Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group 806-340-7630 The Ten Commandments OF Buying a House When it is time, you have made the decision to buy a house, there are some things that you need to know about the process.  I call them the ten commandments of do nots.  The Real Ten Commandments Number One:   Do Not Quit Your Job Number Two:  Do Not Go Buy A Car Number Three:  Do Not Deposit Large Amounts of Money In Your Bank  Number Four:  Do Not Buy Furniture Number Five:  Do Not Be Late On Any Payments Number Six:  Do Not Withdraw Large Amounts Of Money From Your Bank  Number Seven:  Do Not Change Jobs Number Eight:  Do Not Be Stressed--This is Normal Number Nine:  Do Not Murder Your Realtor Or Loan Officer Number Ten:  Do Not Forget To Tell All Of Your Friends And Family About Us Don't let y... 08/23/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty 806-340-7630 How To Buy A HUD Foreclosure It is always tempting to want to buy a foreclosure.  Read this carefully before you decide so you know all the rules.   THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS A GOOD DEAL Contrary to popular belief, not all foreclosures are a good deal.  As a matter of fact, some are very bad deals.  You have to be very careful when deciding on whether or not to bid (make an offer).  On the other hand, some are very good deals.  It seems that HUD has no rhyme nor reason how they price the houses.  You can keep a constant eye on what is available at the HUD real estate site.  If you see one you like just call us and we will show it to you and put your bid in. This may be an investor property. HOW TO GET FINANCING Financin... 08/21/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group http://iloveamarillo.com Find Houses For Sale With Our Personalized Real Time Mobile Application Keep it local---All the features of Realtor.com and more.  Communicate with  us directly in real time.     TEXT KW6OLNJ to 87778 Thank you for supporting your local Realtor. Pamela MadoreThe Pamela Madore GroupPink House TeamKeller Williams Realty3955 S. Soncy Amarillo, TX 79119http://iloveamarillo.com806-290-1920  08/19/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group http://iloveamarillo.com What Is All This Hoopla About Real Estate Teams? As great as Michael Jordan is, he couldn't do it all by himself.  He needed a team and each team member had a position, a job to do.  The better they worked together the more championships they won. A Team Player If everyone on the team was a point guard, no matter how good they were they wouldn't get the job done and win. Real estate transactions, have become so complicated over the past few years it is nearly impossible to do it all yourself.  If an agent is listing, showing, doing contracts, coordination inspections, doing all of the paperwork and scheduling the closing, they must be exhausted. Thus the advent of the Team concept in real estate.  Each person on the team has... 08/17/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty http://iloveamarillo.com Find Your Dream Home Four Tips To Finding Your Dream Home Everyone has a different idea of a dream home.  In order to save time and help yourself find that home, here are four things you can do.  KNOW YOUR BUDGET Before you start searching for homes you will get qualified at a bank or mortgage company.  We can help you with that. They may tell you that you qualify for $200,000, for instance.  But what does that translate to in a monthly payment?  I have had many buyers that have been told they qualified for a certain amount and then were shocked to know that payment. Be sure you know how much you want to spend a month.  The mortgage company will tell you how much you "can" spend but does that really fi... 08/15/2015

The Pamela Madore Group Pink House Team Keller Williams Realty It is easy and you will get accurate and current information.  Want to see one of the houses?  Don't worry we can show you any house no matter who has it listed. Just register on our website and tell us which house and we will set the appointment! Pamela MadoreThe Pamela Madore GroupPink House TeamKeller Williams Realty3955 S. Soncy Amarillo, TX 79119http://iloveamarillo.com806-290-1920    08/15/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group http://iloveamarillo.com Five Types Of Homeowners Insurance You must know your choices when buying a house! This will not be an exhaustive list but we'll talk about several different kinds. Replacement Cost--This is the most expensive typically but it is also the most comprehensive.  Should something happen to your house such as a fire or your hot water heater broke and flooded the house, or someone ran into the house, you will be covered to have it brought back to the standard and condition it was in before the occurence. The Way It Was Actual Cash Value ACV--This type of insurance is less costly so as you can expect, it covers less.  Let's say we had a hail storm and the roof had damage.  On an ACV policy the adjuster will establish what he thinks... 08/14/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty http://iloveamarillo.com Why Rent When You Can Buy Many people don't think they have the ability to buy.  Some think they can't qualify because they don't have any money.  Some people think that their credit scores are too low.  The most important thing to do is to find out if you CAN qualify for a mortgage,  Many times you might not be able to qualify today but in 3 months or 6 months you may be able to. Keys To Your New Home Did you know that if you are paying $900 a month rent, that will buy you about $120,000 house?  Your landlord may not be too happy when you put in your notice but, oh well, there are plenty of people that have never tried to qualify and they can fill your spot. Finding out if you qualify for a mortgage i... 08/11/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty http://iloveamarillo.com When You Hire  A Realtor To Sell Your House, Are You Hiring A Person Or A Company? The answer may be some of both.  Many companies sell a larger percent of their own listings than listings from other companies.  Much of that has to do with "water cooler" talk--hey I have this house....... Hire The Right Realtor   The real answer is that you hire a person.  Or what that person is able to do for you to get your house sold.  Many agents are forming teams to better be able to serve you.  Each person on the team has their own specific role and the specialize in that role.   I have talked to sellers that say they would never use XYZ Company because they had a bad experience.  What they are really saying is t... 08/10/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty http://iloveamarillo.com  How To Get A Texas Real Estate License There is more than one way to do it but I am going to tell you what I consider to be the easiest way. That is just who I am. First, you have to take classes.  Don't roll your eyes.  They are not all that hard and they can all be done online.  I can even get you a 50% discount.   The classes are 180 hours. Don't faint.  There is no "clock" on the classes so you can take them as fast or as slow as you want.  It isn't like you actually have to go and sit in a classroom for that many hours.  Some people finish them in a week. Once you have done the classes you will need to apply for the actual license.  You can do that online too.    www.trec.state.tx.us     They wil... 08/08/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty http://iloveamarillo.com What Should I Expect When I Am Selling My House? Chaos?  Hopefully not too much chaos but your life with change--temporarily.  There are many things to consider when putting your house on the market.  And there are many things that will  The Pamela Madore Group happen through the process. There are plenty of articles on what to do to get your house ready to sell.  And articles of things not to do.  But here we are going to talk about what to do or not to do during the home selling process. Once the listing agreement is in place a few decisions need to be made.  For instance, where to put the lock-box.  That may sound silly but if you have a glass door, you may want to put the lock-box on a bib house or... 08/06/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group http://iloveamarillo.com What In The World Is A Short -Sale ? During the early 2000s, in an effort to boost our economy home ownership became easy and affordable for nearly everyone.  This was generally a good thing because it did boost our economy.  Unfortunately, it had its consequences.   Most of the consequences weren't noticeable at first, with the exception of a mass exodus from rental properties which did hurt greatly that industry.  The real problems came later.  Foreclosures and short-sales.  But what did this mean to the common homeowner.  First, in order to make home ownership easy there had to be changes in what requirements a buyer had to have in order to qualify for a loan.  Credit scores were not the determining factor.  They were not... 07/31/2015

Pamela MadoreThe Pamela Madore GroupKeller Williams RealtyTwo Time Bold Graduate How Bold Are You? In our business, the very last thing we need to be is a Secret Agent.  That might work for James Bond but is doesn't work for us.  Wouldn't mind some of his cool cars, though. But wait!  Statistics show that Bold Graduates increase their business, on average --Oh   let's just have Gary Keller tells us.    So maybe you can afford one of those cool James Bond cars after taking BOLD! Huh? BOLD is not a one time know-it-all thing.  Some people take it FOUR times a year!!  We are so blessed to have this amazing BUSINESS BOOST class called BOLD come to our little bitty market center.    Our leadership felt that we NEEDED it  so let's not let them done.  You are going to sign up for BOLD, aren't ... 07/31/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group http://iloveamarillo.com Who Will Buy This House? Who Will  Buy This House When you are ready to sell your house it is important to have what is called a CMA (comparative market analysis) done on your house.  This is a process that Realtors use to compare what is actively for sale, what is pending, and what has sold in your area to try to determine what your house will sell for. Often you will hear "price per square foot".  How much will someone pay for your house compared to other on a price per square foot basis only?  Often times this is Realtor lingo talk rather than actual house buyer talk. Other CMA factors include upgrades, extras, number of bedrooms, garages, etc.  Realtors, however, are not appraisers and cannot make the same accurate adjus... 07/28/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group http://iloveamarillo.com Seven Things Not To Do When Selling Your House There are many articles and blogs and lots of advice about things TO do when selling your house but what about the things that you shouldn't do?  Are there no-no's? Do not have any burned out light bulbs anywhere in the entire house.  It is very embarrassing as a Realtor to be showing a house and turn on the dining room light and 2 of the bulbs have burned out.  You know those strip lights above the vanity in the bathroom?  Please make sure they are all working and match--not some frosted and some clear. Burned Out LightBulbs Do not leave cobwebs at the front door.  Most of us have rear entry garages and never look at our front doors.  There is nothing any worse than walking str... 07/27/2015

Article Presented by Pamela Madore The PARC is a non-profit Adult Rehabilitation Center.  It's mission is to provide a safe place for the homeless to spend time during the day. It isn't just a place to come "hang out", although, if that is what you want to do that is fine.  There is a myriad of activities. I GOT THE EVE PIECE BY JJEve didn't eat the apple.  She bit off the head of the snake instead. Daily there are classes taught about subjects ranging from how to fill out a job application to how to create a mosaic piece of art.   The PARC was a vision of Valerie Gooch and Robert Lee, among others, to fill a void that isn't being filled by the Salvation Army, Food Banks, and medical facilities.  The PARC is a complement to these facilities. You can drop by anytime just to see what is h... 07/25/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group 806-290-1920 Four Important Steps to Take To Get Your House To Sell Fast. Usually Realtors talk about the usual curb appeal, decluttered, minor repairs, etc.  I am not saying that those aren't important but there are a new more things to consider. Park your car in your garage.  There is a lot a of street parking around Amarillo and it makes it look crowded and junky.  If you can't get your car in the garage, refer to the declutter page.  If you have playground equipment in the back yard either clean it up so that it looks inviting or make it go away.   Eat smell-less food during the time the property is on the market.  And please don't over-do Scencty.   Buy a new welcome mat for the front door.  And don't have it say something silly like Bubba has ... 07/18/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realtyhttp://iloveamarillo.com As a Realtor, one of the most important jobs that I have is to secure financing for our buyers.  Why?  Because I don't want to waste my seller's time, energy, and emotions on someone who couldn't purchase if they wanted to. Nearly all of the time, when a buyer comes to us they have not been qualified by a bank.  Instead, they called on a particular house or series of houses that they saw and were interested in. A professional Realtor will immediately seek to put financing in place. It sometimes amazes me that a buyer will refuse, or try to refuse, to get financing until they "find something they want".  My response to that is simply, "what if we find the perfect house and you can't buy it?" Sellers nee... 07/18/2015

Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty http://iloveamarillo.com You Don't Want To List Your House With Me, Do You? Maybe you got a little chuckle out of that.  Or maybe you agreed that you don't.  But odds have it that someone that reads this will call me to list their house.  I'll let you know. What I did want to tell you, though, is that the average days on the market for houses in June is 79.2 days.  That number gets a little skewed because we have some million dollar homes that have been on the market for a year and they are thrown into that mix, too.   But what that really says is that houses are selling quickly--if they are priced right.  The average list to sale right now is 97%.  That means that whatever you list your house for you can expect to get 97% of ... 07/16/2015

  Pamela Madore The Pamela Madore Group Keller Williams Realty http://iloveamarillo.com  Just west of Amarillo off from I-40 (the old Route 66) is the phenomena known as Cadillac Ranch.  When you think about what Cadillac Ranch may look like you will probably not even come close to what is really there.    Cadillac Ranch Amarillo TX There are no souvenir shops or maps of the area. You can't buy the T-shirt  There are no big signs saying Cadillac Ranch.  As a matter of fact, it would be pretty easy to drive right on by without even noticing it. Cadillac Ranch is currently located at 35°11′14″N 101°59′13.4″W. It was originally located at 35°11′6.6″N 101°56′58.6″W in a wheat field, but in 1997 the installation was quietly moved by a local contractor to a location two miles (three kilometer... 07/14/2015