Whether you're moving across town or across the country, moving is a big job.  Planning and organization can make your move easier.  Here are a few tips to help get your life and your possessions ready for an exciting new chapter in your life. Getting Ready for the Move Make lists of things to do and things you'll need. If you're using a moving company, call early to get quotes and secure a moving date. Stop by your local Post Office or go online to www.USPS.com to fill out a change of address.  Do this a few weeks prior to your move date. If moving out of the area, make sure you have all of your medical and prescription information handy. Contact credit card companies, your bank, newspaper/magazines subscriptions and Insurance Providers. Keep a list of service and utility companies eas... 11/17/2008

I ran a report last night of the closed residential transactions in the Lubbock Multiple Listing Service.  I pulled up everything from Single Family to Single Family with at least 1/2 acre to Garden Homes, Condos, Townhouses, Mobile Homes and Hud properties. From October 11th through November 10th, 2008, the Lubbock Multiple Listing Service recorded 153 properties closed for a total of 22.3 million dollars. From October 11th through November 10th, 2007, the Lubbock Multiple Listing Service recorded 250 sales for a total of 32.9 million dollars. Yes, our numbers have been down.  I thank the stock market stuff, the election and the media. Now, it is time for our market to rebound and for realtors to get back to work.  Interest rates are low, the Lubbock market is stable.  We do not have a... 11/11/2008

In our high tech world of real estate, I often think about what matters most to our clients.  You know...the real people that want to be treated the same way we want to be treated.  The single mom, the widow, the elderly couple, the first time home buyer.  Are they looking for the latest podcast, virtual tour, text message, website,etc.?  Well sure those can be good marketing tools.  But, what are they really looking for?  Time and time again we have found that people want good old fashioned CUSTOMER SERVICE.  The personal notes, the personal visit, the personal phone call, the smile, the handshake, the hug(when appropriate).  Clients have feelings.  Clients want to feel remembered, they want to feel special.  They want to know you are genuinely interested in their well being and not ju... 11/11/2008

I was just wondering how many of you Realtors out there are carrying concealed handguns for personal protection.  I realize some states probably allow it and some do not.  You've all heard the horror stories I'm sure of Realtors being raped, beaten and murdered.  We've heard about mace and all the other sprays.  Just Curious...are any of you carrying a concealed weapon such as a handgun? Does anyone have a personal story, suggestion or opinion on this topic?  I would love to hear your views. You might also comment on what you think our newly elected leaders will do, if anything, about the 2nd amendment in general.  Do any of you have any stories about your buyer and seller homeowners who have had to use firearms to defend their lives? Thanks in advance to your comments to this somewhat ... 11/11/2008

If people have not heard of Lubbock,TX by now, they must be asleep.  Yes, I've heard the same things...it's out in the middle of nowhere, it's podunk, it's where the wind and dirt blow, why would you live in Lubbock, TX,etc.etc. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, TX.  If you haven't heard of Texas Tech, you must not be a football fan.  You must not pay attention to mens and womens basketball either.  Lubbock Christian University is also located in Lubbock and so is Wayland Baptist University.  Lubbock is the home of state of the art medical facilities.  Don't forget about Buddy Holly.  Where do you think all the cotton comes from?  Well, cotton fields surround Lubbock as do oil wells.  Lubbock was recently noted in a  study by Veros for having the 2nd strongest housing market ... 11/11/2008

Wow!  What a great time of the year!  The temperature is cooling off, the leaves are changing colors, the holidays are upon us,etc.  Texas Tech has had an incredible football season so far.  Can you believe they are undefeated and ranked as high as number 2 in the nation after upsetting University of Texas Longhorns and stomping Oklahoma State.  Lubbock is an exciting place to be right now.  The weather is wonderfully gorgeous, the football games are exciting, Lubbock was recently listed as the number 2 strongest real estate city in the United States and the blessings go on and on.  Senior citizen retirement communities such as Carillon are offering great deals on housing right now.  Interest rates continue to stay low for buyers of all kinds.  Sellers are seeing short days on market.  ... 11/11/2008

Mega thanks to Rick Geha who was in Lubbock today, speaking to and motivating area Realtors.  Keller Williams team leader Debbie Frapp had invited Rick to come speak and gave him quite a build up.  Well deserved!  It was fun to have fellow Realtors and agents from Midland and Amarillo attend as well as a few Lubbock Realtors from other real estate companies.  Rick was a super instructor! I had a few AHA's and my number 1 AHA was to have deeper, probing dialogue with my buyer clients before getting in the car and going to look at houses.  With gas prices being high (I'll stop saying that when the price drops to $2.25 per gallon!) and my time being precious, I want to work with motivated buyer's.  In addition to loving my real estate business, my husband and I have our Moms, our wonderful... 10/27/2008

The decision to buy or build a new home is a momentous occasion at any stage of an individual's or family's life.  Although price, size and floor plan of a home are important considerations, location has historically and continues to be the driving factor.   Location begins with the big picture - state and city AND then narrows to zip code and part of town.  Final decisions are often based on lifestyle and/or life stage considerations such as schools, proximity to work or family, amenities and type of community.  Master planned community developments like Vintage Township offers something for families of all sizes, ages and life stages.  Vintage Township, a Traditional Neighborhood Development, is located in the one of the fastest growing areas in Lubbock, Texas, with retail, medical, r... 10/22/2008

So, what's next in our nation?  What will the next announcement be from Washington, Wall Street or anywhere else for that matter?  Who will be the president and vice president?  Most of us have strong opinions about these things, but when everything settles down, what will real estate be like?  Yes, people are still talking doom and gloom for our profession.  People act as if the sky has fallen.  Maybe it has in certain places.  However, the creative Realtor can and will survive, if not thrive in any market.  Our shifting markets can challenge us, as well as our clients.  Our job is to stay on top of the situation and be able to be a true fiduciary to our clients.  We should be the experts of our industry.  Our clients will trust us if we prove to be honest and knowledgable in our curre... 10/22/2008

You may have seen the recent A-J article that talked about Lubbock, TX being ranked #11 on the list of cities that had the best bet to weather the recession.  Yes, Lubbock is somewhat insulated for several reasons.  We are a big college town...Texas Tech, Lubbock Christian, Wayland Baptist, South Plains.  We have a strong farm community, medical community and banking industry.  Bankers have been conservative!  Our home prices were not artificially inflated.  Our growth has been steady and sure.  People can say all they want about the dirt and wind.  They can make fun of it all they want, but Lubbock continues to come up on national list of all kinds for top places to live, top real estate markets, top sports towns, Christian universities, churches,you name it.  We are fortunate to live ... 10/21/2008

Local News 101708 LOCAL NEWS 1 A-J BUSINESS EDITOR Is the country in or headed for a deep recession? Lubbock on list of top cities to weather recession By Chris Van Wagenen | A-J BUSINESS EDITOR Friday, October 17, 2008Story last updated at 10/17/2008 - 2:07 am Is the country in or headed for a deep recession? If so, be happy you're living in Lubbock. A report published by Business Week ranked the Hub City among the 20 safest places to live in the U.S. during a major downturn where vast portions of the population are employed by government, health care, education, agriculture and legal services. "I think it's totally logical and accurate," said Gary Lawrence, CEO for the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance who examined the report and wasn't at ... 10/21/2008

Our local media finally gave our real estate business a positive plug on the 10:00p.m. news.  I want to encourage anyone and everyone to thank our local news channel for breaking the story about the LUBBOCK,TX REAL ESTATE MARKET.  IT WAS RANKED #2 BY VEROS REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS, A NATIONAL COMPANY OUT OF CALIFORNIA, FOR THE STRONGEST REAL ESTATE MARKETS ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS! The top 5 strongest markets are: 1. Peoria, Il 2. Lubbock, TX 3. Springfield, Il 4. Amarillo, TX 5. Tulsa, Ok Let's all strive to keep consumer confidence high in Lubbock by following conservative lending practices, honest buying and selling and consulting a local REALTOR of choice from the LUBBOCK ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS! 10/21/2008

I was greatly pleased to see on our local channel 11, KCBD news last night the latest real estate report from the California based Veros Real Estate Solutions.  They are a leader in enterprise risk management and collateral valuation services.  They announced the top 5 strongest real estate markets for the next 12 months. Guess what?....LUBBOCK,TEXAS ranked #2 in the entire nation!!!! The five strongest markets are as follows; 1. Peoria, Il 2. Lubbock,TX 3. Springfield, Il 4. Amarillo, TX 5. Tulsa, OK The worst market was Las Vegas,NV....don't gamble your future....come find your dream home in west Texas! 10/21/2008

2008 General Election Endorsed Candidates. Statewide candidates endorsed by TREPAC/Texas Association of REALTORS John Cornyn - R U.S. Senate   Michael Williams - R Railroad Commissioner   Wallace Jefferson - R Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court   Dale Wainwright - R Justice, Texas Supreme Court, Place 7   Phil Johnson - R Justice, Texas Supreme Court, Place 8   Let your 90,000 REALTOR voices be heard by voting for candidates who support free enterprise and private-property rights.  We don't want our commissions taxed or real estate transfer taxes.  We need candidates who will support the right views on the appraisal process, eminent-domain, mortgage fraud, insurance,etc. Information borrowed from TEXAS REALTOR Magazine.       10/21/2008

Yes it is that time again.  Every four years it comes around.  Of course I am referring to our national elections.  So much of the process we have seen before.  It almost seems routine.  On the other hand, lots of things are new this year. We have just come through record breaking days with the stock market!  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are talked about more than ever.  Bank bailouts, talk of recession, depression, you name it.  People are discussing the subprime loan market, or the fallout from it.  The republicans have their first ever female running on the ticket.  The first ever african american is running for president on the democratic ticket.  Joe the plumber, Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, ACORN, voter fraud, Wasilla, Alaska, Saturday Night Live, taxes, the economy, small business, nat... 10/19/2008

September 17, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Susie Stell                                               Vintage Township, Vintage Institute Director                                     (806)771-1117 office(806) 438-6614 mobile                                                                                                                        www.VintageTownship.com The National Association of Realtors® Discovers Investment Opportunities in Communities Like Vintage Township Peter Katz is the Founding Executive Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism and author of The New Urbanism: Toward the Architecture in which he predicted the rise in New Urbanism about 10 years ago. In the article titled "Investing in New Urban Communities: It's Money in the Bag...If Done Right", The National Asso... 10/01/2008

HELLO EVERYBODY...JUST WANTED TO LET ALL KNOW WHERE WE ARE.  WE RECENTLY STARTED OUR OWN REAL ESTATE BUSINESS IN LUBBOCK, TX.  WE ARE EXCITED AS WE VENTURE OUT ON OUR OWN.  WE WANT TO CONTINUE OUR WORKING RELATIONSHIPS AND COOPERATIVE SELLING WITH INDEPENDENTS AND FRANCHISES ALIKE.  WE HOPE TO EXPAND OUR REFERRAL NETWORK WITH REALTORS ALL OVER THIS GREAT COUNTRY.  WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO HAVE 43 CLOSED TRANSACTIONS AND OVER 6 MILLION IN SOLD RESIDENTIAL TRANSACTIONS FROM JANUARY - SEPTEMBER OF 2008.  WE ARE HOPING THAT WITH OUR INDEPENDENT OFFICE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO DEVOTE EVEN MORE TIME AND ATTENTION TO OUR CLIENTS IN THE MONTHS AND YEARS TO COME.  WE ARE NEVER TOO BUSY FOR YOUR REFERRALS AND LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT FALL SELLING SEASON!  Whether Buying or Selling, It's Always a S... 09/24/2008

IS IT JUST ME OR IS ANYONE ELSE TIRED OF THE SAME OLD NEGATIVE MEDIA TELLING US HOW BAD REAL ESTATE IS?  I completely understand that it is terrible in certain places around the country.  I also realize that people who had no business qualifying for a mortgage are home owners (or WERE home owners)!  But, let's face it, the media has trouble reporting anything POSITIVE!  Many real estate markets, including LUBBOCK, TEXAS, are not bombarded with foreclosures!  We have had some, but that is to be expected.  The huge majority of homeowners, especially in Lubbock, are still making their monthly mortgage payments.   Interest rates are still very low!  The subprime loans to those who had no business buying a house have pretty much gone by the wayside.  Lubbock lenders did not do interest only ... 09/24/2008

Recently, I had the pleasure of helping a woman search for a 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom home for her family of 5. When I asked them which style house the family preferred, I found that she wasn’t aware of the types of houses offered. I described to her our selection: Townhome, Cottage/ Garden Home, Estate Home, Manor Home, Neighborhood Home, Large Neighborhood Home and Village Home. I described each type in detail and she was very much impressed by the Large Neighborhood. This type of home provided the space needed for her growing family. Typically this home has 4 bedrooms, formals and two living areas. She liked this home especially because of the large porches and because the backyard plans are large enough for a swimming pool. After choosing this home type, we further narrowed the search;... 08/07/2008

  As Vintage Township’s Kids Talent Show approaches, kids in the neighborhood are searching high and low for a partner, a costume and the perfect song that will best show off their natural talents. But some children - along with many of us adults - are not yet aware of these exceptional abilities. Along with costumes, the children may also be searching high and low for their hidden talents.     Here are a few strategies you and your children can practice to help discover a passion that neither of you were aware of! This may help you and your child uncover an appreciation for the arts as well as give you some extra time to spend together!     Look for early signs – Did your children start wiggling around to music before they were even crawling? Dancing may be their thing! If they banged ... 07/16/2008