Buyers & Sellers Realty

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Discount Real Estate Company, There I Said It



March 11, 2008 by barabbas14
The issue is out there and it needs to be addressed. In many communities around the country, consumers have been pounding their fists against the table and some even their heads against the wall in frustration that they must pay six or seven percent to get their home sold. Home sellers in Dallas, TX regularly comment that this percentage based commission is way too much to pay for the services that they need.

In recent years, home sellers have even confronted agents with the issue that they can’t afford to pay the commission based on lost equity in the home. Other sellers still simply refuse to pay an agent $12,000 or more on the sale of their $200,000 home. This is becoming more the rule than the exception that it has been for the last 20 years.

In communities like Lake Highlands, the discount idea is really taking hold. Home owners are taking notice of more signs and more SOLD signs from companies that charge less to sell your home, but still do everything that you need. The use of discount or Flat Fee real estate agents and brokers has grown 300% in Lake Highlands for the past two years (since BigDBlog has been tracking.) One glaring example of the success of the Flat Fee companies is a home that was listed and sold on Church Street just east of Audelia Road in February of 2008. The home was listed and under contract within hours and closed within 30 days for a net full price offer to the seller. Due to the broker charging a flat fee and not a traditional six or seven percent, the seller saved a substantial chunk of money on the listing agent side. In addition, the listing company (flat fee company,) also brought the buyer. Since their model doesn’t charge any buyer’s agent commissions, the selle then saved the entire buyer’s agent fee. In the end, the seller saved over $8,000 dollars in real estate commissions and the buyers got a better than normal deal as well. This is a true example of a win - win situation.

While the traditional real estate community has not embraced limited service companies, they have accepted the flat fee companies fairly well. Again in Lake Highlands, many listings are sold each year where flat fee companies cooperate with traditional offices to bring a buyer to their listings or to sell a listing to their buyers.

In our wonderfully capitalist economy in the United States, this is a prime example of markets being efficient and consumers demanding a more affordable option. As almost every other industry in America has been competitive based on price for generations, home sellers and buyers are finally seeing real estate companies supply a service to meet their reasonable demands.

Feel free to send questions as usual and of course comment at will.

BigDBlog

Tags: commissions, Dallas TX, discount real estate company, flat fee real estate company, Lake Highlands, realtor, savings, traditional real estate
Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | 2 Comments »

The Sky Is NOT Falling
March 7, 2008 by barabbas14
Big D Blog has written about the false panic coming from the media in regards to our local market here in Dallas Texas. Well Dallas home buyers and sellers, here is some raw data to ease the pain even further:

30% of all homes in America are totally paid for with Free and Clear Title.

20% of all homes in America are owned by real estate investors and leased out to renters as income generators.

48% of all homes are owner occupied and those owners are current with their mortgage payments just like they promised their lender they would be.

2% of the homes in America are either behind on payments, involved in a “Short Sale,” or have been Foreclosed on. JUST TWO PERCENT

What are the reporters reporting about and the writers writing about….? The measly two percent.

While the issue of predatory lending and the personal irresponsibility of home buyers is a legitimate issue, most of us are right on track and shouldn’t have to be beaten over the head with the depression stick every morning and night. Most home buyers, especially in Dallas Texas, simply want a nice home in a safe area at an affordable price. They want to buy that home with as little debt as possible and pay as little interest as possible on their mortgage. In addition, thoughtful service and respect from service providers would be nice.

Short and sweet news from Big D Blog

Tags: Dallas, default, foreclosure, media, mortgage crisis, news, owner occupied, predatory lending, rental property, reporters, short sale, texas, Todd Tramonte
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Dallas Real Estate Prays for SPRING
March 6, 2008 by barabbas14
As the Dallas housing market is poised for an early return to normalcy, the weather doesn’t seem to want to cooperate. Many are predicting a strong Spring buying season and a healthy summer as well.

Dallas home buyers have been sitting on the sidelines for over a year listening to national media reports that the housing markets had all crashed and burned. Dallas however held fairly strong, and recent reports show both Dallas and Fort Worth to be top markets in the country for buying a home. With interest rates low and inventory high, all we need is a string of sunny days.

Green grass and a little color in the flowerbeds and Big D Blog believes that the buyers will hurry back and swallow up some of our excess inventory. This means a healthy Spring buyers market and a stabilizing Summer real estate market.

As the Dallas home buyers begin to purchase property at a more normal pace, the amount of homes available on the market will decrease to a level more in line with the quantity of ready buyers. The summer should then be a save market to both buy and sell. Although that interpretation of the data makes the summer a seemingly better time to sell, many wise sellers will take advantage of a busy spring to generate many more opportunities to sell well.

The market is ready, the buyers are ready and the sellers have been ready for too long. All we need is a little sunshine. Heck, we might even welcome the blistering hot days of Texas summers if it will hush the numskulls on the nightly news.

Tags: Buyer's market, Dallas Real Estate, low interest rates, Seller's market, spring buying season, summer, texas
Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Moving to Dallas, TX
March 6, 2008 by barabbas14
Reports show that more businesses moved to Texas from other parts of the country than to any other state in 2007. This isn’t news to anyone who lives here in Dallas. We’ve seen huge corporations fill up our previously vacant office space and mid size businesses build new space in our nearby suburbs. Dallas has been a magnet for businesses due to our low cost of living and central location to the rest of the country. As a strong banking and technology hub, not to mention Oil and Gas Giangs like ExonMobil and the newbies of the Barnet Shale, the Dallas - Fort Worth area is a great place to live and work. With incredible facilities for the arts, museums that impress and world class sports facilities for the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, there is plenty to see and do.
With new businesses and jobs come home buyers. This is one of the most noticeable reasons for Dallas’ relatively strong housing market. While other parts of the country are experienceing double digit price drops, Dallas is staying firm and in some places seeing some appreciation. As the lending markets correct and the weather warms this spring, Dallas looks to be a very attractive place to own a home and or rental property.

Neighborhoods that have seen continued appreciation include:

Lake Highlands

Lakewood

Richardson

Highland Park

University Park

Uptown

Addison

Tags: appreciation, Dallas, Dallas Real Estate, depreciation, jobs, Lake Highlands Homes, moving to dallas, tx
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Super Tuesday in Dallas, TX
March 4, 2008 by barabbas14
BigDBlog talks about politics -

Today, Texans are voting in record numbers. For the first time in a long time, Texans are looking at a presidential primary where our vote will actually count. While this has little to do with Dallas home sellers and even home buyers in Dallas, it has everything to do with Dallas residents as a whole. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are fighting for every single Texan’s vote in order to earn the Democrat nomination for President in November. Obama has been riding a wave of positive media attention throughout an impressive eleven state winning streak while Clinton has been retooling and restating her clear message that she is the only candidate who will be ready on day one.

Rush Limbaugh has advised conservative voters to cast their primary vote for Hillary Clinton in order to keep the Democrat race close and heated all the way to the National Convention. If this were successful, Super Delegates would become the topic of choice for media and voters.

John McCain, while receiving very little media coverage relative to the Democrat candidates, has continued to campaign as the Republican nominee even though he still needs delegates from today’s races to shore that nomination up.

No one expects Mike Huckabee to drop out of the race, but then again he can not possibly win. He might however pass Mitt Romney in the delegate count to achieve a respectable second place finish. This will benefit him in four or eight years when he is likely to run again.

As for Mitt Romney, rumors speculate about his Vice Presidential chances and his future presidential aspirations as well.

Ron Paul, being from Texas, is still involved. He has zero chance of winning the nomination as well and in recent weeks with less attention being given to the Republican race, has had little to do in the way of moving the debate towards smaller government and less regulation as he had been earlier in the race.

I just voted and it took about 9 minutes. It was a great experience and I feel very American. You should too.

VOTE,

its your choice,

but VOTE!

Tags: Barack Obama, Big D, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Presidential Election, Texas Politics, Texas Presidential Primaries, Vote
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Raining in Dallas, Texas
March 3, 2008 by barabbas14
I love music. I’m reminded of the Counting Crows song, “It’s Raining In Baltimore.” That song is really depressing, but brings back great college memories.

It is raining in Dallas, TX today and in the car earlier I was listening to Coldplay “Scientist” and I was reminded that “…nobody said it was easy.”

Random, I know. But, the point is that as I am a small real estate business owner, I am constantly obsessing over what I can do to make my team and my company more successful, more efficient, or happier. I spend hours on hours brainstorming ways to tell people about our service, make our website more attractive and user friendly, develop more meaningful relationships with clients and lower costs.

Nobody said it would be easy though. It hasn’t been. I do believe that on a rainy day of reflection, many real estate professionals might think it is never easy and always too hard. If that is the case, I say you are in the wrong business. Clients deserve an agent’s absolute best. Clients expect full commitment and honest, expert representation. There are far too many real estate people out there that simply “do deals,” and never take the time to invest in relationships with the people who trust them to manage their complex real estate transaction needs.

So Dallas, TX, real estate consultation is not always easy, but it should be enjoyable. When you are looking for someone to represent you to buy or sell a house in Dallas, make sure that you find someone who looks like he enjoys what he does, knows what you need and cares about your future.

Tags: 4DallasHomes.com, Big D Blog, buy a house, Coldplay, Counting Crows, Dallas Real Estate, get a REALTOR, house, Rain in Dallas, Real Estate Business Owner, sell a house, Small Business Owner, Todd Tramonte
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Richardson, TX So Much More
February 29, 2008 by barabbas14
Many home buyers in the Dallas, TX market are finding Richardson to be a pleasant surprise. As in any big city, Dallas home prices are higher the closer you get to town. There are a few exceptions in some highly commercial areas, but for the most part, the high rise condos and redeveloped residential lots keep home prices pretty high relative to the larger market.

Many families are finding Richardson to be close enough to Dallas to make an easy commute, yet just far enough out of the city limits to find plenty of house for the right price. Richardson East offers traditional neighborhoods with good schools and plenty of open space. It is one of the rare places near a big city where there are still open fields and natural settings. Softball and soccer games can be seen regularly on corners in the community. The Richardson Square Mall located at Belt Line and Plano Road is being redeveloped into a new Kohls, Lowes and Super Target. All things considered, it is a very attractive community for families who want more house and more space for a fair price and within close proximity to Dallas. In a comparable community inside Dallas, $200,000 would get you a three bedroom home with two full bathrooms and a two car garage. Most likely that would be on a smaller lot and be a one story house.

In Richardson, not only are the public schools exceptional, but the same $200,000 could get you a five bedroom home with three and a half bathrooms and the two car garage. The lot will be larger, and there are plenty of two story homes. Both cities have great real estate deals to be found, but for the money Richardson is becoming more and more attractive.

For more information on each of these housing markets, visit www.4DallasHomes.com

Tags: Dallas House, Dallas Real Estate, Dallas TX, Richardson House, Richardson Real Estate, Richardson Tx, RISD
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Why Lake Highlands?
February 28, 2008 by barabbas14
Lake Highlands is one of the most desirable areas in all of the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex. Why? So many reasons.

First, there are wonderful people there that care about keeping their community safe, clean, quiet and fun. What a great place to raise a family. Second, Lake Highlands name should give away it’s location relative to White Rock Lake. The area sits “high” above the lake and actually hosts the highest point in all of Dallas at Flag Pole Hill. The lake boasts many great attractions like fishing, sailing, bike riding, hiking, parks and plenty of areas for picnics and barbecues with family, friends and pets. Third, Lake Highlands has the distinct advantage of having City of Dallas utilities but Richardson Independent School District schools. RISD was named best large school district in Texas in 2007. The area is known for its strong support of local schools (Especially Lake Highlands High School.) LHHS is proud of its sports teams including baseball, football, basketball and even an award winning country and western dance team. It’s hard to find a restaurant our retail business in the Lake Highlands community that does not have a sticker or a poster of some sort to show their support for the schools.

Close to everything, Lake Highlands makes sense for folks who want to be close to Downtown Dallas (15 minutes,) Irving, Garland, Rockwall, DFW Airport and more. Located just south of LBJ (635) and just east of Central Expressway (75,) Lake Highlands feels like a mature suburb yet sits inside the city limits.

Lake Highlands is also experiencing some exciting new development. Redevelopment might be the better word since the new Lake Highlands Town Center will be replacing thousands of units of multi-family housing along Skillman Street between Abrams and Walnut Hill. The Town Center will include residential, commercial and public projects that will certainly add appeal to the community. There will even be an outdoor amphitheater. Other development projects include a new Super Wal Mart and possibly a Senior Living Complex.

Residential Real Estate investors are foaming at the mouth at the opportunities for financial gain in the housing market as well. Lake Highlands is proving to be a bright spot on the dismal real estate map lately.

Good news for residents and future residents!

Tags: City of Dallas, Dallas, Dallas Real Estate, Development, Lake Highlands, Lake Highlands Homes, LHHS, Real Estate Investor, RISD, Skillman Street, Walnut Hill, White Rock Lake
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Must Know Facts for First Time Home Buyers
February 27, 2008 by barabbas14
Many first time home buyers approach home ownership with a mixture of fear and excitement. It is the job of the real estate consultant to minimise the fear and give direction to the excitement. Here are a few short and easy facts that will help any first time home buyer make better decisions when considering their purchase.
Home buyers should never have to pay real estate commissions (Sellers Pay the Commission)
Home buyers should always be represented by a licensed REALTOR. Even when buying or building a new home.
When calculating mortgage payments on your first home, be very careful when using on-line mortgage calculators. They rarely include all of the necessary expenses. Remember PITI. All homes will require four things if you are getting a mortgage or borrowing money. PITI stands for Principle - Interest-Taxes - Insurance. Many calculators only include Principle or Principle and Interest.
Don’t forget regular upkeep fees like utilities, minor repairs and any upgrades that you plan on making. You can only spend each dollar once!
More on the process of buying your first home soon…




1.12.2007 - Dallas Market Update


GOOD NEWS FOR DALLAS HOME SELLERS - by Todd Tramonte
As usual, the late Fall and Winter months have brought with them a slow down in home sales in the DFW area. This years slowdown has been a bit more noticable than the past few years for reasons discussed in the previous posting. Analysts and researchers do predict an increase in activity through 2007. Rates are still very good, values continue to rise and new jobs are continually brought to the North Texas market due to the affordable cost of living.

If you are considering selling this Spring or Summer, begin to prepare now by taking the following steps.

1. Request a CMA or market analysis from a licensed Broker. A good Broker or agent will consult with you and advise on what needs to be done before putting the property on the market.
2. Clear your home of clutter and highly personalized items (family photos.)
3. Visit some open houses in your area to see what you will be competing with.
4. Address your home's problem areas before upgrading anything that is acceptable as is.
5. Don't be shy about selling. Tell everyone that you know. They might know a great buyer.


11.13.2006 - Dallas Market Update


DALLAS HOME BUYERS REACTING TO FALSE INFORMATION - by Todd Tramonte
While national media respond to "localized" economic factors in real estate markets such as San Diego, Phoenix, Miami and New England, local home buyers in markets like Dallas need not pay attention. Speculation of a "bursting" real estate bubble simply are not in the discussion when it comes to this market. Most of Dallas has had steady but minimal appreciation for the last decade. Based on information provided by the U.S. Bureau of Census and Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, the average appreciation over that time has been 3.6%. This means several things for local property owners and prospective buyers. First, there is little room for foolish property speculation. Second, there is no bubble to burst. Our market is very safe.

TO BE CONTINUED...


11.10.2006 - Assist 2 Sell Update


So much is happening here at Assist 2 Sell and with Dallas real estate alltogether that we have not been able to update the blog lately. Feel free to Contact Us with any questions as usual. Here are a few recent developments:

Referral Program - Anyone (other than a real estate agent, who we pay full cooperative commissions)who refers a friend or family member to Assist 2 Sell Buyers & Sellers Realty to buy or sell a home in Dallas or surrounding areas is entitled to a $50 gift card to any restaurant or store in all of DFW!
New Xterra- We've added another wrapped vehicle to our marketing machine. We are not only employing the most effective existing marketing techniques in real estate and business today, we are constantly working on new ways to market and sell real estate in Dallas and all over Texas.
New Agents- Because of the growth that we are experiencing, we are adding agents to cover the additional seller and buyer business that we have. We also have agents now that will serve all of the following markets:
    Lake Highlands, Lakewood, White Rock Lake, North East Dallas, North Dallas, Park Cities, Highland Park, University Park, Addison, Richardson, Garland, Plano, McKinney, Downtown Dallas, Uptown and more


    6.7.2006 - We're Growing Like Crazy


    Please welcome Sara our new Office Assistant. She is helping us handle the increasing inventory of listings as well as our rapidly growing list of buyers. We are exstatic about the reactions we're getting from both Dallas home buyers and Dallas home sellers all over Dallas. If you know someone who would benefit from our service, please let us know.


    5.15.2006 - Its Here!.... Our new Yellow Scion!...and it's working!!!



    4.5.2006 - Assist-2-Sell Dallas is 4Dallashomes.com and DallasHomeRealty.com


    Apparently we need to clear up some confusion about our domain names. Dallas Home Realty was our company name before we purchased the Assist-2-Sell franchise. That was the best thing we ever did. If you are familiar with search engines like Google, MSN, and Yahoo, then you know that there are all sorts of crazy ways to get traffic to your website. We are keeping DallasHomeRealty.com becuase it has the longest running history out of any of our domain names. 4DallasHomes.com is a little bit shorter and focusses a little bit more on our Dallas home search tool. We primarily advertise 4DallasHomes.com. When you come to the site, you notice that even if you typed in 4DallasHomes.com, it will pop up as DallasHomeRealty.com. That is because we are still using our oldest domain name for search engine purposes. Now, Assist2Sell.com is the website for corporate Assist-2-Sell. You can go there first and search for us by state and then city by selecting Texas and then Dallas. We actually have several other domains "pointed" to DallasHomeRealty.com as well, but all of them go to the same exact place. All said and done, our company is Assist-2-Sell Buyers & Sellers Realty and our web site is 4DallasHomes.com. Tell your friends.

    3.30.2006 - Assist-2-Sell Dallas Needs Help


    We are growing so fast and taking so many listings and selling so many houses and representing so many buyers that we need to hire some help fast. If you or someone you know has any interest in Dallas real estate especially in Lake Highlands, Lakewood and White Rock Lake, please let us know. We are looking for an office assistant as well as a buyer's agent. We are very excited about this rapid growth and would love to help develop the real estate career of a talented and ambitoius new team member. Job responsibilities would range from answering phones and scheduling showings to maintaining records and updating web sites. There is also opportunity to show houses, learn and work with contracts, marketing, and selling. We are changing Dallas real estate already, and this isn't going to slow down any time soon.

    Click [Job Opportunities] or Agents Join our Team
    to inquire now.


    COMING SOON.... Our new Yellow Scion!

    3.14.2006 - Ask about the giant Pink Piggy Bank!



    3.14.2006 - A2S is Taking Off-


    Hello again freinds of Assist 2 Sell. We have already been bombarded with emails and calls from Dallas homeowners searching for homes on our site or wanting to list their home for sale with Assist 2 Sell. We have recieved calls from all over the DFW Metroplex. People are hearing about our fantastic low flat fees for listings and outstanding customer service and are demanding that we come list their house or help them find a home. We have already, in just one short month, had the privelage to work with several great families in Lake Highlands, White Rock Lake, Lakewood and many other areas. We are growing so fast that we will most likely begin hiring additional support staff and new agents very soon. This is the time of the year that most people buy a house or sell a house, so we are jumping right in. Luckily we are not new to Dallas real estate and have been in the business for many years, but our Assist 2 Sell office is new and full of energy. It is already obvious that Assist 2 Sell and our unique flat fee program are changing the face of Dallas real estate. Buyers and sellers alike are loving the huge savings that they get with Assist 2 Sell and are telling all of their friends. The Team here at Assist 2 Sell is incredibly greatfull to all of our past and present clients and customers and is looking forward to continued growth. Please Contact Us with any questions, concerns, or ideas.


    2.15.2006 - A2S is NOW OPEN-


    Hello Dallas home owners and future home owners. The day is finally here. We are open for business and the Dallas real estate market is about to get to know Assist 2 Sell a lot better. With the kind of savings that Assist 2 Sell offers, sellers and buyers both will soon be spreading the news like wildfire that Assist 2 Sell Buyers & Sellers Realty is the way of the future. We are very excited if you can't tell. Dallas home sellers have never been offered such an amazing deal. If you can sell your $200,000 dollar home with just about anyone and they all offer the same service, why would you pay $12,000 (6% commission) when you could pay one low flat fee of $2,995. That's over $9,000 in savings. The news is going to travel fast and we're working hard to be ready for the rapid growth. We have a fantastic customer service system and people who genuinely care about getting sellers top dollar in record time and getting buyers the best house for their specific needs at the very best price possible. Again, Dallas real estate will never be the same. We are specializing in the North East Dallas area. Specifically Lake Highlands, Lakewood, and White Rock Lake will be our targets. We can work with sellers and buyers all over Texas though. If you have any questions or concerns, please Contact Us right now.



    1.13.2006 - COMING SOON -


    Hello. We are working hard to get the doors open and begin offering HUGE savings to our Dallas Real Estate customers both old and new. We anticipate an official opening date of around Valentine's Day (2.14.06). With all of the love in the air, we know that you will love saving thousands of dollars on your next real estate transaction. We hope to reserve this area for discussing real estate topics and relaying customer stories as well as any other topics suggested. We'll keep the marketing and advertising out. Please send comments to ToddT@Assist2Sell.com.

    SELLERS!
    If you're planning to sell your home in the next few months or just want to know how much your home is worth, Assist 2 Sell Buyers & Sellers Realty can help. Our FREE service is designed to help establish your home's current market value. Simply choose [Market Analysis] and fill out the requested information. One of our Dallas real estate experts will use the most up to date real estate market information to help you calculate the fair market value of your home.

    BUYERS!
    Automatically receive personalized MLS listings by e-mail. Early each morning one of Assist 2 Sell's Dallas real estate experts will search the Dallas MLS and find the homes that match your criteria and notify you immediately with the latest listing information!!

    Simply choose Find Me A House and fill in the requested information.

    Or, search for yourself at Search MLS.