Lafayette was just voted #2 among mid-size metro areas for best places to launch a business. You can read the article from CNN Money here. Baton Rouge, located about one hour east of Lafayette came in at number 9.

Here is the list of the top ten cities in the same category:

1. Huntsville, AL 
2. Lafayette, LA
3. Omaha, NE
4. Clarksville, TN
5. Peoria, IL
6. Lexington, KY
7. Killeen, TX
8. Des Moines, IA
9. Baton Rouge, LA
10. Lincoln, NE

Lafayette has a population a little over 250,000 and it is located along the I-10 corridor between Baton Rouge and Lake Charles.

Earlier this year, Lafayette also made the list for the best places to find a job among mid-size cities. In May, the unemployment rate was 3.9%.

If you are considering relocating to Lafayette, call or email me and I’ll be delighted to help you with all your relocation needs.

 

Come join us tonight for our 19th annual Gumbo Cook-Off in the Parc International downtown Lafayette from 4pm to 7pm.

This annual event is a fundraiser for Rebuilding Together, Faith House and Community Foundation of Acadiana. This year’s theme is “Fright in the Parc” and as always, it promises to be a fun event with great food.

If you don’t have plans for dinner tonight, make plans to attend. For only $5, you can taste all the gumbo you can eat and then vote for the best one.

This is a great event where real estate brokers and their affiliates compete to get the public’s vote on their gumbo. Tents are decorated and people are costumed. There will also be a costume contest for children, so dress em’ up!

Entertainment this year will be provided by Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie. You will not want to leave your dancing shoes at home!

Great food, great music, great fun! See you there!

These 10 Commandments home buyers must follow may seem like common sense to many. Buyers, however, can sometimes forget with all the excitement surrounding the buying of their new home. In the past couple of weeks, I have heard of two separate buyers who saw their home loan turned down, and their dream shattered, a few days before closing because they had bought furniture for their new home before it actually became their home. Both of them now have beautiful furniture with no home to put them in.

These two buyers were not my clients but it always hurts when I hear of transactions falling apart for reasons that could have been avoided. These 10 commandments (from KWU) are part of the buyer packet I give all my clients when we first meet and I always stress that once they get pre-approved and the process is started, they can’t do anything that might affect their credit.

1. Thou shalt not change jobs, become self-employed or quit your job.

2. Thou shalt not buy a car, truck or van (or you may be living in it)!

3. Thou shalt not use credit cards excessively or let your accounts fall behind.

4. Thou shalt not spend money you have set aside for closing.

5. Thou shalt not omit debts or liabilities from your loan application.

6. Thou shalt not buy furniture.

7. Thou shalt not originate any inquiries into your credit.

8. Thou shalt not make large deposits without first checking with your loan officer.

9. Thou shalt not change bank accounts.

10. Thou shalt not co-sign a loan for anyone.

If you are in the process of buying a home, remember that your credit must not change or be affected in any way until you actually sign the paperwork and get possession of your new home. Lenders will not only look into your credit when you first get pre-approved, they will check it again (and sometimes again and again) before they let you sign the mortgage. If you want to buy new furniture for your home or change jobs, just be patient. There will always be time to do it after the closing.

There were 8 homes sold in Maurice, LA (zip 70555) in the third quarter this year. Prices varied from $36K for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath HUD home to $325K for a 4 bedroom, 3 baths home on Soop Rd. Three of these 8 sales were in La Premiere Subdivision and they sold for an average of $114.77 per square foot.

Overall, sales were up in Maurice in the third quarter this year from 4 homes sold in the first quarter and 6 in the second quarter. When compared to last year, more homes sold in the first two quarter of 2008 than in 2009 but the third quarter was better this year.

There are currently 19 homes available in Maurice, LA starting at $49K for a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home to $579K for a 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths with 3474 square feet of living area.

Click here to browse all available homes in Maurice, LA.

 

Three homes sold in the third quarter this year In Sugar Mill Pond (Youngsville, LA). The lowest price was $200K and highest $363K. The average price per square foot was $147.

So far this year, 10 homes have sold in Sugar Mill Pond with an average price per square foot of $150.

There are 13 homes currently available starting at $192K for a 2 bedrooms, 2 baths home featuring 1245 sqft of living area, and up to $439K for 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and 2681 sqft of living area.

Click here to view all available homes in Sugar Mill Pond.