Some would say both. There is some truth to that, however, what has gone up the most? Home Prices! Traditionally home prices escalated around 4 to 6% annually. What we saw during the pandemic is home prices skyrocketing up, in some cases, 24% or more. No matter what the interest rates this is a huge increase. At one time, when interest rates up 18% or more, this was a big issue but homes were still selling. Why? The average home prices were at a level that these homes continued to be affordable.

The old saying really applies to this situation, “what comes first, the chicken or the egg?” Today’s case is home prices. It doesn’t matter what the interest rates are or at least doesn’t matter as much when home prices are affordable. Where do we go from here…

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As a Realtor and the daughter of a WWII and Korean Veteran, married to a Vietnam Veteran with a son that served in the Navy and our daughter who is married to a wonderful man that served in the Marines, We take time this day to remember all those that have served and gave their all in service of our country. During our travels we have had the opportunity to visit the cemeteries in Normandy, Hawaii, and in Dallas for those who served our country and are now laid to rest. Standing there looking over the crosses of those who died in service of our country is quite sobering. Rows upon rows of crosses of those who gave their all for all of us. You may not agree about the politics that got us involved in some of these wars throughout the years, but please never…

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Is there a difference? Yes, there is. What the heck is she talking about? This is what happens when you come into a middle of a conversation that you didn’t know how it started. You are left wondering what are they talking about? I don’t want anyone to be confused about the real estate market in Collin County and so let’s just start there.

Let’s start at looking at last April compared to April of 2023 for resale homes in Collin County. I think this will surprise you, median sales prices are up only .5% over last April. For those complaining about escalating prices you might want to tone that down a bit. Yes, if you look at 2019 there has been an abnormal percent of price increase but not based on April 2022 vs April 2023. You want to hear a big change?…

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Depending on how you view the term the" Ides Of March" whether positive or negative, it can also apply to the Collin County single family home real estate market. It was not a "killer Market" if you reference it to the death of "Julius Caesar" or a kickoff to a "Spring Festival." It is the 1st quarter of the year in real estate and in most cases through history it has been a slower time in overall real estate transactions. If you apply good or bad to this time of the year, you are missing the point. Yes, this year has been off compared to the last 2 1/2 years. In some cases by quite a bit but in others not so much. Homes are selling and that means people are buying. The next quarter will really tell us if the market is going to get back on track to it's…

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Sometimes that is how I feel abut the information I hear from certain news outlets. It can be frustrating to the public when searching for accurate information. I am going to give you the statistics from our MLS on what happened in February on resale homes in Collin County. Our team puts together at the end of each month graphs that show data comparing the specific month we just finished with the past 4 years for this specific month. This way we can see the trends and it allows us to make assessments about the market. So let's take a look at the median sales price for the county. It was $482,500 which was up 1/2% of the same period in 2022. This means that prices stabilized over the last few months. However, we are also tracking other factors that might…

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The answer? Not on the market yet! Over the past 12 weeks, we track 20 school districts in north Dallas and Collin County. These areas give us a good indication weekly of what is happening with homes coming on the market. Something we did not expect is that inventory of single-family resale homes has declined since January of this year. Historically, it is not unusual for those wishing to put their homes on the market to wait till March, however, this year might be different. Why? Those who had better mortgage rates may decide to wait to see if they come back down. Although, that is not usually a major factor for moving, but it is one that home sellers do consider. What they should understand, based on the information we have, if they wish to move then…

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Over this past month, my team and I have listed and closed 4 homes and also helped 2 buyers find homes in the area. January and early February was busy. The homes we sold were sold at or slightly above list price and sold in a very short amount of time. Are you seeing some listings that are sitting on the market for a long period of time? Homes that sit for longer periods of time usually have just a few things that keep them from selling. The key is to know what those things are and to quickly address them early in the selling process. Over the years, I have found that if we can eliminate the things that keep a home from selling up front, those we represent are extremely happy with the results. 

Over the years we have developed a system that enhances…

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As I look out my window all I can see is all this white stuff! It isn't snow but more like sleet and maybe snow mixed in. I had to make sure that some of the homes I am selling that are vacant had their heat on so we wouldn't have any busted pipes. Yes, I do that for my sellers who have already moved and have their home on the market. Anyway, that is just what we do for those we serve. I also check in frequently with my sellers as well as my past clients just in case they need any advice during this type of weather. I am happy that I can be of assistance when they need it. Here we are at the end of January and the beginning of February. What has happened in the Collin County Real Estate Market? History tell us that January is not one of the most active…

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Are you listening to the media or are you getting the facts from someone who can give you the straight scoop? You might say, yeah, but Realtors just want to sell you a home? First of all Realtors don't sell you a home, the seller does. The Realtor is contracted to service their client to help them buy or sell a home. I just want to get that out of the way. In this market at this time compared to September of this past year, I would say yes it is a good time to buy. Why? If you were wanting to buy in September or maybe even in October of this past year you may have had to bring a large sum of cash to the closing table. Today that is not the case. Yes, interest rates have risen. But how long would an extra $200 a month take to pay $50,000 off. I use that…

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"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance"-George Bernard Shaw quote. In real estate, information can be looked at in many ways and for those who have never really worked with this data it could be confusing. When the national news broadcasts information about the housing market what are they including in that data? Is it just single family homes? Is it condos or townhomes? Is it ranch and land and does it also include commercial real estate? Without the specifics it is hard to know what the data is based on. The market in Collin County for "single family resale homes" is reverting back to a "normal trend" that progressed to the end of 2020. I have often said, that the "markets in our area went completely off a normal trend line" of…

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