Knoxville Tennessee Real Estate Blog

If you have a home in the greater Knoxville or Farragut Tennessee area and you’re struggling with your mortgage the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has launched a special section on their website to help with how foreclosures could affect your tax status.

In some circumstances you could still have very serious tax consequences even if you’ve gone through a mortgage ‘workout’ or a foreclosure.

Known by some wags as the “kick em while they’re down” law, the IRS has penalized some taxpayers in the past by declaring the amount of any forgiven mortgage loans as ‘income’ and charging the hapless taxpayers income taxes in money they’re never actually received.

I’m proud to say the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) is in full support of pending legislation to do away with this grossly unfair portion of IRS code.

H.R. 1876: Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2007 would eliminate this unfair practice along with its companion Senate bill 1394, both of which have been introduced into Congress. “Introduced” is the first step in having a bill become the law of the land.

Visit my Knoxville area real estate website for buying and selling tips and guidance.

Those of us fortunate to live in the greater Knoxville, Tennessee have a unique opportunity to enjoy camping and hiking in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There are over 800 miles of great hiking trails in the back country of the Smokies and many, many beautiful spots to enjoy.

But, there is also danger.

Hikers and visitors often become lost and every now and then, a death results.

While planning an upcoming trip to Spence Field, a very popular trail shelter and scenic camping area along the Appalachian Trail, I was reminded of one of the mysterious disappearance back in 1969 of a young boy named Dennis Martin.

Dennis Martin, circa 1969

On Father’s Day, 1969 Dennis, aged 6, his older brother, his father, grandfather, and two cousins were on their annual camping outing at the Spence Field trail shelter.

While playing nearby the boys decided to circle around behind the trail shelter and jump out to scare the adults; Dennis went around one way and the other three boys went in the opposite direction.

Spence Field Trail Shelter where Dennis disappeared.

The three boys circled the shelter, jumped out and scared the adults. They all had a big laugh about it.

Then someone asked: “where’s Dennis?”. Dennis never showed up from his side of the shelter.

Immediately the adults began searching and calling for young Dennis; no answer, no Dennis. One of the adults went for help.

Early the next day there were over 150 park rangers and volunteers searching all around Spence Field, a large, grassy area.

No Dennis, no trace, no signs, no footprints, nothing.

The search continued and grew. By the eighth day helicopters were ferrying in searchers.

The Army sent teams of Green Berets, there were local tracking dogs, and at the height of the search, nearly 2,000 volunteers beating every inch of the brush for miles in all directions.

Still no Dennis.

Dennis Martin remains missing to this day. No trace of him was ever found in spite of the massive search efforts by experienced park rangers, Army personnel, dogs, and hundreds of volunteers.

I often wonder what happened to Dennis on that day so long ago; I often wonder if we will ever get an answer.

This week (Sept. 16-23) I’m down in Destin, Florida attending the annual Tennessee Association of Realtor’s convention.

The host hotel is the Sandestin Hilton located in the beautiful Sandestin complex.

It’s sort of off season in Destin now but the weather is still very warm as is the beautiful, emerald green & blue Gulf of Mexico.

I made this photo Monday; the location is up by the jetty at the East Pass.

I love coming to Destin, it’s sort of like a homecoming. You see I was stationed here in the mid 60s when I was a member of the US Air Force. BIG changes in the area since then; lots of new condos, houses, restaurants, shopping, etc., but one thing that hasn’t changed is the beautiful beaches and lovely Gulf of Mexico waters.

Instead of staying at the convention hotel we rented a beautiful beach house and invited a friend of ours to come along. My wife and our friend entertain themselves at the beach and shopping while I’m at the convention. We also have a secluded private pool out back when they’re too tired to stroll down to the beach.

My lovely bride Charlotte is on the right with our friend from Nashville, Denise. They’re heading for another tough day at the beach.

Great convention so far. We have had beautiful weather but there are reports of a tropical depression coming in this Saturday so we’ll probably spend that day packing and doing some last minute shopping.

The convention committee did a superb job decorating; this is the entrance to one of the many classes offered. This one is by a long time real estate trainer named Howard Brinton.

We also found time to do some business. This is from the TAR Board of Directors meeting Thursday. The nice lady at the podium is our outgoing President, Jewell McKinney who will  be replaced Friday night by Mike Gaughan.

It’s been a great year in real estate for TAR. I’m on our Government Affairs Committee and we’ve been busy this year keeping track of over 200 pieces of legislation affecting real estate.

Some of the legislation we’ve tackled this year includes:

Real estate transfer taxes. Some helpful legislators in the Tennessee House Local Government Subcommittee helped defeat a local option transfer tax in Sevier County.

Adequate Facilities Tax on new construction homes. TAR opposes this narrowly applied tax in favor of more broad based taxes which are shared by all instead of only burdening new constuction home. Both TAR and the Homebuilders Association of Tennessee opposed an increase in Rutherford County which was defeated.

One other bill I’m delighted to say we were opposed to and was defeated, would have made Tennessee Realtors responsible for determining immigration status for everyone we sold or rented a house to.

Tonight is the convention finale. If you’re a Tennessee Realtor and have never been to a state convention you truly don’t know what you’ve been missing.

Next year we’re holding the convention in Chattanooga so make plans to attend.

Why? Because it’s time for the 15th annual Grainger County Tomato Festival! (July 27-29th)

My wife and I will be making our annual pilgrimage this coming Saturday to spend the day enjoying this fun for all event (I have other agents covering my business in case you can’t wait until Monday ).

Organized in 1993 the Tomato Festival has grown into a huge undertaking to showcase the Grainger County Tomato crop, area artists, craftsmen, and other local enterprises. Today it’s one of the largest local events in the state of Tennessee.

Here’s an aerial photo from last year.

This year’s festival features the always popular “Tomato Wars” with lots of overripe tomatoes as ammo. Teams are formed to pelt each other with the squishy veggies. I’m not sure how they determine a winner but everyone comes away dripping tomatoes pulp and juice all over.

Everyone is nice and clean at the begining of the Tomato Wars.

In addition to the tomato fights there is a beauty contest, car show, civil war reenactments, arts, crafts, music, food, and lots of good clean (except for the Tomato Wars participants ) fun for all.

If you’re a fan of good tasting tomatoes, Grainger County grows some of the best around. Started in early season in seemingly endless rows of hothouses, Grainger County Tomatoes are among the first ‘homegrown’ products to hit the markets in early spring and they continue to produce until first frost.

UPDATE: Here’s some photos I took at the festival today. It was great with record crowds and lots of fun things going on.

Here is the Knoxville News Sentinel’s coverage of the Tomato Wars

“Lions, and Tigers, and Bears! Oh, My!”

Tiger & Lion

And our Knoxville Zoo has got em all plus over 200 other species of critters.

Red Pandas, the Knoxville Zoo is world known for their Panda breeding facility.

These Red Pandas looks more like a red racoon than their cousins, the teddy bear looking Pandas from China and some other Asian countries.

Starting in 1948 with a lone alligator named Al, the Knoxville Zoo has evolved into a world class facility the citizens of Knoxville can truly be proud of.

Currently the Zoo is home to 867 animals unless there were some new ones born overnight.

The Zoo has just embarked on a 12 million dollar fund raising campaign to build or improve several exhibits and make it even better.

Black Bears are native to the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park

4.5 million dollars of the 12 million is earmarked for a state of the art, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Center targeted to open in 2011.

The whole project will allow the Zoo to add an additional 200 animals in additional to renovating several aging exhibits such as the big cats and wild dogs areas.

Ever on the cutting edge, there’s even a blogging Parrot named Einstein. The Knoxville Zoo’s official “spokesbird”, Einstein is a 20 year old (this year) African Grey who has a vocabulary of over 15 words and puts on a great show for visiting schoolchildren and others.
Open 364 days a year (closed only on Christmas Day) our Knoxville Zoo is a fascinating and state of the art facility to be proud of. Take the kids (or not) for a day of fun at the Zoo.

Knoxville also has great real estate for sale; visit KnoxvilleMLS.com to see our homes, condos, and property available.

One of Mother Nature’s most fascinating events is underway in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In the Elkmont campgrounds areas tens of thousands of fireflies (lightning bugs to the local folks) are beginning their annual mating ritual.

The fascinating part is that huge groups of these amorous insects begin flashing in almost perfect synronization in hopes of attracting the attentions of a female firefly.

According to scientists a female firefly will start blinking her light from the ground or under a bush. Soon big bunches of male fireflies will begin gathering and after just a few minutes they all beging blinking their lights simultaneously.

It’s a wonderous sight to behold as the dark woods light up with thousands of tiny lights all blinking in unison; great for children of all ages.

The annual light show usually runs through June and sometimes into early July. If you’ve never seen them in action it’s a great way to spend a summer evening with the kids (or without them) .

Because of the hundreds of visitor this annual show attracts the National Park Service has prohibitied private vehicles in Elkmont from June 8th through the 16, peak viewing times. Trolley service is available from the Sugarlands Visitor’s Center just outside Gatlinburg and a round trip ride is only $1.00.

Here are some tips on firefly watching etiquette.

Flashlights disrupt the fireflies and impair people’s night vision. The light show is best when you:

• Cover your flashlight with red or blue cellophane.
• Use your flashlight only when walking to your viewing spot.
• Point your flashlight at the ground.
• Turn off your flashlight when you find your viewing spot.
• Don’t catch the fireflies and stay on the trail at all times. I know it’s a tempation for the kids but please restrict your firefly catching to your background; others want to enjoy these special fireflies too.

Like my website says, Knoxville is “A great place to live, work, play, and raise a family”

Our Knoxville Area Assocation of REALTORS® has been working on a project for a couple of years which now includes close to 70 streaming video clips of area attractions, historical sites, local events, parks, sports, shopping, things to do in the area, and interviews with local persons of interest.

To get a great flavor of what Knoxville is all about click Views & Visits to watch some short film clips about whatever you might be interested in around the Knoxville area.

I like the Knoxville Opera Company clip; careful if you click on this one, it opens up with an aria.

And I also like UT Sports, Haw Ridge Mountain Bike Park, and………………..well, I lilke them all  but Bill Landry below is a Knoxville icon and he tells the best stories about the area with his Heartland series.

Bill Landry

Give Views & Visits a look and see for yourself why Knoxville, Tennessee is “A great place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

If you want to pick out a nice house while you’re visiting, www.KnoxvilleMLS.com is the place to go.

Please call with any Knoxville area questions or to request a complimentary package of area information.

Have a blessed day,

Jim

We’re blessed in the Knoxille area not only with lots of scenic beauty; nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Big South Fork National Wilderness area, many scenic lakes, and other natural beauty.

On the manmade side we have some pretty cool stuff too.

Within a 100 mile radius of Knoxville there are not 1 but 2 world class aquariums.

Just down the road a hundred miles or so in Chattanooga is the Tennessee Aquarium, a spectacular, fresh water aquarium. Quite a few other fun things to do in Chattanooga as well so you might plan to make a daylong outing of it.

Top ten things to do while in Chattanooga

Tennessee River Blue Catfish (yep, they’re really blue looking)

This place is way cool; it follows the journey of a Tennessee river from the beginning to the end where it empties into the Ohio River.

You walk or take an elevator to the top and a circular ramp leads in a downward spiral to the bottom with great exhibits all along the way.

Black Crappie, these freshwater fish are great eating.

The Tennessee Aquarium is home to more than 12,000 animals including fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, birds, , butterflies, and more.

Allow about two hours minimum for a visit. It’s located on the North side of Chattanooga; an easy 1 to 1 and a half hour drive from anywhere in Knoxville. Directions are on the website above.

And if you’re looking for saltwater fish galore; Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is located in nearby Gatlinburg Tennessee, the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Of course if you’re right next door to the Smokies, most visited national park in the US, a visit would be in order.

This place is fascinating and well worth a visit. Gatlinburg is about 45 minutes to an hour from Knoxville.

Lots of great exhibits including ”touch a ray bay” where kids and adults can touch stingrays swimming in a shallow tank. Lots of staff members are on hand to ensure safety and answers any questions.

A moving sidewalk carries visitors along an underwater tube where the fish are actually swimming all around you; over, beside, and sometimes alongside you. Very impressive.

This is an odd looking little guy you can see in Gatlinburg

So if you’re a native or a visitor plan to take the kids and family to one or both of these great aquariums; you won’t be sorry with either choice.

December 2nd and a little bit of chill in the air with a modest frost this morning.

But the cold weather makes it really seem like it’s December and only 22 shopping days til Christmas.

Holiday stuff is happening all over town. The annual Fantasy of Trees is already over; it’s a huge festival of lavishly decorated Christmas trees, holiday accessories, room scenes, fireplace mantels, swags, door designs, table centerpieces, topiaries, birdhouses and “Adopt-a-trees” decorated by local school children.

The Christmas are auctioned off to the highest bidder and all proceeds from the Fantasy goes toward our local Children’s Hospital.

Knoxville’s local excursion train becomes “The Christmas Express” with 90 minute train rides featuring Christmas cookies & refreshments topped off by a reading of “The Polar Express” children’s book.

The annual Christmas Parade was today.

This year’s parade included more than 80 floats and marching bands, with everything from horses and tap-dancing children to antique cars and roaring tractor-trailers.

And there are lots, lots more Christmas events to come; great for children of all ages.

Christmas at Chilhowee Park with the floating Christmas trees in the lake, lots of open houses at local churches and historic sites like Blount Mansion, the annual 5K ”Jingle Bell Run” to benefit the Artritis Foundation, Holiday cruises down Ft. Loudon Lake on the Star of Knoxville, pageants, festivals, and the traditional Knoxville Nativity Pageant which reminds us all the true meaning of Christmas.

Next weekend the historic Tennessee Theater has booked “White Christmas” circa 1954 starring Bing Crosby for a 2 day screening.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around Knoxville, Tennessee.

Thinking of buying yourself and your family a new house for Christmas this year?? Visit this link and fill out your order; I’ll have a chat with Santa and see if we can’t make it happen for you.

Visit KnoxvilleMLS.com for lots more great Knoxville real estate formation. You can have a Merry Christmas in a home of your own.