Real Estate Fraud… What were you thinking? - 06/28/08 11:54 PM
In my business dealings as a short sale specialist I hear a lot of interesting stories.  I am AMAZED at how many calls each week I get from people who have been victims of real estate and/or mortgage fraud.  They really are victims... because these people's lives have been totally turned upside down.  The stories are all similar, and most leave me wanting to ask, "What were you thinking when you signed those papers?"
I have had Short Sale clients who bought homes as investments sight unseen.  I have had clients who bought homes after being approached by "a friend of a … (12 comments)

KABOOM! It’s nearly Independence Day in the DFW Metroplex - 06/28/08 02:21 PM

The Dallas area has many great Independence Day celebrations to choose from.  My 2 favorites are Kaboom Town in Addison and Dallas' Fair Park Fourth celebration (held at Dallas' Fair Park, site of the Cotton Bowl and Texas State Fair).  What's even nicer about these 2 events is that these events are FREE... and you can actually attend BOTH without missing anything since Addison' Kaboom Town takes place on the evening of July 3!
Kaboom Town (http://www.addisontexas.net/events/kaboomtown/) is an all evening celebration featuring live music performances, historic airplane flyovers and a fantastic fireworks display set to music.  It begins Thursday … (3 comments)

It’s 2004… again! - 06/26/08 01:37 AM
I listen to the news, I read the news, I watch the news... and some days it seems no matter how I get the news, the news echoes from media outlet to media outlet.  The news item that has been echoing over the past day or so and that has me thinking a lot is actually a side observation from the recent report about national home prices that was released on Tuesday.
Dallas fared very well compared to the national numbers, but overall, the report indicated that home prices nationally have retreated to 2004 levels.  2004... that's 4 years ago!  I … (6 comments)

Are your Buyers prepared for Condo living? - 06/21/08 03:03 PM
The diversity of condominium owners makes for very lively "discussions" about associations rules and their enforcement.  Prior to purchasing a condominium, every buyer receives a copy of the by-laws and rules governing the community, yet it seems that often condo buyers are unprepared for the "compromises" that community living requires.  All the time I hear about condo neighbors throwing very loud parties that go late into the night (or early into the morning) as well as loud stereos, home theater systems with surround sound that makes items hung on shared walls vibrate or fall down, and even misuse of common areas … (30 comments)

Keeping Your Cool about A/C and Electicity Costs - 06/20/08 12:23 AM
If you or someone you know are building a new home or replacing an older central A/C unit, one of the key items you need to look at on the replacement unit is the SEER number.SEER is Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Like gas mileage for a car, the higher the SEER number, the better.Good Morning Texas, a local Dallas morning TV show, reported that 19 SEER A/C units are the most efficient that are available today. The City of Dallas only requires 13 SEER currently, but replacing older units with a 19 SEER unit, proper sizing, checking ducts for leaks, insulating ducts, can reduce the … (7 comments)

Dallas' Mockingbird Lane: A game of tit for tat? - 06/14/08 10:37 PM
There is a mini-drama playing out here in North Texas.  And before it's over it could get both ugly and costly for drivers.
One of the main thoroughfares in the Dallas area is Mockingbird Lane.  Mockingbird Lane (which is named after the state bird of Texas, not after the street that Darrin and Samantha lived on in the TV show Bewitched) is an East-West surface road ranging from 2 to 6 lanes depending on the location.
According to news reports, more than 18,000 drivers a day use Mockingbird Lane to cut from East Dallas, through Highland Park to get out to the … (10 comments)

For my Dad: Fathers Day 2008 - 06/14/08 10:03 PM
My dad taught me a lot about life and a lot about Real Estate.  He taught me many life lessons... to play fairly, get along with others, treat others as you would wish to be treated, don't ever compromise your ethics or integrity, don't be afraid of hard work, and perhaps most importantly, that life is not always fair.
Many of these lessons apply to my Real Estate career.  Dad has been a REALTOR® for 30 years in South Florida, as an agent, a broker, first in Coral Springs and more recently in the Boca Raton and Delray Beach areas.  You … (8 comments)

HAPPY FLAG DAY! - 06/14/08 12:51 PM
Celebrated in the United States each year on June 14, Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which occurred by resolution of the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.
Fly our flag proudly and especially today, please take a moment to remember those who are far from home fighting to protect our right to fly her and those who have given their life for the freedoms we all enjoy daily!

… (5 comments)

But really... they had good intentions: Re-naming Dallas’ Industrial Boulevard - 06/12/08 01:52 AM
On May 26 I posted The re-naming of Industrial Boulevard in Dallas.  I wrote about the public poll/vote to rename Dallas' Industrial Boulevard as part of the Trinity River redevelopment project.  The public opinion poll offered choices of 4 names that featured descriptive aspects of the redevelopment and 2 names in honor of famous Dallasites.  Well, the question of the day around Dallas City Hall is "What if they threw an election and the people voted wrong?"
Over 20,000 votes were cast in the public poll which ran for a week.  Of the votes cast, more than 52% voted to rename … (7 comments)

Transit Oriented Developments: A way of life for North Texas and our changing times - 06/12/08 01:23 AM
I'm a big believer in "The Ripple Effect" and I see it all around me.
In fact, my AR blog post was about the Ripple Effect of Foreclosure.  Later, I wrote on the Ripple Effect of declining property tax appraisal growth.  I have also written posts on the effects of light rail mass transit and Transit Oriented Developments (TOD's) in the Dallas area including Word-a-palooza - Part Deux: A TOD Update and Dallas and Garland - Those TODdling Towns!  I see the growing popularity of TOD's as sort of a Ripple Effect of rising gas prices and the more general trend toward a more … (6 comments)

Short Sale Opportunity - 921 Richards Dr., Cedar Hill, TX - 06/10/08 09:03 PM
SOLD

… (4 comments)

Short Sale Opportunity - 2113 Laughlin Road, Fort Worth - 06/08/08 11:30 AM
SOLD

… (4 comments)

Dallas and Garland – Those TODdling Towns! - 06/03/08 11:39 PM
I recently made several posts referencing Transit Oriented Developments (a/k/a TOD's).  A TOD is a development project (usually mixed use or residential that is adjacent or in very close proximity to mass transit (usually rail, such as DART Rail).
 
Perhaps Dallas has never had a lot of TOD oriented projects until recently because the Metroplex's historical method of mass transit has been the less than glamorous bus.  But as DART Rail ridership continues to grow, the network expands and gas prices rise to historically high levels, so have the number of TOD's in Dallas (developments such The West Village, the … (2 comments)

 
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Steve Shatsky - Dallas Real Estate & Short Sale Specialist (214)213-0340

Dallas, TX

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