Ronda Allen's Blog

There are times, in North Texas, when there just isn't a match between a buyer and the available homes in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  Not every neighborhood, town, or city is saturated with available properties.  In those cases, we have to reach out to the general public to try to find a match. 

Denton County: 
I have a buyer looking to retire to Denton County.  They prefer not to build a home.  They want newer resale (age under 10 years preferred).  3-bedrooms would suit them fine, although they would be okay with a 4th bedroom.  An open floorplan would appeal the most.  Formals are not required, but would be nice to have.  The budget for this purchase is $250,000 to $300,000.  What is not flexible on this purchase is the lot location.  The lot they want will be private, or have lots of privacy if not totally private.  An oversized lot would be ideal.  Nothing smaller than .25 acres need apply.
The home should be in Denton Proper.  Fixer-uppers need not respond.  This buyer has a home in Arlington that must sell before they can offer, so we need a seller who isn't in a great hurry.

Collin County:
I have a buyer who will go month-to-month in their townhome in Richardson at the end of February.  Between February and August, they would like to relocate to one of the following specific neighborhoods:
Frisco - Heritage Lakes
McKinney - Stonebridge Ranch
Prosper - Lakes of La Cima

This buyer knows they are asking a lot, as their budget is only $170,000 to $200,000.  What this means is that we must find a seller who has been in their home for some time, has some equity, and doesn't mind sacrificing a little on their own equity position to be sold in 2010.  Smaller square footage homes are fine.  This is a young couple.  They absolutely know the location.  They are flexible on the house.  Condition issues that are strictly cosmetic are okay.

Dallas County:
During our preview tour, I found the perfect home for my Florida buyer in Irving, Texas.  However, her home in Florida did not sell in time, and the owners would not take a contingent offer.  3-bedrooms are a must.  No busy corner lots or facing busy streets.  Prefers to buy in the Irving Arts District.  $125,000 to $150,000.  Because this is a Florida buyer, she is used to open floorplans.  Because she is already a retiree, she isn't interested in a fixer-upper. 2-car garage is required.

Have a blessed day!
Ronda



Ronda Allen, Realtor and Certified Purchasing Manager
CEO of comingsoonhomes.com
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs
4032 McDermott Drive, Suite 100, Plano, TX 75024
972-816-4369 7am-7pm Monday through Saturday and 12-5pm Sundays
www.rondaallen.remax-texas.com
www.keithdobbsteam.com
Follow me on twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/comingsoonhomes
 
 

Driving home from delivering flyers around to my listings tonight, I saw the sign at the new restaurant off Hwy 380 in Aubrey, The Hungry Bear.  'Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tuesday 6:45pm-9:00pm. 

There isn't a lot of nightlife out here along Hwy 380.  So, if you like to play poker, support this new venture.  We want to encourage more local commercial growth in Aubrey, Prosper, Denton, and McKinney along Hwy 380.  I used to play on a lunch-hour poker team in Plano.  You may just meet me there one Tuesday evening.

Have a blessed evening!
Ronda



Ronda Allen
Realtor, Life Coach, and Certified Purchasing Manager
CEO of comingsoonhomes.com
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs
Keith Dobbs Team
www.keithdobbs.com

Dallas/Fort Worth is a very affordable area.  It boggles the mind of some buyers coming from other states when they see how far their money stretches on a home in Texas.  Many buyers and tenants rule out a price point of homes because they assume something must be wrong with the home for it to be priced to low.  That isn't always the case. 

Just yesterday, I showed a dozen homes for lease at $1000 per month.  Of the 12, 6 of them were clean, light, open, and appeared to be in very good condition.  One of them was newer construction built in 2005.  Most were built in the 1960's and 1970's. 

This morning, I ran a search again for a young lady looking to buy her first home on a single income.  I found 7 homes - in Aubrey, Pilot Point, Crossroads, Little Elm, and The Colony - that would suit her purposes.  And, these homes are brick, all are 3 bedroom homes, all have attached garages, and all had fenced yards.  These homes were $60,000 to $70,000 list price.

My advice to buyers right now is to avoid putting a lower price cap on their home searches.  Leave the bottom of the price range open for me to explore, and put a top cap on that suits your budget.
You may just be surprised by what we find.

Have a blessed day!
Ronda


Ronda Allen, C.P.M.
Realtor, Life Coach, and Certified Purchasing Manager
CEO of comingsoonhomes.com (follow me on Twitter)

RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs - Keith Dobbs Team
www.keithdobbs.com

Many times, we real estate agents meet with a new client and find that they have a 'to-do' list of chores they need to, or want to, get completed before listing the home.  These may be repairs, staging, de-cluttering, clean-up, or getting past a family event like a birthday or wedding. 

Comingsoonhomes.com makes the most of this 'down-time' ahead of a new listing.  We complete the listing paperwork, put the sign in the yard for drive-by's, post flyers and blog/email about the listing in advance of it actually entering the market.  It is a great way to get the ball rolling on marketing the home to the neighborhood.  By posting to the web, we also get great cross-marketing for this and other listings already on the site (which just celebrated it's 3rd anniversary in December, 2008). 

North Texas builders and agents can submit their suburban and rural residential listings and strip mall listings to this site at no cost in 2009 and 2010.  In the past, this was a paid service, but we recognize many agents are in re-building mode after a slow-down in home sales in Fall 2008, so we are currently operating sans fees for the 30-day listing to our humble site - which services the DFW Metroplex.  In January, 2011, the site will again be charging a nominal fee for postings. 

Excuse our mess online, if you will, as we continue to make the conversion in 2009 from a city-based site to a county-based site.  Again, cross-marketing has proven to be the key to more traffic on the web and showings through the homes.  This conversion is expected to be complete by the end of the Summer.  Check back weekly to see the transformation.

Does comingsoonhomes.com really work?  A property listed last week at 1402 Addington in Irving, TX is coming to the MLS next week.  The owner has some interior cleaning and exterior power-washing to complete before showings begin.  We have a waiting list of buyer's agents ready to show this home as the work is completed.  And, we've been able to ensure that the list price will generate demand prior to the listing going live in the MLS, so we know we're positioned right for the market from day one!! 

Have a blessed day! 
Ronda




Ronda Allen
Realtor, Realtor Life Coach, and Certified Purchasing Manager
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs

I need a home to match this buyer.  Unfortunately, it isn't in the MLS and the builders don't have inventory that fits her criteria.  So, looking out to the general public to inquire if anyone knows of a home not yet on the market that might be a fit.

2-3 bedroom home
Denton County preferred
2 full baths
1000-1500 square feet
year built is 1970 or newer
brick construction
No HOA, or HOA under $400/year
price:  up to $90k

Singles with good credit like this buyer are out there. 
We do not want to deal with a home already in foreclosure, but
will work with a pre-foreclosure (one where the owner may be behind in payments,
but the bank has not taken the home yet).

Have a blessed day!
Ronda


Ronda Allen-Keith Dobbs Team
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs
Realtor and Certified Purchasing Manager

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

I know I won't be popular with this blog, but it's necessary.  If you are selling a home in the Savannah or Providence subdivisions in Aubrey currently, I just have to ask you to take a look at your price per square foot.  If you are listed over $90 per square foot, you are overpriced compared to the comparative sales in the far North Dallas suburbs.  Why would a home in Aubrey sell at $90/sf when a comparable home in Frisco, McKinney, or Little Elm is selling $75-85/sf?  It won't.  If you are listed over $100/sf in these neighborhoods, you need to ask for comps of the area around you and take those into account as well.  Cute subdivisions, yes.  Unique housing styles, yes.  Tiny lot sizes, yes.  Seemingly overpriced?  Bigtime!  Especially when we come inside and tour them, which I just finished doing again with a buyer this past weekend.  There wasn't a single home we toured that wasn't easily $20k overlisted.  Stop waiting for us to just 'write an offer' and building fluff into your asking price that we're just going to take right back out.  Some parts of your neighborhoods are selling in the $60's per square foot.  It is very, very confusing to buyers.  

Have a blessed day!
Ronda



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