Pink House TeamKeller Williams Realty806-340-7630 KEEP YOUR HOUSE WARM IN COLD WEATHER During the cold winter months it is normal behavior to turn the thermostat down when you leave the house in the morning.  I am going to tell you why this is a bad idea if you are trying to sell your house in Amarillo during the winter. Picture this (and this is quite normal for Amarillo).  It is 40 degrees with a wind chill of factor making it feel like 30.  A brave and fearless Realtor (me) is showing houses to "in a hurry" buyers.  They have to buy something now.   We drive up in front of your house and it looks nice.  By now we are all freezing and can't wait to get inside of a nice warm house.  After fumbling with the key and frozen fingers, we go into the house expecting a wave of heat only to fi... 01/29/2014

Pink House TeamKeller Williams Realty806-340-7630 SHOW YOUR AMARILLO HOUSE Even though it may not have a Pink House Team at Keller Williams Realty sign in the yard, I can still show you the house!! Many times buyers think that in order to see a particular house they must contact the agent whose contact information is on the sign.  That causes confusion because the buyer has called 5 agents and 5 agents think they are working with the buyer. One of the great things about the Multiple Listing Service is that it provides a place for all of us to share our listings.  What that means to buyers is that no matter whose sign is in the yard, I can show it to you.  Why waste time going from Realtor to Realtor when you can be represented by one Realtor who spends time with you to really find out w... 01/29/2014

Pink House TeamKeller Williams Realty806-340-7630   MARKETING IS THE #1 THING ON OUR MIND     This will be your personal home information.  Text it now to see how it works.  Here is only part of our marketing plan.   Target active buyers and investors in our database who are looking for homes in your price range and area. Provide you with weekly updates detailing our marketing efforts, including comments from the prospective buyers and agents who have visited your home. An automated email system informing you of comments made by other agents after each showing. Feature your home in a press release. Your home will be the subject of a blog every 30 days. Agressive Facebook, Twitter, Google+ Marketing Your home will be featured on 10 local classified ads. You will be able to go to our webs... 01/26/2014

There have been 601 Hillside Terrace homes that have been sold through the Multiple Listing Service since its inception in 2006.  Prices have ranged from $115,000 to $269,900 In the last 12 months out of the 114 homes that were bought/sold in Hillside Terrace 57% of them were handled by Keller Williams Realty.  We know Hillside Terrace. Whether you are buying or selling, the Pink House Team at Keller Williams Realty is ready to serve you.  Call now for further information. 806-340-7630           Click Here For Current Hillside Terrace Listings     Hillside Elementary 01/25/2014

Pink House TeamKeller Williams Realty  806-340-7630MARKETING YOUR AMARILLO HOUSE FOR SALEEveryone!  That is our goal at the Pink House Team.  The more people that know your house is for sale, the faster we will find the buyer that has been just waiting to find the perfect house!  Proper Marketing is the key. According to the National Association Of Realtors, 90%+ home buyers search online for houses sometime during the home buying process.  Nine out of 10 buyers will see your house for sale during their search IF your house is prominently displayed online.  Searching for "Amarillo Houses For Sale" is a little too broad to make sure your house shows up in a buyer's search, although it needs to show up there, too.   This morning I had a seller call me that isn't satisfied with their Realt... 01/25/2014

Pink House TeamKeller Williams Realty806-340-7630 WHEN WILL MY AMARILLO HOUSE SELL? There is no one answer to that question.  There are many things to take into consideration but one of the things that can point us to how long it may take, is to look at market statistics.  In this case we are looking at a Residential Inventory And Sales  Report for Potter and Randall Counties through 12/31/2013.If you look at the overall chart, you can see that we have only 4.2 months of inventory at the moment. A balanced market is generally considered to be 6 months of inventory.  Above that it is a "buyer's market" and below that we are a "seller's market".  You can, however, see that not all price ranges are considered a seller's market at this time.  Take, for instance, houses priced between $300,0... 01/22/2014

Pink House TeamKeller Williams Realty806-340-7630 OWNER FINANCING This is the time of year that income tax refunds are about to start arriving.  Many people would like to buy a house but can't qualify for the stricter  bank financing.  Owner financing is then a very viable option.  There is a lot of confusion about how this works.  Let me explain. Owner financing, also known as seller financing is very different from a rent-to-own or a lease-option.  Even though you will see advertising that says owner financing beware of the true intent.   RENT-TO-OWN If you are involved in a rent-to-own what that really means is that you are a tenant but have all of the responsibility of a homeowner.  Typically you give the owner a few thousand dollars up front and then pay a monthly amount some of wh... 01/22/2014

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-340-7630BUYING YOUR AMARILLO HOUSE TO FIT YOUR BUDGET In my years of doing both Mortgages and Real Estate, I have found that most people know what they qualify for.  Not really know but when I ask what they want their payment to be it often lines up with what they do qualify for. So how do you calculate what you do qualify for?  How do you keep it in your budget?INCOME / Only verifiable, ongoing income can be used in your qualification.  That means that unemployment, cash, or student loan housing doesn't count.  You can count child support, if you want to, and disability income if you have it.  Verifiable income is from W-2s and paystubs.  It is important that you have been either at the same job or in the same line of work for 2 years.  The in... 01/21/2014

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-340-7630 SEARCH FOR HOUSES ALL OVER THE US AND WIN $50,000   What a great day to win $50,000 as a down payment on your new house!  Go to the app store, download "Keller Williams Mobile App", enter my code KW6OLNJ1, text/email from the app so I know you are entered, and plan on winning!   A side benefit is the awesome interactive mobile app to search for properties in Amarillo, TX but  all over the US, too!   Not only Keller listings but ALL the listings.  Pictures included.  Take advantage of it today! Pink House TeamKeller Williams Realty7304 SW 34thAmarillo, TX 79121http://myamarillohomes.com806-340-7630 01/19/2014

Pamela Madore Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 When you are ready to sell your home some of the items that you will want to be aware of to include in your calculation of costs are your closing costs. Here are some typical seller closing costs. Title Policy for new buyer Closing fee Recording fees Survey Home Warranty for Buyer   The cost of the Title Policy that you provide insuring clear title of the property is based on the sales price.  This amount is promulgated in Texas which means that every title company has to charge the same amount.  As an example, if you are selling your house for $100,000 the premium would be $875; $200,000 is $1429; $300,000 is $1983, etc.  There is no need to price shop this cost.       The title company also charges a "closing fee",  Thi... 01/12/2014

Pamela Madore Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 Welcome to the 60's and 70's.  There were also pink, gold, blue, and I even saw a lavender bath tub.  Dark paneling was a style that seemed OK at the time.  What were they thinking?  Oh.  How about shag carpet? Styles come and go.  Formica replaced by granite.  Hardwood floors replaced by carpet.  Smooth walls replaced by texture.  Popcorn ceilings? Sunken living rooms? The list goes on and on.  We always want change. Common questions from buyers--"does it have granite" or "has it  been updated" or "does it have popcorn"?  These are legitimate questions and can affect the value of your house immensely.  In some cases, buyers won't even look at the house even though it is right in every other way. Does your house have that... 01/03/2014

Pamela Madore Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 Have you ever bought any stocks?  Let's say you bought a stock 2 years ago for $39 a share and today you want to sell the stock and  it is only worth $29 a share.  Does the Stock Market care that you paid $39 a share?  No. The Real Estate Market is much the same.  Unfortunately, the price you paid for your house 2 years ago has no bearing on what the Market says it is worth today. Buyers do not care about: How much you paid for your house. What you need What you want What your neighbor says  What another agent says What it costs to rebuild How much money you put into the house Buyers do care about: Price Location Size Condition The Market is determined by what buyers want--not you as a seller or me as an agent.     My job... 01/03/2014

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920   Owner financing, seller financing, or investor financing are viable ways for buyers to get into houses and a good way for sellers to make additional interest on their money.  There are some new laws associated with Dodd-Frank that will be in effect shortly that may make some changes to how we do these transactions.   Here are some of the advantages for sellers: Easier to sell Less buyer closing costs so seller not asked to contribute                                    Typically very little negotiating Be able to receive higher interest on the money Faster Closing Disadvantages for sellers: Collect payments Manage Escrow Accounts Provide year-end tax information Possibility of having to foreclose Here are some advantages for buyers. E... 01/01/2014

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 Just because a Realtor shows you a house does not mean that they are representing your best interests. How do you assure that you are getting your best representation? Texas is a "seller default" state.  What that means is if you don't have a written agreement with your Realtor, the Realtor technically represents the seller. In practice it may not seem that way but it is true. The Texas Association of Realtors has put out an agreement for you and your Realtor to enter into so that you are sure that you are represented thoroughly.  In return, you agree to be loyal to your Realtor.  The importance of that is you are both on the same page. When I sign a Buyer's Representation Agreement, I take it very seriously. You and I agree on this  a... 12/30/2013

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920   If you are familiar with the DISC behavioral profile, you will understand what I mean by high D.  That is what I am.  A high D.  I just want the bottom line. I am actually off the charts bottom line.     Here is the problem.  Not all of my clients are bottom line.  Some of them want every detail about every item.  This is something that I have had to learn and realize that it is very important.  My goal is to make sure that I communicate in a manner that will allow me to answer all of my client's questions in their best way to receive the information. Consequently, a study of the four behavioral styles is a real plus.     Remembering that I am not a behavioral analyst of any kind, let's take a look at the styles.  Maybe you can figur... 12/30/2013

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 New Year's Resolutions wear off after 2-3 weeks.  I once heard someone say that we opening a gym/bar. The first 2 weeks of the year it would be a gym and then the other 50 weeks it would be a bar.  That sounds like a very good investment. The way to make changes in your life is to have a plan and then to execute the plan in a systematic way and over time it will become a habit.   Gary Keller says in his book The One Thing  that it takes 66 days to create a habit.  During that 66 days it will be a process of discipline.       New Year's Resolutions never make it 66 days.  That is just a fact of life.  We all start out with good intentions but sooner or later that trip to the gym just isn't going to happen.  Not true with a very good exe... 12/29/2013

Pamela Madore Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 As a kid growing up, like most of us, I learned the art of negotiating by practicing on my parents.  They said "no" and I negotiated until I got either a yes or at least a compromise.  If you were to ask my mother she would only sigh.  Not all kids are that way.  My brother, for instance, just went along.  My sister, on the other hand, didn't negotiate.  She just refused. We aren't all born negotiators.  Negotiating is a skill that you can learn but like anything else it is much more effective if you have a natural bent and love to do it.  That would describe me. Nobody likes to go to garage sales with me.  I will negotiate a $.25 item down to a dime. I would never pay more than $.20.  Shameless, I know  Hotel rooms are another favorite.... 12/29/2013

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 Perspective is everything.  My dad was a great photographer and he always told me to be sure and look at the background when taking a picture.  I ended up with some doozies in my time; trees sticking out of my mother's head,  a telephone pole monopolizing a family photo, and many more. As a Realtor, it is important that we pay attention to this when taking photographs.  Take, for instance, the below photo.  This was taken by a Realtor to put in our Multiple Listing Service.  Do you think they noticed the condo?  The interesting thing is there are few condos in Amarillo and this one is by far the tallest.  So their listing has a condo for a chimney. Needless to say, there were a few expired listings for this property. Enter the Pink Hou... 12/29/2013

Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $50,000   No obligation!  Download today for your chance to win and get you one step closer to your new house!     Pamela Madore Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty 7304 SW 34th Amarillo, TX 79121 http://pinkhouseteam.com 806-290-1920 12/28/2013

Pamela MadorePink House Team Keller Williams Realty 806-290-1920 A mere 14 years ago the world was in a panic.  At midnight Cinderella was going to turn into a pumpkin and we weren't ready for it The problem stemmed from the fact that all computers and programming were based on a two digit year.  So for 1999, computers recognized it as "99".  The worry was that at midnight computers wouldn't know what the date was, programmed to think it was 1900 instead of 2000,  and as a result every computer would crash and all data would be lost.   It was predicted that every modern convenience like electricity would be lost and we would be living in "00". A bigger concern for most was that  online investments would vanish.  Banks would lose all account information and any information stored online ... 12/25/2013