Real Estate Information Archive

Good Monday morning to you!

The Real Estate industry is a very traditional business. People will always be looking for a new place to sleep, work, recreate, and live...and, people will always be looking to sell places to sleep, work recreate, and live. From now until "doomsday", the business of buying and selling Real Estate will be a significant part of our human experience.

However, this traditional business has taken on many non-traditional practices in the last 10 years. We used to only have the newspaper, now the news is sent to our phones. We used to only have open houses to freely preview homes, but now we swim in a sea of on-line virtual tours and information. The game has changed.

Therefore, I have made it my passion to pursue this traditional business in a non-traditional way...and it is working.

To see my non-traditional ways of selling real estate and helping buyers find their places of interest, see the information below...

www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com - The ONLY site made just for buyers in North Texas and the Greater Wichita Falls area.

www.TexomaHomeValue.com - Wondering what homes have sold for in your neighborhood?

www.LuxuryHomesWF.com - A daily list of new listings within the local luxury market.

www.TheFallsPodCast.com - A monthly Wichita Falls market update on the Real Estate market.

www.AshtonGustafson.com - One stop to find everything you need in the Greater Wichita Falls Real Estate market.

www.TexasBankOwned.com - Weekly list of foreclosed property available for sale.

www.TexomaListings.com - A daily list of new listings within your criteria.

www.ThePrairieWF.com - Looking to build in North Texas' 1st Green/Renewable community.

www.SeeWhatTheyAreSaying.com - See what our clients are saying.

If I can serve you this week or discuss with you my non-traditional ways of business, please let me know.

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." Tony Robbins

Wichita Falls Mortgage Update

HUD has issued an increase in Mortgage Insurance Premiums effective with all case numbers assigned on or after April 4th 2011.  The annual premium will increase from 90 basis points (.90) to (1.15) basis points.  For example, this will mean an increase in monthly premiums of $75.00 per month to $95.83 or a 27% increase per month.  Obviously it is in a buyer's best interest to purchase a home prior to April 4th.

See www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com and let us know how we can serve you today!

Good Monday morning to you!

Market Report

Below you will see the January statistics from the Wichita Falls MLS. As always,  the price range of $100,000 - $120,00 had the most number of transactions closed. If you have any questions about the information below, please let me know.

February Pod Cast

Check out our pod cast update at www.TheFallsPodCast.com. This month we discuss tips for sellers looking to enter the market this Spring.

Spring Has Arrived

As the weather warms, so does the market. We have created the area's #1 site for buyers, www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com. When you create an account here, you are updated within YOUR criteria every morning. This is the best way to keep your thumb on the market and homes within your criteria. See why over 2,000 buyers have made this their #1 tool in buying a home in the Greater Wichita Falls areas.

If I can do anything for you or anyone you may know this week, please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you...

"Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth - that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too." Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Good Monday morning to you!

Market Update

My February Pod Cast is now up at www.TheFallsPodCast.com. This month we discuss the market and 5 tips for home sellers.

Current Inventory

I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but our currenty inventory is better than ever. Looking for a home on land? We've got it! Looking for the charm of Country Club Estates? We've got it! Looking for new construction? We've got that too! See http://www.texomahomesource.com/Properties for all of our current properties for sale.

Preparing for Spring Purchase?

Be sure you have created an account at www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com. See why over 2000 buyers have called this "THE BEST" site for Wichita Falls home buyers.

If there is anything else I can do for you this week, please let me know.

"Man is not the creature of circumstances, circumstances are the creatures of men." Benjamin Disraeli

Ashton Gustafson of Bishop Realtor Group presents:

The Greater Wichita Falls Real Estate Podcast

February 2011:

This month's edition covers Greater Wichita Falls real estate market activity and then we walk through five top tips to selling your home.

Features special guest Terri Murphy of US Learning.

www.TheFallsPodCast.com

Good morning.

I wanted to make you aware of some changes that have recently happened.

In the last few days, HUD has transferred its online marketplace for its repossessed homes from www.SouthwestAlliance.com to http://hudhomestore.com/HudHome/Index.aspx.

Simply go to the site, and search in Wichita Falls, TX.

We are licensed and capable to serve you in the purchasing of any of these homes. They all have bid deadlines, and there has been some difficulty with the site since its inception.

Nevertheless, we are here to serve if you have any questions.

Ashton Gustafson, e-Pro, CDPE

Owner - Bishop Realtor Group

Realtor Magazine Selected- 30 under 30

Good Monday morning to you!

Market Temp

It seems not so long ago (3 years) that someone coined the phrase, "price war and beauty contest" for the real estate market. The more and more I work with buyers and sellers, the more this not only makes sense to me- but I've found it truly is the perfect description.

You will hear many people make comments on the market being stagnant and slow - it is anything but that. Since January 1 we have had nearly 200 new buyers register with our sites on-line. The market's issue right now is inventory. We have the same amount of buyers as usual (see last week's news story http://texomashomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=114257), but we have a much larger inventory than ever. Hence buyers now have more choice than ever.

The best news is most values are even if not a little more appreciated than when a seller purchased their home over the last few years. Compared to other parts of the country, we should count our blessings.

Fast Answers

www.ImAhappyBuyer.com - Mortgage Rates?

www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com - What's Available?

www.TexomaHomeValue.com - Thinking of Selling?

www.TheFallsPodCast.com - Market Update

www.ThePrairieWF.com - Looking for land to build on?

If I can do anything you or someone you may know this week, please let me know.

 "We must become the change we want to see." Gandhi

From the Wichita County Sheriff's Office re: properties that are going to be sold by the Sheriff's Office.    The property that the WFSO sells will be for back taxes.  This list can be seen at the website of Perdue Brandon Fielders Collins and Mott, which is the tax attorneys for Wichita County.  Their website is www.pbfcm.com.  Below are instructions for the tax sales.
 
The WFSO receive numerous calls regarding foreclosures.  The office does not do foreclosure sales.   Foreclosures are filed in the County Clerk's Office and the sales are done by the mortgage company,  trustee or attorney for the mortgage company.
 
TAX SALES
 
 
1.         Tax Sales are held the first Tuesday of the month between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the court house steps on the south side of the building. The address is 900 7th Street, Wichita Falls, TX.
 
2.         The Sheriff's Office nor the Tax Office or Tax Attorney's Office does not print out a list of properties to be sold.  A list is posted on the bulletin board in the hallway outside the Sheriff's Office for viewing.  Properties for sale are listed in a newspaperpublication for 3 consecutive weeks prior to sale.  Properties in Wichita Falls and Electra are published in the Electra Star News.  Properties in Iowa Park are published in the Iowa Park Leader and properties in Burkburnett are published in the Burkburnett Star News.  These newspapers are published each Thursday.  You also may get this information by going to the tax attorney's website atwww.pbfcm.com .
 
3.         All sales are without warranty of any kind. Purchasers receive a Sheriff deed that is without warranty. Bidders should satisfy themselves concerning title and location of the property and improvements on the property including any encroachments prior to bidding. The tax sale is an "as is", "where is", "buyer beware" sale.  If you have any questions about specific liens or ownership of the property, you may research the title yourself or through a title company.  The Sheriff's Office, Tax Office and Tax Attorney's Office will not do the research for you.  The judgments in these cases list the parties included in the tax suit.
 
4.         If you wish to bid on a particular piece of property at the sale, you must first sign in.  The Sign- In- Sheet is passed around the morning of the sale for those wishing to bid on properties.
 
5. A minimum bid will be given at the beginning of the sale of each property.  Please do not call the Sheriff's Office, Tax Office or the Tax Attorney's office requesting the minimum bid, as the information will not release until the sale.
 
6.         The successful bidder of a piece of property will need to be at the front desk of the Sheriff's Office before 1:00 p.m. to pay  If the successful bidder fails to show up in time to make his/her payment, we will go back on the courthouse steps and re-sale the property.  Payment can be cash, cashiers check or money order.  NO PERSONAL CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED.  Once payment is received, the bidder will be issued a receipt for payment.  Please do not lose the receipt.
 
7.         The tax attorney's office will prepare the deed which is WITHOUT warranty.  Once the Sheriff's Office receives the deeds, they will be signed, and then sent back to the tax attorney's office for distribution.  This should take anywhere from 3-6 weeks. 
 
8.         It will be up to the purchaser of the property to file the deed with the County Clerks Office.

Good Monday Morning to you!

As you probably know, we have a non-traditional approach to a traditional business. We believe that we are changing the way the industry operates, and its seems as though these tactics are working. Last year, we grew our market share 150% - in what was a very unique market.

The stats came out for the Wichita Falls Real Estate market in 2010 this week. Essentially, the residential sold market was flat as inventory continued to grow. All in all, we are so fortunate to be in the market we have here. Many of our buyers from other states have lost as much as 50% in their home values from where they previously lived. Here we are flat...and I'll take flat!

If I can serve you or anyone you may know this week, please let me know.

Remember our sites:

www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com - Best site for buyers in Wichita Falls

www.TexomaHomeValue.com - Thinking of selling?

www.TheFallsPodCast.com - Listend to a Market Update in iTunes

www.ThePrairieWF.com - Thinking about building green?

www.SeeWhatTheyAreSaying.com - The Modern Real Estate Experience

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." Martin Luther King Jr.

http://www.talkrealty.com/ashtongustafson - click to listen to January Pod Cast

This month's edition covers Greater Wichita Falls real estate market activity and then we discuss the top lessons from 2010, and explain what buyers and sellers need to do to get the most out of 2011.

Features special guest Terri Murphy of US Learning.