Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Special Guest at Thompson Carr - Ron Ramsey


We were priviledged to be visited by a gubernatorial candidate in our next election for Tennessee. His name is Ron Ramsey and he is from Blountville, TN. He is a family man with three grown daughters. He has been the Lieutenant Governor for our state for three years and is Speaker of the House. He is on the left. In the picture with him is our Broker, Geri Rennie, and Dale Carr, Co-Owner and Auctioneer for Thompson Carr Auctions. He spoke before a group of Sevierville County residents at the Thompson Carr Conference Center on Monday, March 22,2010.

Friday, March 12, 2010

TAR Convention 2010


Three of our Agents attended the TAR convention this week in Murfreesboro, TN. They learned some valuable information about real estate and the Real Estate law.

Geri Rennie, Principal Broker and Ginger Riggs,Realtor and owners of Thompson Carr Real Estate, along with Wanda Phillips, Realtor enjoyed the different presenters at the Spring Tar Convention.

We want to welcome two new agents: David Stephens and Jo Dunn who have joined us this year.

GREAT INFORMATION FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS AND CURRENT HOMEOWNERS

Congress passed a bill and sent it on to President Obama for his signature to extend and expand a homebuyers tax credit. The National Association of Realtors is updating Realtor.org and currently has a podcast and side-by-side comparison of the changes that are expected to be signed into law.

For informational purposes here is a summary of the credit once it is signed by the President that may help answer questions from your clients:

-Expiration date for credit is April 30, 2010.

-First-time buyers still eligible for same credit ($8,000 for married couples, $4,000 for those filing separately).

-Current homeowners, who have consecutively maintained the home they want to sell as their primary residence for five of the last eight years, are also eligible. However, the maximum amount for those homeowners is lower ($6,500 for married couples, $3,200 for separate filers).

-The tax credit may not be used to purchase a home for more than $800,000.

-The income limits for both tax credits have been raised to $125,000 for single buyers and $225,000 for married couples.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Bears Up The Tree


Can you count the bears in the tree? There is a mother and three baby bears who climbed up this tree behind our building. We are located near the Gatlinburg/Sevierville Airport and after the bears came down from the tree they hi-tailed it across the runway and into the woods. What a treat for us to see them so close to our business. These same bears were spotted again about 5 miles south on Veterans Boulevard in Pigeon Forge. They sure do travel far for food. Hope you could spot all of them.

Katy

Monday, November 23, 2009

WOW! HOW COOL IS THIS?





The following is an email I received from a friend. I wanted to share it with you since it is about one of our favorite animals, the black bear. Thanks to Tom Sears for the following article.

WOW! How cool is this?

Black bears typically have two cubs; rarely, one or three. In 2007, in northern New Hampshire, a black bear Sow gave birth to five healthy young. There were two or three reports of sows with as many as 4 cubs, but five was and is, very extraordinary.

I learned of them shortly after they emerged from their den and set myself a goal of photographing all five cubs with their mom - no matter how much time and effort was involved. I knew the trail they followed on a fairly regular basis, usually shortly before dark.

After spending nearly four hours a day, seven days a week, for more than six weeks, I had that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and photographed them.

I used the equivalent of a very fast film on my digital camera.

The print is properly focused and well exposed, with all six bears posing as if they were in a studio for a family portrait.

I stayed in touch with other people who saw the bears during the summer and into the fall hunting season. All six bears continued to thrive. As time for hibernation approached, I found still more folks who had seen them, and everything remained OK. I stayed away from the bears as I was concerned that they might become habituated to me, or to people in general, and treat them as approachable friends. This could easily become dangerous for both man and animal.

After Halloween, I received no further reports and could only hope the bears survived until they hibernated.

This spring, just before the snow disappeared, all six bears came out of their den and wandered all over the same familiar territory they trekked in the spring of 2007.

I saw them before mid-April and dreamed nightly of taking another family portrait, a highly improbably second one-in-a-lifetime photograph.

On 25 April 2008, I achieved my dream.

When something as magical as this happens between man and animal, Native Americans say, "We have walked together in the shadow of a rainbow". And so it is with humility and great pleasure that I share these exhilarating photos with you.

Sincerely,

Tom Sears

Wednesday, November 18, 2009




Nature Trails

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is full of nature trails and nature hikes. The scenery and natural history of the area lend itself to strolls, walks and hikes without end. The National Park is literally covered with trails. Scenic overlooks, quite walkways, hiking trails ranging from easy to strenuous, if you are ready for a quick walk through the woods or if you are tackling the Appalachian Trail the Smokies are a one stop shop. Regardless of the time of day or the time of year each trail has its own natural beauty. During the winter, with a blanket of snow on the ground or ice clinging to the tree trails in the park have a clean bright feel. In spring, the forest around these trails begins to come to life. Greenery and flowers burst forth into bloom. Summer brings even more activity. With all the animals and plants in full swing you get the feeling that the trails are giving you a glimpse into another world full of working insects, hungry animals and plants stretching to get to the sun. By fall the true majesty of the Smokies has come out. Yellows and reds replace the greens of the hardwood forest as the color change rages into the Smokies. At each time of year the trails change and offer more and more. Spend some time walking in the Smokies, find a trail and breathe deep, enjoy the outside world.

We hope you get a chance to visit our Smoky Mountains soon. If you decide to stay, we would love to help you find you perfect home.

Katy Spade

Friday, October 9, 2009

Hiking in the Smoky Mountains






One of our agents, Tim Thomas has been doing a lot of hiking in the Smoky Mountains with a group of senior citizens. It is a great way to keep in shape and enjoy our beautiful mountains. We wanted to share some of their pictures with you.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Delores Takes on Mt. LeConte








Delores A. White(one of our great agents) received a interesting mother's day present from her son. He is an avid hiker in the Smokeys and he wanted her to experience the joy he receives with every hike he takes. He took her on a 13 mile hike up to the Lodge at Mt. LeConte. It turned out to be a rainy day so she experienced quite a lot of different weather. She said she saw hail, rain, wind and sunshine. Please enjoy the pictures of her wonderful present.

In her words: On May 9th I had the privilege to hike 13 miles to Mt. LeConte via the Applachian Trail and the Boulevard Trail. We got to the "lodge" and we had lunch reservations. There we had delicious soup and a chicken salad sandwich and a oatmeal brownie. Also we warmed by the fire and had the most unbelievable hot chocolate. We had just been rained on, hailed on and wet to the bones and we were very cold. After drying out and resting we went over to the little store and got tee shirts and a silver 75th Anniversary coin of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This coin is only available at the LeConte Lodge store so it can not be purchased even in Gatlinburg. You have to do this hike to get this coin!
We then went down Alum Cave Trail. It was magnificent with rushing streams and waterfalls and only the sounds of walking.
The most wonderful part of this whole trip was, this was my Mothers Day gift from my handsome son! What a gift to give, to take me and let me see God's beautiful creation!

Delores A. White