fridge door and the
amount of clutter throughout the house. Toss extra magnets, file
restaurant menus, and place calendars in less conspicuous places.
Hack out unexpected new storage space in out-of-the-way places,
like under the stairs.
Fill a box with items you dont love or use. Seal the box and
place it in a closet. If you havent opened the box in a year, donate
it (unopened!) to charity.

Karen Kurfees Buchanan, REALTOR

Karen graduated from Kentucky Country Day School and continued her education at Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, before returning to Louisville to start her career and family.
As a full service Kentucky real estate agent, she enjoys helping her clients start their next stage of life
through the home buying and selling process.
Her in-depth knowledge of Louisville, a background in sales, and having worked with numerous
builders, architects, and designers, allows her to bring a unique perspective to the real estate process.
No matter what your real estate needs, she will go above and beyond to ensure a stress-free process as you work
together to achieve your goals.

Contact her today! 502-741-8818 kkbuchanan@WRrealtors.com

6511 Glenridge Park Place, Ste. 10
Louisville, KY 40222
WRrealtors.com

Interest Rates
Fixed 30 Year
Fixed 15 Year
Fixed FHA 30 Year
Fixed 30 Year Jumbo

3.500%
2.750%
3.250 %
3.875 %

*as of January 30, 2015 - restrictions apply.

This is not intended to solicit a currently listed property.
Information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

Dont Just Shop the Rates, Check the APR

Shopping around for a home loan or mortgage will help you get the
best financing deal.
Ask about the loans annual percentage rate (APR). The APR takes
into account not only the interest rate but also points, lender fees, and
certain other credit charges that you may be required to pay, expressed
as a yearly rate.
Ask whether the rate is fixed or adjustable. Keep in mind that when
interest rates for adjustable-rate mortgages go up, generally so do the
monthly payments. If the rate quoted is for an adjustable-rate mortgage,
ask how your rate and loan payment will vary, including whether
your loan payment will be reduced when rates go down.
Points are fees paid to the lender for the loan and are often linked to
the interest rate; usually the more points you pay, the lower the rate.
Ask for points to be quoted to you as a dollar amount rather than just
as the number of points so that you will know how much you will
actually have to pay.
A home loan often involves many fees, such as loan origination or
underwriting fees, lender fees, and settlement (or closing) costs.

Adapted from themortgagereports.com

Every lender should be able to give you an estimate of its fees.

Some lenders require 20 % of the homes purchase price as a down
payment. However, many lenders now offer loans that require less
than 20 % down, sometimes as little as 5 % on conventional loans. If
a 20 % down payment is not made, lenders usually require the homebuyer to purchase private mortgage insurance (PMI) to protect the
lender in case the homebuyer fails to pay. When government-assisted
programs like FHA, VA, or Rural Loans are available, the down payment requirements may be substantially smaller.
Ask your lender about special programs it may offer.
If PMI is required, ask what the total cost of the insurance will be and
how much your monthly payment will be when the PMI is included.
You may want to obtain a written lock-in from the lender once you
have decided on the loan product you want. The lock-in should include
the rate that you have agreed upon, the period the lock-in lasts, and
the number of points to be paid. A fee may be charged for locking in
the loan rate. Lock-ins can protect you from rate increases while your
loan is being processed.