Appraisal Do’s and Don’ts
By Vaughn Kerkorian of Kerkorian Residential Appraisals and Member of CCAR’s REALTOR®/Lender Committee Once the appraisal appointment has been scheduled, what can a real estate agent do to best assist their client and the appraiser without creating undue influence within the appraisal process? Do It is permissible to meet the appraiser at the scheduled appointment.…
The One Thing Collin County Doesn’t Have
This article was originally published October 2019 in North DFW Real Producers Magazine It’s that time of year again when people pay to tour homes and be scared to tears. As a Realtor, you are constantly in strange homes with the potential for the unknown to pop out from behind the curtain. Spooky situations in…
What Everyone Wants to Know About the Texas High Speed Train
Texas Central is the company undertaking the development, design, construction, finance, and operation of the innovative new high-speed passenger train line connecting North Texas and Greater Houston, aka the “Bullet Train.” At the October 8 Plano Business Development Meeting Rebecca Cowle, Director of External Affairs for Texas Central, presented an exclusive project update to CCAR…
Stability and Growth in the Collin County Housing Market
PLANO, Texas — The Collin County Association of Realtors (CCAR) reports that the Collin County market was roughly the same in September 2019 as September 2018—only better. “Seasonal market trends are anticipated in the fall as home buyers and sellers prioritize other areas of their lives. In September, we saw that with fewer sellers listing…
Ensure Your Clients Don’t Forget Your Name With Santa’s Help
Place your order by November 30, 2019 to spread cheer and increase your sphere with personalized video texts from Santa This Christmas, be the REALTOR® that not only remembers the names of past clients’ children, be the one that knows Santa! For only a $35 investment to TREPAC, Santa will personally record and send a personalized…
FHA Condo Rules Loosen and VA Loan Limits Eliminated
By Tracy Walden – Thrive Mortgage, NMLS #1048123 and member of CCAR’s REALTOR®/Lender Committee FHA ISSUES NEW CONDOMINIUM APPROVAL RULE Comprehensive policy revisions include ability to approve individual units in non-approved condo projects – effective October 15, 2019 In an effort to promote affordable and sustainable homeownership, especially among credit-worthy first-time buyers, the Federal Housing…
Who is the 800lb Gorilla in Government Affairs?
This article was originally published June 2019 in North DFW Real Producers Magazine The only source of light at 4:30 a.m. on March 26 was the Coit Road streetlights and the Collin County Association of Realtors (CCAR) headquarters. While the rest of the world slept, the CCAR headquarters was awake and bustling as 90 Realtors prepared…
MUD, SUD, PUD, PID, TIRZ Video Resource
Alphabet Soup: Differences between MUD, SUD, PUD, PID and What it means to you to sell inside one On July 16, 2019 MuniCap experts Lindsay Banner and Joshua Arendt discussed special Tax Districts and how they impact homeowners at CCAR’s Allen/McKinney Business Development meeting. The entire presentation is available to watch here. To view the…
Why Attending the Texas 86th Legislative Session Review on October 3 is Worth Missing Kickoff
We get it. Thursdays in October are for football. Even for the football adverse (), attending a Legislative Session Review rarely tops the list of desired Thursday evening activities. That is why we created an easy quiz to evaluate if legislation passed by your greater North Texas Delegation impacts you. With so many significant…
Home Buyers Got Half of What They Wanted in August 2019
The Collin County Association of Realtors (CCAR) reports that as interest rates continued to drop in August 2019, homes sales continues to rise—creating a good news/bad news situation for buyers. The bad news: Limited inventory for buyers. August 2019 had 8.5% more listings under contract and 13.1% more projected closed sales than August 2018. Yet,…