The Kestner Team

 Upcoming August 2009 Issue    
 Nashville Metro Ranks #1 Quality of Life, #6 Best Cost of Living and #9  
 Economic Growth Potential
 Business Facilities' 
 Nashville receives high rankings in Business Facilities' August issue with the  
 Metro Rankings cover story. Nashville ranked as #1 in Quality of Life, #6 Best 
 Cost of Living and # 9 Economic Growth Potential.

July 2009
Nashville Ranked as One of the Best Places to Begin a Career
Forbes
Nashville ranked 13th out of 350 of the country's metropolitan statistical areas 
(MSAs) in Forbes listing of the Best Places to Begin a Career.

June 2009
Hendersonville, TN Named One of the Top Cities in the US for Families
Family Circle 
Family Circle announced the results of its exclusive survey to identify the best
TOWNS AND CITIES across the country FOR FAMILIES. The communities
featured in the magazine’s annual roundup of perfect places to call home 
combine affordable housing, good neighbors, green spaces and A+ public 
school systems. Hendersonville, TN ranked in the Top 10. 

June 2009
TN Ranks #9 in State's Economic Outlook and Perfomance
American Legislative Exchange Council 
ALEC reviewed state's ecnomic outlook by comparing the economic 
performance over the last 10 years by evaluating state's fiscal and economic 
policies, as well as the ramifications of those policies. Tennessee ranked ninth
for best economic outlook. 

June 2009
TN Wins Top Honors with Gold Shovel Award
Area Development
Area Development, a leading executive magazine covering corporate site
selection and relocation, has honored the state of Tennessee with its
prestigious Gold Shovel Award. The honor is presented annually to the
state achieving the most success in terms of job creation and economic
impact.

March 2009
The Best Places For Business And Careers
Forbes
Nashville ranks 25th on Forbes 11th annual ranking of the Best Places for
Business and Careers.

2008
Top 100 Places to Live
Relocate-America
Nashville ranked among the top 100 places in live in America based on education, employment, economy, crime, parks, recreation and housing.

2008
Top 25 Art Destinations
AmericanStyle Magazine
Nashville ranked 22nd in AmericanStyle magazine's annual Top 25 Arts Destinations reader poll.

September 2008
America's Favorite Cities 2008
Travel + Leisure and CNN Headline News
Nashville ranked 2nd most affordable and 4th friendliest city in a survey that asked travelers to rank 25 top U.S. cities in 45 categories, ranging from food and shopping to people, culture, nightlife, and more.

May 2008
America's Friendliest Cities
The Today Show
The Today Show named Nashville one of America's five most friendliest cities.

May 2008
2007 Competitiveness Award
Site Selection Magazine
Tennessee is the most competitive state in terms of attracting economic development, according to an annual ranking made by Site Selection Magazine, which rates states on their actual success in bringing new jobs and industry.

May 2008
Best Airports in Customer Satisfaction
J.D. Power and Associates
Nashville International Airport ranked sixth in its size class in a survey on customer satisfaction.

April 2008
100 Best Places to Live and Launch
CNNMoney.com
Nashville is ranked No. 79 based on business friendliness and lifestyle offerings.

April 2008
Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Tennessee is ranked No. 4 based on entrepreneurial startups over the past decade.

March 2008
Thompson 100 Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success
Thompson Reuters Top Hospitals

Hospital                                                          Category

Vanderbilt University Medical Center            Major Teaching Hospitals

Maury Regional Hospital                               Large Community Hospitals

Centennial Medical Center                           Large Community Hospitals

The 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success and 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success identify the nation's top providers, using the two most recent years of data. These studies benchmark the industry's management and clinical outcomes to help hospital boards and executives ask the right questions about organizational performance and assess the effectiveness of their own strategies and execution.

February 2008
Best Places for Business and Careers
Forbes
Nashville ranks as the No. 15 best city for business and careers based on job and income growth, as well as migration trends.

January 2008
Top Cities for Cultural Amenities
bizjournals.com
Nashville ranks nationally as the No. 3 best city in terms of cultural amenities behind New York City and San Francisco.

January 2008
Top Cities for Apartment Investing
National Multi Housing Council
The Nashville-Middle Tennessee area ranks nationally as the No. 4 best city for apartment investing.

January 2008
Best Cities for Jobs
Forbes
Nashville ranks as the No. 14 best city for jobs in 2008.

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2007 Digital CIties Survey
Center for Digital Government
Nashville ranks as the No. 4 best city for technology based on how it uses  technology to create a seamless environment between local government and constituents.

2007
Top 25 Places to LIve and go to School
Relocate America
Nashville ranks as the No. 22 best community across the nation that offers families a great place to live based on quality of schools and choices in educational offerings.

2007
10 Best Cities for African Americans
Black Enterprise
Nashville ranked as one of the Best Cities for African Americans based on high-paying jobs, affordable homes, a vibrant social life and short commutes.

2007
5-Star Business Opportunity Metros
Nashville ranks as the No. 18 best city for business opportunity in the U.S.

October 2007
Fastest Growing Wine Regions
The Orbitz Food & Wine Index
Nashville ranks as the No. 7 fastest-growing wine regions in the U.S.

September 2007
Top 10 Cities for Business
MarketWatch.com
Nashville ranks as the No. 6 best city to do business because of robust industry sectors ranging from music to health care.

September 2007
Top Sports Towns
Sporting News
Nashville ranks as the No. 16 top sports towns in the U.S.

September 2007
Top 50 Best Adventure Towns
National Geographic
Nashville is nationally ranked as a top city to live and play based on an ideal mix of terrain, activity and opportunity.

August 2007
2007 Economic Strength Rankings
POLICOM
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro MSA ranks No. 4 nationally for economic strength based on long-term tendency to grow in size and quality.

August 2007
America's Friendliest Cities
Travel + Leisure
Nashville ranks among the top five friendliest cities in America.

June 2007
Top 10 Metro Areas for Per-capita Income Growth
Bizjournals
Nashville ranks No. 8 nationally for per-capita income growth. Per-capita income was determined by salaries, dividends, interest payments, rental income and government checks, including Social Security.

May 2007
Best Large City for Relocating Families
Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation
Nashville is named the No. 2 best large city for relocating families based on economic, educational, quality of life and climate factors.

May 2007
Top MBA Employers
Fortune
Nashville ranks No. 8 nationally based on the percentage of MBA candidates who voted where they would most like to work.

April 2007
Top 100 Places to Live
Relocate-America.com
Nashville and Brentwood rank among the top 100 places to live based on education, crime, employment and housing.

April 2007
Best Places for Business and Careers
Forbes
Nashville ranks No. 9 nationally based on job and income growth, business and living costs, education of the workforce, migration trends, and quality-of-life issues such as crime rates and cultural opportunities.

April 2007
Tax Friendly Places 2007
Tax Foundation
Tennessee is named the No. 3 Tax Friendly Places nationally based on average tax payer's total state and local tax burden.

March 2007
Top Metros
Site Selection
Nashville ranked ninth among the top 10 metro areas in the U.S.

February 2007
"Best Places for Artists in the U.S."
Business Week
Nashville ranks No. 7 nationally based on metro areas that have the highest concentrations of artistic establishments.

February 2007
America's 50 Hottest Cities
Expansion Managment
Nashville is ranked again as one of the nation's top hottest cities for business relocations and expansions.

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October 11, 2006
"Best Cities for Relocating Singles"
Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation
Nashville named the No. 1 Best City for Relocating Singles of 2006.

October 2006
"5-Star Logistics Metro"
Expansion Managment
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn., has been given a "5-Star Logistics Metro" designation based on 10 logistics categories including road and bridge conditions, interstate highway access, and air cargo service.

August 31, 2006
Brainiest Cities in the United States
CNNMoney.com
Nashville-Davidson ranks among America's smartest cities based on highest concentration of college degrees.

August 2006
Hot Cities for Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur magazine
Nashville ranks No. 8 nationally based on "entrepreneurial activity index."

August 2006
The 2006 Inc. 500 List
Inc. magazine
Six Nashville-area firms included on annual ranking of fastest-growing privately held companies in America.

August 2006
2006 Economic Strength Rankings
POLICOM
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro MSA ranks No. 2 nationally for economic strength based on long-term tendency to grow in size and quality.

July/August 2006
Five-Star Business Metros for Business Expansion
Expansion Management magazine

June 2006
Best Cities for Relocating Families
Primacy Relocation
When it comes to suitable cities for relocating families, Nashville ranks among the top five.

June 2006
Top 50 Smart Places to Live
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Low cost of living, high quality of life, reasonable home prices elevate Nashville to No. 1.

May 2006
Best Places for Business and Careers
Forbes
Nashville cited among the top 10 cities in America.

May 2006
America's Best High Schools
Newsweek
Two Metro Nashville public schools crack the top 50.

April 2006
The South's Ten Top Headquarters Markets
Southern Business & Development

March 2006
America's 100 Fastest-Growing Counties
U.S. Census Bureau
Three Nashville-area counties (Williamson/No. 59, Rutherford/No. 84 and Montgomery/No. 96) claim spots on the list.

February 2006
Lowest State-Local Tax Burden Per Capita
The Tax Foundation
Tennessee ranked among the top five most "tax-friendly" states in this analysis of state and local tax burdens of residents.

January 2006
America's 50 Hottest Cities
Expansion Management
Nashville repeats No. 1 status as the nation's hottest metro for business relocations and expansions.

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December 2005
Big Deals 2005
Business Facilities
Nissan HQ relocation garners "Editor's Choice" recognition.

October 2005
"Seven Cool Cities"
Kiplinger's
Nashville is ranked as one of 7 locations that are perfect for young professionals.

October 2005
"Hot Spots"
Entrepreneur
Nashville ranked 8th in the Entrepreneurial Hot Cities ranking.

October 2005
"Best Cities for Relocating Singles"
Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation
Nashville named one of 2005's Best Cities for Relocating Singles.

July 2005
"The 20 Hot Headquarters Metros for the 21st Century"
Business Facilities
Nashville is the No. 1 metropolitan area for corporate headquarters.

June 2005
"Average Disaster Premiums By State"
Expansion Management
Tennessee ranks as the 18th best state for disaster insurance premium paid per business establishment.

May 2005
"Top US Cities for Doing Business"
Inc.
Nashville is the 47th best city in which to work, based on job growth.

May 2005
"2005 Knowledge Workers Quotient"
Expansion Management
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn., is listed as a five-star knowledge worker city due to its well-educated workforce that attracts high-tech companies and entrepreneurs.

April 2005
"Top 25 Art Destinations in America"
AmericanStyle
Nashville ranked 19th in AmericanStyle magazine's eighth annual Top 25 Arts Destinations reader poll.

January 2005
"America's 50 Hottest Cities"
Expansion Management
Site consultants across the country chose Nashville as the hottest city for business relocation and expansion.

They ranked the various metro areas according to business environment, workforce quality, operating costs, incentive programs, worker training programs, ease of working with local politicians and economic development officials.

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November 2004
"U.S. Biotechnology's Leading Locations"
Business Facilities
In a study released by the Battelle Memorial Institute and the State Science and Technology Insitute for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Tennessee ranked as the 11th best place in the country to locate a biotechnology business.

October 2004
"Top 40 Real Estate Markets"
Expansion Management
Nashville ranked 12th among the top 40 hottest real estate markets in the United States in this survey.

October 2004
"Attorney Counts, Economic Growth and Malpractice Measures"
Expansion Management
Tennessee is ranked the 39th state with the most lawyers per capita and ranked the 25th state with the best legal system.

January 2004
"Top 50 Hottest U.S. Metros"
Expansion Management
The Nashville MSA ranked No. 2 in Expansion Management's poll of 60 prominent site location consultants, based on their experiences over the past two to three years.

2004
"Best Performing Cities"
The Milken Institute
Nashville ranked 68th in the Best Performing Cities index.

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November 2003
"U.S. Biotech's Top 40 Locations"
Business Facilities
The Nashville MSA ranked No. 21 overall for biotechnology companies, including life sciences and pharmaceuticals, through careful measurement of 13 separate factors.

November 2003
"Top 25 State Business Climate Rankings"
Site Selection
Tennessee moved up to No. 3 overall in the annual business climate
rankings.

September 2003
"Five Star City for Logistics"
Expansion Management
Nashville ranked No. 2 overall for logistics-friendly cities based on categories such as transportation and distribution industry climate, available workforce,
road infrastructure and conditions, taxes and fees, waterborne commerce and
air cargo.

August 2003
"Top Locations for Plastics Industry"
Business Facilities
Tennessee was ranked third hottest plastics location for expansions and relocations by professional site consultants who deal with the industry on a regular basis.

July 2003
"Most Promising Locale for a New Automotive Manufacturing Facility"
Business Facilities
Tennessee ranked seventh among the top sites picked by consultants, site selectors, and real estate professionals as the most promising locale for a new automotive manufacturing facility.

June 2003
"Most Diversified Local Economy"
Moody's Investors Service
Nashville ranked eighth among the top 10 most diversified local economies.

June 2003
"Top 20 Best Places to Live & Work in America"
Employment Review Magazine and BestJobsUSA.com
Nashville ranked sixth in the “Top 20 Best Places to Live & Work in America.”

May 2003
"5th Annual Quality of Life Quotient"
Expansion Management
Nashville ranked second in the "Best Metros for Standard of Living" category and was hallmarked as a four-star community.

May 2003
"Top Places for Business and Careers"
Forbes Magazine
Nashville ranked 25th in Forbes Magazine's fifth annual listing of top places for business and careers.

May 2003
"Most Competitive State Economic Development Agency"
Site Selection
Tennessee Economic and Community Development Department won Site Selection magazine's inaugural award as the most competitive state economic development agency.

April 2003
"Most Generous Metropolitan Area"
The Chronicle of Philanthropy, via cnn.com
Nashville ranked seventh most generous metropolitan area. The poll measured by percentage of disposable income donated to charity.

March 2003
"Top Metros: Picture Perfect Metros"
Plants Sites & Parks Magazine
Nashville was ninth in the magazine's "Picture Perfect Metro" list.

February 2003
"Internet Growth"
Nielsen/NetRatings, The Tennessean
Nashville ranked second in Internet growth.

2003
"Best Cities for Entrepreneurs"
Entrepreneur Magazine
In 2003, Nashville was the 45th best city for entrepreneurs.

2003
"Cities with Best Business Climate in the U.S."
Business Opportunity Index
Nashville was ranked as having the third best business climate in the nation.

October 2002
"Best Cities for Black Families"
Bet.com
Nashville was ranked the 10th best city for black families based on quality of life factors.

April 2002
"Best Cities for Women"
Ladies' Home Journal
Nashville ranked as the 46th best city for women to live and work.

2002
"Top Recession-proof Cities"
Business Development Outlook
Nashville ranked as the second most recession-proof city in 2002.

April 2001
"100 Best Cities for Families"
Child
Nashville was ranked the 82nd best city for families in the United States.

July 2000
"Top 10 Big Metros for Start-up Companies"
Site Selection
Nashville was ranked the 10th best large metropolitan area for new companies.

Excerpts from The Greater Nashville Association of Realtors

JUNE HOME SALES SHOW SOME SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT

There were 2,091 homes sold in the month of June, according to figures provided by the Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS®. The number of closings exceeded 2,000 for the first time since September of last year.

"There are several encouraging signs in the current home sales data for Greater Nashville and Middle Tennessee," said GNAR President Mike Nichols. "There were more than 2,000 closings in one month for the first time since September of last year. There are more than 2,000 sales pending for the second consecutive month. And, the median price for a single-family home is down only three percent from where it was a year ago. These signs are early indications of what we hope will become positive trends for the coming months. It does seem that more people are again beginning to explore the possibility of home ownership."

The stock market hit 9,000, real estate sales are up, inventory is down, interest rates are still low, tax credits are available – THERE COULD NOT BE A BETTER TIME TO PURCHASE YOUR DREAM HOME!

June new US home sales rise 11 percent

New US home sales soar 11 percent in June in largest monthly increase in more than 8 years

• By Alan Zibel, AP Real Estate Writer
• On Monday July 27, 2009, 10:31 am EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- New U.S. home sales rose by the largest amount in more than eight years last month, in another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back from the worst downturn in decades.

The Commerce Department said Monday that sales rose 11 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000, from an upwardly revised May rate of 346,000.

It was the strongest sales pace since November 2008 and exceeded the forecasts of economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who expected a pace of 360,000 units. The last time sales rose so dramatically was in December 2000.

Sales have risen for three straight months. The median sales price of $206,200, however, was down 12 percent from $234,300 a year earlier and down nearly 6 percent from $219,000 in May.

The report is another encouraging sign that the beleaguered housing sector is finally coming back to life. Last Thursday, the National Association of Realtors reported that home resales posted a monthly increase of 3.6 percent in June.

There were 281,000 new homes for sale at the end of June, down more than 4 percent from May. At the current sales pace, that represents 8.8 months of supply -- the lowest level since October 2007.

Fallout from the housing crisis has played a central role in the U.S. recession, now the longest since World War II. Foreclosures have spiked, homebuilders have slashed construction, and financial companies have lost billions.

First Tennessee Home Loans - Mario F. Genovese

Rates have improved slightly since the increase over last couple weeks. We saw that last week’s Jobs Report showed unemployment at a 26-year high for the US, and unemployment in Europe isn’t much better, at its highest level in a decade.  If Stocks continue to slide lower, Mortgage Rates could benefit.    

Current Mortgage Rates; Check Out the 5/1 ARM!!  This is a Great product if your customer is not staying in the property long term!

Conventional

30YR Fixed – 5.125% w/1pt.

                      5.375% w/0pts.

15YR Fixed – 4.670% w/1pt.

                      4.875% w/0pts.

FHA

30YR Fixed – 5.280% w/1pt.

                      5.450% w/0pts.

5/1 ARM -   4.040% w/1pt.

                    4.500% w/0pts

(Rates based on 30 day purchase lock w/ FICO Scores of 720 or Higher)

**Rates subject to change prior to locking in**

Thank you for your business!

Mario

FIRST TENNESSEE / powering your dreams