Real Estate Information Archive

Knowing and using these 7 essential, yet simple steps is crucial to achieving the best deal possible - whether you decide to sell your home yourself or hire a professional real estate agent to help you.

Take a look at the seven-step system I have outlined in this report. Then, if this new approach to marketing your home makes sense and you want to learn more, I'll show you how to skillfully and specifically apply each of these critical steps to get your home sold for the most money in the shortest amount of time!

7 crucial steps you must take to get top dollar for your home in today's technically savvy world!

1. Understanding the "Total Market" concept of positioning your home to attract the greatest number of buyers.

2. Using the "Total Market" concept to accurately appraise the value of your home. (The standard CMA is simply not enough!)

3. Pricing Your Home to Appear lower than market value, yet actually asking for more
than market value (This one crucial step will get buyers and agents flocking to your door!)

4. Properly advertise and market your home - Using New Technology (Don't use the same old boring ads everyone else is using, and that nobody looks at!)

5. "Detailing" your home for sale. (Your goal is to set your home apart from every other home on the market - instantly attracting buyers to your home.)

6. Learn how to qualify buyers and negotiate offers. (Since we are talking about your money here, the risks of not knowing how to properly qualify and negotiate are too great to ignore or leave to chance!)

7. Understanding and helping the buyer obtain financing, removing contingencies, and closing the sale. (You need a strategy to avoid and eliminate potential problems in escrow, which can undermine your sale!)

The better you understand and systematically apply these seven steps, the better the results you will get. And better results means more money, in less time, with the least amount of hassle possible. Isn't that what you ultimately want, whether you decide to sell your home yourself or use the professional services of a licensed agent to help you?

Please let me know if I can help you impliment these steps for you in the Wichita Falls area.

Are you moving to Wichita Falls? But not for a long time? Wondering what the market is doing? I invite you to subscribe to my new podcast that will be updated monthly to keep you better informed. http://www.talkrealty.com/ashtongustafson We will discuss national topics as well as local trends and statistics. If you would simply like to know when homes come on the market in your criteria, go to www.TexomaListings.com .

http://www.TexomaHomeValue.com/

Wondering what your home is worth? Go to the link above. You will be given an up to date market analysis of your home within 24 hours of submitting your information. Numerous people have found this useful in helping determine if now is a good time for them to sell. For any questions or concerns, contact Ashton Gustafson @ 940.224.0881.

www.TexomaListings..com

A FREE service to help area home buyers find their dream home. Your first email will list all homes currently for sale that meet your search criteria. Then each morning you will be emailed a list of all of the new homes for sale and price changes since your previous search. No more having to rely on manual searches. Fill out the form below and start your auto-email home search today! It's just that easy! The detailed information you want (WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEAK WITH AN AGENT!)

http://www.TexomaListings.com/

http://texomashomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=11601 Click to watch Ashton's News Story

Reported by: Erica Rosales
Friday, Aug 1, 2008 @06:32pm CST

It's being regarded as one of the most significant housing bills in decades.

With more than $300 billion being invested to stabilize a shaky market, some Texoma housing professionals say it can only help.

Ashton Gustafson

Bishop Group realtor associate
"Home values here are very, very affordable and for a first time home buyer it makes this new house bill very promising."

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 offers a tax credit to first time home buyers of up to $7,500. The credit is essentially an interest-free loan that buyers will repay to the government over a 15-year period.

Ashton Gustafson

Bishop Group realtor associate
"There's been numerous first time home buyer incentives over the past few years but we haven't seen anything like this."

The bulk of the money in the act aims at helping folks who already own their homes but who are on the brink of foreclosure. Some home owners will be allowed to refinance into fixed-rate loans insured by the federal government. But Debra Clements, owner of Argocie Mortgage, says the measure limits help to some of the people who need the most help.

Debra Clements

Argocie Mortgage President
"You're gonna have to come up with looser guidelines. You can't just sit here and say OK well, we're gonna give all this money to this bill but you've gotta have a perfect credit score."

Housing professionals agree that there are a lot of gray areas in the bill that they'll have to help people sort out before they can find out if they'll qualify for assistance, but they say right now any bit helps.

Debra Clements

Argocie Mortgage President
"There's a lot of people that are hurting right now in a lot of areas of their lives and mortgage is just one part, but I think any help we get is good."

For more specific details on the bill you can visit the Bishop Group website at www.WichitaFallsSource.com/blog or you can find an overview and full text of the act at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-3221.

Are you facing foreclosure in Wichita Falls?

You May Have A Better Way Out!

There are countless hardships that can turn home ownership from a joy into a burden.  The loss of a job, medical bills, or an unexpected hike in monthly payments can all make a mortgage unaffordable.  But ignoring the bills will not make them go away, it will only make things worse.

If you need help, there are approaches that can help, but you may not be familiar with them.  One of these is a "short sale."

In an approved short sale, the lender agrees to accept less than is owed for the property, and the homeowner is relieved of the debt.  A lender may be willing to do this because it spares a lot of hassle and expense involved in executing a foreclosure.  And typically, a short sale does far less damage to the homeowner's credit than a foreclosure does.

If you would like to explore the possibility of a short sale for your property, avoid foreclosure, and potentially save your credit rating, please send me your contact information, address, current lender, and information about your home. I will then be in touch within 24 hours to discuss your options at this time.

or

Go to www.TEXOMAFORECLOSURE.com for help in this matter.

Ashton Gustafson - The Bishop Group - 940.691.7355 - ashton@bishoprealtors.com

Purchasing a home can save you money very quickly. FIRST, you'll save on taxes because the interest on your home mortgage is tax deductible. If you rent, your landlord gets the break.

SECOND, you'll save on interest payments while keeping the great tax advantage.

For example if you are paying $900 per month in rent, you are paying a portion of this towards your landlord's property taxes and mortgage loan interest. Your landlord can write this amount off. You derive absolutely no tax break. When you own a home, you now reduce your taxes for the mortgage interest and for your property taxes. Your interest is always the highest during the early years of your loan, so your overall write-off is largest during these early years.

Paying rent is like throwing your money out the car window each month. You pay it out and never see it again. With home ownership you receive loan interest write-off, and gain money over the years from the increased value of your home. Over a ten year period, on an initial purchase price of $100,000, you could gain over $100,000 in tax advantages and appreciation based on an 8% mortgage interest rate and 5% per year increase in home values.

On both the 15 year and 30 year loans, your interest deduction is highest in the first few years of the loan, so your tax deduction is highest then, too. Remember, if you plan to move or refinance after 5 years, you will maximize your tax deductions. Keep in mind that as you pre-pay part of your loan to reduce the interest expense, you also reduce your tax deduction. How long you plan to keep your current mortgage loan can help determine which type of loan, and which payment strategy, is ideal for you.

Have questions? Give me a call. I am happy to help.

Wichita Falls ISD Earns State's Highest Fiscal Accountability Rating for Sixth Year  

Wichita Falls Independent School District officials announced that the district received a rating of "Superior Achievement" under Texas' Schools FIRST financial accountability rating system, the sixth year in a row at the highest rating. The Superior Achievement rating is the state's highest, demonstrating the quality of Wichita Falls ISD's financial management and reporting system.   This is the sixth year of Schools FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas), a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate Bill 218 of the 77^th Texas Legislature in 2001. The District has received a "Superior Achievement" every year. The primary goal of Schools FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of school districts' financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas' school finance system. The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to manage their financial resources better in order to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes. 

I have now introduced a new system for buyers to utilize while driving and looking at homes. If you pass a listing that I have in Wichita Falls, you can simply text message "ASHTON" to 47464 with your cellular phone and have the criteria of the home sent to your home as well as photos. This is a great feature and another simple set in the modern approach of buying and selling real estate.

I have said numerous times how fortunate we are to live in Texas at these times. Total sales volume for the Wichita Falls MLS were $25,943,968. When you compare this to August 'O7 ($24,163,809), you will see that we were actually up 7%!!!! If you are considering buying or selling Real Estate at this time, please give me a call or email me at ashton@bishoprealtors.com

And don't forget about the new sites - www.TexomaListings.com - For Buyers

or www.TexomaHomeValue.com for Sellers.