My Near Death Experience

One of my dearest clients and I went to the Tennessee State Fair on Friday night. He and I had been to Six Flags together before, so he knows I'll ride anything. He was gravely disappointed once we'd paid our admission fee to discover that Greg and I had come to the fair only to see the chickens. After he pouted for a few minutes, I agreed to consider a fair ride with him.

We found this pretty pink sparkly ride that looked like a fancy Scrambler. I said, Ah, that looks innocent enough and fun and we jumped on board. Just let me say, it was the worst experience of my life. This video gives you a taste of what I endured.

Nashville Has Google Street View Now

Finally, the day has arrived I've been looking forward to so long. This week Google's Street View function is up and running in Nashville. For more information, you can watch an intro video here.



What that means for you as a home searcher you can check out and drive through the neighborhood in a virtual environment. I've found, however, that many of the addresses are WAY off, but it will give you a good feel for neighborhoods.

Look! You can see my house off the interstate!

View Larger Map

Nashville World Market Is Finally Open

After finishing our new home in July, I found myself going to Padukah, KY to buy car loads at Cost Plus World Market. While it's always been nice to have people come over and say...OH MY GOSH, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT....and know that the likelihood of anyone else have the same chair, picture, placemat, whatever were very rare. Now, we have my favorite home store right here in Nashville (finally). On my first trip, however, my dog Flea ended up with only purchases, a new bed, a chew toy and some much needed breath mints!

Living Small

THE CASULO is a German product that is currently in prototype mode and is a pallet that becomes a full room of furniture in less than 10 minutes. I could try to explain it to you, but it's best for you to just watch this video. Nashville college dwellers, downtown urbanites or the constant mover may find this a perfect fit.

Supermodel Going Out of Business Sale

Nashville-area resident and supermodel Niki Taylor is closing her high-fashion boutique in the Cool Springs area due to time constraints and the crazy success of my previously mentioned BRAVO TV show, Make Me A Supermodel. Abbie & Jesse's (the boutique) is located at 420 Cool Springs Boulevard in Franklin. The going out of business sale ends on Friday of this week.

We'll miss you Niki!

Nashville Trikke

While we are not Seattle or Los Angeles in our skateboarding reputation, Nashville does offer some options for the skateboarding faithful. While I could never get my big trunk on a skateboard or rollerblades this Trikke may be my first venture into Nashville's skateboarding society.

Check out Nashville's skateboarding park which is located on the east side of town, near Opry Mills.

California Investors

Recently, I'm finding myself getting a lot of calls, emails and contacts from California investors looking for great investments in Nashville. My first California investor purchased a home in East Nashville because their San Francisco cooperative housing situation didn't forward them the option for ownership. In late 2006, they purchased this Lynn Taylor Plan replica in Cleveland Park for $135,900.

In a little over a year, I would now price that home at $160K. Obviously, certain areas of Nashville are still seeing good appreciation. My latest inquiry has come from a Los Angeles real estate entertainment professional who wants to invest in real estate smartly and knows Nashville is a no-brainer.

Inglewood Kroger's Got Gas

As commercial as it may be, the Inglewood Kroger's gas station is officially open. It was packed when I drove by tonight. The pros are (1) Inglewood was lacking a non-tobacco store station and (2) it has really easy access. The major con is it takes up even more parking at absolutely the worse parking lot I've ever seen at a Kroger.

New Web Design

I finally got the interactive map up and going. It's far from done with all the neighborhood videos still needing to be shot, but check out where I'm going. Very cool stuff! EAST NASHVILLE MAP

Nashville Greenways

Nashville has recently been making a major push to create more connected greenways throughout the urban corridor. One of my favorite greenways starts in downtown's Bicentennial Park, weaves down the west side of the Cumberland, crosses the Shelby Street Bridge and heads into East Nashville. When the system is complete, it's going to be quite impressive. More information on the greenways can be found at http://greenwaysfornashville.org/ and at http://www.nashville.gov/greenways/. Below is a video webblog about the greenways. Watch my close encounter with an unexpected cyclist at the end!

Germans, Octobers and Ghettoism

When I moved to Nashville from a small town just east, I got lost in what I considered a wretched neighborhood called Germantown. I remember driving through the streets trying to find the then I-265 and being yelled at by the residents to get out. Now over a decade later, this neighborhood has overblossomed into one of Nashville’s picture perfect communities. No joke. If I had to photograph a representative of great Nashville neighborhoods, Germantown would be near the top of the list. Recently, Jeremy and I went to Oktoberfest and waded through the crowds. It’s simply an amazing place with gorgeous Italianate homes, factoryesque lofts and amazing gardens. Check out our trip to Oktoberfest in this video blog.