Houseaholic

For those of you who don't know me personally are are new to this blog, let me introduce myself ...

Hi. My name is Lydia ... and I'm a houseaholic. I love to tour houses. Looking at homes is both my hobby and my profession. Shopping for homes is passion for me like gambling, watching football or shoe shopping is for some people. This obsession can probably be attributed to my upbringing. My father was in the Air Force and we moved a lot. A whole lot.

I lived in 6 homes in Preston Hollow over 15 years - and that's only because my husband and kids didn't want to move more often and we've stayed put for the past 10 years. If I can't move every few years, I feel the need to at least paint and move the furniture around. I enjoy and get a lot of satisfaction from remodeling or decorating a home. Which leads to my second addiction - home improvement shows. I record them and like to relax with a glass of wine and the TV remote at night.

If you're a fellow houseaholic, welcome to my blog. And check out my favorite blog list on the right side of this page for other places to get your fix. 

Price Cuts in today's Dallas market

These 2010 3rd quarter stats show the picture of price reductions this year in our area.

Here are the average overpricing statistics:

Original List Price to Actual Sales Price

North Dallas (south of LBJ, between Midway & Central): 16.0%
University Park:  11.9%
Highland Park:  18.6%
Oak Lawn / Uptown:  8.0%
East Dallas (east of Central, south of Northwest Hwy): 16.4%

Of course, there are some properties selling at (or near) their list price. Those are realistic sellers who are pricing them right to start with.  [where: 75230]

Ranger Fever hits Preston Royal

At least one local entrepreneur knows where to find a good market for the Ranger Fever sweeping our city. This guy set up temporary shop in the old Shell station space yesterday. I image he'll be there til the World Series is over or until the property owners get wind of his presence - which ever comes first.  [where: 75230]

Update: T-shirts are $25 plus they have other fan items.

Now is the time to teach your child about taxes

Halloween is the perfect time to teach your child about taxes. When they finish trick or treating, just grab a couple of handfuls of their candy. Tell them it's tax time - get used to it.

But really, if you have left over Halloween candy, many schools have a Candy Drive the day after the holiday. Students can bring candy to school and sometimes get a token in exchange (like a homework pass). The candy is donated to homeless shelters and other charities.

If you'd like to get the leftover candy out of your house, you can donate it at the office of Pediatric Dentist Thomas Hedrick or the lower school office of St. Mark's School on Preston Road.  [where: 75230]

Laughter and tears

are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. 

I myself prefer to laugh,

since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

Kurt Vonnegut, American writer

Who are the best real estate negotiators?

The success of a good transaction is often found in the negotiations. And the sign of a failed sale is frequently seen in the lack of negotiation skills.

Most of us have seen a great business deal fall apart - to the detriment of both sides - due to the inability to negotiate successfully. Some people call it 'shooting yourself in the foot', but the inability to negotiate with skill is a disadvantage when buying or selling a home. Many people consider themselves to be good negotiators. And many of them are wrong.

So who are the best negotiators? In my opinion, they are lawyers and moms of well-adjusted adults.

The second group may sound strange, but I credit much of my negotiating expertise to years of raising children - along with a few law classes and courses in the subject. Most adults are easy to deal with after successful negotiations with a screaming 2-year-old, a strong-willed tween or an emotional 16-year-old. Seeing my kids turn into smart, responsible, happy young adults is my most successful result yet.  [where: 75230]

Go Rangers, Cowboys & Stars

Cantina Laredo at Preston Royal is offering $10 off your $30 purchase during Ranger games if you wear any Texas Ranger fan apparel.

Albertsons will give you 10% off your grocery bill if you wear a Cowboys jersey to the store on game days.

Love that.    [where: 75230]

Updating kitchen cabinets

If you've got old 'modern' cabinets (a la 1980s), I've found a way to update them inexpensively. Take a look - I think my updated cabinets turned out pretty well.

An example of the style of my old cabinets:

We added  wood  trim, filled in the ends of the trim and drilled holes for handles:

Then we painted and added handles:

An inexpensive, easy update to both bath and kitchen:



2010 Property Tax Rate Comparison

So often I hear folks make comments like "the tax rates are so much higher in the Park Cities" or "the taxes are higher if you're in Plano". Well the tax rates are actually higher in places like Lancaster and Grand Prairie. It's the land values that are higher in some areas, not the tax rates.
See for yourself here (click on the image to enlarge it):

Interesting to note are the city Homestead Exemptions as well. It varies by area. Typically the exemption is 20%, however it's only 5% in Coppell, 8% in Garland, 1% in Grand Prairie and 1% in Rowlett.  [where: 75230]

New Healthy Foods coming to Preston Royal

The treadmill store at the southwest corner of Preston and Royal is gone and a new tenant is on the way. My Fit Foods is moving into the space next to Sushi Star. Most folks probably don't remember that this location was a pizza place before they sold exercise equipment (in the days before Rodolfo's).

This chain has a couple of locations in Dallas already and they offer healthy take-away foods. Their concept is based on "a 40/40/20 breakdown: 40% low glycemic carbohydrates, 40% lean protein, and 20% healthy fat. The saturated fat, sodium, and sugar is kept to a minimum, while flavor is maximized with herbs and spices."

Sounds like a healthy version of Short Stop - which has moved into the northeast area of Preston and Royal. Looks like none of us are using our stainless appliances and granite counters to cook any more.   [where: 75230]

5 Things to Watch after the Texas Elections

Texans are facing the biggest financial shortfall in our history and many folks are ready to start looking more closely at how to fix it.

After the November 2010 elections, these should be the 5 hottest topics to watch:

1. Redistricting (politicians can't leave it alone)
2. Balancing the budget (look out Rainy Day Fund)
3. Voter ID requirements (depending on who it helps or hurts)
4. Immigration (a time bomb being held til after elections)
5. Rick Perry seeking higher office.

Lets see how accurate these predictions are by January.  [where: 75230]

Dallas Home Sales Stats

Statistics are in for September 2010. The number of sales and the average sales prices are up and down by area - and within those areas they are varying greatly by neighborhood. Keep in mind that 2009 was not a great year for sales and these stats are based on comparisons from this time last year.

September 2010 Year-To-Date Statistics

North Dallas (south of LBJ, between Midway & Central):

Number of Sales: 434 (up 28% from this time 2009)

Average Sales Price: $789,753 (down 7% from 2009)

Park Cities:

Number of Sales: 515 (up 41% from this time 2009)

Average Sales Price: $1,081,329 (up 3% from 2009)

Northeast Dallas (east of Central, south of LBJ):

Number of Sales: 359 (down 9% from 2009)

Average Sales Price: $265,402 (up 5% from 2009)

Northwest Dallas (west of Midway):

Number of Sales: 360 (up 1% from 2009)
Average Sales Price: $222,379 (unchanged from 2009)

Far North Dallas (LBJ to Plano from Central to Marsh):
Number of Sales: 632 (down 7% from 2009)
Average Sales Price: $327,721 (up 4% from 2009)

[where: 75230]

Komen Run goes through North Dallas this weekend

More than 20,000 people plan to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure this Saturday, October 16th in North Dallas. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. and will close parts of Hillcrest Road and Park Lane - so plan accordingly. Or go cheer on the walkers and runners. Many of them are quite entertaining.   [where: 75230]

The 2010 Home Buying Experience

With so many options available this year, narrowing down your choices can often be a challenge. Once you've decided on your basic needs and wants (like size, number of bedrooms, bathrooms,...), you may have hundreds of options. I've found that it becomes much easier if you then focus on these 4 criteria:

1. Neighborhood. Tour a few with your agent and decide which ones you like the best. You can change most things about a house, but you can't change the location or the neighbors.
2. On-line photos and description. Go on-line at look at homes in the neighbors you like. Use the link on the right side of this page and shop in your pajamas. Narrow your choices by size, number of bedrooms, etc.
3. Figure out what you can afford. Talk with a mortgage broker and get pre-approved. It's quick and easy and will save you time on down the road. Then your agent can help determine which homes that you like are priced right, which ones have some flexibility in their price and which ones you should steer clear of because they are overpriced.
4. Tour the properties. Make appointments a day in advance and visit several properties that you've identified. Ask your agent to include a couple of additional homes they think would be a good fit for you as well. If you can't get an appointment to view the property, then you may want to rethink the owner's motivation to really sell.

This graphic echos how these four points can help you focus on finding your ideal home:

If you're trying to sell a home this year, you need to think like a buyer and try to understand want they want in today's market. How does your property measure up to these criteria? How does it compare to the competition in your neighborhood and price range? Are you 'outperforming' the other properties or being left behind?  [where: 75230]

Embrace Change - it is embracing us

Change has a considerable psychological impact
on the human mind.

To the fearful it is threatening

because it means that things may get worse.

To the hopeful it is encouraging

because things may get better.

To the confident it is inspiring

because the challenge exists to make things better.

Favorite Dallas Painters

Looking for excellent painters who are reputable, dependable, and affordable? My favorite is Alex Gallegos.

He and his crew recently finished two bathrooms in my house that had dated wallpaper and decor. They showed up on time, were friendly and efficient. And they did a great job within my budget. This company meets my criteria for referring them business and I'm happy to recommend them. His number is 214.317.1741 and his web page is http://www.alexpaintingdallas.com/.     [where: 75230]