A few years ago during a drought condition, we had a brush fire that destroyed hundreds of homes east of Oklahoma City. A state bank that does a lot of home loans especially FHA and VA asked me to go to Luther Oklahoma to see if any of their homes were damaged or destroyed that they had loans on. The city really went up in flames but I had to stop by this picture of someone who had lost everything in their home with total destruction handled the disaster. When I shot the picture I thought of the book about not sweating the small stuff, it's all small stuff and I wonder if I could handle a loss like this with the same amount of humor, black though it is. At this time of the season when we are expressing gratitude, think about this homeowner, and realize how blessed so many of us are. I a... 12/22/2016

 I am proud to announce our new Oklahoma City property management company, Top Choice Property Management. After 26 years of selling Oklahoma City investment property, and doing it exclusively for 12 years, this became a necessity. The only thing as hard as finding an investment specialist is finding a really good property management company. Some get so big that they take on a corporate mentality and individual service is lost. All they care about is getting fees and your wealth building be damned. Since I deal with smaller individual investors this is unacceptable. A great property management company also needs a first class leasing agent, and then only hiring competent professionals and not just bodies to fill positions. Our goal is always quality and we limit the number of Oklahoma ... 12/21/2016

In December I always remind myself as to why I do exclusively Oklahoma City real estate investments. This video is personal for me because when I entered real estate in 1989 I was broker from the deep recession in Oklahoma and the end of my retail business. After my first commission of $450 in January 1990 I looked at that like it was winning the lottery because I had no money left. To understand what it is like to lose everything is to want to not only rebuild your own financial well being and security, it is also something that spurred me on to helping others achieve their financial dreams also. So for 26 years I have devoted myself to this and have been so fortunate to have a loyal following where people after ten years previous purchases, come back a decade later because the experie... 12/19/2016

Choosing insurance for Oklahoma City rental property is different from when you are an owner occupant. On the house you live in you get a combo of home and auto but investment just the property. It is also difficult to find replacement value coverage for rental units so we have to do a lot of searching. At this time we have found a great local agent who is giving us prime coverage and service. First of all it is replacement value which is a big deal when you get a hail storm and need to replace your roof. It is also a comprehensive policy that you don't have to add extras for like for earthquakes. Yes, we need earthquake insurance in the age of drill baby drill especially in shale. Ours has a 2% deductible and normally adds about $72 a year to the total, not bad at all. Finally, if you ... 12/18/2016

 2016 was another excellent year in Oklahoma City real estate sales, but still different from 2 014 and 2015. In those previous years we had a shortage in homes for sale which cause appreciation to go up more than the usual 3% to 5%, but in 2016 we had a 20% rise in homes for sale that restored the typical 3% rise. We also found that the average sales price went down not because of a poor market but a larger than normal influx of first time buyers in affordable price ranges especially below $150,000. This represents what we have seen for the last 16 years, no high highs, but no drops in real value except for 2008 and 2009 which were flat but not reduced. With a diversified economy and with oil prices rising in 2016 Oklahoma City did especially well in the 4th quarter and investment real... 12/17/2016

Looking for homes for sale near Penn Square Mall and Nichols Hills? Take a look at the Belle Isle Oklahoma City area for great homes for sale!NW OKC's populare Belle Isle real estate market is very desirable due to the quality homes here and the location.  Homes for Sale in Belle Isle OKC Real EstateLatest December Belle Isle Homes for Sale Real Estate Update in Oklahoma CityHere's my latest take on home sales and values in the very popular NW OKC neighborhood area of Belle Isle! You'll love the location of Belle Isle in NW Oklahoma City. Close to the excitement and fun of Western Avenue, Nichols Hills Plaza and easy access to even more on NW Expressway. Penn Square Mall within walking distance of this wonderful community. What's the latest update on homes for sale in Belle Isle? Averag... 12/16/2016

I am done with Charlene in Jupiter Florida getting ready to do our annual Christmas with her family. Christmas shopping is easy for this family because we all love Apple gift cards so for us it is a zero sum game, we give cards we get cards. What we enjoy most is being together, eating a lot of seafood, and seeing celebrating Christmas in 80+ degree heat, but that is not the point of this.We went to check up on our insurance on the condo because of dodging two hurricanes this year including Hurricane Matthew that really caused damage in South Carolin but turned just slightly east to prevent the expected 140 mph winds. We are a five minute walk from the ocean so it could have done a number on our condo so we wanted to check our policy to make sure, and so this post is about how an insura... 12/16/2016

Love to run off some pounds? Let's take advantage of this running event for the Holidays in OKC! Red Coyote is one of my favorite shops to buy running gear and they are wonderful at supporting the local running community.Running is fun in OKC! It's also a great way to hold down on some Christmas pounds when you are enjoying or perhaps over enjoying the festivities and dining fun of the Holidays. Here's a great event that will help you with your Holiday fitness.Deep Deuce Dash and Draft in Oklahoma CityJoin Red Coyote and Anchor Down for our Deep Deuce Dash & Draft. Every Wednesday meet at Anchor Down at 6:00pm for a 3-mile fun run around downtown. After the run stick around for some fun and a free beer. PLEASE WEAR A LIGHT FOR SAFETY!!!Check out the details on this fun OKC event!Deep De... 12/14/2016

I started going to investor seminars in California in 2004 and excpet for the meltdown interuption, I still go and speak to real estate investment groups. This weekend was particularly successful since I restarted my visits 3.5 years ago. Real Estate investment is ramping up and it wouldn't surprise me that home ownership will go down in the next few years and the rental market getting bigger, and i sense that investors are feeling the same way. A good way to top it off is with food, good wine, and a view, so my group went to the Water Bar by the bay Bridge and I indulged with some great Ahi Tuna served rare and a fruit forward and spicy California Petitie Syrah. I also had time to talk to my good firend and media expert, Patrick Kitano about AR, VR, and aritificial intelligence and how... 12/05/2016

Today I honored a tradition that I hope doesn't end too soon. When we were 10 year old, we originally sneaked into Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City which was for high school football stadium built by the WPA in the depression days, but nicely updated. We would scale the fence as 10 year old, but at 68 that is not such a good idea. For 58 years the event has grown with the ladies coming to cheer and some to play in this event where at this time of our lives we just want to make sure no one gets injured, and our children do the heavy lifting.What is most important about this is the celebration of our lives coming together from all over the country once a year and affirming that you can't take the child out of the adult. I had phone calls from two of my buddies yesterday and we talked about l... 11/24/2016

I use two different email addresses, one is with Cox which I have had for over a decade and the other is Gmail which I have had for awhile also. Cox does not do a good job of filtering spam so when I check the morning emails a ton of spam dominates it. This is when I decided to make Gmail my default business account and Cox the account for all others, and if business came into it I converted it. I also forwarded my longtime virtual email address to Gmail.This is where Unroll.me steps in to make it a happy inbox. There may be other free applications that will work for organization but for over two years I have been happy with it overall. I am always hesitant to unsubscribe directly becasue first, they know I am there, and second I may be a bit paranoid that this may cause malware. With U... 11/23/2016

Well, it feels like that today. After one week in Orlando and the last two days going non-stop from 7:00AM on I am officially exhausted. As Danny Glover said in lethal Weapon, I'm getting too old for this shit. yesterday was my last official day as an NAR Regional VP and after 15 years of solid volunteer work from the local to the state it is now time to pay back my wife for her support and stay home a bit more. I don't regret a minute of it but I am at the point for new blood to take over. I have seen may people at the NAR level having a hard time walking away and I may have a brief moment of a letdown at some point but my ego doesn't demand attention. Enough about me so let's get on to what I saw and what might be worth your time reading.Restructuring the Board of Directors: An NAR ad... 11/08/2016

 In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the United States of America. It was known as the Sooner state, and is 28th highest in size and population. You can see small mountain ranges, mesas, forests, and prairies. Its primary industries are oil agriculture products, natural gas, biotechnology, energy, telecommunication, and aviation. These huge industries are bound to play a certain role in the Oklahoma City Metro Real Estate, and we can see the market going up and down due to industries.The largest corporation in Oklahoma is the Tinker Air Force Base, owned by Unites States government. Both Ki Bois Head Start, and INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center has 10,000 employees. The state employment rate has increased, and the job market has improved; which directly affects the Real Estate Mark... 11/04/2016

http://virtualrealestateteam.com. 2016 has been a great year for OklahomaCity real estate investments but 2017 will be even better. In the last three years more investors are turning to the stable positive cash flow markets as foreclosures have dried up and markets in some cases over recovered. New had some limitations in 2016 on the number of newly constructed properties we could sell to investors, but throughout this year I have been working with builders to secure land throughout the city where we can still bring you outstanding values.We will continue to sell duplexes like by the golf course in Surrey Hills which is Yukon schools because we have been renting them before the investors can close. We also have duplexes going up starting next month in a choice location of Edmond Oklahom... 10/16/2016

http://virtualrealestateteam.com. I just finished my 27th year of being a REALTOR® in Oklahoma City and since I started out selling foreclosures to investors I got the bug to work with investors only. Initially I worked with homebuyers and sellers but the investor part of real estate was a siren call and now it is exclusively what i do. Fortunately I have REALTORS† who work for me who take care of buyers and sellers so that lets me do my passion full time. As a self employed person for this time, investing in anything is my complete responsibility so I have done what Warren Buffet recommended, invest in what you know. This doesn't mean that real estate is the only investment I have but it is a pretty big chunk of it.At a time where some folks retire I am still at it because when I wake ... 10/13/2016

In Oklahoma City real estate investments, the 4th quarter for us is more about what we start construction on to be available for investors in 2017. However, we do find that it is a good time for purchasing although the pickings get a little slimmer. We do have gold course duplexes, 4 to be exact that can be finished by the end of the year. We have some single family homes from $146,000 to $186,000 that are wither ready or almost so. What also happens is I start getting calls from builders who need to reduce their inventory of homes before the end of the year. Builders are financed by local community banks not the too big to fail ones, and in Oklahoma City real estate outside one national builder, the rest are local. Community banks since 2008 have been tighter with their home constructi... 10/10/2016

http://virtualrealestateteam.com. Sorry to be gone so long in posting about Oklahoma City real estate but it has been extremely busy for me the last few months. Oklahoma City real estate is a steady as she foes type of market so we do not see large swings in values and we have very few foreclosures. What we are seeing right now is a return of higher energy prices which benefits our state. Oil has hit $50 a barrel and futures are higher so with out large reserves of oil in shale and a low cost of drilling this boosts an already good and diversified economy. Of course the luxury market hasn't caught up with the change so bargains abound above $500,000 while the under $200,000 market is still biased towards the seller but not like last year. We have had about a 20% increase in homes for sa... 10/07/2016

Homes for Sale in Whitehall Oklahoma City  Whitehall Homes for Sale and Sold Report for August 2016   Whitehall Homes in NW OKC have seen steady price improvement month to month as well as year to year as inventory levels remain at all-time lows. The Numbers Month to Month and Year to Year The median sales price for Whitehall Homes in Oklahoma City was $273,000 in August 2016 compared to $245,000 during January 2016 and $241,000 August 2015. The number of Whitehall OKC Homes for Sale that sold was 1 in July 2016 vs. 0 in January 2016 and 2 that sold July 2015. There are 0 Whitehall Oklahoma City Homes for Sale that are in contract which represents a strong market in this NW OKC neighborhood. A few highlights of the current Whitehall OKC Homes for Sale are shown below and represent a nic... 09/26/2016

NW OKC Real Estate Price Reduction Report Update  New Price Reductions in NW OKC   Love the NW OKC Price Reduced Report Real Estate Price Reductions It's always a good day to find price reduced homes and real estate price reductions when you are looking for a great deal. Having your Realtor® investigate price reduced homes in your area of interest is a smart move. Your real estate agent can obtain MLS details on the home, put the home on a price watch for further price reductions and even make an offer for you as your buyer advocate. Need to see what price reductions in NW OKC hit the market? Here are a few real estate price reductions that caught my eye and I would love to share them with you. NW OKC PRICE REDUCED REPORT | Valerie McEvoy RE/MAX Click to see the full report   Below are ... 09/25/2016

Appliances Need Updating? Advice from your RE/MAX Expert!Hello! I'm Valerie McEvoy with RE/MAX Preferred Properties in Oklahoma City! Here's some excellent tips on appliance updating that was found on our RE/MAX corporate blog and I wanted to share this with you.Nothing lasts forever – including the "vintage" stove that came with your adorable fixer-upper or the washing machine your parents gave you when they decided to downgrade. When it's time to replace the appliances in your home, here are four considerations to keep in mind from your RE/MAX OKC agent.  1. Repairing vs. replacing Sometimes an appliance is so far gone (smoke is often a sign) that repairing it is not an option. And if the estimate for a repair is more than half the price of a new (or great, used) machine, Consumer Rep... 09/21/2016