In a good way.

Like maybe a it’s little more hip than the typical central Alabama neighborhood?  (What is Hampstead? Read more here.)

I love that I get these emails every now and then from “Events@Hampstead” letting me know what’s going on there.  You can get them, too, by going to the Town of Hampstead website and subscribing to their newsletter.  The emails don’t come often, and usually have something pretty interesting to say.

For example – the latest one announces the opening of The Tipping Point coffee shop and bar AND the upcoming opening of Ham and High restaurant on April 30th.  See what I mean?  Two cool new places to gather, eat and drink in Montgomery!

My neighborhood emails usually announce the due date for HOA dues and dates of neighborhood work parties.  Not nearly as exciting!

Even if you choose another River Region neighborhood to call home, Hampstead still invites us all to join in on the fun.  For help with your Montgomery-area house hunt, contact us at the number above.  We’re local Realtors who would love to work for you!

Out of all options laid out before them, they chose a home in the Sturbridge neighborhood in East Montgomery.

I was just curious.  So I asked them.  Here’s why. . .

1) “Well, I hate to say this as my #1, but we got a really great deal on this house in Sturbridge. When you add up the square footage, the age of the home (built in the 1990’s, a lot newer than our mid town home was) – it was just a great buy.  It had been on the market for a long time – maybe other buyers couldn’t see past the dirty carpet.  It needed a little cleaning, but we were glad to do it for the price we paid!”

2)   “Sturbridge’s location: it is in East Montgomery, but it’s still close to the rest of Montgomery.  It’s so easy to hop in and out of the neighborhood.  I can get to Target, Publix, the dry cleaners, Jalapeno’s Mexican restaurant and I-85 in about 5 minutes.  We made the leap from ‘Midtown’ to ‘East Montgomery’ knowing that some things like church and school would be a little farther from the new home than the old home, but Sturbridge is still a really conveniently situated place.

3) “The location of our house within Sturbridge was a big deal.  It’s at the end of a cul-de-sac on a street that dead ends into the neighborhood playground.  We feel comfortable letting our kids play with neighbors up and down the street.  Because its a dead end street, there’s not much traffic, and like I said, at the end of our street is a playground, the neighborhood clubhouse and pool, plus a huge green space for the kids to play in.  Not a bad place to be.”

Thanks for sharing your story, H family!  Enjoy your new home and new part of town. Anyone else have a story to tell . . . . ?

If you’d like to know more about Sturbridge, or any East Montgomery neighborhood, give us a call.  We can show you any property in the Montgomery Area MLS, and we’d love to help you find your next home!
Click here for another family’s story about choosing a home in Sturbridge.

It’s just not that simple.

The map above (from the Town of Pike Road website, click on it to enlarge) shows the patchwork that is east Montgomery County.  The map below (from the City of Montgomery website) details city trash pickup days, and on the lower right hand side of the map the patchwork of Montgomery City/Montgomery County/Town of Pike Road is evident here, too.

How does this affect the east Montgomery house hunter?

For example, you could research a home on Saw Tooth Loop in the Woodland Creek subdivision.  The neighborhood is across Vaughn Road from Bridle Brook, which is a Town of Pike Road community.  The street address for homes in Woodland Creek say “Pike Road, AL.”  But this home is actually zoned for City of Montgomery amenities: sewer, trash, schools.  Unless current zoning changes, it would not be zoned for a future Pike Road School.  Confusing?  Sure.

In 2008, in the neighborhood of Merry Station, all but one of about 20 homes were incorporated into the Town of Pike Road.  One home was zoned Montgomery County.  How did the homeowners figure this out?  They had to do a little research.  That home has since been incorporated into the Town of Pike Road.

So why does it matter? Different reasons for different buyers.  Some might prefer City of Montgomery services?  Some might want to be zoned for the possibility of a future Pike Road school system? And designations can sometimes be changed . . .

The main point if that if you have a preference, you’ll need to do a little digging.  Looking at the street address alone will not suffice.

The folks at the Town Hall in Pike Road are a big help.  So is having a knowledgeable Realtor working for you.  Give us a call and let us do the digging for you.

I took the pictures above on a quick drive-through yesterday afternoon to give you a feel for the homes in the neighborhood. The homes in Wyndridge are on the pricier end of East Montgomery real estate.  Today (January 19, 2010) there are 14 homes listed for sale in Wyndridge ranging from $299,900 (2148 sq. ft.) to $689,900 (4885 sq. ft.). Neighborhood amenities include tennis courts, ponds and sidewalks, and landscaped common areas.

Wyndridge is accessed off of Halcyon Boulevard, making it VERY close to the Shoppes at Eastchase, Peppertree shopping center, the Sturbridge neighborhood and I-85.

Something unique to Wyndridge is the live children’s nativity during the Christmas holidays.  Children from the neighborhood take part in recreating the nativity scene, and are joined by live animals brought in for the occasion.

To see any of the homes for sale in Wyndridge, or any homes in the Montgomery area MLS, give us a call.  We’d love to help you with your house hunt!

It’s a Lowder Development (think Deer Creek and Woodland Creek neighborhoods on Vaughn Road), so if it seems very familiar, you’re right. It’s most unique feature is its proximity to I-85 – just off the I-85/Mitylene exit.   On the google map below, StoneyBrooke is red marker “A” (Deer Creek is “B” and Woodland Creek is “H”).

There is a large common area with a pond and picnic pavilion, plus a large playground.  The neighborhood is divided into pods according to lot size (50′, 60′, and 70′ lots), and has sidewalks and landscaped “greenscapes” throughout.  There is no pool or neighborhood clubhouse.

StoneyBrooke has existing homes for sale plus lots for building new homes.  As of today (Jan. 7, 2010) asking prices for the 6 homes available on the Montgomery Area MLS range from $192,000 (1655 sq. ft.) – $269,900 (2,433 sq. ft.).

If you like new construction and a walkable neighborhood with amenities,  plus you want to be super-close to I-85, StoneyBrooke might be a good fit.  Give us a call – we can help buyers with any listing in the Montgomery Area MLS (and it costs buyers nothing more to have a Realtor working for them).

Buyers relocating from up north might say, “what’s the big deal?” But let me tell you, for central Alabama, a frozen pond is a rare occurrence.  This recent cold snap is breaking records.

I was running errands with my kids yesterday in the Vaughn Road area and was surprised to see some bigger kids playing at the edge of the pond.  They were breaking off big hunks of ice and throwing them back on the iced surface.  We paused to take some pictures and the below video.  For Alabamians, this is surreal.

Hey readers – does anyone else have some good cold weather photos and videos, in Sturbridge or the rest of Montgomery? Leave a comment or reply below and let the rest of us see!

Today (January 7, 2010) the Montgomery Area MLS shows there are 25 lots for sale in Cawfield for $59,900. There is currently one house built in the subdivision.  According to the MLS, all lots are at least 85′ wide and there is a 2000 sqaure foot minimum for new homes. Cawfield is zoned for Halcyon Elementary, Georgia Washington Jr. High, and Jeff Davis High School

Cawfield is next to the Lochshire neighborhood on the portion of Pike Road  between Vaughn Road and Hwy 80.  It’s also close to Bridle Brook, Woodland Creek, and Merry Station, and right across Pike Road from Grace Episcopal Church.  It’s about a 5 minute drive to the Shoppes at East Chase, the Chantilly Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and I-85.

The subdivision was sold to a new developer in September 2009.  It should be noted that lots in Cawfield have a Montgomery street address and claim City of Montgomery sewer service on the MLS.  In this section of East Montgomery, neighborhoods/lots can be zoned for the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County, or the Town of Pike Road. It’s kind of a patchwork, so if you have a preference, be sure to ask when looking for real estate in this area.

If you’re interested in building a new home in Cawfield, we’re not the listing agent, but we can help buyers with any property in the Montgomery area.  Give us a call and let us help you make an informed real estate decision.

If you’ve never been to The Waters, or are interested in the community life in Pike Road, this would be a great event to attend.  It’s a picturesque development year-round.  I can imagine it is beautiful during the holidays.

For more picture of The Waters development, click here

Santa is making a stop

One catch:  it’s for residents of this east Montgomery, AL neighborhood only.  Since it’s a pretty big neighborhood, there are two “shifts.”  Check the homeowner’s website to see if your family goes at 5:30 or 6:30pm.

As a former Deer Creek resident, I can say that the homeowner’s association does a great job of  providing fun, family- friendly holiday entertainment – year round (Easter, Halloween, 4th of July).  So if you live in Deer Creek, take a minute and drop by.

If you’re looking for a home in the Deer Creek area, let us help you!  It costs buyers nothing to have a Realtor do the legwork for you!

New construction in Lochshire

New construction in Lochshire

New construction in Cawfield

What does this mean?  I’m not making any predictions about the market, but I will say I haven’t seen much new building going on in the past year.

It’s nice to see a little real estate action.

Have you noticed new construction in your area of the River Region?  Comment below and let us know what’s going on in your neighborhood.

If you’d like to find a new construction home or any property in the Montgomery MLS, give us a call.  We’d love to help!