Death, Debt & Divorce

Death, debt and divorce—one of which is inevitable, the other two having great probability in our lives. I have learned during my 35 years in the real estate business that these are three of the most important issues that must be addressed when folks are buying or especially selling real estate. All three need to be planned for Read more about Death, Debt & Divorce[…]

The 5 Documents You Must Have Before You Die

In the last three years, I have been involved in situations in which a seller of property was physically and/or mentally incapacitated, a spouse or other co-owner had passed away or a person had to make life and death decisions for a loved one. In the majority of cases, provisions had not been made in Read more about The 5 Documents You Must Have Before You Die[…]

1st Quarter Sales Report for Area 41 – Southeast Denton County

In previous issues, we talked about Area 41. If you remember, Southeast Denton County, in REALTOR® vernacular, is called Area 41. Years and years ago, BC (that’s Before Computers), area REALTORS® organized the various real estate markets in the MetroPlex. In doing so, Southeast Denton County became Area 41. (See the map below.) Roughly the boundaries are 35W on the Read more about 1st Quarter Sales Report for Area 41 – Southeast Denton County[…]

10 Easy Spring Cleaning Hints & Updates

Ten easy spring cleaning hints and upgrades—that’s today’s topic. We are almost halfway through the spring season; summer begins June 20. Going by the daily temperatures, I always think that summer begins in May in Texas. (I’m from Minnesota originally.) Using these ten ideas, not much money and just a bit of elbow grease, you Read more about 10 Easy Spring Cleaning Hints & Updates[…]

One of the Reasons I Love America

It’s Monday, already April 16, can you believe it, only 252 days until Christmas (I have an app for the number of days ‘til Christmas on my iPhone, so cool.) But that’s not the topic today. I was listening to my internet radio last week and found out that Grackle Days was happening in Winthrop, Read more about One of the Reasons I Love America[…]

Metes & Bounds while Smoking!

“Go in a westerly direction for the amount of time it takes to smoke two cigarettes while riding a medium-gated horse.” Thus was an early Texan land description that we know today as “metes and bounds.” (measurements and boundaries) The idea behind metes and bounds is to use physical landmarks to identify the extent of Read more about Metes & Bounds while Smoking![…]

How to Save Money on Property Taxes

Property taxes in Texas are due on October 1 and late after January 31st of the following year. Why should we be talking about them now you ask? Because very soon, in the next few weeks, you will receive a notice from the Central Appraisal District (CAD) of the Texas county in which your property Read more about How to Save Money on Property Taxes[…]

Texas Property Taxes Demystified

Property appraisals are soon in the mail so… In many states property taxes are paid in arrears—you pay 2011 taxes in 2012. Not so in Texas. Here’s the timeline. January 1 – Your property is appraised as of January 1st. In order for a home to claim the homestead exemption, the owner must reside in Read more about Texas Property Taxes Demystified[…]

While You Were Sleeping Your Credit Score Dropped!

I have a couple of clients that have credit score problems not of their own making. Seems that their credit card companies decided that they were no longer worthy of a $10,000 line of credit on their card even though they had never been late on a payment nor missed one. So their credit card company just Read more about While You Were Sleeping Your Credit Score Dropped![…]

Should You Refinance?

With the drop in interest rates, many people are again considering refinancing their mortgages. When this thought arises, the next question is always does it make economic sense to “refi” as we say in the industry. 30-year fixed rates this week are in the high 3’s (percents) and 15-year fixed are in the mid 3’s (percents). Read more about Should You Refinance?[…]

Real Estate: Here and There

Just some interesting factoids about real estate this week. Average House Sizes and Occupancy – USA Year Avg. Home Size Sq. Ft. Avg. Household Size-Persons 1950 983 3.37 1960 1,200 3.33 1970 1,400 3.14 2001 1,693 2.58 2006 2,394 2.60 2011 2,135 2.58 For years the average square footage went up while the number of Read more about Real Estate: Here and There[…]