Richard Overall

WOO HOO!!! We've done it again. Killeen, TX is once again listed as one of the least expensive housing markets in the United States.

http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=36083

Although the type of house they use for comparison (2200 sqft single family residence with 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath) is not the norm in our market, we continue to show very well everytime they do this survey. So there you have it, Buyers...Prices are Low, Interest Rates are Low and, (for a short while longer) Uncle Sam has $8000 with your name on it. Come home to Killeen...The City Without Limits.

CONGRATULATIONS, CENTRAL TEXAS!!! The Killeen, Fort Hood, Temple area of central Texas was identified as one of the best cities for jobs growth in a recent article on NewGeography.com (link). Eight out of the top 20 cities were in Texas and the Killeen-Temple corridor area ranked number five among all. With job growth comes housing demand so I say, "Bring it on, and congrations, Central Texas!!!"

Richard W. Overall, Jr...Your "Overall" long-term real estate resource in Central Texas.

www.OverallRealtor.com

ps...curiously, there are no parking lot attendants in Killeen?!?

Are you looking for a way to get involved in the community that is both fun and informative. Check with your local police department to see if they offer a police academy for citizens.

Last year I went through a 12 week course at the Killeen Police Department called the CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY. The course included weekly presentations by officers, detectives, and supervisors on topics ranging from Criminal Investigation, Gangs, Organized Crime, Police DoTraffic, Gangs, Illegal Drugs, and the list goes on. It's amazing how much there is about the police department that we, as citizens, are not aware of. Included in the class is a Saturday visit to the firing range with the SWAT team and at least one ride along with an officer for a shift. While at the range, we got to see the police dogs do their work, see the SWAT team breach a door, fire an automatic assault weapon, learn about hostage negotiations and had a cook out.

After the 12 week course, we were given a very nice graduation ceremony by the city and became a part of the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. As Alumni, we can volunteer at the police station, helping out where needed.

I would recommend this type of program for anyone. It was fun, informative, exciting, and all in all an eye opening experience. I will say that the city of Killeen, Texas is very supportive of the program and of educating their citizens. They were very open and it seemed no topic was off limits.

Part of being a citizen in a community is to be involved in that community and this is one way of doing just that.

Richard W. Overall, Jr, REALTOR

www.OverallRealtor.com

Good afternoon, First-Time Homebuyers. Today I am going to attempt to release create that most rare of beings...the INFORMED BUYER. I am going take down the shroud of mystery and guide you through the maze of buying a home. I'm sure it goes without saying, but the first thing you should do is FIND A REALTOR!!! If you are in Texas, and specifically central Texas, and more precisely the Fort Hood Area (Killeen, Harker Heights, Nolanville, Copperas Cove, Kempner, Lampasas, and points west) you should be calling Richard Overall, REALTOR Extraordinaire (that would be me, for those of you that are unsure).

Following is a very abbreviated version of the steps involved:

PREQUALIFICATION is when the mortgage company reviews your credit and discusses with you your income and monthly obligations. Based on the credit, your income and your monthly obligations they will make a preliminary determination about the amount of house you can afford...how much payment you "qualify" for. This is preliminary and you will have to give them supporting income and employment documentation when you have the application appointment. The prequalification can be done over the phone. You can choose whatever lender you want but it is much easier if you use a local lender. There is no cost or obligation for a prequalification and the lender should be thrilled to do this for you.

BUYER'S REPRESENTATION is done when you decide that you want to work with me to help you find a home. There is no cost for the representation, but it allows me to give you advice and opinions to benefit you in your home purchase. I have attached an Information About Brokerage Services for you to review as required by the Texas Real Estate Commission.

HOME SELECTION will start once the prequalificatoin is done and Buyer Representation is established. We will need to know such things as how many bedrooms, bathrooms, garage required, fenced yard, location preference, etc. When we know this we can develop a search for you within our Multiple Listing Service and email you several homes that meet your criteria. You can review these homes online and let me know which ones you would like to view in person.

VIEWING HOMES is pretty self explanatory. This is the fun part. I take you to look at the home and you get to pick the one that is right for you.

NEGOTIATION STRATEGY DISCUSSION is when you and I sit down and talk about what you want to offer for the house/property. I will show you what other similar homes have sold for in the last few months and help you develop an offer strategy. This includes price, terms, concessions by Seller, repairs, posession, etc.

OFFER: Once we have an offer strategy, we will write the contract paperwork to submit to the seller's agent. When we submit that to them it is only an OFFER until it is accepted by the Seller. If it is not accepted the offer is considered rejected. At this point you can choose to resubmit an another offer or move on to another property. If the Sellers make any change at all, it is a counter-offer.

The offer becomes a CONTRACT once the Buyer and Seller have come to agreement on all terms and sign the paperwork. Once we have a contract the bulk of your job is over and mine is just beginning. I will send a copy of the contract to your lender and then it is time for your mortgage application appointment. This is usually done in person in the lenders office, but it can be done by email/phone. I will also send a copy of the contract to the title closing company along with your earnest money (more on that later).

The next thing you will have to do is have a HOME INSPECTION. While it is not required, it is absolutely recommended. Based on the home inspection there may be repair negotiations.

The only other thing you have to do before closing is shop for and apply for HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE. I will give you more direction on this when the time comes.

Now the big day comes (usually 21 to 45 days after we begin). It is the day of CLOSING. This is the day that you sign all of the documents required to purchase a home. The majority of these items are mortgage documents, but there are also several other documents required by other entities.

CONGRATULATIONS are in order...you have achieved the American dream. You are a homeowner with all the benefits and responsibilities that come with it.

All kidding aside, there truly is a whole lot more to it than this, but referring back to the first thing you should do...that's why you have a REALTOR. Now the good news...the REALTOR will work for you and in your best interest, but will not charge you for the service. Now the great part. If you close before December, 2009 and meet certain other criteria, you will be eligible for a tax credit up to $8,000.

So, what are you waiting for? You're familiar with the process, you've read the good news...and the great news. Pick up your phone, click on your mouse, fire up your keyboard, or come to the office. It doesn't matter how you do it, but contact your preferred REALTOR now. Fortunes are made in times like these. Don't look back with regret, look forward with confidence.

I should mention at this point that this is the process in Texas. The process may differ from state to state, but the jist is the same. Talk to your local real estate professional for the specifics for your market.

I received this today in my email and I wanted to share it with as many folks as possible. This is not my original work and I take no credit except to pass it on. Read it if you wish, pass on it if you choose. I live and work in a military community (Fort Hood, TX) and I know a lot of these same type of soldiers. I hope this honors them in the same way that they honor us every day:

A French On-the-Ground View of the American Soldier

Posted By DORIAN DE WIND On February 18, 2009 @ 10:29 am

Whether we agree or not with the former president's invasion of Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein, and whether we agree or not with our present president's plans to send additional troops to Afghanistan to continue to fight the 9/11 perpetrators, I know that all Americans are proud of our fighting troops.

Recently I received from a good friend an essay, translated from French, written by a French infantryman serving with American soldiers in Afghanistan . Jean-Marc Liotier translated the essay under the title "[1] American troops in Afghanistan through the eyes of a French OMLT infantryman."(I am trying to locate the original essay so that those who speak French can enjoy it in its original form.)

As the translator says in his introduction:

...............The US often hears echoes of worldwide hostility against the application of its foreign policy, but seldom are they reached by the voices of those who experience first hand how close we are to the USA....Through the eyes of that French OMLT (Operational Mentoring Liaison Teams) infantryman you can see how strong the bond is on the ground...this is a rare and moving testimony which is why I decided to translate it into English, so that American people can catch a glimpse of the way European soldiers see them. Not much high philosophy here, just the first hand impressions of a soldier in contact - but that only makes it more authentic.

Enjoy and be proud!

"We have shared our daily life with two US units for quite a while - they are the first and fourth companies of a prestigious infantry battalion whose name I will withhold for the sake of military secrecy. To the common man it is a unit just like any other. But we live with them and got to know them, and we henceforth know that we have the honor to live with one of the most renowned units of the US Army - one that the movies brought to the public as series showing "ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events". Who are they, those soldiers from abroad, how is their daily life, and what support do they bring to the men of our OMLT every day ? Few of them belong to the Easy Company, the one the TV series focuses on. This one nowadays is named Echo Company, and it has become the support company.

They have a terribly strong American accent - from our point of view the language they speak is not even English. How many times did I have to write down what I wanted to say rather than waste precious minutes trying various pronunciations of a seemingly common word? Whatever state they are from, no two accents are alike and they even admit that in some crisis situations they have difficulties understanding each other.

Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine - they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo. Our frames are amusingly skinny to them - we are wimps, even the strongest of us - and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans.

Here we discover America as it is often depicted : their values are taken to their paroxysm, often amplified by lack of privacy* and the loneliness of this outpost in the middle of that Afghan valley. Honor, motherland - everything here reminds of that : the American flag floating in the wind above the outpost, just like the one on the post parcels. Even if recruits often originate from the hearth of American cities and gang territory, no one here has any goal other than to hold high and proud the star spangled banner. Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provides them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location : books, chewing gums, razorblades, Gatorade, toothpaste etc. in such way that every man is aware of how much the American people backs him in his difficult mission. And that is a first shock to our preconceptions : the American soldier is no individualist. The team, the group, the combat team are the focus of all his attention.

]u]And they are impressive warriors ! We have not come across bad ones, as strange at it may seem to you when you know how critical French people can be. Even if some of them are a bit on the heavy side, all of them provide us everyday with lessons in infantry know-how. Beyond the wearing of a combat kit that never seem to discomfort them (helmet strap, helmet, combat goggles, rifles etc.) the long hours of watch at the outpost never seem to annoy them in the slightest. On the one square meter wooden tower above the perimeter wall they stand the five consecutive hours in full battle rattle and night vision goggles on top, their sight unmoving in the directions of likely danger. No distractions, no pauses, they are like statues nights and days. At night, all movements are performed in the dark - only a handful of subdued red lights indicate the occasional presence of a soldier on the move. Same with the vehicles whose lights are covered - everything happens in pitch dark even filling the fuel tanks with the Japy pump.

And combat ? If you have seen Rambo you have seen it all - always coming to the rescue when one of our teams gets in trouble, and always in the shortest delay. That is one of their tricks : they switch from T-shirt and sandals to combat ready in three minutes. Arriving in contact with the enemy, the way they fight is simple and disconcerting : they just charge ! They disembark and assault in stride, they bomb first and ask questions later - which cuts any pussyfooting short.

We seldom hear any harsh word, and from 5 AM onwards the camp chores are performed in beautiful order and always with excellent spirit. A passing American helicopter stops near a stranded vehicle just to check that everything is alright; an American combat team will rush to support ours before even knowing how dangerous the mission is - from what we have been given to witness, the American soldier is a beautiful and worthy heir to those who liberated France and Europe.

To those who bestow us with the honor of sharing their combat outposts and who everyday give proof of their military excellence, to those who pay the daily tribute of America's army's deployment on Afghan soil, to those we owned this article, ourselves hoping that we will always remain worthy of them and to always continue hearing them say that we are all the same band of brothers".

This was such a fantastic article to wake up to this morning ... bursting with Pride, tears in my eyes - HUGE smiles across my face .. .I give it to YOU !!! .. OMG - how wonderful some French soldiers sent this out .. !!!!!!!!!!!.. it's about time ;)))


Article printed from The Moderate Voice: http://themoderatevoice.com

www.OverallREaltor.com