Defenders of Freedom Air Show

One of the great things about living here is the air show every year at Offutt Air Force Base. This year's air show promises to be even better than years before. Why? I am so glad you asked!

For me, the highlight this year will be the B-2 bomber on display (Wikipedia article). It has flown overhead each year but this year it will land so we can get an up-close and personal look. The B-2 is manufactured by Northrop Grumman, just one of the defense contractors located here in Bellevue.

If you're not into the B-2 that's okay. The air show has lots of static displays like the RC-135 Rivet Joint, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the B-1 Lancer, the A-10 Warthog, the UH-60 Blackhawk and so much more. Kids and kids at heart can walk through cargo planes, touch (most) of the aircraft and look into cockpits. Talking to the pilots and personnel is a great chance for everyone to learn just what is involved in the lives of our military.

The skies are always filled with performances. Want to see a mock dogfight between the P-51 Mustang, F-4U Corsair and the Japanese Zero? They'll be flying around. The Army's Golden Knights will be dropping in as well. And you can't miss the F-15 Strike Eagle Demo Team or the Mig 17!




Got little kids? There's a Kids Zone with all kinds of things for them to do, too. There's a fee for this but once you pay you can come and go all day. It includes some flight simulators so if you've wanted to get an idea of what it's like to fly in an F-16 you can do that.




The gates are open from 9am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. Please note that backpacks, coolers and pets are not allowed. There will be plenty of vendors for food and drinks. But bring a hat and don't forget your camera!

Nebraska Is One of the Top 10 Places for Children

According to the National Association of Realtors, the Annie E. Casey Foundation just ranked Nebraska number nine in the nation for children. Each state was given a score based on factors such as infant mortality rates, child and teen death rate, percentage of children in school, and the number of children below the poverty line and in single-parent families.

You can find the original article here and the full list here.

Note that the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were not included because they are not states.

The original article from the Huffington Post can be found here.

Arrows to Aerospace Parade

Looking for something to do this weekend? Come to Bellevue for the Arrows to Aerospace Parade!

Started in 1983 and sponsored by the Bellevue/Offutt Kiwanis Club, this festival features the parade, art in the park, pancake feed, pet show and so much more. The parade is in Olde Towne starting at 10 a.m. It meanders down Mission Avenue and ends at Washington Park.

Activities start tonight and go through Saturday. Click here (PDF) for a full list of activities. Click here for pictures from last year's parade.

We hope to see you out there! Come out and join in the fun!

It’s Time to Go Back to School in Omaha

Summer is almost over and the kids have started back to school. Every busy parent could use a hand finding the school website, lunch menu and more. Below, I have put together a table of the websites you might need for the school districts in the Omaha metro.

 

Bellevue	Calendar	Lunch (All Grades)
Council Bluffs	Calendar	Lunch (All Grades)
Louisville	Calendar	Lunch (All Grades)
Millard	Calendar	Lunch (Elementary) Lunch (Junior High) Lunch (High School)
Omaha	Calendar	Lunch (Elementary) Lunch (Secondary)
Papillion-La Vista	Calendar	Lunch (Elementary) Lunch (Secondary)
Plattsmouth	Calendar	Lunch (Elementary) Lunch (Junior High) Lunch (High School)
Ralston	Calendar
Springfield	Calendar	Lunch (All Grades)

 

A few notes about school around here:

• These are just the public schools. There are many private schools in the area.
  
• School supply lists vary by school but aren't really necessary. The schools supply the necessary materials but do have specific requests. Ask your school district to see what you can donate.
  
• Bus schedules and policies vary by district and I could not find much posted on the school districts' websites.
  
• For those being reassigned to Offutt Air Force Base, Bellevue Public Schools are used.
  
• The schools in the Omaha metro (Bellevue, Omaha, Papillion-La Vista, Ralston) are part of a learning community. Click here to find out more.
  
• The schools in the Omaha metro have daycares on-site. Call your school to find details.
  

Good luck and have fun this year!

Market Stats for July 2011

Everyone is curious about how the home market is doing, even those not currently thinking of buying or selling.  A good way to compare the direction of the market is to look at this year's performance against this time last year.  Here are the stats for July 2011 vs. July 2010.

	2010	2011
Active Current Listings	6,134	5,808
Avg List Price	$215,795	$197,256
Days on the Market	61	71
List to Sales Price Ratio	97%	95%
Number of Sales YTD	5,954	5,410

As you can see, the number of houses on the market has gone down. The asking price is lower, the time on the market is greater, the time to sell a home has increased and the actual price received as a percent of the list price is lower. The market has slowed down some over this time last year.

If you have any questions or would like a market analysis of your home, please feel free to contact us.

Omaha Is a Great Place to Live!

According to the Omaha Area Board of Realtor's magazine Focus, Omaha has been received many recognitions in 2011.  So far we have:

#1 - 10 Best Value Cities for 2011 (Kiplinger - July 2011)
#3 - Places with Good Jobs and Cheap Housing (Yahoo! Finance - July 2011)
#5 - Best Cities for Young Professionals (Forbes - July 2011)
#8 - Best Cities for Families (Parenting - June 2011)
#10 - Fastest Selling Cities in America (Realtor.com - May 2011)
#19 - Healthiest Housing Markets for 2011 (Builder - March 2011)
#1 - America's Most Affordable Cities (Forbes - January 2011)

One of the Best Places to Retire (Forbes - March 2011)
One of America's Lowest-Risk Housing Markets (SmartMoney.com - January 2011)

And it's only August!  Stay tuned to see what other recognitions we receive!

Welcome

Our names are Dave and Debbi Campbell.  Dave is a Realtor in Omaha, Nebraska.  Debbi is working on her license and will soon join us. 

In this blog we will be covering issues like financing and home loans, buyer inspections, listing issues, home inspections, contracts and the Omaha house market.