There have been many blogs about pictures of properties in the MLS and I am always on the side where the pictures should be posted immediately with the listing.  If you don't have the pictures taken yet, or the house is not in showing condition yet, do NOT list it in the MLS.Well, I'm in a pickle right now, and good thing my seller is very understanding and definitely understands why I'm waiting.  It took about a month to get his house in showing condition.  We painted some rooms, we changed out the blinds, we rearranged furniture, we made the pool sparkling, etc.... My listing agreement is set to start tomorrow.  I finally scheduled today as the day to go take all the pictures since it's been raining so much... Does the weather agree with me??  NOOOOO!!!  It's been raining all day!!I c... 07/05/2007

I came across some interesting historical facts about Plano and I thought I'd share with you so you can see how far my town in Plano, Texas has come.   1847 - Plano, Texas was settled   1851 - The city was named Plano when the post office was granted to the town.  Plano means Spanish for "flat" which is definitely an accurate description for this area.  The original settlers wanted to name the town Fillmore after the U.S. President, Millard Fillmore, but that name was rejected by the postal service in Washington D.C.1872 - 1st railroad built through town with the completion of the Houston and Texas railway lines.    1873 - Plano was incorporated and the first mayor elected.  The city had a population of 500.   1881 - Fire destroys most of Plano.  51 business destroyed - the entire busin... 06/29/2007

I just posted the results of the Market Breakdown for Richardson, TX.  I thought it would be interesting to compare Richardson to Plano, TX.  Plano is the next city North, and many people compare the two cities all the time for school districts and neighborhoods.  Growing up in Richardson, I'm a little biased to the comparison, however, I am currently in Collin County and not Dallas County which means BabyHarris will go to Plano Schools, so the comparison is very important.If I use the same categories as I did on Richardson, here is the breakdown for Plano.2006Original List Price: $270,812.97Reduced Price: $267,734.98Sales Price: $260,827.72List Vs Sales: 96.31%2007Original List Price: $294,539.66Reduced Price: $263,134.19Sales Price: $256,004.48List Vs Sales: 86.92%WOW!!  Look at those... 06/26/2007

Below is an invitation that was sent to course attendees at the www.StagedHomes.com February 2007, Plano,TX ASP course.  The house looked fabulous!  Many more changes were made in the months after the initial staging was complete.  Painting, carpet replacement, new outdoor patio and much more!  I would like to extend an open invitation on behalf of Don Vander Werf, ReMax Dallas Suburbs to anyone in the area who would like to also attend the open house.   A few of your fellow Active Rainers are also ASP's who took this course and I would love to meet you myself.   For some photos that were taken back in February, check out Loreena Yeo's blog on this very house.  Loreena kindly  invited me to join AR.  We met during this very ASP Course!Hello Fellow ASP's! The house you Staged in your Feb... 06/25/2007

Do you water your foundation?I work with a lot of relocation into the Dallas area.  With that, it takes a lot to educate someone not only about our market, but also about how to take care of their properties.Most of the North Texas area is built on Clay Soil.  It's usually Red Clay, but Black Clay is also common.  Either way, it's Clay and Clay is a very interesting and unique material to build on.  The Clay is constantly expanding and contracting.  That means your house is constantly expanding and contracting.  With this movement, you can get many cosmetic cracks on the interior along with the exterior.  These cosmetic cracks will eventually turn into structural cracks if not taken care of.The goal is to create as little movement as possible.  In order to do this, you must water your f... 06/25/2007

I just read a study that followed the numbers on a group of agents that were flexible with commissions vs. another group that was not.  The study proves what I have long believed.  In the study, the flexible agents offered a menu of services for different fees and allowed the client to choose what they wanted.  The primary point was to state that the group that was "flexible" averaged nearly the same commission as the group that was not, but earned 3.5 times as much money.  The idea is that by giving the client choices, they feel better about working with you and will chose you over another agent that does not offered choices.  In the end, you will still earn the same money, have happier clients and do more business. To learn more, see http://www.DFWRealEstate.info/docs/flexible-real-es... 06/24/2007

I feel fortunate to live where I live. Plano, TX is locates in the N. Dallas suburbs in the very desirable Collin County. Driving distance to downtown Dallas. An upscale community, with many amenities.... Malls & other shopping, movie theatres, parks, great schools and safe neighborhoods. Plano Parks & Recreation, for example, provides wonderful facilities for the kids to play outdoor games.... like Baseball!!!I enjoy spending time with my family and friends watching my oldest son play ball. He loves all sports and we can keep him busy year round with activities from the Plano Sports Authority. Their summer programs for kids include arts & crafts classes to karate lessons for nominal fees to residents.  <== Just look at that form. Think I might know this little guy?!?! LOL You can visit... 06/10/2007

I'm always asked about the current market conditions in Dallas all the time.  With all the national media reports about a huge slow down in the sales market, my friends and past clients think my business must be suffering.  But the good news for me is my business is doing great.  Dallas hasn't been hit with the terrible market slump like the rest of the country because we hadn't experienced the huge appreciations like other states in past years.  The Dallas area has been running at about 3-4% appreciation for awhile now.  Of course, there are areas with much higher appreciation(Highland Park & Park Cities) and then areas with little to no appreciation(new construction areas like Little Elm).  We have experienced a slow down in our units and volume but I think the Dallas market is still ... 06/08/2007

According to a new study from the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, Texas has passed Arizona and California in the number of retirees relocating.This is interesting to me because, even though they say it's basically because of the lower cost of living and the beautiful weather, the cost of living thing is making me scratch my head.In the state of Texas, we do not have a State Income Tax.  Instead, our taxing entities are a little higher, but you do get reductions with the homestead exemption, Over 65 Exemption (which retirees will take advantage of), and disability exemptions.  However, even though there will be exemptions, on average in the North Texas Area, residents will still be paying approximately 2.4% for annual taxes (in our 16 county radius, taxes range anywhere fr... 06/04/2007

I am proud to live and work in the City of Plano, TX with such high standards for the environment.    Nancy Nevil spoke last week at my Rotary Club and told us that Plano has recently received top honors from Keep Texas Beautiful(KTB).   The Keep Plano Beautiful organization won the 2007 Governor's Community Achievement Award, one of the most prestigious environmental awards in our state.  The award is given to the community with the best volunteer environmental programs, which are evaluated by seven criteria: community leadership, coordination, education, public awareness, litter prevention and cleanup, illegal dumping enforcement, beautification and property improvement and solid waste management.   Plano will receive $265,000 as the first place winner in the "over 250,000 population"... 05/31/2007

The Plano Convention and Visitors Bureau has been recognized by the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC), receiving top honors for producing the "Outstanding Locally Created Event/Program.  Plano was honored for their Youth Explore Sports(YES) program held in Plano earlier this year.  The YES Expo allowed parents to learn about sports programs in the city, equipment, sports safety and teamwork skills.  Nancy Lieberman and Drew Pearson participated in the event.  I know Plano works hard to make all residents (big and small) happy.    Plano is a wonderful city for families and there are great opportunities out there for our kids in sports.  The Plano YMCA (www.planoymca.org), Plano Sports Authority (www.psaplano.org) and Prestonwood Sports Organization provide a variety of sp... 05/18/2007

Drum roll please, imagine they're here....Clive Burns and Lisa LaPorta, the stars of HGTV's hit show , Design to Sell! You know the drill, they start the show off with a Real Estate Professional (not the seller's agent though an independent third party) walking through the homeowner's house, the owners are "next door at a neighbor's house" watching on video the blow by blow breakdown of why this house so desperately needs to be Designed to Sell AKA - STAGED! - With horror and fear the homeowner's brace themselves for what the expert has to say.  Another version of this show is Sell this House - even more brutal because the comments are coming from actual prospective buyers with no holes barred language (censored thankfully) and criticism. "WOW", the owner's say we didn't think it was th... 05/11/2007

As a resident of Plano, Texas, I've made the pledge to "Live Green".  I'm trying to conserve water by taking shorter showers and washing my clothes in cold water.  I recycle my newspaper and any item that I can put in my recycle container.  I've changed my lights to energy efficient light bulbs.  Plano is kicking off their "Live Green" initiative with Expo 2007 this weekend at the Plano Centre from 9am - 5pm.  The Live Green in Plano Expo is a FREE, fun, family event that will help North Texans make informed decisions and take action to lead more healthy lives with less impact on our environment.  The Live Green in Plano Expo strives to create a community in which:We protect our environment by conserving resources, minimizing waste and reducing toxic products and materials. We have heal... 05/03/2007

West Plano Blog  Wednesday, 18 April 2007 The search tool on Plano Homes and Land has just been upgraded by MLS finder.  It now includes an extra security feature so you will not get spam, you know that junk! So if you decide to save a search for yourself, please know you are protected here.  Also, if a listing has a virtual tour it will now download when you view details of a property, just click the spinning circle. You will also be able to view any still photos that are downloaded from the MLS, right under the main photo. What makes our home search different is we have defined drill downs for specific neighborhoods of West Plano and also broad searches of zip codes 75093, 75024, 75025. You can search by location or property type. Click below to see...Updated search tool for Plano Te... 04/18/2007

What a great house with 8.5' Diving, Heated Pool & Spa! This is a 3 bedrooms home with 2.5 baths, a Study, 2 Living areas, 2 Dining Areas, 2 car Garage, and almost 2500 sqft.  Updates include: Pool resurfaced, Pool filter, AC & Furnace, stove, dishwasher, & faucet. Features include: oak paneling & beams, study with built-ins, skylights, intercom, wetbar, oversized marble shower, double closets, double sinks, sitting area in Master, Gas FP, wine rack over fridge, built-in hutch in Nook, tile-wood floors, lots of counter & cabinet space, floored attic, sprinklers & so much more!! View the the Visual Tour! All this for ONLY $235,000!!ARE YOU PACKED YET?? 04/05/2007

Trinkets to Treasures, Plano's Largest Rummage SaleShop for gently used furniture, computer equipment, children's items, clothing, books and more!All proceeds benefit the charitable projects and programs of the Junior League of Plano.Saturday, April 21, 2007 8:00 am - 3:00 pmRichardson Civic Center 411 W. Arapaho Rd, Suite 102 (located on the corner of Hwy 75 and W. Arapaho)Admission Ticket Prices:Early bird admission (8:00 am - 10:00 am) $5.00Regular admission (10:00 am - 3:00 pm) $3.00**Senior Citizens 65+ and children 11 years of age and younger are free  04/02/2007

Subprime crumbling got you down? Foreclosure rates making you blue? NOT ME! I tell you, I feel great! This was a really fun month for me. Not because it was the most profitable financially but it wasn't bad. Nah, I feel great because I helped 5 families become homeowner's for the first time. This is why I went into the mortgage business 11 years ago. If you will indulge me a minute, I'd like to introduce you to one family I helped this month.I introduce to you Okoro & Josephine and their 4 children who are now proud homeowner's in Plano, TX. Say Hi!Okoro called me back in November because he and Josephine had been approved by the suburban city of Plano, TX (just north of Dallas) for a grant to for first-time home buyers. Furthermore, they were looking at a home being renovated near old ... 04/01/2007

The list for April's foreclosures has just been tallied and the DFW market is up 18% for April compared to April last year.  For the year, foreclosures are up 15%.  The main counties break down as follows:Dallas- 11%- up 1597Collin- 40%- up 456Denton- 20%- up 333Tarrant- 20%- up 1066Rockwall- 29%- up 63The main reason for this many foreclosures in the Dallas market is the amount of adjustable rate mortgages that are starting to adjust.  Two and three years ago, people were getting ARMs where the rate for those first couple of years were fixed.  In their head, they're not realizing what that really means after it's not fixed anymore.  I work hard at explaining these loans to my clients, as best I can without being a mortgage person, so none of my buyers have ever been in a foreclosure si... 03/16/2007

The Plano Library needs your books, CDs, DVDs and videos now for their annual Friends of the Plano Public Library Book Sale in July.  Donations of gently-used books, CD's, DVD's, audiotapes, videotapes, records and magazines.  Items can be dropped off at the Plano Library locations below.  Tax receipts are available for donations.  All proceeds from the annual sale are used by the Friends of the Plano Public Library to support library programs and services, touching all segments of our community. Library Book Sale donation sites:Harrington Library, 1501 18th StreetSchimelpfenig Library, 5024 Custer RoadHaggard Library, 2501 Coit RoadDavis Library, 7501-B Independence ParkwayParr Library, 6200 Windhaven ParkwayEveryone has extra books, DVDs and videos at home and this is a great way to k... 02/16/2007

Building on the success of last year, the Junior League of Plano is proud to host the 2nd Annual Kids in the Kitchen on Saturday, April 14 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the LakeSide Market in Plano(located on Preston at Spring Creek).  The goal is to educate the community about childhood obesity and promote healthy childhood nutrition.  Children's Medical Center, Kids Dental, and Central Market join with the Junior League of Plano in promoting healthy lifestyles.Fun, educational activities and interactive games for all ages will be hosted by Children's Medical Clinic.  Sports Teams and cheerleaders will put on exhibitions. HEB's Central Market chefs and nutritionists will "stir up" some nourishing meal ideas for the entire family ,and Kids Dental will provide some interactive fun.Througho... 02/16/2007