Articles Tagged "DFW Market"

Give School a Home in Your House

Are you ready for the back-to-school frenzy, DFW? Here it comes! But before school starts, take a breath, and organize your house. Need tips to take on the impending chaos in order to minimize it? You have three goals during back-to-school organization: less work for you, less mess in your house and building your kids' independence and self-sufficiency.

3 Top Tips to Tame School Sprawl

1. Create an area where school stuff will live this year. Whether it's near the front door, back door, or garage door, designate a space as the school zone. Add hooks for jackets, and bins or cubbies for backpacks and books.

2. Create a special place where homework is always done: the dining room table, the kitchen island, or a bedroom desk. Supplies stay there. Cords for computers are at-the-ready. And kids know to report to this spot and get that homework done immediately after dropping their stuff in the school zone area above.

3. Create a parent-inbox in a prominent area and instruct kids to put all progress reports, papers, and permission slips from teachers that parents need to read, sign, and return in this box every day after school.

3 Self-Sufficiency Hacks to Lighten Your Load

1. Create a help-yourself-snack area in your refrigerator, pantry, or drawer. If kids can self-serve snacks after school, there's one less thing for you to do.

2. Once they get the hang of making their own snacks, add lunch-making to their routine every morning (or night before) using items from a lunch area in the pantry and/or refrigerator. Give them plenty of choices to make their own healthy, well-balanced lunches, and check another item off your to-do list.

3. Reduce your stress and theirs by organizing a school section of their closet with the five outfits they'll wear each week on the Sunday before. No more scrambling for a clean pair of uniform pants or a missing sock.

3 Plus-Up Organization Tips

1. Keep your car carpool ready with a stash of snacks in a backseat organizer. Add a backseat trash bag to collect the snack packaging. And attach a hand vac to your garage wall, assigning a kid to hand vac the backseat and dump the trash bag every Friday.

2. Add an over-the-door hanging shoe organizer to a closet door but fill the pockets with extras of school supplies. With this self-service organizer, kids can grab their own-colored pencils, erasers, notecards (and whatever else they are using regularly) from this area, instead of asking you for more every time.

3. Make weekly shopping for snacks, lunches and even breakfast and dinners easier by creating a visible, accessible shopping list on the kitchen counter that everyone can contribute to during the week. If someone finishes something, they write it on the list. If a kid has a lunch item request or a dinner request, they write it on the list. This on-going inventory system takes all the burden off parents, and teaches kids about meal planning, shopping, and contributing to a household.

Try adding a few of these tips to your school routine and see if the chaos in your house calms down a bit. When you give school — and everything that comes with it — a home in your house, the school year will be easier on everyone.

Go Fun, Not Far

One of the bonuses to living in a really big state, and a really big metroplex, is that you have the advantage of enjoying a variety of summer fun without traveling very far. Big cities mean big fun, and whether you like water, sports, or adventure, Texas — and specifically DFW — has you covered if you're looking for attractions for a Texas Staycation!

5 Places to Splash Down in DFW

1. If you've never been to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, you won't believe everything you can do at this combination hotel and play zone. With a full-blown indoor waterpark, mini golf, restaurants galore, and thematic hotel rooms, your family will have a blast!
2. Along the same lines, visit The Gaylord Texan Resort — also in Grapevine — with its Paradise Sprints Water Park, resort pools, lazy river, giant lagoon and more. And right now there are pirate-themed activities happening during the Summerfest of More.
3. Hawaiian Falls has five locations in Texas: Roanoke, Mansfield, Waco, Garland and The Colony with acres and acres of water slides, pools, lazy rivers and fun in the sun. Featuring island-themed live music and activities for the whole family all summer long.
4. From thrill rides to family rides, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Arlington is hard to beat for spending the day in a water park full of the rides you've come to expect from something named "Six Flags". And with over a dozen thematic in-house eateries, you'll never want to leave.
5. And speaking of Six Flags, the legendary theme-park itself is just right across the highway in Arlington. Thrill rides, shows, experiences, tons of food and all-day fun await your family at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. And yes, there are a few rides where you can definitely get wet!

Sports Fam? Catch This!

Take 'em out to the ballgame! The Texas Rangers baseball game that is, in Arlington. With theme nights, a kids zone, hotdogs and entertainment before and after the game at Texas Live! Right next door, a visit to the new climate-controlled Globe Life Park is sure to be a highlight of your summer.

Adventures with Animals

1. With safaris, a robust kid's area and creatures from around the world, The Dallas Zoo is an all-day getaway in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, near downtown. The Dallas Zoo even has a couple of Dollar Days coming up, which makes this experience even easier for your family — and you can bring your own picnic lunch which makes this a super affordable summer adventure.
2. On the other side of DFW, you can spend the day at The Fort Worth Zoo! And this zoo has extras like a Stingray experience, and Safari Splash — an animal themed splash park. The Fort Worth Zoo offers half-price Wednesdays, and you can also bring your picnic lunch to this zoo.
3. If your kids are into animals that are a little more exotic, and you'd rather enjoy a natural venue, take your family to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, where they can see real dinosaur footprints in the riverbed. Camp, picnic, hike, mountain bike, swim, fish and paddle in the river. You can even ride horses or geocache!

Before school starts back up again in August, see a few sights and soak in the sun, right here in your own backyard.

Make Your Home Look Like Their Home! 

You've decided to sell your house. One of the most important things you can do to your house to help it sell faster is to stage it. What is home staging? It's pretty much what it sounds like – you are turning your home into a home theatre – setting the stage for potential buyers to see themselves living there. When you get your house ready to sell using home staging, you're showing off its good points, and re-focusing attention away from its weaknesses. And most of all you're helping buyers walk in and never want to leave.  

You know how fun it is to flip through a home furnishings catalog or website? That's what you're aiming for when you're home staging. Make it look like a catalog: clean, bright and spacious. Here are some tips to get your house showroom-ready: 

Home Staging inside: 

• Show off how much counterspace your kitchen and bathroom have by stowing away mostly everything. Make it hotel-room sparse, and add new hand soaps, and new towels and rugs to both rooms. Pare down items on coffee tables, bookshelves and walls.
• Remove all photos of your family, kid's art and personal objects on shelves. You want people to imagine themselves in every room.
• Less is more when it comes to furniture. Show off how much space each room has by paring down the amount of furniture in each room. You want potential buyers to be able to easily walk around. Group furniture into cozy conversation areas.
• Add some sort of work space to one or more rooms. Home offices are a hot seller in the current market. Show off how a room or two can have dual purpose.
• Stage a closet. Pick one bedroom closet and make it as neat as possible, using shelves, baskets and matching hangers. Scent the closet and leave it open to show off the great use of space.

Home Staging outside: 

• Power wash sidewalks, driveways and walkways as well as siding, bricks and stone. Make them sparkle like new.
• Repaint your front door a bright, cheery color.
• Replace your house numbers, mail box, welcome mat and your outdoor lighting if they are worn or outdated.
• Add a fresh layer of mulch to your flower beds and make sure you plant new colorful flowers. Trim trees and bushes.
• Set up a cozy outdoor sitting area on your porch, refreshing cushions and other fabrics if need be.

More tips for making home staging really pay off at an open house: 

• Add cut flowers to several rooms.
• Scented candles add atmosphere. 
• Make sure each room is light and bright – curtains open, lamps on. 
• Erase any sign of your pet, and in fact, keep your pet out of the house during open houses or showings.
• Add a luxury feel to bedrooms with plush rugs, fluffy comforters, extra pillows and fresh sheets. Style it like a hotel room.

Potential buyers want to imagine themselves eating, sleeping and hanging out in your house. Make it easy for them to do just that. 

Countdown to Winterization

With the holidays in the rearview mirror, early January means it's time to face 2022 head on. While you're figuring out your New Year's Resolutions, add a few of these to your list.

3, 2, 1….Weatherstripping!

The biggest thing to remember is keeping the cold out and the heat in. So if you do nothing else, do that. And after last year, if you are a pool owner (and there are about 220,000 of you in the DFW area) you'll want to prepare your pool and pool equipment especially.

• Pools: Here in Texas, we're blessed with an extended swimming season. Whether you have an inground or above-the-ground pool, talk with your pool maintenance company now to take the best course of action. Newer pumps and filters are designed to run through the cold – just make sure if the temperature goes below freezing to keep it running continuously. If the power goes out however, there's a whole new set of rules. Drain and dry all the equipment – freezing water in the lines will possibly break everything (which is what we saw happen all over Texas in February 2021).
• Windows: Make sure all of the weather stripping on your windows is working, and working well. If it's not, now is the time to replace it – before ice or snow hits. Most home heat is lost through the windows, so make sure they are also covered with blinds and curtains, and storm windows if you have them, for an extra layer of protection.
• Fireplaces: After last February, if you have a fireplace in your home now is the time to prep for that life-saving fire you might need if a storm hits and knocks out the power. Call a chimney sweep company to check out your fireplace, chimney, and roof area to make sure everything is ready to go. Stock your fireplace with a dry stash of small logs, starter logs or small dry branches, and long wooden matches.

Top 10 Hits for Making it Through a Winter Storm

1. Roof: Check the roof inside and out for any missing roof tiles, holes or possible leaks.
2. Attic: Add blown-in insulation if you have not already done so, for an extra layer of warmth. If your heater is in the attic, replace the filter while you're up there! A clean filter means your heater runs easier, saving you money.
3. Doors: Add a door sweep to your doors and don't forget the door to the garage! Add your storm door now before the really bad weather gets here.
4. Floors: They're going to take a beating between boots, dirt, rain, ice and a wet dog or two. Adding area rugs and runners throughout your house will protect your floors as well as add another layer of warmth.
5. Plumbing and Pipes: Cover outdoor faucets with an insulated faucet cover. Wrap pipes that are exposed. When it drops below freezing run an inside faucet just a tiny bit continuously to keep the pipes from freezing.
6. Patio and Driveway: Seal cracks with polyurethane caulk and lay down a sealer over the entire surface.
7. Fence: Repair damage, replace boards, power wash and add a coat of paint or stain.
8. Trees: Adding a layer of mulch around the base of your trees will protect the roots and maintain a more constant soil temperature, as well as slow moisture loss during the winter.
9. Flower Beds: Remove leaves and weeds, prune your perennials and plant bulbs for spring. Give everything one last soak and cover with a layer of protective mulch.
10. Lawn: Turn off your sprinkler system. Check for leaks that could freeze. Aerate and fertilize your lawn one last time to feed your lawn at the root level all winter long.

Making a list and checking it twice now, will save you some heartache should Snowmaggedon Texas 2.0 happen this winter. You can easily winterize your home this month with our handy checklist, and follow our top tips to get your home ready for anything.

The 2021 real estate market was a bumpy ride, with random periods of waiting thrown in for good measure.    

The year started off with a bang with surging prices and inventory down across North Texas. Housing inventory was down for two reasons:

• Low interest rates – Low interest rates had an interesting effect of both encouraging people to buy a new home while also encouraging others to stay put. Those who stayed refinanced and renovated their homes, putting further downward pressure on housing inventory. Those who wanted to buy found few homes on the market.
• Global building supplies shortage: The logistical disruptions of 2020 spilled over into 2021. This combined with the Texas recovery from February's "snow-mageddon" pushed the prices of building supplies ever higher.

By September, the housing market was still tight.  North Texas home sales fell but prices continued to rise due to a lack of housing inventory.  North Texas saw record gains in home prices:

"Dallas-area home prices jumped 25% year-over-year in September — the largest gain for the market in the history of the closely watched S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index."

What will the new year bring?  Here are our three predictions for the housing market in 2022:

• Winter, spring, and summer seasons are going to be just as busy as 2021. We will continue to see multiple offers and a housing shortage.
• Interest rates are going to start creeping up starting at the beginning of 2022 and will continue increase to mid to high 3% by the end of the year.
• Prices are going to start leveling out and late 2022 and 2023 should be much calmer for the housing market.

If you have been thinking about selling your home, give us a call.

If the timing is right and you are ready, so are we.

Spring cleaning season is upon us, and that can feel overwhelming. Whether you are preparing your home to sell, or starting your spring cleaning, break the process into smaller steps to make progress faster. 

Renew
Each year during spring cleaning we renew our love for our home – and our commitment to keeping it beautiful – by eliminating clutter. Clutter happens when items don't have a "home" to return to – a bowl for your keys, a bookshelf for your magazines, a hamper for your dirty clothes. Walk through each room and gather all the items that you know belong somewhere else, make a home for them and put them there.

Organize excess items into four groups: keep, recycle, donate or toss. Keeping your home clutter-free – and sticking to an organizational system – allows you more livable space, renews your sense of accomplishment, and ultimately means there is less to clean going forward. 

Repair
Next, freshen up your space with a good cleaning and repair assessment. Clean the areas we all forget about like baseboards, vents and ceiling fans. Don't forget both the inside and outside of your windows and window sills. Sunny rooms are definitely a plus if you're selling your home. 

If your windows have water damage, now is the time to get that repaired and repainted. Then think about adding new shades or curtains to enhance them. And bring the springtime outdoors in with a new potted plant or two.

Replace
Take spring cleaning a step further by replacing worn out parts of your home. Add a new coat of paint to a room, or just paint one wall, a ceiling or a door in a bright color. Or rearrange the furniture in a room for a fresh look, and replace throw pillows or pictures. You might be pleasantly surprised to see your room from a new perspective with the same items.

Window replacement, and kitchen and bathroom upgrades garner high returns when selling your home. Replace faucets, hardware, light fixtures and ceiling fans. Add energy efficient new appliances in the kitchen and laundry room. 

Remodel
Projects that are focused on modern style and energy efficiency are the remodeling projects to put on your to-do list this spring. Remodel your deck, your front door, your garage doors and your siding to get the best ROI when you're ready to sell.

Renew, repair, replace or remodel as part of your home's annual spring cleaning, and you'll not only maximize your home's value and your profit when you sell, you'll benefit right now from your efforts. You won't need to necessarily tear down walls or floors to freshen up your space this spring. You can make simple changes here and there and feel good about spring cleaning this year.
 

At The Slay Diaz Group, we feel like we work in a field full of 4-leaf clovers. We are so lucky! Lucky to get to do what we love and take care of our families at the same time. Lucky to meet new people and help them have luck on their side when buying or selling a home. And we're lucky to get to know so many amazing and talented service partners in the work we do every day.   Last month, we shared some of our favorite small business loves with you in the hope that you too would fall in love with our favorites. This month, you're all the lucky winners of our amazing list of service partners. Since it is March, and St. Patrick's day is upon us, we'd like to celebrate these lucky charmers. How fortunate are we to have so many good people to count as friends.   We hope you'll love them as much as we do. We certainly count ourselves lucky to know them.   Inspections: Texas Realty Inspections – Derrick Kennimer 214.533.5885 Vanguard Inspections – Al Voelkle 817.948.3491   Structural Engineering: Tommy Tolson - 972.783.9211   Roofing & Gutters: Advent Roofing – Justin Suib 203.856.9377   HVAC: Greg Holloway - 972.740.8115 Cool Connections – Joe Harding 469.374.1919   Electrician: McKam Electric – Max Johnson 972.571.0355   Plumbing: Texas Plumbing Company – Jerry Brown 972.235.4169   Handyman: Vincent Construction – Vince Cook 469.556.4287   Appliances, New & Repair: Rodenbaughs – Ronald Rodenbaugh 972.727.3454   Blinds, New & Repair: Bloomin' Blinds - 972.490.4100   Window Cleaning: Kangaroo Window Cleaning - 972.974.5720   Sprinkler Repair: Lightning Irrigation – Chris Ewers 214.394.0552   Pool Service: Pierce Family Pool Service – Robert Pierce 469.586.6233 From your AC to your pool to that perplexing drippy faucet, our friends have you covered. If you are ready to tackle some home maintenance chores, give them a call and you will find yourself in the lucky position of finding a partner you can trust.  Bree's on-campus job is delivering food at SMU to students in quarantine and isolation. What a great opportunity for lots of exercise and fresh air! Emily competed her solo in Dallas at the Celebrity Dance Competition.  She and all her teammates danced beautifully and scored top awards for all their dances. Which one of us moved 33 times as a child? Who is the child of a teacher and a social worker? Watch our video and find out! Like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn today!

Small businesses are at the heart of every neighborhood. They are the backbone to our economy. That's why we try to support small businesses each opportunity we get. Who doesn't, right?
 
Ready? Here are a few of our favorite locally owned and operated small businesses:

• The lovely flicker and gentle glow of a candle helps ease and soothe the mind. B's Knees Fragrance Co. candles are our favorite. They also sell reed diffusers and oils. All their products are made in the U.S.A.
• The house made mac-n-cheese and devilled eggs at Big Al's Smokehouse BBQ are awesome! Their Bar-B-Cuterie trays are perfect for group lunches and small gatherings.
• The darling and delicious cheesecakes from Cheesecake Society can be ordered by phone or online and are available for pick up or contactless delivery. Try the Pecan Praline. It is Jeanne's favorite.
• Try Chocolate Angel's merengue cookies - they're yummy and gluten-free. They are hosting a Valentine's Tea at the Richardson and Plano locations. We heart this!
• According to a study, people with a good hairstyle feel smarter and more capable at performing tasks as opposed to those who are going through a bad hair day. We agree. That is why we have a standing monthly appointment at Hair by Jennifer Henry.
• Who knew some of the best Japanese food around could be found at a food truck? Try out the food at Hibachi Master. It will not disappoint.
• We love a good drink! Try Lockwood Distilling Co in Richardson or eight|11 in Frisco for a relaxing way to unwind after work.
• Dance not only builds flexibility and strength, but it also teaches emotional expression and empathy. PDT Dance Arts, with locations in McKinney and Prosper, is where Danée's daughter found her second home.
• Flowers help stimulate a sense of pride and excitement with others, and release serotonin – whether you grow, buy, give, receive or admire them. Anything from Petals & Stems makes us happy.

In late 2020, 67 percent of small businesses continued to experience negative business impacts tied to the pandemic, while 43 percent suffered "significant impacts," according to Alignable's State of Small Business Report.
 
We remain steadfast and optimistic that consumer confidence will rebound mid to late 2021. Cheers to all small business owners! We salute your perseverance, tenacity, drive and passion.

It was a record-setting seller's market in DFW residential real estate during the first three quarters of 2020, and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon.

During 2020, there were fewer homes available for sale in North Texas. Pair that with record low mortgage interest rates and record numbers of people interested in buying, and you have a strong seller's market. Homes sold quickly and often for over their asking price - 20% of homes in Dallas-Fort Worth sold above their list price in September.

Altogether, the economic recovery in North Texas was being driven in part by the housing market. Experts are forecasting this real estate trend to continue to impact the economy positively in 2021.

Will home prices continue to rise into 2021?

Throughout the first three quarters of 2020, a record 99,078 houses were sold, 8% more than during the same period last year. Prices for these homes reached record highs. Dallas County saw median home sales prices up 17.4% from last year and Rockwall County reached a 21% increase by October. The Dallas residential real estate seller's market is projected to grow in 2021.

If now is the right time to sell your home, we are ready to help.

If you are thinking about selling your home, let's connect! We can make this strong seller's market work for you.

Whether you are buying or selling a home, now is a great time to act.

In North Texas, the supply of homes offered for sale is the smallest since January 2018. And there are even more buyers actively looking for homes to purchase. Why is this big news? Glad you asked!

Ready to upgrade to a bigger house, or move to a different area of town?

You've added a kid or sent one off to college. You're interested in a more urban lifestyle. You want to live on some acreage off the beaten path. We know where the hidden gems are right now, and will help you sell your home quickly and then secure one of the few choice properties on the market that fits you perfectly – leveraging the equity in your current home to match your family to an even better one. Plus, mortgage rates have fallen below 3% and are likely to go up after the new year.

Homes are selling quickly and often for more than their asking price. Texas is no exception. The housing market is under-supplied, and the shortage is rising:

• Active listings in Dallas County decreased 19.9% from June 2019 to June 2020. But the number of homes sold increased by 8.6%.
• There has been a 36% decrease in month's supply of inventory in Collin County from June 2019 to June 2020. Closed sales in Collin County increased by 9% during the same time frame.
• The numbers are even more drastic in Kaufman County, where active listings decreased by 22%, while homes sold increased by 47.7%.

Have you been in your moderately priced house for a while now?

Your house is the most in demand; and you're most likely in a strong equity position. Selling your home while the interest rates for buyers is low and the pool of houses to choose from is also low, puts you in a very favorable position. Demand for houses is driving bidding wars and multiple-offer scenarios, and houses are selling quickly.

Selling and buying a home can be challenging. Let us make it easy for you!