I have begun to see increased activity from potential buyers in the past two weeks. Builder subdivisions in McKinney are seeing more traffic and our resale listings are also seeing increased traffic. I gave a potential buyer a chart that graphs mortage interest rates since 2000 until today. His conclusion was that he probably will never see rates this low again. We then began looking at new construction and narrowing builder selection and floorplans. I have several other buyers who have been sitting on the sidelines tell me this week that they think they need to act. We have sold and closed transactions in the last couple of months but have not seen this amount of active buyer activity. 01/11/2009

If you have driven down Highway 75 (Central Expressway) heading North you have seen the billboard.  Inwood Hills is located off Virginia Parkway.  I pass by here all the time and just had to swing in to see what was going on.  From the map I picked up it looks like 57 homes are going to be built with 7 different floor plans. The Brenna: 3 BR, 2 BA, Study, Sunroom, 1 living, 2 dining, 1 story with 2278 square feet starting at $228,990 The Bailey (Future Model) 3 BR, 2.5 BA, Study, 1 living, 2 Dining, 1 story with 2402 square feet starting at $239,990 The Bella: 4 BR, 2.5 BA, 1 living, 2 dining, covered patio, 1 story with 2549 square feet starting at $249,990 The Bethany: 4 BR, 3 BA, Study, 1 living, 2 dining, game room, 2 story with 2969 square feet fstarting at $269,990 The Becka: 4 BR... 01/08/2009

For some, purchasing a home is not yet an option. Perhaps their job is temporary in nature, their credit needs some polishing, or the down payment piggybank just isn't quite full enough. With the recent crack-down on lending, many have had to sell their home (or worse, lose it in Foreclosure) and turn to renting. Renting a home can be a great solution for the time being. Some benefits of renting a Single-Family HOME over an APARTMENT include: The use and enjoyment of a yard. Do you love to garden or landscape? Most landlords would welcome you to their home as you provide some nice curb appeal to the home and you get to enjoy your hobby! Have kids? Then this one's a no-brainer! A home provides access to a "wide open space" in which they can expell their energy! They can also enjoy hoppin... 01/08/2009

If you are in the market for a McKinney, TX rental then you have probably been scouring the internet gathering as much information as you can. You can stop now!  Below are some stats regarding the current inventory of McKinney rental homes - as of January 8, 2009.   144 Rental Homes/duplexes/triplexes/4plexes/condos/townhomes. Rents range from $600 - $6,000. $0-$1000 = 11 $1,000 - $1,100 = 5 $1,101-$1250 = 16 $1,251-$1,500 = 47 $1,501 - $1,750 = 14 $1,751 - $2,000 = 16 $2,001 - $2,500 = 10 $2,501 - $3,000 = 10 $3,001 + = 11 A brief synopsis of what you can get for the money: The lowest price listing is $600 for a 846 sq ft home built in 1909. It's a 2 BR, 1 BA Historic Cottage walking distance to the McKinney square. Available as a lease-purchase, and for a 1 yr + lease. The highest pri... 01/08/2009

What's in a logo? What's in a name? I'd like to be the first to introduce : d + b real estate! We are McKinney's newest Boutique Real Estate Firm. In starting a new company, the very first thing the owner must address is the company's branding. It's the logo. The look. The feel. It sets the tone of your business. It's permanent. It's significant. And I love mine. Now I don't know if anyone has ever given a thorough analysis of their company's logo before. Maybe you've never thought about yours before. Maybe you're in the process of creating your own. Here's a few facts about d + b real estate...our logo and our name. 1. THE NAME. What's the "d" and "b" stand for? Great first question. Glad you asked! Since we are a family owned business, the letters stand for our last names. Kim Daughe... 01/05/2009

Just when I think McKinney couldn't get any better ( can you tell I am biased already?), I find out that a new Charter School will be opening up in August of 2009. Now parents who are looking for an alternative education for their child that doesn't include traditional public schools, private schools or HOME SCHOOLS have an option! The Imagine International Academy of North Texas offers a college prep educational setting for not just McKinney residents, but surrounding communities as well - Frisco, Lovejoy, Prosper, Celina, Allen, Melissa and Princeton. The school is open to ALL students, without preference for the gifted students. And because it is FREE, it does not discriminate against any socio-economic group either. The first year the school will enroll K-8, and add a grade each ye... 01/02/2009

McKinney Christmas Celebration. Photography by Joseph McKinney, Texas just completed the first part of its annual traditional Christmas celebration: "A Dickens of a Christmas." If you missed the 27th year of the Dickens Victorian Christmas, there is still plenty of atmosphere to absorb on the old downtown courthouse square and in the nearby Chestnut Square historic village area which is decorated annually with period decorations using historic techniques. Every Thursday in December downtown shops will remain open until 8pm offering shoppers a more traditional shopping experience away from the crowded malls of North Texas. The McKinney Performing Arts Center (MPAC) has a variety of entertainment events during December including a Christmas Play. Chestnut Square is a collection of histori... 12/25/2008

Although, there is no ironclad formula to success. It's still worth trying or at least hearing.  Let's start at the beginning. Where does one start in trying to make change. First of all, a person must have some motivation in order to do what they are trying do and/or attain. Secondly, one might be wondering what does CHANGE mean? There are several definitions but one definition that I particularly like is one by Terrance Deal and Lee Bolman, who defines CHANGE as  a response to plan or unplanned pressures and forces. It also means to transform or look different. 12/23/2008

Oh, how I love Downtown McKinney! If you haven't been there in  while you SO need to check it out. Since I moved back "home" in 2003 the square has definitely seen it's share of improvements. But the Holidays have to be my favorite time of year downtown. The red bows and wreaths on the windows, the classic white lights glowing in the windows, the scent of pinetrees and cinnamon candles all combine to make the experience a delight! If you are stuck looking for the perfect gift with just 3 more shopping days to go, then stop by NOW! Many shops are even being held open later to provide extra time for husbands shoppers to find just the right present! Shops participating in Candlelight Shopping will stay open late Saturday nights during the month of December. Establishments marked with a fli... 12/21/2008

McKinney, Texas has always been known for its quaint downtown and the surrounding historic home area. The area around the square was in need of utility infrastructure updating and improvements. In October, the city of McKinney completed updating utilities and streets around the town square. The updates are a welcome improvement. The completion of work was much welcomed as well. Traffic was impacted for more than a year during the construction. The project significantly widened the sidewalks on the square to provide plenty of room for pedestrian traffic. The sidewalks now can accomodate outdoor dining spaces and space for the monthly second Saturday celebration to spill over into the sidewalk area. The spaces will further encourage visitors to shop and dine in the area.     12/18/2008

This week I heard from several agents and mortgage brokers in McKinney that clients had backed away from home searches in our area because of the rumors that the government is going to reduce mortgage rates to 4.5%. We have seen some purchases of foreclosure properties by clients with cash. For the first time in my memory, having cash for a purchase seems to be impacting seller attitudes. Even banks seem to be responding to cash offers. The folks who have stepped to the sidelines are forgetting that mortgage rates TODAY are at 50 year lows. They also neglect to calculate that the difference in monthly payment between a loan at 5.2% and one at 4.5% is minimal. It probably less than half of their monthly Starbuck's bill. If I needed a house I would be actively in the market today. It is n... 12/11/2008

McKinney has opened its latest neighborhood school park, Ash Woods Park. A ribbon cutting was held on November 20. The 10 acre park is located at 10301 JFK Blvd. near Mooneyham Elementary School. These type parks are designed to provide a local venue for neighborhood recreational activities. McKinney has a total of 25 such parks around the city. Ash Woods Park has a jogging trail, multi-purpose court, pavillion, playground, splash pad and grass areas suitable for athletic team practice.  12/09/2008

Hi again everyone! This is Kay's assistant, Joseph, with the #1 of my top 5 Tips to Better Photographs. But before I get to that, I just wanted to tell you a little bit about my background:  I am not a professional photographer, and have taken no formal photography courses (actually when I first started college I was going to major in Painting and Drawing with a minor in Philosophy...eventually got my B.A. in Psychology with Philosophy minor. I did grow up with photography, as my mother's father, Wyman Parr, opened a chain of camera stores in Dallas starting in the 1950's (Parr's Cameras). By the time he died, both my father (Martin Bros. Cameras) and mother (The Camera Store, Inc.) owned one of his stores. Times change and now the stores are all gone. But what I learned lives on in my ... 12/01/2008

I keep trying to convince people in Collin County of this fact. We still have a good market. This fact struck home this week as I spent the week in Lee(Ft. Myers) and Collier(Naples) counties in Florida. Everyone wanted to talk about real estate when they found out that I am in the business in Texas. Those of us in North Texas still have a predominantly positive story to tell. True we have our share of foreclosures, but the bubble that burst in Florida never happened in our part of the country. We haven't had the drop in prices that have  happened in Florida. There is a modest house on the market next door to my son's house in Ft. Myers that was priced at $225,000 a few months ago. The flyer in front of the house today has an asking price of $149,900. The first price was high and the se... 11/29/2008

For those of you who haven't been in McKinney for that long you probably don't know that the 17th annual Red Wagon Bazaar is happening on December 6th this year.  Fern Henry a local artist has been hand painting folk art for the past 38 years. Ms. Henry said she was taught by some excellent artists early on.  She started painting using the tole style of folk art painting.  Tole painting was brought over by German immigrants and involves painting on tin, wooden utensils, furniture and other objects.    She has been a fixture in McKinney for many years teaching her craft to as many as 40 students at a time at her studio behind her home.  Ms Henry has stopped taking beginner students now but still finds time to teach a group of 8 or so advanced students.  Her influence is probably seen all... 11/24/2008

Joseph:  Hello again everyone.  This is Kay's assistant, Joseph.  In today's tip we will look at the third (and last) technical area of your camera equipment that a little knowledge about will serve you well: !!!!!Lens Aperture, Shutter Speed, and Depth of Field!!!!!! Lens Aperture The aperture of a camera lens is the size of the opening that allows light through the lens to strike the film (or digital sensors) when the shutter opens.  It is also called the f-stop, abbreviated f/. Every lens has a single, or multiple aperture settings.  Almost all good compact digital cameras and SLR lenses have multiple aperture settings.  In the days before digital, you turned a ring on the lens to change the aperture setting.  Now most cameras have a button or thumbwheel you can use to change apertur... 11/24/2008

The city of McKinney has adopted "Unique by Nature" as its marketing slogan. More than a slogan this is a true expression of McKinney's place in Collin County and North Texas. The town has a distinct position as the county seat for Collin County. Its long standing position as a hub  of economic activity in the area gives it the distinction of having a significant collection of historic homes, suburban subdivisions built by large builders, planned developments and several unique communities.  Some emulate the historic areas of North Texas in design and appearance and there is even one development that is modeled after a quaint Eastern European fishing village. There are  neighborhoods that appeal to a wide variety of tastes in housing and neighborhood styles. 11/20/2008

It is something we do every year!  This year it is on December 6th and 7th.  For us there are always homes to dream about.  McKinney Historical Society invites homes in the Historic Downtown area to show off the architecture, vintage Furniture, history and Christmas decorations.  This is the 35th year for the tour of homes!  Tickets are available at stores on the square including The Little Red Hen, The 120's, Alice's Tea Shop, Stained Glass of McKinney, Antique Collection and the Antique House.  You can also buy tickets online at www.chestnutsquare.org or at Market Street in McKinney.  Tickets are $15.00 and all the proceeds go to fund Chestnut Square which is a collection of 6 historic homes and the makings of a small town including a chapel, blacksmith shop, smoke house and a one roo... 11/18/2008

Virginia Woods, McKinney, Texas Virginia Woods is a community of 95 families located in the heart of the North Dallas corridor.  Virginia Woods offers beautifully designed homes, picturesque landscapes and the opportunity to swim and play in the community pool and stroll through the park-like common areas.  McKinney, over 150 years old, was recently named the "fastest growing city" among U.S. cities with populations over 50,000.  Our neighborhood is just minutes from McKinney's historic downtown, the heart and soul of McKinney.  Historic downtown features an abundance of history, more than 100 retail shops, fabulous restaurants of all types, salons and day spas, wine-tasting, galleries and much more. Virginia Woods is conveniently located within minutes of U.S. Hwy 380 and U.S. Hwy 75. ... 11/10/2008

Virginia Parklands, McKinney, Texas Your home is your biggest investment. You should know what is happening in your area. We will send you a FREE Real-Time Market Analysis each month. "How do actual selling prices compare to listing prices in my area?" "How are homes in a five mile radius selling?" "Unsold homes in my area?" "Where can I get answers to any pressing questions that I may have?" It is Free, Easy to Use and there is No Obligation. Just click on the link below, fill out the form and we will send you a FREE Real-Time Market Analysis each month. Your Information will never be sold or shared with others. Free Market Analysis North Dallas Lifestyle 11/09/2008