Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments cover art

Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments

Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

 Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments moved to Frankfort over 20 years ago for a short-term job, and the rest is history. · Harry is an agent and appraiser at Bluegrass Realty and Investments.· Frankfort resident for 27 years· Been in real estate for the last 9 years but had a real estate license in the early 2000’s before going into state government.· Renewed license after leaving state government and decided to also get his appraiser’s license.· Currently he does real estate sales and residential appraisals.· As a real estate agent and appraiser with Bluegrass Realty and Investments, he is self-employed.· Real estate agents must be affiliated with a broker to conduct business; they cannot operate independently. The real estate agency pays the realtors as independent contractors.· Joe Johnson, the broker at Bluegrass Realty, is Harry’s brother-in-law.· Bluegrass Realty is a nice small local firm.· Starter homes turn over more than larger homes.· In years past, there would be a turnover in houses with the changing state government administrations but not so much anymore.· One of the biggest changes in real estate has been the recent court decision last year regarding real estate agents being able to advertise what they were paying the buyer’s agent (i.e., the commission to the buyer’s agent). This was a state case in another state but had national impact and resulted in a settlement with the National Association of Realtors. So now, it must be negotiated, cannot be stated up front.· Over the years, some of the changes in the market Harry has seen include a few years ago when there were low interest rates and limited inventory in which a house would only be on the market a day before it was sold, with multiple offers, to today with a ton of inventory and houses being on the market longer. Currently, there are about 100 houses on the market in Frankfort.· A few years ago, a starter home was $100,000 to $125,000 and now it’s more like $200,000.· Not a lot of new construction now either. There were several subdivisions planned and approved prior to the housing bust of 2008 but those areas sat vacant. Now there aren’t a lot of approved subdivisions out there so not a lot of construction, not nearly what is needed to keep up with the demand.· Harry has been involved in the community, particularly with Downtown Frankfort.· During his time with state government as a non-merit employee he was a volunteer with Downtown Frankfort and ended up being the director for several years. Since leaving that position, he has continued to be a volunteer.· Downtown is the heart of a community. If you don’t have a vibrant downtown, people spending time together there and doing things downtown, then a community lacks viability. Big companies don’t decide to locate in a town because they have a Wal-Mart on the interstate but because they have a vibrant downtown.· He lives downtown and sees more tourists coming through town and in the coffee shops, etc. As a result of the bourbon tourism, the two new hotels and the plans to redo the Capital Plaza, there are more opportunities for downtown businesses. The retail part of downtown has come and gone but in the last two or three years it is bouncing back.· More people want to live downtown but there are also people interested in buying properties for short term rentals which is creating some angst because with the housing shorting there is competition for properties from people who aren’t going to live in the house. The city took steps to rectify this by limiting in those neighborhoods the number of short-term rentals that each neighborhood could have.· It’s a unique perspective between being a state government employee and working for yourself. There are no guarantees when you are an entrepreneur.· If he were advising someone who wants to be an entrepreneur, one of the issues to consider is affordable health insurance. a lot of people can do it only because they have a spouse who has health insurance through their employer.· Because of the state government, many people in Frankfort can retire at a fairly young age and start a new career. For them, the issue of health insurance is removed because they continue to have coverage as a state government retiree.· Real estate marketing has traditionally used the yard for sale signs. With the internet, you get more exposure, and it is easier to go online instead of looking through the hard copy MLS book. Also, buyers can search for homes themselves online. By the time they call an agent, they have already narrowed down their search.· He hasn’t used social media much in his business ...

What listeners say about Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com.au reviews

Amazon Reviews
No Reviews are Available
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.