How Fast are Homes Selling?!!

You are not alone if you are asking this question.

Just this week I have been helping a young client in the Flower Mound/Highland Village area.  Before you ask why I was showing outside of my generally Fort Worth listing and showing area....
....she is a daughter of one of my friends, and I just happen to have sold a lot of homes in that area between 1991 and 2000, so I am comfortable with the area, but back to the point.

People live and work and drive and work all over the Dallas Fort Worth larger area, and with 2 working people in most households, central locations are sometimes the best alternatives.  In this case, being central to the entire area is very important to this family.

So, the family wanst to purchase between $250,000 and $300,000, which sounds like they should have a nice choice to choose from .  Over and over, as I called listing agents to ask if the property was really available, still showing active in our MLS, the answer was "Well, yes, but I have received 4 offers and I am accepting offers until 5:00 PM tomorrow, if you want to show it and write something.
Each day I have been monitoring this particular market and there have been a maximum of 3-5 homes that were available...and at least 2 of those were already ones with contracts in stacks. Slim Pickings!

This is a great situation,  if you are a seller, but a stressful place to be if you want to purchase a home.  Conversely it is true that if the home is OVERPRICED, the home will not sell that fast, and will likely sit there and eventually sell for much less.  Again, those are the "not, so perfect" listings.

No matter the season, the same is true.....supply and demand + location and the correct pricing is the formula for selling a home in a timely manner.

I see this happening now, in various pockets across the area....if you want more information, just give me a call and ask me your specific questions.  DiAnne Arnette, REALTOR (Williams Trew Real Estate Services) 817 732-8400,,,just ask for me.

 The home pictured in my listing at 123 Coronado Bend, Fort Worth, tx 76108, Aledo ISD

Fort Worth, Texas, The Place I Call Home: Your Fort Worth Home-Selling It Quick!!!

Fort Worth, Texas, The Place I Call Home: Your Fort Worth Home-Selling It Quick!!!: Fort Worth homes are fairing much better than the national average in length of time to sell and the prices that sellers are receiving. In ...

Your Fort Worth Home-Selling It Quick!!!

Fort Worth homes are fairing much better than the national average in length of time to sell and the prices that sellers are receiving.  In general homes that are in great single family neighborhoods are fairing very well when the sellers are realistic and have owned their homes for several years.

Condominiums, while still selling, have a lot of competition and the sellers who have successfully sold this year have been the sellers who have drastically reduced their asking prices to attract buyers who might otherwise be only looking at foreclosure condos.  There is an over-supply of condos and many are brand new...with developers who are willing to "deal" on the pricing to keep their project viable in this market.

No matter if your home is a condo or a single family residence, it is imperative that you have the home in as pristine condition as possible.  Examples of a home being "staged" to sell would be that it has a great drive-up appeal, i.e. The yard will be landscaped and neatly mowed, trimmed etc. The front door will be a color or have a feature that will draw the eye to the entrance. The more bland the exterior color, the more eye-popping the accent needs to be.  This can be done with a door decoration or with potted plants near the entrance.

A home with great drive up appeal will automatically attract "lookers" who may be potential buyers.  It is ok to test your exterior for a while before doing these updates, but if you are not getting showings....the time to act is soon! 

The same is true for the interior of your home.  The interior photos, which are necessary in today's market, must be clear and bright.  The rooms must show as uncluttered and neatly organized.  Again, if you, as a seller will compare the photos of your home with your competition, often you will be able to tell if you have a cluttered look, or if you need to make some changes.  Generally, the homes that you like, are also the types of homes that others will like too.  If you are guilty of thinking that you will wait and see what happens before you clean out and clear the clutter...........Just listen to Nike...."just do it"!  You will reap the rewards much faster.

DiAnne us available to visit by phone or inperson to discuss selling your home in the Fort Worth area anytime. If you are worried about your mortgage and fearing foreclosure, there are solutions.

Keller Williams MegaAgent Camp 2011...just Happened!!!

While my brain is still reeling............I am talking about what MegaAgent Camp offered the past 3 days in Austin, Texas at the Convention Center in downtown Austin, Texas.

The first half day was totally technology!  I found out about "apps" that I had no idea even existed!  One of the really neat ones was an app that lets you enter a Chat room with anyone in a city.  In my business I can ask for leads of sellers or buyers...or referrals from other agents.  This one only works in Austin, Tx and NYC right now, but will be coming to our cities soon. 

Another point that was driven home is that it is NOT cool to simply use your social networking apps for marketing....It is more about showing that you are a person who is interested in others too.  I like that...because I am a people person and I love knowing about them....and what they are doing, so long it is not just an "in my face" kind of thing.

Also...we learned that fewer photos work better when you are marketing on Craig's List....The opposite of our MLS system where more is better....craig's list is the opposite...you want them to act on finding out about the property..............

As I looked around the 10K Keller Williams agents in the huge room in the Austin Community Center, I was amazed at the number of agents who were from other real estate companies...Lots of Coldwell Banker, Ebby Halliday, and C21.............KW invites all to our events...we share our information and never try to hide what we are doing.  That must be why we are the fastest growing real estate brokerage world wide....and our agents truly like to help one another.

I will admit that Gary Keller, Chairman and Founder of KW really holds his agents accountable for what they are doing.  As the most rigid task master, by his own description, he doesn tend to make you...me...feel guilty and think that I am never doing enough.  On that note: what it means to me is that he expects KW agents to be excellent.  I agree............you probably do too....if you have ever had a transaction with an agent who really either doesn't have the information to be better.....or is not being held accountable for their actions.

More tidbits later in the next post

A 3day Immersion in Keller Williams Rea Estate Practices

The past 3 days of 10000 real estate agents in Austin at Keller Williams MegaAgent Camp were exciting,fun, exhausting, and full of great information to help agents be the best that they can be! We began at 7:30 each morning and we had great energizing music to rev us up for the first session.

I will be posting several ideas in the next 5 blogs and whether or not you have a real estate career, you will gain some great ideas. Look for the next post tomorrow.

Fort Worth Real Estate Outlook.....Do you know???????????

Did you know that the real estate outlook here in the Fort Worth area which includes Tarrant Cty, Bedford, Hurst, North Richland Hills, Keller, Haslet, Colleyville, Saginaw, Southlake, Arlington, Mansfield, Grapevine, Euless, Eagle Mountain Lake, Aledo, ....and many other small communities..........

is ACTUALLY pretty good! 

After attending a Fall real estate forecast meeting on Wednesday, I felt like things are darn good here in our area....which reminds me that our Greater Fort Worth Board of Realtors adopted the saying;
"Thank God it's Fort Worth!".......and that has proven true.

Now...with that beginning, here is the situation.  While many states were increasing their values by 40 to 100 per cent annually.........Fort Worth and our "neck of the woods" was just clipping along at a snails pace.........never gaining too much, but also not falling too much....As as you may know by now, even within a city or county, there are places that do better than others....due to location, quaility, size of the properties, the schools, etc.

Yes, we have had a lot of foreclosures..........and again those have been more concentrated in specific areas.............and those areas were and are hit with lower valids...because a foreclosure does have an effect on the house next door and the area's comparables.

This new listing that I began marketing on Monday, Sept. 12 is a great family home. The area has has a few foreclosures and the values have been effected somewhat, but on this street...Long Rifle, there have been very few, and the homes are well maintained and there is a park at the end of the street.

With great schools nearby, this seller should have a successful sale in a short time.

The biggest thing to remember is to talk with a knowledgeable agent and discuss the outcome that you want.  Perhaps your home will bring a price that you want, or perhaps you will be able to get a really good buy on where you are moving.  There is more to real estate than the price!

Please call me to discuss your specific questions and any concerns that you may have about buying or selling in Tarrant County.

Fort Worth Real Estate: How's the market?.....Pay attention.

Everyday I visit with people in shops, having coffee, getting my hair done, or at actual buyer and seller appoinments and there is one major question that they have.  "What is the real estate market doing in our area?"

That question cannot be answered with a few words or a simple word. It requires discussion about the particular area that they are interested in knowing about.  More than even a general area, it requires discussing the description of the homes in an area and sometimes even more details to really know how to approach answering their question.

With 20% of our national economy in real estate, this is an important topic.  This question gets very personal and very local with each person.  In other words, it is not a "global" question.....it is a "local" down to the specifics of "my own neighborhood and my own home".  What is more important than your home to you....only one thing...your family....right?

Just yesterday I met with a lovely couple who are listing their home with me and also purchasing another one locally.  I have already supplied them with information about the market for their home and also information about the area where they want to purchase.  They asked a very good question:
"Why is the price per sq. ft. for the homes where we want to buy so much higher than the price per sq. foot of our home that we are selling?"  Great question.....and it illustrates exactly my point.


Homes are differenct depending on the age, area, size, neighborhood, and design................this home to the right, which is a newer home, would not be a good comparison to the older Vintage home below.

The homes they are considering to purchase are in an area with a little acerage, they construction is much higher quality, and there have been very few, if any foreclosures in that area.  The home they are selling is a nice starter home in a great neighborhood on a small lot, and with homes that are more the "tract home types" that first time owners are normally interested in buying.  While both where they are selling and where they want to buy are great areas...........they are just different.  Just like a 10 year old car in great condition, but still not a newer, more plush model.

This point is easily shown when I shar a market analysis with my clients.  I hope this is good information for you as well.  My next blog will talk about appraisals in our area.  I hope you will check back and sign up to be a follower.