January 28, 2010

Smile, you’re on red light camera

Since 2003, over 46 cities in the State of Texas have installed red light cameras and Houston has its fair share of red light cameras too … some 70 cameras at 50 intersections. There’s significant debate as to whether the cameras decrease traffic accidents and save lives or if they are just a money maker […]

January 26, 2010

Making sense of the new GFE and HUD-1

Loan officers, escrow officers, and Realtors® have all been scrambling over the last 60 days to either implement or simply to understand the revamped GFE and HUD-1 settlement statement that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. The purpose of the new GFE (Good Faith Estimate ) is to help make shopping for a home mortgage […]

January 24, 2010

Who has the best cheese fries in Spring Texas?

Cheese fries have to be the best pig out and comfort food of all time. They probably have a gazillion calories and a high percentage of fat content but they are so good that I don’t know how anybody could resist them. At least not all the time. If you are going to eat cheese fries you want […]

January 22, 2010

Sellers contribution to buyers closing costs slashed 50%

This week the FHA announced changes for FHA home loans. The good news is the changes were not as drastic nor potentially devastating to the housing industry as what they could have been. In a nutshell, the changes which will become effective sometime this summer are: 1. Maximum seller contribution to buyers closing costs reduced […]

January 20, 2010

Winter is bragging season

Every area of the country has at least one time of the year when their weather is superior to other parts of the country. I refer to this as “bragging season”. It’s the time of the year when you call your friends and family to brag about how beautiful the weather is where you live in comparison to where […]

January 18, 2010

Where are the buyers?

You have probably heard of the saying “Fish where the fish are”. It means that the best way to catch a fish is to fish where the fish are. Sounds logical. The same principle applies to Spring Texas real estate . If you want to sell your home you need to have your home’s listing where the […]

January 15, 2010

Spring Texas Real Estate 2009 – Year in Review

With the February 2009 numbers of home sales down 30% and median sales price down 16%, the Spring Texas real estate market was off to a frightening start. The 8.5% of the Houston Realtors who decided not to practice real estate at the end of 2008 were starting to look like the smart ones in the room. As we […]

January 13, 2010

How do damage points affect your FICO credit score?

Over the years, the secret behind how your credit score is calculated and how different “what ifs?” affect it have been guarded better than the Bush’s baked beans recipe . That is until recently as FICO has shared how different “what if?” scenarios can affect your credit scores . Did you max out your Macy’s card over Christmas? Expect a […]

January 11, 2010

Water costs on the rise …… AGAIN!!!

That’s right again! Last summer, the cost of watering my Spring Texas yard increased and I wrote a post about it titled “Are the days of cheap water gone?”. The answer to the question was Yes. The portion of my water bill identified as Regional Water Authority had increased from $0.99 to $1.50 per 1,000 gallons. An increase […]

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