To Buy or To Rent, That IS the Question The NYTimes recently published a story, “Rent or Buy? The Math is Changing.” This is a very enlightening view nationally with NY and CA housing prices. They point out in NY, San Francisco and Los Angeles, buying a homes is a perilous investment. They note “a lot of theseRead More
Category: Buying A Home
Important issues in finding your new home.
Relocation Companies and Picking a Realtor®

Relocating can be stressful, expensive and time consuming. Many companies provide relocation assistance. Relocation companies specialize in managing the logistics of your move. One key factor in making your move a success is your happiness in your new location by finding the right neighborhood for your family. Typically, your relocation company has contracts with various real estate brokers in theRead More
Downtown Plano named one of America’s best downtowns
Julie Fancher, Dallas Morning News Mayor Harry LaRosiliere declared Plano an urban city at last month’s state of the city address. And Livability.com agreed. The website named downtown Plano among the top 10 Best Downtowns in America. Plano, which ranked eighth on the list, was the only city in Texas to be included. Alexandria, Va., was No. 1.Read More
Home-sellers rejoice as Toyota move drives demand, prices

Jason Wheeler, WFAA PLANO — Toyota’s new $350 million North American headquarters building near the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and the Sam Rayburn Tollway isn’t due to be completed until Spring 2017. By the end of next year, the auto giant plans to house about 4,000 employees there, many of them transplants from Toyota’s current headquarters in Torrance,Read More
Former Texas Instruments campus in Plano getting $120M overhaul

Dallas Business Journal It didn’t take long for Los Angeles-based Regent Properties to announce plans for a massive $120 million redevelopment of Texas Instruments’ former Spring Creek campus in Plano. The firm acquired the property on Dec. 17. That’s because there was no time to waste, with potential office tenants seeking more than 7 million square feet ofRead More
JP Morgan Chase to put massive regional campus in Plano’s Legacy West
Banking and financial services company J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has signed a letter of intent to develop a new regional campus in Plano’s Legacy West to bring 6,000 North Texas employees. The $2 billion mixed-use development long has been rumored as the top choicefor J.P. Morgan Chase’s project. Enlarge An aerial of the proposed $2 billion LegacyRead More
You may qualify for federal, state or local down payment and closing cost programs

You may qualify for federal, state or local down payment and closing cost programs that can help you buy your first home. That’s right. Click here on the Bank of America link. Many lenders have this. Now you have a simple and direct way to find out if you may qualify for federal, state or local down paymentRead More
2015 DFW Area Property Tax Rates
The following table provides 2015 property tax rates for Dallas Fort Worth area cities and towns. Often, it will be said that “blah blah city has really high taxes, don’t move there.” This is misleading as the tax rates are very similar. The appraised value (purchase price) can vary substantially from one location to another on an identicalRead More
California lost 9,000 business HQs and expansions, mostly to Texas, 7-year study says

Roughly 9,000 California companies moved their headquarters or diverted projects to out-of-state locations in the last seven years, and Dallas-Fort Worth has been a prime beneficiary of the Golden State’s “hostile” business environment. That’s the conclusion of study by Joseph Vranich, a site selection consultant and president of Irvine, California-based Spectrum Location Solutions. Of the 9,000 businesses thatRead More
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones kicks off construction on big Prosper shopping center

Dallas News, Steve Brown, Real Estate Editor Almost 20 years after buying the land, Dallas Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones has quietly started construction on his $1 billion Gates of Prosper development. Construction crews are busy at the northeast corner of Preston Road and State Highway 380 in the town of Prosper. Jones’ Blue Star Land Co. is teamingRead More
Think you sold your house? Not so fast
Real estate transactions that start out fine can unravel for any number of reasons. Even with a signed contract, problems can crop up at various points along the way to closing. But when you’re aware of what can go wrong, you may be able to avoid such problems. Here are a few to watch for. The buyers changeRead More
Preapproval and Why It’s Important
You’ve been searching online for just the right home, cruising neighborhoods looking for the “that’s it!” house and picturing yourself on your shady new porch. You know there’s plenty to do before you get to the really serious house hunting, but it’s hard to resist. Hang on, you’re almost there. You’ve got to have one thing in handRead More
Top Places for First-time Homebuyers in Dallas-Fort Worth

Long known for its sunny business climate, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is one of the most populous metropolitan regions in the country — and it continues to grow fast. Since 2010, it has added about 528,000 residents, which beat the growth of the New York City area. What’s the attraction? Part of the appeal of the Dallas-Fort WorthRead More
DFW’s Schools in Top 100 Best Texas School Districts

Top Ranked TX Schools in DFW Area: (click here for map) To be eligible for a state ranking, a school must be awarded a national gold or silver medal. DFW lands 25 of the t0p 100 school districts in Texas. Texas has 1,031 public school districts. 2 Carroll Independent School District Northeast Tarrant Township, TX 3 Plano Independent SchoolRead More
Toyota scouts North Texas for places to park relocating workers

Dallas Morning News; August 28, 2014 Some folks in McKinney are already calling the new Trinity Falls subdivision northwest of town “the Toyota development.” The 1,700-acre planned community on the banks of the Trinity River regularly attracts visits from Toyota employees preparing for the company’s huge move here. Over the next 30 months, Toyota will pack up itsRead More