Is Your House Moving?

We are still in August and in extreme heat in this area of the country! We have been over 100° from July 31 to August 17.  We broke that record on August 18 and turned around and went back to over 100° forecasted unto the end of the month and maybe longer. It hasn't been this hot since 1998. When it is this hot, there is no rain and therefore our foundations begin to move. With our wonderful clay soil, it expands when it gets wet and contracts when it becomes dry. So your foundation is probably moving!

But don't get in a hurry to get it fixed. In my experience in talking with engineers and foundation companies, when you're going through a drought, you need to wait to see how the house settles out once we get rain. Of course if we get a lot of rain, your house could also move.

So the best thing you can do is to keep the outside of your house evenly watered. The sprinkler system does help but you need to make sure it is in working order and that it touches all parts of your yard. The biggest culprit of foundation movement are large trees and shrubs and bushes that are planted too close to the house. They suck up all the water right under your house where it is the most moist. Sometimes soaker hoses can help. But they should be put 6 inches away from the slab.

But now that we are in the restrictive watering schedule for most of our cities, you need to take extra care that your foundation is watered when you can get the water.

Our Business

We were thrilled with our eight celebrations for thethis month. I wish we could relive the months of July and August again! It was just like the good old days. We would list the house and get multiple contracts or else get an offer that was what we were looking for within the first two weeks of putting it on the market. That does not mean that we didn't work hard to get it ready and that we didn't price it right because we did both of those things, but sometimes it just takes longer for us to get the right buyer. We found our buyers the right houses also and they had to move on the properties quickly or they were gone.

I wish we could sustain the momentum, but with school starting it has certainly slowed down, which is normal. The economic atmosphere with the continual depressing news and world wide happenings that are affecting our economy, all make the buyer and seller uneasy. I don't blame them, but I think they're going to be very sorry when they see the interest rates start climbing and seeing inflation increasing the prices of homes so they are out of the market before they even begin. In fact I have seen the interest rates climb a quarter of a point this week but we are still close to 4 1/2% which is really marvelous.

All of our cities this month have done better than what they did a year ago but now we are not comparing ourselves to the tax credit that we went through the first six months of last year. So we should be better and we are. As our contracts increase and our inventory goes down, our prices should go up and they have in most of our cities. So that should be encouraging to sellers that our prices are stable or going up, and it will should be encouraging to buyers that we have such low interest rates. So please call us if you have questions about the market.

My Car Accident
I went back to the hand Doctor to have one of my pins removed. I have three pins in my left hand.

Well, it was not fun. The doctor said my bone was healing well and I had good bones because it was tough pulling the pin through two bones and it was about an inch and a half long. Before the doctor came in, James told me to look on the tray and there were these pliers. These are what he used to pull out that pin. I'm not sure I care about my bones being strong! 

 I did have good news this morning at the ortho doctor. He said I could live with a new brace instead of that huge boot on my left foot. Anyone need a boot? I can also traded in my hard therapeutic shoe on the right foot with a good supporting tennis shoe. I still will not be stylish but at least I will have some decent shoes on rather than walking around in a boot and a hard shoe being completely unbalanced! Besides, getting those boots on every morning were a huge job for James, my sweet husband, to do. 

August Market Watch

We have really had a very good August in the North Dallas, Collin County area. When houses were listed at a good price and in good condition, the buyers were there waiting for us to come on the market. So they sold very quickly. Our buyers had to move a little faster in order to not have competition and to get the home they were looking for. The average sales price in most of our cities has increased, ever so slightly. The number of sales in August are higher than the sales a year ago, which is great. Our contract pendings are up and the inventory is down which should make the prices go up.

Did you notice the article in the Dallas Morning News paper with the upper end homes being leased because they couldn't sell them? Some of the buyers in that upper range decided it was better to lease than to buy. Yet at the end of the article, it states it is cheaper to buy a home in the Dallas area than it is to rent! I love it when the good news is put at the end of the article! With prices flat and interest rates closer to 4 1/2%, I don't see how a buyer could make a mistake in buying if they are planning to do so in the near future.

Yes, we can't see into the future, but from past experience, we won't see this type of market again. I know it's scary out there but if you want to move up or if you are a first-time buyer, this is the time to make your move. Let's put this in perspective. When I entered Real Estate in 1981, interest rates were at 18% and 21%. Could you afford a house at that interest rate? Not likely a very nice home at that rate. So call us and see if it's a good idea for you to buy or sell.

Accident Update, August 19.

Good news is I'm getting my new Infinity. Bad news is I still can't drive. My sweet husband is still my taxi driver. And my Team helps me out.

I have a round of doctor appointments next week. Hopefully I will get some of these boots off. But the left hand is my problem. It still hurts too much and is unusable.

But, I have this great new program. It's called Dragon Dictation. Even with my Texas accent, it can understand what I say and type it for me. That's what it's doing for me right now! I'm still learning, but it's doing very, very well. Haven't we come a long way, Baby! It's not very expensive and well worth it. You'll have to try it. It'll probably make me very lazy!

My Accident Update for Thursday, 8-11-11

We went to the hand doctor today and he unwrapped and cleaned gause around the pins.  He continued to show me how I should clean them every day and I died just looking at pins sticking out of my hand!  Have you ever had pins??   Ugh!

After they put the cast back on I hurt terribly rest of day while pain medicine did not help. Finally figured out there was pressure on the pins so I almost unwrapped it for bed and the pain subsided.

Went to Health South to get the brace adjusted to be raised around the pins and not hit them. Don't like the looks of this brace but boy it feels so much better.  Medicine doesn't affect me much but am slowing a whole lot in taking it.....after 3.5 weeks, pain is much, much less.  Very, very thankful since I and my Team are working very hard as we are busy!

"Woulda - Coulda- Shoulda"

It is the mantra of people who missed a great deal. It's the theme song of the procrastinator. It's the refrain that reminds us of the one that got away.
Some people are still beating themselves up because they didn't recognize the housing bubble was really going to burst. It is impossible to change the past but will they see the signs of the next housing trend?

In the past four years, prices have adjusted with 30% corrections nationally and much more in areas with high percentages of foreclosures. New homes are almost non-existent. Interest rates are slightly above record lows. Consumer goods are skyrocketing; our budget deficit and national debt are staggering and escalating inflation appears certain.

"Forget stocks. Don't bet on gold. After four years of plunging home prices, the most attractive asset class in America is housing." states Shawn Tully, Senior Editor at-Large for Fortune magazine in a March 28, 2011 article.

"If I would have known that this was the best buyer's market ever, I could have taken advantage of the prices and interest rates; I should have fixed my cost of housing for years to come." Don't catch yourself saying this. You owe it to yourself and your family to get firsthand information to see what your options really are.