The latest sales statistics are in for Arlington and Mansfield

Just go to http://recenter.tamu.edu/mls/ntreis/Nov06/table1YTD.html

Cowboy's New home will have futuristic look

The curved glass skin will give the stadium a silvery tint depending on the time of day. Two steel arches -- spanning a quarter mile and reaching more than 300 feet above the field -- will anchor the roof to give the stadium a sleek appearance. And, of course, the hole in the roof is reminiscent of the one in Texas Stadium. But this hole will come with two retractable covers, letting events below take place indoors or outdoors.
"There is not an enclosed stadium in the world really that achieves this level of architectural expression," said Bryan Trubey, lead architect at HKS. "It's very important as a building in addition to being an important stadium."

HOW IT BEGAN

By the time it opens in 2009, the new Dallas Cowboys stadium will have been more than a decade in the making. Here's how events have unfolded.

1994: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he wants to expand the 65,000-seat Texas Stadium by up to 40,000 seats, add retractable roof panels and install a climate-control system to make the stadium a year-round venue for sporting events, including the Super Bowl; concerts; and conventions.

1997 - 2000: The Cowboys hold preliminary talks with Arlington officials about building a stadium there. The team also publicly discusses a $260 million plan to upgrade Texas Stadium.

In 2000, the Cowboys compile a list of potential stadium sites, which include Grapevine, Coppell and Arlington. The team continue negotiating with Irving to renovate Texas Stadium.

2001: Jones says Arlington is a leading contender for a $500 million stadium. The primary site being considered is the 2,000-acre Lakes of Arlington tract on Farm Road 157. Other cities in the running include Grapevine and Grand Prairie. In October, Jones discusses the new stadium with the mayors of Arlington, Irving, Grapevine and Dallas.

2003: The Cowboys ask the Irving City Council to extend their lease at Texas Stadium, which expires at the end of the 2008 season, on a year-to-year basis. They narrow their search to sites in Las Colinas and Dallas, and state legislators file bills that would allow Dallas County to increase its hotel-occupancy and car-rental taxes to pay for a new stadium.

2004: In April, the Cowboys announce plans to build a $650 million stadium at Fair Park in Dallas. The deal requires $425 million in public financing from a 3 percent hotel-occupancy tax and a 6 percent car-rental tax. The deal falls apart in June when Dallas County commissioners say they cannot justify asking voters to approve the team's request for $425 million in public funding. In July, the Cowboys and Arlington announce they are negotiating to locate the stadium near Ameriquest Field. In August, the City Council agrees unanimously to put before voters a tax increase that would fund the city's $325 million portion of the project. Voters approve the tax increase Nov. 2.

2005: Arlington and the Cowboys choose the site south of Randol Mill Road and east of Collins Street for the new stadium. The city begins notifying residents and property owners of its plans to acquire their property. The Cowboys hire the HKS architectural firm to design the stadium. Early blueprints show 414 luxury suites and a two-panel retractable roof. The city completes its sale of $297.9 million in bonds to pay for its portion of the construction. Demolition of houses begins Nov. 1.

2006: The Cowboys hire Oklahoma-based Manhattan Construction as the general contractor for the stadium and announce alliances with two minority-owned general contractors: Rayco Construction of Grand Prairie and 3i Construction of Dallas. The city completes its land purchases, although it still faces a number of lawsuits over land acquisition. Excavation begins in April, and the two primary construction cranes are raised in August. In October, the grass amphitheater on Randol Mill Road is leveled to make way for the extension of Baird Farm Road. The stadium's structure will begin to go up this month.

2007: Masonry work will begin in February, and the structural precast concrete will be placed in the stadium bowl in April. Work on the retractable roof, designed by Uni-Systems, will start in June. exterior facade and enclosure work will begin in July.

2008: Work on the parking lots will begin in March. The steel roof will be in place and completed by June. Installation of the scoreboard and sound system will begin in September. Later in the year, the seats will be installed and landscaping will begin.

2009: The artificial-turf field will be brought into the stadium. And a not-to-be-missed event in May: the super flush. Hundreds of toilets and urinals will be flushed at the same time to test the stadium's plumbing. The stadium is scheduled to be completed in August, and the Cowboys will play their first home game there in September.

Arlington Announces New Citizen Notification Service

On Monday the City of Arlington, Texas, officially launched the new Citizen Notification Service. The program is a free subscription e-mail service that allows the public to receive timely information notices from the City of Arlington.From the City of Arlington Web site, users can click on Citizen Notification Service, create a profile and select the information that is of greatest interest to them. Notifications can be sent to a computer, cell phone or any device capable of receiving e-mail.People can be notified when a public meeting about a zoning case is posted, or can receive a text message about important health and safety information. Citizens can be notified when a street is closed for repair.At anytime, users can modify their selections or unsubscribe to the automatic e-mail notifications.The City of Arlington Marketing Manager Gerald Urbantke said the new service "further enhances our ability to distribute important news and information about the city."

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.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/showVideo.php?vidId=101080

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.

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.

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!

October MLS Statistics Are In...

http://recenter.tamu.edu/mls/ntreis/oct06/

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!

Don Lawyer