So, just how bad is the local real estate market? You might be surprised to learn it's doing fine... "local" being the key word. It's very important to note that real estate is local... very local. Real estate related stories on the news are generally WAY to broad to mean anything about your home. Even the Collin County stats below may not tell the true tale or your home or neighborhood (you need a good Real Estate Agent for this). However, they do indicate that, on average, things aren't really as bad as you might have heard. This is especially true if you rely on the "local" news for your real estate info. (or big conglomerate websites like CNN, MSN, Google, etc.). They are all notorious for reporting just the "doom and gloom" around the nation with very little local data that is meaningful to you. So, take a look at the charts below showing this October compared to last. The averages show that, while around 16% fewer homes appear to have sold, those that are selling are doing so for slightly higher than last year. However, we still have some of the most affordable housing in the nation here in Texas. [If you want to see Sold prices and days on market for comparable homes in your neighborhood, check out the MLS Market Snapshot (below the menu to the right).] Combine the stable pricing with the recent dip in interest rates and it's a fantastic time to be buying and selling real estate around here. Most experts agree that prices, and interest rates, won't stay this low forever.

October 2007 - 996 Properties Sold
	Square Feet	Bedrooms	Full Baths	Half Baths	List Price	Sale Price	Price per Square Foot	Days on Market
Min	575	1	1	0	$19,900	$20,000	$17	0
Avg	2563	3	2	0	$243,083	$233,685	$91	75
Max	9372	7	6	2	$3,500,000	$3,500,000	$373	422

October 2008 - 835 Properties Sold
	Square Feet	Bedrooms	Full Baths	Half Baths	List Price	Sale Price	Price per Square Foot	Days on Market
Min	809	1	1	0	$26,000	$25,000	$21	0
Avg	2682	3	2	0	$259,178	$247,771	$92	76
Max	9313	6	6	3	$3,300,000	$2,500,000	$390	644

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com

For those that haven't checked out the "Street View" on Google maps, you have got to check out this cool, realatively new, feature. It allows you to see things from the street as though you were driving by. While recent years have brought satellite images of better quality, these don't really help when it comes to giving "landmark" style directions or checking out what an area really looks like as you drive through it. Well, leave it to Google to come up with a fantastic new feature that fixes this problem.

Satellite View - Cool and useful, but what does it look like if I'm trying to drive there?

 

Steet View - So that's what I'm looking for...

Ok, maybe you could figure out that you were at the Ballpark in Arlington without needing to see the street view, but you get the point. External, street-level views of houses, businesses, restaurants and more. You can even click on arrows to move up and down the street as though you were driving and pan 360 degrees around your location or look up or down! The only complaint I have is that much of Collin County is not available yet. Lets keep our fingers crossed that they're out taking photos on Collin County streets as I'm writing this.

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com

Ok, a friend of mine (Chris O'Connor) was going on and on about the fact that the "best, most beautifully costumed Santa" that has been at the Stonebriar Center (mall) for the past several years, with a LONG line, is now in Allen (with almost no line). She said that she has waited in line for ages because pictures with him and the kids are so great... and he was at Marion Elementary today with almost nobody in line! He'll be there again tomorrow (11/18/08) doing pictures for students from 10am-2pm and again for anyone/everyone from 3:30pm-7:30pm.

Don't quote me on this, but I heard the picture packages are very reasonable... something like $20 for a 5x7 and four wallets, $25 for double the pics, $35 includes another 5x7 and two 3x5s, and $40 gets you a CD with the images and the copyright... so you can legally print as many copies as you want, email them to family, etc. That's right, if you don't have the copyright (permission to make copies), it's illegal to make copies of professional pictures or scan them and email to friends/family. You're actually stealing from the photographer if you do... but I digress.

After tomorrow at Marion, he'll be at the Village at Allen on the 22nd! That's right, it's rumored that the Village at Allen is getting the super-fabulous "Stonebriar Santa". He's apparently going to be the Santa mentioned in the schedule my previous post here: http://www.realtown.com/ryancave/blog/firstholidayvaa
However, I bet the lines are going to get long in a hurry... so be sure to tell your friends that you got in to see him early because you got the scoop right here on your favorite blog (then be nice enough to send them a link so they can start reading stuff here too). If you didn't hear about this in time, let me know and I'll subscribe you to my blog so you always get notified of the latest posts.

Ho, ho, ho... have a merry start to the Santa season in mid-November.

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com

The first holiday season kicks off at the Village at Allen in just about a week! I just saw this press release and it sounds like a LOT of good times so I wanted to share it with the community:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 12, 2008
Contact: Hillary Redwine, Sunwest Communications
(214) 373-1601 or hredwine@sunwestpr.com 

THE VILLAGE AT ALLEN TO KICK OFF ITS FIRST HOLIDAY SEASON
WITH EVENTS AND SHOPPING FOR EVERYONE 

Festivities start Nov. 22 with Santa’s arrival, a tree lighting ceremony for 35-foot, interactive tree and holiday goody bag giveaway

ALLEN, Texas – The Village at Allen, located at the southeast corner of Stacy Road and U.S. 75 in Collin County, will kick off the holiday season on Nov. 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. with the arrival of Santa in a City of Allen fire truck, followed by a tree lighting ceremony for the shopping center’s 35-foot, interactive tree.
                The Grove, located in the heart of the Village at Allen, will host a number of festivities throughout the evening including live musical entertainment, a visit from Santa’s very own reindeer Donner and Blitzen, children’s holiday crafts and cookies with hot cocoa.

Details for the Saturday, Nov. 22 holiday kick-off celebration are as follows:

·         Goody Bags
The first 350 children to arrive on Nov. 22 will receive a holiday goody bag filled with treats and special offers from The Village at Allen stores.

·         Children’s Holiday Crafts - 5:30 p.m.
Children will enjoy a variety of activities including holiday crafts, face painting and balloon designs. Mrs. Claus will stop by for a visit with the kids and to offer cookies and hot cocoa.

·         Live Musical Entertainment – 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Holiday carols will fill the air as guests enjoy live musical entertainment in The Grove.

·         Santa’s Arrival and Tree Lighting - 7:30 p.m.
Santa Claus, known by many North Dallas residents as “The Big Guy,” will arrive in style on a City of Allen fire truck.  Immediately following, a ceremony will commence to light The Village at Allen’s 35-foot, interactive tree when Santa and Allen Mayor Steve Terrell “flip the switch” to the tree’s 100,000 lights. Guests can toast the holiday with a complimentary cup of warm cocoa or hot cider and sing along with holiday tunes played by the interactive tree every 20 minutes.

·         KLTY Radio Remote
Family-friendly station - KLTY FM 94.9 - will turn up the volume on fun with festive holiday music during the event.

·         Live Reindeer
Santa’s star reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, will make their first appearance on Nov. 22 during the holiday kick-off celebration.  Be sure to see the reindeer before they head back to the North Pole to rest up for the big night.

·         The Allen Community Outreach (ACO) Toy Drive
Visitors are encouraged to start the holiday season with a spirit of giving and bring unwrapped toys to the donation box located in The Grove at The Village at Allen.

Holiday activities continuing through December include:

Photos with “The Big Guy,” Nov. 22 – Dec. 24
Santa is available for photos and a visit with kids of all ages beginning Saturday, Nov. 22 and continuing through Christmas Eve. Santa will take a break each day from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Photo prices start at $14.95, with a variety of packages offered.  Pets will have their own special night for photos with Santa every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Nov. 25 and continuing through Dec. 9.  Visit www.villageatallen.com for Santa hours.

·         Letters to Santa, Nov. 22 – Dec. 24
Children wanting a direct line to Santa Claus can drop their letters into Santa’s mailbox, located in The Grove. Santa’s smiling face is on the front of the mailbox and just waiting for holiday wish letters.

·         Visit Donner and Blitzen, Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
The Village at Allen will be home to Santa’s favorite reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, during the holiday season beginning Nov. 22. See the live reindeer Nov. 22 - Dec. 7 (on site each Saturday and Sunday) and Dec. 12 – Dec. 21 (on site each Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Visit www.villageatallen.com for reindeer hours.

·         Interactive Tree on Display, playing holiday songs every 20 minutes, Nov. 22 through the holidays
Festive holiday music and 100,000 bright lights create an interactive holiday experience that will make even The Grinch smile. Bring your camera and singing voice. 

·         Toy Drive, Nov. 22 – Dec. 12
Guests are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to donate to the Allen Community Outreach holiday toy drive, benefitting needy families in the community.   Look for the toy box in The Grove to drop off donation items and share the holiday spirit with those less fortunate.

·         Breakfast Break at 8 a.m. and Gift Card Giveaway, Friday, Nov. 28          
Grab a cup of coffee and a muffin, compliments of The Village at Allen, and stay energized for the largest shopping day of the year.  Breakfast will be provided to the first 500 guests at 8 a.m. along with a gift bag filled with goodies from The Village at Allen shops and restaurants. Some bags will contain gift cards ranging from $10 to $50, with two lucky guests winning either a $250 or $500 gift card.

The grand opening for the first phase of The Village at Allen, developed by The MGHerring Group, began in October and will continue throughout November.  Retail stores and restaurants currently open include: Best Buy, Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us “R” Superstore, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Men’s Wearhouse, Mattress Giant, Uncle Julio’s, Nate’s Seafood and Steakhouse, Coffee N Cream and Verizon Wireless.  In addition, The Vitamin Shoppe, Ooo La La, Which Wich?, Cold Stone Creamery, Smoothie Factory and Villa Nails are scheduled to open in November. For more information on events and store openings at The Village at Allen, please visit www.villageatallen.com.

About The MGHerring Group

With a reputation for design, quality and integrity, Dallas-based The MGHerring Group has developed more than 30 major shopping centers and regional malls in the United States and Mexico, totaling more than 24 million square feet of retail space.  The MGHerring Group has been recognized with numerous industry awards and is considered by many to be among the top shopping center developers in the nation.
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Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com
 

If you've ever bought a home, you might have found yourself thinking "I wonder who else has a key to this place?" Most good Real Estate Agents suggest that new owners have the locks changed. If the home was pre-owned, chances are good that SOMEone else has a key. It could be the Seller's friends, neighbors, babysitters, housekeepers, or who knows who. Even a brand new home might have had keys given to contractors or sub-contractors so they could finish up work, or to a Real Estate Agent (I've been handed keys before by Sales Reps. to go open new homes I wanted to view). Often, new homes have special "builder keys" that, once the new homeowner uses their keys, no longer work. But how can you ever be sure of this and/or sure that there aren't copies of the keys you're given after closing on a home (new or pre-owned)? Generally, you can't... so you change the locks just to be safe. Well what exactly does "changing the locks" mean?

Sometimes, pre-owned home buyers are planning on replacing the locks and associated door hardware for cosmetic reasons. Since the new locks will come with new keys, this solves the problem... but it's not the cheapest way, that's for sure. New locks and hardware will often cost hundreds of dollars. And you can plan on spending even more if you have them installed by a locksmith or contractor (i.e. if you're not going to install them yourself).

If the existing locks and hardware are acceptable to you, and you just want a new set of keys (and the assurance of knowing the old ones do not work anymore), most people will call a Locksmith to have the locks re-keyed. Generally, for a hundred bucks or so, you can get a few locks re-keyed without much hassle. If you have a good Real Estate Agent, they might know specialists who do this even cheaper because Agents, obviously, deal with this a LOT. For example, I just got an email about someone who will re-key up to six locks for just $60. So, this route (re-keying via locksmith) is certainly cheaper, and more convenient, than replacing hardware (and much more practical for new homes with nice, new locks and hardware).

For the do-it-yourselfer, you can remove the locks and take them to your local hardware store. Home Depot, for example, will re-key for just $5/lock. So, even with a doorknob lock and deadbolt on front and back doors, plus the garage, you're looking at just $25-$30. For the ultimate cheapskate (or "smart shopper" as I like to call myself), you can re-key the locks yourself with a kit. The kits can be bought in many hardware stores for $10-$20 or you can even order them online. I googled "rekey your locks" and found this: http://changealock.com/. It's good for up to 6 locks for around $15 after shipping! This is not an endorsement (as I've never used their products), but it shows (as usual) that  the more you're willing to do yourself, the more you can potentially save. Just remember that if you don't "change the locks" upon move-in, you'll never know for sure who all has a key to your home.

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com