Ronda Allen's Blog

Realtors drive all over, and one of the perks of being out and about is seeing the decorations homeowners put out for Halloween.   This is a home in McKinney's Mallard Lakes and it's my favorite so far.  There are a few days left for others to bring their A-game to the Halloween festivities, so let's see if anyone can trump this one:

 

This home is also currently up for sale and they have a raven sitting on top of the for sale sign.  Priceless!

Happy Halloween!

Ronda


Ronda Allen-Realtor and Certified Purchasing Manager
CEO of comingsoonhomes.com
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs

Right off the North Dallas Tollway is the community of Frisco Square.  This concept started slow in the suburbs - loft living spaces above retail.  How very New York of Dallas!  This was a very odd concept to us in Texas.  But, we've warmed to it.  As other elements came to life in Frisco Square, the loft apartments got more popular.  As Pizza Hut Park started featuring musical acts, a new perk of residency sprung forth.  You can sit on the 3rd floor balcony of Frisco Square and listen to the concerts without a ticket! 

Apartments range in price from the mid-$800's to around $1550.  The rooms feel larger than their square footage and their standard amenities are not basic.  High ceilings make the rooms comfortable.  Balconies are useable size.  Bedrooms are living rooms are spacious.

Go see Kourtni Sharum at 8843 Coleman Boulevard and ask to tour the property.  Be sure to tell her that you read about Frisco Square on my blog.  The web URL for the site is http://www.friscosquare.com 

There are new units under construction now.  the new units will be a little smaller, but there will be a large fitness facility, a full business center for the residents, and more.  Wouldn't you like your neighbors to include:
Love-Peace-Popcorn
Mattito's Tex-Mex
Frisco Dental (Hi! to Dr Joey McElhaney and crew!!)
Frisco Public Library (my absolute favorite library in the Dallas suburbs)
Babe's Chicken
and more coming everyday...
(no movie theatre yet, but it is on their long-range planning map for the complex).

Have a blessed day!
Ronda


Ronda Allen-Keith Dobbs Team
Realtor and Certified Purchasing Manager
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs
& www.comingsoonhomes.com

Just another blog reminder about the community garage sale in The Legends subdivision in The Colony (Hwy 121 and Morningstar will bring you into the neighborhood).  This is a big neighborhood, and they typically gets lots of participation from the residents.  My Sister lives in this neighborhood, so I always help out and bring my van without the seats, so I can help people haul their goodies home (so long as they live less than 20 miles away).  Come find my Silver Chrysler Town&Country Mini-van on Mountain Valley Drive if you need me, and you have to say the obligatory 'Help Me, Ronda!'.  No - never heard it - you are the first!  LOL.

Come early and make the rounds a few times.  Some folks start early and others wait to see how many are participating and start later.  Know a first-time home buyer who is taking advantage of the current market conditions in 2009 by purchasing a home?  Come through for them and pick up what you know they're going to need.  Furnishing that first home does not have to be expensive.  We grew up as a military family with four kids - swap meets were a way of life for us in California - and now, they're a fun way to meet the neighbors and clear out the stuff we're tired of looking at in our own homes.  One person's junk is truly another's treasure.  

Live in Collin, Denton, Dallas, or Tarrant County?  Have a community garage sale coming up?  Send me the location, directions, and the date and I'm happy to blog about it.  I reach an average of 1,000 people a day with my marketing on trulia.com.  

TIP for homeowners:  If your home is currently listed, be sure to ask your agent to hold an open house during your community garage sale.  The combination is powerful!  It's easier to sell things you don't want to move to your new home, and it helps de-clutter and stage the current home for sale.  There isn't another day out of the year you'll have more people traffic in your neighborhood than on the day of your community garage sale.  The agent can be inside, you can be outside, and you can put flyers for your home sale into the bags your shoppers take away.  I took a friend who was a massage therapist out to my last garage sale/open house, and she gave free 1-minute chair massages to help grow her own local business.  Get creative and have fun with it.  Your neighbors know people who can potentially buy your home.   

Have a blessed day!
Ronda


Ronda Allen, Realtor, Certified Purchasing Manager
Keith Dobbs Team at RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs

The Legends subdivision in The Colony is having their community garage sale on Saturday, October 25, 2008.  As we do every time, Joel and I will be renting a U-haul truck for the day to help people take their goodies home.  We'll have the truck parked at 5417 Mountain Valley Drive by 6am.  Get there early for the best deals.  This is a great neighborhood for events and we expect a lot of involvement, but they do tend to shut down around 2pm. 

As always, comparative sale data for The Colony will be on-hand for anyone interested.

CUTE ENOUGH NOT TO SCARE THE LITTLE ONES TOO BADLY, BUT GOT MORE OMINOUS AS IT GOT DARKER AND THE ADULTS CAME OUT TO GIVE THE BIGGER KIDS A GOOD SCARE!  THEY THINK WE DIDN'T KNOW, BUT WE GOT THE SAME KIDS COMING BACK TIME AND AGAIN.  WE WENT THROUGH 40 BAGS OF CANDY!

ONE SAFETY TIP - IF YOU HAVE STEPS IN THE FRONT WALK, USE REFLECTIVE TAPE TO HELP THE KIDS KEEP FROM TRIPPING.  WE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH THE TAPE AND MOST PARENTS POINTED OUT WHAT A GOOD IDEA IT WAS. 

FOLLOW NOTE:  Thanks, Trulia!  This photo was one of the winners and the folks at Trulia sent goodies to the office. What a way to convert new agents to Trulia - they all want to ask me about it now.  This was fun.