In addition to scheduling showing appointments, the showing service will email the buyer’s real estate agent 4x requesting feedback on the showing.  When the feedback is received the showing service will email both the seller and me with the feedback.  The automated email request is effective at receiving feedback for about 70% of the showings. 

But is there any value in the showing feedback?  Yes, but not as much as I would like.  Why??  Because the majority of the feedback is fluff.  Blame it on the mothers of real estate agents who told them “If you can’t say something nice, ssh say nothing”.  When I am representing clients as a buyer’s agent I am just as much to blame.  I don’t have the heart to tell sellers their house is dirty, smells, is too cluttered, or the wall paint is too loud.  Instead I will usually say “floor plan did not work” and move on with my work. 

So how does a seller get valueable feedback?  Hire a Realtor® who is not afraid to tell you the truth.  A Realtor® who will help you stage your house and identify the things that need to be done to get your house sold.  

One truthful opinion is good but how can a seller get more truthful opinions?  My real estate broker,Prudential Gary Greene Realtors, solution is to coordinate a weekly tour of the listings taken by its real estate agents. This service is one of the reasons as to why I have chosen  Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors to serve as my real estate broker. The agents in my office tour our listings and provide a no fluff only honest feedback to help our sellers get their houses sold.

Read also:  30 Things to do before putting your house on the market

Below is a summary of the home buyer tax credit provided by the National Association of REALTORS®:

If you were still working on getting your credit into shape or maybe you just weren’t finding the perfect Spring Texas house for sale to call “home”, relax because you have been given a little extra time to claim your share of FREE money from the U.S. government. 

You haven’t missed out on low interest rates either because the interest rate for a 30-year FHA mortgage is still hovering in the low 5 percent range.  The mortgage interest rates are going to have to rise over the next couple of years because its not possible for rates to continue to remain this low.  What should you expect the interest rates to increase over the next couple of years?  The Mortgage Bankers Association predicts the 30-year fixed rate to be 5.6% by the end of 2010, 6.1% by the end of 2011, and 6.4% by the end of 2012.  These are still low rates if you compare them to the 10% interest rates we experienced in the early 1990s.

This time around the home buyer tax credit is not just for first time home buyers. If you have used your home as your primary residence for 5 consecutive years of the last 8 years, you too can get a little FREE money up to $6,500 from our government on the purchase of a new (”move-up”) home.  Not too shabby.

I am eligible for what I will call the “move-up” tax credit but I love my house and it fits my needs so I am going to stay where I am at.

Over the last couple of weeks I have seen many erroneous headlines regarding the extension of the first time home buyer tax credit including this one which showed up in my email box this morning “FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER EXTENSION IS FINAL!!”.  For the bloggers and writers of these articles its time to go back to school by viewing this video on how a bill actually becomes a law.  The first time homebuyer tax credit extension is NOT final.  It moved one step closer to becoming final but it is not there yet.  

If the first time homebuyer extension does become final and there is a good chance it will, first time homebuyers will have until April 30th, 2010 to get into contract on a home and receive a tax credit up to $8,000.  The fine print is the house has to close by June 30th, 2010.  The income qualifications have been increased to $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples. 

Another part of the bill which hopefully will spur some activity in the Spring Texas real estate market is the inclusion of a tax credit for move up buyers.  If a buyer has owned his current home for the last 5 years, he will be eligible for a $6,500 tax credit.

It is very probable that the first time homebuyer tax credit will be extended and expanded but its not there yet.  Stay tuned!!

See if you recognize any of the Celebrities whom have either been born, raised, or lived in Spring Texas:

1.  Lyle Lovett (musician): probably the most recognized name with Spring Texas roots.  Lyle is the great, great grandson of Adam Klein, the founder of Klein Texas.  Lyle and his family still own many acres of land in Spring Texas including a stretch along Spring Cypress.

2.  Matt Bomer (actor):  was born in Spring Texas and graduated from Klein High School. Matt’s latest role is the starring role as a criminal fighting crime in “White Collar” a show on the USA Network.

3.  Lee Pace(actor): was raised in Spring Texas and graduated from Klein High School. Lee has several credits to his name including roles in “Pushing Daisies”, “Wonderfalls”, and “the Good Shepherd”.

4.  Sherry Stringfield (actress): was born in Colorado Springs but mainly raised in Spring Texas.  She also graduated from Klein High School. You may remember her from her role on “E.R.”

5.  Chad Hedrick (Olympic Medalist): was born in Spring Texas.  Chad won five gold medals during the 2006 Winter Olympics.

6.  Laura Wilkinson (Olympic Medalist): was raised in Spring Texas and graduated from Klein High School. Laura has won several platform diving medals at the Olympics, World Cup, and Goodwill Games.

7.  Josh Beckett(MLB pitcher): was born and raised in Spring Texas. Josh has played for the Florida Marlins and the Boston Red Soxs. In 2003, Josh received the World Series MVP Award. In 2008, Josh recorded his 1,000th career strikeout.

8.  Eddie Steeples (actor): was born and raised in Spring Texas and graduated from Klein Oak High School.  In 2004, he made People magazine’s list of “World’s Sexiest Men”.  Some of Eddie’s most recognized roles were his role as the ”Rubber Band Man” in the Office Max ads and his role of Darnell Turner in the NBC Sitcom “My Name is Earl”.

Do you know of any other Celebrities whom have called Spring Texas “Home”?

But wait!  Who is going to do the repairs?  Is the sellers’ cousin, Jim Bob, who is a self-proclaimed “Handyman Rock Star” going to do the repairs?  Or are the sellers going to contribute money towards your closing costs in lieu of doing the repairs leaving you with the hassle of coordinating the repairs after closing?

Repairs are a hassle because you have to secure the quotes, schedule the repairs and then hope the contractors are on time, and finally approve the repairs. Easy to understand why neither buyers nor sellers want to handle the repairs.

If I am representing the buyers in the real estate transaction, I want the sellers to contribute money towards the buyers closing costs in lieu of repairs.  Since my clients are getting ready to move into the house, their idea of how a repair should be done will more than likely be different than the sellers.  The sellers won’t be living in the house too much longer and are not going to be concerned with how long the repair lasts. 

If I am representing the sellers in the real estate transaction, I want the sellers to contribute money towards the buyers closing costs in lieu of repairs.  If I have the sellers handle the repairs there is a possiblity the buyers may not agree the repairs were done properly.  If the buyers don’t agree the repairs were done or done properly, the buyers could either delay or cancel the closing.  

In some real estate transactions the sellers have already agreed to contribute the maximum amount allowable by the lender to the buyers closing costs.  Leaving the seller no choice but to handle the repairs.  In this situation I advise my sellers to have the contractors do exactly what is written on the repair amendment and for the repair receipt to also match word for word what is written on the repair amendment.  I want to eliminate the potential for disagreement by the buyers. 

I can’t make my clients follow my advise on how to handle repairs.  I wish I could though. Especially when one of the pitfalls I was trying to protect them from occurs.

Read also:

• When you sell your Spring Texas home what stays with the home?
• Who repairs the nail holes?

Have you been wondering when the new HEB at FM 2920 and Spring Cypress is going to open just like Rick and I have been?  Well the suspense but not the wait is over. 

On our way home from Chuy’s last night, we cruised the HEB parking lot and asked an HEB employee with the first name of Michael when the store was scheduled to open.  The answer … drum roll, please  ….  November 11th, 2009.  

You may be saying what’s the big deal about the opening of a new HEB store?  Its only a grocery store. You are right it is only a grocery store but it is a grocery store I shop at frequently because it has excellent produce, meat, and prepared foods and it is also about the additional convenience it will bring.  

Currently the closest HEB to my house in Spring Texas is 15 minutes away.  The HEB at FM2920 and Spring Cypress will be 5 minutes away.   Ten minutes each way means I will be able to get my weekly grocery shopping, which I don’t like doing , done 20 minutes sooner.  Yea!!

November 11th can not arrive soon enough for me because I am not very good at waiting.  I have already had to wait during the 5+ months of construction while the HEB store was being built and that is long enough for someone who hates waiting.  Hopefully the days will go by quickly between now and November 11th.

My old phone was used for primarily one purpose which was to make and receive calls and take voicemail messages.  Nothing else. The phone did increase my productivity by allowing me to be mobile but that was it. 

The iPhone does answer calls like my old phone did but it does much much more.  With over 75,000+ Apps available in the App Store at times it is rather daunting shifting through them to locate the ones that are useful because there are a good share of junk Apps too.

I can truthfully say I have deeply fallen in LOVE with my iPhone.  It and its APPs have significantly increased my productivity.  I know the iPhone is not going to be the best phone for all professions but if you are a Real Estate Agent you need to get the iPhone. It is the best smart phone available.

Must have iPhone Apps for Real Estate:

Charter Agent – Extremely useful financial App that estimate buyers closing costs and monthly payments and it can create estimated sellers net sheets.

iPod- Increase your productivity during your drive time by listening to educational real estate podcasts.  Some of my favorite real estate podcasts are “The Week in Real Estate” , “RETomato Radio“, and “The Tech Byte”.

Mail – Clients expect you to respond quickly to email and not at the end of the day when you are back  in your office.  Getting email on your phone gives you the tool to provide better customer service. 

MLS (Multiple Listing Service) - On the way to the house you made an appointment to view another house catches your buyers eye

Offender Locator – Answers your buyers question of “How many sex offenders live close by this house?”

Evernote – I am still discovering how to use this organizer / note taker to its full potential. You can create to do lists via voice and text plus send photos.  No need to worry about pens to write a note as long as you have your iPhone with you.  

365 Holidays – Before writing in the closing date on your real estate contract quickly check to see if the date falls on a Holiday. 

Compass – Easily answer your clients questions of which direction the front door is facing or easily identify which rooms in the house are going to receive the most sun exposure and be the hardest to cool. 

Around Me - uses your location and provides a list of nearby grocery stores, hospitals, and restaurants.  If its time for lunch and your buyers want Chinese food use this App to find the closest Chinese restaurant in Spring Texas. 

Flashlight – Not as bright as a regular flashlight but will help you find the keyhole of the front door when you are having to show your buyers a home at night. 

Camera – Do your buyers want to be able to remember a unique feature of a house but realize they forgot their camera?  No worries.  Just snap a couple of quick photos with your iPhone.

Maps - Easier to transport and use than the GPS in your car this APP will pinpoint your location and provide you directions to the next house on your house hunting tour.

Calendar - Before parting ways with your buyer plan a date for your next house hunting outing.  No need to wait until you get back to the office and check your calendar.  The calendar also syncs up with Microsoft Office.

Pizza Hut – A must have App for when the showings for your buyers run late and you just don’t feel like cooking.  The great thing about this App is Pizza Hut gives you a 20% discount on your order when you use the App.

What are your favorite iPhone APPs real estate related or non-real estate related?

When my husband, Rick and I were searching for what would become our first home in Spring Texas, we did our homework.  We viewed numerous houses, checked out subdivisions, and when we had narrowed our choice down to three homes I created a spreadsheet of the pluses and minuses for each of the homes. 

Anyone who knows me would not be surprised that I created a spreadsheet.  I can’t help it. I love numbers.  So much so that I majored in Accounting in college.  

Back to the pluses and minuses.  My analysis included cost of home ownership (taxes, annual HOA fees, price of home), school district, the homes amenities, floor plan, and their locations. The home we chose and still live in today was a great combination of all of the above and the home’s pluses far outweighed the pluses of the other homes we were considering. 

One of the attributes I rated as a plus in my housing analysis was a corner lot. Not that I am anti-social but I liked the idea of having one less neighbor.  If you are familiar with the lot sizes especially of the newer subdivisions in Spring Texas you would understand why I wanted to have a little more room between me and the neighbors. 

The funny thing about pluses and minuses is sometimes a plus is really a minus in disguise.  Slowly but surely the minus will reveal itself.  As was the case in my discovery of the minus sides of living in the house on the corner.  

In exchange for less neighbors, I received more streets and more sidewalks.  Due to our house’s floor plan, more streets became a minus of living on the corner.  Our master bedroom is located on the street side at the back of the house.  Plus our house is located at the end of a long street.  Yes, we do live in a residential subdivision with a 30 mph speed limit but if I owned a radar gun I know I would be clocking a lot of the cars that fly by bedroom at a speed much higher than 30 miles per hour.  Good thing I am not a light sleeper because otherwise the additional road noise would be bothersome. 

 My subdivision is home to a lot of dog lovers.  Big dogs, small dogs, fat dogs, and skinny dogs, I see them all when they are out for a walk with their owners.  The majority of the time the dog’s owners have a little or big plastic bag in their pocket ready to pick up after their pet.  The dogs must know when their owners do not have a plastic bag because they seem to wait until they reach my side yard before they do their business.  Maybe its my own fault because I have made my side yard look too park like.  Or maybe its because I have twice the sidewalks of other houses and thus my chances increase.  What I do know is I rarely receive dog presents in my front yard while I frequently receive them in my side yard.  A minus of living in the house on the corner. 

When its time for me to move to another house would I want to live in another house on the corner?  Absolutely!!  I would just be a little wiser knowing that some pluses can also be minuses.

Read also:

• Sidewalks – Are they important to you?
• Is this a good neighborhood?
• How No Zoning impacts the future resale value of your Spring Texas home

I wish HGTV would come and do an episode for their “Designed to Sell” program in Spring Texas because I suspect the open house would have very different results.  Over the last 6 years, I have sold houses through an open house.  The buyers visited the open house fell in love with the open house and a couple of days later we had the house under contract.  This has happened exactly 2 times.  Yes, only 2 times in a 6 year period.  Doing a rough calculation of how many open houses either I personally or another real estate agent from my office held one of my listings open the total would be 120 open houses.  Two sales for 120 open houses is a  1.7% probability of an open house selling your house. 

Granted I did not do a scientific study and my sample was taken from only my experience so there is room for error.  The point is the likelihood of your Spring Texas house selling as a result of an open house is very small.  I don’t know if the 2 buyers who did purchase the house through an open house would not have bought the house if they had not attended the open house.  They could have been exposed to the house online and decided to attend the open house instead of scheduling a private showing. 

Why are more houses in Spring Texas NOT sold via an open house?  I believe it is due to the increase in the buyers use of the Internet in their search for a home.  The last number I saw published had 87% of the buyers using the Internet in the search for a home.  Maybe the remaining 13% buyers are the ones who are attending the open houses. 

With the abundance of information available to buyers online including multiple photos, satellite maps, listing details, virtual tours, and YouTube videos driving around looking for open houses is just not an efficient use of a buyer’s time.

But if open houses are not effective, why are real estate agents still holding open houses? Either because their sellers want them or they are hoping to pick up buyers from the open house.  I do very few open houses and I still get my sellers houses sold.  If I was better at picking up buyers from open houses I might do more open houses.  But I am not, so I don’t.  If my sellers want their houses held open, I will schedule and advertise the open house on the Internet.  But instead of personally holding the house open, I will have a real estate agent from my office who wants to pick up buyers and is better at it hold the open house.

Read also:

• Does your listing have Web Appeal?

The cooler temperatures have me thinking about pumpkins and Halloween.  A great place to pick out your own pumpkin to decorate is at Plants for all seasons. They are located at 6610 Louetta Spring TX 77379 and have a big pumpkin patch filled with pumpkins of all sizes and some interesting gourds too.

 Instead of using smelly markers or performing surgery and then having to scrape out the pumpkins inards, I chose the less mess way to decorate pumpkins this year.  I took a picture of the pumpkins in the Plants for all seasons pumpkin patch and uploaded it to the Picnik.com website.  I have been using the photo editing tools at Picnik.com for some time now.  They have some creative and easy photo editing tools that allow me to quickly edit the photos I take for our Spring Texas real estate blogsite.

Here’s a photo of my decorated pumpkins.  What do you think?  Do you think I could win a pumpkin decorating contest?  Maybe not.  But I did have fun decorating them.