I'll Be Living That Good Life In Hendersonville TN!

Living the good life has a different meaning for many of the residents in our community. For some it's a round of golf on one of our many five courses, or a day on Old Hickory Lake boating or fishing. For others it may be spending time with family at the many parks and church events. You may think of this as 60 tweets but this is a description of a day in my perfect life in the Hendersonville/Nashville TN. community.

Alice and I sleep in until 6:30 after attending a record release party at the Station Inn with Elizabeth Cook. There is not enough time to make it to the gym but we do have time for a 3 mile walk down our still rural road that is only a mile and a half from a Starbucks and 18 miles from downtown Nashville.

The first thing I notice is that the male half of the Mallards couple that live in the creek across the street is missing. I look for feathers on the road but seeing no evidence of accident or "foul play" the male has unexplainably "flown the coupe." We spot a flock of wild turkeys along our walk a rather common event and the two Canadian Geese that have frequented the Frazier's. Have for the 3 springs now. The Timmons' iris beds that have exploded to a point of domination their entire front yard are looking great and I spot a few clusters where I can get future cuttings.


After arriving home I decide to delay my work day and head up to the gardens. I pick fresh asparagus and transplant from seedbed the eggplant, red peppers, and Romaine lettuce before the predicted morning rains arrive.

Afterward a quick clean up and a third cup of coffee I am off to put in my eight hours of real estate work. The market took a major upturn in March and it's keeping me busy preparing for seven closings during the next three weeks. Have inspections, appraisals, coordinating closing details, getting loan pay offs, etc consume the day. It has become a complicated maze in today's world to guide a sale from contract to closing. I could complain, but if it was all easy there would not be a need for Realtors.

I end the work day at 5pm and prepare for a date with my lovely wife Alice. First stop will be at our new favorite restaurant the Silly Goose. - The Silly Goose in East Nashville is so small that they do not have the seating capacity to get a liquor license so we select a bottle from our wine cabinet and we are soon off the Nashville.


The restaurant is so unique. Their entire kitchen consists of a George Foreman grill, a panini grill, and a hot plate. The menu breaks down to four categories, snacks, sandwiches, couscous dishes and deserts. It all sounds so simple and it is, but the combinations of specialty cheeses, Italian pork, apple wood bacon, fruits etc. makes for a most memorable dining experience.

I get a call before dinner and its word that our counter offer on the Twin Cove lake home has been accepted, which means the new home my clients want to buy will be a reality. News of two sales, calls for a special toast and a splurge on the beet ice cream.

After splitting dishes we are pleasantly full and head off to our second stop, the Cannery Ball Room to see Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Sharon Jones and Dap-Kings are definitely old school. They channel all the best of funk, R & B and Soul from the Stax record era and James Brown.

If I can diverge a bit, I think James Brown will go down as the most influential musician of the last 50 years. I grew up in a small Tennessee town on the Alabama border in the 50's, a time when all my peers were into Elvis and early rock and roll. Somehow I encompased a broader interest in music with James Brown as my musical hero. Throughout my public school education schools were segregated, but I got my fix on "Colored Music" from listening to the Randy Record Shop late show on 50,000 watt WSM on a transistor radio after my parents were in bed and asleep.

Before listening to the Randy Record Store broadcast, I think my musical interest was influenced by a show at the country fair called "Club Ebony." Club Ebony was a way to bring the black music found in the Juke Joints and Chittlin Circuit of the Old South. The shows had comedians, dancing girls, and great blues and R & B music. It was risque, and exciting for a 12 year old and I went back every year during the Fair and was influenced forever.

When I turned 16 and got my drivers license my first road trip was the 100 miles to Nashville in 1966 to see James Brown and the Famous Flames at the Nashville race tracks grand stands. I have seen hundreds of concerts since, but that concert experience to this day is still one of the top three concerts events of my life.

Back to my day. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings do not disappoint. The Dap - Kings do back up and recording for the like of Amy Winehouse and they could not be better driven by the vocal power and original music of Sharon Jones.

Well its 12 and this perfect day in the life of a Realtor is not over. But the thought occurs to me that there is no better location to pursue many of my life's passions: Wife and family, gardening and the rural life, my profession as a realtor, food, wine, arts and entertainment and urban life than in my home town Hendersonville TN. home of Johnny Cash 20 minutes from downtown Nashville.

HAVE A PERFECT DAY!

How High's The Water Mama!

Hendersonville Tn in the Flood of the Century

" How high's the water, Mama? Six feet high and rising." That was a line from an old country song, but was probably often repeated during the first weekend of May in the greater Nashville area.

The third highest 24 hour rainfall ever recorded in Nashville, Tennessee was recorded May 1st, 2010. The highest 24 hour rainfall ever recorded in our area was May 2nd. The combination of 14 to 20 inches of rain in two days resulted in a five hundred year flood event.

Twenty lives were lost, numerous homes and basements were flooded, and most major road systems and even interstates were in sections under water. Thousands of people lost homes and personal property. Most did not have insurance coverage for their losses.

What should people do to protect themselves? First, know what your risks are before purchasing a home. If your home is in a 100 year flood plain your bank or mortgage will require that you get Federal Flood Insurance. Remember that the flood insurance that the bank requires only covers the structure. You must then take out an additional policy for personal property.

What is the flood rating for your property? Not many people know the answer to that question, but it is an important fact to know and understand. Most of the homes that were flooded were not in the 100 year flood plain, thus not required to carry flood insurance. The closer you are to a flood plain the more likely you are to have problems if a 500 year event should occur.

There also are other possible events like the collapse of a dam that can contribute to an abnormal flood event. A lot of publicity was generated in 2005 and 2006 by the leaking and structural integrity of the Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky. A collapse of the Wolf Creek Dam would flood major portions throughout Midle Tennessee. If you are outside the 100 year flood zones the Federal Flood Insurance is relatively inexpensive. For $370 you can get $250,000 in home insurance and $100,000 in content coverage. A lot of people who bought Federal Flood Insurance to protect against a Wolf Creek Dam problem were happy to have it when the flood of 2010 came to town.

Another "deep thought" to consider when purchasing a home is that water runs down hill. Be sure to check your home for proper drainage. I had friends last week whose basement flooded taking out washer, dryer, hot water heater, and heating and air equipment. Thankfully the Karaoke machine was saved. I had another friend several years ago who lived on a hillside who had water getting under the basement slab. Within 7 days the problem went from sticking doors to total collapse of the home. Even a flow of water into a crawl space can lead to mold that can be a major health problem with an expensive fix.

Buying insurance is always a calculated bet. But in this era of rapid climate change my advice to you is to first evaluate your risks, then double down if you find that there is a chance of losing it all in a major flood.