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December 2008

2 -- Mars Landing Day
7 -- Pearl Harbor Day
21 -- Winter Solstice
21 -- Hanukkah
25 -- Christmas Day
31 -- New Year's Eve

Happy Holidays from The Hughes Properties

What a year!  Can you believe that it is quickly coming to a close?  The new year is on its way and we are excited to see all of the changes that it will bring.  Everyone is filled with hope, anticipation and optimism...out with the old and in with the new.  Isn't that what they say?  If your plans are to make changes in your life....new baby, new teen that needs more space, new job, new city, less yard work or fewer children at home...NOW is the time!   Everyday we are receiving calls of people wanting to prepare and plan for 2009.   Our database is filling with properties people want to sell and properties that people have on their "WISH LIST".  We are as busy as ever and again want to thank you for a fabulous year.  We appreciate your referrals and your business.  This year brought us, two Gold Awards of excellence, forty four transactions (and still counting), and so many great listings.  We work hard to make sure our listings are the quality and character that you expect from The Hughes Properties.  We have had the privilege of representing buyers and sellers on prestigious properties at all price levels and in locations from Louisville to Downtown Knoxville.    You are the reason that our year has been a success and for that we are truly thankkful.  Below we have listed just a few of our many wonderful properties.  Several of them have had price reductions and are great values!  Now is a great time to buy, rates are low and properties are priced to sell.  We hope that you will click on the Christmas Wreath and visit our website.  We also hope you will forward this newsletter to people you may know moving into the area and within the area.  Please let us know if we may be of assistance.

Sequoyah Hills Charm

HUGE PRICE REDUCTION...PRICED TO SELL

Lovely Sequoyah Hills Home

REDUCED-Hurry and we will give Santa your new address!

Old Westmoreland with New...everything!

This two story traditional home is in the heart of Old Westmoreland. This home features a master on the main with a new master bath. A renovated kitchen with an eat-in breakfast area, dinning room and large laundry or utility room off of a two car garage complete with new carriage doors. An oversized living room offers fabulous natural light, a fireplace with gas logs and leads to a large deck- New hardwoods throughout the main level, a huge walk-out basement recreation room, tons of storage and a low maintenace yard make this the perfect home to just enjoy!  Offered at $599,000.

PRICE REDUCTION IN FOREST BROOK

This Forest Brook listing features 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2 car garage, walk in storage and a large bonus room too! New paint! An updated kitchen, 2 staircases, a large master suite on the main level with a fabulous tiled shower, formal dining and living, and a beautiful screened-in porch perfect for entertaining. A "mother-in-law" suite complete with a second laundry, small kitchen, and private covered parking make this the perfect home to invite all the family over for the holidays!
Offered at $469,000
 

Westwood location and charm with all of the updates...a great re-do!

This home looks like it could be featured in a Pottery Barn catalog! Absolutely perfect..completely redone and beautifully renovated. This frame and stone cottage has a renovated kitchen and baths, great built ins, refinished hardwood floors, new electric, new copper plumbing, new windows, new appliances and so much SPACE! Move in now and spend your holidays here by one of the warm fireplaces. Reduced to $324,000!
 

God gave us memory that we might have roses in December.
-- James Matthew Barrie

Realtors Submit Four-Point Plan to Congress

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) recently submitted a four-point plan to the House Financial Services Committee recommending ways to stimulate home sales and stabilize housing valuations.

“The only way to overcome today’s economic turmoil is to motivate and encourage worried or cautious housing consumers to enter the marketplace,” said NAR President Charles McMillan. “Stabilizing the housing market will lead to a quicker and greater economic recovery. Our goal is to ensure there is a healthy market and sufficient capital to support mortgage lending to qualified borrowers.”

According to the report, the four-point plan’s principles are consumer-driven to help foster a housing recovery to support an economic rebound. The plan calls for eliminating the repayment of the first-time home buyer tax credit that was passed in the February stimulus bill, and to expand the tax credit to include all home buyers. The plan also recommends making the increased FHA and conventional loan limits permanent to stimulate home sales and stabilize prices.

In addition, the plan urges that the Troubled Asset Relief Program be put back on track by targeting the funds for mortgage relief through a mortgage interest rate buy-down. Lastly, the plan recommends finalizing legislation to prohibit banks from entering into the business of real estate brokerage and property management.

“The federal government must ensure there is sufficient capital to support mortgage lending not only in strong markets but also in tumultuous ones,” said McMillan. “Realtors® are frustrated with the current mortgage lending environment that places a variety of barriers on families who wish to buy a home, impeding sales and price stabilization. We look forward to working with the Congress and the new administration to transition out of current instabilities and move toward strong and stable financial and housing markets.”

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We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.
-- Helen Keller

Give Your Children the Gift of Giving

Tis the season to be jolly -- and help out a family less fortunate than yours. This is a good opportunity for you and your family to re-discover the joy that comes from giving. Follow are the steps you can take to get involved.

1. Check with your church, temple or local civic groups like the Knights of Columbus, Elks, Boys & Girls Club, Lions Club or homeless shelters to find families in need.
2. Prepare a gift basket with traditional foods, such as turkey, ham, stuffing and canned vegetables.
3. Donate canned goods to an organization that is collecting items from the community to give to families.
4. Buy gifts for children who otherwise might not receive any. Remember, children like new, popular toys.
5. Check with civic groups to find a holiday exchange program, in which you invite a family to come to your home and participate in your holiday festivities. Check with the military too as some men and women can't get back home.
6. Collect blankets, coats, boots and other clothing that a family may need.
7. Buy necessities such as diapers, soap, cereal, shampoo and other things to offer to the family.
8. Buy a Christmas tree and ornaments for a family to help make their home more festive.

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A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.
-- Sir Barnett Cocks

All Home Warranties Are Not the Same

Whether you're buying or selling a home, chances are good that a home warranty will be discussed at some point. So, what is it?

In short, a home warranty is a service contract -- similar to an insurance policy -- that protects the new home owner against the cost of unexpected repairs or replacement on major systems and appliances that may break down due to normal use. Of course, the coverage is only for systems and appliances in good working condition at the start of the warranty period.

All home warranty plans are not the same, so be sure to check to see which items are covered, and whether or not it covers full replacement value. Common items covered include plumbing, electrical, furnace, refrigerator, dishwasher, garbage disposal, stove, microwave, water pump, washer and dryer, heating ducts and water heater. Swimming pool equipment, hot tubs, saunas, and landscaping items are usually available with a surcharge.

A home warranty is not a requirement to sell your home, but is frequently offered by the seller upfront to ease the buyer's mind both during and after the sale. If the home owner is not offering a home warranty, it is usually negotiated into the offer at some point by either the buyer or seller. A good home warranty plan costs around $400 and normally covers items for one year.

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Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose.
-- Evan Esar

Winter a Good Time to Prune

Deciduous trees and shrubs shed their leaves and go dormant during the winter -- making it a perfect time to prune them without fear of shocking them. Here's what you need to do:

1. Remove any growth from below the graft (where the top of the plant was originally joined to rootstock). Cut the growth as close to the main body of the plant as possible.
2. Remove any dead, diseased or injured wood. Branches that are different in color from the main body of the plant could be a problem. Injuries may look like splits or blisters and diseases often show up as black patches along the branch.
3. Cut into the tip of a suspect branch to see if it's alive. If it's green inside, it is still alive; if it's brown, it's probably dead. Keep cutting back from the tip until you reach green wood.
4. Remove the branches that cross through the center of the plant to improve air circulation and discourage disease.
5. Cut out any competing leaders -- the upright growing limbs that will eventually turn into the main trunk. Most trees should have only one main branch headed in the "up" direction. Multiple trunks sap the energy from a tree and weaken it.
6. Prune for shape and size. Keep the branches low on fruit trees so that you can reach the fruit. Most maples look best with a rounded crown, and most roses should be pruned in a low vase shape. Learn the basic shape of the plant you are going to prune.
7. Remove any water sprouts from fruit trees. Nonproductive water sprouts are light in color and grow straight up, as opposed to fruiting wood, which is crooked and dark.
8. Rake up and remove all pruning's and fallen leaves to discourage insects.

• Also:
• Sharpen and oil your pruning tools before you start cutting.
• Spray with a dormant oil or lime/sulfur after you have finished pruning to kill over wintering insect pests.
• Tools you will need are garden shears, lopping shears, a pruning saw and a pole pruner.
• Once the plants begin to grow leaves, sap is flowing through the branches. If you prune then, you take the chance of causing excessive bleeding or loss of vital fluids.

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Intimacy is being seen and known as the person you truly are.
-- Amy Bloom

Wine 101: A Bit About Champagne

While Champagne is enjoyed year-round, it seems the holidays, and especially New Year's Eve, it plays a special role. But, even though most of us have heard of it -- or maybe enjoyed a glass or two at a wedding or other special event -- there's more to it than the bubbles. Following are some interesting facts about Champagne:

• Many consumers continue to regard champagne as a generic term for white sparkling wines; however, to be a true "Champagne," the sparkling wine must have been produced in the Champagne region.
• Champagne is a single Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. As a general rule, grapes used must be the white Chardonnay, or the black Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier.
• Most champagne produced today is non-vintage, meaning producers blend several vintages to achieve consistent quality. Non-vintage champagne can be drunk young; though further aging will give it more roundness and color.
• Vintage champagne is made only in years when growing conditions were optimal. As 85 percent of the grapes come from one year, vintage champagne is concentrated in flavor and best aged several years before drinking.
• Champagne is classified by its levels of sweetness: brut natural is the driest; extra brut is very dry; brut is the most common, not too dry, not too sweet; sec is quite sweet; demi-sec and doux are very sweet.
• More than 100 houses and 15,000 smaller vignerons (vine-growing producers) produce Champagne.
• Dom Perignon is the tête de cuvée, or top of the line, champagne of Moët et Chandon. Cristal is the cuvée de prestige of Louis Roederer.
• Blanc de Blanc is used to designate champagnes made solely from Chardonnay grapes.
• Blanc de Noir is used to designate champagnes made solely with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
• Champagne is usually served cold in a champagne flute, whose characteristics include a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl, thin sides and an etched bottom.

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Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important.
-- Natalie Goldberg

Laughter, the Best Medicine

Feeling the holiday blues? Try laughing more. And, not just during the holidays. Several medical studies have proven laughter actually works with your body toward good health. Following are several positive things that happen when you laugh.

• Your muscles relax
• Reduces stress
• Improved brain functioning
• You forget about pain
• Your body’s immune system is improved
• High-blood pressure is lowered
• The heart and lungs are strengthened
• Exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs, and works out the shoulders
• Connects you to others
• You feel better

With all the positive benefits, try to find a way to incorporate humor and laughter into your daily life. It's as easy as renting a DVD, going to a comedy club, hanging out with friends, or finding the humor in everyday events. All it takes is a smile to get started.

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I base my fashion taste on what doesn't itch.
-- Gilda Radner

December Movie Releases

• Dec. 5
  • Cadillac Records
  • Punisher: War Zone
• Dec. 12
  • The Day the Earth Stood Still
  • Delgo
  • Nothing Like the Holidays
• Dec. 19
  • The Brothers Bloom
  • Seven Pounds
  • The Tale of Despereaux
  • Yes Man
• Dec. 25
  • Bedtime Stories
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Marley & Me
  • The Spirit

*Wide releases only. Opening dates subject to change.

We learn something every day, and lots of times it's that what we learned the day before was wrong.
-- Bill Vaughan

Black Bean And Mango Chicken Salad

Ingredients - Serves 4+

• 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts -- grilled, cubed
• 1 can (16 oz.) black beans -- drained, rinsed
• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn -- thawed
• 1 cup chopped ripe mango -- cubed, no seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 envelop Italian dressing mix

Directions

1. Toss ingredients in large bowl and refrigerate. Serve with baked tortilla chips, if desired.

Wine Pairing

• Piovene Porto Godi Pinot Bianco Polveriera DOC Colli Berici 2006

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Tom & Debaran Hughes
1200 Forest Brook Road
Knoxville, TN 37919

This eNewsletter contains information, facts and opinions from various individuals and organizations. This eNewsletter is provided on an "as-is" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. I/We are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Consult with your doctor, fitness consultant, attorney, accountant, or other professional advisor when necessary. © 2008 eNewsletterSolutions.