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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Dallas home buyers no longer have to wait for their tax return to benefit from the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit. Qualified FHA buyers now have the option of monetizing these funds.Through short-term bridge loans, Dallas home buyers can access the money immediately instead of amending their 2008 tax return or waiting to file in 2009. These home buyers then have the option of adding it to their FHA-required 3.5 percent down payment, covering closing costs or buying down their interest rate. 

Learn how you can take advantage of your Tax credit NOW by visiting TexasHomeCentral.com. Or just give me a call. I’m glad to help.

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A million questions arise when you consider buying a Dallas home. Many buyers don’t want to have to talk with a Realtor in the beginning stages and look for answers online. You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. TexasHomeCentral.com is the most comprehensive website for Dallas home buyers!!

Learn about our Dallas communities and why you would want to live there…Dallas, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Plano, Flower Mound, Rockwall and Grapevine. Get a Free relocation package and comprehensive school reports.

Our Dallas home Buyer Tips and Articles provide valuable information on everything from agency to home inspections, saving your down payment, organizing your move, credit scores, The $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and more.

Get a free foreclosure list, search all Dallas homes for sale and set-up an automated search.

I am always available to answer your questions, but visit TexasHomeCentral.com as often as you like. When you are ready, I am here to help you buy the Dallas home of your dreams.

More and more Dallas homebuyers looking for green features in the home they buy. The green trend is a means of lowering costs, becoming more environmentally friendly, and adopting a healthier lifestyle. 

The average green buyer will shell out $12,400–on average–for green features, according to the National Association of REALTORS. National Association of Home Builders green-building standards program manager Kevin Morrow expects the market share of green-certified homes to rise to 20 percent in 2010 from about 10 percent in 2009 and 2 percent in 2006. 

Green features Dallas homebuyers are looking for include energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource efficiency, and indoor air quality and include such elements as Energy Star appliances, low-flow shower heads, carpets and paint with low volatile organic compounds, and building materials procured from local suppliers.

Today’s Dallas homebuyers benefit from tax credits and other financial incentives. 

Learn more about buying green by visiting TexasHomeCentral.com or give us a call anytime. 

One man’s loss is another man’s gain and right now buyer’s have everything to gain. It was only a few short years ago that sellers were in controlled the market and were calling the shots. In order to buy a home, buyers were paying over the asking price, they were foregoing home inspections and paying all their own closing costs. Dallas home buyers were jumping through any and all hoops.

Now the market has shifted. The strong sellers’ market is a thing of the past and it is the sellers who are jumping through hoops. Buyers are calling the shots with offers that include home inspections; requests that closing costs, homeowner association fees and inspection fees be paid by the seller; decorating allowances; home improvement; and prices far below the asking price.

So why are buyers hesitating? Fear of a tanking economy, falling home prices and job instability are concerns for many potential home buyers. But if you are financially stable and plan to stay in a home for at least five years, there are 5 top reasons to buy a Dallas home in 2009:

1. Homes are affordable.

According to the National Association of Realtors’ housing affordability index, homes were more affordable in December than at any other point since the group started the index in 1970. The affordability index is a measure of the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income.

A recent report from Moody’s Economy.com predicted that house prices will stabilize by the end of this year. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s Web site has a house price calculator that can help. Visit the calculator.

2. There are lots of homes to choose from.

The slow down in the housing market has caused homes to stay on the market longer, creating a huge inventory. There was a 9.6-month supply of unsold existing homes in January given that month’s sales pace, according to NAR.

A large inventory gives buyers more selection, driving down prices. As buyers start to jump back into the market, the inventory will shrink and cause prices to start going back up. The time to get the best deal is before most buyers buy.

3. Builders are offering perks.

New home builders are offering price reductions, free upgrades and other perks such as free appliances, homeowners’ fees being paid, lower interest rates decorating allowances. Once their inventory shrinks, these perks will go away.

4. Interest rates are at historical lows.
Lenders are not lending as freely, but if you have good credit and the needed down payment, mortgage interest rates are historically low and hovering around 5 percent.

5. There is an $8000 tax credit.
If you are a first-time Dallas home buyer, you will qualify for an $8000 federal tax credit if you buy before December 1, 2009. Unlike the previous tax credit offered in 2008, this does not have to be repaid. Extra money comes in handy when buying a home.

Trying to decide if buying a Dallas home in 2009 is right for you. Give me a call. I’m glad to review your situation with you.

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Dallas Home Buyers Going Green 

More and more Dallas home buyers looking for green features in the home they buy. The green trend is a means of lowering costs, becoming more environmentally friendly, and adopting a healthier lifestyle. 

The average green buyer will shell out $12,400–on average–for green features, according to the National Association of REALTORS. National Association of Home Builders green-building standards program manager Kevin Morrow expects the market share of green-certified homes to rise to 20 percent in 2010 from about 10 percent in 2009 and 2 percent in 2006. 

Green features Dallas home buyers are looking for include energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource efficiency, and indoor air quality and include such elements as Energy Star appliances, low-flow shower heads, carpets and paint with low volatile organic compounds, and building materials procured from local suppliers.

Today’s Dallas home buyers benefit form tax credits and other financial incentives. 

Learn more about buying green by visiting TexasHomeCentral.com or give us a call anytime. 

Search all Dallas homes for sale.

Add Some Green To Your Dallas Home

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It’s Easy Being Green with Dallas Real Estate

Most Dallas home buyers consider buying a foreclosed property to be a good deal. But buying a foreclosure is not for the faint of heart. The dream of homeownership can often become a nightmare and more and more Dallas home buyers are becoming leary of foreclosed properties.

Prices on foreclosed homes can be as low as 25% below market value and who doesn’t want to save that kind of money? However, be sure to look carefully at the condition of the property and calculate the cost of repairs into your budget.

Foreclosure homes are sold “as is” which means that the 25 percent you just saved on the purchase price can easily be eaten up by unforeseen expenses such as repairs not immediately apparent in an exterior inspection. Often when you buy a home in foreclosure, you may not be able to look inside let alone have an inspector detect structural problems that you’ll need to fix before moving in.

Something else to think about — people who lost their home in foreclosure very likely couldn’t afford to maintain their property.

So be prepared to pay for any problems such as electrical or plumbing repairs, leaky roofs, or even vandalism by angry homeowners who break things or punch holes in walls and doors, an unacceptable but not that uncommon way that some homeowners deal with the angst of losing their home to foreclosure.

Last spring, 54% of Dallas home buyers said they would consider buying a foreclosed property, according to a study conducted by Trulia.com and RealtyTrac. Today, fewer buyers are willing to consider purchasing foreclosed property than they were seven months ago. In the fall, this number dropped to 47% with 80 percent of those surveyed citing hidden repair costs, a tricky buying process, and the possibility that the neighborhood will lose more value and drag the property down with it.

To compensate for these risks, 75 percent say they expect at least a 25 percent discount and 30 percent say they would only buy if there is a 50 percent discount compared with a comparable home that isn’t in foreclosure.

Other findings:

* 56 percent of single/never married adults were at least somewhat likely to consider purchasing a foreclosed home, down from 60 percent in April.
* 43 percent of married adults were at least somewhat likely to consider purchasing a foreclosed home, down from 50 percent in April.
* 42 percent of divorced/separated/widowed adults were at least some

Thinking about buying a foreclosed property? Visit our home search page to search for Foreclosure homes in Dallas or give me a call a call at 972-562-0896 and I will be happy to help you through the process.

In response to the Federal Reserve’s cut in the federal funds rate to near zero, Freddie Mac reports that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.14 percent during the week ending Dec. 24–the lowest since the survey’s inception in 1971. Interest on 15-year fixed loans fell to 4.91.

What does this mean for Dallas home buyers? 2009 will be a great year to buy a home. With foreclosures continuing to rise in Texas, prices will continue to fall.

Home values are currently at 2003-2004 levels, coming down significantly from their high point of a few years ago. If you-or friends and family members you know-are contemplating seeking financing for a new home, now is the time to act.

With a first time home buyer tax credit of up to $7,500 and low or no money down programs available for many people today, now is a great time to buy a home.

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With the Fed continuously lowering rates (latest was largest cut in over 20 years), home buyers and home sellers have something to get excited about.

We haven’t seen the pain in Dallas Fort Worth like the rest of the country has but still, the national headlines can scare anyone into hiding. With the latest cut, real estate analysts are expecting respectable improvements in home sales across the country and I for one am always optimistic. I have already seen a tremendous increase in home buyers visiting the home search feature on our real estate website.

For home buyers (and home sellers who will need another home), this is fantastic news. Lower rates can mean a more affordable home and can also mean that you are finally able to move up into that home that better fits your needs and your family. Simply put, homebuyers can afford more within their budget with these lower rates. If the reason you were waiting to buy was for prices to get lower, I wouldn’t wait much longer. With home prices at a low and mortgage rates at a low, prices will only start going up.

If you are interested in finding a home in Dallas Fort Worth, please call me at 800-326-9011 or email me here. However you decide to use, good luck and as always have fun!