If you don’t see the video above, click here.

Reduced to only $70,000, it’s a prime property for an investor looking for 3 bedroom units to add to their inventory.  Contact the West Bank Living Team for your private showing today.

I was recently contacted by someone who was curious about the differences in the sales market vs the rental market on the West Bank, so I put together the following information:

Available rental units on the West Bank

West Bank - Leased properties for 2009 (from 1/1/2009 through 7/13/2009)

As always, the individual neighborhood plays a large part in the ability to command a higher rent.  If you are interested in leasing your home, contact the West Bank Living Team for a precise analysis of the best price range based on your home’s location and amenities.  Our goal is to put you in the market, not on it.

But as we drove down River Road, we saw a sign for Nine Mile Point Nursery and figured we would stop in and just take a quick look around.  The small sign at the road leading in said that their hours were “When the gate is open”. 

Well, the gate was wide open, so we swung in and began creeping down a winding dirt and gravel road that cut through the trees.  Had it not been for more signs that let us know we were on the right path, we wouldn’t have believed that there was anything more to see than sun dappled trees.

At the end of the road, we came into a clearing with 4 greenhouses, a pickup truck and a single man weeding out potted palms.  I didn’t expect much when we got out of the car, but it would have been rude to just turn around and leave without taking a look at what they had to offer.  So, we climbed out and were greeted by the owner of the nursery, Brad Naberschnig, who told us that he specializes in gingers and exotic palms.

I initially was a little disappointed, thinking that I wouldn’t find anything that I really liked.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Those 4 greenhouses were filled with some of the most beautiful tropical plants I’ve ever seen, including types that I had never laid eyes on before. 

As we began to wander through and ask questions about the variety of plants, Brad fell into step with us, guiding us through the different species, explaining how to propagate pineapple plants and giving us the names and care instructions for each one we considered purchasing.

The beautiful blooms were just breathtaking and so different from anything you’ll ever find at one of those do it yourself stores where they don’t know how to care for the plants, much less explain them to a customer.

Some of the specimens were even a little scary looking!  This big one below, that I cannot remember the name of, had a trunk covered in little spiky thorns, designed to protect it in the wild from animals that think it’s a good lunch in it’s native habitat.

What I originally thought was just vegetation on the property turned out to have a purpose with a closer look.  Brad, who is a licensed horticulturalist and landscape contractor, grows his own banana trees, palm trees and other large tropical plants on the grounds, using them in his landscaping business.

The more we walked and talked, the more I oohed and aahed over it all.  Imagine my surprise when I asked how long the nursery had been there and the answer was the late 1800s!

It turns out that the nursery sits on the grounds of the Magnolia Lane Plantation, which has been owned by the Naberschnig family since 1867.  Brad’s great-grandfather, Frances Quinette, purchased the plantation and shortly afterwards established the first plant nursery in Jefferson Parish.  During this same time, he introduced the first St. Augustine sod, strawberries and citrus plants to Louisiana.  Brad told me that the old timers at the Strawberry Festival in Pontchatoula scoff at the strawberry claim, but that’s the story that has been handed down for generations.  The plantation was completely self-sufficient, with the first school in Jefferson Parish, it’s own church and even a small grocery store. 

Remnants of original buildings still stand on the plantation grounds today.

Frances Quinette’s nursery was the supplier of the oak trees that now line St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans.  They were dug up from the grounds of the plantation, hauled by mule to the river and then shipped on barges to the East Bank.  There still exists a 350 year old oak tree on the property that became known as The Hanging Tree during the Civil War.  In the course of the war, the plantation was taken over by troops from the North, but luckily escaped from being burned like so many others were.

Continuing to walk and talk, Brad brought us up to the grounds of the house and allowed us to look around and experience a little of the history that he gets to live every day.  Although the roof was replaced after Katrina and air conditioning has been added, the majority of the interior is original.

The plantation has been the set of many movies, most recently The Bad Lieutenant starring Nicholas Cage, along with a string of horror movies that sought to take advantage of the mystique that comes from a southern home surrounded by trees dripping with Spanish moss.  

Although Brad’s grandmother used to allow tours of the home, today it is a private residence, where the family still sleeps in mosquito netted beds in rooms with walls made from mud moss and deer hair.  The view of their acres of land comes through one of the 880 original hand blown glass window panes that remain in the house.

The bottle tree is said to ward away evil spirits

The original kitchen building still houses the fireplace and many of the items used by cooks in the late 1800s.   With a dust covered wood floor and one single window, I can only imagine how hot it must have been to prepare meals in this little room.

As we made our way back towards the nursery, we passed what I thought was a well, but it turned out to be the original plantation refrigerator – a deep, underground storage space that kept foods cool.  Someone (someone small, I would think) was lowered into the room to store and retrieve food as needed.

We continued our walk through a clearing behind the house and got a peek into one of the best hiding places on the grounds…a clearing inside the walls of a bamboo stand  that has soared towards the clouds for at least 3 generations.  When the wind is blowing, the clack clack sounds of bamboo ring out across the property.

Finally making our way back to our car, we decided on our two favorite plants and loaded them into the back of the car, with a promise for a return visit when we are ready to add to the landscape.

Who would have thought that a simple sign on the road would have led us to an afternoon filled with Louisiana history?   Thank you, Brad, for a delightful visit and tour and for sharing your family’s history with us.

Taking the road less traveled certainly has benefits.

Nine Mile Point Nursery Farm is located at 2141 River Road in Nine Mile Point.  Usually open after 4pm in the evenings and all day on the weekends, you can call ahead (504-436-4915) to be sure.

Magnolia Lane Plantation is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is closed to the public.

57 homes for sale

• High list price $1,700,000
• Low list price $125,000
• Average list price $405,810
• Median list price $325,000

6 pending sales, priced from $145,000 to $399,900

Based on the number of homes sold in June (8), there is a 7 month supply of homes for sale in Belle Chasse

Belle Chasse LA 70037 – Number of Homes Sold – June 2009

The 2nd quarter of 2009 showed some promise for Belle Chasse, with the number of homes sold holding steady with those from the 2nd quarter of 2008 (21 homes sold during both time frames).  Year to date, there have been 31 successful home sales in the area, compared to 44 at the same time last year.

What sold in Belle Chasse?

Belle Chasse LA 70037 – Average Home Sale Price – June 2009

While it may look like prices in Belle Chasse are taking a big dive from 2008, in my opinion they are finally stabilizing right in between the 2005-2006 averages.  The $250-275k price range has always been the most popular in the area, especially for incoming military transfers to NAS JRB and we are seeing that reflected in this years sales.

For those in the higher price ranges, in 2009 there have been 6 sales between $300-$399k, 4 sales between $400-420k and one sale over $500k, making up approximately 1/3 of the Belle Chasse market.  It’s important to note that these higher end sales were all of homes that were less than 13 years old, with the majority of them being around 4 or 5 years old.

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Reading:
Why Do A Pre-inspection When Selling Your  West Bank Home?
Real Estate Talk for Sellers
Get this week’s free Belle Chasse market snapshot

Find a Home:
Belle Chasse homes for sale
West Bank Homes for Sale

You’d never know from the tall, skinny building, the location and even the casual sounding name that you were entering a fine dining establishment.  Featuring white linens, a professional wait staff that knew the ins and outs of the entire menu and chefs that have worked in some of the finest restaurants New Orleans has to offer, this is a gem on the West Bank.

We were welcomed by the owner when we entered and made to feel as if we were the only guests.  That couldn’t be farther from the truth though, since at lunchtime there was not an empty seat in the house by noon.  Despite the fact that it’s not a very large dining room, the noise level was never overwhelming, allowing the group I was with to hold a conversation with ease.  The lighting is soft and warm, giving the feeling that you’ve stepped out of the rat race for a little while and allowing you to relax while enjoying your meal.

And the food….oh, the food….

We started our lunch with the Fried Green Tomatoes Napoleon appetizer ($9).  Filled with shrimp remoulade and surrounded by a roasted red pepper puree, it was an excellent way to kick off our meal, and was so good that I ordered it again on my return trip for dinner.

I don’t usually eat very heavy foods at lunch, so we all stuck to salads.  Not to worry, these were entree sized plates filled with deliciousness and just begging to be photographed.

On the left is the Steak and Spinach Salad made with shaved prime rib, sautéed Vidalia onions, feta cheese and roasted red peppers ($12) and on the right is the Cajun Cobb Salad, breaking tradition with the addition of crawfish tails and smoked gouda cheese ($13).  I had the Cobb Salad and it was absolutely wonderful.

On the left is the grilled tuna sandwich topped with avocado, sprouts and aioli ($14) and on the right is the Tomato & Crab Salad that included avocado and was full of beautiful lump crab meat ($12).

As we all tasted from each other’s plates, it became apparent that there was not a mediocre dish on the table.  On my return trip last week for dinner I forgot my camera :(, but thoroughly enjoyed the filet (which was cooked perfectly) and the house Riesling was a reasonably priced wine to go along with it.

I can’t believe that O’Briens has been open for over a year and I’ve been missing out on it simply because of the location.  Don’t make the same mistake!

O’Briens Grille is located at 2020 Belle Chasse Highway in Gretna.  Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (504) 391-7229.

Let us know if you loved it as much as we did…

Developed just after WWII, the original Aurora Gardens homes were typically small (700 to 900 square feet) 2 bedroom, 1 bath ranchers on large lots.  Over time, most of the homes have had additions made to them to enlarge their size.  As Algiers grew over the years, and homes spread to the north side of Woodland Highway (New Aurora), the neighborhood became known locally as Old Aurora.

Most of the homes in Old Aurora were built in the 1950s and 1960s, but there are pockets of newer homes on Kingston Court, Brighton Place and Oxford Place.  Additionally, some of the homes that fell into disrepair have been razed and replaced by new construction.  Who could blame a buyer for wanting a lot with an average size of about 1/4 of an acre?

Home prices in Old Aurora run the gamut, from under $50,000 for a lot or a home that’s ready to be razed, to over $175,000 for one of the newer or renovated homes.  It’s an affordable area of the West Bank, and the commute to the New Orleans Central Business District is under 10 miles to any part of downtown.  Also nearby are NSA New Orleans (Federal City), NAS JRB New Orleans, the beautiful campus of Our Lady of Holy Cross College and a huge selection of churches and places of worship.

Algiers Charter Schools
New Orleans Public Schools
New Orleans Parochial Schools
Our Lady of Holy Cross College

Algiers homes for sale

For more information about living in Old Aurora, a list of available properties or a tour of the neighborhood, contact the West Bank Living Team today.

Named one of the top 5 “must see” firework displays in the U.S., there will be dueling pyrotechnic barges on the river at 9 pm on Independence Day.  The extravaganza is visible for miles, so if you’re on the West Bank, just head to the levee in Algiers or Gretna and you can catch the show close to home.  Bring your radio and tune in to Magic 101.9 or WWL AM or WWL FM for a simulcast of one of the most unique celebrations in the country.  Stuck at home or work?  Go to WWL.com for an online simulcast as well!

Starting at 3 pm on Saturday, there will be food, drinks, music and fun all along the riverfront on the East Bank.   The Aquarium and Insectarium will both be offering discounted admission fees (click here for a coupon) for an escape from the heat.  The French Market fun starts even earlier in the day, when Dutch Alley, on the corner of St. Phillip and Decatur, will be filled with live music beginning at 11 am.  Hot dogs, lemonade, a watermelon tasting and even a screening of the movie Satchmo  - so much to do in one short day!

Go 4th on the River schedule
Go 4th on the River map and parking information

No matter what your plans are, be sure to take a minute to remember our soldiers…the ones from the past that made this holiday possible and the brave men and women who continue to defend our freedom every day.  Even better, take a few minutes and adopt a soldier and let him or her know how much we appreciate everything they do.

Happy 4th of July from the West Bank Living Team!

Available for occupancy in mid-July, 10 Seaward Court is tucked into The Villas of Aurora in Algiers.  Just off General Meyer, this small, private neighborhood is close to NAS JRB New Orleans, NSA New Orleans (future Federal City) and a quick commute to downtown.

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Walking distance to the levee, you can watch ships sailing on the Mississippi River from the covered front porch that is just begging for a rocking chair and an ice cold glass of tea.

• 3 bedrooms
• 2 baths
• High ceilings and wood floors
• Formal dining room
• Large family room
• All appliances, including washer and dryer, furnished

Offered at $1,600 per month, 10 Seaward Court is pet friendly for an additional deposit.  To request an application or private tour, please contact the West Bank Living Team today.

Do you have questions about the Algiers real estate market? The West Bank Living Team provides local, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers on the West Bank of New Orleans and military personnel relocating to and from NAS JRB New Orleans. It would be our pleasure to assist you with all of your real estate needs.

This evening, WDSU news ran a story about what neighborhoods are the fastest growing in the city.  Among them – Algiers Point, right here on the West Bank.  From the on air segment, the impression was given that the community is one of the booming areas of the city.  I’m sure that the home sellers who have been not-so-patiently waiting for buyers for their homes would beg to differ.

Click here for the report from the WDSU site

So, I dug a little deeper and found the entire report from the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.  Turns out that they are basing this recovery boast on information from the US Postal Service documenting the number of households receiving mail.

It seems pretty reasonable to me that as people continue to return to the city, the number of homes getting mail will increase. 

What I don’t understand is how the media manages to spin an increase in mail deliveries into Algiers Point being one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city.  This type of misguided cheerleading just makes it even harder to break the news to a home owner that there is almost a 2 year supply of homes for sale in the Point and that the odds of being one of this month’s few lucky sellers are not good.

I wonder if Norman or Kriss is in the market for a great Victorian?

Do you have questions about the Algiers real estate market?  The West Bank Living Team provides local, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers on the West Bank of New Orleans and military personnel relocating to and from NAS JRB New Orleans. It would be our pleasure to assist you with all of your real estate needs.

New on the market and priced at only $148,000, this 5 year young house is waiting for a new owner to come along and make it a home again.

• 3 bedrooms
  2 baths
  1,165 square feet living area
  Large backyard with room to add a pool, gazebo or play area

Sparkling clean, with new carpet and fresh paint, it’s perfect for buyers who are looking to take advantage of the first time home buyer’s tax credit before it expires on November 30th.

Interested in seeing more?  Visit 2708 Bayou Cane for more photos, details and community information, then contact the West Bank Living Team to make your appointment today!

Do you have questions about the Marrero real estate market?  Are you considering buying or selling a home? The West Bank Living Team provides local, professional real estate services to home buyers and sellers on the West Bank of New Orleans and military personnel relocating to and from NAS JRB New Orleans. It would be our pleasure to assist you with all of your real estate needs.