Phil Kretchmar

Staton Park Estates in Flower Mound, TX is a great neighborhood located right in the middle of the town of Flower Mound, TX. The neighborhood got it's name from the family of the farm the neighborhood was established on. The Burleson Staton Family owned the farm of 70 acres from 1926 to 1966. In fact, in 1992 the town of Flower Mound designated a native post oak tree that is located on the edge of the neighborhood as a historical tree, dating the tree back to 1820 and possibly older.

The neighborhood is bordered by Morriss Rd and Firewheel Blvd in Flower Mound, TX. The other border streets are Milford and Eaton Dr. there is a YMCA along with the town of Flower Mound city hall and police station on the other side of Milford Dr. A bike path circumnavigates along Eaton Dr and exits at the end of the street. Flower Mound is known for it's many bike trails and paths throughout the city.

The average price of a home in this neighborhood is $225,00 which will give you approximately 2600 SqFt. The lowst price home is $165,000 and the highest price home is $398,000 (taken from NTREIS). in 2006 the average days on market was 16 days with the average price per SqFt at $90.00. in 2007 the DOM average was 32 days with the price /SqFt at $91.14. 2008 brought 40 DOM with $95.54 price/SqFt. in 2009 only 1 home has sold with 13 DOM and $84.91 /SqFt. The HOA dues are $265 annually.

The Staton Oaks park is a great retreat for the family with picnic tables and a playground for the kids to play on. The historical Staton Oaks Tree is right behind the playground.

This is a great subdivision in the Town of Flower Mound, TX. Foe more information on this area or if you would like to search for a home near here click on his link: Flower Mound Real Estate in the Town of Flower Mound, TX. Contact Phil at 214-244-8159 or go to HomesinFlowerMoundTX.com

The meadowlake subdivision is located in the Lewisville-Flower Mound area and is a really quiet and nice neighborhood that is conveniently located near lake Lewisville.

The Meadow Lake subdivision is located at the far north end of Lewisville and just east of Highland Village in the zip code of 75077. The boundary roads are Hwy 407, McGee Ln, Bogard Ln, and Valley Ridge.

This subdivision has easy access to I-35, which is right next to it, and is close to Lake Park golf course, Lake Lewisville, many family owned restaurants along with a few fast food restaurants, Aloha fun Zone which used to be a Putt-Putt, Sneaky Pete's Marina, The Lewisville fishing barge, Jet Ski and boat rental, and much more! There is also a park at the west end of the neighborhood with a large play ground for the kids combined with a gazebo for family get togethers that has a jogging- bike path next to it.

This is a great neighborhood established in 1984 so the trees are starting to get large and the homes have been kept up really well. The median price home in this neighborhood is $149,000 with the highest priced home at $225,000 and the lowest right at $110,000. The schools are in the Lewisville School District and the schools are; High school: Lewisville North, Middle: Huffines, and Elementary: Valley Ridge.

I highly recommend this neighborhood to my clients that need easy lake access and close access to I-35 that wants to spend around $150,000 for a great three bedroom home.

For more information regarding Meadowlake and Lewisville Homes, click here!

Usually in my listing presentation I will explain to my potential clients the four different types of listing agreements and the benefits of each one. I thought I would write about it in my blog to help educate potential clients and the typical consumer out there.

Before meeting with a realtor to list your home for sale, familiarize yourself with the four most common types of listing contracts. While the exclusive right to sell listing is by far the most common, the other three are also well known.

* Exclusive Right to Sell Listing -- This agreement gives the real estate agent the exclusive right to sell your home. No matter who brings the buyer to the table, the agent gets a commission (even if you find the buyer yourself). You should expect full service from your agent with this type of listing, such as advice, advertising, MLS services, inspection, escrow coordination and marketing the home to other agents and prospective buyers.
* Exclusive Agency Listing -- Similar to an exclusive right to sell listing, the real estate agent receives a commission if your property is sold through any licensed agent. Unlike a right to sell listing, however, you reserve the right to find a buyer on your own without paying a comission. This is a good option for home owners interested in selling themselves, but want MLS services. Don't expect too much from the agent as he or she has no guarantee they will be compensated for their efforts.
* Open Listing -- An open listing grants the broker no rights other than to receive a commission if they find a buyer who successfully closes escrow on your home. It gives the agent permission to advertise and show your home. Since there's no promise of exclusivity, you'll be responsible for marketing your property, including arranging and coordinating showings, qualifying clients, and handling inspections, appraisals and escrow.
* One Time Listing Agreement -- A one time listing agreement, also known as a "showing listing," is an agreement where a home owner, usually a For Sale By Owner, agrees to let an agent show the house once. The owner agrees to pay a commission if the showing results in a sale. The purpose of this agreement is to prevent the seller from letting an agent show the home, then deal with the buyer directly in order to avoid paying a commission. As with an open listing, agents won't be spending any time or money marketing your home.

Thank you for your interest and I hope you can visit my website someday if you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Lewisville, Flower Mound, and Highland Village TX area. My website is www.NorthTexasHome.com

According to the National Association of Realtors®, existing-home sales weakened against a backdrop of an eroding economy.

Existing-home sales -- including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops -- fell 8.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.49 millionunits in November from a downwardly revised level of 4.91 million in October, and are 10.6 percent below the 5.02 million-unit pace in November 2007."The quickly deteriorating conditions in the job market, stock market, and consumer confidence in October and November have knocked down home sales toanother level," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who expected a decline. "We hope the home sales impact from the stock market crash turns out to beshort-lived, as was the case in 1987 and 2001.""It is, therefore, imperative to provide incentives for home buyers to get back into the market. It also depends on how effectively Congress and the newadministration can help facilitate the short sales process and unclog the mortgage pipeline -- impediments remain for some buyers with good credit."According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.09 percent in November from 6.20percent in October; the rate was 6.21 percent in November 2007. As of late November, Freddie Mac reported the 30-year rate fell to 5.19 percent -- the lowest on record since the series began in 1971.

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) recently submitted a four-point plan to the House Financial Services Committee recommending ways to stimulate home sales and stabilize housing valuations.

"The only way to overcome today's economic turmoil is to motivate and encourage worried or cautious housing consumers to enter the marketplace," said NAR President Charles McMillan. "Stabilizing the housing market will lead to a quicker and greater economic recovery. Our goal is to ensure there is a healthy market and sufficient capital to support mortgage lending to qualified borrowers."

According to the report, the four-point plan's principles are consumer-driven to help foster a housing recovery to support an economic rebound. The plan calls for eliminating the repayment of the first-time home buyer tax credit that was passed in the February stimulus bill, and to expand the tax credit to include all home buyers. The plan also recommends making the increased FHA and conventional loan limits permanent to stimulate home sales and stabilize prices.

In addition, the plan urges that the Troubled Asset Relief Program be put back on track by targeting the funds for mortgage relief through a mortgage interest rate buy-down. Lastly, the plan recommends finalizing legislation to prohibit banks from entering into the business of real estate brokerage and property management.

"The federal government must ensure there is sufficient capital to support mortgage lending not only in strong markets but also in tumultuous ones," said McMillan. "Realtors® are frustrated with the current mortgage lending environment that places a variety of barriers on families who wish to buy a home, impeding sales and price stabilization. We look forward to working with the Congress and the new administration to transition out of current instabilities and move toward strong and stable financial and housing markets."