PatO Homes - the Right Move!

Tips to Sale your Home Quickly!!

 Helpful tips to sell your home faster. It all adds up to a quick sale. Miss the details and miss the sale. First impressions always count when selling real estate, which is why it is a must to make your home shine. These are simple and basic things you can to do to sell your home but they are things you must do.

 Improve Curb Appeal

Landscaping can make a powerful impact to curb appeal. With spring on the way, there are several easy things you can do to make your home appealing from the outside.

1) Mow your yard with diagonal rows to make your yard appear larger.
2) Edge the lawn along driveways and sidewalks. Details are important and this will show the buyer that you care.
3) Transplant tulips or other spring flowers near the walkway or anywhere in the front. Use bright colors, especially yellow because it stimulates happiness. Consider container plants also in groups of three to five and place near the entrance.

Stage your Home to Sale

A home you are selling is totally different than a house you live in. It is a total different mind set. You have to look at and stage your house so that potential buyers can imagine themselves living in it. Remove extra furniture that clutters the space and arrange with maximum impact. This is a technique that model homes have been using successfully for many years. Details!!

When potential home buyers visit your home, remove all clutter and store out of sight (e.g. children toys from the family room, bills/mail/papers from the den, or make-up/products/appliances from the bathrooms). DETAILS MATTER

Fresh Coat of Paint

Another thing you can do is to paint your walls white (or a neutral color) if they are not already. A fresh coat of paint will make everything look cleaner and white walls let the potential home buyer imagine their own personal style in the home instead of yours. White walls also make every room feel bigger. Avoid dark colors which can discourage a buyer if they do not like the color and makes the room look smaller.

Pay Extra Attention to Details

Remember to do the little things to make your house stand out. Details matter. Here are a few examples:
1) Wash the windows inside and out. Clean all the mirrors.
2) Set out fresh flowers with a clean and inviting smell.
3) Polish hard wood floors to shine and vacuum right before any showing.
4) Offer a shoe mat at the entrance and even an umbrella stand. This will encourage prospective buyers and agents to remove their shoes and help keep your floors looking great.
5) Fluff pillows and put out fresh towels in bright colors. Even consider replacing these items because they are inexpensive and can add interest to a room.

How to Chose the Right Move!!

I have the great honor of working with new home buyers. It is exciting going through the home buying process with them. It can be very confusing and stressful. Because we are in a buyers market there are a lot of homes to chose from. (this is a great time to be a buyer in Dallas Fort Worth. (Go to why buy and Obama Stimulus Package for more information)To cut your stress down to size...MAKE A LIST!!!

After you’ve made the decision to buy a home, it pays to prioritize your needs and wants. How do you go about making this investment?? Usually this is the largest purchase you will make? Where do you start.

Make a list!! Write it down If there is more than one person making the decision then both people need to add to this list. It goes without saying that when you do this, you’ll consider standard home features, like number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, living areas, kitchens, and outdoor amenities. That covers the basics of the house itself, but what about features of the neighborhood?

 

School quality is the major factor for many buyers—particularly those with children. ( Coppell ISD is highly rated) Quality of the school and location. Is the school close to this home. Can Junior walk or bike to school? Where does the school bus stop??? Even people without children value good schools—they typically are one of the major factors in the home’s resale value. There are lots of ways to perform research, like visiting with school officials, talking with neighborhood residents, and using the Internet. A great Realtor (me) will have a link for you to research schools..neighborhoods..area.

Of course, you want to feel safe in your new place, so again, talk to the neighbors and surf around on the Internet to check on various crime statistics for different zip codes.

 

Other factors that you may consider important are amount of traffic and access to major roads; proximity, condition, and available amenities of parks; emergency and city services; entertainment options and local nightlife; proximity to major retail shopping, a large grocery store, or a hospital. You get the idea—whatever is important to you. That's where YOUR list comes in. YOUR list should have your wants, needs, gotta have it  reasons. There are so many reasons you may like or dislike a particular house or neighborhood. Having an idea of what you’re looking for is going to help you narrow your options and be a more educated consumer. Most people finally find a home that "feels" right. After looking at numerous homes we finally walk into one that "feels" right. It "feels" right because it fits the picture of "OUR" home we have in our mind. To clarify that picture write it down. Writing focuses us just like the lens of a camera. Without writing down your HOME WANTS you are walking thru these homes looking at a fuzzy picture. Take the time to adjust the lens by writing down you dream home!! It's worth the effort and will reduce your stress!!!!

Unofficial Irish Realtor of the Year!!!

 Slainte from the Society of:   Irish Eyes are Smiling ...

on the Community!

Thank you to all readers and contributors of our previous issue:  The Valentine Potato - sharing love over a special spud!  I know we all have many recipes to be trying on Valentine's Day in the years to come!  Adh mór ort!  (Good Luck)

In this issue, and in light of the beloved Saint we celebrate this month, we want to honor a certain Patrick of the highest standing! 

It is our Irish pleasure to take this blarney, green, web-space and recommend to you the Unofficial Irish Realtor of Choice in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Mr. Patrick O'Reilly.  *You may recall him as the ole "green realtor" of North Texas, but we learned that the full body make up did tend to scare the wee ones!  We understand he now takes a different approach.* 

Mr. O'Reilly, of www.patohomes.com, offers such amazin' Irish hospitality and has such luck with finding the perfect homes for people's futures, most o' the regular public swears there's a leprechaun involved in his process, somewheres.  But, ay, we trust it's just the good ole Luck O' The Irish.  He's happily placed customers in happy homes from O'Connel street (Dublin) to Beltline (Irving) and back again!  And, the word is that children are apt to find groves and groves of lucky four leaf clovers in the yards of each home that Mr. O'Reilly is involved in findin'!  Aye, the Lord bless him!

Mr. O'Reilly has been a multiple recipient of our esteemed award - Irish Realtor of the Year, and currently retains the venerable title!  And while he can find the perfect home, offerin' all the blessed Irish hospitality along the way, Mr. O'Reilly knows and extends to all the ole Irish blessing:  "May your home always be too small to hold all your friends!"

So, be sure to check up on our pick of the month here from the Society of:    Irish Eyes Are Smiling ... on the Community!  You will surely smile through your interactions with the Unofficial Irish Realtor of Dallas/Ft. Worth!

And, as we always say, May your neighbors respect you, Trouble neglect you, The angels protect you, And heaven accept you!

Slainte!!

Shaun Patrick O’Reilly, President

The  Society of:   Irish Eyes are Smiling ... on the Community was founded by Shaun Patrick O’Reilly and Brendon David O’Reilly (sons of one Pat O’Reilly) in 2008. Votes for the Unofficial Irish Realtor of Choice in Dallas Fort Worth are cast by closed ballot and in case of a tie their mother  cast the deciding vote. As long as Pat continues to give them money there is a good chance he will remain The Unofficial Irish Realtor of Choice in Dallas Fort Worth as chosen by the SOIEASOTC.

 

A great Saftefy tip!!!

A friend sent this to me and it warrants getting the word out!!!

PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT

Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your
parents, your Dr's office, the check out girl at the
market, everyone you run across.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a
noise outside  your home or someone trying to get in your
house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm
will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until
either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next
time you come home for the night and you start to put your
keys away, think of this:

It's a security alarm system that you probably already
have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off
from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking
until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the
button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your
driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone
is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar
won't stick around... after a few seconds all the
neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is
out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.
And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in
a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there . This
is something that should really be shared with everyone.
Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think
it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any emergency,
such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone.

Pat In DFW!!!
Let me handle all you Real Estate transactions in DFW..
www.patohomes.com
pat@patohomes.com

Housing Market in Dallas Fort Worth

Great article by Steve Brown in the Dallas Morning News today. DFW is a great area to buy in and to live in. 2008 is the year people are going to say I wished I'd have bought Real Estate in Dallas Fort Worth!!! Don't be one of those people. If you know anyone looking to buy or sell in this area let me know!!!

Dallas-Fort Worth avoids U.S. housing glut Number of pre-owned properties for sale rises a bit; median prices slip Friday, April 4, 2008 By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News stevebrown@dallasnews.com

The glut of homes for sale across the country is near a 20-year high. But in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the number of pre-owned houses on the market hasn't increased significantly in the last two years. At the end of February, about 43,000 homes were for sale in the Realtors' multiple listing service. That's up only about 2,000 listings from February 2006. And while there is almost an 11-month supply of homes on the market nationwide, in the D-FW area, the inventory of houses has stayed close to a six-month supply for the last four years. One reason we haven't seen big declines in prices here is our inventory levels are much tighter in Texas than they are in the national average, said D'Ann Petersen, a business economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. There is a 30-month supply of homes on the market in parts of Florida," she said. We've seen some downward pressure on prices here, but not as much as the U.S. During the first two months of 2008, median home prices in North Texas fell 2 percent to $138,000, according to the latest statistics from the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems. That's down from a peak of about $155,000 last August. For all of 2007, median home sales prices here were up a scant 1 percent. Total pre-owned home sales were down about 8 percent last year in North Texas, ending a string of record sales totals. Housing analysts and real estate agents say the relatively stable pre-owned home inventories have bolstered residential values in the area. It's up a few thousand, but it's not double or anything like what we are seeing in Phoenix, California or Florida, said Barry Hoffer, a sales agent with Ebby Halliday Realtors. "In certain neighborhoods, there is a shortage of homes on the market. Mr. Hoffer said he's been trying without luck to find listings in one residential pocket near Arapaho Road in Far North Dallas. We have clients looking, and there is nothing to show them,he said. We are writing letters to homeowners in the neighborhood saying. 'We have buyers, would you consider selling? He is quick to acknowledge that isn't the story in many local residential districts. In certain neighborhoods in Frisco, high-dollar homes are stacking up, Mr. Hoffer said. A closer look at listings shows that the number of properties on the market has risen significantly in some neighborhoods this year, while listings fell in others. North Dallas and the Park Cities – which have so far seemed bullet-proof to the housing downturn – both saw a 28 percent jump in home listings during the first two months of 2008 compared with the same period of 2007. And listings this year are up 16 percent in Sunnyvale and 12 percent in McKinney. Longtime Dallas real estate agent Virginia Cook said market conditions are still good in Dallas exclusive Preston Hollow neighborhood. But in the adjoining Park Cities, there are a large number of high-end properties for sale, she said. There are 150 houses over $1 million in the Park Cities area, and they are not moving as swiftly, Ms. Cook said. There are some speculative houses that are $15 million. There is one of them that has been on the market for two or 2 ½ years; she said. They had hoped to sell it during construction time, and that didn't work. The Park Cities – in large part due to the price of the houses there – have one of the longest average sales times in North Texas. During the first two months of this year, on average it took 103 days to sell a house in the Park Cities. That compares with about 87 days areawide. Overall sales times are up only about a week at the end of February compared with a year earlier. While the number of homes on the market in North Texas is by most measures considered reasonable, there are potential problem areas. It is unclear how many of the more than 19,000 homes foreclosed on in the Dallas-Fort Worth area last year are still on the market. Ms. Petersen said foreclosures here are one of the Dallas Fed's biggest concerns. We haven't seen that erosion in value here that we have in other areas, she said. Also, there are almost 10,000 unsold new houses on the market in North Texas. Some analysts have said builder price cuts on these properties have been a significant drag on the pre-owned home market. The bottom part of the market is pretty overbuilt right now, Ms. Petersen said. So we have seen some pretty heavy discounts on those as builders try to get that inventory down.

We are # 1 !!!!!!! But you already knew this!!!

This is what I have been preaching for the past year. While there are parts of the US that are having problems...Dallas Fort Worth continues to roll. This is a great time to buy in DFW. If you know someone looking to move to this dynamic area let me know!!! More people moving to the area spells opportunity not only in Real Estate but other business'.....

Now is the time to buy!!!!

Dallas-Fort Worth tops population growth

Eight out of the 10 fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. are in the South, according to numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday.

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By Catherine Clifford, CNNMoney.com staff writer

Last Updated: March 27, 2008: 8:05 AM EDT

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- More people moved to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, than to any other metropolitan area in the United States last year.

The population there increased by 162,250 between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report. Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston also saw their ranks swell by more than 100,000 people each.

The census measures metro areas with the biggest population increases, as well as the fastest-growing metro areas.

But the survey actually shows slower growth compared to previous years, according to William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

"The big story in these numbers is that they are putting the breaks on the fast growth," said Frey. The effects of the slowing economy and the housing crunch began to set in during the first half of 2007, and will be more pronounced in the next census.

"When these numbers come out next year, we will see the continuation of this meltdown," Frey added.

Palm Coast, Fla., was the fastest growing U.S. metropolitan area, expanding at a clip of 7.2%.

St. George, Utah; Raleigh-Cary, N.C.; and Gainesville, Ga., were also among the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.

Indeed, eight out of the top ten fastest growing metro areas were located in the South, and the South also accounted for more than half of the 50 fastest growing regions.

The Sunbelt is the fastest growing part of the country because in large part thanks to its lower cost of living - from housing and groceries to taxes. The region has been one of the fastest growing for years now, says Frey and, "growth breeds more growth." As more people move to an area, there is increasing demand for goods and services, which creates more jobs.

A few cities were among both the fastest growing and the areas with the biggest population jumps. And two of those double-hitters were in North Carolina. Raleigh, N.C., was the third fastest-growing metro area, up 4.7%, and ranked 12th with a population gain of 47,052. Charlotte, N.C., was the 7th fastest-growing metro area, up 4.2%, and ranked 6th with a gain of 66,724.

Raleigh and Charlotte have been growing rapidly for close to 30 years, according to Bill Tillman, state demographer of the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. Research Triangle Park, a science and technology hub, and the increasing number of national banks based in Charlotte are the area's biggest draws.

New Orleans was the 8th fastest-growing metro area, with a 4% population gain that meant 39,885 people moved back into the city. The area had seen the largest drop in population for the period between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006, after Hurricane Katrina.

Frey expects to see growth continue in the Southeast - expanding further into the less developed parts of South Carolina and Tennessee - and into the West, particularly in the interior parts of California, Arizona, and Colorado.

The U.S. Census bureau grouped counties into 363 metropolitan areas across the country. Those metropolitan areas contained 251.9 million people, or 83.5% of the nation's population.  

First Published: March 27, 2008: 7:36 AM EDT

The Time to Buy in DFW IS NOW!!!!

Here is a recent article from the Wal  Street Journal. The time to buy real estate in Dallas Forth Worth is now!!!!

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REAL ESTATE Where Housing Is Headed A look at fundamental indicators in 28 major real-estate markets. (See related article)   — Compiled by James R. Hagerty, 01/24/08 Overall Strength of Each Metro Area Strong: Good job-growth prospects and moderate housing inventory in relation to sales Moderate: Less buoyant job growth and/or high inventories Weak: High inventories and job growth prospects no better than average Metro area Overall Strength of Metro Area Change in housing inventory* Months supply** Price change*** Employment outlook**** Loan payments overdue***** Atlanta Moderate 13% 11 -.7% Strong 5.21% Boston Moderate -8.3% 5 -3.6% Weak 3.53% Charlotte , N.C. Moderate 19% 7.8 4.3% Strong 3.69% Chicago Weak 3.3% 10 -3.2% Weak 3.47% Dallas Strong 0% 5.9 -.1% Strong 4.53% Denver Moderate -3.8% 5.7 -1.8% Average 3.71% Detroit Weak 12% 19 -11.2% Very Weak 5.3% Houston Strong 12% 6 N/A Strong 4.60% Jacksonville , Fla. Weak 11% 12 N/A Average 4.49% Las Vegas Weak 21% 18 -10.7% Average 6.38% Los Angeles Weak 33% N/A -8.8% Weak 4.06% Miami-Ft. Laud. Weak 20% 29 -12.4% Average 7.15% Mpls-St. Paul Moderate 17% 8 -5.5% Average 3.57% Nashville Moderate 26% 5.9 N/A Average 3.62% New York Moderate 6.2% N/A -4.1% Very Weak 3.71% Orange County , Calif. Weak 28% 9.2 N/A Weak 3.26% Orlando Moderate 24% 17.5 N/A Strong 5.44% Philadelphia Weak 3.8% 8.7 N/A Weak 3.24% Phoenix Weak 23% 12 -10.6% Weak 4.29% Portland , Ore. Moderate 36% 5.7 1.9% Average 2.33% Raleigh-Durham , N.C. Moderate 24% 5.6 N/A N/A N/A Sacramento Weak 26% 10 N/A Average 4.94% St. Louis Weak 17% 7.5 N/A Weak 3.63% San Diego Weak 20% N/A -11.1% Weak 3.99% San Francisco Moderate 42% 6.6 -6.2% Average 2.91% Seattle Moderate 50% 4.9 3.3% Average 2.13% Tampa Weak 13% 16 -11.8% Average 5.31% Washington , D.C. Moderate 26% 7.5 -7% Average 3.91% * Change from a year ago in the number of single-family homes, condos, townhouses and co-ops offered in multiple-listing services at the end of December 2007. ** Number of months that homes listed at year end would last at the average 2007 sales rate. Listings normally decline for seasonal reasons in December and rebound in January. *** Average price level in October compared with a year earlier based on S&P/Case-Shiller index. **** Job growth projections by Moody's Economy.com for the two years ending Dec. 31, 2009. Characterization is in relation to the growth consistent with a stable national unemployment rate. ***** Percentage of mortgage loans 30 days or more delinquent in latest quarter, based on data from Equifax and Moody's Economy.com. U.S. average is 3.98%. Sources for inventory: Otteau Valuation Group, ZipRealty, Smart Numbers, Prudential California Realty, MLS Property Information Network, MLS of Northern Illinois, Real Estate One, Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell, Corcoran Group, Consolidated MLS, Prudential Fox & Roach, Arizona Regional MLS, Trendgraphix, Northwest MLS, RE/MAX Real Estate Services, Aliso Viejo, Calif. and local Realtor associations

Dallas Fort Worth Real Estate in 1988

This is a recent article sent out by my Broker, Mark Wolfe. He has been in the real estate market in Dallas Fort Worth fior over 25 years. He has seen and done it all over those 25 years. Here is his take on the market in 2008.

“Our Real Estate Market in 2008, A Look Back to 1988”

The year was 1988……

The real estate market crashed in

Dallas

…..

We had an oil boom that had become an oil bust in

North Texas

.  We had a savings and loan and banking industry bust in

North Texas

.  Dozens of major financial institutions went bankrupt.   The real estate boom of the previous ten years had gone bust as the in-migration to

Texas

had come to a halt.  The

United States

had entered a recession and the worst markets in the nation were Dallas and Houston due to their dependence on oil, banking and real estate.

The year is now 2008….twenty years later.

The news media is telling us the real estate market is attempting to crash.  And it may crash in some parts of the nation.  But things are very different in

Texas

today than twenty years ago.  Other parts of the country have severe problems, but

Texas

, and particularly

Dallas

, learned from the mistakes of twenty years ago. 

Dallas

is a very diversified city today and a city of great diversity.

RE/MAX DFW Associates, like all area real estate companies, went through some turbulent times in 1987-1988 as thousands of homes went into foreclosure and 40% of all Realtors left the industry in

Dallas

.  We survived to be the RE/MAX DFW Associates of 2008.

The market in DFW is strong. The population is growing. Jobs are being created...The future is bright. Dallas Fort Worth is a great place to live and work!!!

Pato in DFW

HOW RISKY IS THE HOUSING MARKET?

According to an article by Steve Brown stevebrown@dallasnews.com in the Dallas Morning News today, Fort Worth and Dallas are the least likely risk of Home price decline. Great news for the DFW Market!!!

The report from PMI Group (Mortgage Insurance Firm) states that the chances of a house price decline rose in almost four out of five U.S. markets. Dallas and Fort Worth ranked dead last in PMI Group's latest forecast of cities with the biggest chance for a home price shakeout. The analysts estimate that Dallas-Fort Worth has less than a 1 percent chance of marked home price drops in the next two years, while places in California, Nevada and Arizona could have an up to an 80 percent likelihood of declining residential values.

Steve Brown writes...because Texas did not participate in the double-digit home price gains in the first half of the decade, it doesn't have to take the great pain of the areas that are compensating for that now. Home values in North Texas have been relatively flat while they are falling in many other major U.S. cities.

Now that the housing sector is in a slump, home values in North Texas have been relatively flat while they are falling in many other major U.S. cities.

Most Texas cities are outpacing the rest of the country in overall economics and job growth is above the national average.

And other national surveys show that North Texas' housing market is outperforming those in the rest of the country.

Even so, pre-owned home sales were down about 8 percent last year, and sales of new homes fell about 17 percent in 2007.

Foreclosure rates also continue to rise.

Analysts are therefore keeping a close eye on D-FW home prices for signs of deterioration.

"HOW RISKY IS THE HOUSING MARKET?

Markets with the most and least risk of a home price decline, based on price appreciation, economic growth and affordability according to PMI Group, one of the country's largest mortgage insurance firms. An index of 100 means there is a 100 percent chance of home prices falling in the next two years.
MOST RISKY
Riverside, Calif.	94
Las Vegas	89
Phoenix	83
Santa Ana, Calif.	81
Los Angeles	79
LEAST RISKY
Fort Worth	Less than 1
Dallas	Less than 1
Pittsburgh	Less than 1
Houston	Less than 1
San Antonio	Less than 1
SOURCE: PMI Group

Pato in DFW

Glazing in Coppell

I just came back from a clients home that is remodeling an 80's style house in Coppell. The place looks incredible. New paint, texture walls, granite, new tub. He is doing a fantastic job. One interesting thing he has done is painted and glazed the cabinets. If you do not want to or have the cash too buy all new cabinets, try repainting and glazing.

Here is an article on glazing from DIY...www.diynetwork.com. It a great website for home improvement how tos.

Glazing the Cabinets Glazing the Cabinets From "Weekend Decorating" episode WDC-208 -- More Projects » Glaze will give the newly painted cabinets an older look and complement the look of the newly designed kitchen. Glaze is simply paint mixed with water or solvent, and it can be purchased premixed, or you can mix your own. If you are using latex-based paint, mix with water with a ratio of four parts water to one part paint, and if you are using oil-based paint, mix with a solvent to a ratio of three parts solvent to one part paint. Figure A Figure B The kitchen cabinets after staining. This glazing process is very forgiving: if you don't like how it looks, you can wipe it off and reapply. It is not a perfect process, so expect your cabinet doors to vary slightly. If your cabinets are flush panels, you will not get the same effect. The raised panels used here allow the stain to settle into the seams and give the feeling of depth. Steps: When using wood stains, remember: They are messy. Use drop cloths to cover everything around the cabinets, and tape off any areas that might be stained by accident. When using oil-based paint or wood stains, you need to use a natural- or china-bristle brush. This type of brush will not expand and gives a cleaner finish. Apply the stain (two parts chocolate-brown stain to one part sable-brown stain), going with the grain of the wood (figure A). It's okay if the stain stays in the grain or in the ridges: that's natural to this process. Use a towel or rag to wipe over the freshly applied stain (figure B). This will give a striated look, with the edges staying slightly darker. As the surface dries, it becomes tacky to the touch and will not allow the towel to move over it smoothly. To prevent the surface from becoming too tacky to wipe down, stain and wipe one cabinet door at a time. Drying time is approximately eight hours. Next: Tiling the Floor ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: Kitchen / Breakfast Nook -- Getting Started Glazing the Cabinets Tiling the Floor Finishing Touches His turned out looking awesome. I'm thinking of trying my hand at it????? Pato in dfw