OK, that's the last straw.  It really is. I voted for George Bush both times that he ran for president, I even voted for him when he ran for the office of the governor of Texas. And I have stood by him and defended him against his critics since the very beginning of his political career. In fact, every now and then I have sent him a note telling him not only how much I appreciated what he had done as governor and president, but that he had done what he thought was right rather than make his governorship and presidency popularity contests.  Obviously a sign of great character that I expect he primarily got from his mother.  Probably what impressed Miss Laura to marry him in the first place. So how does the guy pay me back?  He and Mrs. Bush apparently snuck into Dallas without so much as... 12/04/2008

Many of you will recall that this time last year I wrote a piece about Dallas' Austin Street Shelter.  The title was "Austin Street Shelter with Harry and Bubba."  It was an accounting of Patty's and my experience working there one evening, serving the residents dinner. The Austin Street Shelter is a homeless shelter that has been so successful and such an exemplary model that it and its founder, The Reverend Beulah (Bubba) Dailey and her husband, The Reverend Harry Dailey have been written about in countless newspaper and magazine articles plus a biographical book.  The are both ordained priest in the Episcopal Church.  The shelter and its founders are anomalies. I'd like to invite you to read my prior blog piece so you'll get some sense of the impact this mission has made on lives and... 12/04/2008

Within minutes of Mrs. Bush mentioning to the media that they had selected a home in Dallas, I posted a photograph of the home (see Dallas Architecture Blog) and a discussion of why this would be a good home for them.  Until the President and First Lady were ready to announce they had selected or purchased a home it seemed inappropriate for me to make the announcement for them, even though their good friend from Midland, Robert McCleskey, showed up on the tax rolls three weeks ago as the owner of this property which in itself is a public announcement of their decision. Two months ago I presumed they had purchased 10141 Daria Place because they seemed to stop looking at houses and the Daria Place home with the lot-value home next door as a package is a junior version in location, size a... 12/04/2008

As time draws near that President and Mrs. Bush will be announcing where they will be living in Dallas. Their public comments make clear what sort of home they will move into. The rumors persist that they are buying a large home in Highland Park or a mansion in Preston Hollow. Some rumors have had them buying extraordinarily expensive lots in Highland Park or Preston Hollow. In my opinion, President and Mrs. Bush will move to Preston Hollow on a standard estate size lot with a home that has 4,000 to 6,000 square feet and additional quarters or space for the Secret Service. It will probably be on a secluded street that provides privacy and yet easy access to the new office, Bush Library and Crawford where they will be spending their weekends. To get a sense of the home that fits these cr... 12/03/2008

Texas Has an Attitude   Texans have an attitude too!  That is why we created 23,000 new jobs in October – the only state in the nation that created jobs, all other states lost jobs.  How is that for defying economic trends and forecasts?   Texas also has the 15th largest economy in the world, just behind Canada at 12th place and Mexico at 14th place.  And with our economic growth we are expected to surpass Mexico with its 109 million people this year.    Texans have an attitude!  If you plan on moving to the Lone Star State and the DFW area, give me a shout! I would love to help you find your place in Texas!!   Area Update... Lewisville Castle Hills continues to exceed projections as the development moves north with new villages near the new 121 Tollway.  Also, Killian Middle School and... 12/01/2008

WIN SOME, LOSE SOME.  October was a pretty tough month for Lower Greenville. At the end of the month there were a lot of homes under contract looking to close in November, so hope remained. The good news is that those homes did in fact close. Not as many as July, but pretty good for a November. On the downside, lot values are not looking good. Could this be a bubble? Stay tuned.... Original Homes: The smaller, original homes are the strongest part of the market here. They comprise the most sales, fetch the highest $/sqft and are generally what people have in mind when they say "I wanna live in Lower Greenville". Inventory dropped from 125 to 107 homes this month and 18 sales were recorded (compared to 11 in Oct.) We have right at 6 months of inventory in this part of the market which is... 12/01/2008

Last night was the annual Light Up Lee Park Celebration... and the Park was packed! This is the annual lighting of the trees in Lee Park and has become a neighborhood celebration for residents and their families.  The festivities kicked off at 6:00 with music and gathering. At 7:00 there was a fireworks display across the street high above Turtle Creek! As the fireworks concluded, the thousands of energy efficient LED lights on Arlington Hall and on the trunks of the trees in the park were lit up. Then, for those not chilled enough, there was an outdoor jumbo screen movie screening (I think someone said it was ELF) on the lawn.  Sort of like a drive-in without the cars! The lights on the trees and on Arlington Hall stay lit at night through the holiday season.  Lee Park has a paved walk... 11/30/2008

The SPCA is a nonprofit organization that cares for animals.  It takes in many homeless pets per day.  They care for them physically as well as emotionally.  It is not all dogs and cats, however.  They often get horses, birds, and an occasional pot belly pig.  Every Year there is a contest held called 'PetFlix Film Festival'.  The Grand Prize is $2500!  Entries must be received by May 15th with a minimal $10 fee.  I love this contest because the entries are very creative and, let's face it, I love animals.  This year I am considering entering the contest.  The competition is fierce but I am in real estate so I am used that. Here are some previous winners- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwbTc4SGDFY&eurl=http://www.spca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=petflixfilmfestival_videos&feature=playe... 11/29/2008

Photography is one of my favorite past time. Since this week is short (Thanksgiving), I took the opportunity to relax a little. Hence, this was the outcome. This is one of the prettiest Fall colors of North Dallas I have seen since I have been here 12 years ago. I just had to bring out the camera to shoot these majestic views. We don't get these colors very often. We could go from Summer (90 degrees) one day to Winter (35 degrees) the next! Please enjoy these photos.   I proudly serve and sell real estate in the northern suburb cities of the Dallas metroplex. If you are thinking about purchasing or selling your home in neighborhoods of Frisco, Plano, Dallas, McKinney, Allen, Little Elm, Prosper, Celina, Richardson, Dallas M-Streets, Dallas White Rock Lake area and other surrounding area... 11/24/2008

Anyone else here like Rack of Lamb???  I know that I consider it a rare treat and usually order it on special occasions.  Well, last Saturday night, several friends and I had the opportunity to dine at Uptown Dallas' Salum Restaurant, and fantastic does not do it justice... I would have to say it was Lambtastic! Chef Abraham Salum has what can best be described as a continental menu with a varied and creative selection of entrees.  Our group stared with a bottle of wine and the Baked Texas Goat Cheese with Roasted Elephant Garlic, Fresh Herbs and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  It was served with pieces of French Bread and was delightful.  Rich in flavors, but not too filling before our entrees.  My dinner companions had the Cesar Salad, while I opted for the Arugula, Roasted Baby Beets and S... 11/22/2008

It is time for an annual Dallas Event... today marked the opening of the Trains at NorthPark. For 21 years, children and adults have taken a break from their holiday shopping at NorthPark to enjoy the 35+ "O" Gauge trains and the marvelous scenery created for the display.  What many people do not realize is that the Trains display is presented by the American Clean Skies Foundation as a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas.  The Ronald McDonald House serves as a home to parents and family members bringing critically ill children to Dallas hospitals for treatment.  According to the Ronald McDonald House website, the train exhibit has become so popular that it now generates half of their annual budget! Be sure to check out what I consider to be one of the premier train disp... 11/22/2008

Well, it comes a bit later here than in the North and the colors may not be quite as vibrant, but after a week of temparatures dipping down into the 30's & 40's at night, I awoke this morning and stepped out onto my balcony to discover that Autumn has arrived in Dallas.  This picture (taken today from my balcony) is of Turtle Creek Park and as you can see, the trees have started turning colors and the leaves are starting to thin out a bit.  I love the arrival of cooler weather!  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! 11/22/2008

Making Your Dallas Home More Appealing To Buyers Does your Dallas home have a façade only a homeowner could love? Selling a home can be an emotional experience, and people can lack objectivity when it comes to their own abode. Presenting a home in its best light is always important, but it's imperative in our current competitive real estate market. Professional advice and assistance can make the difference between "Wow!" and "Whaaa?" - a recent industry study found that staged homes sold for 6.9 percent more than homes that were not staged. Another study compared listing times before and after staging. Homes that had first been offered for sale without staging were on the market an average of 4.5 months; the same homes sold within a week, on average, after being staged. Below are 7 tips... 11/21/2008

Our neighbor across the street is William B. Vandivort, II.  Forget that he is a prominent CPA specializing in trusts and oil leases and properties.  What he really is is a community activist.  He's involved in anything that has to do with Republican and his  alma mater, Austin College in Sherman. He also is the chairman of the Dallas Country Central Appraisal District. So since Patty and I have only been living in Dallas for three years, Bill's my lifeline to the city's political history, what's going on and why, and who people are and how they fit into the puzzle. Early this morning, we went to the monthly meeting of a club that evolved to serve those whose children are now grown, and that caused them to be former members of the Lake Highlands Exchange Club.  Now they meet to hear fro... 11/20/2008

I'm at the corner this morning needing gas. My car is on fumes.  I look at one sign, it's $1.84.  I look at another sign, it's $1.84.  I look across the street at the third sign on this one corner, and the sign is $1.81.  Where do I go? That's right, I go to the one across the street at $1.81.  I push the button to start filling up, but the button says $1.83.  How can this be?  The sign says $1.81 and there are no people outside changing the numbers so it can't be a recent change... I'm a little upset.  These days $0.02 can be a lot when you're putting over 20 gallons in your car.  Then, I got out my trusty little calculator to make sure the math in my head was correct.  With the 21.621 gallons I put in my 4Runner, they screwed me out of $0.43.  I decided to let it go this time only bec... 11/18/2008

If you were to go into either the Home Depot or Lowes where I regularly shop, you would probably find no more than one cash wrap desk open, and as we say in Texas, you could shoot a cannon in any direction without the worry of injuring a customer. These are huge stores in affluent neighborhoods where there are almost always the bustle of customers. So this must be the  dreaded evidence that business there is way off...when not even many contractors are there picking up supplies for their jobs...probably because there are no jobs. Wondering if what I suspected were true, I asked several of the employees in each store.  It seems that one of the biggest problems has been unavailability of consumer credit.  Those 6 months without interest credit offers have dried up.  Hardly anyone qualifie... 11/17/2008

This weekend is the 32nd annual Lakewood Home Tour benefitting Lakewood Elementary School, JL Long Middle School and Woodrow Wilson High School.  My office, Keller Williams Realty-Dallas City Center is a proud sponsor of one of the homes on tour (6555 Bob O Link) and I had the opportunity to volunteer there for the twilight tour on Friday evening.  The homes on this tour just get better and better from year to year, and this year is no exception.  If you have some time tomorrow and are looking for something fun to do, check out www.lakewoodhomefestival.com for more infomation about this exciting event! 11/15/2008

In the past few months, as the pendulum of mortgage guidelines has swung from way too loose to a little too strict, Fannie & Freddie have really bottled up investor loans. Investors used to have a maximum of ten total loans before F&F cut them off (this includes homestead property as well) and LTV's have shrunk from 100% down to 80%. So as foreclosures and inventory levels soar, the federal government thinks it's a good idea to stop investors (no matter what they put down or how qualified they are) from buying up this inventory and helping stabilize the housing market. Huh. That doesn't seem to make sense to me either. But don't worry too much. You and your client have other options.    The answer lies with your local bank. The same banks that weren't giving out sub-prime, Alt A, NINA, ... 11/14/2008

We are finally seeing the signs of long awaited retail growth in Lake Highlands! Town Center...The apartments are gone and the dirt work is being done at the location of the new Town Center so that has excited many of the residents...this is at Skillman and Walnut Hill. Audelia/Walnut Hill...The structure of the new Walgreens is up and they are scheduled to open in January.  THEE Greetings is open and business is booming...congrats to Tony & David!  Walmart Neighborhood Market is closing but they are looking for a higher end grocer to replace or some other possible tenants.  Overall, things are improving. Please let me know if you ever have questions because I am always happy to talk about Lake Highlands. 11/14/2008

Decorating on a budget doesn't have to be a drag, in fact, it can be a delight. Pick a theme for the room, perhaps a sports theme for a den/TV room, shabby chic for a great room, or a jungle animal theme for a child's bedroom. Identify what statement you want to make and what will please you, not an audience. After all, it's YOUR home! One of the best places you can shop at is a consignment store. They generally carry "gently used" furniture, appliances, televisions, artwork, rugs, you name it! Professional designers know these are great places to find one of a kind, unique items and often times the prices can be negotiated. If you truly enjoy the thrill of the hunt, garage and estate sales may be just the thing for you. You never know what you'll find at a garage sale, which is why the... 11/13/2008