Kent Dills, Bellingham, Washington Real Estate 817-495-8028

Short-Term Home Buyer - Get Your Loan Figured Out First!

If you or anyone you know is in the market to purchase a home, the first thing they should do is determine the financing that is going to be used. If a cash buyer, this is not a complicated or lengthy step. However, if one is going to be getting a loan, especially if a first-time homebuyer, getting with an experienced loan professional is CRITICAL STEP. Just ask those folks who either through haste, ignorance, fraud, some combination of all these factors - they purchased with the loan solution that was NOT THE RIGHT ONE FOR THEM.

Please see this link for an interesting post on home loans posted on Zillow's Blog

If you'd like more advice and recommendations from a full-time Texas-licensed real estate broker, please don't hesistate to reach out to me or my wife and business partner - Debbie.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! ;-)

Mr. & Ms. Seller, Home Not Selling? You Might Want To Consider Lowering Your Price!

Click on the link below and then watch the Realty Check video in the blog post. Then come back and read the amplifying text below the link.

Link to Harris Real Estate University Blog Post and CNBC Realty Check Video

If your house has been on the market for a month or two (or even longer I fear), and you aren't getting one or two showings per week - let alone any offers or contracts, then you absolutely need to consider lowering your asking price.

Consider this, if there are multiple homes listed for sale in your neighborhood/subdivision (i.e., location), and the homes are all in similar condition (neat, clean, staged, small repairs made, etc.), and none of them have sold - THEY'RE PROBABLY ALL OVERPRICED.

If one of your fellow sellers/listers drops his or her price to the range where active buyers are valuing the neighborhood properties, then he or she will probably sell his or her home before you sell yours. In fact, if the demand for the neighborhood is low, then your competitor who actually lowered his/her price and sold his/her home MAY BE THE ONLY PROPERTY THAT GETS SOLD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

Wouldn't you rather be the person who actually sells their home? Might be time to strongly consider lowering your price!

OBTW: All good Realtors/agents/brokers have this discussion with their selling clients at their first listing appointment and periodically throughtout the listing period. It's just good business advice and practical selling advice.

Craving A Good Burger? Near Fort Worth, TX? Know Just The Place To Satisfy That Urge!

Even though I try to eat healthy (less red meat, more poultry, fish, lean cuts of pork and beef, etc.) most of the time, being a "baby boomer" - I still get a a real, deep-down craving for a good burger every so often. So do most folks that I know.

So...if you're having that craving and need a good place to satiate the urge, I've found just the place if you're anywhere withing striking distance of the West side of Fort Worth, TX. The place I'm talking about is Pop's Burgers & Grill on Benbrook Hwy (Hwy 377), just South of the 183/377 traffic circle.

Pop's is a family-owned and operated business and has a traditional burger and fries menu. The thing that isn't traditional is the EXCELLENCE displayed in the production and service not typical of these joints. Neither is the welcoming ambiance you'll find at Pop's. The owner (Russell House) can often be found hauling food and being the head person in charge of customer service and he's always got the time to engage customers in a friendly patter of conversation. And the food? Well, the Texas-sized jalapeno & cheese burger and onion rings I just had there this afternoon WERE AWESOME! ;-)

Because of the really good food and friendly service, one will find that Pop's is usually pretty busy; but, there's usually a table open and the service is quick and friendly.

Bottom-line: If you're ever having that "burger craving" I've described and you're near the West side of Fort Worth, you couldn't do better that to stop in at Popp's!

Here's a link to more info from the good folks at Yelp.com

Here's the link to Pop's website

Disclaimer: I - in no way, shape, or form - benefited from or am being compensated for posting this blob post! ;-)

Mansfield, Texas - Zip Code 76063 - Real Estate Market Report - September, 2010

FYI: This city/zip code/neighborhood is on the southeast side of Tarrant County and is mostly made up of the city known as Mansfield. Easily accessible via I-20 East and 287 South from Fort Worth or I-20 West and 287 South from Dallas.

Warning - All Real Estate Is Local:

As a buyer or seller in the Mansfield residential real estate market, it's important to be aware of current market conditions and recent trends in order to make the most informed decisions; most media reports focus on general (read - national) market conditions and, therefore, will not provide the most accurate picture of the local Mansfield, Texas real estate market.

Market Summary:

Homes sold = 52

There were 52 homes sold during the month of September which down a little from the 65 per month pace reported in the previous July/August report AND is way down from the 82 homes sold in September of 2009.

Days on the market = 92

Average List Price (of sold homes) = $194,883

Average Sale Price (of sold homes) = $189,994

Sales Price to List Price Ratio (SP/LP) = 97.5%

Sold Statistics Table:

Links to previous Market Reports:

Mansfield, Texas - Zip Code 76063 - Real Estate Market Report - July/August, 2010

Statistics Disclaimer:

The above statistics were obtained via the North Texas Real Estate Information System (NTREIS). The data is believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed. Private sales are not included in these statistics.

Arlington, Texas - Zip Code 76006 - Real Estate Market Report - September, 2010

FYI: This zip code/neighborhood is in Arlington on the east side of Fort Worth and the east side of Tarrant County. Easily accessible via I-30 East from Fort Worth or I-30 West from Dallas.

Warning - All Real Estate Is Local:

As a buyer or seller in the Arlington - Zip Code 76006 residential real estate market, it's important to be aware of current market conditions and recent trends in order to make the most informed decisions; most media reports focus on general (read - national) market conditions and, therefore, will not provide the most accurate picture of the local Arlington- Zip Code 76006, Texas real estate market.

Market Summary:

There were 5 homes sold during the month of September which is down from the 8 per month pace reported in the previous July/August report BUT is more than the 2 homes sold in September of 2009.

Homes sold = 5

Days on the market = 78

Average List Price (of sold homes) = $135,252

Average Sale Price (of sold homes) = $132,736

Sales Price to List Price Ratio (SP/LP) = 98.1%

Sold Statistics Table:

Links to previous Market Reports:

Arlington, Texas - Zip Code 76006 - Real Estate Market Report - July/August, 2010

Statistics Disclaimer:

The above statistics were obtained via the North Texas Real Estate Information System (NTREIS). The data is believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed. Private sales are not included in these statistics.