Trudy Carley

Named as one of the top 5 communities in the nation, CRAIG RANCH in McKinney offers a one of a kind lifestyle that has it all. Whether you are in the market for resort style senior living, a lock and leave townhome or a single family estate home, CRAIG RANCH has the unsurpassed amenities to fulfill your dreams.

Within the community is the prestigious CRAIG RANCH Golf Course and Club and the world reknown Cooper Fitness Center and Spa. The open green spaces and small town ambiance of CRAIG RANCH serves as a natural setting for outdoor concerts, farmers' markets, festivals and exhibits not to mention all the soccer and baseball fields, hike and bike trails and unique amenities that give the residents a place they are proud to call home.

Art is everywhere in Frisco and the people of this friendly, family oriented and forward thinking city have much to choose from. FRISCO ARTS is the community organization designated by the City of Frisco to support local arts organizations and elevate appreciation for the arts.

This incredible organization sponsors events,classes, programs, concerts and theatre productions for the city. This encompasses everything from children's theatre to the FRISCO BALLET.

THE GALLERY AT FRISCO SQUARE is showcasing the Frisco Independent School District student show from May 22nd through June 4th. Check out the website at www.friscosquare.com/AITS

It seems that many of us want to be absolutely perfect right out of the gate!

The presentation must be perfect.

The blog must be perfect.

The vacation must be lifechanging.

The relationships must all be fulfilling.

The first offer must be accepted.

We don't want to leave any room for errors, mistakes or personal preferences (especially those of other people.) It seems we have set the stakes too high so there is no margin for error.

Trial and error can be a beautiful thing. It can open the mind to more opportunities and regardless of the outcome, we always learn something new. This something can make our next move more successful.

If we can allow ourselves to think this way, perfectionism prevents exploring. It continually keeps us asking "What if this is the wrong direction?" or "What if I make a mistake?" It is so much more comfortable to stick to the tried and true to protect ourselves against failure, but it also reins in our curiousity and creativity.

I know that I only discover when I explore. It seems I am my best when I focus over time with lots of trial and plenty of errors! I'm not exactly wrong, I'm just not "quite right yet."

The goal of an appraiser is to estimate the true market value of a property, so that a lender can make an informed decision when providing a loan.

That is typically accomplished by using recent sales of comparable homes in the area, along with a physical inspection of the house and neighborhood, to deduce market value.

When using an online appraisal service, a key factor to consider is that internet appraisal sources are not in the neighborhood.

The data they rely on is general in nature and does not typically take into account factors that can greatly affect the value of a home. Things such as the proximity to a busy street, schools, power lines, shopping, vacant land, run-down homes, etc.

And even though they all seem to use similar information databases, all of them interpret the data differently. Some may take into account the change of value of all houses in a zip code or a city in general.

As a result, I've found that you can input the same data to several different sources and you will get a wide range of values which makes this process "iffy" at best.

LOCAL appraisals are the key words................the appraisers work in the area and understand all the variables that affect the true value of a home.

I'd be delighted to hear your opinion.

"Success is not like a train, you can't stand in a station and expect it to come to you."

There are two kinds of people in this world, those that sit and wait for something good to happen and those that take the action necessary to make it happen. When it comes to being successful, it is amazing how much luckier a person of action is that the one who is passive. Good luck just seems to follow the person who works the hardest.

When you want or need to market a property, please take the time to interview and find a real estate consultant/marketing specialist who has and uses an aggressive marketing plan. A passive agent, one that just puts your property in a multiple listing service and hopes it will sell can cost you lots of time and money.

When interviewing your real estate agent (marketing specialist) make sure they have an aggressive marketing plan and that they can give you a list of tools they guarantee will be used. Your success depends on it!!