Thursday, November 30, 2006

Dallas Cowboys New Stadium Aerial Photo & Video


They didn't want you to see it, saying they were concerned about terrorists. But now we can finally show you what the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington will look like.




Sunday, November 26, 2006

Arlington one of the safest markets to buy a home!

We have one of the safest markets to puchase a home in according to the PMI Group. These communities the private mortgage industry thinks will show the safest places to buy without fear of a loss of value.

Pittsburgh, 6.1 percent
Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind., 6.3 percent
Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark., 6.8 percent
Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.-Ind., 7.2 percent
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio, 7.4 percent
Columbus, Ohio, 7.4 percent
Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (MSAD), 7.6 percent
San Antonio, Texas, 7.8 percent
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn., 8.6 percent
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas, 8.8 percent

The percentage is the probability determined by the PMI Institute that housing prices in that market sector will go down 10 percent or more in the next two years. Pittsburghs chance of losing 10 percent is 6.1 percent making the city the safest investment according to the PMI Group.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Tips for 1st Time Investors

When starting out as a real estate investor, you can choose either the conservative approach of holding a property until it increases in value or the riskier approach of "flipping" - reselling very soon after making some improvements that add value. If you plan on taking the safer approach, keep the following factors in mind when searching for the right investment property.Look for a house or apartment unit that is close to where you live, so inspecting the property and overseeing maintenance will be easier. Choose an area where there is clear potential for future development, and you will benefit from the inevitable increase in property values. If you have the choice of either buying a newly built or recently remodeled home or a less expensive house in the same neighborhood that needs a cosmetic makeover, buy the bargain property and upgrade it for a better long-term return on your investment.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Understanding the Sales Contract

When you are selling a home, the most important part of the transaction occurs after you have found a buyer. If your property is being marketed professionally, the real estate agent will put together the purchase offer and present it to you. Each local Board of Realtors has standard contract forms which reflect the legal requirements of the jurisdiction in which you live. These contracts include the sales price, financing contingencies, completion deadlines, and other items that are required in order to meet local government requirements. You may find that trying to sell your own home in order to save the brokerage fee is false economy. Real estate sales are complicated, and a slight variation in language can sometimes cost you a sale and/or a lot of money. Many of our listings came from sellers who thought their homes were sold, only to lose the buyers at the last minute--on a technicality!

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

New Map Based Property Search! The Best Tool for Buyers Searching for homes in Arlington Texas

Wow, if only I had this service when I was searching for homes this spring. The Don Lawyer Real Estate Team has an amazing tool that allows buyers to search for homes by selecting neighborhoods on a map. It is so simple and useful and far exceeds other neighborhood searches. The difference between this neighborhood search and the numerous sites other agents offer is this: You can visually see on the Arlington Area map all the homes listed in the section you selected. Simply draw a box over the map in the area you are interested in. If it is a broad section you will see little dots (more than 100 homes in the area you selected,) and as you zoom in on your selection, the homes are represented by little home icons. Most real estate websites offer maps that allow you to click on the neighborhood and add it to your search list, but they do not actually show the homes listed in relation to each other or their location on the map. The best way to understand this Map-Based Property search is to try it out at www.tarrantcountylistings.com. An email address is necessary to log-in to the site, but once you are there it is easy to use. The website also has features that allow you to maximize your search by naming price range, number of bedrooms and additional categories. Once you find a home of interest and you click on the details box if will take you to an in-depth page with photos, features and public school information. There will also be options to register and save the search, make an appointment to view the property, or sign up to receive emails of listings as they come on the market. This Map-Based Property search is the best tool for buyers searching for properties in specific locations!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006