So...what is going on in the SOUTH END of Downtown Memphis?

It's called South Junction and it is TURNED ON! The roads are being repaved! The vacant lots are disappearing! The blight is almost gone! New homes are popping up! Apartments are coming out of the ground like mushrooms! Dilapidated, scary railroad viaducts have been lit up with new LED lighting. Subdivisions that all but died through the "economic turn down" are springing back to life. Heck, even the behemoth THE HORIZON is out of foreclosure and has new owners! It's ALL GOOD!

What surprises me is when I hear any negativity what-so-ever connected with the project!!! Please believe me when I tell you that this is the best thing that could happen to the south end of downtown!

I have been asked by people who live in South Bluffs what I think it will do to their property values.
I suppose I could be wrong, but the way I see it, replacing the blight with upscale apartments ( the average rent is about $1000 per month for a one bedroom) and bringing in the 20 something's ( A.K.A. "The Millennial's" ) to live downtown is going to do nothing but improve the value of the existing homes in the area.

The OLD BREWERY has been purchased by Bill Orgle and is slated to become a refurbished mixed use development that promises to add lots of new life to the South Bluffs area as well. I, for one, am so thankful that they did not tear the place down!

New businesses are opening up on South Main. The Chisca Hotel conversion to apartments and retail space is well under way. The Number One Beale project is back on the table. I am told by the Downtown Neighborhood Commission that the Trolleys are coming back. Folks, the SOUTH END has never looked so good.

If you are in the market to sell of buy a home in Downtown Memphis- call me, I can help!
Karen Soro, Henry Turley Realtors,  901-338-4444

Is it TIME to UPDATE your home?

I Sell Downtown Memphis Real Estate. I have been living here and selling here for years! In fact, my very own neighborhood, Harbor Town, is turning 25 years old this year and on the south end of downtown, South Bluffs, is doing the same thing. 25 years! Can it be possible? Where did the time go?

Some things get better with age, but, without a steady stream of upgrading and maintenance, your house is not one of them.

I know it's easy to get complacent. You get comfortable in your home, it's yours, it's familiar.

But here is the issue. The way I see it, it is my job to make sure that our property values stay HIGH. Downtown has always been extraordinary! We have wonderful well planned neighborhoods that lie in close proximity to lots of entertainment hot spots! So when I go to a house to list to for sale I want to get YOU the HIGHEST price possible. Getting the HIGHEST price helps not only you as a seller but the entire community. Selling for a LOW price hurts everyone.

Come with me for a minute on a listing appointment- we pull up to the house and have our first real look at it:  it's well kept, the curb appeal is good, the siding and trim are freshly painted, the landscaping is nice and trimmed.  Lets go inside: we are greeted by a lovely piece of artwork, the paint is fresh, the clutter in minimal. Lets go to the kitchen: The appliances are less than 10 years old, the counter tops are granite (or something like that) , the cabinets look great. Lets go upstairs: the carpet is clean (and reasonably new) and now we take a peak at the bathrooms: Yay! The bathrooms have been outfitted with granite counter tops and new fixtures. JACKPOT for the seller! Jackpot for everyone!
This home will bring the HIGHEST possible price per square foot- it will sell is a short amount of time, and if priced properly may even receive multiple offers. A home like this make property values RISE.


Now, come along with me on another listing appointment. This time as we pull up to the house we notice that the paint is faded, some of the trim boards are rotten and the bushes are unkept. Lets go inside-
the furnishings are a hodgepodge of things that have "sentimental" value, the kitchen is "original" meaning that the appliances (with the possible exception of a stainless steel refrigerator or microwave sticking out like a sore thumb) are the same ones that were originally installed by the builder ( probably white or black) . The countertops are formica, the cabinets are old. The light fixtures and the sink are the same ones that came with the house. Upstairs, the carpet is original and in the bathrooms we find the old man-made marble vanity tops with their pecked sinks and brass fixtures.

This home will likely be viewed as a "project" for the next owner. So they can't pay top dollar for it! They are going to have to spend a lot of money bringing it up to date. So the home sells for a LOW price and it stays on the market for a long time- the sellers are not happy. Nobody is happy. The low price per square foot appears as a "comparable sale" for everyone else in the neighborhood and it hurts all of the property values.  A home like this make the property values go DOWN!

I understand that people get comfortable in their homes but 25 years is entirely too long to have the same old tired
appliances that the builder installed in your home when you bought it! By now you should have gone through several carpet installations (one of my clients once said "if you don't need carpet every five years you just are not living right"- and he had a point). Your light fixtures should have been replaced at least once, if not twice and the roof probably needs replacing.

I used to be able to go into someones home and suggest that they do a few minor things to their homes that would bring them up to speed but 25 years on, those few items are turning into quite a long laundry list.  Take a look at your home with critical eye and see where your home stands. And if you want me to, I will come over and help you view as others will see it. If you are contemplating a move this is imperative- but even if you are planning to stay for a few more years you may as well do the upgrades now so you can enjoy them! You can contact me, Karen Soro,  at 901-338-4444

Downtown Property Sales are Through the ROOF!

By Karen Soro- The Sharp-Soro Real Estate Team- 901-338-4444

I have always thought that the "HOUSING CRISIS" was actually a paradigm shift. People want OUT of the cookie cutter, nondiscript, boring suburbs. They want MORE out of life. They want a community where they can feel they "belong". They want their weekends back to enjoy with friends and family. They don't really want to be stuck to the sofa watching TV or  having to mow the grass. And they want a home that is the right size to actually "live" in, not some monstrous mc-mansion sitting in the middle of an acre field! These are things that I know, deep down, people crave- even if they don't know it themselves. Hey, I have been in this business for 19 years-  and I can't help but notice!

So, that puts Downtown Memphis ahead in the housing market- and it makes our neighborhoods like Harbor Town and South Bluffs extremely popular.

Why? For Harbor Town the answer is simple- good planning. Walkable, friendly, pretty, convenient, fun and wonderful little Harbor Town. With it's shops and their smiling store clerks- the small intimate pubs and restaurants, sunsets over the Mississippi- some people find it hard to ever leave. But when you do leave there is a plethora of other things to do and places to go right across a very short bridge!

 Most of the homes are well designed and sitting on small lots that do not require hours of attention. There are lots of walking trails and parks. There are beautiful vistas to make you smile. There is a marina to connect people with the water. There are friends to meet and things to do! It truly is a complete lifestyle. Harbor Town couldn't be more popular!
At the moment there are only four ( count them - four! ) homes in Harbor Town for sale!

People fall in love with South Bluffs because of it's distinctly "Urban Memphis" feel. It's right on the trolley line and the bluff walk. It's ground zero for activities like Memphis in May or the Fourth of July. It's easy to hoof it to Beale Street, the farmers market, the art walk or a go-zillion fantastic restaurants on South Main Street.

And then there is the "Core"district, with it's condos all along Main Street, that is taking on a life of it's own! Many people now want to live right smack dab in the middle of the fun and with new shops, services, restaurants and bars opening up everyday it is becoming easier and easier! One of the new services that is offered on Main Street is called "Zipcars". There are now 6 nice new cars parked on Gayoso Alley that you can rent by the day or hour eliminating the need to own a vehicle! For $8.50 an hour  (or about $65 a day) you can pick up the "share car" at your convenience and use their gas, their insurance and let someone else pay the parking costs! Do the math on that!

Memphis is really on a roll folks!