I just received a tip from Cyd West at 1st Community Mortgage (our local TX Vet expert) about an important announcement that the Texas Veteran’s Land Board will be making next week!
“On September 5th there will be an announcement from the Texas Veterans Land Board regarding their home loan program. The change will be effective on September 12th and files can begin to close under the new program on September 15th. Contracts can be dated prior to that date.
As you know, the TVLB discontinued the “service era” and the “15 year term” discount effective August 8th. To replace those programs, the TVLB has announced the following incentive for disabled veterans:
Veterans with a compensable disability of 30% or more will receive a 1% discount from the weekly posted rate effective 5:00 PM on September 12, 2008. This does not exempt them from paying the 1% participation fee, this is a discount to the rate. For example, if the posted rate is 6.15%, the discounted rate would be 5.15%.
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this change. It should be very good for our retired military buyers – many of them have a disability of 30% or more. “
This is great news for our community as it will open lots of new opportunities for our Veterans to get below market financing! If you want to take advantage of this great opportunity, please give us a call – 254-690-4321.
I’ve got some great news for you today! As most of living in Texas know, it is swimming pool weather deep into September and sometimes even October. Well, now the City of Harker Heights knows that too. The public pool at Carl Levin Park was originally scheduled to close for the season on September 1st, but they have just extended this year’s schedule. Starting September 2nd “lap swim” for adults only will be held Tuesday – Thursday from 7:00 am – 10:00 am and 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Also, on Saturday and Sunday, the city will have “open swim” hours from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.
Today is the Friends and Family Preview night at the new Barnes & Noble in Harker Heights!
At the Preview tonight, Barnes & Noble will hold several programs including fundraisers, book signings and story times. These programs will continue after the Preview as well. Nate Self, a local author and former Army Ranger Captain, will sign and discuss his book “Two Wars” throughout the night. HHPD and Fire Department will present a children’s story between 7:15 and 8:15 pm and the Heights Quartet will perform during the evening.
Just some more information that I found to be extremely relevant to our market.
There's something about the topic of real estate that turns everyone into an expert. Tell a group at a dinner party that you're selling your home, and you'll get advice to go along with every course of your meal. Perhaps that's because many people have bought and sold homes, so they have experience with property transactions. But experience is not the same thing as expertise.
Your friends and family aren't trying to steer you wrong, but they may be perpetuating a lot of myths regarding successful techniques to sell houses. Here are four common seller misconceptions.
Set your price high to leave room for negotiation
Homeowners fall into this trap all the time. They aim high so they can "come down" on the price when a buyer wants to haggle. And there's always a chance someone will pay their inflated asking price, right?
A pricing strategy like this backfires more often than not. For starters, many potential buyers won't even view your property if you value it above their price range. And if your home doesn't compare favorably to others offered for the same price, you are just helping sell other people's homes.
Even worse, when an overpriced home sits on the market, buyers wonder what's wrong with it. Many times, sellers wind up lowering their price below the level that would have attracted a sale had it been priced properly from the start.
You'll make more money if you sell it yourself
Maybe you will, or maybe you won't. It's true: Realtors don't work for free. Keep in mind, however, that Realtors guide clients through the intricacies of property transactions every day. They know your housing market, and are required to be up-to-date on the latest forms and legal issues. Remember, too, that selling a home requires a great deal of time. You'll need to hold open houses on weekends and be available to show your home whenever a prospective buyer wants to see it.
Without proper market analysis, you could set the price too low, costing you money. A bungled negotiation would cut into your bottom line, too. Be sure to weigh any hypothetical savings against the time, effort and risk you take by selling the property yourself.
Just paint the front door and plant some petunias
You may think that your house is ready for buyers, but there's more to preparing your home for the market than beefing up the curb appeal. Houses that show the best allow potential buyers to envision themselves in the homes. The pool table and dart board in your third bedroom need to go, and the room should be reconfigured as a bedroom. You also will want to banish clutter and make repairs that would otherwise deter potential purchasers. Strive for a neutral environment that will appeal to the vast majority of homebuyers.
Not every offer is worth your time
Don't be insulted if a potential buyer presents an offer way below your asking price. It's nothing personal, and you're not required to reduce your price. Some buyers use such offers as a way to start the negotiating process, and it doesn't take much effort to see if the person genuinely wants to purchase your home.
One caveat about negotiating: When buyers and sellers get close on a sales price, often someone suggests splitting the difference. If a low-ball initial offer caused to you counter with a significant price reduction, meeting halfway later in the negotiations might not be in your best interest financially.
If you're selling your home, I think you'll benefit from hiring a Texas Realtor as your advocate. Your Realtor can help you avoid these and other seller mistakes, so you achieve your best outcome. For more information about buying or selling real estate or to find a Realtor, I encourage you to visit TexasRealEstate.com.
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke that following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend the dash.
So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
This article from the Wall Street Journal has been floating around our office for a little while and we all feel that it contains terrific information and some insight into our housing market. The link to the article is: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121553612650836199.html.
Just copy and paste it into your browsers address bar. It is a good read and hopefully will help to prepare all of you for the future.
