Birmingham House in Downtown Wylie
We have had a good 12.5″ of snow in the Dallas area, the most snow in a single snowfall in recorded history. Our children have had a ball (and many snowballs) playing in it. Take a look at what local photographers are seeing in our many wonderful communities:
Sage Creek Community
Creekside Estates Community
Texas Snowman
Golfing Snowman
Rosie the Snowlady
Igloos in Texas
Hula Snowlady
Our Junky Cluttered Shelves
With all of this snow, the kids outside (and occupied), and a whole day when nobody expects you to drive anywhere, what to do?
This is a perfect opportunity to de-clutter. Even if you aren’t planning a move, those little stacks of paper here and there can weigh on your mind (and wallet, if forgotten bills are in there). All of those random little framed photos with eclectic frames? You may not realize it, but too many of those in a cluster sure look junky. The photo here is my living room. I’m looking at it and NOT excited about doing anything about it, I confess.
I have bought empty photo albums for those photos, and tried to narrow it down to just a few current images (or particularly adorable ones); but, getting the job done after buying all of those supplies is a whole different story. Today is my day. We forgot to stock up on beer before the snow, so I may as well…
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Evidence of Global Warming: Igloos in Dallas
Despite a slow market and a slight decrease in the resale value of most remodeling projects, Realtors® report that the smartest home improvement investments may also be some of the least expensive. Results from the 2009 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report show that…
read more here
Angie Stephens
Ebby Halliday Realtors
Collin County Texas Homes
469-236-9899
Exterior Remodel
| Exterior Remodeling Proves Best Bang for Your Buck, Realtors® Report |
| Despite a slow market and a slight decrease in the resale value of most remodeling projects, Realtors® report that the smartest home improvement investments may also be some of the least expensive. Results from the 2009 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report show that small-scale exterior projects are the most profitable at resale, according to estimates by Realtors® who completed a recent survey.On a national level, eight out of the top 10 projects in terms of costs recouped were exterior replacement projects that cost less than $14,000. Certain types of door and siding replacements, as well as wood deck additions all returned more than 80 percent of project costs upon resale. A steel entry door replacement – a new addition to this year’s list – recouped 128.9 percent of costs, followed by upscale fiber-cement sliding replacements at 83.6 percent. Wood deck additions recouped 80.6 percent of costs. Read more from this study here.Source: National Association of REALTORS® |
As usual, the January/February issue of D Home magazine is full of spectacular DFW homes
– including a few Dallas homes for sale by The Ebby Halliday Companies. read more…
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and love is in the air. And that loving feeling was more than apparent for the making of two Ebby Halliday Valentine’s Day ads, which took place over the past week.
We teamed up with The Wedding Party Studio in the State Thomas area of Uptown Dallas to add a little Hollywood to some picture perfect Ebby listings that would be ideal for newlyweds to call home.
With wedding season looming on the horizon, plus the extension of the first time homebuyer tax credit and low interest rates, now is the perfect time to buy a home – and so our Valentine’s Day ad theme was born.
The Wedding Party Studio pulled out all the stops – a bride, groom, gowns, shoes, hair, makeup, photographers, etc. We worked with some of the best wedding vendors in the business. Many of you know firsthand that it takes a lot of work to plan a wedding over the course of several months – but The Wedding Party Studio planned two distinct looks, tailored specifically to the locations, in a matter of hours.
The National Association of Realtors® has joined forces with the National Community Stabilization Trust to help rebuild American communities devastated by the foreclosure crisis. The collaboration will bring Realtors and the more than 1,400 state and local Realtor® associations into a side-by-side relationship with leading national nonprofits, as well as with state and local leaders, to develop comprehensive and targeted plans to rebuild communities. “Realtors® build communities and have the market expertise and property transaction tools to help local housing organizations understand local market conditions and how to put foreclosed houses back into the hands of stable homeowners,” said NAR President Vicki Cox Golder. Read more on NAR’s Neighborhood Stabilization Project.
photo credit: theperksofbeing_alyssa
photo credit: computationally.intractable
On January 20, 2010, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced major changes to ensure its long-term financial soundness. NAR has met with the FHA Commissioner on several occasions to discuss the state of the housing market and to underscore FHA’s invaluable role. By all accounts the new changes are a victory for home buyers. FHA has carefully balanced the need to make financial reforms with the need to keep FHA available to a large segment of consumers. This is evident by retaining the 3.5 percent minimum down payment requirement and allowing the upfront mortgage insurance premium to be financed.
FHA announced changes in the following areas: 1) The upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) will increase but may be financed; 2) Borrowers with a credit score below 580 will be required to have at least a 10 percent down payment, however, the minimum down payment will remain at 3.5 percent for all other borrowers; 3) FHA will seek legislative authority to increase the annual premium (currently capped at .55 percent); and 4) Seller concessions will be reduced to 3 percent from 6 percent.
On January 21, 2010, FHA released Mortgagee Letter 2010-02 and 2010-03, which provide details on the UFMIP increase and new procedures for terminating lenders underwriting authority for FHA insured mortgages. The UFMIP increased to 2.25 percent up from 1.75 percent for purchase mortgages and streamline refinances. ML 2010-03 states that HUD will review defaults and claims of approved lenders every 3 months. Lenders will be evaluated based on their default rate within the geographic area served by a HUD office and a default rate that also exceeds the national rate.
FrameChannel will update those digital frames on your mantle automatically
I get fussed at, sometimes, for not being on top of keeping our relatives stocked with recent jpegs to upload into their digital photo frames. A few years ago, when those frames were the hottest toy on the store shelves when December rolled around and adults needed to buy gifts for each other, we all lined up for them. I have one that we never were able to figure out, collecting dust somewhere. My dad wanted one to keep at a vacation home, and I’m painfully bad about remembering to send updated shots. Now, I have a new hot toy to figure out: FrameChannel. It will update dad’s photo frame (once set up) from cyberspace!
FrameChannel is a free service that allows you to share your photos with your friends and family by streaming content directly to their digital picture frames (they don’t have to do a thing).
On Saturday, January 23, Ebby will travel to New York City to be a guest on the number-one rated weekend hit “HUCKABEE” at 7pm (CST) on the Fox News Channel. Former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is the host and will talk to Ebby about her book, her 99th birthday, successes and challenges, life philosophies and plans for the future.
The Show will air Saturday, January 23 at 7 p.m. (CST) and reruns will air Sunday, January 24 at 7pm (CST), 10pm (CST) and 1am (CST/Jan. 25) on The Fox News Channel. This is the national station, not the local KDFW Fox 4. Check your local cable/satellite guide to locate the FOX News Channel.
Ebby is giving the live studio audience copies of her book “Ebby Halliday: The First Lady of Real Estate” and has some plans to entertain Gov. Huckabee, who is an avid musician.
Ebby Halliday on Mike Huckabee: will she break out the ukelele?
In addition to the “HUCKABEE,” show, he is heard three times daily across the nation on the “Huckabee Report” on the Citadel Media Network, and is the author of six books, the most recent being “Do the Right Thing,” which spent its first seven weeks of release in the top 10 of The New York Times Bestseller list.
Angie Stephens
179 N. Plano Road
Richardson, TX 7581
(469) 236-9899
