When is the "Best" Time to List Your Home For Sale?

"When is the best time to list my home?" I get asked this question on a pretty regular basis throughout each year. My answer is usually, "It doesn't matter when you list your home as long as it's spruced up and it's priced well." It's true that real estate listings and sales follow yearly trends fairly consistently, e.g. more homes are listed in April and May than in November and December. But consider the following argument for listing your home in November instead of May.

Listing your home in April and May can statistically hurt your chances at getting top-dollar for your home due to the increasing spring inventory and stiff competition. There is also the added inconvenience of having a large number of unqualified buyers traipse through your home with an unsuspecting agent, aka "tire-kickers" and "looky-loos." Alternatively, listing your home in November and December, a time when many sellers take their homes off the market if it didn't sell over the summer, can increase your chances of a quick sale due to decreased competition. Not to mention that buyers who take the time to look at homes around the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays are typically very qualified buyers.

As you can see, there are pros and cons no matter what month of the year you choose to list your home. But the fact remains that homes in all price ranges sell all year round...when you hire the right agent, that is. Happy selling!

Why won't buyers just make an offer on my home?

Consider the following scenario. 

You list your home for $395,000, knowing full-well you'll take $350,000. But you want to "leave room for negotiation" since everyone knows buyers will want to negotiate. Four months later, 25 to 30 buyers have traipsed through your home, left very little feedback ("not the right layout, thanks!"), and you've received no offers. You call me because you're considering changing brokers. During our meeting, I recommend that you reduce your asking price to $359,000 or perhaps $355,000. Then you ask me the most notorious question of them all, "Jeff, why would I reduce the price? No one has commented that my home is over priced. Heck, no one has even made me a low offer?" 

I've typically answered that question by saying something like, "The buyers have been telling you your home is overpriced, you just haven't been listening. Being on the market for 4 months with no offers screams that your home is overpriced for the location and condition it is in." I would wager that only 50% of the people I've told this to actually believe this line of reasoning. Why isn't it as effective as I'd like? Because it sounds like a sales pitch brokers have been trained to give sellers after 30 days, then 60 days, then 90 days, etc. But it's the truth. 

And then I read this article titled "5 Tips Buyers Would Give Sellers If They Could," and I really liked this broker/attorney's answer to the very question posed above. I plan on using her (edited) answer below from now on. 

"You might be thinking the best plan of action is to list your home high, planning on the fact that prospective buyers will want to bargain the price down, and it is true that most buyers expect to engage in some basic negotiation. They are not, however, interested in correcting your belief system about your home and its value, which are clearly not based in reality. Buyers invest a lot of time, energy and emotion in making an offer on a home. So, if your list price is so bizarrely above market value that the chances of coming to a meeting of the minds on the price are slim, the buyer will simply pass and move on to the next home without giving your home a second thought. 

If your home is dramatically overpriced compared to the others in the area, most serious home buyers in the market for a home like yours will either (a) never come see it, because it doesn’t show up in the price range they are searching online, or (b) not come see it unless and until you drop the price, because it simply isn’t worth their time and energy until you correct your pricing into the realm of the realistic."

How To File Your Homestead Exemption

If you purchased a home in 2012 and occupied the property on January 1st, 2013, then you should file for your Homestead Exemption. This exemption will save you approximately 20% on your property taxes for 2013. Below is information on this exemption that I copied from the Dallas Central Appraisal District website and applies to the entire state of Texas. 

"A property tax exemption excludes all or part of a property's value from property taxation, ultimately resulting in lower property taxes. To qualify, the property must be designed or adapted for human residence and the homeowner must own the property on January 1 of the year application is made. The person claiming the exemption must reside at the property on January 1 and cannot claim a homestead exemption on any other property. If more than one individual (not a married couple) owns the property, each separate individual must make application if they reside at the property. Exemptions are allocated according to percent of ownership interest the applicant has in the property. The exemption application must be completed, notarized and include a driver’s license or social security number and date of birth."

If you have not already done so, please go to the relevant appraisal district website below where your property is located. For most of the websites you can search for your property and then click a link to print out a homestead exemption form. I have also included the phone numbers for each of the appraisal districts should need to contact them directly. If you have received a letter in the mail telling you to pay a fee in order to claim the Homestead Exemption, promptly discard it in the trash. Claiming this exemption is free. 

Dallas Central Appraisal District - 214-631-0910

www.dallascad.org

Collin County Appraisal District - 469-742-9200

www.collincad.org  

Tarrant County Appraisal District - 817-284-0024

www.tad.org

Denton Central Appraisal District - 940-349-3800

www.dentoncad.com

(The Homestead Exemption application link is at the bottom right of the Home page)

Step 1. Go to www.dallascad.org and click "Search Appraisals"

Step 2. Type in your name and click on your property address

(You can also search by property address)

Step 3. To file online the address on your driver's license must match your property address. 

Otherwise, click on the link to print out your Homestead Exemption form. 

Step 4. Mail your completed Homestead Exemption form to: 

Dallas Central Appraisal District

PO Box 560328

Dallas, TX 75356-0328

Two More Reasons Why I Have Little Respect For Real Estate Agents

#1 - Commenting on offers before presenting them to your clients

When I receive offers on my listings - even very low offers - my standard response is, "Thank you very much for your offer. I will present it to my clients and get back with you as soon as I can." Unfortunately many agents feel the need to interject their personal opinion on the matter before we ever start negotiating. For example, recently I made an offer on behalf of my buyer clients and it went something like this:

My client offered $275,000 on a home listed at $300,000 in hopes of meeting somewhere in the middle. This is pretty much standard practice, depending on various other factors, but for the most part this happens frequently. The listing agent called my cell and said, "Jeff, your client's offer is VERY low. I don't think we're going to be able to get this to work." I asked if he had presented the offer to his clients yet and he said, "Well, no. But I think they're going to be offended." He thinks. He doesn't know. He thinks! So in his mind, before even presenting the offer to his clients, he thinks we have no chance of making this work. The best part of this true story is that they accepted $275,000.

#2 - "Agent is owner"

If you don't know how I feel about agent-to-meet showings then you can catch up by reading this post. Yesterday I scheduled about 10 appointments for homes priced at or just under $300K and I gave the homeowners more than 24 hours notice. Under 99.999% of circumstances homes under $300K should never be agent-to-meet appointments. One listing tried to reschedule our showing by an hour because the agent had to meet us at the home to let us in. When you're looking at 10 homes in a 10 mile radius it's too much hassle to go back to view one home. I cancelled the showing. There is simply too much inventory to look at. The scary part about this story is that the home is owned by a licensed realtor. She should know better than to a) reschedule a showing with 24-hour notice, and b) require that she meet us at the home to let us in.

Happy Friday, indeed.

Most Expensive Homes In North Texas

Here is the list of the most expensive home sales for 2011 in North Texas. Not surprisingly, the Park Cities (as Highland Park and University Park are collectively known) delivered 4 of the 10 most expensive sales, with the Preston Hollow area only accounting for two.

#10 - 1745 Turbeville Rd. (Hickory Creek)

List Price - $5.6M.

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

#9 - 4636 Chapel Hill (White Rock Lake)

List Price - $5.995M

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

#8 - 10340 Gaywood Rd. (Preston Hollow)

List Price - $6.495M

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

Only 26 days on the market!

#7 - 6900 Baltimore Dr. (Uber Swank Volk Estates in University Park)

List Price - $6.99M

Sold Price - $6.5M

Only last 14 days on the market!

#6 - 9338 Meadowbrook (Preston Hollow)

List Price - $6.795M

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

#5 - 6815 Baltimore Dr. (Volk Estates Lot in University Park)

List Price - 6.99M

Sold Price - $6.5M

Only 27 days on the market!

#4 - 3816 Turtle Creek Dr. (Private street that overlooks Turtle Creek)

List Price - $7.9M

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

#3 - 3711 Lexington Ave. (Highland Park)

List Price - $8.5M

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

Only 27 days on the market!

#2 - 3851 Windsor Ln. (Two Adjacent Lots in University Park)

List Price - $9.6M

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

#1 - 1850 Turbeville Rd. (Hickory Creek)

List Price - $15M

Sold Price - Not Disclosed

Buyer Incentives Are Pointless

But perhaps one of the most ridiculous incentives I've seen recently is a $1,000 buyer's agent bonus for this home listed at $800,000...wow. $1,000 extra bucks. Great idea Ms. Listing Agent.

P.S. You're an idiot.

Best Use Of For Sale Sign. Ever.

This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite real estate pictures. According to my friend Sean, who sent me this picture via Facebook, this picture was taken in the Park Cities this week. So, is the house for sale or the car? I'm confused.

Short Sale vs. Foreclosure: What Are Your Options?

Let me give you a very common real estate scenario, one I have encountered more frequently in the past several years.

Mr. Seller paid $350,000 for his home in 2006. He now wants to sell his home because he [got relocated/got married/wife had their 4th child]. As a real estate agent, I now have the awkward responsibility of telling him his home is currently worth $315,000 in today's real estate market. He then tells me he owes $340,000 on his mortgage and that he doesn't have the cash to bring to closing and asks me what his options are.

If the above scenario sounds familiar, you're not alone. So, here are your options:

1. Bring enough money to closing to cover your remaining mortgage, plus closing costs. For example, you owe $340,000 on your mortgage but you can only sell your home for $310,000. You are responsible for the $30,000 difference, plus closing costs.

2. If #1 isn't an option, then you need to consider staying in your home until you are in a position to sell your home without bringing money to closing. Or, if you have to move you can choose to rent out your home until you're in a better financial position.

3. If neither of the above options sound good to you - you don't have much cash but you HAVE to sell your home and don't want to rent it out - then you need to consider a short sale. Meaning, you need to negotiate with your mortgage company and ask them to cover any shortage in paying off your mortgage after your home sells. Basically, this is like option #1, except you're asking the bank to cover the $30,000 shortage, plus your closing costs. This will negatively affect your credit, and most short sales are huge headaches and can take many months to close, but you will be able to move on to the next chapter in your life without taking a huge financial loss.

4. Just walk away. Many homeowners have chosen to simply walk away from their home and let go into foreclosure. This will negatively affect your credit more so than a short sale, but you won't have to deal with the headache of a short sale, or the ensuing months of paying a mortgage on a home you can no longer afford - or no longer want. This option is very attractive to the rich. e.g. 'Why keep paying on a home that is depleting my bank account and has lost over 50% of it's value since I bought it? Let the bank deal with that headache!' Having enough cash to get them through the next 7 years while their credit score recovers is also helpful.

Our real estate market will continue to force many people to choose between the scenarios I have outlined above. And every one's situation is going to be different. You need to decide what works best given your current financial situation. Talking openly and honestly with your real estate agent is the best advice I can give you. I make decisions based on the information my clients give me. If you tell me you're not in a hurry to sell and you're financially comfortable, then my advice will be much different than if you told me you needed to sell in the next 45 days or you will no longer be able to pay your mortgage, car payment, etc. Unfortunately, people tend to tell me the former, when the truth looks more like the latter.

Are Interest Rates Really Going To Rise? Experts Say "Yes!"

Consumers, mortgage lenders and real estate professionals are all wondering what will happen to interest rates now that the Tax Credit is expiring. Earlier this year many financial types said interest rates will definitely rise in the second half of 2010. So far this year the interest rates have been hovering around 5%, so will interest rates rise, and if so, how high will they go?

According to Ken Rosen, chair of the University of California Fisher Center for Real Estate, by keeping rates so low, “We are encouraging asset bubbles in the stock market, bond markets, and global real estate,” Rosen says. This Inman News article states interest rates will rise for the next 10 consecutive quarters and will be at an average of 5.8% by the 4Q of 2010.

Here is a very informative spreadsheet from the Mortgage Bankers Association showing the predicted rise in interest over the next 2 years. Spoiler alert - by 4Q of 2012 30-year fixed interest rates are predicted to be around 6.6%. Yikes!

So if you've been sitting on the fence, whether to refinance or buy a home, it might be time to jump off that fence and take advantage of the low interest rates while there's still time.

6155 Palo Pinto Ave. Dallas, TX 75214

I'm testing my iPhoto slideshow software. Let me know what you think.

The song is Home by Michael Buble. (See what I did there?)

My Triumphant Return to the World of Blogginess

So i'ts been about a hundred years or so since my last post. I went to blog rehab, refocused on my business and things couldn't be busier or better. So what better to post about than the great news that is Dallas real estate.

The PMI Group just released it's Summer 2008 U.S. Market Risk Index that "ranks the nation's 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) according to the likelihood that home prices will be lower in two years." At the top of the list is Riverside, CA which is most likely to experience a (continued) price decline 2 years from now. At the bottom of the list? Drum roll please...well, it's Ft. Worth and Arlington. But right above them is Dallas, Plano and Irving! So we're the 2nd least likely city in the nation to see a price decline in the next 2 years. Not too shabby. Here's the Top 10 "most riskiest cities".

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario; CA
Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach; FL
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach; FL
Orlando-Kissimmee; FL
Las Vegas-Paradise; NV
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater; FL
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine; CA
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale; CA
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall; FL
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville; CA

And the Top 10 cities least likely to experience a price decline in 2 years:

Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord; NC-SC
Kansas City; MO-KS
Columbus; OH
Cincinnati-Middletown; OH-KY-IN
Indianapolis-Carmel; IN
San Antonio; TX
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown; TX
Pittsburgh; PA
Dallas-Plano-Irving; TX
Fort Worth-Arlington; TX

So quitcherbitchin'. Glad to be back!

Dallas Is, Like, So Popular!

Dallas seems to be on quite a few real estate "Best Of" lists lately. Just last week Forbes ranked Dallas as one of the Top 10 towns in America for emtpy nesters. Only a few days later Homevestors (We Buy Ugly Houses) ranked Dallas as the #1 city for real estate investing in the country!

Someone should tell our fair city that we're in great shape compared to the rest of the country. At the same time, those of you who are smart enough to take advantage of our large supply of homes and unusually low interest rates are probably happy everyone is sitting on the fence waiting for "better days".

Note to waiting buyers: "Better days" = higher interest rates and less inventory to choose from.

Buyers Are Buying. Wanna Know Why?

The reason according to Blanche Evans of Realty Times is simple.

"Consider that home prices [across the country] in February 2007 were $213,500 and interest rates for the month averaged nearly 6.5 percent. In 2008, prices are $195,000 and interest rates averaged 5.9 percent.

So it shouldn't be surprising that housing inventories have dieted down to a 9.6-month supply from over 10-months on hand in January."

Make perfect sense to me. Mortgage rates are low, low, low and there's plenty of inventory to choose from. I also think seller's are beginning to get a little more realistic with their asking prices. These are all ingredients for a market upswing.

What's Cool for Pools?

Dena Kouremetis with Realty Times tell us. Here's a sneak peek.

According to pool builders, beach entries, fire features, water fountains, infinity edges and saltwater pools are all the rage.

One thing they left out was size. I have found that today's consumer wants a smaller pool because they still want to have grassy areas in their backyard, especially if they have children and a playset. In my experience, when buyers in Dallas see an older pool needing work it is a sure bet they will bypass that house simply because of the pool. Hint: If you have an older pool that needs a complete overhaul, you might want to consider filling it in as opposed to renovating it. If a buyer really wants a pool they can build their own. And a nice green backyard can be a perfect blank slate.

When Did a House Stop Becoming a Home?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if sellers are expecting to make tons of cash selling their homes after living in them for 1 or 2 years, they are simply being unrealistic and, frankly, stupid. Blanche Evans of Realty Times gives us her take on today's consumer,

"Today's homebuyer thinks a home is only an investment. The NASDAQ has never recovered to its 2000 highs because people want the big return on their investment. They could likely look at housing the same way - not interested if it only returns two percent a year. Never mind that two percent a year is the historical norm. They want more."

How did we get to this point? When did homeowners start feeling entitled to lots of money from the sale of their home simply because they purchased it and made no improvements to it while they lived there? How did we go from pride of home ownership and being ecstatic that we were finally able to "realize the American Dream" to a competition of "How much equity were you able to squeeze out of your house?". I'm sure this mindset might have something to do with this.

Financial planners agree that houses will continue to be a poor investment

This headline was a quote from Kiplinger's Personal Financial Magazine in 1993. Terry Forsberg, a Realtor in Scottsdale, Arizona, compiled many quotes like this one in order to fight back against the newspaper and magazine scare headlines predicting the virtual demise of real estate across the country. I've copied his email below. This is a great dose of reality to those that are buying in to the negative hype. Take a look at how much homes have appreciated since 1996 across the country and tell me with a straight face that real estate is a poor investment. America's short sightedness is rampant and only the truly intelligent and edcuated people that have a sense of perspective about how real estate appreciates will come out on top. Will you be one of those people?

The Media’s Attack on the Real Estate Industry

The Media’s attack on the real estate industry is nothing new. For decades they have practiced doom and gloom tactics and in some cases have actually caused real estate prices to decline short term. The good news however, is each and every short term decline has been temporary and has been followed by long term price appreciation.

Today we are in the middle of a window of opportunity to purchase attractive real estate at the best prices we may see in our lifetime and to receive “incentives” on our purchases on top of it! The incentives, which are being offered by builders and developers, will not last any longer than they need to. Once the market begins showing signs of a rebound, these incentives will dry up.

Sit back and enjoy some of these dire media projections from yesteryear and allow them to mirror the wide variety of “fear factor” type “media” comments that exist today.

"The prices of houses seem to have reached a plateau, and there is reasonable expectancy that prices will decline." - Time Magazine, 1947

"Houses cost too much for the mass market. Today's average price is around $8,000 - out of the reach for two-thirds of all buyers." - Science Digest, 1948

"The goal of owning a home seems to be getting beyond the reach of more and more Americans. The typical new house today costs about $28,000." - Business Week, 1969

"You might well be suspicious of 'common wisdom' that tells you, 'Don't wait, buy now… continuing inflation will force home prices and rents higher and higher.'" - NEA Journal, 1970

"The median price of a home today is approaching $50,000… Housing experts predict price rises in the future won't be that great.”- Nations Business, 1977

"The era of easy profits in real estate may be drawing to a close." - Money Magazine, 1981

"The golden-age of risk-free run-ups in home prices is gone." - Money Magazine, 1985

"Most economists agree…. [a home] will become little more than a roof and a tax deduction, certainly not the lucrative investment it was through much of the 1980's." - Money Magazine, 1986

"Financial planners agree that houses will continue to be a poor investment."- Kiplinger's Personal Financial Magazine, 1993

"A home is where the bad investment is." - San Francisco Examiner, 1996

"Home prices experience historic drop." - CNN Money.com, 2007

Each and every negative prediction by the Media was short-lived. At the time such predictions made it appeared real estate would never go up again in value - similar to the way it feels for many now. The good news is found in the few lines below. This time is no different than times past! FACT: National real estate values have appreciated

• 88% since 1996
• 340% since 1977
• 685% since 1969
• 2650% since 1948

Best Regards,

Terry

How Successful is Your Realtor?

I'm a huge advocate of buyer and sellers making sure they are working with a successful and professional Realtor. Many buyers and sellers use a family member or a friend. Or even worse, a friend of a friend. The sad part is that those buyers and sellers never know if they are actually working with someone who knows what the hell they are doing. This blog post from a Realtor in Western New York addresses this issue and does a great job of explaining why it's important to ask your Realtor, "How many transactions did you close last year?"

If your Realtor closes 2 or 3 deals a year do you really think they know how to negotiate on your behalf to get you the best deal possible? Do you think they know and understand their market and sales statistics? Real estate contracts and amendments change all the time and if someone isn't constantly utilizing these legally binding documents do you really want to put your transaction in their hands? Or would you rather work with someone who closes 30 or 40 deals a year?

This seems like a no brainer to me but yet there are many buyers and sellers out there right now who are working with a subpar Realtor. And I don't blame the Realtor as much as I blame the people who chose them.

Is Your Crystal Ball Accurate?

This is a great article about how timing the real estate market doesn't work. The following statement holds a lot of truth to it.

"If you're a buyer waiting for mortgage interest rates to stay low, you bet on the wrong horse. According to Realty Times' own David Reed, mortgage interest rates shot up this past week at the fastest pace in 20 years taking homebuyers and refinancing homeowners by surprise."

I tell my buyer clients that if they are in the market to buy a home to live in then they have nothing to worry about because buying a home is a long term investment that has never lost it's value over 1o years. But this line says it a little better.

"...there are only a few things that matter when you're buying a home: getting the home you want, at the price you want, at an affordable monthly payment. If you get all three, you've made a good deal."

And finally,

"The housing crunch won't last forever, and when it turns, think about where you want to be -- with first choice or the leftovers?"

I basically said the same thing back in October of 2007. Which means I think I'm kind of a big deal.

Don't Buy a Home in the Burbs

The New York Times does a pretty good job of explaining why using Lavon, TX as an example. Unfortunately Lavon is not alone. Rowlett, Murphy, Wylie, Lucas, parts of Frisco, McKinney, Allen and Little Elm are all feeling the pinch from a combination of rising foreclosures, rising resale inventory, buyer paralysis and building cutbacks. Places like Anna and Van Alstyne were only small Dairy Queen towns where I would get speeding tickets driving home from Austin College (in Sherman) during the Holidays. But now you can buy new homes there for less than $100,000.

What makes North Texas real estate stable is also our suburbs worst nightmare. New development never stops because we are not geographically bound by water or mountains like California and Florida. We will simply keep building until we hit the Red River to the North and Louisiana to the East which keeps land and home prices down. This puts home owners trying to sell their home in a tough situation. Even if they have lived in the home for 8 or 9 years there will still be new developments going up right around the corner. And why would someone buy your 9 year old home when they can buy new? And don't kid yourself if you think the newer homes are going to be substantially more expensive than your preowned home because they won't be. And therein lies the curse of buying in the burbs but is also the saving grace of North Texas real estate.

Newsflash. People Like Buying Newer Homes

To that I say, "DUH!" But what I didn't know was this, (thanks to Realty Times)

"Eighty percent of homes for sale were built before 1980. The median home sold in 2007 was 12 years old. Nearly half of all buyers in 2007 purchased homes less than 10 years old, according to the National Association of Realtors."

So put your thinking caps on and let's have a little math lesson using this information. Here's what we know.

-5 out of every 10 buyers purchased a home that was less than 10 years old (Built after 1997)
-That leaves the other 5 buyers purchasing even older homes.
-Let's reasonably assume another 2 or 3 buyers bought homes that were 10 to 20 years old (Built after 1987).
-This leaves us with 2 or 3 buyers left purchasing even older homes - or built before 1987.
-Of all the homes currently for sale across the nation, 80% were built before 1980.

Given the points stated above and my assumptions which I think are very reasonable, here is what I find very scary - Only 20% to 30% of buyers bought from the 80% pool of homes for sale that were built before 1980.

Reasons why I think this is happening:

-People associate newer homes with being perfect. Translation, "I don't have to spend any money updating my home."
-Newer homes typically have more square footage, larger closets, game rooms, etc.
-Older homes require ongoing maintenance. Unfortunately buyers don't realize new homes require ongoing maintenance as well.
-Older homes need cosmetic updating and today's buyers don't have the money, resources, time or willingness to do the necessary updates required of older homes.

Real estate always has a generational style of home that falls in and out of fashion. Here's my take on today's current available fashions.



-20's, 30's Tudors, Crafstmen, Prairie Style - Tough to cosmetically update due to functionally obsolete floor plans, small kitchens and closet space. Typically require adding on square footage but can pay off when done right.

-Post WWII cottages - Think SW of Inwood & Lovers Ln. Same problems as above but without the striking curb appeal. These are usually good tear down candidates.



-50's & 60's Ranches - Easier to add on to and adjust floor plan to your needs than older Tudors. Curb appeal can be boosted dramatically with exterior paint, plantation shutters, gas lamps and "beefy" landscaping.



-70's & 80's one stories - Not sure how to describe the exterior but picture all of the faux oak (fauk?) paneling in the living areas, dark wood cabinetry in kitchen with semi-ornate moldings, terrazo entry, cultured marble bath counters and it's usually a good bet there is a wet bar with a mirror backsplash hiding behind a cabinet in the maing living room. Think South Plano and areas of Lake Highlands. These homes are becoming more popular to renovate.



-90's & early '00 boxes - Dark red brick around first story with cream siding around the second. White washed cabinets and stair rails, white ceramic tile backsplash with red or green tiles used for accent, forest green marble everywhere, 2 story patio entries. Brass, brass and more brass. Even when updated it's hard to make these homes feel warm and cozy. I'd be scared of those electric bills too. Think Plano, Rockwall, Rowlett, Murphy, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, Carrollton. Many early 90's neighborhoods have gone downhill because no one has the money to update these homes.



-2000's "custom" boxes - Replace 90's formica or ceramic tile counters with granite or Corian; ceramic backsplash with tumbled marble; white or black appliances with stainless steel; brass with "brushed nickel". Pergraniteel. They still look relatively "fresh" and make buyers feel as though they won't have to do any work to it while they live there. False sense of security if you as me.

Did I miss any? I'm sure someone out there wants to put in their 2 cents.