I am so grateful that Lubbock received much needed moisture this week in the form of rain, sleet and even a few flakes of snow.  Things are beginning to green up - a few blossoms and leaves unfurling on the trees.

March is a natural time to think about going green.  I am not an environmental wacko, but with water issues, rising costs, and down turn economics one would be remiss not to consider conserving.   I am planning to go paperless in my office this year.  (save a tree!)  I'll do most of my communicating via email.  And I have friends who are "environmental" gurus who are going to help me with a rain barrel.

Just two days till St. Patrick's Day!  Don't forget to wear green on March 17th.  A few years ago I bid on an antique shamrock pin.  The photo of it looked awesome - a real one of a kind bit of bling for the season.  I won the auction!  When the package arrived I opened it to find a tiny version of what I thought I had won.  The pin is still absolutely adorable, but lots smaller than what I anticipated.

The same thing often happens with photos of homes online.  An estimated 80% of people today begin looking for a new home on the internet.   But we know that the photos can be misleading - for better or worse.  Pictures of a house can make a house seem darker than it is in person or can make a room look larger than in reality.  Most often the photos don't capture a charming ambience or the feel of a neighborhood.  And certainly a photo can't convey a strange smell.  Definitely start with internet shopping - I love to do that.  But you will need to do your leg work and/or Lubbock shoppers can let me do some previewing for you.  Below are tips I like to share.

Tip list for home buyer -

* Develop a list of what you need in a house
* Add a list of some 'wants'
* Get pre-qualified with lender (let me know if you want a referral)
* Call or email me and let me know what you are looking for and your time frame 
* Get a customized online home search set up - I can do that for you
* If you want a particular neighborhood, drive it and note homes for sale
* Do some internet shopping - stick to your needs at this point
* Make a list of homes of interest
* Do a bit of driving - check out the home's exterior and the neighborhood
* Ask me to investigate homes you like to see if they fit your criteria
* Make an appointment - call me to arrange a time to go see the house


 If you need to sell your house in order to buy a new home, get your house on the market BEFORE you get seriously interested in a particular house.  It is taking an average of 90+ days for a home in Lubbock to sell.  And with close to 1200 single family homes and garden homes on the market it will likely take lots less time to find a great home than to sell one.

Hope you all have a great Spring Break week!