I still can’t figure out $1 house
|
But how about the deal worked last week by our esteemed County Executive Kenneth Rogers. The man bought a house — and I’m talking about a nice house with a big yard and a garage — for the price of $1. Yes $1.
Last time I bought a cold drink from Village Amoco, it cost me $1.09 and I guzzled that sucker down in about three minutes. If I only had the same connections as the county executive, I could have saved myself 9 cents and bought a house.
By now most of us have seen those TV commercials where people like Terry Bradshaw, Emmitt Smith and even the character Alf are saying how you can’t get anything for $1 anymore. It’s about that time a voice chimes in that tells us you can get 20 minutes of long distance for $1 if you punch in a bunch of weird numbers before you dial.
Judging by the events of last week, that commercial needs to be tossed in the trash. Forget 20 minutes of long distance. Nowadays you can buy a house for $1.
Since the story broke in Friday’s edition, the most common question I’ve been asked is this: “How in the world do you buy a house for $1?” I don’t entirely understand the situation myself, but I will summarize to the best of my ability:
• Through a HUD foreclosure, a house in Warren County went up for bids.
• Based on some sort of jurisdiction rules, Warren County government was the only entity allowed to bid on the property.
• With that in mind, Kenneth realized he could get the house for the low bid of $1 because there was no one to bid against him. Hence he bid $1 and was awarded the house.
I am now pleased to report that Kenneth has agreed to sell the house to me for $5 and make a 500 percent profit. OK, I’m only joking, but I want the record to show that I would gladly pay $5 for that house.
As for other news of the odd, strange and curious variety, I want to slip in this quick story before this week’s Business Pulse gets under way. It’s the story of a 7-year-old Labrador retriever who did a doggone good job of finding himself medical attention.
The dog, apparently struck by a car, was badly injured but he managed to drag himself to a hospital emergency room to seek treatment. That’s right. The dog hobbled his way to a hospital.
After his injury, the dog found his way to Beckly Appalachian Regional Hospital in West Virginia. It was there he hobbled through sliding glass doors at the emergency room and waited for assistance. Not only is this dog smart, but he is also polite.
“It’s the darndest thing,” said hospital spokesman Ted Weigel. “The dog limped in and laid down where people could see it. It seemed to know exactly where to go for help.”
In a sad sidenote, the dog didn’t have proper health insurance and the hospital refused to treat him. Only kidding. That sort of stuff only happens to humans, not cute dogs.
With that said, now it’s time for Business Pulse.
Country store transforms into a sports bar
I have to admire Scott Garing. His idea of owning a country store out in Rock Island wasn’t exactly working out so Scott was smart enough to shift gears and open what is called New York Grill. Now he’s got a super nice sports bar with TVs all around the dining room and great food to boot. It’s a combination that’s hard to beat.
“We’ve been here four years trying to figure out where to go and now we’ve found it,” said Scott. “The country store wasn’t enough of a force to make people stop when they’re driving by at 70 mph. Now with the sandwiches and food I have here, people are coming from Chattanooga, Cookeville, Sparta and certainly from McMinnville.”
In addition to a dining room that features six TVs, including a 65-inch, high-definition big screen, Scott has a menu that will bring people back for more. He says favorites are his homemade pasta, crablegs, hotwings and sandwiches such as the rueben and Philly cheese steak.
“I have a real chef who makes all my food fresh,” said Scott. “And it’s me and my three children who run the place. We take a little more pride in our own food and in our customer service than a guy who works at O’Charley’s who doesn’t care if you come back or not.”
Scott says the big screen is tuned in to the Vols and Commodores on Saturdays. On Sundays he is sure to have on a Titans game or a NASCAR race, whichever the crowd wants.
On Monday nights, he is heavily promoting Monday Night Football and he says the crowd has been growing every week.
“There have only been two Monday Night Football weeks so far,” said Scott. “On the first week, I think we had about 12 people in here. The second week, we had about 30 or 35. It takes people a little while to catch on to what we’re doing so maybe we will have a whole lot more for this third week coming up.”
If you want to give New York Grill a try, I highly recommend it. Take Sparta Highway out past Gribble’s Landing and turn right just before the bridge. The phone number is 686-3535.
Rickey Elkins buys Jake’s Auction House
Rickey Elkins knows a thing or two when it comes to running an auction house. He’s been the auctioneer at Jake’s Auction for the last four years.
So it might have been only natural for Rickey to buy Jake’s Auction House when owner Jake Jacobs needed to sell it. I am sad to report that Jake is in declining health and is no longer in good enough shape to run it himself.
Speaking from the heart, I wish Jake the best. I spent many Friday nights at his auction house watching the excitement of pro wrestling come right into my lap. Any for anyone wondering, my lap is a little closer than I like the action to come.
But it’s Rickey’s show to run now and I’m sure he will do a top-notch job. Rickey has continued the tradition of Saturday night auctions, but he says wrestling will no longer take place at what is now Elkins Auction House.
“We have a big crowd on Saturday nights,” said Rickey. “It starts at 6:30 p.m. and we usually have between 100 and 150 people in here for the auction. We sell anything and everything.”
In addition to his Saturday night auctions, Rickey also holds an antique sale the first Friday of each month.
Also of note is the fact Rickey plans to sell his real estate office currently located behind Shoney’s. He will be moving that office to the location of his auction house on Smithville Highway, which is just past Gateway Tire.
Asked why he is suddenly hitting the auction business so hard, Rickey didn’t hesitate.
“I just love digging in junk,” he said. “I don’t know if I’m crazy or what but that’s what I like.”
If you want to check out Rickey’s new place, Saturday night is the time. His phone number is 668-8040.
That’s all folks
Don’t forget that I’m always anxious to hear about business news. Last week a lady was kind enough to tell me that Jake’s Auction House had sold and — presto — it’s in the paper this week. That’s amazing.
Give me a call with your business news. The phone number is 473-2191.