Austin TX Real Estate - Hill Country Austin Lakeway Homes for Sale: September 2008

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting of our very own ActiveRain mortgage professionals, Jason Northcutt and John Cannata.  They are two very educated people about the mortgage industry and also seem to have heads on their shoulders, which you don't always find.

Jason works with Wachovia in the direct lending division, not sitting at a branch office.  John works with Reliant Mortgage which is a broker.  It's always interesting to get the different perspectives from both sides of the spectrum when someone works directly for a lender while another brokers out to lenders.

Overall, the meetings went very well, and I would recommend either of them to all of you.

The State Fair of Texas opened this weekend and will run until October 19^th.  It's always a lot of fun at the fair as there are so many things to do, for all ages.  Best of all, you can eat anything fried that you thought was imaginable.  This year's winning food was chicken friend bacon.  They say it's bacon that has been dipped in flour and batter a couple of times, and then deep fried and tastes just like chicken fried steak.  A little to fried if you ask me.

Do you like fried pickles? Fried coke? Fried mac ‘n cheese? Fried cheese? Fried Cookie Dough? Fried anything... The State Fair of Texas is where the Corny Dog was invented!  Personally, I think they're gross, but millions of others don't.  My favorite is the Funnel Cake! Yes, it's just like pancake batter that is moved back and forth into a criss-crossing design, but when sprinkled with powered sugar, it tastes nothing like a pancake!

Here are some fun facts about the State Fair:

• 80 acres were purchased in 1886 by the committee for the Dallas State Fair.
• Approximately 14,000 people attended the opening day of the first fair on these grounds with a total of 100,000 over the full 13 days.
• In February of 1887, the Dallas State Fair united with a rival Fair, and also purchased more land to total 117 acres.
• 1894 is the opening of the Midway for games and prizes.
• Fire destroys everything in 1902 and Dallas buys the property for $125k in 1904.
• The Texas State Fair re-organizes in 1905 to become a non-profit corporation known as today's State Fair of Texas.
• In 1916, attendance tops 1 million visitors.
• In 1918,  the US Army takes control of Fair Park and the fair is canceled that year.
• 1929 is the first Texas vs Oklahoma game.
• Fair Park Stadium, later renamed to the Cotton Bowl is started in 1930.
• No Fair from 1942-1946 though other activities continued, and ‘42 is the summer of the corny dog.
• 1952 is when Big Tex makes his first State Fair debut.
• 1960 is when the Dallas Texans (AFL) and the Dallas Cowboys (NFL) play in the Cotton Bowl.  (The Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City in 1963 and the Cowboys to Irving in 1971)
• 1985 is when the 212 foot Ferris Wheel (the tallest in North America) is used for the first time.
• 2003 is the First Annual World Corny Dog Championship- the winner eat 12 in 10 minutes.
• And in 2008, Big Tex received new clothes, and the drycleaning bill for the entire outfit runs $600.

You can go here for some more fun facts, and I only hit the highlights that I found to be the most interesting. 

People are always asking what Alyssa is doing these days.  I try not to blog about her too much so people don't get bored and annoyed with her, but it's been a few weeks, so here's another update.

Alyssa turned 10 months old last week.  She is working on tooth #8.  Yes, that's a lot of teeth for only 10 months old.  I think most babies this age only have about four.  She's working on standing up on her own.  She likes to pretend she's standing on her own, but will then press her tummy against whatever she's in front of to make sure she has balance.  She'll stand for 2-3 seconds at a time, but then just sits down.

She can fit 5 pieces of dog food in her mouth.  Probably more, but I'm getting there faster and faster.  Mike actually built a box to put the dog's food and water in, so we can close it up when she's around.  Sometimes we forget to close it, and she's over there trying to eat as much as possible or just splashing in the water.

She is obsessed with my computer, maybe because I'm always on it, so we got her a computer of her very own.  Her favorite thing to do with it is just open and close it.  Each time you close it, it says "Good bye" in a very sweet voice.

Last I posted, she was anemic.  She'll be retested on Wednesday, and I'm hoping all is well.  These iron drops are expen$ive!  Her favorites are Macaroni 'n Cheese and Orange Juice.  We finally found a sippy cup she likes, after going through about 5-6 different kinds, and she loves just sitting there and drinking like a big girl.

Anyway, here are some pictures of Alyssa and her new computer.

She still prefers my computer... go figure...

Instead of just talking about, this year we decided to actually go to the Balloon Festival.  It was a lot of fun. It was Alyssa's first Festival and she "people watched" like crazy.  It was a beautiful day, not much of a breeze.  We saw the Re/Max Parachuters jump, and that was really cool.  They all landed right where they were supposed to.  Lots of practice.

We didn't stay for the fireworks, but I went outside at 9pm and could see them from the front yard.  That was the better idea so we didn't have to fight traffic afterwards.

Below are some pictures.

This was also Alyssa's first time to sit in grass.  She was very confused for a few minutes.  She didn't want to touch it with her hands at all.  I don't blame her.  I hate sitting in grass too as it's itchy and icky.

I don't know how we didn't get any pictures of the balloons in the actual air, but I guess those were all on video instead of pictures.  We got a new HD camcorder so that was the focus.

Anyway, the Plano Balloon Festival was a blast.  Lived here 24 years and have never been.  Now that I'm moving, I figured we should do something we've never done before.

Oktoberfest is always a fun celebration in Addison TX.  Tons of food and music and entertainment for the entire family.  Yes, this started yesterday, but being a Thursday, I didn't announce it.  Friday and Saturday are usually the best days to go, and even though it was free on Thursday, admission is only $5.

There are going to be many roads closed due to the high influx of traffic and such, so you might want to look at this page first to make sure you don't end up in circles trying to find your way around on closed roads.

Come early, stay late, drink some good, WARM, imported beer... be safe!

I was out with Alyssa this morning, furniture browsing, as we need a new kitchen table before we put the house on the market.  We went to one store and found a couple of options.  On our way to the second store, I passed a big yellow sign that read "STORE CLOSING", and I did a double-take.  Yes, the Toys 'R Us in Plano off 75 Central Expressway is closing and moving to Allen, just a few miles up the road.

I decided to U-turn back and see what they were giving away.  I was not prepared for any shopping, so I had left all gift cards at home.  I always go into sales like this with my eyes open to look at the actual "regular" prices, and many times, they mark things UP in order to mark them down.

Most things were still fairly expensive for a store closing, so we casually walked around.  I had Alyssa on my hip one thing in my hands... then two things... then three things... a lady asked if she could get me a cart.  I politely turned her down because we were about done... then 4 things... then I got a cart... 

There were some good deals, and with Alyssa's birthday fast approaching, I didn't even feel quilty that my giftcards were at home.

Anyway, get to the Toys 'R Us in Plano.  They expect to close their doors by October 10. 

This is an awesome service I found out about a couple of days ago.  It's basically a directory for different services, and they've done the research for you.  Done Right offers the "Done Right Guarantee" that makes sure you're satisfied, or they'll try to remedy the situation or refund you up to $1000 if the situation can't be worked out.

Everything from Roofers, to Painters, to Landscapers, to Plumbers, to Tile, to Cabinets, to anything needed in your home for repairs or home improvement.

When I saw the publication, I thought it was something only for the Dallas area, but they're in about 40 markets across the country like, Austin, Denver, Detroit, San Diego, Orlando, Boston, and many more.

Check them out, and from now on, whenever anyone asks if you know of a good Handyman, refer them to this site if you don't already know of someone.

**Graphic is courtesy of www.doneright.com website.

Can you shop for a Mortgage the same way you shop for a Car or a TV or a Dress or anything else?

To an extent, Yes.  But, for the most part, NO!

When you shop for a Car, you go to a few dealerships and see what they have to offer.  You not only get their price of the car, but you get the price they're willing to take for your trade-in.  Getting the trade-in value is very important because they might be giving you an awesome price on the car, but cheating you out of hundreds or thousands on your trade-in, but you didn't pay attention to that part.  Also, as long as the cars have the exact same features, dealerships will allow you to bring in a quote from one place, and they'll match it if you want to buy at the place with great customer service.

When you buy a TV, you're going to go to a few stores to see who is offering what, what sales are going on, and if they are aware of a future sale, as many know in advance when sales will happen.  Again, you get all your pricing from the different stores to compare.  You also need to compare their warranties, and if they're going to charge you for an extended warranty, and how much.  Most stores will allow you to bring in an ad or a quote from a competitor and they'll match it.  Because of this, it's good to go back to your favorite store who had the best customer service and best warranty combined, and ask them to match the lower price, and voila, you get the best of both worlds.  In addition, if the TV goes on sale in the next 10-14 days (depending on which store), they will give you the sale price difference of what you paid.  You never have to worry about buying today verse next week because you're covered.

Clothes shopping is the same way with a Sale.  If you buy something one day, and it's on sale the next week, you can bring in your receipt and get a credit back for the difference... And, if you don't like the dress or the TV, you have so many days to return the items for a full refund.

Can you do this with a mortgage? 

Can you say, "Hey, Mr. Mortgage Guy, I know you're giving me great service, but Discount Broker down the street is offering 1% less on their rate with no fees.  Match it!" 

Can you say, "Hey, Mr. Mortgage Guy, I closed on my house yesterday, and now rates have dropped a half a point.  Can you refund me the difference?" 

Can you say, "Hey, Mr. Mortgage Guy, I closed on my house a couple of weeks ago, but I don't like my neighbors.  Can you cancel my loan, and just give me back my down payment and fees and such?"

Shopping for a Mortgage is nothing like shopping in general, so I don't know why people try to compare the two.  The only thing that's the same is you go to multiple places to get as much information as you can, but the mortgage guy gives no pricing guarantee.

I've asked it before in this blog, and I'll ask it again, "What Are You Selling?"  Granted, none of the below houses are actually for sale right now, but they will be at some point.

This first house faces a main street, and I pass by it almost everyday.  I've often wondered why someone would completely cover up their house so you can't see it.  Not only can you not see the main features of the house, but do the home owners not realize how much they're inviting termites and other bugs into their home?  By having the vines all over their house, they're giving termites many more avenues into the home instead of just down at the slab.  When they enter at the slab, that's when they're most often caught, because you can see their trail.  When you can't see their trail, you may never know about an infestation until it's too late.

What's interesting is that it's not very common to have vines growing on a house in this much capacity.  As I mentioned, I see the first house almost everyday because it faces a main street.  To get to the actual house, you must drive down a back street within a community, and guess where the other two pictures came from??  I drove down one street and then turned left to curve around to this house, and both the other houses were right there.  Three houses like this in one small area is very unusual. 

What are these home owners thinking?  Maybe they decided they didn't like the brick color and they wanted to cover it up.  Maybe they decided since they couldn't afford a stone accent to go with the brick, that they would have vines as their cheaper accent.

I have no idea what runs through people's minds when they do this to their home, but when I show houses like this, I usually advise my buyers that it will be noted in their inspection and termite reports because of the potential issues, and that I highly suggest they get rid of it. 

Inspectors, am I wrong?

Do you have vines running all up your house?  What do you say to Buyers when they ask what problems could arise?  What do you tell your Sellers at your initial Listing Appointment if you feel it might be an issue?

There's a new listing in my neighborhood.  I noticed it a couple of weeks ago when I walked by as the sign was not a familiar sign in the yard, and I had never heard of the Broker before.  I won't say the whole Broker's name, but within the title is the phrase "New Home".  I assumed they were buying a new home, and doing one of those programs that some builders offer where they'll buy your house at a discount to guarantee the sale if your efforts of selling it with their preferred Realtor doesn't work out in time to close on the new house...

Then, I walked by last week, and was very confused.  There were now two signs in the yard, one which I recognized.  I thought to myself, "Oh, they must be having issues with the previous Broker and have decided to switch Brokers. But, Donna, isn't it poor manners to put your sign up before the previous contract is fully terminated and the sign is down?  Yes, it's very poor manners."

I continued my walk.  Then, I thought it would be an interesting blog topic about two Brokers duking it out for a listing.  I've heard of stories from "back in the day" when sellers would allow multiple Brokers to list their houses as they were not "exclusive" listings, so this was scenario two that ran through my head of what was going on.

I went home to get my camera to take pictures of the signs.  Then, something interesting caught my eye.  The same phone number was on both signs.  Huh?  Why would two Brokers have the same phone numbers?  I saw one sign had an agent's name, but the other sign did not. 

I went home and pulled it up in the MLS again.  It was listed under the Brokerage name that I had recognized and the agent's name that was on the other sign.  Huh?  Was this agent switching Brokerages and just trying to cover all her bases for when the switch happens?

If you saw something like this, what would you think?  If you were a seller, would you allow two different signs like this in your yard?  I think it's not only a bad reflection on the agent, but I think it's a bad reflection on the seller as it makes them look like they're not sure who actually has their listing.

I've been waiting for one of the signs to disappear over the past few days, but they're both still there.  I want to call the agent and ask what the story is, but I don't want a sales, recruiting pitch from her.  Has anyone seen two signs in someone's yard like this before?

Back in May, I got my mom an awesome Mother's Day present... I bought her tickets for Menopause the Musical.  We saw the show on Saturday.  I bought the tickets so far in advance, then we ran the risk of the show being canceled because of the weather, but we didn't get too much of Ike, so the city ran as usual.

I really didn't know what to expect, though I heard it was really really funny.  And yes, it was really really funny, but more than that, it was really really embarrassing to see with my mother!  Maybe if I was going through "the change" as well, and we were an "older" mother-daughter pair, it wouldn't have been so embarrassing, but alas, it was embarrassing.

Much of it was like being pregnant, so I completely understood those symptoms and laughed and laughed. It was some of the "other" stuff that completely turned me beet red and had me slumping in my seat.

Did I mention the seats were great seats, the very first row off the ground level, dead center?  I felt like the actresses were staring at me the entire time... I wanted to run and hide.

Two thumbs up for being hilariously funny, but do NOT go with your Mother if you're under the age of 40!!

It is playing at the Eisemann Center in Richardson TX.

I'm giving a shout-out to my friend since third grade, Andrea.  We actually didn't even know we were friends back in third grade when we met again in 7th grade.  See, she moved right before school started that year.  I remember going to her house one day, and no one answered the door.  I remember peeking through the windows on my tippy-toes and seeing the rooms empty.  I was very confused.  I was brand new to Texas, and she was my first friend in the neighborhood who I met before the school year started.

Fast forward to 7th grade in Junior High.  We were both in band, both played Clarinet, and both were making friends with the same people.  One day, the dorks in us brought our sticker books to school.  My sticker book had a sticker that said Andrea, and her sticker book had a sticker that said Donna.  Huh?

We thought about it, and after a lot of going back and forth, we realized we lived behind each other when I first moved here.  Now, here's where things get tricky.  I only lived there for a couple of months until we moved to another neighborhood and I ended up at a completely different elementary school, so when I told her about how she moved without telling me, she remembered it as me moving away, and that I forgot to tell her!

I was like, "NO WAY!!  You moved first!!"

For almost 20 years, this was a big "discussion" back and forth on who moved first.  I couldn't understand how I had these memories that could possibly not be true.

When Andrea had a baby shower for her first child three and a half years ago, one of the questions on the "How well do you know Andrea" game was Who has known Andrea the longest.  No one but Andrea and me had remembered that as many others thought they were the longest friend.  We told everyone the story, and guess who pipes in, Andrea's Mom!!!

Guess who was right all along??  Guess who was stealing whose memories??  That's right, I was right, and those were MY memories...

Anyway, Andrea had her second child on Thursday, September 11, 2008 last week.  His name is Tyler Garrett, 8 lbs 9oz 20 inches long.  Many people questioned why she chose that day to have him and her response to me was "Where there's death, there's life."  Also, Andrea's husband is a firefighter, not in NYC, but here in the Dallas area, but that day means so much to them no matter where their firehouse is.  And for those who didn't know, it's  now called Patriot day.

So, Happy Birthday, Tyler, and it looks like Alyssa has a new boyfriend!!

Should you refinance your home, or should you sell the current house, take the lower rate, and buy more house for your growing family, but still have the same payments as your current loan and smaller house?

Does this make sense?

When rates start going down, people immediately think about refinancing their home to reduce their payments.  Of course, having lower payments is always a big plus.  Who doesn't like to save money?

On the other hand, are you comfortable with your current payment?  Are you able to pay all your other bills, save money each month, and still have some to play?  Is your family still growing, or are the kids just getting older and need more room to run around?

Refinancing might not be the answer.

The answer might be, keep your current mortgage payment (or close to it) and buy a newer or larger home, whichever suits you.

For example, your current home is valued at $200,000 and your current mortgage payment, including taxes (2.3%) and home owners insurance (0.80%) (keep in mind that I'm in Texas so your taxes might not be as high as this estimate here), is $1813 with a 6.75% interest rate.  If you refinance, you might be able to get down to $1620 with a 5.25% rate and save $193 a month (though it usually costs about $4000 in fees just to close a new loan so calculate how many months it will take for you to recoup your fees along with your monthly savings).  You could invest that extra...

Or, you could sell your $200k house, and buy a different house for $225k and keep your $1800 payment, plus invest the profit from selling the previous house.

Just in going from a $200k price range up to a $225k price range, you're opening your options up so much to be able to get into a larger house today with the lower rates, instead of waiting a few years when rates could be back at your 6.75% rate you currently have or even higher.  The market fluctuates constantly, and it's hard to predict what might happen in 3-5 years, but if you know you'll probably want something larger in 3-5 years, you might want to rethink that time frame as rates hedge more than 1.5% lower than what you currently have.

Food for thought...

The Annual Plano Balloon Festival is almost here!  This is always a fun time.  I never go to the actual festival, but I live a couple of miles from where the balloons take off, so I can see all the action from my back patio or upstairs windows.  It's always a beautiful site.

As always, Re/Max is one of the major corporate sponsors.  Could you ask for anything less when Re/Max's logo is a hotair balloon?

Festivities kick off next weekend September 19 at 4pm and at 5pm, the Re/Max parachute team will hold their exhibition and at 6pm, Re/Max will present the main Balloon Launch. Festivities go through September 21 at 7pm. 

The location, besides my back patio, is at Plano's Oak Point Park.  The closest intersection is Shiloh/SpringCreek and Parker Rd.  There will be some parking near the park, but DART will also be providing shuttles as traffic can be a pain.

Anyone under 36 inches is FREE, but there is a charge for everyone else.  $5 for regular one time admission.  $20 for the entire weekend as a 5 time admission.  Yes, they charge you each time you come and go.  Their website has more details on the prices and discounts available, and the entire schedule of events.

There will be fireworks, music, food, and so much more. Make it an adventure and stay the entire weekend.  You can even ride in one of the balloons during the festival if you would like.  You must be over the age of 10 and in good health, which I think is subjective.  The ride costs $250 a person, but the balloon operator can decline you upon his or her own discretion.  Make nice-nice!

Enjoy your weekend!

A few days ago, a HUGE milestone was hit.  ActiveRain's membership actually surpassed the total number of agents that are associated with RE/MAX. 

RE/MAX has 107,093 membersin 6995 offices in more than 65 countries (I just happened to be on their main site this evening looking at stuff pertaining to my move).  I'm not sure how many countries ActiveRain is in, but I think it's still just the U.S. and Canada, and we're sitting pretty at 107,975 members.

I love that I have associated myself with two top dogs in this industry.

What makes the numbers interesting is that RE/MAX is in several different countries to make up their numbers.  However, ActiveRain has several different companies and industries within the industry making up their numbers.

Which numbers are stronger?  I don't think either number is stronger than the other.  They're just different. RE/MAX is only Real Estate Agents/Brokers, whereas ActiveRain is anyone within the Real Estate Industry.

Combined, we make one huge force to be reckoned with!

I'm so excited and it's been hard for me to keep this secret.  I've been trying to find the right time to announce this news, but there has been so much going on, but I'm ready to give my big announcement.

On second thought, why don't you just see my big announcement below.

Well?  Can I count on you??

Starting today, September 5, through the weekend, September 7, is the Dallas Home & Garden Show at Dallas' Market Hall.

The Dallas Market Hall is located at 2200 Stemmon Freeway in Dallas.  Admission is $8.50 but kids under 12 are FREE!

It starts today at 2pm and ends at 6pm on Sunday.

You can get a coupon for $1 off at your nearest Tom Thumb.  We all love discounts!

Come see all the latest and greatest ideas for the house and home.  I always get a couple of good ideas, though I never implement. Maybe this time I will!

As of September 1, 2008, yesterday, the state of Texas has new contracts.  The actual changes in the main "Single Family" contract are minuscule.  However, there is a new addendum that must accompany each and every contract from now on.

This new addendum will kick Investors out of our market, and I believe that was the point of it.  Not a very good move since we have tons of investors in our different markets across the state, but apparently the state of Texas thinks it's a strategic move.  This should be featured and bookmarked in every way possible so the maximum amount of people can read about this who have never heard of it, since it's new.

I'm not an attorney, so I'll just be providing a summary of the interpretation my office manager provided us, so if you have a differing interpretation, I would love to hear it.

The new addendum basically has the homeowner sign a form stating that if they recently did over $10,000 in remodeling or repairs to their property, AND they have not lived in the house for at least 1 year since doing those repairs or remodeling, they have now been classified as a builder.  Being classified as a Builder means the homeowner now MUST provide to the new home owner a 10 year structural warranty to the property, a two year mechanical warranty which includes plumbing, electrical, and AC/Heating systems, AND a one year warranty on all materials and workmanship.

Yes, this is the standard warranty a "regular" Builder must provide a homeowner upon buying a brand new home!

For example, a homeowner decides he wants maximum dollar upon resale of his home so he decides to update his kitchen and bathrooms.  The work costs $15k, but he does it because he knows he'll get a good $25-30k higher sales price if he does.  However, if he does those updates and sells right away, he is a builder and must provide warranties.  If he does the updates and then lives there exactly 1 year or longer, he does NOT have to provide a warranty to the buyers whatsoever!

This means, if an investor comes in and buys a house, fixes it up, puts tenants in it for a few years to get some cash flow, and then decides to sell it, if he doesn't have tenants in the house for at least 10 years, he MUST provide the new homeowner with a warranty (the warranties' time periods start when the repairs are complete so if there is a tenant for 5 years, the investor must provide a foundation warranty for an additional 5 years to the new home owner).

It seems like the only way to get around this is to have your investors move into the house while they are making the repairs, and then live there the remainder of the year.  This would also provide for a lower interest rate because they would be an owner occupied buyer instead of an "investor" ready to flip it. But then the investors could only buy one property a year, which means many investos must go back to their other professions in order to get a weekly paycheck in between house purchases.

I spent a good portion of this morning talking with some of my clients about this new addendum and about how we're going to approach it.  The thing is, even though the new contracts are mandatory as of Sept 1, 2008, the new addendum as been approved as of 12/10/2007 so everything is retro back to that date.  If you have investors who did repairs to properties before December of last year, you're probably ok (again, I'm not an attorney). 

Also, as a buyers' agent, if you walk into a house that looks like it has been completely redone, don't promise your buyers that they're going to get these warranties because you shouldn't assume the investor/home owner spent more than $10k.  These days, you can get cheap carpet, appliances, and paint for under $10k, but it might look like more was spent.  I would ask the listing agent to supply their invoices and receipts to show how much they spent to make sure your buyers have protection.

From my understanding, this was put into place to stop investors from patching defects and then flipping the property, and then the new home owner have no where to go when everything starts falling apart.  However, with a dollar limit like $10k, I can see investors doing exactly that!!  They'll go buy some spackle, texture, and paint over the foundation cracks in the walls.  They'll go buy some Killz and paint to cover up the water stains hiding a leak in the ceiling or the mold stains on the walls.  They'll cut a lot of corners to keep their costs down, and then they'll be screwing the consumer in the process.

I don't see how this new addendum is a win/win for anyone.  I had to call one of my sellers today to say, "Remember last week when I told you that you should gut the kitchen to update it from its original 1984 look?  Well, forget I said all that and just slap on a fresh coat of paint throughout the house."

What do other Texas REALTORS® think of this new addendum?  If you have this type of thing in your state, how is it handled?  Has it taken the investors out of your market?  Buyers and Sellers, if you're reading this, how do you feel about it?  Do you think you'll be better protected because of this addendum?

Many of the Gulf Coast evacuees started driving towards higher ground in their own cars. For those people, Richardson has open their Huffine's Recreation Center for these people.  They are already full to capacity at 95 people.

Until further notice, the rec center will be closed to the public while they allow the evacuees to stay there.  The city is also teaming up with the nearby Junior High school to allow the evacuees to use their facilities for showers and such, but only before and after school hours.

The evacuees who are staying there have also consented to background checks, and they must check in and out each time they need to leave or reenter the building.

Richardson was one of the many school districts that welcomed Katrina victims three years ago, and would be more than happy to welcome any Gustav students if that is needed.  We'll have to keep watching the impact over the next day or two.

Welcome to Richardson!

The Richardson Public Library is hosting an "Ask a Lawyer" day on September 13 in the basement.  The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program in conjuction with the Dallas Area Young Lawyers Ask-a-Lawyer Committee will be providing answers to all your legal questions from 2-4pm.

There will be Attorneys with all kinds of backgrounds like criminal, family law, estate planning, bankruptcy, and more.  If further assistance is needed beyond the scope of this free clinic, a list of free and low-cost legal resources will be provided.

I'm not sure if this is a question and answer session, or if there are different groups around the room and you go ask your question to a specific person, so if you have questions, come prepared to ask them in front of everyone.  With only a 2 hour time slot, I'm sure there will be many questions not answered.