Consistently improving on your home is one of the best investments you can make.  Nothing makes your home more appealing to buyers than shiny new things.  Pretty surfaces, modern technology, and up-to-date decor will bring out the checkbooks every time.Sometimes these improvements can really get expensive though, so when it's an option, consider the DIY way.  Personally, I enjoy do-it-yourself projects.  They allow my creative side to come out and demolition is a great way to take out some frustration!  The real benefit in the DIY approach though, is the savings.  It's estimated that about 70% of all home improvement expenses are the cost of labor, so if you have the time and the abilities, why not save that 70% and increase your ROI even more?!...READ MORE 02/27/2008

You have selected a home to buy. Your children will go to an Edmond Public School and you will have an Edmond address. Your new home must be in Edmond, right? Not necessarily. The boundaries for Edmond Schools and the city limits for Edmond do not match. The best way to determine if your new home is in Edmond or Oklahoma City is to look at the trash can (the one you will take to the curb each week). If it is a green trash can your new home is within the city of Edmond. If the trashcan is blue you will be living in Oklahoma City.It will be an important time-saver when you set up utilities for your new home. For homes within the city of Edmond the electric, water, and sewer utilities all come from The City of Edmond gas from Oklahoma Natural Gas. Oklahoma City residents get electric and g... 02/27/2008

The Stats are in for January, and once again, we've got good news to report here in Central Oklahoma.  Hopefully this will help you decide for yourself what the market's really doing, rather than buying into the false perception that's so easy to follow these days.Check this out:As you can see, we saw about a 7% drop in the number of homes sold compared to this time last year.  For the negative nellies out there, that's the stat you'll want to hold on to, because every other category looks good:read more 02/25/2008

Many first time Oklahoma home buyers have questions for lenders. Here are a few frequently asked questions and answers provided by Teresa Goodbary of MLC Mortgage Corporation.Q: How much down payment will I need? A: Conventional loans require a 5% minimum down payment and FHA loans only require a 3% minimum down payment.Q: What if I don't have the money for a down payment? A: There are still loan programs available for 100% financing or you can get down payment funds from a relative who is gifting you the money.Q: Why don't I qualify for the rates advertised? A: In most cases, if your credit score is low, you will not qualify for advertised rates, but you may still qualify for a home loan.Q: If we get this house we are also going to be buying new appliances and furniture. Should we wait... 02/25/2008

Glen Eagles is one of the premier communities in Southwest Edmond. It's well-known for it's unique, stately homes, ranging from about 2700 to 7900 square feet, with varying styles and ammenities. A beautiful neighborhood conveniently located at the southeast corner of NW 150th & Western, Glen Eagles is a great family community, which is surrounded by other premier Edmond communities, such as Fairview Farms to the Northwest, Northwestern Estates and Brasswood to the West, and Oakmond to the East.Glen Eagles offers all the things that most families want in a neighborhood; a great location, convenient to lots of shopping and restaurants, great neighbors, space to roam, a huge pond, and great schools.You'll find nice entrances, and lots of lush landscaping throughout Glen Eagles, and the ki... 02/24/2008

Well, it's been a long time coming, and I've played with different ways to do it, but I've finally got the beginning stages in place.  For a while now, I've seen a need for a Real Estate Blog devoted to Edmond and surrounding areas, such as Deer Creek, Oklahoma City, and Piedmont.I started blogging about our local market, the good, the bad & the ugly, a little over a year ago.  It started out as simply something to do to keep myself accountable.  It forced me to stay on top of the statistics, the neighborhoods, and the overall market.  Little did I know it would be the start of something much larger.  Before I knew it, I was sharing the ins & outs of the business with other agents all over the country.  In addition, I started getting phone calls from people in several different states w... 02/24/2008

What a treat I had today. I was invited to the Edmond Neighborhood Summit sponsored by the Edmond Neighborhood Alliance. The event included breakout sessions with valuable information about Homeowner Associations in Edmond and neighborhood safety. The highlight of the event was an outline of the Mayor's 5 Star Neighborhood Challenge and panel discussion.The Mayor's 5 Star Neighborhood Challenge is a collaboration between the mayor's office and the Edmond Neighborhood Alliance. The goal of the project is to promote healthy lifestyles, healthy community, community involvement, beautification, and safety in our Edmond neighborhoods. How does your neighborhood become a 5 Star Neighborhood?Star 1 Healthy Lifestyles: the goal is to encourage and promote physical activity throughout neighborho... 02/23/2008

Are you considering the purchase of a home in Edmond, OK this spring or summer? If you are a first time buyer or need a refresher in the process this new series is for you. This Ultimate Guide To Edmond Home Buying will be a weekly series outlining the steps to purchasing a home in Edmond.Before you can begin searching for a home you must identify what you are looking for. When you begin working with a Realtor they should help you determine your wants vs. needs by completing a needs analysis. In addition to knowing how many bedrooms, size of home and price range some additional questions you need to consider are;What Edmond neighborhoods do you like?Are there certain schools you would like to be near?How close do you need to be to public transportation?Do you need easy access to I-35 or... 02/22/2008

If you are like many Oklahoma home buyers, you are have been searching for homes in a price range based on a pre-approval from a lender. Maybe like many Oklahoma home buyers you have a pre-approval letter from a lender on your desk at home so you will be ready to go once you find your dream home. It's like your "Golden Ticket" proving you can have the house you desire. But how much do you know about the company that has provided the pre-approval for you? Did you know that in the last year and a half more than 200 US lending operations have IMPLODED? To say a lending operation has imploded does not mean that they have stopped doing business. It means that the company may have filed bankruptcy, been acquired, or temprarily stopped operations. Is the company that provided your "Golden Tick... 02/21/2008

Looking for a good neighborhood can be very challenging.  Edmond is a great place to grow.  Living in Edmond has given me a stronger sense of what family is all about.  There are various things to do and enjoy with family, alone and with friends.  The school district is one of the top nationwide and when children graduate they can head straight to college down the street.  All within short distances to restaurants, jazz clubs, and shopping.  There is much to enjoy in Edmond, Oklahoma.   www.acquanettabadgetthomes.com    02/20/2008

Even with the recent downturn in the housing market, some lenders are still offering 100% financing.  Borrowers must have excellent credit, and be prepared for a lengthy, thorough approval process.  Borrowers will have to pay PMI, or private mortgage insurance.  On a $100,000 loan, PMI could be about $80 a month.  Another possible negative is that in the current housing market and overall economy, those borrowing at 100% could find themselves owing more on their home than what its worth should they run into hard times early in the life of the loan.But now is still a great time to buy a home, and a much better choice than renting or leasing, as there is no chance to build equity without buying.  In areas like Edmond, Oklahoma, the values of homes are still steadily rising.  Edmond home b... 02/08/2008

It's an age-old question, especially here in the Rain, and I hate to even bring it up, because this topic typically stirs some pretty heated debate, and anyone who reads my blog much knows that I'm a proponent of Open Houses.In a sense, Open Houses are what got me started in the business.  A few years back, I was hired as the community manager of a couple of hot neighborhoods in Edmond, working for one of the largest builders in the state of Oklahoma.  During that time, I learned many things, one of them being how to effectively hold a successful open house.  I learned how to draw the people in, how to capture their interest, and how to get them to buy.  While OHs on an existing house are a different animal from new homes, many of the same principles apply.  For that reason, I've always... 01/28/2008

It's time for my monthly report on what's selling, what's not, and what's new on the market in Cedar Pointe.  This report is designed to keep you up-to-date on inventory levels, then quarterly I break down pricing and compare it to the previous year.  This combination gives us all a real pulse on the health of the Cedar Pointe real estate community.You'd be amazed at how often I get asked "What did that house around the corner sell for" or "How much is that house on X street listed for?"  Especially here in Cedar Pointe, since I live here and sell a lot of the homes in the neighborhood.  So, I've been working on a format for this report, which will give that information and more.  Hopefully, it will be a useful resource for my Cedar Pointe neighbors, and those thinking about moving here... 01/24/2008

It's time for my monthly report on what's selling, what's not, and what's new on the market in Homestead.  This report is designed to keep you up-to-date on inventory levels, then quarterly I break down pricing and compare it to the previous year.  This combination gives me a real pulse on the health of the Homestead real estate community.You'd be amazed at how often I get asked "What did that house around the corner sell for" or "How much is that house on X street listed for?"  So, I've been working on a format for this report, which will give that information and more.  Hopefully, it will be a useful resource for Homestead residents, and those thinking about moving here. If you're one of those who are thinking about buying a home in Homestead, be sure to check out some of our other po... 01/21/2008

I love creative, fun real estate videos. The best ones are those that demonstrate a point to our real estate clients in an entertaining fashion. They tend to hold your attention and make you remember the point they're designed to make. I saw this one today embedded on someone's myspace page, and wanted to share it here.  It's from the RealEstateZebra's site and is pretty straight to the point. I'm sure that those thinking about selling their home would find it direct and informative, yet entertaining? Check it out:   01/20/2008

OK, it's time to see the real numbers for the end of 2007.  We all knew December was a slow month, and the numbers show it, but there's still a lot of promising information in the December 2007 home sales statistics report. Each and every month, I post up the Oklahoma City and Edmond Real Estate statistics, and every month so far I've had some very positive information to share.  This month is no different, except that we did see a dramatic drop in overall volume.As always, I'm posting the real, honest numbers, so you, the consumer, can judge for yourself what's really going on, rather than just believing what you hear on the news.  Here it is; the following chart shows the monthly Oklahoma City Metropolitan Real Estate statistics for December 2007 as compared to November 2007 and Decem... 01/20/2008

I remember hearing a great idea a few years back about issuing signs to be worn by the dumbest of the dumb in our society.  Some days it seems there wouldn't be enough signs to go around, but when I read a story like this one, I know there are a few at the top of the list who should get the first signs offered.Question is, at what point should a repeat offender like this guy be put away for good?  He's obviously a serious danger to the rest of us and doesn't learn from his mistakes.  Would taking away his license be enough?  Doubtful.  My guess is that he'd drive anyway; he obviously has no respect for the laws put in place to protect people anyway.  OK, I'll get off my soapbox.  I found this story humorous at first glance, but there really is a more serious issue at hand with a guy lik... 01/20/2008

It's time for my monthly report on what's selling, what's not, and what's new on the market in Fenwick.  This report is designed to keep you up-to-date on inventory levels, then quarterly I break down pricing and compare it to the previous year.  This combination gives me a real pulse on the health of the Fenwick real estate community.You'd be amazed at how often I get asked "What did that house around the corner sell for" or "How much is that house on X street listed for?"  So, I've been working on a format for this report, which will give that information and more.  Hopefully, it will be a useful resource for Fenwick residents, and those thinking about moving here. If you're one of those who are thinking about buying a home in Fenwick, be sure to check out some of our other posts (lin... 01/20/2008

Here's a question to the AR community...I have a couple of buyers that I am working with.  I set them up for auto-notifications of properties that meet their criteria that come on the market, have a price change, etc.  My buyers will e-mail me for more information about a particular property that they want more information on and when they want to schedule a showing.Here's where I would like to hear some suggestions on working smarter.  When I pull the MLS sheet for the property they want to see, I will print it off and use this as my "everything" reference about that house.  I go through and circle whether the home is vacant or not, if the home is on MLS lockbox or combination, the asking price vs. the original list price and finally the days on the market. When we visit the house I wi... 01/16/2008

It's time for my monthly report on what's selling, what's not, and what's new on the market in Cheyenne Crossing. This report is designed to keep you up-to-date on inventory levels, then quarterly I break down pricing and compare it to the previous year.  This combination gives me a real pulse on the health of the Cheyenne Crossing real estate community.You'd be amazed at how often I get asked "What did that house around the corner sell for" or "How much is that house on X street listed for?"  So, I've been working on a format for this report, which will give that information and more.  Hopefully, it will be a useful resource for Cheyenne Crossing residents, and those thinking about moving here. If you're one of those who are thinking about buying a home in Cheyenne Crossing, be sure to... 01/15/2008