About Lubbock's Lubbock, Texas

EVERYONE KEEPS ASKING IF LUBBOCK IS CURRENTLY A BUYER'S MARKET. My response would be..."NOT EXACTLY or NOT REALLY."

There are currently only 1424 ACTIVE LISTINGS that are single family homes, condos, townhomes, mobile homes and HUD homes in the LUBBOCK AND SURROUNDING AREAS MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE. That is NOT A LARGE AMOUNT OF INVENTORY ON THE GROUND, compared to the 1600-1700 that we typically see and the over 2000 that we've had during our "BUYER'S MARKET" days!!! Our number of active listings has been between 1500-1600 for several months and has dropped down into the low 1400s in the last couple of weeks.

Buyers were not purchasing as many houses in the fall of 2008 as they normally due. Consumer confidence was down with all the stock market woes, the distraction of the presidential election, bailout mess and the uncertainty of the economy.

2009 HAS BEGUN WITH A BANG!!! Lisa and I wrote 4 contracts in the last 2 days in different price ranges. No, none of the buyers got exceptional "steals", but they are all getting fair "deals". Sellers are still receiving fair prices for their properties in Lubbock. If the number of homes on the market keeps going down, we may wake up in a couple months to a BIG SELLER'S MARKET!!!

Fortunately, the Lubbock,Texas real estate market stays pretty stable, year in and year out. We experience slow and steady appreciation on houses. Typically, that appreciation number is around 2.5% per year on average.

MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO NOT TRY TO BE TOO TRICKY ABOUT "TIMING" THE MARKET. Interest rates have been between 5.5 and 6.0%. It's a GREAT TIME TO BUY! Lubbock needs some more listing inventory to choose from, because the numbers are a little down. Therefore, it's also a GREAT TIME TO SELL!!

JUST REMEMBER...WHETHER BUYING OR SELLING...it's ALWAYS a SELLERS Market!!!

Jeff and Lisa Sellers, REALTORS

THE SELLERS REALTY

www.thesellersrealty.com

806-778-6699

806-778-2486

WE'RE NEVER TOO BUSY FOR YOUR REFERRALS!

One thing that bugs me more than just about anything else in the real estate profession is a LAZY REALTOR! You might wonder what I mean by that. Well, I have plenty of examples and reasons why LAZY REALTORS get on my nerves so badly. For starters, they make the real estate profession look very unprofessional. As realtors, we are assisting clients with their largest financial investments. Our fellow realtors are counting on our professional cooperation. Loan officers, appraisers, inspectors, title companies, buyers, sellers and so many others are depending on professional real estate services.

Does it ever bother you when LAZY REALTORS don't bother to list which bedrooms are located upstairs and which ones are downstairs, ESPECIALLY on homes in higher price ranges! You know, that can be important to a buyer with kids, parents, grandparents, special needs, handicapped,etc.

What about when LAZY REALTORS wait a week or longer to even take photos of a property that is already on the market, in multiple listing and all over the internet?

How about the LAZY REALTORS who have an accurate square footage amount on one of their listings from an appraisal/measurement and they end up sticking in an inaccurate number from the tax office? Later on during negotiations, they decide to disclose the real square footage. Go figure.

Have you ever seen a LAZY REALTOR who will not put a Sellers Disclosure in their home's listing or upload one to the realtor mls so that a buyer's agent and prospective buyer can review it?

How about the LAZY LISTING AGENT who refuses to give his/her seller showing feedback and won't even return the sellers phone calls? You know what happens next, don't you? The seller finally gets aggravated and calls the buyer's agent, who represents the buyer and NOT the seller.

What about the LAZY REALTORS who refuse to go take their sign and lockbox down after their listing agreement has expired or the house has sold?

Have you ever known a LAZY REALTOR who was too busy to call another REALTOR back who was trying to present a contract? Maybe they were stalling,waiting for other offers to come in, playing golf,etc.

Some LAZY REALTORS never took Spelling as a subject in school, and apparently don't have time to use spell check either. Some of the funniest things I have ever read in my life have been in the marketing comments done by LAZY REALTORS!

IN CLOSING, IF YOU ARE A CLIENT, DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND AVOID LAZY REALTORS AT ALL COST AND PLEASE REALIZE THAT ALL REALTORS ARE NOT LAZY!!

IF YOU ARE A REALTOR THAT HAS MET LAZY REALTORS, PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS POST WITH YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES WITH LAZY REALTORS!!!

THE SELLERS REALTY

www.thesellersrealty.com

Whether Buying or Selling...It's Always a SELLERS Market!

Over 209,000 people call Lubbock their home! The city of Lubbock,Texas is now 100 years old. The cost of living in Lubbock compares more than favorably with other cities in Texas and across the nation. In fact, Lubbock is the country's sixth-least-inexpensive city according to the ACCRA first quarter 2008 Cost of Living Index. Lubbock has an index of 85.9-well below the average index of 100 for the nationwide sampling of 311 cities.

Lubbock also provides a quality lifestyle. A search of Money Magazine"s 2007 online "Find Your Best Places" tool ranks Lubbock third in the U.S. based on criteria including the affordability of housing, plentitude of leisure activities, cultural options, commute times, job growth, health care and sunny weather!

Now, all you need is a REALTOR TO HELP YOU FIND A HOME IN LUBBOCK!!! Oh, there are lots of realtors in Lubbock and plenty of homes to choose from. However, you need a full-time real estate team of professionals who are experienced and can find the home you need at the price you can afford. You need realtors who will listen to you and your family's needs, not a pushy salesperson. Wouldn't you love to have a realtor who is concerned about your best interests?

Jeff and Lisa Sellers of The Sellers Realty can really help you find the perfect home in Lubbock!

They have all the experience and knowledge necessary to help you find your perfect home. Someone forgot to tell them that there was a housing slump or recession in 2008, so they went ahead and sold 50 properties in the last 12 months. They are very familiar with the schools in Lubbock, having 5 children who have at some point gone through various public schools, private schools, home school and local universities. They pride themselves on being customer service professionals in the field of real estate. The Sellers would be happy to help you with your Lubbock home search from the beginning all the way to unlocking the door of your new Lubbock dream home!

Call Jeff and Lisa Sellers today!

806-778-6699 or 806-445-3639

Visit www.thesellersrealty.com to find your perfect Lubbock home!

For mortgage assistance, contact Cheryl Jones @ Mortgage Partners 806-791-0526

DON'T TAKE IT FROM ME...CALL THE MORTGAGE LENDERS RIGHT AWAY!!!

They are informing us today (December 17th, 2008) that interest rates on FHA AND CONVENTIONAL

DIPPED AS LOW AS ..... FIVE PERCENT!!!!! NO, THIS IS NOT A TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR. IT IS FIVE

PERCENT! So, if you are one of those buyers who has been undecided or on the fence, if this doesn't

push you over on the other side then I don't know what will. You can literally save hundreds of dollars a

month and thousands a year on mortgage payments with these low rates. Whether you are refinancing

or purchasing a new home, NOW IS THE TIME to get serious about looking into things!!!

If you have been considering SELLING YOUR CURRENT HOME, but too afraid that "the market is bad",

then you might think twice. WITH FIVE PERCENT FHA AND CONVENTIONAL INTEREST RATES,

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE WILL BE HIGH! Buyers will qualify for a much bigger home with these low

interest rates! People will be encouraged to stop throwing money away on rent and buy their first home.

Buyers will be moving into larger homes and paying much less than ever before because of these low

five percent interest rates. THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF GOOD LOAN PROGRAMS OUT THERE...people

who have good credit, have a stable job history and decent debt to income ratio are still qualifying for

home loans. MAKE SURE TO CHECK WITH YOUR MORTGAGE LENDER TO SEE HOW YOU MAY QUALIFY

FOR ONE OF THESE MORTGAGE LOANS...THEY ARE SUBJECT TO CREDIT, BORROWING AMOUNTS,ETC.

RATES CHANGE EXTREMELY OFTEN, SO CONTACT YOUR FAVORITE MORTGAGE LENDER FOR DETAILS!

Remember...Whether Buying or Selling...It's Always a SELLERS Market!

Jeff and Lisa Sellers, Realtors

www.thesellersrealty.com

For FHA and Conventional Loan information, call Cheryl Jones @ Mortgage Partners in Lubbock,TX.

(806) 791-0526

You'll feel right at home with Mortgage Partners.

I don't exactly know where these low gas prices are coming from, but I'm not complaining! Just about the time I think they are going to level off and start going back up, they drop another 10 cents or so. All I can say is that it is about time. I noticed them as low as $1.33 in Lubbock, Texas today. The following photo was taken yesterday, Monday, December 8th, 2008 on 19th Street in Lubbock. DRILL BABY DRILL!

Now, let's drive around and find that perfect home to buy!

www.thesellersrealty.com

Jeff and Lisa Sellers, Realtors