Interesting History of the Bank Building in Old Mandeville

The Candy Bank, located in Mandeville at the corner of Claiborne and Carroll Street, famous slogan is “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!” This sweet filled store sells candy and ice cream and is owned by Thomas and Lisa Keiffer. Why they chose this catchy phrase can be explained by the history of this well-known Old Mandeville landmark.

St. Tammany Banking Company and Savings Bank was founded in 1905. The first president and one

of its founders was Harvey E. Ellis.  The bank opened a branch in Mandeville and was the first tenant to occupy the building in 1907.  The company opened its doors with $5000 in stock on January 1, 1907.

The building was built in the Beaux Arts style that was popular from 1880 to the 1920’s and was not only the largest building around but also the sturdiest.  Along with its decorative touches such as a gable roof with exposed rafters and intricate cornices, the building was built like a “German Bunker.”  Locals knew this was the place to go when inclement weather was upon them. “The old vault is the place to go,” said current owner Thomas Keiffer. A well-known 20th century author Arthemise Goertz refers to the large bank building in her novel, “New Heaven, New Earth.” The main character, Dr. Victor duRocher, declares: “When the fences go, we must go too. We must get out. We must go to the bank building.”

With the change in the commercial corridor of Old Mandeville from Carroll Street to Girod Street the bank building has since housed many different tenants and businesses. The building has been a previous owner’s residence, a legal office, a medical office, a photography studio, a pet supply store and a coffee house. Many Mandeville residents even remember when the building was part of Windhaven Antiques owned by Ms. Dale Gale. Luckily this old historical landmark has kept up with the times and has held its purpose.

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Moving to St. Tammany Parish Good for Business

For people moving to St. Tammany Parish, this part of the Greater New Orleans area includes a diverse arrangement of local businesses, franchises, and big box retail stores.  There are also several large corporations that have locations in the parish, such as Chevron, LLOG, Budweiser, WalMart, and others.  It’s hard to describe a bedroom community that also includes opportunities for incredibly

well-paying jobs with national corporations and plenty of shopping, dining, & entertainment venues.  Main mall box stores include Belk’s, Dillards, & JC Penny, and other huge chains include Academy Sports + Outdoors, Target, Best Buy, and more.

However, St. Tammany Parish has cities in it that are still considered “small town” in the way that people interact.  Referral business is still one of the biggest factors when getting new business as an entrepreneur.  Pretty much any time anyone meets anyone, they immediately try to figure out the six or 16 degrees of separation of the people you and they might both know.  Because of this, the parish has great quality of life, and has experienced phenomenal growth over the last 16 years.

Now, according to the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation, 2016 has shown a 20%

increase in new business incorporations for entrepreneurs and businesses moving into the area compared to 2015’s numbers. This growth was focused towards the last 2 quarters of the year specifically the 4th quarter.

“We saw a significant uptick in new business incorporations in the second half of the year,” said Brenda Bertus, the foundation’s chief executive officer. “And we saw the most incorporations in the fourth quarter. We’re already seeing this trend continue in 2017.”
An astonishing 54.1% increase in new business incorporations were recorded during the 4th quarter for a total of 2,401 businesses in St. Tammany Parish. Also, hotel sales reflected the same growth with a total of $55.2 million and 18.8% of that amount adding up in the 4th quarter of 2016.  Estimated total sales and sales tax collections were as follows: $4.8 billion and $229 million respectively.

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Builders See an Almost 13% Increase in New Home Sales

Throughout all regions of the United States in February, the real estate industry had something to celebrate. All regions increased new home sales compared to the same time in February, 2016.  In the South, new home sales increased 3.6%, which was 7.9% higher than the past year.  Approximately 592,000 new homes sold in February, 2017, which was 12.8% higher than last year and 6.1% higher than January new home sales.
Bloomberg analysts had estimated 565,000 in new home sale for this time period but reporting from the Census Bureau and Department of Housing showed differently.  The number of new homes available for sale going into the month of March, 2017 was approximately 266,000, which is a 5.4 month’s supply of new homes for sale.  In January, this amount was a 6.4 month’s supply, but February’s new home sales numbers trimmed this amount substantially.

The average price of a new home sold for the month of February stood at $296,200, which was lower than January’s average price of sold new homes which was $308,200.  The total average sales price increased substantially month-over-month from $355,300 to $390,400.  It increased even more when compared to February one year ago – up from $349,400.

All of this is great news for new home builders and custom home builders building new homes for sale throughout Southeast Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast.  Ron Lee Homes is a St. Tammany Parish custom home builder who is building and selling new homes throughout West St. Tammany Parish.  For more information about building your new home, Contact Us at 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.

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Streetscapes on Interstate 12 Interchanges in St. Tammany Parish

As Andrew Grant the famous author puts it, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  This is a focal point when it comes to the streetscapes on Interstate 12 interchanges in St. Tammany Parish.

“The first impression of St. Tammany needs to be a positive one. We want them to like it and come back. This is our one good chance to make a good first impression”, says administration spokesman

Ronnie Simpson.

St. Tammany Parish has six economic districts that are focusing on improving.  Parish officials point out that improving these districts by giving each district their own unique design standards will enhance St. Tammany’s appearance making it more attractive for residents, visitors, and potential home buyers. Each district will be given its own name, custom sign, unique banners, landscaping, tree preservation, sidewalks and the use of swales and rain gardens to manage the storm water.

“The vision for each of these districts is to underscore the distinctive identities of each of these communities and to entice the visitor or the resident driving by to come into that community,” Parish

President Pat Brister. “This is a proven strategy for increasing economic development by enhancing the attractiveness of the community and the businesses within the community, and as a result, commerce and revenue are increased.”

Potential names and designs are already on the horizon for the six districts’ I-12 interchanges.  A list of names include, Coquille District at the interchange of Louisiana 1077, Arts District at the interchange of Louisiana 21, Little Creek District at the interchange of Louisiana 59, Fontainbleau District at the interchange of Louisiana 1088, Centerpoint District at the interchange of Louisiana 434 and Crossroads District at Airport Road.  Concept designs are already in place for some which include Coquille District’s logo of the lighthouse along Lake Pontchartrain in Madisonville and Little Creek District’s logo which shows a bicyclist along Tammany Trace.

A 3/4 cent sales tax, approved by the parish earlier this year, is anticipated to bring in approximately $4 million which will be allotted to economic development projects.
“Essentially what we’re talking about is each of these districts are the front door of our parish as people come in and out of our parish,” Simpson said.

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Builders Surveyed About Green Building Products or Practices

A list of the 21 green building products or practices used per the standards of the National Green Building Standard Certification include solar water heaters, passive solar design, energy management systems, reused or salvaged materials, smart appliances, prefabricated components, building materials driven from renewable resources, recycling construction waste, building materials with recycled content, alternatives to dimensional lumber, on-demand water heaters, materials from regional suppliers, water conserving faucets and fixtures, efficient construction techniques that minimize material usage, moisture control measures to enhance durability, improving the home’s thermal envelope, duct systems designed to minimize leakage, ENERGY STAR® appliances, programmable thermostats, high efficiency HVAC systems, and low-e windows.

According to a survey of 337 single-family builders, builders of this survey averaged using 10.2 green products or practices in the new homes that they built.  Topping the list at 95% of builders using this green product were low-e windows.  Other very popular items included high efficiency HVAC systems at 92% of builders, programmable thermostats at 88%, ENERGY STAR® appliances at 80%, and duct systems designed to minimize leakage at 78%.

Improving the home’s thermal envelope, which is a practice that Ron Lee Homes strongly endorses came in at 67%, as well as moisture control measures to enhance durability and efficient construction techniques that minimize material usage.

Interestingly, all builders surveyed said that they used at least one green building product. Builders have the voluntary option of actually getting a green certification of the new homes that they build.  Programs such as ENERGY STAR®, LEED, and programs run by state or local jurisdictions allow a builder to certify their home a green standard.  Of the surveyed builders, 22% said that they always or almost always get this certification. Ron Lee Homes is a Certified Green Builder through the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  Our new homes are tightly construction to minimize as many effects of the environment on the home as possible.  Contact Ron Lee Homes today to find out about designing and building using green products and practices.  Call 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.

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Upgrading to a New Home – Home Selling Tips

Selling your home is one of the biggest challenges a homeowner will face throughout the life of owning a home.  Upgrading to a new home (2nd or 3rd time home buyer) is not only an investment of equity but also a thrilling adventure, but you have to get the first home sold first!  To do this, you need to be a savvy home seller with the determination to make selling your home your number-one priority or “job.”  There are several ways to avoid hardships and heartaches along the way.

First: You can’t always help what a home buyer is going to do, but there are things you can do to protect yourself as the seller.  Be wise and make sure that the person putting an offer on your home can actually afford to buy your home. Make sure they are pre-approved by a lender.  Pre-approved, not just pre-qualified.  Many people can get pre-qualified based on their answers to a loan application and credit check, but when it comes down to actually examining tax returns and verifying employment, there is a big difference.  Turn down any offers of buyers that are unwilling to take this next step.

Second: Examine and inspect your home before your home inspector does. Or, if you feel like you have already made all repairs and improvements to your home before you put it on the market, be efficient about getting the home inspection done as soon as possible. The home inspection is what can make or break a sale, so be proactive and fix what needs fixing and for a great home buyer offer, get the inspection done and be open to the results.

Third: Make sure you don’t “price yourself out of the market” with the sale of your home.  What you think it’s worth and what a home buyer thinks it’s worth can be very different.  Appraisals are pricey, but if you have a strong discrepancy of what you are asking and where buyers’ offers are coming in, you may want to get an appraisal to boost your chances of getting your asking price.  You can even include this information in your listing.

Fourth: Some buyers want to live a rural lifestyle with no rules or restrictions while other buyers prefer to live in a neighborhood with strict HOA rules and guidelines to protect their home investment from losing value. If you live in an HOA protected subdivision, be sure to have the HOA Guidelines available for your potential buyers.  You don’t want them to be blindsided halfway through the process when they find out they can’t keep their cabin cruiser boat sitting in the driveway of this home they just purchased. Information like this can avoid these types of deal-breaking dilemmas.

Fifth: If you purchased your home either as a previously owned home or a new home, you should have gotten title insurance. If you didn’t get title insurance, you are going to want to consider getting an abstract of title for your home to reassure your home buyer that your home has a clear title.  You will want to make sure that all old mortgages have been cancelled and the you personally have not acquired any liens during the time that you have owned your home.

Using the tips above will help you have a smooth home selling process and allow you to upgrade to your next home purchase.  If you are considering buying a new, custom home for your next purchase, Contact Ron Lee Homes today to set up a personal consultation.  Call 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.

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New Wedding Venue in Mandeville

In 1990 both Mandeville City Hall and St. Tammany Parish governments agreed to split taxes that came out of the City of Mandeville. The catalyst for this tax sharing agreement was from annexation growth. As of November 2016, 6 1/3 acres of land that sits on the east side of Mandeville has been annexed into the city limits. The land will be the future home of The Greystone, an events hall and

gardens. The city and the parish will split all sales tax revenue that is generated by The Greystone.

Currently under construction, The Greystone is located at the intersection of Florida and Clausel Streets and is slated for completion March 2017. The main structure will be approximately 11,000 square feet which will include a 5,500 square foot grand ballroom and banquet area.  There will also be an outdoor ceremony area, a complete kitchen and a private bridal suite.  The remaining grounds will include gardens, gazebos, flowers, ponds and a rocky creek.

Owners Keith and Lynda Young, who also own Keith Young’s Steakhouse and The Crabby Shack in Madisonville, plan to use the site for corporate events, conferences, seminars, other large events and weddings. The Greystone will be able to hold 350 guest and Young hopes this will attract couples and organizations who want a larger venue to stay on the northshore and not venture to the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.   “We’re very excited about how this is turning out,” Keith Young said. “It’s a great piece of property with a great layout for weddings or any large event.”



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