January in Waco seems pretty typical and the figures from December to January aren't much different. From last year, not much difference either. The word FLAT comes to mind. The main change is the increase again in inventory. While there was a noticeable slight decrease in the past few months, the number has popped back up a bit from December. As you have probably heard or can tell, Mortgage Interest rates are still low and inventory is still plentiful. If you are in the market or even thinking of buying, these are opportune times. If you are selling, things may be a bit more difficult. But as I always preach, have your home in the best condition possible and price it right. I can't say that enough. There are still homes selling in VERY short turn-around times. It is VERY possible for y... 01/31/2008

Looking for more information about the Waco Market? Love looking at stats and latest news stories? Interested in other areas of Texas like Dallas, Austin and Abilene?  Take a look at these sites from "Real Estate Center":www.recenter.tamu.edu/mnewswww.recenter.tamu.edu/mreportsThe news portion is updated regularly with some of the latest stories and the report section gives a look at overall area demographics in each area. Very informative and interesting. But if you feel you need a more personal look at the Waco area and you are thinking about or ready to buy or sell a home in the Waco area, give me a call. I am happy to help you with all of your Waco area Real Estate needs. Wendy Montoya, Realtor, Waco TXwww.WendyMontoya.com254-315-4906YOUR Waco Realtor® at Work for YOU!A proud Centur... 01/31/2008

More jobs to Waco, TX. Reported Monday that Caterpillar will be bringing up to 180 jobs to Waco. Locating around the Texas Central Market Place, Caterpillar joins much growth in that general area. Hillcrest Hospital, Shopping Center, New Car Dealerships and more are perking up the intersection near I-35 and Hwy 6.If you are moving to the Waco , TX area to work for Caterpillar or for any other reason,  and are in need of Relocation Assistance, please contact me. It would be my pleasure to help YOU find your new home and get you acquainted with Waco, TX, one of the friendliest places I know. My military background has sent me everywhere, I KNOW RELOCATION. Call me today! Wendy Montoya, Waco TX, Realtor254-315-4906www.WendyMontoya.com YOUR Waco Realtor® at Work for YOU!A proud Century 21® ... 01/29/2008

Information provided by Kimberly Fowler www.HeartoftexasRealEstateGroup.com Lets track what has listed and sold in the Waco Area since January 1 till the end of the year.  This report will not contain any listings that were listed or sold before January 1, 2008. However, for those of you who are curious, at the end of December 2007, there were approximately 3700 residential listings in 2007. 1781 of those listings did sell. 1367 are still on the market at the time of the year. 183 were still under contract by the end of December. 209 of 2007 listings expired or did not sell. 353 were withdrawn from the market or leased.  January 1 -January 29, 2008Waco             CMA Summary Report 300 people put their homes on the market with a Realtor since January 1st, 2008. A lot of listings, don't... 01/28/2008

Simple TipBefore hiring a Realtor®, do yourself a favor. Write a list of what you expect of your Realtor®, and then interview the Realtor according to your list. Having an open conversation about your expectations and listening to what your Realtor® expects as well will greatly reduce the possibility of miscommunications and problems.  And if you find that you are on a completely different page, what better time to find that out than BEFORE you list your home.  If you are thinking of selling your Waco Home, write your list and give me a call. I would love to have an open, straight forward conversation with you about selling your home.   Wendy Montoya, Realtor®Waco Residential Listing SpecialistSeller Representative SpecialistCertified e-Pro Internet Professional(254) 315-4906http://www.... 01/27/2008

For those of you that haven't already heard, Jenna Bush will be getting married right here in our backyard at the Western White House in Crawford right outside of Waco. The date is set for May 10th according to People. Read about it here.    Wendy Montoya, Realtor® , Waco TXhttp://www.wendymontoya.com/254-315-4906YOUR Waco Realtor® at Work for YOU!A proud Century 21® Towne Adams Real Estate Professional! 01/21/2008

On the Road Again Tour. For all you Waco Willie Nelson fans, according to Willie Nelson's Website, he is coming to Waco March 13th! Check out his Website for more information and enjoy the show! Wendy Montoya, Realtor® , Waco TXhttp://www.wendymontoya.com/254-315-4906YOUR Waco Realtor® at Work for YOU!A proud Century 21® Towne Adams Real Estate Professional! 01/21/2008

Do you need to sell your Waco, China Spring, Hewitt, Woodway or surrounding area home? Have you heard all the gloom and doom and don't know whom or what to believe? Please understand that what you may be hearing or seeing in the media or even from your neighbor next door, may NOT be accurate information.Did you know that some of the best listings may not even stay on the market for one day? Yes, even in this market. Did you also know that some listings stay on the market for more than a year even in great selling markets? So what is the secret to quick sale even in a buyer's market?  I am here to help you solve that mystery. Homes are still selling in the Waco area and it's important for you to know what and why homes are selling besides local market conditions. I can tell you right up ... 01/21/2008

REMINDER TO 2007 McLennan County/ Waco Area Homebuyers! It's time to file for Homestead Exemption.  Read my earlier Homestead Exemption blog for links to websites where you can download forms and get the information you need to file.  http://activerain.com/blogsview/144538/McLennan-County-Homestead-ExemptionHAPPY NEW YEAR, MAY YOU BE BLESSED WITH ALL THE BEST IN 2008! Wendy Montoya, Realtor® , Waco TXhttp://www.wendymontoya.com/254-315-4906YOUR Waco Realtor® at Work for YOU!A proud Century 21® Towne Adams Real Estate Professional!  01/01/2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR WACOANS!Time to review the past month's residential sales. Sure, it's a traditionally "slow" time of year for real estate, but not so gloomy here in Waco.On a positive note, Median Home Sales price is actually higher than this time last year. Not only that, our inventory is slowly but steadily decreasing.However, Average Days on Market have increased slightly from last year and last month and the actual number of units sold have also decreased a bit. Nothing too shocking here but nothing too be alarmed about either.The real KEY here is that REAL ESTATE really IS LOCAL even as local as neighborhood to neighborhood. I am sure you have heard that before, but please pay close attention to what that really means. It means that NOT EVERY area of the country is suffering. And ce... 01/01/2008

First let me say that I am somewhat biased here. I live in the China Spring area of TX where my daughter attends China Spring High School and dances for the China Spring Electric Blues Dance Team.  We are a small, but fast growing community in the North West part of town. We have a lot of excitement in our area about our 3A High School Football Teams in the Playoffs. Last night our China Spring Cougars played at Kyle Field in College Station fighting for the Regional SemiFinal Title. It was a great game where the Cougars seemed to easily overtake the Kirbyville Wildcats finishing the game at 35-14. What an exciting experience.As the China Spring Cougars progress towards State Title, they are matched up with a local rival, La Vega Pirates. Although I am naturally biased towards China Spr... 12/01/2007

Right in the midst of the holiday season, it's time for your update on the Waco Real Estate Market. This Waco market is steady. What more can I say? Our inventory has slightly decreased the past couple of months, with time on market increasing slightly. Aside from the numbers, what I see out in the field is that it's still a great time to buy and still a good time to sell.Waco Home Sellers, I can't emphasize enough that good homes are still slim pickings out here. If you price your home well and prepare it for sale, you should be able to sell before your competition. I am still seeing the best homes sell very quickly. Get yourself in the game, listen to good professional advice and be smart. Waco Home Buyers, I am still seeing many homebuyers that are very willing to negotiate great pri... 12/01/2007

Who really knows if the media is responsible for the housing woes. I do recall a hoax pulled on radio listeners involving a Mars invasion by Orson Wells though. It is still talked about this day; it had everyone in a frenzy and preparing for worlds end. Does that sound familiar in the housing market? There is no doubt that the media has a major influence in the fluctuations of the housing market. We as consumers must not believe everything the media says. Common sense goes a long way! Most of the gloom and doom predicted does not apply to everyone that owns a home, is trying to buy a home, or needs to sell a home. Waco is a great market; we continually have growth and steadily appreciate in home value each and every year. 2007 is no different and 2008 will be another great year. The med... 11/18/2007

It's that time again! Time to talk a bit about the activity in our Waco Real Estate Market. Again, this month is looking nearly identical to last month. With one main difference. The median residential price is down by a rough 15K. Yes, prices do seem to be coming down a bit, but not at a staggering pace. And compared with last year at this same time, the median price is only slightly lower. Waco really maintains and is continuing to maintain a relatively steady market. If you look at the slight differences month to month, year to year, it's just not that substantial. And providing room for margin of error, the figures may look nearly identical in some cases. Sure, there may be more homes on the market than at other times, but homes are still selling. And it is a great time to buy with ... 10/31/2007

Waco homeowners, I have buyers that are looking for nice homes in Waco, Hewitt, Woodway, China Spring, Robinson and surrounding areas.Although we have a plenty of homes on the market, finding a home that is well-taken care of, in good condition, and priced well is still hard to find. Believe me; I am out viewing many homes on a regular basis and am having some difficulty finding good homes.If you are thinking of selling your Waco Home, give me a call today.  (254) 315-4906Wendy Montoya, Realtor®Seller Representative Specialist (SRS)Certified e-PRO Internet ProfessionalCentury 21 Towne Adamswww.WendyMontoya.com Your Waco Realtor at Work for YOU! 10/04/2007

Well I bet you are wondering what the past month in the Waco Market looked like. Here you go:The market looks nearly the same as last month with the exception of more homes available and fewer homes sold than last month.Compared to last year the seasonal slow down is nearly identical to this year, but the median sold price has risen a bit. That's pretty positive news.Our market looks pretty decent compared to the gloom and doom you might hear from the media. However, you must pay attention to the fact that the number of homes on the market are increasing, but the number of homes sold are not increasing in conjunction. Waco Home Sellers, don't panic. Yes our inventory is increasing, but you can still get your home sold. Take seriously the correct preparation for home sale. When I take bu... 09/30/2007

Planning to eat out tonight, or do you eat out often in the Waco area? You may want to check out the Waco-Mclennan County Public Health District Food Establishment Inspection Scores.On their website, you can read Tips For Eating Out and learn about your favorite place to dine. At least learn about their last inspection score. I don't know about you, but I probably eat out way to often with my crazy schedule and this is really a nice thing to know about my favorite places. Food born illness is no laughing matter. While most dining facilities are not perfect, you can certainly see a pattern if a place is consistently scoring poorly.You can also catch weekly updates on the Weekly City Cable Channel . So eat out Waco, but check it out first! And if you aren't in the Waco area, check your co... 09/22/2007

Having shown what seems to be hundreds of homes in the Waco area in the past couple of months, I want to share with you some of the top negative comments I get from my buyers and how you can overcome these traps as sellers.    You may have heard this all before, but you need to pay attention.These are actual problems that I have just recently run into and have run into in the past. Buyers are choosier than ever, don't take these things lightly.    Flooring is scratched or tiles are broken-Address flooring BEFORE you sell. Dirty and stained carpeting, scratches in stained concrete or wood flooring and broken tiles area a quick turn off. Even if everything else is great in the home, the flooring will stop a buyer dead in their tracks. I've seen gorgeous and expensive homes with flooring p... 09/17/2007

It's that time of year again Wacoans! Time for the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo. Rodeo events, contests, exhibits, shopping, food, rides, entertainment, WOW. This is a great time to be had by all.The Kick-Off Gala is Saturday September 22nd with performers Tracy Byrd, Blake Shelton, and Eric Church. Tickets are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ . Following the Gala, the FAIR begins October 4th and ends October 13th. Don't miss this wonderful event. Whether you live in the Waco area or would just like to visit, you will LOVE the HOT Fair and Rodeo! 09/17/2007

If you are not aware of our current residential market, I thought I might share my prospective with you. As a full time residential Realtor®, I am out in the field daily viewing properties and analyzing our MLS regularly. What I am seeing is that homes are still selling. That's great news, right? Absolutely. Especially when you hear and read how poor housing is doing nationwide. Real Estate really is local and unless you are getting hands-on experience in the real estate field, there is really no way of you knowing exactly what is going on.So what is going on in our part of the world? What I am seeing are a few trends that may or may not last. Buyers are being more selective and Sellers are lowering prices to sell. Not only that, homes that are staged and presented in their best light a... 09/17/2007