Foreclosures in Lake Ray Hubbard Area - 2011

Foreclosures-Foreclosures-Foreclosures ... the housing market has been greatly affected by them for the past 3 years. However, with the controversey of foreclosure paperwork being a "rubber stamped" process at the end of last year and with it still being tweaked, the number of foreclosures on a national scale has continued to decrease. According to RealtyTrac's latest report, February saw a 27% decrease from February 2010. As of the end of February, RealtyTrac has Texas ranked as #23 with a total of 11,562 houses that are in the foreclosure process. 

So what does that mean for us in the Lake Ray Hubbard area? Like the national outlook, foreclosures are still affecting our Housing Market and the prices. See below to get a peak of the Foreclosures in your City.

GARLAND

2011 ... 112 Foreclosures are Currently on Market, 88 Pending Sale, & 91 Sold (Average Sale Price / SqFt $43.88) out of the 151 Total Sales (Average Sale Price / SqFt $66.49) 

ROWLETT & SACHSE

2011 ... 48 Foreclosures are Currently on Market, 55 Pending Sale, & 49 Sold (Average Sale Price / SqFt $55.97) out of 140 Total Sales (Average Sale Price / SqFt $71.91)

ROCKWALL

2011 ... 19 Foreclosures are Currently on Market, 17 Pending Sale, & 11 Sold (Average Sale Price / SqFt $54.76 ) out of 72 Total Sales (Average Sale Price / SqFt $83.96)

If you'd like to receive foreclosure information on a specific neighborhood let me know & I'll gladly share it with you. 

Lake Ray Hubbard Area - Market Report - Feb '11

Lake Ray Hubbard Real Estate Market Statistics for the snow ladden month of February are in and unfortunetly, the Market wasn't kind. Below are how the different cities fared compared to February 2010 ... But before you think of Doom & Gloom, you should know that despite the high number of foreclosures on the market, the average & median price of homes continue to increase in 2011! With that being said, it's important to remember that Pricing your House correctly from the get go is very important. If you price it higher than what it really should be at, you risk having it sit on the market for a long period of time, which unevidably leads to a lower sales price. 

GARLAND

Unfortunetly for the City of Garland, the Real Estate market really felt the effect of the cold weather! The number of New Listings dropped significantly from last year with only 218 compared to the 302 that were listed last year. Then number of reported closed sales were also significantly down by 25.4%! With that being said, it makes sense that houses were on the market for 122 Days until a sale. A big culprit for this could be the weather and less people out looking to buy, but I think the real issue was that homes weren't price properly. As a matter of fact, Sellers Received an estonashing 89.1% from their Original List Price!

ROWLETT & SACHSE

Rowlett saw fewer "For Sale" signs in yards during February as the number of new listings were down by ~20% with only 94 houses going on the market compared to the 118 that went up in 2010.  Though houses were on the market an average of 96 days, 18% longer than last year, the number of reported closed sales were slightly up by 2%. Rowlett Sellers received ~91% of their Original List Price.

ROCKWALL

Like Garland, Rockwall experienced a very cold Real Estate market as well. There were 164 New Listings compared to 202 that were listed last year. Though houses were on the market for a crazy 158 days, which was a 48% increase from 2010, the number of reported closed sales rose by 6.5% ... BUT ... Sellers Received an estonashing 89.7% from their Original List Price!

Housing prices are and will continue to INCREASE as the beautiful Spring & Summer months approach. If you're thinking of selling your house and want it SOLD, remember that you need to get it right the 1st time with the Listing Price and it's Presentation. I'd love to work with you to create a plan to help you achieve your housing goals. Give me a call/email to set up an appointment.   

Hello Spring ... Hello Insects

Bye-Bye Winter ... Spring is here!

In case you haven't noticed, humans aren't the only ones who are glad to see winter go. ANTS & other INSECTS are also drawn to this warmer weather, especially in Texas, and are coming out in droves ... or at least it seems like they are. 

For me, I've never been a big fan of using environmentally harmful chemicals or "over the counter" products like RAID to keep our house clear of unwanted insects, especially since our Lil'Dude blessed our lives almost 2 years ago. We searched high & low and finally found EcoStar Pest Control, an amazing company that uses organic based products! Besides using environmentally friendly products that has minimal exposure to people and animals, EcoStar's program is 2nd to none! They come every 3 months to treat the inside of your house, the outside front & back yard, the perimeter & eaves of your house, and if needed the garage/attic. If by chance you find some pesky insects between your regularly scheduled service, all you have to do is give them a call and a technician will be sent out at NO EXTRA CHARGE! EcoStar Pest Control is a family owned business in McKinney but proudly service the Lake Ray Hubard area as well as other locations in the DFW MetroPlex.

If you chose not to use a company for your problem, be wary of what you use on Ants because there are different types of Ants. For example, spaying RAID      or other common insecticides on the Pharaoh (sugar) Ant will actually    make it worse. Yuppers ... when those ants you killed don't return  home, the Queen will inject ~6-12 of her "loyal subjects" with Queen Serum & they go off and start their own colonies most likely in your house! So how do you get rid of the not so sweet Sugar Ants?! The best over the counter remedy is to purchase "Pharaoh Ant Traps". They look like little roach traps/houses but they contain a specila mixture that the ants just can't resist, which they take back to their home & share with all the others. A good one that I've come across is MaxForce Ant Bait Stations. They have no insecticide odor, are child-resistant, and easy to use. 

Here's to a Happy Pest Free Spring!!!