Midtown Tulsa Real Estate - Lori Cain: Oklahoma: Tulsa: Florence Park

Preparing my home for sale in Florence Park AND am I a difficult Seller for THIS Realtor to work with?

Those that follow my blog know that I’m preparing my home for sale in Florence Park. My husband laughed today, “You need to blog about this - I think you’re being a difficult Seller!” He’s funny -ha ha.

• Buff the hardwoods or completely refinish them?
• Spend a thousand dollars on new light fixtures, ceiling fans and door knobs, but skip painting the closet interiors?
• What to do about the patio that didn’t fare well through our last snow/ice storm?

I did learn a cool trick from my preferred home stager, Peggy Givens, owner of Staging Tulsa. I have a perfectly beautiful glass storm door that I purchased ten years ago and we’re unable to locate a handle to replace the worn brass handle. Peggy’s solution? “Remove the hardware, go over it with fine steel wool, clean it, then paint it with rubbed bronze metal paint.” Whodda thunk. It looks beautiful. I decided to paint the old, worn brass mailbox and return the new one I already purchased. [Please note home Sellers that THIS Realtor would NEVER think of selling her own home without the services of a professional home stager.]

After spending the last seven years in real estate, of course I have access to the best vendors . . . you can find them listed on my “Preferred Vendor list" always available on my web site as a resource for my community and clients. Jane Halliwell of Prime Painting & Restoration was the obvious choice to do all my painting.

Of course, Gil DeLozier will refinish my hardwoods - his family has been restoring hardwood floors in the finest homes of midtown Tulsa for almost 100 years. Local arborist, Greg Cole trimmed my trees. My life-saver and repair specialist, Gary Ellis, will do all the odd-jobs that nobody else wants to do - and he’ll do them as if my home were his home. Of course, I have my fav plumbers, electricians, etc. to install the new sink, new range, new shower head and lighting fixtures.

I will have Atkinson’s pre-inspect my home and will purchase an American Home Shield (AHS) residential service agreement (home warranty) for the new owner’s comfort and protection. Roof bidding is still going on if you want in on that!

Lastly, my fav Lender: Juliana James-Thomas, 1st Capital Mortgage is going to provide mortgage payment information on the back of my flyers - this woman is the sharpest Lender I’ve met - years in the business and she has a heart of GOLD.

Preparing my home for sale in Florence Park

Several neighbors have noticed that my renters have moved and see that I’m preparing my home for sale in Florence Park - of course they have suggestions. I will definitely call on my neighbor Harriet for landscaping suggestions. Pat has suggestions about the shutters. Carol and Arleta will have suggestions about SOMETHING.

Nice to know I’m not selling my dream home alone - it’s my neighbors, my friends, cooperating REALTORS, my dear vendors and my family - we’re all preparing my home for sale in Florence Park together. What a great team!!

Oh, and I’ll be posting photos as soon as it’s ready. Honestly, you will WANT to buy it! Did I mention that I have a 2-car garage AND an inside utility?

Lori is a residential Realtor with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors serving the greater Tulsa area, including midtown Tulsa, downtown Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Bixby, Sand Spring and Jenks, Oklahoma. Please visit Lori’s web site, LoriCain.com or call 918-852-5036.

Florence Park Real Estate Sales Activity 4th quarter 2009

Residential real estate sales data for the Florence Park real estate market extracted from the Greater Tulsa MLS system on December 7, 2009 is summarized here. Florence Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma is mapped from 15th to 21st, from Harvard to the BA Expressway.

Residential properties sold in Florence Park during October and November 2009 was 12 compared to only three properties for the same time period in 2008. The average sale price for October and November 2009 was $174,791 ($115 per square foot) as opposed to 2008’s $229,666 ($113 per square foot). The average days on the market were 93 days compared to 20 for the same two months in 2008.

Year to date residential closings are almost identical to 2008 YTD closings.

The quick summary: price per square foot remains solid with sales volume showing a significant increase.

For information on Florence Park real estate, please contact me at 918-852-5036 or email lcain@tulsarealtors.com or visit my blog and web site.

Lori Cain is a residential Realtor with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors serving the greater Tulsa Oklahoma area, including midtown Tulsa, Owasso, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Sand Springs and Jenks. Please visit Lori's web site, LoriCain.com or call 918-852-5036.

Tulsa's Florence Park Third Quarter Real Estate Update - Homes Active, Pending & Sold in Florence Park

Florence Park is one of the nicer, yet still affordable midtown subdivisions in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Borders are 15th Street to the north, 21st Street to the south; Harvard to the east and the Broken Arrow Expressway to the west. 

Within Florence Park are some of the most beautiful bungalows - architectural wonders, sidewalks, parks and manicured lawns.

There are currently fifteen homes for sale in Florence Park and nine contracts pending. Between July 1st and September 30th, ten homes sold with the average size being 1,644 square feet and average price of $172,800.

Homes sell quickly in this neighborhood, with the average days on market of those sold averaging at 53.

I have a listing in Florence park that will close towards the middle of this month for $147/square foot - much higher than the average for the neighborhood. This particular home had many unique features and was exceptionally updated to garner such a great price.

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Florence Park, please call me for advice. I own a home in the neighborhood and am active in the neighborhood association - and produce our Florence Park neighborhood newsletter!

Florence Park is truly a tight-knit community within our midtown Tulsa community.

We visit as we garden and manicure our lawns and as we walk our dogs. We watch each other’s homes and know when something or someone is out of place in the neighborhood.

It's a great place to live!

Lori Cain, 918-852-5036

Florence Park in midtown Tulsa – Homes for Sale and Market Update, July 2009 - Florence Park was platted in the 1920s and is a culmination of several subdivisions. The northern boundary of Florence Park is 15th Street (sometimes known as Cherry Street); the southern boundary is 21st Street; eastern boundary is Harvard and western boundary is the BA Expressway.

Made up of mostly craftsman bungalows, the architectural styles are varied and unique. I heard once that builders moved to Florence Park after the completion of Maple Ridge, but the homes in Florence Park are much smaller with small lot sizes. The average lot is 50-feet by 130-feet, so the homes are closer together on very deep lots.

Most Florence Park homes were built in the 1920s and 1930s and of course include the architectual and historical detail of midtown homes that we so love: hardwood floors, arched doorways, windows galore, covered porches and detached garages.

The Florence Park Neighborhood Association is active with attendance of members above one-hundred at their quarterly meetings. The Association promotes block parties, tree-planting, and safety and security awareness in the neighborhood.

A quarterly newsletter goes out, of which I am the Editor – see our recent issue here. At the top of residents’ priority list is general up-keep, improvement and maintenance of the two parks within the neighborhood: Platt Park and Florence Park. On this page, you'll find a list of current Board of Directors, Block Captains, Committee Chairs and upcoming events for the Florence Park Neighborhood Association.

Pratt Park is on Florence Avenue between 16th and 17th streets and is a great place to gather and charcoal with neighbors. Florence Park is on the southern boundary of the subdivision and includes playground equipment, water spray fountain and tennis courts. New trees are being planted and painting is being done in both parks at this time.

I fell in love with Florence Park in midtown Tulsa when I first moved here after college graduation and swore I would live there someday. I bought a home there in 1998 and still own it today.

Florence Park in midtown Tulsa – Homes for Sale

Florence Park in midtown Tulsa - Homes for Sale and Market Update as of July 27, 2009: There are currently sixteen homes for sale in Florence Park with the average size of 1,536 square feet and average list price of $111/square foot. Twenty homes have sold thus far in the second quarter of 2009, with the average size of 1,656 square feet and average sold price/square foot of $111. The house at 1934 S. Evanston did sell for $370,000 which was $134/square foot. This is the fourth home in Florence Park to sell for above $300,000 – and all four sold in less than two weeks.

Florence Park is truly a tight-knit community within our midtown Tulsa community. We visit as we garden and manicure our lawns and as we walk our dogs. We watch each other’s homes and know when something or someone is out of place in the neighborhood.