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How to Throw a Last Minute New Year's Eve Party

If you have not received plans for New Years Eve, it is possible your friends do not have plans either. Some bars and night clubs charge $50.00 or $65.00 per person for VIP package that includes food, some drinks, and a midnight toast. Why not skip the crowded bars and throw your own party.

Don't worry that you didn't start planning this event early and therefore were not able to mail invitations. A lot of people procrastinate making New Year's Eve plans, waiting for an invitation to a party, so don't worry that you didn't send out the invitations. If you waited to the last minute, you can send out electronic invitations or if worse comes to worst, you can always call or text your invitation.

You do not want to start your party too early; start your party at 9:00. If you start your party earlier, you have to worry about keeping people entertained for several hours. When you start your party later, your guests will not expect dinner, so you only have to provide hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

One suggestion you can take to limit your expense is to ask your guests to provide the champagne. Place the champagne on ice, but you will want to provide mixers to add to the champagne. Presentation is key to make inexpensive ingredients look luxurious. You can place your hors d'oeuvres in symmetrical rows on simple plates, to make them look catered. Another suggestion is to make sure your appetizers are bite size. If you do want to provide more substantial, consider an after midnight breakfast buffet. This will have your guests leave surprised and with food on their stomachs.

You don't want your New Year's Eve Event to feel like your typical Saturday evening party, so consider inviting a mixed crowd, so your guests can mingle with new people. However, when it comes to a New Year's Eve Event, people will be content with noise-makers, horns, and hats. Place them in a bowl, so your guests can choose what they want. To make your party memorable, you don't want people just standing around talking; you want people up and dancing. One suggestion is to have your guests list their three favorite dance tunes, create a playlist, and play it on shuffle.

You will want to place digital clocks around your party space, so your guests can keep track of the approaching new year. As midnight approaches, make sure your guests' champagne glasses have been refilled. For a change, consider finding the countdown to midnight on your favorite radio station, and not on your television. This way, your guests will just have the countdown in the background and not be focused on a television screen.

As your party comes to an end and your guests are leaving, you can provide a care package, of ibuprofen, vitamin C powder, and ginger tea. Your guests can use this to soothe a possible difficult morning after a successful evening.

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Christmas in Louisville - Underground?

Christmas Underground? Have you ever considered spending a holiday evening underground, how about 75-100 feet underground? Until January 3, 2016, Louisville has a place you can do so: Louisville's Mega Cavern.

The Mega Cavern is an old limestone mine that has been converted to a tourist attraction. Mining began in the 1930s and continued until the 1970s. The mine was successful, especially in the 1930s, because it created jobs during the Great Depression.

The cavern spans 100 acres, goes under all 10 lanes of the Watterson Expressway with 70% of the Louisville Zoo located above. There are four entrances, the lowest being 25 feet above the flood wall. It's also largest building in Kentucky due to it being zoned as a buiding.

Not that it makes much of a difference this year, but the average year-round temperature in the cavern is 58°. In 2009, public tours were started. Since then, other tourist attractions have been added. One of these attractions is called Lights Under Louisville.

In its third year, Lights Under Louisville, allows you to drive your car through the cavern on a 1.2 mile, 30 minute tour. Lights Under Louisville is the world's only entirely underground Christmas light display. It includes 850 displays with over 2,000,000 points of light. Some of the displays are 25 feet high and 200 feet wide. For energy conservation, all the lights used are LED bulbs; making Lights Under Louisville the nation's first Christmas light show to do so.

According to USA Today, Lights Under Louisville has been voted a top 10 Christmas display in the United States. The Mega Cavern charges per car, not per person, so load up your family to experience a one-of-a-kind event that all ages can enjoy.

For more information, visit the Louisville Mega Cavern's website.

(photo courtesy Louisville Mega Cavern)

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Should You List Your Home During The Holidays?

When to place your property on the market is an important decision. Sellers wonder if the holidays would be a good time to do so; or if a property is already on the market, should it be taken off. Historically, sellers think potential buyers would not be thinking about making an offer on a new home, during the holidays. The thought being, during the holidays, buyers' minds would be on other things such as parties, travelling, or purchasing presents.

Buyers never stop looking online

Advancements in technology have changed the way buyers search for homes. With smart phones and Wi-Fi seemingly everywhere nowadays, people are connected to the internet and a wide range of inventory. Some companies and websites also offer phone apps to search properties.

Inventory can be lighter

Because sellers still believe buyers are not searching, properties are not placed on the market. Some sellers even take their properties off the market.  This creates a lack of inventory, which in the long run, helps sellers because interested buyers have less to choose.

If you home isn't selling, consider changing your strategy

If your home has been on the market, some buyers and real estate agents may view your home as overpriced or stale. The holidays could be a good time to change your strategy. If you have received offers below your asking price, the holidays may be a time to lower your asking price. Or if you hear issues that are preventing potential buyers, you may be take this opportunity to correct these issues. When you make these corrections, it will show your potential buyers you are interested in making a deal.  

You can wait to the new year

Technology may have made it easier to search for properties; however, it could be harder to get a property prepared for selling. With the hectic schedules the holidays can provide, sellers may not have time keeping a house clean, scheduling open houses, or leaving a property to make way for last minute showings, can create an inconvenience.  If this would be you, feel free to wait until the new year to place your property on the market

The beginning of the new year can be seen as a new start for people and they create resolutions. One resolution could be to stop wasting money on rent. So they want to buy a home to build equity. The beginning of the new year is also time to do your end-of-year tax planning. During the holidays, demand is still high and inventory is low, so a seller can take advantage.

 

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Louisville Holiday Happenings - Fourth Street

Louisville Holiday Happening - Fourth Street Live

There’s a lot going on in Louisville this holiday season! The reemergence of Fourth St. Live has been a great draw to downtown Louisville; spurring a trend of redevelopment projects downtown.  During the holidays, Fourth St. is closed between Liberty St and Muhammad Ali Blvd.  Letting you roam freely between countless restaurants and businesses. From 4-8pm on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, get your picture taken with the Jolly Old Elf at Santa’s House on Fourth Street Live!

Happy Holidays - Family RealtyBe sure to visit Holiday Square, located outside 400 West Market. Formerly Capital Holding Center, Providian Center and then Aegon Center (the tallest building in Kentucky).  Next to the 45-foot tall Christmas Tree, you will find an outdoor ice skating rink.  In the past, the rink was located under cover at Fourth St Live and used a synthetic ice surface.  This year, it features a real ice surface, skate rental, holiday music and concessions.

After spending time on the ice, enjoy an adult beverage from one of the participants in the Bourbon and Beer Village, also located in Holiday Square.  Not only is Kentucky's speciality beverage featured, there’s also a full bar with specialty cocktails, live music and entertainment.  

A holiday market can then also be found in Holiday Square.  Local and international artists offer their wares which include hand-made gifts, foods, and drinks from the world over.  The market is influenced by German customs going back to the year 1545.

Santa, the Bourbon and Beer Village, and the holiday market are open through December 23, 2015; the ice rink is available until January 3, 2016.  This is the first year expanding the holiday festivities to include more than the ice rink, lights, and Christmas tree.  Get into the holiday spirit by enjoying an afternoon, with the children, or an evening, with friends, in downtown Louisville.

 

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