Five Tips To Buying In A Fast Market

If you're a buyer in a hot housing market, you may have already lost out on several homes already. How can you get the upper hand? Here are five tips:

1. Get preapproved by a lender. Sharing financial information your lender requests will get you preapproved. You'll know the limits on how much home you can afford, how much money to put down, and what your interest rate will be. A preapproval letter will assure the seller that you're ready to buy.
2. Trust your real estate professional. As a Realor, I knows the market, can feed you new listings that fit your criteria, and have many contacts to learn about homes coming onto the market which you wouldn't get to see otherwise.
3. Make a realistic must-have list. Pick a neighborhood, house type and price range with a limited number of features. Be prepared to make compromises - smaller, fewer bedrooms or baths.
4. Consider less-than-perfect homes. Buying the worst house on the best block is a proven strategy. A home that needs repairs and updates will sell at a discount to other homes. Bringing your home up to the neighborhood standards is a quick route to building equity.
5. Buy under your means. If you get into a bidding war, you'll need a little wiggle room so you can compete. Many homes will sell above list price, so it's smart to keep your cool because you know you can go up if you need to.

Revamp Your Dallas Backyard for The Summer

Apr 02, 2014 03:00 pm | DFW Real Estate

Spring fever is on the minds of people throughout the nation, and that’s no exception in Texas. With warmer weather on the horizon, people throughout the area are gearing up for outdoor activities and lawn care. Texas home owners with backyards they deem boring or too slated for proper landscaping can just as easily get a boost with a few of these ideas of HGTV Gardens.

Sink Into a Sunken Terrace

Creating a terrace is a great way to utilize space in a slanted or uneven backyard. Home owners can use the varying levels as a way to create a sunken space perfect for entertaining. With a pathway leading from the home, a stone patio area can not only utilize the area that may otherwise seem unusable it will use depth and variation to make the yard feel as though it were ripped from a magazine centerfold.

Embrace a Shady Spot

It’s no secret that summers in Texas can be rough, so creating an area with ample shade will help to make a backyard more usable. A pergola or veranda area is ideal for southern climates. Texas home owners should use an area like a back corner of the yard or a space on the porch or even near the pool as a calming retreat. A great way to block out additional sun is to add white outdoor-appropriate drapes that can be fanned out or tied back. Home owners can also plant tall shrubbery or plants to the east and west where the sun can be its most dramatic.

Create a Cozy Corner

The backyard is a space for play and fun, but it should also be an ideal area in the home in which to unwind. By adding a comfortable outdoor sofa or a hammock, the backyard can be turned into a spa-like oasis. Decorative, outdoor throw pillows are also great to make the area look inviting, which can be especially helpful when having gatherings.

Real Simple recommends: “Make over a porch with a few items (day bed, potted plants, Chinese lanterns) that will make the space comfortable and stylish. Thinking creatively can also help you stick to a budget. There’s no reason why a trunk from inside can’t step in as your outdoor coffee table. Besides, it’s only for a season.”

Determine a Theme

Backyards, just like any other area of the home, just need a little bit of TLC to look beautiful. Home owners can come up with a simple theme for the space, such as seaside, colorful, calming or playful, and work from there. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, but adding flowers and plants, lighting and furniture that all have the same “theme” will pull everything together seamlessly.

If you’re interested in learning more about homes for sale in Dallas-Fort Worth, don’t hesitate to contact us today. With our expert team of real estate agents, we’d love to assist you in your search for a new place to call home.

 

From DFW Real Estate - Prudential Texas Properties

Fort Worth Great Surprise - Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Where to take out of town guests this year turned into a nice surprise. Their Airline gave them a list of places to see in the Dallas - Fort Worth Area and The Fort Worth Botanic Garden was on the list. For the past 10 years we have always gone to the Dallas Arboretum and so we decided to try something different. We all were happy that we did.

I highly recommend that anyone in the area take the time. The price is FREE!

How Does Your Garden Grow? Seedling Planting

Start Seedlings Indoors

Posted by Gloria Vargo
There's nothing like a lush garden to improve your home's curb appeal. An established flower garden or vegetable garden can actually add value to your home and property. For many regions, now is the time to begin planning your garden strategy.
In cooler climates it's a good idea to start some vegetables and flowers indoors. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Don't start your plants indoors too soon. If you are new to the area, research the traditional date range for the last spring frost and plan accordingly.

2. Eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplants, leeks, head lettuce, and onions are just a few of the vegetables that will benefit from an early start indoors.

3. Flowers slow to mature can also be planted indoors in order to make the green thumb next door green with garden envy. Some of these include impatiens, petunias, snapdragons, and fibrous begonias.

4. Be careful not to start plants with sensitive roots indoors. Vegetables such as peas, beans, corn, and sweetpeas like to settle in to their summer homes and not be disturbed. You can stunt the growth of these by replanting them after they have already taken root.

5. Reuse containers each year, but keep your indoor planting containers clean. Commercial flats can be used over and over and they usually come with trays to catch runaway water.

6. Try a mixture of vermiculite, perlite, and peat moss for seed starting. It's easy to overwater indoor starts and rot their roots. Make sure your seedlings have plenty of air circulation, a warm (but not hot) environment (70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit is just about right), and plenty of strong light.

7. Don't overcrowd seeds. Encourage them to grow freely by giving them plenty of room.

8. Don't let containers and plant medium dry out completely, but don't over water them either.

9. Label and date containers. You could forget what you planted, and when you planted it!

10. Gradually toughen plants so they can survive drying winds and changing temperatures. Brush your hand gently across them daily. As they get older, consider using a fan do simulate wind for a few hours every day.

If you're looking for a home with a beautiful garden spot, contact me today!
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214-789-1076 Your Community Realtor Gloria Vargo