Frank Bailey, ABR, GRI

A stimulus package has been approved; specifically to "boost" the economy and make it effective for first time home buyers to achieve the "American Dream." Wow, fantastic news, but let me clarify it a bit further for you, so you can be aware of what you are receiving.

Yes, when you buy a house in 2009, and if you have not bought a home in 3 years, then you will be considered a first time homebuyer, how good is that?? Now, years of subprime lending, and loans being approved because you have a pulse and breath have desecrated our housing market to the point where we are today; sad, yes, correctable, yes. Take the steps to get yourself in gear and lined up, and you have one of the greatest times, in my opinion, you will ever have to be part of the "American Dream."

The New steps you should take, and advice to follow:

•1. Banks are "gun shy" they've been crushed by the loans that shouldn't have been approved in the past, that were, and now have to carry.

•2. What that means to you? PATIENCE..... That's going to be the moniker of 2009. You will be prodded, questioned, and under a great deal of scrutiny. Banks were at the "easy" end of the pendulum for a long time, now things have switched, and you have to be prepared for it. "Once bitten, twice shy" is the way of the loan process. You will/can get a great deal today, and I implore you to take advantage of it.

•3. If you feel your credit is shaky, now's the time to clean it up. www.Freecreditreport.com and I'm sure there are others, will let you know what your credit currently is. Take this report, sit down with your family, and take the steps to get you ready. If you don't have at least a 600 credit score, you may not be able to take advantage of the great interest rates, of the money the government is making available for you. We all know, renting is a thing of the past, and despite the reports on Wall Street, being a home owner is still the best investment you can make.

Curb your debt to credit ratio, save some money. At the end of the day, it's up to you to make yourself "credit friendly" to become a home owner.

So, the programs are in place, all you have to do is make yourself ready to take advantage of them. Contact a Realtor to get you on the right path; we're more than happy to help!

I had the pleasure of playing one of the two revamped courses on the Army installation of Fort Sam Houston, here in sunny San Antonio:

The course was in great shape! I found this to be a pleasant surprise, considering the water shortage here. The course has the distinction of being the only military course to host a PGA tournament event twice (the Texas Open). Arnold Palmer won here on one of those events.

The bunkers are well place and come in to place on numerous occasions and water is in place on several of the holes. The greens rolled alot better than they looked and were fast! With the right pin placement, you really have to take your time with even a 10 foot put.

The price is reasonable; and comes with a cart and lunch, don't know if this is year round, however with the base having two courses, you have the luxury of not waiting too long for a tee time, and being rushed.

For a par 71, it boasts a 6,819 yards and was revamped in 2007.

Nearby boasts some of the higher end homes: particularly in the Oak Hills subdivision:

the prices are demanded becuase of the closeness to the heart of the city. However Schertz, Cibolo, and Converse are within a fairly comfortable communte with prices more in a comfortable price range.

Ask any Realtor, no matter where you are, there are two reason a home doesn't sell; Price and condition..... that's the advice of the past, but they will tell you, now there's another. Marketing!

With the age of the internet and the amount of buyers going to the web first; the thrid reason is now a factor. If your home is not in the condition it should be, it will not sell; only contingent on if you don't price it accordingly; with a follow up contingent on, if your home is not seen, it won't sell!

Now with all the Internet sights "showcasing homes for sale, you really have to have your home plastered everywhere! Although.... you can have your home in front of every person on the Internet, it won't sell without the other two conditions.

A trifecta needs to be approached in today's market..... now more than ever, you need a Realtor, to market and showcase your home,. for several reasons.... a market analysis is so important right now, a blunt opinion of the condition of your home is imperative, and a Realtor advising you on these two, and willing to market your home, is the final step.

Trust in your professionals, their price is/and will be earned. Now's the time to buy and/or sell, if you're willing to take the steps, follow your Realtor, you will get it sold.

Just my 2 cents from your San Antonio Realtor!

I had the opportunity to play the Woodlake golf club the other day; and I will tell you, it was a pleasure!

Home of Ben Crenshaw's 1st PGA Tour Victory

This course was built in the early '70's and the design is fantastic. Hilly terrains, mulitple water hazards and all the greens are elevated. It's a true golfer's challenge at a reasonable price. I will definitely add this to one of my regular courses in rotation. Not the longest course, about 6,600 yards from the tips, but you will work for par!

Very nice homes surround this course and the prices and dynamics vary: you can have your choice of a gated community, or not, all with short access to Randolph AFB, and Fort Sam Houston.

Homes for sale are pretty reasonable, all with short access to the course.

If you do decide on living near a golf course, this is a great find!

In the early 4th quarter of 2008 I had the honor of attending the Accredited buyers representation course;

While apprehensive at first that I wouldn't really learn anything from it, I was wrong!! This is definitely a designation that every Realtor should take the time to get. Why? Well for one, it promotes and secures the knowledge to make you better for the consumer. How, you may ask? Well I'm happy to say, the confidence, understanding and knowledge is priceless. This secures that me, your San Antonio Realtor, is well prepared to represent you and work as a team with my clients to better advise, and guide them to their home buying needs.

The general population do not know what are designations mean, and that's our fault as Realtors. We should, at all times, advertise and promote what extra steps we do to make us better for the consumer, especially in a time like our economy has deteriorated to! As an ABR professional, I have the knowledge, wisdom and confidence to ensure that your homebuying needs and questions are met to fully satisfy you, my client.

I encourage my fellow ABR designees to take the time to advertise and promote and, build your profile on REBAC and to use the great tools that are provided for us with our membership, and refer accordingly. You benefit with knowledge, your clients benefit with your knowledge. 2009 should be the year of the home owner. Time to empower us all to help us, the consumer, our future clients, and our future. I'm off to seek other designations to better equip myself, and my clients!

Just my 2 cents, from your San Antonio Realtor!