Take your pick.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Carrollton/Farmers Branch Residential Sales Report for August
Sales in the Carrollton/Farmers Branch area were up a string 20% in August. The average sales price was up by 13% and the median sales price increased by 12%. Pending sales jumped 53% so it looks like September will be another good months. The number of new listings fell by 2% while the active listings dropped by 18%. The months of inventory now stands at 1.4 months.Sales: 219
Average Sales Price: $270,403
Median Sales Price: $235,000
Pending Sales: 188
New Listings: 211
Active Listings:224
Months of Inventory: 1.4
Leases:
Leasing activity increased by 70% in August as compared to a year ago. The average rent rose 10% as did the median rent. Pending leases were up by 55%. the new listings fell by 13% but the active listings increased by 14%. The months of inventory had a slight increase to 1.1 months. Still very difficult to find a home to rent in this area.
Leases: 68
Average Rent: $1,819
Median Rent: $1,720
Pending Leases: 34
New Listings: 54
Active Listings: 57
Months of Inventory: 1.1
Information provided by The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M
The Localist: State Fair of Texas Edition
The State Fair of Texas if officially open for the season and if you make your way out to the fair grounds, then make sure to stop by the Food and Fiber building and check out the GO TEXAN General Store. It is fully stocked with some amazing local products.
D-FW leads Texas in August home sales
The Dallas-Fort Worth area had the biggest home sales jump of any major Texas market in August, according to the latest statewide data.
Mortgage applications drop 6.7% on rate swings
What goes up must come down, especially when it comes to today's highly rate-sensitive mortgage borrowers.
North Texas housing market is hot, but analysts say it's no bubble
Buyers camping overnight in Collin County to get first pick of lots for new houses.
Home sellers in North Dallas often getting more than asking price with multiple offers.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
For One Night, Aurora Turns the Dallas Arts District Into a Downtown Dream
Aurora transformed the Wyly Theatre into a giant light sculpture in 2013. Photo courtesy of TDMN
Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau marketing materials like to brag about how we have the largest Arts District in the nation. What they leave out is that the size of the Arts District works against it.
Well, except for one night of every other year.
Downtown Carrollton project recognized by the state
The downtown Carrollton square was named a Best Public Improvement project finalist of the 2015 Texas Downtown Association (TDA) President’s Awards Program.
US home prices rise 5% in July: S&P/Case-Shiller
U.S. home prices continued to rise in July, the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed Tuesday.
Still no oil price impact for D-FW real estate
So far North Texas’ hot real estate market is shrugging off the plunge in oil prices.
Monday, September 28, 2015
4 Costly Mistakes When Building New
When building a new home, home buyers may quickly find themselves over-budget and over-stressed.
Fed Offers Buyers a Short-Term Reprieve, but Mortgage Rates May Rise before December
Home buyers were granted a bit more time to lock in today's incredibly low mortgage rates before the era of low interest rates ends with the Fed's decision to postpone raising its short-term target rate. However the move by the Fed just substantially increased the odds of the important symbolic move occurring in December. And like we've seen this week and in prior periods when the Fed was widely expected to tighten monetary policy, mortgage rates may move up before they officially act.
Pending home sales fell 1.4% in August
The Dallas Area market continues to buck the national trend.
Pending Sales in the Dallas area were up by 50% in August.
New Disclosure Rules for Mortgages
Home loan offers should be easier to decipher come Oct. 3, when mortgage lenders must begin using new consumer disclosure forms that explicitly break down the costs and terms associated with a loan.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Businesses Are Growing And Attracting More Companies To Dallas
The North Texas area is proving to be fertile ground for sprouting new businesses and expanding existing ones.
This is the best time to borrow money. In all of history.
That’s right: Interest rates are lower today than they were when FDR or Napoleon or Henry VIII or Genghis Khan or Charlemagne or Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great or even Hammurabi were around. Or, if you want to put a year on it, lower than at any time since the ancient Sumerians made the first loans, payable in either silver or grain, back in 3000 B.C.
Liberty Mutual Insurance's huge Plano project starts next week
Liberty Mutual Insurance will formally kick off it’s almost 1 million square-foot office campus near the southwest corner of the Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121.
The Heard Museum presents Dinosaurs Live!
Encounter the 46-foot T-Rex and eight new life-size animatronic dinosaurs along the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary’s nature trails at the 9th annual Dinosaurs Live! Life-size Animatronic Dinosaurs at the Heard Exhibit.
What's a Woofus? The 2015 State Fair of Texas, from A to Z
Did you ever look at the State Fair of Texas schedule and wonder what on earth some of the events listed might be? We took a quirky spin through the schedule to give you a sampler of fun things to see there, from A to Z.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
'Secret' Money-Saving Home Insurance Option?
A new article at realtor.com® is warning home owners about an influx of storm-chasing contractors who may be indirectly pushing up home insurance prices in their area. These contractors may knock on home owners' doors and say they need a new roof or siding due to wind and hail damage – all cosmetic damage repairs that may not be necessary.
Supermoon and Lunar Eclipse to Be Seen Sunday
On Sunday night the skies will be greeted by a reddish Supermoon and a lunar eclipse, a combination that hasn't happened for 30 years and won't happen again until 2033, according to NASA.
D-Town Throwdown, The Largest Skateboarding Event In The Central U.S., Hits Dallas In October.
Oh, and the best part about it all? It bears everyone's favorite price tag. It's free. (Yes, even parking)
THE FIVE EXTERIOR RENOVATIONS THAT PROVIDE THE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Whether the renovation you're considering is driven by a necessary repair or replacement, or the desire to upgrade an item prior to listing your home for sale, the goal is the same: to get the highest return on investment (ROI).
Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas will open doors for free on Sept. 26
Museum Day Live! is an annual event sponsored by Smithsonian magazine in Washington, D.C., in which participating museums nationwide offer free admission for two people.
Friday, September 25, 2015
What You Can Buy in Casa Linda
Large lots, mature trees, vintage homes, and close proximity to White Rock Lake characterize the charming Casa Linda neighborhood in Old East Dallas.
Mortgage Rates in Free Fall, After Fed's Vote
Did Chase Mortgage CEO get this FHA loan requirement wrong?
Comments from Kevin Watters, CEO of Chase Mortgage Banking, earlier this week that the Federal Housing Administration’s loan requirements look an awful lot like subprime lending incited quite the debate on social media over what exactly is subprime lending.
US new home sales surge to 7-year high
Buoyed by steady job gains and low mortgage rates, Americans purchased new homes in August at the fastest pace in more than seven years.
Free Concerts to See at the State Fair of Texas
The live music — free with an admission ticket — is worth the price of entry alone.
Three key steps for first-time homebuyers
Other than marriage, homeownership is the longest contract you will ever enter into. With a 25-to-30 year commitment on the line, buying a home can be a confusing, even overwhelming, experience. But with even the most basic knowledge and a little planning, you can navigate the process with confidence.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
5 Dramatic Ways to Re-Think Your Living Room
When you put together your living room you probably had an idea of the things you should start with — a sofa, coffee table, TV, rug, end tables, maybe a few lamps. But this post is all about encouraging you to break free of your preconceptions of what the living room ought to be and embrace the myriad possibilities of what your living room could be.
Park & Palate
Park & Palate, the newest addition to Klyde Warren Park’s annual signature events, will feature celebrity chefs, a Dallas-style grand tasting, cooking demos, live music and a unique VIP experience.
Frisco, TX Residential Sales Report for August
Single-Family:Sales in Frisco were up by 1%. The average sales price climbed by 11% and the median sales price increased by 10% as compared to a year ago. Pending sales showed a nice increase of 26% so we can anticipate September sales to be up. The number of new listings fell 1% but the active listings rose by 16%. The months of inventory increased to 1.9 months. Still not much inventory.
Sales: 421
Average Sales Price: $389,542
Median Sales Price: $337,500
Pending Sales: 356
New Listings: 406
Active Listings: 611
Months of Inventory: 1.9
Leases:
Leasing activity was strong in August up by 44%. The average rent rose 4% while the median rent climber by 3%. Pending leases were also strong up by 41%. the number of new listings jumped by 29% and the active Listings by 34%. It's nice to see more inventory come on the market but even with these large increases the months of inventory only increased to 1.7 months.
Leases: 225
Average Sales Price: $2,083
Median Sales Price: $1,900
Pending Leases: 120
New Listings: 286
Active Listings: 280
Months of Inventory: 1.7
Information provided by The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M
2015 Greek Food Festival of Dallas
The Greek Food Festival of Dallas brings the enticing flavors, sights, sounds and traditions of Greece to life.
CitySquare presents A Night to Remember featuring Hall & Oates
Rock and soul legends Daryl Hall and John Oates will take the stage at CitySquare’s annual A Night to Remember. For more than 25 years, CitySquare has been fighting poverty and will use the proceeds raised at this event to support its mission of feeding the hungry, healing the sick, housing the homeless and renewing hope in the heart of our city.
New FHA rules hamper mortgages for student-loan borrowers
The Federal Housing Administration just made it more difficult for first-time homebuyers with outstanding student loans to get low down payment mortgages with changes to the crucial debt-to-income calculation.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Festivals of a different flavor top best Dallas food events this week
Klyde Warren Park hosts the inaugural Park & Palate celebration on September 25 and 26. Photo by Jerry McClure
Sometimes too much of a good thing can be wonderful. Case in point: food festivals. If last week’s bounty wasn’t enough, this week we have one dedicated to Greek food and an inaugural event at Klyde Warren Park that is bound for success. And then there’s a big event which technically isn’t even a food event at all. You guessed it: the State Fair of Texas.
McKinney, TX Residential Sales Report for August
Single-Family:Sales were down by 6% in McKinney during August. However, the pending sales number jumped by 43%. As in other areas, it looks like some sales were delayed and pushed into September. The average sales price dropped by 3% and the median sales price rose by 4%. not sure what caused these gyrations but I do not expect to see another decline in the average sales price next month.
The new listings fell by 3% and the active listings dropped by 1%. The months of inventory stayed the same at 1.8 months.
About 20% of the active listings in MLS are builders new construction. The average listing price for theses homes in $471,963.
Sales: 299
Average Sales Price: $285,749
Median Sales Price: $262,500
Pending Sales: 261
New Listings: 313
Active Listings: 406
Months of Inventory: 1.8
Leases:
Leasing activity increases by 14% in August. The average rent rose 3% and the median rent was up by 4%. Pending leases jumped 34%. The number of new listings fell by 6% and the active listings declined by 12%. The months of inventory now stands at 1 month. Pretty hard to find a house to rent.
Leases: 108
Average Rent: $1,755
Median Rent: $1,700
Pending Leases: 71
New Listings: 118
Active Listings: 92
Months of Inventory: 1
Information provided by The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M.
Mortgage applications surge 13.9% on rate dips
The high drama leading up to and following the Federal Reserve's decision not to raise interest rates had mortgage borrowers and their lenders busy last week.
Chase Mortgage CEO red flags FHA loans
"FHA requirements are down to a 520 FICO (credit score) and you only have to put 3.5 percent down; that's subprime lending, and we're not in the subprime lending business," said Kevin Watters, CEO of Chase Mortgage Banking.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Bright choices when it comes lighting the Dallas skyline
But as soon as the sun goes down, the Arts District high-rise is ready to party with an eye-popping lightshow
Better to Buy Than Rent, Index Shows
Owning a home is expected to produce greater wealth, on average, than renting, shows a national index produced by Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University.
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Renters are looking to leave New York, Chicago for Dallas.
Renters are looking to leave New York, Chicago for Dallas. Start spreading the news. They’re leaving today…for North Texas
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Renters are looking to leave New York, Chicago for Dallas. Start spreading the news. They’re leaving today…for North Texas -
Firefly Run 5K/10K Photo courtesy of Yow Midia The Firefly Run is a cool, eye-dazzling, illuminated nighttime 5K/10K race.