>>>>>>Shawn Russell's "Hot" Houston Real Estate Blog!<<<<<<<

How many 1st Time Home Buyers have been through the "Underwriters Haunted House"?  Recently, my client experienced two closings ... the first one was as good as anyone could hope for ... after all the papers were signed and we were off to lunch I received a call from the closing agent to come bac...

I must confess ... sometimes I wonder what I might have done to spoil the relationship with my buyers ... You know the drill ... You have a prequal letter in hand ... you show them exactly what they want ... they are all excited about the place ... you go over the paperwork ... and then BAM!  LOS...

Ok, I have to admit ... Yes I've done it ... however I recognize when texting is appropriate while in the car ... How about when you have pulled into a parking space or pulled into a residential area where you can park in front of a home and text safely ... These are really the only times I can t...

Yesterday I met a lovely couple who are moving to Houston to be closer to their family .... During our conversation the need for an elevator became the hot topic ... what I understood from our conversation was that after years of fussing with the yard, pool, trees, shrubs, sprinkler systems, weed...

Imagine you are showing your client a duplex ... you are trying to see one unit that is already occupied ... you show up and all of a sudden a pit bull comes out from around the corner? That's what happened to me yesterday ... luckily nothing happened ... But what if me or god forbid my client wa...

The $8,000 Tax Credit has really sparked home buying ... At the beginning of the year the underwriters were swamped with refinanced home ... now with the rates being so low ... underwriters are swamped with new and existing home purchases ... My lender just informed me that they can do Bridge Loa...

It's been a while since I aired the lastest dish on the real estate scene in Houston ... Needless to say business has picked up now that first time home buyers (if you havent purchased a home within the last 3 years) $8,000 tax credit can be used at closing for closing costs ... using the FHA loa...

With parents hurried to find a place before school goes back into session.  Agents are receiving the call to find homes right now.  Why is it that the inventory is shrinking in Houston (Inner Loop mind you)?  In the beginning of the year dire reports from the national news put a halt to new const...

Are you feeling like you just can't show one more property or write up one more offer, well drink a Red Bull baby because now is the time to make hay. "Never before in my 30 plus years in real estate have I been this busy!"  This coming from a close realtor friend who is perpetually busy, and gue...

We are now in a seller's market.  If you thought that we are just like other parts of the country with real estate woes ... guess again!  Everyone I talk to is finding it harder and harder to find that "Dream Home".  If a home is priced right and is in good condition it's gone in 60 seconds.  For...