The Holiday season provides us with many opportunities for fun with our family, and decorating inside and outside your Dallas home is one activity that can be enjoyed by both young and old. As always, however, the use of common sense and the taking of safety precautions are vital to ensuring happy holidays.

To that end, the Consumer Products Safety Commission strongly suggests you follow these timely tips when decorating your Dallas home:

TREES:

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.” Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.   
• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches, and, when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
• When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Because heated rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

LIGHTS:

• Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards. Use only lights that have fused plugs.
• Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets. Always replace burned-out bulbs promptly with the same wattage bulbs.
• Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord. Make sure the extension cord is rated for the intended use.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Before using lights on the exterior of your [city] home, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.
• Fasten outdoor lights securely to trees, house walls, or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples to hold strings in place, not nails or tacks. You can also run strings of lights through hooks (available at hardware stores).
• Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
• For added electric shock protection, plug outdoor electric lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold. GFCIs can be installed permanently to household circuits by a qualified electrician.

DECORATIONS:

• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them.
• Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass “angel hair.” Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.

FIREPLACES:

• Be sure your chimney is clean and the flue is open before lighting a fire.
• Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.
• Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

Remember, protecting your family and your Dallas home is a present you give to yourself and to our loved ones. Enjoy the season!

Many of today’s buyers in the market for a Dallas home are looking for one that is eco-friendly. They want a house that is energy-efficient and combats detriments to the environment. Listed below are some relative easy to do and cost-efficient ways you can appeal to potential eco-conscious buyers.

1. Insulate. Insulate. Insulate. Use pipe insulators to keep hot water hot for a longer time and a hot water heater blanket ($10.00 to $20.00) to both prevent temperature loss and reduce the amount of electricity/gas needed to maintain the water temperature. Be aware that the further heat or air conditioning has to travel, the greater the temperature loss. Insulating your heating and cooling ducts can prevent up to 60% of this loss. Remember that even a small area of inadequate or damaged insulation can greatly reduce efficiency.

2. Reduce heating/cooling expenses. Replace or clean all filters on a regular basis to reduce inefficiency. Eliminate all sources of drafts by checking windows, doors, electrical outlets, fireplaces, and attic floors for leaks (even small cracks lead to energy loss) and by using caulking or weather stripping to seal them. In addition, for a cost of $200 to $400, you can run a blower door test to discover the main, and many times hidden, sources of energy leaks in your home.

It is also important to schedule a HVAC cleaning/checkup every two years and to investigate the need for a programmable thermostat to save energy while you sleep or are away from home. If your windows, aging appliances, furnace, or hot water heater needs to be replaced, you should certainly consider purchasing ENERGY STAR products to save 10% to 30% of the usual operating costs.

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You are selling your Dallas home and the first Open House only a week away. The house is filled with clutter and things you don’t want to throw away. But the clutter is not appealing to potential Dallas home buyers. What do you? Here are staging tips for an Open House. 

8 Staging Tips For A Dallas Open House 

1. Remove the clutter.

Having a garage sale is out when removing clutter because the Open House is only a week away. You don’t want to stuff the garage or closets to the gills either. One solution is to rent an off-site storage facility or stack boxes neatly in a basement or crawlspace. 

2. Stage each room. 

The first thing to do is clean from top to bottom. Make sure windows and light fixtures shine and are in working order. If the room is crowded, put some furniture in the storage facility. Finally, pick a focal point that will attract buyers when they see the room. For example, the focal point of a bedroom is usually the bed, and for a music room, it’s the piano. 

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The current economic climate has created an extremely competitive market for Dallas home sellers. High inventories and the abundance of deals on foreclosures puts to pressure on Dallas home sellers to have properties in showing condition and to be priced right. Many sellers want to initially price their property on the high end of the market and underestimate the costs of having a property sit on the market unsold. Maintenance costs, taxes and insurance are ongoing. Another thing to consider is the benefits of having invested the money that can be made with a fast sale vs. the cost of sitting on the market for a long period of time. 

The saying ‘time is money’ is never more true than when selling a Dallas home, For example,

In January, you put your property on the market for $500,000. In February, your agent recommends a price reduction of $10,000 to $490,000, but you decide to wait out the market a little longer. Assuming your monthly payment on the property is $4,000-5,000 per month (including mortgage, property taxes, and insurance), and it hasn’t sold in six months, by June you have spent $24,000-30,000. This $30,000 expense has lowered the property value from $500,000 to $470,000. If you had lowered the selling price in February to $490,000 and obtained a faster sale, you would have had ended up with more money in your pocket. 

Dallas property values recently have been declining 5-10 percent a month. A property that might have sold in January or February for $490,000, will most likely only sell for $440,000-465,000 in June. So how do you sell your Dallas home faster and for more money? 

Selling Dallas Home Fast and For More Money

1. Take a look at comparable home sales in your neighborhood and price at your 5% below the last comparable sale within a three-month prior period. 

2. Work with an experienced real estate agent who has market knowledge in your neighborhood. 

3. Have your home is saleable condition. Have your ‘honey-do list’ complete, your yard ship-shape and your home ready to show at a moments notice. 

Your efforts will be rewarded!

It doesn’t matter if you are buying your first Dallas home or are a veteran home buyer, you will have list of ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ for your new Dallas home. The ‘wants’ are things that would be nice to have such as a gas fireplace or granite counters. The ‘needs’ are things like, well a ‘bathroom’ or the number of bedrooms to suit your family. It is rare that you will get all your ‘wants’ and needs’ in the home you buy.

The key to maximizing your Dallas home investment today is distinguishing between the types of ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ you’re better off buying as part of the property, and those you could add later without too much trouble and expense. Here’s some information to help you prioritize the amenities on your list.

Location:

Location is the one thing you can’t change about a property. Location is about being in a desirable neighborhood and close to (but not necessarily next to) valued amenities or planned ones — employment opportunities, good schools, shopping, public transportation, major highways, parks and recreation, cultural activities, etc. A good location is also about not being on a high-traffic street, near noise, next to run-down properties, in a flood plain, etc.

Structural integrity:

Make sure the Dallas home you buy doesn’t come with a cracked foundation, pest infestation, drainage issues, mold or other problems that may be difficult and expensive to correct. A home inspection will help you determine if these items are an issue.

Size:

The size of a home is important, especially if you’re just starting to raise a family. You don’t want to buy a home that is perfect for the two of you, knowing you want children in the next couple of years and making the home you buy too small. 

It’s easier and less expensive to reconfigure existing space (turning a basement into a family room or a garage into a bedroom, for example) than to build an addition. And, you can only add that addition if yard size and zoning restrictions allow.

Bathrooms:

It is significantly more cost effective to remodel a bathroom than to add one, so look for a home that has the number of bathrooms you really want.

Bedrooms:

Find a home with at least the minimum number of bedrooms you require, but with space (perhaps an attic or enclosed porch) that could eventually be converted to a bedroom should you need another one in the future.

Cosmetics:

Although a neon pink bathroom might make you cringe, that’s exactly the type of problem you can easily and inexpensively correct. You could repaint it yourself for around $50, or hire someone else to do it for a few hundred more.

Other items:

You can change — or add — over time without too much effort or cost: carpeting, landscaping, appliances, hardware and fixtures, lighting, countertops, cabinets, upgraded doors, vanities, closet space, siding, windows and lots more.

Buy a Dallas home with “good bones” in a good location. A home you’re likely to enjoy living in for many years to come — improving as you go. When you get ready to sell, you’ll have exactly what other buyers are looking for!

Learn more about buying a Dallas home by visiting TexasHomeCentral.com.

Search all Dallas homes for sale.

In today’s real estate market, Dallas home owners trying to sell on their own get discouraged when it comes to getting their Dallas homes sold. What they may not realize is that in the modern market selling a home takes a lot more than just sticking a “for sale” sign in the front yard. Traditional real estate marketing tactics have evolved into a variety of more complex and effective strategies. The internet has become the most popular and successful aid in setting up successful home-selling campaigns. 

According to the National Association of Realtors, almost 90% of home buyers do their house hunting online. The fact that the internet is taking over many traditional methods, makes it imperative for [city] home owners to move their campaigns to the web. Consumers are becoming more independent in the home buying process, relying on the internet for real estate market information and shopping for their perfect home. The quantity of home buyers who ended up purchasing a home they found using the Internet has significantly increased from only 8% in 2001 to a soaring 32% in 2008. However, buyers only account for half of the real estate equation that results in using the internet. 

Sellers are relying on the internet to create effective online selling campaigns that catch the mouse click of potential buyers. Whether selling by owner or using a real estate agent, anyone trying to attract the attention of a buyer for their Dallas home  should take full advantage of online marketing strategies. Listing agents advertise client’s homes on their company websites, the Multiple Listing Service and Realtor.com, and by other professional tools. Home owners choosing the for sale by owner route or just simply looking for more ways to expose their home on the market, now have access to many of the same professional tools real estate agents use and more. For example ForSaleByOwner.com now allows their clients to list their homes on the Multiple Listing Service and Realtor.com too. In addition, homes are also popularly advertised on websites such as, Craigslist, Google Base, Yahoo Real Estate, and Facebook. 

Regardless of who is selling your Dallas home, it is important to establish and maintain a successful home-selling Internet campaign. Here are a few tips to get you on the right track:

• It is crucial to give the home as much exposure as possible, especially on popular websites like local MLS sites.
• Use comprehensive and professional quality descriptions of the property.
• Be sure to include details such as room sizes, total square footage, key selling points and neighborhood or community assets.
• Display a variety of multiple, high-quality color pictures and, if possible, video tours of the home.
• Provide convenient, simple, quick and easy methods of contact for people requesting more information or pursuing a showing.
• Make scheduling a showing as convenient as possible for the prospective buyers.
• Set a competitive asking price based on the selling prices of comparable homes in the area.

Learn how my marketing strategies can get your Dallas home sold in a shorter period of time and for more money by visiting TexasHomeCentral.com.

What is yourDallas home worth?

In today’s rapidly changing economy, many Dallas home owners wonder or worry about selling their home for the best price, and terms in the shortest period of time. 

Here are 9 helpful hints if you are considering selling your Dallas home: 

• Be realistic, and price your home right by using market comparisons.
• Know your true bottom line for both price and time.
• As the market shifts, be prepared to evaluate your price.
• Advertising your property with yard signs, local MLS and newspapers.
• Get rid of the clutter! It makes your house appear smaller.
• Clean your walls, floors, baseboards, stove and refrigerator. Buyers will know your house is well cared for.
• Clean up outdoors! Remove tools, toys and be sure lawn and shrubs are neatly trimmed.
• Have the carpets cleaned to eliminate odors, smoke, and pet smells.
• Make minor repairs such as leaky faucets, sticky doors, etc.

Learn more about selling your Dallas home by visiting TexasHomeCentral.com. 

What’s your Dallas home worth?

Many Dallas renters are finding that they get more ‘bang for their’ buck if they buy a home rather than rent one. With affordable prices, low interest rates and tax incentives, Dallas home ownership makes more sense than ever. 

7 Reasons to Buy Rather Than Rent Dallas Home

1. Buying doesn’t always cost more.
The Associated Press reports the gap between buying and renting has decreased $550 in the last three years.

2. Affordability is at an all-time high.
Nationwide, prices have declined by nearly 20-40%.

3. Tax benefits for home ownership saves money.
The biggest tax break is the mortgage interest deduction. Most of your mortgage payment goes to interest which is tax deductible. Property taxes and mortgage insurance are also tax deductible.

4. Many loans require no down payment.
Veterans Administration (VA) loans and many first-time home owner loans don’t require a down payment.

5. The Tax Credit.
First time homebuyers can take advantage of the $8000 tax credit…but only until Nov 20, 2009. The tax credit can be used towards closing costs and the down payment.

6. Mortgage rates are at all-time lows.
Mortgage interest rates are the lowest we have seen in 30 years.

7. You own it.

There is nothing like pride of ownership…and you can do anything you want to do. You can paint it any color you want, make improvements, and landscape to your own taste..

For more information on owning a Dallas home, visit TexasHomeCentral.com. 

Search all Dallas homes for sale.

Something to consider when selling your Dallas home is the Capital Gains ramifications. Will you owe Uncle Sam money after the sale of your Dallas home? Capital Gains are calculated as the difference between what you paid for your property and what you sell it for. Here is how you calculate your Capital Gains. 

Calculating Capital Gains

(+) PURCHASE PRICE – Price paid for property

(+) COST OF PURCHASE – Transfer fees, attorney fees, inspections

(+) COST OF SALE – Repairs, commissions, attorney fees, inspections

(+) COST OF IMPROVEMENT – Room additions, deck, for example, though not replacing existing

(=) ADJUSTED COST BASIS OF YOUR HOME

(-) AMOUNT YOU SELL YOUR HOME

(=) CAPITAL GAIN 

A Special Real Estate Exemption for Capital Gains

Even though the above calculation may indicate you owe Capital Gains, there is a special real estate exemption. Since 1997, up to $250,000 in capital gains ($500,000 for a married couple) on the sale of a Dallas home is exempt from taxation if you meet the following criteria: 

• You have lived in the home as your principal residence for two out of the last five years. 
• You have not sold or exchanged another home during the two years preceding the sale. 

NOTE: As of 2003, you may also qualify for this exemption if you meet what the IRS calls “unforeseen circumstances” such as job loss, divorce, or family medical emergency. 

Learn more about selling your Dallas home by visiting TexasHomeCentral.com.

Search all Dallas homes for sale. 

Always consult a tax attorney regarding current tax laws.

Installing a new insulated garage door is a simple home improvement project that has many benefits. This simple change adds desirable curb appeal and increases the value of your Dallas home. The best part is, it also saves energy and tax credits are given to homeowners who install approved garage doors. 

There is a list of manufactures of approved insulated garage doors that make homeowners eligible for a federal tax credit, which is more valuable than a tax deduction. Homeowners who purchase and install one of the garage doors on their Dallas home in 2009 or 2010 could receive up to a $1,500 federal tax credit. However, this is not a new idea. The legislation to award homeowners for installing specific garage doors was originally passed in 2008. Then, the maximum amount possible for homeowners to receive from the tax credit was $500 or 10 percent of the product’s cost. The new federal stimulus plan put in to action in February 2009 made installing a new garage door even more worth while. The new legislation promises triple the amount the original legislation offered. The maximum federal tax credit is now 30 percent of the product’s cost, or up to a maximum of $1,500. 

Another way installing an insulated garage door can help pay for itself is through energy savings. More than often people find that rooms next to or above the garage are the coldest rooms of the house in the winter and the hottest in the summer. This is because old garage doors that are not insulated allow brisk winter and scorching summer air to flow in to the house. The inefficient garage doors can also allow heated and air conditioned air to escape, like money flying out a window. Installing a new qualified, insulated garage door will help reduce energy bills year round and make your Dallas home more comfortable. 

The new and improved garage doors are more attractive to the eye, which increases the curb appeal and value of your Dallas home. Garage doors take up a considerable amount of space on the front of a home. The front of the home is the first thing homeowners, guests, and people passing by get to see when approaching the house. A typical white or almond colored garage door can make a house look plain and boring. It also makes the home blend in with every other house on the street. New garage doors found on the approved list offer a variety of the latest styles, including a carriage house or country look, sleek and contemporary, steel doors with real wood grain panels. No matter what the style of your home, there is sure to be a garage door that compliments and completes the picture.

Learn more about Dallas home ownership at TexasHomeCentral.com.

What’s your Dallas home worth?