Students in the legal studies program participate in mock trials within an actual courtroom where local attorneys lend their expertise.  The health sciences curriculum allows students to participate in rotations within pediatrician offices and oncology centers.  The culinary arts program affords students the opportunity to cook in a full service kitchen and participate in the student-operated restaurant within the facility…how cool is that? 

To check out all the offerings visit their website at http://www.friscoisd.org/ly/schools/cte/cte.htm

Homeowners living in a neighborhood with an HOA now must be permitted to:
*  Display the U.S. or Texas flag, or flags of military branches. Free-standing flagpoles no more than 20 feet tall are also allowed.
*  Hang a religious display on the front door. (HOAs can, however, require the display be no larger than 25 square inches.)
* Collect rainwater in barrels and use solar panels, within limits.

 In addition, HOAs must go through a judge to foreclose on owners who fall behind on dues, and the HOA must give the owner a payment plan.

 HOAs also have to hold open meetings, post a notice of those meetings and adopt record retention policies.

Hmmm, don’t see anything about pickup trucks, guess those of us in Stonebriar still can’t park one in our driveway:-)

Happy New Year Stonebriar friends!  We survived 2011 with persistent unemployment, anemic GDP growth, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, revolutions, wars, a US credit downgrade, the ongoing European debt crisis, horrible reality TV, another disappointing season from the Cowboys and yet somehow through it all, we managed to put together a fairly solid year in real estate.

We’re not out of the woods, but our neighborhood is recovering.  The good news is more homes sold last year than in 2010 with 35 sales versus 26 in 2010, an increase over 34%.  The market time dropped a couple of days to 94 days and this is the lowest it’s been since I started tracking it in 2007.

While the average sales price is up a little over 1%, it’s a function of more sales of larger homes than it is of actual raising prices.  BUT, the trend is good and we’ve been trending up since hitting bottom in 2009.  In 2010 almost a third of the sales were homes with less than 3000 sq feet; in 2011 it was less than 10%.

And more good news is there are just 12 homes on the market and none of the listings are foreclosures, the first time I’ve seen this in awhile.  Consumer confidence is on the upswing and the number of people who indicate they plan to buy a home in the near short term is higher than it has been in many months. 

Here’s the stats for 2011 for our neighborhood:

35 sales ranging in price from $269,900 to $975,000

Avg sales price $524,403

Avg price per foot $128.29

Number of foreclosures sold – 4

Let me know it there’s other information you’d like me to publish about our neighborhood

 Boding well for Texas homeowners, Texas gained 227,800 nonfarm jobs from November 2010 to November 2011 according to the Real Estate Center’s latest Monthly Review of the Texas Economy. That represents an annual growth rate of 2.2 percent compared with 1.2 percent for the United States.

 The state’s nongovernment sector grew at an even faster rate, adding 292,700 jobs (3.4 percent) compared with 1.7 percent for the nation’s private sector.

 Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent in November 2011 from 8.3 percent the year before. The nation’s rate decreased from 9.8 to 8.6 percent.

All Texas industries except the information industry and the state’s government sector had more jobs than the same time a year ago. The state’s mining and logging industry ranked first in job creation, followed by the professional and business services industry and the leisure and hospitality industry.

 Abilene, Wichita Falls, Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood and College Station-Bryan were the only metro areas that had fewer jobs in November 2011 than in November 2010. Victoria ranked first in job creation followed by Corpus Christi, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Lubbock and Laredo.

The state’s actual unemployment rate in November 2011 was 7.5 percent. Midland had the lowest unemployment rate followed by Amarillo, Odessa, Lubbock and San Angelo.

Is this a great idea or what…send the kids off to have some fun at the Frisco Athletic Center, while you get ready for your holiday guests!

ABRAKADOODLE GIRLS ONLY CAMP

In this girls only camp, we’ll paint art aprons, sculpt ceramic sunflowers out of clay, and decoupage a jewelry box. Girls should bring their favorite dolls so we can paint portraits of them on stretched canvas.  We’ll listen to girly music, paint our nails and create things using lots of glitter, tissue paper and jewels. Please bring a beverage, a nut-free snack and your favorite CD. A $20 supply fee is due to the instructor on the first day.
Monday – Wednesday, November 21-23
9 a.m. – Noon
Ages: 4-6 yrs.
Fee: $84
Register Now!

ABRAKADOODLE WIZARDS CAMP

Explore the world of witches and wizards while creating exciting pieces of art. Using paint, modeling compounds, and other materials, we will create our own magic wands, pet owls, and design our own school. A $20 supply fee is due to the instructor on the first day.
Monday – Wednesday, November 21-23
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Ages: 6-10 yrs.
Fee: $84
Register Now!

HOLIDAY  ART CAMP WITH ROBERT GARDEN

Your young artist will create beautiful holiday theme paintings under the guidance of professional and certified instructor Robert Garden. You’ll be proud to frame your child’s masterpieces or give them as gifts. Students should wear an old t-shirt and bring a roll of paper towels. A $45 supply fee is due to the instructor on the first day.
Monday – Wednesday, November 21-23
9 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.
Ages: 5-13 yrs.
Fee: $50
Register Now!

KIDS N ART FEAST OF FINE ART CAMP

Come explore an array of fine artists using spectacular mediums such as acrylic on canvas, chalk, pastel, clay and more. Create beautiful master works while learning art appreciation and history. Snacks are included. Bring a sack lunch each day. A $25 supply fee is due to the instructor on the first day. Class will take place the Kids N Art Studio, 3221 Preston Road #1 (In Target shopping center, next to Half Price Books).
Monday – Wednesday, November 21-23
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Ages: 6-12 yrs.

Fee: $100
Register Now!

ADROIT EDUCATION JUNIOR TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS

Students get the chance of a lifetime to design and build their own transportation models. Class starts with a lesson on solar energy then moves on to solar cars, model airplanes and more. Students will leave camp inspired to change the way we travel in the future. Each model that students make is theirs to keep for years of fun and memories.
Monday – Wednesday, November 21-23
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Ages: 6-12 yrs.
Fee: $94
Register Now!

** Don’t wait!  If classes have not met their minimum number of participants by Thursday (November 17), they will be cancelled. All fees shown are resident fees. Non-residents add $5.

WalMart lovers will be glad to know the new Walmart Neighborhood Market will open in southern Frisco Oct. 12!   The 62,800-square-foot store is designed to offer quick access to low cost groceries, prescriptions and household products. It is located on the southeast corner of Legacy and Lebanon and will open at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 12, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.   During the ceremony, store associates will present $10,000 in grants to local organizations, including the Frisco Boys and Girls Club, Children’s Advocacy Center, Frisco Family Services and Frisco YMCA.

Designed as a convenient family shopping center, the Walmart Neighborhood Market will provide the local community another destination for groceries at the Walmart value price. The store will carry a full line of groceries, including fresh produce, frozen foods, and meat and dairy products. For those on the go, the deli offers hot rotisserie chicken and freshly prepared foods. Customers can pick up cakes and freshly-made bread in the bakery. This store also offers a gluten-free section and organic items.

WalMart will employ about 90 employees at this location and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Which do you prefer, WalMart or Target???

Frisco Mayor, Maher Maso has launched a new “Be Fit Frisco” wellness initiative.  He’s hoping to increase awareness and opportunites for residents to be active and fit.  Here’s some things coming up:

This Sunday, dog lovers and their four legged friends can explore the new Frisco Dog Park at its Grand Opening at 2 pm at B F Phillips Park. 

Celebrating 50 years, the NFL Pass, Punt, and Kick competition takes place Saturday, October 1 from 9am-Noon at Bacchus Park.  This is for kids ages 8-15.

The 10th annual Mother/Son Dance will take place October 8.  “Twisting the Night Away” gives young boys 4-12 years old the enjoyable task of getting Mom out on the dance floor for an evening of fun.

Saturday, October 15 at the Frisco Aquatic Center is the “Celebrate Fitness and Fun” event.  There will be free fitness clinics, health screenings, exhibits and interactive classes from 9am-1pm.  There’s also a Pumpkin Splash Patch so bring your swimsuit to browse the water in search of the perfect Halloween pumpkin.

Do you know of something I’ve left out?

First and foremost is to counter the offer.  Unless you have multiple offers, the best response is always to counter with a price and terms you’re willing to accept.  Most buyers are testing your limits nowadays, afraid they’ll overpay.  When you counter, you signal you’re willing to negotiate.  I advise sellers to counter close to list price which will get rid of buyers who really can’t afford their home.

Secondly, consider the buyers comps.  In situations like this, I always ask the buyers agent exactly what comparable sales they’re using to justify such a low price.  Almost always, the comps the buyer are using are homes that aren’t comparable to ours.  For example, foreclosures are generally not comparable to a lovingly maintained home.  Likewise, homes without updates are not comparable to those that have been brought up to current construction standards.  Neighborhood averages are important…we need to be priced in line with sales in your specific neighborhood.  I sometimes see over-improved homes like having a granite kitchen in a formica neighborhood.  

Finally, check your emotions.    You need to take a deep breath and remain calm and figure out how best to counter the offer.  Most often I advise clients to counter just a bit under list price so we can figure out whether the buyers are serious and to show that we mean business relative to the sales price.  Sellers I work with, list their homes at market value and get very close to list price.  Assuming the list price is right, if you hold firm, the value will soon be recognized by the eventual buyer.

Have you had lowball offers and if so, what strategy did you use?

Kudos to Stonebriar Community Church for being selected by “Web and Designers” as number 8 of 60 top church websites.

Additionally, Chuck Swindoll’s radio ministry has announced plans to build a $14.5 million, 19,000 square foot headquarters building in Frisco!  Insight for Living has purchased seven acres of land for the project, which is to include a bookstore, apartments for visiting pastors and a distribution center.  The development will be near the church at Lebanon and Parkwood.

Gotta love this kind of development in Frisc0

During the summer months of June, July and August, we are open from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for Friday Nights are Family Nights at Frisco Fire Safety Town. Our 2011 season runs from June 3 through August 26 – every Friday night. This event offers families the opportunity to visit after regular business hours. It is a self-paced event with a variety of areas to explore. Bike and jeep rides are offered as tickets remain available. (A short safety guidelines class is required to receive a ticket to ride.) Other activities include, assembling a starter First Aid Kit at the mini-Wal-Mart, storytime in the mini-fire station, watching Barney Visits the Firehouse (filmed at Frisco’s station 5) and, of course, our interactive fire engine and safety house are always open. Firefighters will be on hand to demonstrate our new CORE Construction/Farmers Insurance ‘after the fire’ Theatre. Click here for Friday Nights are Family Nights riding guidelines and FAQs.