Stephanie & Randy Kelley

The Home Girl went to the Parade of Homes this morning!

Every year the Greater San Antonio Builders Association puts on a show featuring the biggest, brightest and best homes, decorating, landscaping, pools, outdoor kitchens, outstanding craftsmanship, awe inspiring designs and ooh la la that they have to offer.

And OOH LA LA, it was! They sparkled and shimmered with contemporary features. Silver metallic, or textured faux paint finishes added drama and elegance. Beaded chandeliers were in abundance. In most any home, the lighting fixtures were refreshingly different from those we have seen in Parades past. There were sparkling glass accessories and lighted onyx sinks .There were crystal knobs on cabinet doors. Glass tiles, marble flooring, marble, granite, Silestone, or under lit honey onyx counters could be found almost anywhere you looked. It is truly amazing what a million or so will do!

There were outdoor living spaces so grand that you would never want to go inside. One home even had disappearing glass walls that actually opened to the outdoor living areas, literally bringing the outside in. Or the inside out, I'm not really sure, but it was quite nice and one of my favorites.

All of the houses but one had pools. Two had fire and water features which kind of made me think of the fifth element. High on the hill, we had wind, some of the most expensive earth in San Antonio, fire, the negative edged pool had a gas line just beneath the negative edge so you saw a line of fire just above the edge. It took my breath away! The other pool had a water fall flowing over an outdoor fireplace. I guess the fifth element would be a buyer for any of these homes. I would be happy to assist and can be reached at http://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com :-)

With most of the homes in the million dollar and up range, that I nor most of my clients would be able to afford the extreme luxury that was shown at the parade of homes. What it does for us is open us up to new ideas, style changes and the opportunity to pick the minds of some of the best builders in the business.

The Parade of Homes will be running through Sunday, September 11, 2011

For More Information: Schedule, Ticket Information and Map

I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me at http://sanantoniohomequest.com or follow my blog at http://texashomegirl.blogspot.com

This Memorial Day 2010 message is from the San Antonio Home Quest Realty Services Team.

Today, we pause from our busy schedules to honor the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coast guard members who died while defending their country.

Our Nation's strength, freedom, liberty, democracy, and values are built and preserved on the sacrifice of generations of uniformed service men and women . They have fought our wars and preserved our peace. They have spread America's message all around the globe. Without them, our world would be a different place. For them, we are eternally grateful.

And, while honoring the sacrifices of the departed and their families, take a moment to also give thanks for those currently serving at home and far away. Remember them always and support them and their families any way you can. They, and those before them, are our Nation's finest and deserve our highest tribute.

Happy Memorial Day to all from the SanAntonioHomequest.com Realty Services Team.

Posted by Stephanie Kelley

What can we expect from this month's San Antonio realty market? Typically, February is a very active month for both sellers and buyers. This February, resale home inventory should increase significantly as sellers rush their properties to market hoping the recently extended and expanded Federal home buyer tax credit programs will fuel an exceptionally strong late winter and early spring home buying trend.

Although February is typically one of San Antonio's most active months for home buyers, three factors promise to make February 2010 an exceptionally busy month. First, the previously mentioned Federal tax credit programs are expected to significantly increase buyer activity. Second, the military's first wave of Base Realignment and Closing Program personnel will be arriving to look for homes. Third, mortgage interest rates remain historically low for qualified buyers.

Will this February's increased sales offset San Antonio's rapidly increasing resale home inventory thus putting an end to the city's protracted buyers' market. Only time will tell, but home sellers can take heart in knowing that February will likely bring an unusually large number of ready, willing, and able buyers.

Home buyers and sellers should always be encouraged about the reality of San Antonio realty. It's strong! Why? Because the Alamo City has one of the Nation's healthiest large metropolitan area economies and projections for 2010 indicate the city's immediate future is highly favorable for strong economic growth, low unemployment, and a continuing strong infusion of the monetary and human resources needed to build an even more economically vibrant city.

For data lovers, here are the relevant market indicators for San Antonio single-family detached homes as of 2 February 2010.

There are 11059 active listings compared to 11783 one year ago. The inventory is rapidly increasing. That's a good sign for home buyers.

The average sales price for the most recent closings is $180,704 compared to $188,292 last year. The drop in average sales price has been driven mostly by the purchase of a large number of less expensive properties by home buyers capitalizing on the Federal home buyer tax credit programs. It remains to be seen how the market will fare after the programs end on 30 April 2010.

Average cumulative days-on-the-market (CDOM) for the most recent sales is 133 compared to 142 last year. During 2009, CDOM figures were unacceptably high, but have recently trended downward. That's a positive sign for San Antonio home sellers, specifically, and the city's realty market, generally.

Industry analysts see these data as reflecting a housing market continuing to strongly favor buyers over sellers.

That's all for our February 2010 San Antonio realty market report. We encourage comments and recommendations about how to make our report more informative and useful.

Please visit our sanantoniohomequest.com website for all your San Antonio realty research needs.

We're Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions, need San Antonio realty or mortgage loan advice or assistance, or just want to chat, please call us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8763, or E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com. Our Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs.

Here are some recent news items for San Antonio realty agents and their home buyers and sellers:

A RISMEDIA article provides information about 10 trouble spots to consider when purchasing a foreclosed home. It's timely because San Antonio will soon have large new crop of foreclosure homes for sale. Click here to see the article: 10 Trouble Spots to Consider When Purchasing a Foreclosed Home from RISMEDIA

November was a banner month for San Antonio home sales. There's no doubt the initial Federal tax credit program deadline for the up to $8000 tax credit spurred many of the November closings. Click here to see a timely San Antonio Express News article about the tax credit's contribution to November's San Antonio real estate closings: Tax credits play a big role in boosting sales from SanAntonioExpressNews

Back to the issue of foreclosures, the next wave of Bexar Country foreclosures is approaching San Antonio's realty beach. The tsumami alert is found in this recent San Antonio Express News article. See it at: Bexar foreclosure filings at a record high from SanAntonioExpressNews

So, you're new in town and planning on eventually buying a San Antonio home; but you're considering renting an apartment or house while you scout out the area.

Temporarily renting might be a reasonable course, but, before you leap into a lease, first do some homework. Remember, while renting, you run the risk of missing your best buying opportunities while tied down by a lease. Consequently, renting at the wrong time can cost you money for a long time.

So, here's what you need to know.

First, is it a buyer's market or a seller's market? If it's a buyer's market, think twice about renting.

Second, are the mortgage interest rates very favorable and what are the projections? If the rates are very favorably low, but projected to increase, think twice about renting.

Third, are home values appreciating or depreciating? If the values are depreciating and projected to go lower, then renting and waiting for the market to reach bottom might work well.

Fourth, are the prices for homes for sale going up or down? If they're going up, then consider buying a home right away before prices go higher. If prices are going down, you should either buy now or wait for the market to reach bottom.

Fifth, keep in mind that all realty markets have fairly predictable seasonal activity cycles. Find out the best months to purchase a San Antonio home. If you're in a low sales month, you should forget renting and take advantage of your stronger position as a buyer by capitalizing on a weak market.

Here's where you can go to get information to help you make your rent vs. buy decision.

If you have time, use the Internet to search for local realty news at sites like mysa.com or Realty Times. Use sites like Trulia.com to ask questions of local realty experts and visit their blogs .

Ask a trusted friend or business associate to refer you to their favorite realty agent or mortgage lender. Don't hesitate to call for advice. A Realtor® and a lender should always be willing to help, hoping someday you'll use their services. In the unlikely event that someone gets pushy or uses a hard sell technique, you can always say "no thanks" and go away.

I'm available to help you make your rent vs. buy decision. I'm Stephanie Kelley, Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR®), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS®), Graduate Realty Institute (GRI ®). I'm a Realtor ® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio. You can visit me at sanantoniohomequest.com, call me at (210) 867-8743 or (210) 863-2661, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com.