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Kathy Streib
We take a common sense approach to Staging, Redesign, Vacant Staging, Lifestyle moves and e-Staging. Our reach is Boca, Boynton, Delray, Parkland,West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and beyond!
Office: (561) 914-6224
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Real Estate Agent
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Whether I'm sharing a life lesson, explaining the real estate market, or helping someone find their next home, my goal is always the same, to educate, encourage, and serve. Reach out: 512-750-6899
Cell: 512-750-6899
Office: dillard@reloaustin.com
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All About Texas Real Estate

By Patricia Feager, Licensed to April 2027
(Appraisal Review Board, Denton County, TX)
Journal Entry for 10/9/2026Source:  hello@dictionaryscoop.com There was an article published today about different Codes and what they mean. For example, just about everyone knows what Code Blue is and why it is used in hospital settings. But there are other warnings or Codes that most people aren't familiar with. By the time I was midway done reading the information, I wondered why NAR and/or local Brokers/Agents/Associations for the Real Estate Community don't have their own codes? Also, at the very least, why not have a REALTOR ALERT that goes off to ALL Licensed Agents when a realtor has an emergency, is missing, harmed, abducted, or killed. I would love to see an initiative like this one implemented ASAP. For me personally, a CODE alert would have been helpful on the day I was in a...
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By Patricia Feager, Licensed to April 2027
(Appraisal Review Board, Denton County, TX)
October 4, 2026 Believe it or not!I was driving behind a Telsa today with a bumper sticker that read: "New Student Driver." And so, I wondered, if a student learns to drive a self-driving car, does the person learn rules of the road other non-Tesla Drivers need to learn?AI ANSWER: Do Tesla Student Drivers Learn the Same Road Test Rules as Non‑Self‑Driving Cars?Yes — student drivers in a Tesla must follow the same state‑specific road test rules as any other learner, regardless of whether the car is self‑driving or not. The Tesla’s driving mode (manual, Autopilot, or Full Self‑Driving Beta) does not change the legal requirements for a permit test.Why the rules are the sameIn Texas and most U.S. states, the road test is designed to assess: Basic driving skills (steering, braking, accelerat...
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By Patricia Feager, Licensed to April 2027
(Appraisal Review Board, Denton County, TX)
Journal Entry for Monday, 10/5/2026 I bought a bouquet of flowers that I carefully selected by choosing one stem at a time. I can't stop looking at them! They are absolutely, positively eye-popping! Don't you agree? Now that we're starting Autumn, we need to start bringing the beauty of nature indoors. I'm not the plastic flower girl type - I need real flowers! Sure, I still have some growing outdoors, but these flowers I chose to buy from the Florist Shop are giving me JOY!!!  I have an itch to pick up a paint brush and get that canvas out of the other room and try to paint these flowers.  If at first I don't succeed, I'll just print this photo-on-Photo Paper and frame it! That's what I've done to most of the photographs. Each photo framed, hanging on the walls hold a special memory of...
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By Dorie Dillard Austin TX, Educating. Encouraging. Serving.
(Coldwell Banker Apex Realtors, LLC ~ 512.750.6899)
Wednesday Market Matters | Third Quarter 2026Helping You Understand What the Numbers Mean.Looking Beyond the Numbers"The headline tells one story. The numbers tell another."One of the questions I'm asked most often is:"Dorie...how's the market?"My answer is usually the same."It depends on which numbers you're looking at!"Headlines grab our attention, but statistics help us understand what's really happening.That's why each quarter I like to look beyond the headlines and take a closer look at our Canyon Creek market. After all, real estate is local, and neighborhood trends often tell a very different story.And the third quarter of 2026 certainly gives us something to talk about!Q3 2026: A Look at the NumbersSo, What's the Real Story?At first glance, a 38% decline in sales might raise som...
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By Mike Young, FHA 203k Consultant 916-758-1809 cell direct
(203kOnLine.com, covering the USA)
Managing 203(k) paperwork means maintaining accurate, current, and traceable project documentation from initial scope through final draw.A 203(k) file rarely falls apart because someone cannot identify a repair. It falls apart because a scope changed without documentation, a bid does not match the write-up, a draw request arrives without the right inspection record, or everyone assumes someone else has the current version. Learning how to manage 203k paperwork is how you protect the deal, your reputation, and the contractor's ability to get paid.For a HUD 203(k) consultant, paperwork is not an administrative side task. It is the operating system for the project. The consultant's work connects the borrower, contractor, lender, appraiser, and HUD requirements. When your file is organized,...
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By Melodi Magness Morelli, Magness + Morelli Group | Luxury Real Estate
(Keller Williams Realty, Southlake, Texas)
The Best Real Estate Opportunities Aren’t Always the Most Obvious: What Buyers Should Know in Today’s Southlake MarketThe real estate market changes the questions buyers ask.When homes are selling quickly and competition is intense, buyers often worry about missing out. When the market becomes more selective, a different question emerges: How do you recognize a genuinely good opportunity when the right answer isn’t immediately obvious?For buyers considering Southlake and the surrounding luxury communities, that question matters more than ever.A Changing Market Requires a Different PerspectiveThe Dallas–Fort Worth market is sending mixed signals. September 2026 data from Realtor.com showed fewer active listings than a year earlier, but more than one in four DFW listings had experienced a...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
If your Atascocita house is on the Harris County tax sale list, the date on the notice is the one that matters most, and most of what you can still do has to happen before it. After the sale, the choices shrink to one, and it is expensive. I wrote about the right of redemption and the excess proceeds after a Texas tax sale earlier this month, so this post stays on the other side of the auction: the suit, the notice, and the deadlines that count backward from sale day. I read the Tax Code sections quoted here on October 10, 2026. How a house gets to a Harris County tax sale A tax sale is the end of a lawsuit. Tax Code Section 33.41(a) says that "at any time after its tax on property becomes delinquent, a taxing unit may file suit to foreclose the lien securing payment of the tax, to enfo...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
An owelty lien in Texas is what is left on the title when a divorce gives the house to one spouse and that spouse still owes the other one their share. In Angleton and the rest of Brazoria County, I see it most often years later, when the spouse who kept the house goes to sell and the title commitment lists a lien they had stopped thinking about. This post covers what the lien is, why Texas allows it on a homestead, how it shows up when you sell, and how it is paid and released at closing. I read the constitutional section and the statutes quoted here on October 10, 2026. What an owelty lien is Owelty is an old legal word for an equalizing payment. When property cannot be split down the middle, the person who takes the bigger piece pays the other the difference. In a divorce, the bigger...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
When a parent dies owning a house in Allen, the estate goes through the Collin County probate court, and the first thing families ask me is how soon the house can sell. The honest answer depends less on the buyer than on one piece of paper: the court order the title company will want to see before anyone signs a deed. This post covers which court hears the estate, the two kinds of administration and the paperwork each one produces, and the steps between a signed contract and a closing when the court supervises the sale. I read the statutes quoted here on October 10, 2026. Which court is the Collin County probate court? In Texas, which court hears a probate case depends on the county. Collin County has a court that does nothing else. Government Code Section 25.0451(b) says it plainly: "C...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
Selling a house with furniture still in every room is a common situation after a parent moves into assisted living. The house in Dallas sits empty of people but full of everything else: the recliner, the china cabinet, decades of closets. The family wants to sell, nobody has the weekends to empty it, and the parent still owns the house. That last part shapes everything. This is not an estate, because nobody has died. The parent is the owner, and either the parent signs or someone with legal authority signs for them. This post covers who can sign, what happens to the property tax exemption while the house sits, three ways to deal with the contents, and what the disclosure form asks about a house nobody lives in. I read the statutes quoted here on October 9, 2026. Who can sign when the ow...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
Selling a house with termite damage in Beaumont starts with two pieces of paper. One is the Texas seller's disclosure notice, which asks you directly about termites. The other is the wood destroying insect report a buyer's inspector or lender may order. Most of the trouble I see in these sales comes from the gap between what the owner knew, what the form asked, and what the report could actually see. I buy older houses in Southeast Texas, many of them with soft floors, sagging door frames or a past treatment nobody wrote down. This post walks through what the disclosure form asks, what a WDI report is and is not, and how I would think through repairing versus selling as it is. I read the statute and the state inspection rules on October 9, 2026, and the quotes below are from that readin...
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By Dorie Dillard Austin TX, Educating. Encouraging. Serving.
(Coldwell Banker Apex Realtors, LLC ~ 512.750.6899)
El Arroyo stands as an iconic Austin gem, renowned for crafting the finest hand-squeezed margaritas and serving up delectable Black Angus beef tacos, among a plethora of other Tex-Mex delights, since 1975!Situated at the corner of West 5th and Campbell, this local favorite boasts a quirky marquee that captures attention. Daily, the billboard transforms with a fresh pun, spanning the spectrum of wit and humor, making it a delightful fixture at the heart of Austin's culinary scene. The laughter doesn't stop there, they share these puns on Instagram, drawing in admirers like our very own Kathy Streib, and Debe Maxwell, CRS, is also in on the fun. In a world where a daily chuckle is a necessity, following El Arroyo's Instagram for the latest pun is a shared joy.Wishing you endless smiles! H...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
A flood damaged house in Beaumont raises two questions at once. What will the flood policy pay, and will anyone let you put the house back the way it was? The answer to the second one can change the answer to the first, and in my experience owners often find that out after the adjuster has left. I buy houses in the condition they are in, and after a flood that usually means drywall cut out along the bottom of every wall and a pile at the curb. This post is about one part of the federal flood policy that almost nobody reads: Coverage D, Increased Cost of Compliance, and how it connects to the 50 percent substantial damage rule. I read the federal regulations on eCFR on October 8, 2026, and the quotes below are copied word for word from that text. What counts as substantial damage on a fl...
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By Real Estate Broker Cape Cod Heath Coker Falmouth, Heath Coker
(https://capegroup.com)
A Better Way to Watch the Housing MarketThe housing market is easy to misinterpret.One headline says rates are falling. Another says prices are rising. A third says a recession may be coming. None of those headlines alone tells you what to do.A better approach is to watch a small group of facts.Start with local supply. How many homes similar to yours are for sale? Then look at demand. How quickly are well-priced homes receiving offers? Review recent closed sales, not only asking prices. Finally, understand what buyers are paying each month.Treasury yields belong in this picture because they help shape long-term borrowing costs. The Treasury yield curve comes from market-based bid yields across different maturity dates. It is a useful view of how investors see risk, inflation, and future...
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By inboundREM Market Updates
(InboundREM)
What Defines Peaster Country living and acreage homesPeaster Country living and acreage homes appeal to buyers who want more land, fewer closely spaced homes, and a residential setting outside the denser parts of Parker County. Peaster and the surrounding area include single-family homes, custom residences, ranch properties, undeveloped land, and homes built on multi-acre parcels.Properties are not uniform. One home may sit on a few acres with a workshop, while another may include a larger tract with pasture, fencing, a pond, or space for animals. Buyers should look closely at the land, improvements, utilities, and restrictions attached to each property rather than expecting the same setup throughout the area.Acreage Homes Around PeasterAcreage is a major part of the Peaster real estate...
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By inboundREM Market Updates
(InboundREM)
Living the Weatherford North rural residential lifestyleThe Weatherford North rural residential lifestyle appeals to buyers who want more space while staying connected to Weatherford and the surrounding Parker County area. North of central Weatherford, buyers can find established homes, acreage properties, ranch-style residences, and newer construction on larger lots.The area has a lower-density feel than many neighborhoods closer to the center of Weatherford. Lot size, utilities, road frontage, restrictions, and improvements can vary widely, so each property should be reviewed on its own rather than treated as part of one standard neighborhood. That variety is one of the main reasons careful property research matters here.Acreage and Larger Residential LotsLarger parcels are an importa...
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By inboundREM Market Updates
(InboundREM)
What Defines the Fairmont Cove Neighborhood LifestyleFairmont Cove neighborhood lifestyle centers on residential living within the 75604 area of Longview, Texas. Fairmont Cove is a defined Longview neighborhood with homes along Cove Place and access to the broader services, shopping, schools, and daily conveniences found throughout the west side of the city.For buyers comparing neighborhoods in Longview, Fairmont Cove offers a location within an established part of the community rather than outside the city. The neighborhood's residential setting, proximity to major Longview roads, and connection to Pine Tree Independent School District are practical details worth considering during a home search.Fairmont Cove Homes and Residential SettingHomes in Fairmont Cove are primarily represented...
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By inboundREM Market Updates
(InboundREM)
Lakeport TX Lakeside Recreation Along the Sabine RiverLakeport TX lakeside recreation starts with the Sabine River and the waterways that shape this part of East Texas. Lakeport sits south of Longview, close to an established public access point near Highways 322 and 149. For buyers who enjoy spending time near the water, the location adds an outdoor element to the community.The river supports paddling, boating, fishing, and other outdoor activities when conditions allow. It also connects Lakeport to one of the major waterways running through East Texas, giving residents another option for recreation close to home.Sabine River Access Near LakeportOne of Lakeport's key outdoor features is access to the Sabine River. The Highway 322 and 149 area is a recognized public river access locatio...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
Selling a house with solar panels in Texas comes down to one question the buyer will ask before anything else: do you own the panels, or does somebody else? The answer decides what shows up at the title company, what the next owner has to sign, and how the offer is written. Panels show up on a lot of the Austin houses I look at, and the paperwork behind them is often in a drawer the seller has not opened since the install. This post is about what Texas law made the solar company hand you, and how each kind of deal plays out when the house sells. Owned, leased or a power purchase agreement There are three common setups. You bought the system outright or with a loan, so you own the equipment. You lease it, so the company owns it and you pay a monthly rent. Or you signed a power purchase a...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
A deed in lieu of foreclosure in Texas is close to what the name says. Instead of waiting for the lender to sell the house at a foreclosure sale, you sign a deed handing the house to the lender, and the lender takes it in satisfaction of the debt. No auction, no crowd on the courthouse steps. It gets offered to owners who are behind and out of options, and sometimes it is the right call. But Texas has one statute written specifically about it, and it carries a trap that I rarely hear anyone explain to the owner before they sign. This is that statute, read on October 7, 2026, and how a deed in lieu compares with selling the house yourself while you still can. What a deed in lieu of foreclosure in Texas actually is Property Code Section 51.006 describes the transaction in one line. It app...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
Selling a house with mold in Texas is a paperwork question before it is a price question. The mold is there or it is not. What decides how the sale goes is what you knew, what you wrote on the disclosure form, and whether a remediation company ever handed you a certificate. I buy houses in the condition they are in, Fort Worth included, and mold comes up more often than sellers expect. This post walks through what the Texas statutes actually say, read this morning on the Legislature's own site, and what I see happen when an owner has to choose between fixing it and selling it as it stands. Does the Texas seller's disclosure notice ask about mold? Not by name. Property Code Section 5.008 sets out the Seller's Disclosure Notice that a seller of "residential real property comprising not mo...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
A parent dies, and somewhere in the paperwork is a reverse mortgage. Nobody else in the family signed it. Nobody has made a payment on it, because it never asked for one. Now a letter from the servicer says the loan is due. In Texas, the rules for a reverse mortgage on a homestead are written into the state constitution, in Article XVI, Section 50(k). I read it this week because some of the inherited houses I get called about have one, and in my experience the family often does not know what the parent agreed to. This is what the text says happens when the borrower dies. What a Texas reverse mortgage is Section 50(k) describes it as credit secured by a voluntary lien on a homestead, made to a person who is, or whose spouse is, 62 years or older. Each owner and each owner's spouse has to...
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By Steven Hoeke, Breaking Down Fast-Sale Options for Texas Sellers
(House Buyers Texas)
A seller has a buyer, a price and a closing date. Then the title commitment comes back with one line nobody expected: a notice of lis pendens. In my experience, that line stops a closing until somebody can explain it. It is a short document with a long reach. Texas spells out what it has to say, who has to be told about it, and how it comes off. Here is what I read in the Property Code this week, and what it means if you are the one trying to sell. What a lis pendens is in Texas Lis pendens is Latin for a pending suit. Under Texas Property Code Section 12.007(a), a party to a lawsuit "involving title to real property, the establishment of an interest in real property, or the enforcement of an encumbrance against real property" may record a notice that the suit is pending. Eminent domain...
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By KAREN SANCHEZ, ...Marketing your home like no one else will.
( Reputable Realty)
Why Buying a Home Sooner May Be Better Than WaitingShould you buy a home now—or wait?That’s a question I hear all the time. And while none of us has a crystal ball telling us exactly what home prices or interest rates will do next, there are some compelling reasons to consider buying sooner rather than later.1. Start Building Equity SoonerWhen you rent, your monthly payment helps build your landlord’s equity. When you own, a portion of your mortgage payment goes toward paying down your loan and building your equity.The sooner you buy, the sooner you can start building it.2. Time Is Your FriendHomeownership is a long-term game. Over time, you have the opportunity to build equity through mortgage paydown and potential appreciation.You can't go back and recover five years of equity you cou...
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