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        <title>North Texas Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.tommypennington.com/blog/hot-topics/</link>
        <description>Get the latest market news and property listings in the North Texas real estate market. Areas include Southlake, Keller, and the rest of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.tommypennington.com/blog/5-reasons-you-should-sell-your-house-today.html</guid>
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            <author> ( )</author>
            <title>5 Reasons You Should Sell Your House TODAY!!  </title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
5 Reasons You Should Sell Your House TODAY!
 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 


&nbsp; Selling
your house in todays market can be extremely difficult. It is for that
reason that every seller should take advantage of each and every opportunity
that appears. Each fall, such an opportunity presents itself. This fall, that
opportunity may be just too good to pass up.
 


Below are five reasons you should consider when pricing your house to sell
in the next 90 days. Meet with your real estate agent and mortgage professional
today and see whether it is the right move for you and your family.
 


1. Entering this time of year, the buyers are more serious.
 


We all realize that buyers are not quick to pull the trigger on the purchase
of a home today. There is no sense of urgency with the supply of eligible
properties at all time highs. However, at this time of year, the
&lsquo;lookers are at the stores doing their holiday shopping. The home
buyers left in the market are serious and are more apt to make a purchasing
decision. Less showings  but to more motivated purchasers.
 


2. If you are moving up, you can save thousands.
 


The Chicago Tribune stated in an article last week that sellers who want to
&lsquo;trade up should act now:
 


It could be a bigger house, different neighborhood or a better school
district, but it comes with a higher price tag. Do the math; this might be the
right time.
 


A home that was once worth $300,000 may now be worth $240,000 in a
market where prices have fallen 20 percent. Wow, you think, the seller is
taking a bath. But that seller may also be a prospective buyer who wants a
house that once was valued at $400,000. With an equivalent market drop and a
realistic listing price, that house may now sell for $320,000. So, in effect,
the person is losing $60,000 on the sale of one home but coming out ahead
$20,000 on the purchase of another.
 


Keep in mind the spread may be even greater. Theres a smaller
pool of potential buyers for more expensive homes, so sellers may be more
willing to cut their price to get a deal done.
 


3. Interest rates just fell again  to 4.19%.
 


Professor Karl E. Case, the founder of the Case Shiller Pricing
Index in an article in the New York Times
last month actually did the math for us:
 


Four years ago, the monthly payment on a $300,000 house with 20 percent
down and a mortgage rate of about 6.6 percent was $1,533. Today that $300,000
house would sell for $213,000 and a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with 20 percent
down would carry a rate of about 4.2 percent and a monthly payment of $833
&hellip; housing has perhaps never been a better bargain.
 


4. You beat the rush of inventory that is coming next year.
 


Every year there is an increase of inventory which comes to market from
January through April as homeowners put their houses up for sale in preparation
for the spring market. As an example, here is the number of listings available
for sale in each of those months in 2010.
 



January  3,277,000 

February  3,531,000 

March  3,626,000 

April  4,029,000 




You wont have to worry about this increasing competition if you sell
now.
 


5. You have less &lsquo;discounted inventory with which to compete.
 


This year, sellers of non-distressed properties have been given an early
holiday present. With banks declaring a suspension on the sale of many
distressed properties (foreclosures), there has been a large supply of
discounted properties removed from competition. No one knows how long this self
imposed moratorium will last. However, while it does, every homeowner has a
better chance of selling their property.
 


Bottom Line
 


If you are looking to sell in the near future, there may not be a more
opportune time than this fall. Serious buyers, great move-up deals and less
competition from foreclosures creates the perfect selling situation.
Dont miss it!

&nbsp;

(courtesy of Dana Hinson-Benchmark Mortgage) 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:29:38 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.tommypennington.com/blog/5-reasons-to-get-excited-about-real-estate-again.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.tommypennington.com/blog/5-reasons-to-get-excited-about-real-estate-again.html</link>
            <author> ( )</author>
            <title> 5 Reasons to Get Excited about Real Estate Again</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Remember when real estate investing was the &quot;in&quot; thing? &nbsp;

Back then, there were two kinds of people: those who invested in real estate and those who wish they were investing in real estate.
&nbsp;Back in the day, there were as many articles about real estate
investing as there were about Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey
Lohan combined. &nbsp;Real estate was the water cooler conversation, especially since Seinfeld has been long off the air.

If
you could not buy real estate, you could still dream, and make no
mistake about it, it was the American dream. &nbsp;Many people still think
it is. &nbsp;And mortgages?&nbsp; If you could fog up a mirror while breathing,
you qualified. 

Yes, not too long ago, real estate was the hot
topic, the in thing, an ideal retirement vehicle, and the way to become
wealthy. &nbsp;In the past 3 years or so, it has fallen out of favor for
most of us. &nbsp;Fortunes have been lost, time has been seemingly wasted,
and we all learned a lesson we will never forget. &nbsp;Many people have
washed their hands of ever investing in real estate again. &nbsp;They have
been burned once, and never want to be burned like that again. &nbsp;Some
people don't believe it will ever come back, and that, if it does, it
won't reach the high point where it once was. &nbsp;

Yes, real estate
investing has certainly made an impact on many people. &nbsp;For those who
still have some hope and faith left for real estate, there are very
good reasons to want to invest once more. &nbsp;Here are 5 reasons to get
excited about investing in real estate again: 

1. We are at the bottom of the real estate market.
&nbsp;Each location is unique; one area may be on an upswing, while another
location may still be suffering. &nbsp;Overall, most would agree that our
country has gone through a rough time economically, and the declining
real estate market and mortgage crisis was the main reason behind this
depressive time. &nbsp;There are very good indicators that we are at the
bottom. &nbsp;Foreclosures have been slowing up, sales have been rising, and
some locations claim to not have enough inventory. &nbsp;Only after we are
out from the bottom, we will know we were at the bottom. 

2.
There is less competition. &nbsp;Sales are brisk in some areas, but it is
still considered a buyer's market. &nbsp;Many people would like to buy and
take advantage of the good deals, but do not have the money, or cannot
get a mortgage. &nbsp;As these buyers come out of the woodwork, prices will
start to move up. 

3. Sellers are truly motivated. &nbsp;Many sellers
do not want to sell in this depressed market, but they have limited
choices. &nbsp;Many owners are selling at prices below what they paid for
the property. &nbsp;This market is ripe with motivated sellers and perfect,
therefore, for motivated buyers. 

4. The term &quot;short sale&quot;
is now part of Americana, just like Watergate and Monica Lewinsky.
&nbsp;Foreclosures have been rampant, and some banks are now being
reasonable and making smart decisions for this particular market. &nbsp;The
short sale purchasers of today will spend their wonderful retirement
bragging about the great real estate deals they made. 

5.
Our country is now deeply in debt, and each day it sinks even further
into a hole we can only hope to one day crawl out of. &nbsp;Most of us will
not live to see the day our country is out of debt.

One day, the
eggroll may replace the hot dog, and the fortune cookie may replace the
apple pie. &nbsp;This certainly is not something we look forward to. &nbsp;We
cannot control what government does; only try to vote for the right
politicians. &nbsp;Because of all of this debt our country owes, it is only
inevitable that taxes will increase. &nbsp;That is one very important reason
to have real estate investing as part of your financial plan.
&nbsp;Besides all of the wonderful benefits that real estate has to offer,
being able to write off part of your income taxes is something that you
will come to appreciate more each day. &nbsp;There will come a time when
more people will realize that they need real estate to stem the rising
cost of taxes, and that will cause properties to appreciate even more. 

So, what are you waiting for, 5 more reasons?

&nbsp;

By: Patrick Esposito, www.realestateproarticles.com
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:31:21 -0500</pubDate>
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