8 Things To Do After Closing Important things to do before you walk into your new home. Congrats! You bought your first home. Now what? Well, there are a hundreds of things that need to be done. Here are some of the major ‘key’ events that need to take place… preferably before you spend the
7 Reasons For Title Insurance WHY EVERY HOMEOWNER SHOULD HAVE THIS Buying a home is an exciting and emotional time for many people. To help you buy your home with more confidence, make sure you get owner’s title insurance. Of course, that leaves us to the ultimate question: Why is it so important? Here are
Managing By Metrics: How To Measure Your Success By Andrew Acker, chief operating officer at D. Bello Associates There’s a classic quote that business leaders and managers love to throw around (and spoiler alert, I’m about too as well). It comes from Peter Drucker, one of the original management gurus. He classically states that “what gets
A couple of sessions ago, Texas introduced the Transfer on Death Deed (“TODD”) Bill. The connotation of the deed’s name may induce one to think “Lady Bird Deed,” but stop there. This vehicle to transfer title to property upon one’s death differs and provides for an easier posthumous title transfer. In practice, TODD allows a
20 Ways You Might Lose Your Property WHEN TITLE INSURANCE COMES INTO PLAY A forgery 50 years ago; a deed executed under duress; an error by a clerk in the county recorder’s office; a misapplied tax payment— these are but a few of the hidden “title defects” that could cause you to lose your property. And,
Sellers, be cautious of what you tell others about your neighborhood. In a world where social media and the Internet have made it easy to share our opinions publicly, the reputations of everything from local restaurants to home values has become highly malleable in the public eye. While this culture of communication has its benefits,
According to a recent study by Trulia, in 30 out of the 100 top markets in the country, saving for a 20% down payment is actually faster without a college degree. “In those markets, a household with a college degree isn’t making that much more than a household without,” says Ralph McLaughlin, Trulia’s housing economist.
Flooding can occur at any time of the year in many states across the nation. Here in Texas, we’ve seen some of Mother Nature’s worst in the form of Tropical Storm Bill, which has dumped inches of rain and hail across the state and larger Midwestern region. When heavy rains hit, flooding can take homeowners
2015 began rather sluggishly for residential markets, compared with the burst of activity in the final months of 2014. Closing activity is still far ahead of this time last year, but continues to be hindered by the gradual recovery of the economy. While severe weather nationwide certainly had an impact on first-time buyer activity –
According to Realtor.com, the Dallas-Fort Worth housing market is the hottest in the country, due to a high demand for housing as well as a fast sales cycle. Steve Brown, Real Estate Editor at The Dallas Morning News, reports that home sales are going through in as quickly as 29 days, which is faster than
