The Business of Real Estate

Pricing to sell — the real world

Price your house right the first time. Why spend more time on the market just to sell for less? Continue reading →

Insulting offer? Think again

When selling your home, accept the fact that some buyers just won’t make a strong first offer, but will negotiate reasonably. Others won’t budge. If you don’t respond, you’ll never know which is which. Continue reading →

Don’t unintentionally hurt your credit score

If increasing or maintaining your credit score is your top priority, though, you MUST read that article. Continue reading →

Where to invest in Austin real estate?

This table ranks Austin’s eight MLS Regions purely on a “typical” property’s ability to generate rental income for a given level of investment, with Gross Rent Multipliers that range from 8.8 to 16.1. There should be something for almost any investor in that mix. Continue reading →

More help from Washington … Is this really necessary?

Last year’s Dodd-Frank financial regulation law requires consolidation of some key forms used every day in the mortgage business. Every time I hear that somebody in Washington is going to “simplify” paperwork I know it’s time to duck. Let’s hope this time is different. Continue reading →

Texas Real Estate Professional Ethics – simple but important

The Realtor® Code Of Ethics and the Texas Real Estate Commission Canons Of Professional Ethics — the foundation for trust. Continue reading →

New NAR site — “Home Ownership Matters”

In a world of confused and confusing reporting about the state of the housing sector of our economy, the National Association of Realtors® has launched a new Facebook page to help. Continue reading →

Isn’t this a mess — Friday’s court ruling on foreclosures

What would you do if one day your life is interrupted by a notification that the bank you bought your home from may not have had the right to sell it to you because they never actually owned it themselves? The odds may be low, but it’s worth thinking about.
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Is your agent really on your side?

So … you saw a sign last weekend and called the agent’s number … and now he’s driving you to see a couple of houses. Is he really your agent? Not unless you took steps to formalize the relationship — i.e., to hire him. This may seem dry, but it is VERY important.

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Mortgage Rates, Payments, and Buying Power

It looks like mortgage rates will really keep rising this time. If you wait until rates increase to 6%, you will have lost more than 20% of the buying power that you qualified for just a few weeks ago! Continue reading →