February 3, 2010

New form, no e-file, and longer wait

If you purchased a home after November 6th, 2009 or are planning on purchasing a home this year and taking advantage of first time home buyers tax credit, there are a couple of changes you need to know. New Form – form 5405 is the form you need to claim the first time home buyers tax credit. But if you […]

February 1, 2010

Top 10 worst real estate advertising phrases

Not all real estate advertising phrases do what they are intended to do which is to attract buyers. Realtors have been using some advertising phrases way beyond their expiration date and just need to throw them out. Here’s my list of the advertising phrases I would like to never see again on another real estate listing. Top 10 list of the […]

January 30, 2010

It starts at the curb

When was the last time you drove slowly by your house and took a really good look at it from the curb? I would probably guess its been a while. The last time may even have been when you were considering buying it. Before you put your house on the Spring Texas real estate market you should go […]

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 […]

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