Last December, I decided to take a drive south on IH-37 to visit a local olive grower. What a delight! Ten thousand trees of 22 varieties grow on this beautiful land. The owner, Sandy Winokur has a nice little shop where you can buy goodies for your taste buds, olive-based skin care products, and tools for your kitchen-made of olive wood of course. I sampled just about everything in the store and came out with several bags. The olive oil is a delight; it is unique, fresh, and flavorful. I eat it plain on a good quality bread or on fresh goat cheese made in Seguin. For more information go to Sandy Oaks
For people who try to shop at farmers' markets and to eat more locally-grown foods, there's a new website and blog out there. It's still very much under construction as I try to gather information about local growers and markets in the San Antonio area, but it's a good start. You can find the site here:
http://www.sanantoniofoodshed.com/
and the blog here: http://www.sanantoniofoodshed.blogspot.com/
Your comments will be appreciated!
On Thursday after having seen my property appraisal for 2008, I accessed the Multiple Listings Service (MLS) and confirmed the same information I've been working with for quite some time now: the appraisal district's data is blatantly inaccurate. I'm a REALTOR® and a trained statistician. Here's what I found: out of 20 homes that sold in the subdivision I chose, 19 appraisals didn't match the sale price of the property, and 1 appraisal wasn't posted by the appraisal district. So if you only count the 19 available records, we have 100% error. Some appraisals were over the sale price and some were under.
Bexar County Appraisal District computers access MLS records, so when I go protest my appraisal, I look at the appraiser's screen and see the same numbers I researched in MLS to prepare for the hearing. Since accurate information is available, why did I find 100% error? How can appraisals be calculated correctly and fairly if the calculations aren't performed using accurate data? Clearly something isn't functioning properly, and some property owners in Bexar County are carrying an unfair burden. (You can find more compelling data on my website.)
If you're unhappy with your appraisal, you're allowed to protest it; you'll receive all the forms and information you need along with your appraisal. Contact a San Antonio REALTOR® to help you find out what properties sold for in your subdivision, and use that information at the hearing. It would be to your advantage to protest. I meet quite a few people who are under the impression that their property would lose value if they had their appraisal lowered, but the MARKET determines what your property is worth, not the county appraiser.
| # listed | # sold | % sold | Avg asked (SP) | Avg sale price (LP) | SP/LP | Days on Market |
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2008 | 10,046 | 3,995 | 39.77% | $185,820.00 | $178,585.00 | 96.11% | 87 |
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2007 | 10,366 | 5,024 | 48.47% | $179,576.00 | $174,994.00 | 97.45% | 70 |
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2006 | 8,890 | 5,230 | 58.83% | $165,685.00 | $162,046.00 | 97.80% | 68 |
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2005 | 8,447 | 4,493 | 53.19% | $147,226.00 | $143,355.00 | 97.37% | 78 |
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2004 | 10,403 | 5,436 | 52.25% | $141,596.00 | $137,480.00 | 97.09% | 98 |
Here's the data for the first quarter. It includes any listings from small towns outside San Antonio that were posted on MLS - Boerne, New Braunfels, Seguin, Kerrville, Floresville, and many more.
Here are the real estate statistics for March as far back as MLS makes available. Check this blog regularly as I will comtinue to post statistics for months, quarters, and years. The nembers are very telling and useful in analysing what's happening in a market. Fell free to contact me in you have any questions or comments.
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Total Listed |
# Sold | % Sold | Avg Asking Price | Avg Sale Price | Sale Price/List Price Ratio | Days on Market |
| 2008 | ||||||
| 3,374 | 1,324 | 39.24% | $190,936.00 | $184,268.00 | 96.51% | 89 |
| 2007 | ||||||
| 3,851 | 2,036 | 52.87% | $180,514.00 | $176,236.00 | 97.63% | 67 |
| 2006 | ||||||
| 3,273 | 2,252 | 68.81% | $169,123.00 | $165,769.00 | 98.02% | 63 |
| 2005 | ||||||
| 3,157 | 1,879 | 59.52% | $145,785.00 | $141,983.00 | 97.39% | 77 |
| 2004 | ||||||
| 2,908 | 1,629 | 56.02% | $141,609.00 | $137,606.00 | 97.17% | 100 |
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REALTOR® and LOAN OFFICER in the San Antonio and Hill Country areas. Home purchase, refinancing, commercial: put efficiency, experience, and expertise on your side 7 days a week. Fluent in French.
Because I'm a REALTOR as well as a loan officer, I understand that you want your clients to receive the best care possible. Let me help you make home-buying a pleasant experience. I know that if your client is impressed with everyone involved in the process, you'll reap credit that can lead to repeat business and referrals. I want to help you shine so I provide you with tools you can introduce to home-buyers to help them understand every step of the process . I also know that you need a loan officer who will communicate with you in a timely manner to keep you informed , and stay on schedule for closing on time.
If you don't already have a loan officer at the top of your list, call me and I'll be happy to work with you and your client. If your buyer has already received a quote from another mortgage broker or banker, contact me for some comparison shopping; your client will know that you're looking out for his interests, and a happy client is likely to come back to you for future business! We offer a wide range of products from which to choose and find the one that best suits each individual situation.
Visit our website and show your clients that with us qualifying, applying, and obtaining approval for a mortgage loan is easier than they thought. Better yet, call me and I will walk them through the steps. With my laptop, I can work from any location where I have a cell phone signal. Your clients can apply for loans without leaving the comfort of their homes.
Active member of: National Association of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, San Antonio Board of Realtors, Multiple Listings Service
CV: Upper School Mathematics teacher, Saint Mary's Hall - REALTOR, Real Estate Broker - Loan Officer, PrimeAxia Financial In.
B.A. English - University of Maryland
B.S. equivalent Mathematics - University of Texas at San Antonio
M.S. Environmental Science - University of Texas at San Antonio
Environment: Environmentally friendly properties, green building, South/Central Texas ecology, Surface water hydrology, Native Landscaping in South/Central Texas, cooking and eating locally grown foods.
Technology: Geographic Information Systems, web design, Calyx, Encompass, and much more.
Mathematics: teaching mathematics and applications of mathematics to environmental science, ecology, and finance.
Hobbies: riding my motorcycle and hiking in the Texas Hill Country, photography, reading, playing with my dogs.
I'm fluent in French!
"Excellent Realtor! Sylvie is knowledgeable and was very helpful in helping me sell my property for more than I thought. I will definitely continue to use her services in the future." (Harry Parker)
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