Get to Know Your Neighborhood.

My friend Joe Boggs of Supreme Lending showed me this is a neat tool to use to get to know your present or future neighborhood.

Get the inside scoop on your neighborhood--or any neighborhood--and see data about everything from schools to household income. It all starts by clicking here.



http://newsletter.homeactions.net/archive/full_article/5664/2473992/909581/53

Recognize these Famous Movie Houses?

Can you correctly identify all of these
 famous movie houses?  I only got 7 out of 16!

Here's a hint for this one, say the name three times!

Real Estate Auctions. Going once, going twice....

Follow my friend Joe Bogg's link here and read all about Auctions...

 

Real Estate: Getting A Deal At Auction...

Certainly, auctions let you acquire valuable properties at a low price. For example, the National Association of Realtors estimated foreclosed homes were selling at a 14 percent discount in the final quarter of 2014.
And while everyone loves a deal, foreclosures represent only a small fraction of all the properties listed for sale in any market.

You might find an even better bargain among the properties that aren't foreclosures.  Auctions can be complicated, emotional and financially risky. Here are five tips ...

Your Broker Matters (TM)

Yeah... it's like that.

"Net Neutrality" and Real Estate

REALTORS Real estate wins with federal rule prohibiting fast & slow lanes on the Internet. http://t.co/UnOj7K4HTF #NetNeutrality 3/13/15, 10:30 AM

My concern here is truly apolitical. 


I strongly disagree. Federal Gov. interference will make the net a mess!
You know that mountain of forest-decimating paperwork you have to go through when you buy a house?  Well, Lawyers and plaintiffs are mostly to blame, the rest of the fault for the deforestation and hand cramps you see at a closing rests on the shoulders of the government.

Ever heard of the real estate crash of 2006-2007?  Want to know who was the main contributor to that popping bubble?  The Federal Government.  Now the Feds want to regulate access and speed and content on the internet.  As REALTORS(R) we have first hand experience with the Fed. Gov. NOT improving things when they increase their involvement. Advocates for the federal restrictions cite "fairness to companies that can't afford it."  Regulation via the FCC is a terrible idea and not at all a free-market solution.

Of note is that FCC commissioner Michael O’Rielly voted against the FCC's plan and called it “monumentally flawed”


Finally, did ReMax, Ebby, Keller Williams, Coldwell Banker, etc. get where they are through innovation, struggle, and character in a free market environment or through propping up by the gov. and under the thumb of federal control?”

I said this was an apolitical issue for me.  But it has a strong philosophical or world-view elements behind it.  If you believe in a zero-sum world, if you suffer from Tall Poppy Syndrome, then yeah, you'll love net-neutrality.  But since when does a fervently entrepreneurial group like the National Association of REALTORS(R) think like that?  If that was our mantra, there would be no real estate professionals... period.

If JTOden Realty has a huge presence on the web it should be because we worked hard to achieve it.  Invested lots to get us there, etc.  This isn't a "You didn't Build that" political jaw.  I know the government is responsible for infrastructure and communication to a degree and that's cool.  But cutting off the tall poppies because you think it's the fair thing to do to the short poppies is immoral, foolish, and frankly un-American.

Prior to becoming British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher explained her philosophy to an American audience as "let your poppies grow tall" --Wikipedia.

Gap Year? How about instead you get a RE License?

Very off-topic for this little blog.  However, my friend posted this on FB and I thought it worthy.  It is germane to real estate in the sense that I wish I'd started my RE career earlier.  After high school as an intern, assistant, etc?  You bet.  I wish I'd gone to Texas A&M with the sole purpose of discovering the Real Estate Center.

Anyway, here's my friend's inspiring post, and the link to the article to which she refers:

2015 Safest Places in Texas Study -- Value Penguin

Hey, you can't argue with a penguin, right?

2015 Safest Places in Texas

How do the many cities of the Lone Star State fare in terms of safety? Our team has taken the most recent FBI Crime Report to determine how safe Texas cities are relative to each other. The 210 cities ranged in score from 175 to nearly 4,400. Generally, the larger cities ranked worse than cities with fewer residents, after accounting for population. The state capital ranked in the bottom 20 and Houston came in last. Take a look at the report for more insights:

The Top 5 Safest Places in Texas

Most of our top five cities are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The average adjusted crime score for our top five places was 237.07, 83% more favorable than the typical town in Texas according to our methodology. Most of the cities had populations less than 20,000, with the notable exception being Colleyville, which has approximately 25,000 residents.

1. Murphy, TX

Located in northeastern Texas, Murphy takes our top spot with an adjusted crime score of 175.04. Its extremely low rate of violent crime—21 per 100,000 people—earns it the first spot on our list. Murphy is far and away our first place town, beating out second place by about 55 points.

• Adjusted Crime Score: 175.04
• Population: 19,347

 Read the rest of ValuePenguin's report here... http://www.valuepenguin.com/2015-safest-cities-texas-study

More Luxury Living Lined Up for Plano (DBJ)

(Dallas Business Journal) – After facing some opposition, the 484,000-sf One Haggard Place residential tower has the green light.

The 109-residence development will be at the corner of W. Spring Creek Pkwy. and Parkwood Blvd. The 20-story tower will anchor the Haggard Farm development.

Condos will range from 1,420 to 4,800 sf in one- to three-bedroom units. Penthouses are planned that can be configured from 8,000 sf to 16,000 sf.

The project could add an estimated $140 million to the tax rolls of the City of Plano, Plano Independent School District and Collin County.

Visions5 is developing the property. The designer is GDA Architects. Austin Commercial is the general contractor. Construction is scheduled to start by the end of this fall. 

 --Candace Carlisle, Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

Once a Week Watering in Murphy

Ok, this is a good thing...

Bonus watering for Murphy Residents!

Posted on: August 22, 2014 by Office of the City of Murphy

 Residents and businesses in Murphy are scheduled for yet another bonus watering day during the week of Aug. 25 as the City temporarily suspends the twice-monthly watering schedule, says City Manager James Fisher.

... “Allowing the additional day gives us a chance to keep the water in our system moving, and that’s important for a number of reasons.”
Residents with addresses ending in an odd number may water on Monday, Aug. 25, a day that is not on the schedule for them. And, residents with addresses ending in an even number may water on Wednesday, Aug. 27, a day that would normally not be one during which watering was allowed.


“These bonus days do not negate the need to maintain the proper watering times,” added Fisher. Watering is prohibited after 10 a.m. or before 6 p.m. to avoid the hottest part of the day during which evaporation is most likely.  Stage 3 seasonal restrictions, which limit watering to twice a month, are in place until Oct. 31. These restrictions apply to all automatic sprinkler systems.

While water conservation is critically important, Fisher says that the effects of using less water results in placing the City of Murphy in the unusual position of having water linger in the storage system longer than normal.  “We need to move the water in our storage system to maintain the system at its peak level of efficiency,” he said. “The residents and businesses in Murphy have done what we’ve asked, and that has put us in this position. We’re actually pleased to give something back for their support of our water conservation efforts.”

Watering restrictions are available for review online at the Customer Service page (and below in this blog)

Murphy, TX Water Restrictions

We got a cool little postcard in May... I don't think I was one for the end of summer.  Since we are in these restrictions apparently until Noah builds another ark, here's the city's guide to keeping you from getting a fine!

Murphy Fine water use water restrictions City of Murphy code water 75094 restrictions

Keeping Your Documents Safe (Backup often and offsite and with security)

Terrible Real Estate Agent Photos

This is a fantastic web page.  Love it!

http://terriblerealestateagentphotos.com/