Sam Thomas's (samthomas) Blog

You don't have to break the bank to celebrate the holidays in style—even in this season of inflation. Prices may be higher on everything from food to gifts to decorations, but there are still plenty of opportunities to eke out extra savings. For example, according to the U.S. Environmental Protec...

Over the past few years, a real estate buying frenzy bid up home prices to eye-popping amounts. However, as mortgage rates have risen, buyer demand has cooled. 1 Consequently, home sellers who enter the market today may need to reset their expectations.The reality is, it’s no longer enough to sti...

Deciding whether to jump into the housing market or rent instead is rarely an easy decision – especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer. But in today’s whirlwind market, you may find it particularly challenging to pinpoint the best time to start exploring homeownership.   A real estate boom dur...

       Mortgage rates have been on a roller coaster ride this year, rising and falling amid inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty. And even the experts are divided when it comes to predicting where rates are headed next.1This climate has been unsettling for some homebuyers and sellers. ...

             The process of buying a new home can be both exhilarating and exhausting. But the journey doesn’t stop when you close on your property. On the contrary, you still have quite a bit to do before you can begin the process of settling into your new place. Fortunately, you don’t have to d...

     Surrounded by wildlife, beautiful landscapes, mesmerizing sunsets,  numerous parks and campgrounds, Lake Lavon is a 21,400-acre lake in northeast Texas, at McKinney. Four million people visit Lake Lavon every year. The lake is nestled in southeast Collin, County, Texas, on the East Fork of t...

        No matter what’s going on in the housing market, the process of selling a home can be challenging. Some sellers have a hard time saying goodbye to a treasured family residence. Others want to skip ahead to the fun of decorating and settling into a new place. Almost all sellers want to mak...

The last two years caught many of us off guard—and not just because of the pandemic. They also ushered in the hottest housing market on record, with home prices rising nationally by nearly 19% in 2021, driven primarily by low mortgage rates and a major supply shortage.1But while some had hoped 20...

Plano, Texas frequently receives different awards and rankings state-wide and nationally for it's positive attributes and recently received the highest-ranking park system in the state.The ranking is based on access, acreage, amenities, equity and investment. According to the Trust for Public Lan...

Our nation is in the midst of a serious housing crunch. Last year, a lack of inventory and soaring prices left many would-be homebuyers feeling pinched. But now, with interest rates climbing, many of them are also feeling desperate to lock in a mortgage—which has only added fuel to the fire.1Fort...