prosper tx homes: Collin County, TX: Off the market does not always mean unavailable. - 10/29/10 07:36 PM
Today, one of my listings that came off the market in Prosper, TX is being shown to a prospective buyer.  That listing actually came off the market a couple of weeks ago.  The owner decided not to sell the house.  That was, until a buyer made contact through their agent and asked me if this home was still available.  We reactivated the listing, for this buyer, and they are touring it now.  They have no competition for this home.  Nobody else is aware the home is available.  And, the owner is thrilled that this buyer liked their home enough from the marketing … (1 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX: Affordable homes of Prosper, Texas - 10/28/10 06:12 PM
With one of the highest home sale averages in the DFW Metroplex, Prosper, TX is a hot commodity.  But, don't assume there are no affordable housing options in Prosper, Texas.  Luxury homes are defined in DFW as homes with a price over $350,000.  In Prosper, I consider the luxury market to start at $300,000.  But, all of these Prosper neighborhoods contain homes that are much more affordable:
Glenbrooke
Legacy Homes is down to a single spec home left before they are all closed out in Glenbrooke.  D.R. Horton is still building.  Starting in the $140,000's, this neighborhood sits on the Western … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX: A regular maintenance schedule for gas fixtures is suggested. - 10/22/10 08:55 AM
You moved to Prosper, TX.  You love your home.  You change your air filters out quarterly.  You mow your lawn every week.  You put out fresh mulch in the landscaping once a year.  You run your sprinklers when we don't have steady rainfall.  Is this the extent of your home maintenance schedule? 
Someone who has become a good friend to me in the past ten years is the local plumber.  Believe it or not, he is the one contractor who gets called out to homes more than any other, in the course of my home sale transactions.  But, it isn't usually … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX: What the foreclosure freeze may mean for you - 10/14/10 10:26 AM
In my humble opinion, the foreclosure freeze has been a long-time coming.  The foreclosures and short sales have been handled in such a way that (again, in my opinion), there isn't a big bank out there that should pat themselves on the back for the handling of these properties.
As a home seller in Prosper, TX - what does the foreclosure freeze mean to you?
1.  Those foreclosure properties are currently 'off the market'.  This creates opportunity for you.  Qualified buyers in our area look at foreclosures, but I've found them buy normal resale homes or new construction in higher numbers.  … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX home buyers: Using SOLD comps to guide your home purchase - 10/11/10 04:52 PM
If you are looking to purchase a home in Prosper, TX in October, you'll very likely be using 30-day sale comps to compose your offer.  Here's what the last 30-day sale comps show us in Prosper:
16 total home sales in the last 30 calendar days, as opposed to 22 homes sold in the 30-days prior
6 of those sales had sale prices above $100/sf
8 of those sales had sale prices above $91/sf
12 of those sales were of 4-bedroom homes
11 of those sales were of homes with 3 or more garage spaces
The average days on market was … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX 75078 home sellers: Make sure your home is in MLS Area 59/Sub-Area 1 - 10/03/10 04:37 PM
In scanning the 168 active homes in the MLS in Prosper, TX today, I noticed that some agents have entered the area and subarea incorrectly.  This can be disastrous for a home sale, since many agents search for properties by the MLS geographic area.  The correct Area for Prosper, TX is 59.  The subarea is 1.  Every home listing in Prosper, TX should be using this combination. 
Area 31/1 - Denton County, North of Hwy 380.  This designation is really for unincorporated parts of Denton County.  Prosper, TX is in Collin County.  Why might an agent use area 31?  Could be innocent mistake, where they … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX home sellers: Make sure your schools are named in the MLS listing! - 09/30/10 06:36 PM
The #1 factor for most home buyers I've encountered in DFW over the last ten years has been buying a home in a good school district.  The buyers, in many cases, like to research the schools ahead of their initial visit to the area.  Not providing them with reliable school data on the MLS is a big opportunity missed.  Prosper, Texas is known for having EXCELLENT schools.  Our reputation is far-reaching.  But, many agents are still posting just a general E=Prosper, M=Prosper, H=Prosper on the MLS listing.  That was fine in 2008, when none of the schools in Prosper were named … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX: The bargain basement sale of homes under $350,000! - 09/25/10 11:49 AM
If you have ever been to a bargain basement sale (picture ladies at a Vera Wang wedding dress clearance sale), you know the knock-down, drag-out, hair-pulling, foot-stomping rush that can happen when items are deeply discounted and in shorter supply.  That is the only way I can describe the Prosper, TX suburban housing market at this point in time.  Last year, it was first-time home buyers scooping up homes.  This year, our buyer market is heavier with investors - grabbing up flips and investment properties to convert to rentals.  Move-ups and move-downs are happening all over town.  And, retirees are looking to Texas as … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX: Don't lower your price until you increase your marketing! - 09/19/10 08:52 PM
There are only 174 active homes in Prosper, TX in the North Texas MLS as of this morning.  We do have activity in our area.  After all, we have been one of the hottest growth markets in Texas.  But, we also have homeowners who are shaking their heads and wondering why their home hasn't been selected yet by a buyer?  Before you put through a price reduction, stop and review the marketing attached to your home listing, and make sure that you are getting all the exposure that you can be getting.  Here are some common problems with marketing strategies on … (1 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, Texas home buyers: USDA 0-down loans are back! - 09/15/10 12:06 PM
USDA IS BACK!According to my loan officer friends, USDA didn't have funding for making new loans for a while, but USDA is back.  As a reminder, this is a ZERO down payment loan for stimulating growth in designated rural properties. Prosper, Texas is within the geographic mapping boundaries of the USDA government loan program.  Also included in the boundary are Oak Point, Little Elm, Denton County unincorporated land in Frisco (Wynnwood Haven on Lewisville Lake is one of those areas), Savannah, Providence Village, Lakewood Village and part of The Colony.  The USDA has increased the up-front mortgage insurance fee, called a Guarantee Fee, … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Another divorce, and the possible lost opportunity for a listing. - 09/13/10 01:43 PM
It has only happened to me twice in ten years, so I consider myself fortunate, but I just found out that one of my clients put their home on the market with a different agent when they decided to get a divorce.  I have heard this story over and over again in the last couple of years.  Financial hardship can really put a strain on a marriage.  The normal odds of a marriage are only 50/50, at best.  So, we know as agents that we are going to encounter this from time to time over the course of our real estate … (2 comments)

prosper tx homes: Do not ignore the fence when considering a home for purchase - 09/12/10 08:03 PM
Have you priced out fencing these days?  It isn't cheap.  But, I find more buyers seem to be concerned with the countertop materials in the kitchen than with the condition of the fencing at most homes they are considering.  Don't overlook that fence.  Fencing these days can cost a lot more than granite countertops.  The last buyer I sold in Prosper, TX was considering updating a home that was built in 2003 and had laminate countertops and a fence that was showing signs of warping.  If the builders in some Prosper neighborhoods shorted us on anything, I'd say it was the original … (5 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, Texas homes for lease: Only 7 available homes - 09/10/10 12:33 PM
Right now is the leanest the residential leasing market has been all year in Prosper, Texas.  There are only seven (7) homes available for rent.  The rentals range from $1195 per month to $5500 per month.  The majority of the homes are over 3,000 square feet of living space, and built after 2003.  Two of the seven are sitting on 1.5 acres.  All seven are in the renowned Prosper school district.  Three of the homes are also offered for sale.  And, one isn't currently in the MLS system. 
By comparison, we've had an excellent year, so far, of matching landlords and tenants in Prosper, … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Rainy days are great days for showing houses! - 09/08/10 09:12 AM
When I went into real estate, I vowed not to only work in fair weather, which is most of what we see in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.  But, I vowed to work in all weather conditions.  If the post office can deliver the mail in snow, sleet, and pounding rain, then I could sell a home in those less-than-idyllic weather conditions, too.
What I learned through the years, by showing in all sorts of weather, is that rainy days are great days for showing houses!  If we're lucky enough to see consecutive rain days, then day 2 is even better than … (7 comments)

prosper tx homes: "Our real estate agent doesn't seem to have our best interest at heart". - 08/23/10 02:49 PM
I spoke to a couple today who wants me to take over their listing and help them find their next home in Collin County.  They already have an agent.  But, they sought me out and asked for me to take on their home sale as soon as they can terminate their current listing.  When I asked the reason they want to change agents, their response was "our real estate agent doesn't seem to have our best interest at heart".  Not the first time I've heard that.  But, what is a seller really saying?
1.  Their agent isn't communicating with them.
They … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX: Your market recovered. Why are you still giving away you equity? - 08/22/10 09:54 AM
It would almost be funny, if it weren't so sad.  North Texas worked it's way out of a recession between Summer 2008 and Summer 2009.  We've seen steady improvement in our housing market since then.  But, I see some people in Prosper reducing the price of their homes and continuing to give away equity that they earned in their home.  They blame the economy, but that isn't really the reason.
When I list a home in Prosper, Texas now, in 2010, I am brutally honest with my homeowners.  You have to be, or you are just wasting everyone's time.  If condition … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX: That's not a garage - that's a monster garage / workshop / art studio / party barn! - 08/18/10 08:02 AM
This is Texas.  Bigger is better, right?  This is Prosper, Texas.  Home of the McMansion.  Big, beautiful homes average more than 3500sf on great big lots.  3-car garages are pretty much the norm here.  But, you can also find homes with more garage spaces.  Attached garages and detached garages.  All shapes and sizes.  Some of them almost too nice to be given the label GARAGE.  So, we agents start calling them GARAGE/WORKSHOP, MONSTER GARAGE, ART STUDIO, or PARTY BARN. 
When you begin touring homes, you are hopefully 1. Represented by a local real estate agent, and 2. Well versed in your home search criteria.  You … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX home buyers: Be careful what you ask for - you may just get it. - 08/11/10 10:27 AM
As a home buyer moving to a new area, it can be hard to know how to ask the right questions.  Agents don't always make the search easy on you.  Sometimes, you get exactly what you ask for.  The problem with that is, you don't always see every home that may have interested you.  The example I want to share today illuminates the different responses you could get to the question, "How many homes are available for purchase in Prosper, Texas?".  Seems like a simple enough question, right?  But, there can actually be six correct answers to that question:
1.  There are … (0 comments)

prosper tx homes: Tech-savvy Realtors are using linkedin.com as a replacement for the old rolodex - 07/26/10 06:07 PM
Are you a painter, roofer, electrician, plumber, general handyman, carpet/upholstery cleaner, or some other contractor?  Are you linked in with the Collin County Realtors?  If not, you are missing a huge source of referral business.  In the last 2.5 years, many of us have lost our favorite contractors during the economic downturn, and we're looking to build new alliances. 
My profile on linkedin.com is http://www.linkedin.com/in/rondakayallen66 
If you are a contractor in the DFW Metroplex, I would like to invite you to link in with me online as a resource to my clients.  Put yourself down as a colleague and sent me … (2 comments)

prosper tx homes: Prosper, TX - EXPOSURE and POSITIONING are the keys to home sales. - 06/20/10 05:00 PM
There are two main strategies that get homes sold in Prosper, Texas.  The first is exposure.  You have to have enough lines in the water to catch that fish we call BUYER.  You may get a few nibbles that get you all excited, but we're looking for that one fish who wants the house and can qualify for a loan in today's economic environment. The other strategy is positioning.  Positioning of the home on the market to compete for a smaller buyer pool and succeed in capturing the buyer. 
It's tougher to get a home loan than it was just a few … (3 comments)

 

Ronda Allen

Prosper, TX

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RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs: Prosper, Texas

Address: 1140 Monticello Drive, Prosper, TX, 75078

Office Phone: (972) 816-4369

Cell Phone: (972) 816-4369

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