Wednesday, December 13, 2017

An Amazing Blog Post

Wow.
This is it.

This is the moment my website goes viral. 

I should warn the GoDaddy that their servers are about to get overloaded... Here are the new TREC advertising rules for real-estate-ors.  HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS!

These new rules are... [about] clarity of advertisements for consumers with the least restrictions on license holders. ...Senate Bill 2212, ...made changes to the regulations governing advertising for brokers and sales agents, eliminating an age-old law that the advertiser be identified as a broker or agent in all advertising. However, it clarifies that an advertisement is misleading if it fails to include the name of the broker or implies that a sales agent is responsible for the operation of a brokerage...


https://www.trec.texas.gov/article/trecs-advertising-rules-what-you-need-knowhttps://www.trec.texas.gov/article/trecs-advertising-rules-what-you-need-know

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

How much income is enough to buy a mid-priced DFW home?

A mortgage resource website reports that a household in the Metroplex needs more than $59,500 in annual income to qualify for a median-priced house.​  That's roughly $4,100 more than the income needed at the national level.

The study, by HSH.com, is based on a median home price of $249,000 and a 20 percent down payment.​

Finding a $250K home is tough, but it is possible.

Your Broker will matter, a great deal...

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Staging: Setting the Stage

 

World Class Mortgage Officer, Joe Boggs of Supreme Lending tell us how to take the mystery out of staging a home to sell:


Joe BoggsRemember the last time you visited a new home development? How did you feel touring the model? Usually, pleasant memories come to mind about how well the home looked. That's because it was "showcased" properly.
Home showcasing is not about remodeling, fixing up or making your home look sterile. Instead, it focuses on simple steps to make your home show like a model without spending a lot of money. The secret is setting the stage, which helps potential buyers imagine themselves and their families at home in your "home for sale."
Strip Down and Build Up
The first step is to clear the set. Take out extraneous furniture, decorations, pictures, etc. Take each room down to its most basic form, opening up the living space as much as possible. Then build it back up to the way you want it to look, as simple as possible, and without clutter.
Make the strip-down process simpler by stowing packed boxes in a staging area like the garage, or by renting a storage space to hold extra furnishings while your home is on the market. In essence, pack up early.
Props
When building the set, try to make each room tell a story. Help potential buyers see themselves in each room. A clever arrangement of props will make it easy for buyers to imagine writing a letter at the desk in the kitchen, clicking on the television and enjoying a bowl of popcorn, turning on the stove and preparing a holiday repast.
Themes for a room can help you narrow down how to display it. You can, of course, stage the room as you use it now, or choose a particular motif, i.e. Southwestern, country style, international. Or you could pick an activity to illustrate on your stage, i.e., relaxed office or library, gourmet cooking, resort or vacation living. What would you like to do in that room? Place the props needed for those activities throughout the room.
Lighting
Lots of lights open up a room and give it a larger appearance. If you've been using 50-watt bulbs, move up to 100 watts. If a large living room has only one lamp, move in another. Open curtains and add mirrors. When it's being shown, the home should be bright. It makes your home look like it's in center stage.
Do Your Homework
Ask what buyers are looking for in your community. What are they saying about the homes they don't buy? And what is it about the homes that are selling that make them so popular? By determining your ideal target buyer, you will better understand how to merchandise your home. Our experience in your specific neighborhood can help you answer all these questions and more.
Aroma Therapy
Almost as important as how a home looks is how it smells. Ask a close friend to walk through your home—objectively—and take a whiff here and there. Are there any offensive odors? Is it too perfumy? Too drab? Stale? Musty? Are there pet odors (which should be fixed—not covered up)? What can you do to impress potential buyers with aroma therapy?
When it comes time to sell your home, you'll want to work with a real estate professional who knows all aspects of the selling process—including showcasing. Call us today to talk about how we can help you display your home to sell for the best possible price!

 Email J.T. for a "backstage pass" to staging your home to sell... jt@jtoden.net

Friday, October 27, 2017

73-acre Stacy Green gets green light 

​​​
Steve Brown with the Dallas Morning News ​​reported that the Allen City council has approved​ the development of the 73-acre Stacy Green mixed-use project at the southwest corner of US 75 and Stacy Rd.
The project ​will include over 600 rental units and 500,000 sf of office, commercial, and retail space. A theater and hotels are also planned. 

A 13-acre greenbelt and park along Cottonwood Creek will be dedicated to the city but maintained by the developer. 

Provident Realty Advisors and Glaser Retail worked on the plans for 18 months. GFF and Architecture Demarest did design and renderings. Stream Realty Partners is working on the office component. 

The site is one of the last remaining pieces of the old Stacy family farm.

Monday, October 16, 2017

West Dallas is Getting some more Apartments


Steve Brown, real Estate Editor at the Dallas Morning News Says that Toll Brothers has purchased four acres at the northeast corner of W. Commerce and Pittman Streets.  A seven-story, 280-unit rental community is planned on the site, which is currently occupied by an industrial building. 


"The community will break ground in June 2018, with initial deliveries scheduled for winter of 2019," Toll Brothers' John Piedrahita said.  Davidson Bogel Real Estate brokered the deal. 

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Buckner Senior Living kicks off North Dallas towers

Senior Citizen
The Elderly
Old Folks
Geezers

Whatever you call them (soon, 'us') they are big business.  With home values skyrocketing, why wouldn't we see an uptick in multifamily construction?  In fact, the industry has been growing for decades at a strong pace.  But if Mom and Dad can sell their house they paid $60,000 for in 1962 for half a million dollars, why not?  But where will they live?  They won't go buy another house at these crazy prices.  I know, a brand new senior-living high rise! 

Steve Brown with the (Dallas Morning News) says that construction starts this week on a two-tower seniors residential development across the street from NorthPark Center.


The $136 million Ventana development at the southwest corner of US 75 and Northwest Hwy. will have over 225 independent- and assisted-living apartments as well as memory-care, skilled-nursing, and rehabilitation facilities.

Ventana is scheduled to open in mid-2019.

D2 Architecture designed the two 12-story towers. Whiting-Turner is the general contractor. Buckner Retirement Services will operate the community.​

Makes sense to me.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Rockwall Lakeside Harbor Development Sold

En Fuego.

Many say that En Fuego is the cornerstone of The Harbor retail and entertainment development in Rockwall, TX.  The lake, the expensive boats, the best cigar lounge east of Murphy... and a lot of vacant stores.

That's what I remember.

Well, according to Steve Brown, Real Estate Editor at the Dallas MorningNews, Dallas-based PegasusAblon ​​has bought The Harbor development on Lake Ray Hubbard with plans to upgrade the property.

The purchase includes the 130,000-sf retail and restaurant portion as well as land for future ​construction.  The retail development at 2125 Summer Lee Dr., which includes a Cinemark Theater, is about 80 percent leased.

I hope it's a boost to The Harbor.  En Fuego can only do so much... or maybe they can do it all?
 ​