Austin TX Real Estate - Hill Country Austin Lakeway Homes for Sale: August 2007

I think ordering a DELL computer online is a conspiracy.  I've had about 3 DELLs since getting into real estate about 7 years ago.  My first two DELLs constantly had problems and caused so much stress.  I never thought it worth paying the $350+ for the in-house warranty in case things go wrong, mainly because my step father is good and computer issues, and so is my husband.

When my last computer gave me the blue screen, and I did everything to save it and the harddrive, even freezing the harddrive like the myth says, I decided to order a new one.  That was 3 years ago, and I haven't had a single problem.  You know why??

I truly believe it's because I spent the $350+ for the in-house warranty for 4 years!!  I truly believe that as they build your computer to order, they purposely do something that ensures your computer will crash for some reason or another if you don't spend the extra money for the warranty.  When someone buys the warranty, they want to ensure that profit so they make sure the computer has no problems so they never have to send someone out to fix it.

Has anyone else had issues like this??  I trule believe this is a conspiracy.  At this point, I don't know if I "wasted" that money for the warranty since I've had no problems, or if I've gotten my money's worth because I've had no issues and therefore haven't had to buy a new computer for a while.

What say you??

Well, today made for a huge scare for me.  Last week, I had to take the glucose test.  The glucose test, as the name states, tests the amount of sugar in your body.  If it's too high, they send you off for diabetes tests...

To get the call this morning to let me know my levels were 142, where 140 is the cut-off, was pretty scary.  He doesn't seem too worried since it's right above the limit, but he still has to let me know I have to have the additional tests.  The additional tests requires me to fast for 12 hours and then they run blood tests for 3 hours... yes, 3 hours!!  I guess they take blood at different intervals to see how the body reacts, I'm not quite sure, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to fast for 12 hours and then have 3 hours of tests that will probably actually take 5  hours. 

That's potentially 17 hours without eating!!!  Baby's gotta eat, and I get hungry!!! 

Anyone else have this scare and it turn out to be just a fluke?

Richardson is trying something new.  Instead of having to show up in person for your $6 accident report, you can now order the report online for the same price!  This is to help eleviate the inconvenience of people taking off work and rushing through traffic to hit the city's business hours.

Any accident after July 1, 2007 can be found on this Website.  All you'll need is and two pieces of information of the three criteria:

• Date of Accident
• The name of any person involved in the accident
• specific location of the accident

They do ask that you wait 24-48 hours after the accident to try to access the report.  Also, hit and run accidents will take longer to process.  You can always call the Richardson Police Department at 972-744-4836 if you have any questions or concerns.

All Texas cities are finally out of the top 10 areas for foreclosures.  What a huge jump.  Texas, as a whole, has been at number one and number 2 a few times...

Dallas is ranked 17th and FtWorth-Arlington area is ranked 13th.  So, we're not out of the top 10 by very far, but it's definitely a turn in the right direction!

Compared to the first half of 2006, Texas filings were actually down by 13%.  All major Texas big city areas were down, except the Ft Worth- Arlington area, which was up 5%... again, it's the lower end properties where the people are typically first time home buyers, who end up not being able to take the responsibilities of home ownership and got in over their heads.

A few years ago, Texas became deregulated to help promote healthy competition between some electric companies in the hopes of bringing down the cost of electricity.  Within this deregulation, instead of 3 main companies in the area, there are now probably close to 100.  Even with the main ones in the area, you could only use the company that covered the area you lived.

There is a great website that consumers need to know about where you can go and compare all the different rates that are charged and view what the terms and conditions are.  This website is http://powertochoose.com/.

This site has helped many countless new buyers pick the best rate for them.  You can even choose between traditional electricity or a "green" company that works off windmills.  Granted, all the electricity comes from the exact same place, so it doesn't matter who you choose, it's just about price and customer service.

On the other hand, the title does say "for the most part."  There are a few areas where the cities are not "allowing" deregulation.  And the most frustrating part is that it's not for an entire city or area.  The city of Garland has Garland Power and Light.  You don't know if you have to use them until or unless you call the city and see if that particular address is part of their system or not.  I always warn Garland buyers about this.

A few parts of Murphy TX are part of a co-op as well.  I didn't know that until I explained the power to choose website and the buyers picked what they wanted and found out they weren't allowed to choose.

I think Texas should either be entirely deregulated or go back to the system we had.  It's ridiculous that you never know from address to address what the requirements are for that house.  I wish people would consult me before making "not-so-smart" decisions.

After everything that happened about 6 years ago with the Black Mold stuff and Allstate having to refund all their policy holders for unfair increases, Allstate is trying to raise rates again.

Last month, Allstate submitted a plan to increase rates by an average of 6.9%.  They claimed it was the "cost of doing business."  Haven't we all heard that?  Well, that plan got rejected because of the large increase and not enough justification for it.

Here we are a month later, and they have submitted a new plan for a 5.9% increase.  That still seems fairly high to me.  This increase will take place immediately for policy renewals, though it could still be blocked by the Texas Department of Insurance officials.

Allstate is the second largest property insurer in Texas with about 917,000 Homes.  That doesn't sound like very many, but that just shows you how many Ma 'n Pa shops there are offering coverage, though those smaller companies are still backed by the larger ones.

They are pointing out that this, more than likely won't effect the North Texas area, and it's mostly for the golf coast area.

Farmers also submitted a plan for an increase, but withdrew it.  They are working on submitting a new plan that has a better chance of getting passed.

Good thing I'm no longer with Allstate!! 

A couple of months ago, the small city of OakPoint, TX voted to have English as the Official language of their city.  With much uproar, the appeal process started.  Yesterday, the law was upheld with a 2-3 vote.

Oak Point is a tiny little city in Denton County off Lewisville Lake, just NorthWest of Little Elm, TX.  The population is under 3500 residents.  With such a small population, it's hard to imagine that they've hit the news as much as they have with what's going on there.  Maybe it's a publicity stunt to increase their population.

This new law does not apply to Businesses or Residences.  Also, the city must still comply with state and federal laws that would require the use of multilingual communication.

Here is a link to the story.

Here is a link to OakPoint, TX's Website.

**Pictures courtesy of Oak Point's website.

Why is everyone so Sue-Happy?  When did our society turn into a society where you can sue someone just because you're unhappy with something?  I think it started with the hot coffee spilling in the lap and the massive reward outcome that came with it.  Since then, it's lawsuit after lawsuit.

This blog is inspired by all the Q&A questions with people asking if they can sue the Seller for this and can they sue the Seller for that and can they also sue the Inspector for this and that.

We all know that with home ownership, comes responsibility... at least every home owner should understand that.  With home ownership, comes maintenance.  When something goes wrong, you fix it.  You don't search for someone to blame so you can sue them because something went wrong under your ownership.

Take a car for example.  You have this trusty car or weeks, months, or even years.  It's always been good to you and runs just fine.  Then, one morning you wake up, and the car doesn't start.  What's wrong?  Hmmm, I know, why don't you sue the manufacturer for your car not starting.  They must have known it was going to not start one day.  While you're at it, why don't you sue the car dealership where you bought it because they must have been in cahoots with the manufacturer to sell you such a bad car.

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

Now, you've been in a house for a few months and the AC goes bad.  You're in the house a few weeks and the plumbing gets backed up and you need to snake it out...  You assume that Seller must have known it was going to go bad so you want to sue the Seller.  You had a home inspection done so you decide to sue the Inspector too.  YOU CAN'T DO THIS!! (Well, you can, but you're not going to win.)

You say, "But the seller didn't disclose the condition of the AC on the disclosure notice."  "But the Seller didn't disclose the plumbing issue on the disclosure notice."

THERE IS NO ISSUE TO DISCLOSE IF THE SELLER DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT!! Just like with the car example above, sometimes things just happen.  My AC went out last summer.  We called to get it serviced.  The garage door opener stopped working, we got a new gear.  The shower stopped giving us hot water, so we got a new valve... do you get the idea??  If it's broke, fix it!  Don't just call your local attorney and think you can sue everyone.

Remember, you will hold the burden of proof.  If you can't prove that the seller knew anything, you have no case (I'm not an attorney, but without proof, I highly doubt any attorney will take the case).  If you can prove that the seller knew something and did nothing about it, and then also didn't disclose it, that's a completely different thing... but for that to happen, is unlikely.  For example, back to the AC example.  Say the AC was not working properly when the Sellers owned it and they called someone out to fix it.  They didn't like the price, so they decided not to get it fixed, and they also didn't disclose anything wrong on the disclosure notice.  For you as the new home owner to get proof, you will need to have called the exact same AC company and them say something like, "Oh yes, we were at that house such and such time ago and we told them that the AC needed a new thingamabobber.  They opted not to spend the money so we didn't fix it."  NOW you have proof that the sellers knew something that they didn't disclose.

Just because something happens the week you move in or very shortly after, does not give you the right to sue someone without proof.  The burden is on you, and you need to look into all your options before you file a frivolous lawsuit because people also sue others for frivolous lawsuits being filed against them...

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

I am so sick of all the articles that are being published and posted and talked about on the National News stations when they are not true.  The final straw for this blog is an article I just read on http://www.dallasnews.com/ real estate section.  You can read the full article here.

It says in this article that a buyer must have a minimum of 680 credit score, and that a 720 will help lower the interest rate offered.  WHAT??!!

Buyers, please be aware that there are MANY lenders out there that are offering loan programs with much lower credit scores.  Can you get a decent rate if you have a 500 FICO score?  No, not really, though you might qualify for an FHA loan who doesn't care what the score is.  Can you get a decent rate at a 600 score?  Yes, probably.  As long as your recent past history is in good condition and you're able to document your employment and assets, you're fine.  You do NOT need a perfect credit score to get a loan.

Don't get me wrong.  Some people who have decent scores aren't getting loans because they have collections out the wazooo, and they're behind on car payments and things like that.  Do those people deserve loans?  My opinion, NO!  However, if you're current on all payments, and you have a decent (not perfect) track record, you are still VERY able to obtain a mortgage in today's market.

Please don't let news articles scare you.  Call someone and ask specific questions about your specific situation for clarification before you make your own decision on whether or not you'll get approved.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

How do you show houses?  How do your clients look at houses?

Here's what I do...

On the first time out, I allow the buyers to kinda do whatever they want to help them feel comfortable in someone elses house. Many are shy about turning on lights and opening up doors and cabinets, so I have to do that for them. 

Before we walk into the very first house, I say, "This is not my house, I do not own this house.  You will not offend me if you do not like this house.  As soon as you know you don't like it, we need to turn around and leave so we don't bog down your brain with too much information about houses you don't like."

Great, Donna!  Thanks so much for letting us know we have your permission to walk out of a house!

Does this happen? Very rare, on a first time out.  It always seems that buyers like to spend more time in houses they don't like, picking out all the negatives, rather than in houses they do like picturing where their furniture will go and how they'll repaint this and that.

On the second time out, I remind them that we wasted a lot of time looking at houses they didn't like and we were going to very seriously leave houses as soon as we know we don't like them.  I also put in another stipulation if I can.  When people are looking for backyard features, I tell them we will go to the backyard first, and if they don't like the yard, we will leave.  This helps A LOT!

If someone is talking over and over again about how they plan on "living" in their living room and spend most of their time downstairs, if they don't like the downstairs, we are not going upstairs.  This helps a little.

What things do you do to help move people along while looking at houses?  As a buyer, what helped you leave a house you didn't like rather than pointing out everything you hated and wasting time there when you could be moving on to the next house?

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths, 2 Car Garage, 2 Living Areas, 2 Dining Areas, and POOL all for under $150k!!
CLICK HERE for the Visual Tour.

Great House in Great Area of Plano. POOL with perimeter fence & privacy with 8' Board on Board Fence. Oversized Cov Patio for Entertaining. Many updates: fresh paint, newer carpet, newer tile floors in wet areas, newer dishwasher, new lighting fixtures & fans, new hardware, & much more. Low maintanence pool with a cartridge filter & newer motor. Versatile floorplan with 2nd liv area and formal dining. Floor to ceiling brick fireplace. Must See!!  

Come check it out TODAY!

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

The NTTA, North Texas Tollway Authority, has agreed to move forward with their plan to get rid of all the cash booths by 2010.  Instead of the people without TollTags to pay cash, the booth will take a picture of the license plate and mail the owner a bill for driving through. 

This sounds like a great way to get traffic moving smoother, and in that aspect, it's great!  The downside to this is that when they mail the bill, there is a service fee tacked on including the amount it costs to mail the bill.  Does that make sense?  Instead of it costing $0.75 at the main booth, it'll cost close to $2.  Instead of $0.40 at the intermediate booths, it'll cost about a buck fifty.  Does that make sense??

Also, did the NTTA take into account the amount of out of towners and rental car drivers?  If someone is in town for only a few days, are they going to get home to a bill that has tons of service fees on it?  Does that sound fair for the great state of Texas?  Also, what about those people who have cars in the shop and need to rent a car for a couple of days.  Tolltags are not transferable to another car as they track the tag with the license plate.  You could get a ticket when they don't match.  So, when you rent a car, you're going to get penalized on the tollways...

Does that sound fair?  I wonder if the NTTA people really thought this through enough.  What do you other Texas drivers think?

According to the latest information from NAR, the DFW area has had a 1.7% increase in sales prices over last year with the rest of the nation having a 1.5% DECLINE... Does the 1.7% increase give a true an honest look of what's going on in the area?  Maybe not...

Since the subprime market made their changes, it knocked a lot of lower-end home buyers out of the market.  With that, the under $150k price range has been harder to sell.  However, sales of the higher priced homes are holding steady and are fairly strong. 

Then, you take the higher priced homes and add those to the lesser sales in the lower prices, which used to be the bread and butter, and it creates an increase in sales prices (up to $156,500), though it's not a complete and true story.                                                                                               

Overall, in Texas, not just DFW, sales were down 1.3% in the second quarter.  When you compare that to the rest of the country, they were down on average of 10.8%.  What a huge difference!  No wonder we're still getting so many people relocating here.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

I had a listing appointment on Saturday, and I got asked a question that I had never been asked before.  I thought it was an odd question, but the seller was very serious as he has bought his last two houses without a Realtor's help, and has never had to sell a house, so this is his first experience with using a Realtor and with selling.

He asked if the commissions were based on asking price.  I looked at him, probably with a startled look on my face, and said no.  I then said, you may be on to something there.  I think commissions should be based on asking price and then I could list each house for $1M, and have the sellers also sign price reductions the same day.  Talk about motivation to sell that house and not let it expire!!

On another side of it, I was thinking this was a good idea because if the sellers had to pay commissions based on their original asking price, they would be less willing to over price their houses.  Doesn't that sound grand??  Less people over pricing, more people being realistic, and we'll get this inventory down much quicker than the houses sitting on the market.

What do you think?                                                 

BabyHarris is doing well.  I get lots of emails from people asking for more updates, so I'll go ahead and post.

I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday.  My blood pressure is 98/42.  Yes, I said over 42!!  According to my doctor, as long as I'm walking, talking, breathing, and eating, that I'm ok... so I continue on.  I am currently 25w1d.  I have gained 19 pounds!!

I painted the room a couple of weeks ago, and I'm working on the bathroom.  I stripped the wallpaper, taped and bedded the walls, and sanded everything down, but when it came to covering everything so I could texture the wall, my husband thought that was a pain in the arse since I asked for help, and I actually contracted that out and it got done this morning.  ONLY $125!!  That's cheap compared to our $3575 estimate for that bathroom and our master!!  This guy will come back and do our master for ONLY $375!!  That's saving almost $3000!!  If anyone needs an inexpensive painted, I have a referral for you!

Yes, this is a horrible picture of me, but keep in mind this is after already gaining 15 pounds!  The mask helped with the fumes as that was part of the condition of "allowing" me to paint myself.  Doesn't the after lavender look beautiful??  The white in the shutters and all the door frames brings out the color nicely.  No actual furniture yet, however, my parents did buy a glider chair that arrived a couple of days ago, but didn't retake the picture.

No, I did not pick out this nasty, ugly wallpaper!!  Doesn't it make you dizzy??  The previous owners picked it out.

No more wallpaper... we're down to the sheetrock.  This room will become a little lighter than a sage green.  The texture was put up today and needs 24 hours to dry.  I have appts tomorrow, but I hope to get to it on Sunday.

With all this, can you believe my blood pressure is so low?!

This house had so much GREEN, when I walked in, I was like, "What are we going to do."  My first question was, "How old is this Green carpet?"  Mr. Seller states that it's only 3 years old.  When I asked why they chose green, the response was that it was his late wife's favorite color.  I didn't realize how much green there was until we took our tour:

We removed the green carpet and put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and then decluttered the room.

Green carpet, green paint, green table cloth... all removed and neutralized!  What a cleaner look!

More Green carpet and paint.  The green curtains remained to accent the room so it wasn't bland.  More decluttering shows this space very well.

I really wish I had taken before pictures of the bedrooms and baths because we're talking green carpet, green wallpaper, green cabinets... but with all these changes we made, the house is going to turn into GREEN MONEY!!

CLICK HERE for the Tour so you can see more.  Staging is just one of the many services I offer for my sellers that sets me apart from the rest.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

The National Nite Out was a great success!!  The Woods of Spring Creek will keep our Crime Watch Signs throughout the neighborhood as we surpassed the 40% turnout that is required.  We actually had 51%.  We have a lot of Social groups that people signed up for, and the community is going to be stronger this next year.

We had the Richardson Police Department, the Richardson Fire Department, a Videographer from the City of Richardon, the McGruff Crime Dog, a live band, a couple of Bounce Houses, a Balloon Clown, LOTS of giveaways, and plenty of food for everyone.  Plus, I handed out bottled water with my picture, logo, and contact information on it.

I can't wait to help plan next year!!

4 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 Baths, 3 Living Areas, 2 Dining Areas, Mature Trees, Circular Drive, and all for only $199,000.  Click here for the Visual Tour.

Great Floorplan with POOL & Golf Course Lot backing to the 9th Green under $200k!! Many updates include fresh paint, new windows, fixtures, flooring, kitchen counters, cabinets and hardware, and half bath with new vanity, counter, fixtures, & hardware. New columns at front of house, new sewer lines, foundation warranty, new pool filter, and so much more. Wet bar & Dry bar, many built-ins, huge utility room, covered patio... this is a must see!  

To see more pictures, go to the tour.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

Texas' TAX-FREE weekend has typically been the first weekend of August, which would have been this weekend, but since Texas passed a new law saying school had to start at the end of the August from now on, the state has decided to move their tax-free weekend.

The new dates are the weekend of August 17.  Most anything priced under $100 is excempt from taxes!  This will also include backpacks this year.  Another big change they added this year was big ticket appliances for the home such as washers and dryers.  I assume that's so people have something to wash their new clothes in.

I've always loved Tax-Free weekend because along with saving 8.25% for sales tax, most stores have HUGE sales on top of that.  I once bough almost $600 worth of clothes for only $274.  I'm not much of a shopper, so when I shop, I typically shop for the entire year in one outing.  I'm getting clearance items from the previous season and items from the current season (only two seasons in Dallas) so I'm set until next Tax-Free weekend.

This year will be different, of course, since I won't be able to really buy any clothes since I have no idea what my body will do after the baby... but maybe I'll buy a bunch of future clothes for the baby so she's set for the Winter!

Happy Shopping!!