VOL. 40 | NO. 16 | Friday, April 15, 2016
SPECIAL EMPHASIS: RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Williamson’s average home price jumps $125K in 5 years
When Will Burns bought his condo along a once-blighted stretch of Nolensville Pike near the Fairgrounds, he thought it would be a good investment. It turns out he was right.
When it comes to residential real estate around Middle Tennessee, there are plenty of buyers but not nearly enough sellers, says Heather Benjamin with Reliant Realty’s Benjamin McConnell Group. And new construction just can’t keep up with the demand.
The building boom in and around Nashville has led to a well-documented shortage of construction workers, as well as skilled professionals in welding and multiple related fields.
March 2016 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
First quarter 2016 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
Top residential real estate sales, March 2016, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Sherlock Holmes has some competition. Buyers and sellers alike are making use of the Internet to investigate the backgrounds of the people buying and selling homes.
DAVID CLIMER: OUT OF LEFT FIELD
His name is on the football stadium, where a twice-life-size statue of him is displayed between gates 15A and 17.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have traded the No. 1 overall selection in this month's NFL draft to the Los Angeles Rams for a collection of picks in one of the biggest deals in league history.
SAM STOCKARD: VIEW FROM THE HILL
The silly season is in full swing on Capitol Hill, but the “bathroom bill” and any jokes surrounding it are no laughing matter anymore. It’s getting downright expensive.
LEGISLATIVE PROFILE
With U.S. Marine Corps training, Rep. Antonio Parkinson knows how to grab people’s attention.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
$84K price, low gas mileage are negatives
Toyota has done a nice job of updating the Land Cruiser for 2016, giving its priciest vehicle some new lines to go with upgrades under the hood and behind the wheel while retaining the durability that has given the SUV near-cult status with its owners over the years.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Getting a meeting with C-level decision makers is no easy task, but it can be done. As with any true success, it all starts with doing your homework.
CAREER CORNER
Job seeking today feels much more complicated than it did in years past. In addition to your resume, cover letter and business suit, there’s a new layer to consider: social media.
I SWEAR
Mental agility has been defined as “cognitive and psychological adaptability, or the ability to think rapidly and creatively under stress.” A site called “Mind Fitness Training Institute” says that “an agile mind … can anticipate or quickly adapt to uncertain or changing situations ….”
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
If you have children (or grandchildren), I’m sure you have heard of or seen the Disney movie “Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs.” Today my recipe is “Sunny with a chance of lemon burst,” and it’s anything but hot.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Singer and songwriter Toby Keith will perform a tribute to the late legend Merle Haggard during the American Country Countdown Awards on May 1.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A lengthy debate over a proposed veto override, partisan squabbling and a disagreement over a tax cut have delayed the planned conclusion of the legislative session.
AUTO INDUSTRY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Time is up for Volkswagen to meet a federal judge's deadline to detail how it will make nearly 600,000 diesel cars rigged to cheat on emissions tests comply with clean air laws.
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors' first quarter profit more than doubled as all of its business units posted improved numbers including record pretax earnings in North America.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says average long-term U.S. mortgage rates stayed near 2016 lows this week, potentially good news for the housing market as the spring home-buying season begins.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A rising number of Americans are preparing to renovate their homes this year, a potential boost for the economy, according to projections released Thursday by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell to a four-decade low last week, a sign that employers are unconcerned about weak economic growth in the first three months of 2016.
U.S. stock indexes edged lower in early trading Thursday as investors pored over the latest crop of company earnings news. Telecom services and consumer staples companies were down the most. Oil prices were also headed lower. The stock market is coming off a three-day winning streak.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers are scrambling to try to conclude their business for the year on Wednesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee has a state reptile, a state rock and a state song in the moonshine-themed "Rocky Top." For now, though, the Bible will not be its official state book.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Opposing approaches could sink a legislative effort to defund the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Tennessee.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A resolution that would direct Tennessee to sue the federal government over its refugee resettlement program passed Tuesday in the state Legislature.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee General Assembly passed a law Wednesday that would allow teachers and other employees with handgun carry permits to be armed on the campuses of the state's public colleges and universities.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Metro Council has approved a $2.1 million settlement to end a legal dispute about how corrections officers are paid.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — State officials say six Tennessee cities will each receive $50,000 grants to encourage business growth in their downtown areas.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. homebuyers crowded back into the market in March, kicking off a solid start to the spring buying season after sales had slumped in February.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Short of savings and burdened by debt, America's millennials are struggling to afford their first homes in the face of sharply higher prices in many of the most desirable cities.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — A person briefed on the matter says Volkswagen has reached an agreement with the U.S. government to spend just over $1 billion to compensate owners of diesel-powered cars that cheat on emissions tests.
TOKYO (AP) — Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the Japanese automaker tarnished by a massive recall cover-up 15 years ago, owned up to another scandal Wednesday, saying employees had intentionally falsified fuel mileage data for several vehicle models.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Financial and energy companies led a modest increase in U.S. stocks Wednesday, giving the stock market its third gain in a row.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In a once-empty office in Oregon's Department of Revenue headquarters, officials have created a mini-fortress.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is broadening its battle with Google, alleging that the technology giant rigs the global market for mobile apps by making its Android operating system give preferential treatment to its own products.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a wide-ranging energy bill Wednesday that would promote a variety of energy sources and speed federal approval of projects to export liquefied natural gas to Europe and Asia.
TUESDAY, APRIL 19
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Republican leader in the Tennessee House vowed retribution Tuesday for companies that spoke out against a transgender bathroom bill, suggesting that lawmakers should consider limiting tax incentives and grants to them.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The General Assembly passed legislation Tuesday that would allow Tennesseans to register to vote online.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's Legislature passed a bill that would make clear that fantasy sports betting is legal, but would also regulate it and put a tax on it.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A resolution that would order Tennessee to sue the federal government over its refugee resettlement program passed Monday in the state House. Senate counterparts previously approved the resolution and would only have to agree to a change that would allow a private law firm to sue on behalf of the state before the measure becomes law.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The sponsor of bill seeking to designate the Bible as the official book of Tennessee has formally announced his bid to override Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's veto of the measure.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A transgender bathroom bill in the Tennessee legislature failed Monday after the House sponsor said she was withdrawing the legislation while waiting to see how legal challenges play out in other states that have passed similar measures.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the chairman of presidential candidate Donald Trump's national security advisory team, is scheduled to headline a Rutherford County Republican Party fundraiser next month.
STATEWIDE
LOUDON (AP) — An Italian tile maker says it is expanding its manufacturing operation in East Tennessee, investing $30 million and adding 40 jobs.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Lawyers representing thousands of people who own diesel Volkswagens that cheat on emissions tests are asking a judge to order repairs and compensation if the company and government regulators don't agree to a fix by Thursday.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A tie vote from the Supreme Court means California officials can be hauled into a Nevada state court to face allegations in a long-running tax dispute with a Nevada inventor.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Construction of new homes fell in March by the largest amount in five months, with weakness in all regions of the country except the Northeast.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Visa says its improving its smart chip-embedded cards, which have been the source of grumbling from businesses and customers forced to wait for transactions to go through.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stocks closed mostly higher on Tuesday, led by gains in energy, mining and financial companies.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo has hung out a "for sale" sign without doing much to improve its curb appeal.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Intel says it will cut 12,000 jobs — about 11 percent of its workforce — as it reorganizes to confront a decline in sales of personal computers.
NATIONAL POLITICS
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — After he became Kansas governor in 2011, Sam Brownback slashed personal income taxes on the promise that the deep cuts would trigger a furious wave of hiring and expansion by businesses.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The co-founders of Ben & Jerry's have been arrested at the U.S. Capitol as part of ongoing protests in Washington about the role of money in politics.
MONDAY, APRIL 18
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee transgender bathroom bill has failed after a sponsor pulled the measure until next year.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Religious conservatives are urging Tennessee lawmakers to ignore what they say are "false prophesies of economic doom and gloom" and to stand strong in the face of opposition to a transgender bathroom bill.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - As part of a plan to reduce violence, Nashville's mayor is pushing for employers in both the Metro government and the private industry to hire more teenagers for summer jobs.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Lottery says it returned a record $119 million for education funding during the first quarter of the year, a 27 percent increase over the previous quarterly record.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is fighting a court order for him to testify in a civil lawsuit against the Pilot Flying J truck-stop chain owned by Haslam and his brother, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
REAL ESTATE
U.S. homebuilders' confidence held steady in April, reflecting an overall optimistic outlook in the market for new homes even as a gauge of current sales fell slightly.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon.com Inc. is taking on Netflix and Hulu with its own stand-alone video streaming service, just weeks before Netflix raises prices for longtime subscribers.
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — An executive from virtual reality company Oculus says consumers shouldn't be concerned about an invasion of their privacy when using the Oculus Rift.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Energy companies led a broad rally in U.S. stocks Monday as investors shrugged off another slide in crude oil prices.
LONDON (AP) — The failure by oil-rich nations to agree to freeze production sent crude prices lower Monday.
FRIDAY, APRIL 15
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam on Thursday vetoed a bill seeking to make Tennessee the first state to designate the Bible as its official book.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Three Democrats are demanding that a Republican state lawmaker be disciplined after she distributed a video on Muslims that the General Assembly's legal offices have said is so inflammatory that it could be viewed as religious discrimination.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers have approved a nearly $35 billion annual spending plan for the budget year beginning July 1, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's desk.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Legislation that would put new restrictions on the transfer of fetal remains is close to getting to the governor.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Country singer Zac Brown says in a statement that he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" last week in a Palm Beach hotel room where four people were arrested for drug possession.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Pop singer Kelly Clarkson has announced the birth of her second child, a boy named Remington Alexander Blackstock.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Nashville International Airport is adding a second parking lot for people waiting on cell phone calls from arriving travelers.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A small plane crash that killed four members of a Kansas family while narrowly missing a Nashville, Tennessee, YMCA during peak afternoon hours was caused by the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed after an engine lost power.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a Hendersonville attorney has been sentenced to more than 2 ½ years in prison for his role in a real estate closing scheme.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Metro Nashville Public Schools has joined Shelby County officials in calling for the Achievement School District to discontinue takeovers of struggling schools.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged down this week to their lowest levels of the year, offering a continued incentive for purchasing during the spring home-buying season.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen AG saw sales fall in its home market as it struggles to overcome a scandal over cars that cheated on diesel emissions tests.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama threw his weight Friday behind an effort to give consumers more choice when it comes to the cable boxes that control which television channels they watch.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell slightly as a dip in oil prices dragged energy companies lower, but for the week stocks ended sharply higher.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory output dropped in March for the second straight month as manufacturers churned out fewer cars, metal parts and machinery.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a shaky world economy and political attacks on free trade, global finance leaders meeting in Washington are searching for ways to increase cooperation to battle a variety of economic threats.
PHOENIX (AP) — 2016 is getting off to a lousy start for major U.S. banks. Energy loans are turning bad, low interest rates are making it hard to make profitable loans, and markets have been volatile.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The president of the World Bank on Thursday lamented the weak state of the global economy and warned that the kind of tax evasion exposed in the Panama Papers investigation is fueling poverty around the world.
Procrastinators rejoice: tax day is a bit later this year and if you still can't make that, there's still time to file for an extension.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — As we live more of our lives online, the companies we trust with our digital secrets are increasingly clashing with authorities who want access to the messages, pictures, financial records and other data we accumulate in electronic form.