Important Information for Home Buyers in DFW

Credit Card on Wheels

Buying a home can be a lot of fun, and a lot of stress. The worse thing though is when it gets close to the day of closing and suddenly the lender calls and says, “sorry, your credit changed and we can’t help you.” This often produces tears, frustration, screaming (by the seller) and a lot of “why” questions.

The following are some important things for you to keep in mind after you have applied with a mortgage company.
Credit Card on Wheels

#1 Do NOT buy anything!
#2 Do NOT buy anything on credit.
#3 Do NOT even go shopping and get a new credit card to fill your home with new possessions.
#4 Do NOT go car shopping.
#5 Do NOT miss making payments.

And DO enjoy the time while you’re waiting by browsing through the things you want to do AFTER you close on your new house.

If you receive money unexpectedly, make sure to keep the paper trail.

Be prepared to answer questions for everything.

Gone are the days when you could sign the paperwork and everything would go smoothly. You are going to have your financials gone through with a fine tooth comb. If you’re going to be living in temporary housing, be sure to have easy access to your financial information.

To be prepared, make sure you have at least:
2 years worth of Bank Statements
2 years worth of Tax Returns
W-2′s
Income verification

Don’t leave anything out! Okay – now you know what to do – it’s time to go look at houses. Give me a call at 817-914-4987 and we can get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Looking for a Lease Home Start Here

You don’t have to search for lease homes by yourself.

I can help! I primarily work in the NE Tarrant County area, but have agents all over the metroplex who are willing to help you too.

The entire MLS system is at my fingertips. If you give me a call, I can set up a search with your criteria and have homes sent to you automatically. Or you can search the MLS yourself. We handle price ranges from $1200 and up.

Go ahead and call me now! Terri 817-914-4987

As a REALTOR® with DFW Texas Homes, LLC you can rest assured that I will do everything within my power to help you get into a home.

What does all this cost you? Absolutely nothing!
I’m paid by the company who has the listing. If you don’t lease a home, I don’t get paid.

If you want to lease a home, and your credit is bad, expect to pay your first month’s rent along with a double deposit. Once you find the home you’re interested in, a credit application fee will be collected (usually around $40 per adult) and turned over to the agency leasing the home. It usually takes 2-3 days to find out if you qualify and when you can move in.

If your lease ends immediately, this is good! Homeowners hate to lose a month’s rent waiting for someone to move in. If your lease isn’t up for 31 days or longer, I’d strongly suggest you wait until you are closer to the end of your lease. Most homeowners refuse to hold a home longer than 3-4 weeks.

If your credit is good, this is wonderful, people with good credit are hard to come by these days. Expect to pay first month’s rent and a single month’s deposit. Everybody will have to pay for a credit and background check, this is usually around $40 per adult. This money is immediately turned over to the company listing the home for lease.

PETS: If you have a pet, there will be a pet deposit. This amount varies from one homeowner to the next. Some homeowners will not allow pets at all. Call and I’ll find a house that fits your needs. If it’s out there, I can find it.

Luxury Foreclosures Dallas Fort Worth

Did you know that you can get some great deals on foreclosures that are luxury homes?

Some people think of foreclosures as dumpy little properties that are trashed. While, that can be the case, most of the homes on the market that are foreclosures are actually decent. Most only have common wear problems such as scuffs on the walls and carpet wear and grime. Some foreclosures are so nice they almost look like model homes – without the furniture.

On Feb 23rd, I searched our MLS system in Dallas Fort Worth for homes that are greater than 4000 square feet and over $300,000 in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.

Here are the results of that search. If you are in the market for a luxury home and you are thinking a foreclosure might be right for you, give me a call today. 817-914-4987. Sometimes, these foreclosures go within days of being posted on the market.

When looking at the listings, be sure to scroll down within the frame to be sure to see all of the houses. If you click on the picture, more photos will show up if they are available. Also, if you click on the address, a map will appear pinpointing the location of the home. Due to space constraints, this is a brief report on the homes. Fill out the contact form and I will email you further details on the property. Be sure to note in the contact form which properties are of interest to you.

Terri Camp, GRI, REALTOR
DFW Texas Homes, LLC

Home Ownership is Still Great for America

Tax Rate Schedule

To see a list of Tax Rates for Tarrant County – please click on the following link.

ARR 2011 Combined Tax Rates

Foreclosure in Cedar Hill

This four bedrooom three and a half bath home only needs a few cosmetic touches and it will be a showplace! The lighting in this home is fabulous! You’ll love the gourmet kitchen with stainless appliances, refrigerator, six burner gas cooktop, and a wine cooler. The media room is amazing! All of the bathrooms are state of the art with dual shower heads, glass bowl sinks, and designer touches.
The round dining room will make dining in a pleasure.

Tax value on this property is nearly $600,000. Asking price $323,000. At this price and in a gated community with high end custom homes, this home is bound to go quickly.

More Information on $25,000 Fort Worth Program

There is still money in the Fort Worth Fund! Call today for more information!

You can get more information by going to http://www.fortworthgov.org/hed/housing/default.aspx?id=61060.

Selling Your Home With Small Children in the House

cleaning kid

One common question I get asked is, “How am I going to keep my home presentable for showings when I have small children in the house?”

Oh Honey! I feel for you. Being a mom of 8, having sold a few homes myself, I know what it’s like. I was/am one of those moms who likes to play with my kids more than I like to clean around them. So I know the stress that goes into it. We don’t want to be upset with our kids for making messes, but we have that underlying thought that their messes might prevent the next person who sees our house from seeing it at it’s best.

Here are some tips for you.

#1 Ask your Realtor if you can have at least 30 minutes prior to a showing. If you implement my ideas, you should be able to get the house sparkling within 30 minutes.

#2 Have a written plan! Who is in charge of what during the 30 minutes? Little Susie picks up toys and puts them in the toybox. Johnny gathers all the dirty laundry he can find and tosses it into the empty dryer (little ones can reach the dryer). Baby Jenny sits quietly in her high chair eating a non messy snack.

#3 Clean as you go – For those of us who weren’t taught this nearly life saving skill, it can be tough to remember to clean up the spilled apple juice now!

#4 Do “Someone’s Coming” Drills with the kids. Practice the drill. Make it fun! You could come up with a little song that you all sing as you are cleaning the house for a showing.

#5 Have all non-essentials packed! This is especially great for toys. Get some plastic tubs and pack away all the toys. Bring out a different play tub each week. Usually the messes come because the kids have too much and get overwhelmed and bored. When there is a little bit, it seems to go much further.

#6 Have only enough dishes for one day. This will force you to keep the dishes clean and will make your cabinets look very spacious.

#7 Don’t leave the little niceties out when you aren’t showing the house. Have one cabinet that holds the “staging” items. After the house is all picked up and you’re ready to go out the door, go to the cupboard and pull out the staging items, running them around to their final locations.

#8 HIRE SOMEONE! Hire someone to clean the windows and do a deep cleaning of the house before you put it on the market. This will give you only spot checks to do rather than trying to bleach the grout 30 minutes before the showing.

#9 Baskets hide stuff My rule of thumb is that every flat surface should be clutter free. Walk through your house and find all the flat spaces that gather clutter. Now, assign a basket for each area. You can do a quick swoop of the clutter into the basket and hide it beneath a bed or place neatly in a closet. After the showing, you can put all those things back – if you really must!

At least three times a day, take 20 minutes to do a quick clean up. It’s amazing how much you can get finished in 20 minutes.

Any other ideas?

Wow! Look at these Foreclosures in Fort Worth

Here are some new foreclosures in Fort Worth. WOW! Some of these are amazing deals! This is just a sampling of the foreclosures on the market. To find the best one that will work for you, give me a call or send me a text today. 817-914-4987

Bargain Basement Luxury

patterson

These are some of the most amazing Luxury Foreclosures I have ever seen! If you are in the market for a luxury home, but you want to get it at bargain basement prices, call me – 817-914-4987!

One of these might be the home for you! If you need a video tour, give me a call and I will make it happen!

patterson
If you think you can’t get a foreclosure that isn’t a mess, think again. This house is completely ready to go! You won’t believe the master bath! It’s an award winner! — Oh yea, and so is the kitchen! One of the neatest things (oh, how can I possibly limit it to one?) is the theatre. It’s not a media room, it’s a theatre, complete with a concessions area.
Give me a call today, I would be happy to take you to see this one, or any of the foreclosures below.