Steve

Homes selling above asking price, numerous offers for the same property, hip-pocket listings shared only by word of mouth – it’s no secret that the North Texas housing market is booming.

To help North Texans navigate these unprecedented home-buying and selling waters, we polled Ebby Halliday REALTORS® Associates and collected their top tips for today’s buyers and sellers. Have a buying or selling question not addressed in this post? Call one of Ebby Halliday, REALTORS® 30 North Texas offices and we’ll be happy to help in any way we can.

Buyer’s Tips
1. Be qualified. Pre-plan financing by meeting with a mortgage lender ahead of time and receive a pre-approval letter that may be submitted when you make a written offer. “Less paperwork and more personal attention” is more than a saying at Home Team Mortgage Company, a member of the Ebby Halliday Family of Companies. Contact Home Team Mortgage Company for a frustration-free experience from loan application to decision.

2. Act quickly. In a hot market, acting slowly or “sleeping on it” may cost you the opportunity to buy the home of your dreams. If you’ve found a home you’d be thrilled with, don’t wait to submit an offer – other buyers will likely be doing the same.

3. Offer a compelling price. Sellers often price their homes based on historical sold data or appraisals, and in a strong market where prices are rising rapidly, homes may sell for the listing price or higher. Study the sold “comps,” but also compare the house you want to other homes that are on the market, and ask yourself, “What price am I willing to pay, and at what price am I willing to lose this house?”

Seller’s Tips
1. Market to everyone – near and far. You have the best chance of selling your home for the highest price by exposing it to the largest number of potential buyers. When you list your home with Ebby Halliday, REALTORS®, your home will enjoy worldwide exposure on ebby.com, the gold standard in residential real estate websites. Ebby.com receives approximately 19,000 visits per day, far outpacing the competition.

2. Respond and keep momentum. There is an old adage that “time kills deals.” A buyer’s interest is at a peak level at the time he or she submits an offer, so keep the momentum going, choose the best offer, and respond promptly in writing.

3. Don’t be greedy. If a buyer offers an acceptable price and terms, sign the offer and your Ebby Halliday Associate will schedule a closing appointment and expertly guide you through the home-inspection and closing process.

Whether you are considering listing your home or buying a home in North Texas, visit the website voted one of the industry’s best by the Web Marketing Association, ebby.com. To download the Ebby Halliday Realtors app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, search for “Ebby Halliday Realtors.”

Steve

The Ebby Halliday Companies, which include Ebby Halliday Realtors and Dave Perry-Miller & Associates, have committed to a four-year sponsorship of Southern Methodist University’s Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series. Brad E. Cheves, vice president for development and external affairs for SMU, made the announcement to an appreciative audience at the May 7 season finale featuring former President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe. The Ebby Halliday Companies’ sponsorship of the Tate Lecture Series commences with the 2013-14 season.

The Tate Lecture Series brings a broad range of intellectual and entertaining voices to the SMU campus and the Dallas-Fort Worth community. Regarded as one of the country’s premier platforms for distinguished and engaging discussions, the series provides unique opportunities for student interaction, faculty discourse and community debate with world changers. Most importantly, a portion of the proceeds from the Tate Lecture Series supports the next generation of leaders by providing full-tuition scholarships and study-abroad opportunities for exceptional SMU students.

As part of the Ebby Halliday Companies sponsorship of the Tate Distinguished Lecture Series, Mary Frances Burleson, president and CEO of the Ebby Halliday Companies, will join the board of directors of the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series and work closely with area leaders to further the series’ already substantial impact on SMU and the Dallas-Fort Worth community. A Dallas native, Ms. Burleson is a graduate of Highland Park High School and Southern Methodist University.

In addition to the announcement of the Ebby Halliday Companies four-year sponsorship of the Tate Lecture Series, next year’s slate of speakers was also revealed at the May 7 lecture. Among the distinguished speakers for the 2013-14 season are former Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Robert Caro, world chess champion and global human rights activist Garry Kasparov, and Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, chairmen of the Simpson-Bowles Commission and co-founders of the Campaign to Fix the Debt.

“One of our founding principles of service is serving the community,” says Ms. Burleson. “At the Ebby Halliday Companies we are excited about the opportunity to sponsor the Tate Lecture Series and look forward to supporting this exceptional SMU and Dallas institution through its 2016-17 season.

To learn more about the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series, visit tateseries.com.

Dallas-based Ebby Halliday Realtors is the largest independently owned residential real estate company in Texas and ranks 12th in the nation. The 68-year-old company, with approximately 1,500 sales associates and staff in 30 area offices, participated in approximately 16,000 property transactions in 2012 with a sales volume of $4.8 billion. For more information, visit ebby.com.

Steve

Today’s Fresh Listing Friday takes us to the just-listed, updated four-bedroom, 4 ½- bath Tudor/traditional-style home at 9615 Hilldale Drive in Lake Highlands’ sought-after Pebble Creek.

Double front doors framed by beautiful leaded-glass sides open to handscraped hardwoods and a well-thought-out floor plan, ideal for entertaining and everyday living.  The updated and expanded kitchen features travertine flooring, granite countertops, solid and glass-front custom lighted cabinetry, an island, an eat-at breakfast bar, a professional-grade gas cooktop under a brick arch and a built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator.

Just a few of this fine home’s amenities include a great room with a beamed ceiling, a wet bar and wine cooler, a media room, a study with built-ins, a landscaped courtyard, and a three-car garage.

This home is served by the Richardson Independent School District.

To learn more about this just-listed home in Lake Highlands, click here.

To see all the other homes that came on the market this week (even if they aren’t listed by Ebby Halliday), click here. To start a home search of your own, visit the website voted one of the industry’s best by the Web Marketing Association, ebby.com.

Be sure to check back next week to see where the next edition of Fresh Listing Friday takes us.

Steve

2 Los Arboles Court is one of many North Texas luxury homes represented by the Ebby Halliday Companies. In the first four months of 2013, the Ebby Halliday Companies closed $378 million in luxury home sales, a 37.3% greater sales volume than the nearest competitor.

Sales of North Texas luxury homes priced at or above $750,000 were up 26.9% in the first four months of 2013 over the same period last year, according to North Texas Real Estate Information Systems MLS statistics. The Ebby Halliday Companies, which includes Ebby Halliday, REALTORS® and Dave Perry-Miller & Associates, closed $378 million in luxury home sales in the first four months of 2013, a 37.3% greater sales volume than the nearest competitor.

“At the Ebby Halliday Companies, we’re proud of our undisputed role as the dominant luxury real estate firm in North Texas,” says Mary Frances Burleson, president and CEO of the Ebby Halliday Companies. “Our clients benefit from many advantages that are a direct result of our status as the market-share leader.”

The Ebby Halliday Companies and its sales associates possess a unique understanding of the global real estate market. This understanding is a result of the locally owned firm’s longtime affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, a network of premier real estate brokers in 30 countries, and its luxury division, Luxury Portfolio International®.

The approximately 200 firms that comprise Luxury Portfolio are some of the most powerful independent brokerages worldwide. This prestigious network represents more $1 million-plus properties than any other luxury real estate network.

The recently released Real Trends 500 list of the top 500 residential real estate firms in the United States ranks Ebby Halliday Real Estate Inc. 12th in the nation based on closed sales volume.

The Ebby Halliday Companies also recently topped the Dallas Business Journal’s list of the Largest North Texas Residential Real Estate Brokerages. The list ranked North Texas residential real estate firms based on closed transactions in 2012. The Ebby Halliday Companies closed 15,916 transactions, approximately 45 percent more transactions than its nearest competitor.

For more information on Ebby Halliday, REALTORS®, click here. For more information on Dave Perry-Miller & Associates, click here.

Steve

Ebby’s Little White House Office is partnering with the Visiting Nurses Association to collect fans for senior citizens in Dallas who are without air-conditioning or working fans in their homes.

“We’re encouraging everyone who can to get involved to help meet this critical need,” says Marsha Finney, a native Dallasite and an experienced Associate with the Little White House Office of Ebby Halliday Realtors. “While we have had a cooler-than-usual spring, we know that as summer approaches temperatures in North Texas will rise significantly – at times to dangerous levels. At Ebby’s Little White House we’re making it easy to get involved and to make a difference for our senior citizens.”

You can be a difference-maker for Dallas senior citizens in need by dropping off a new fan at Ebby’s Little White House from May 15 to May 31, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays. Ebby’s iconic Little White House Office is located at 5999 W. Northwest Highway, at the corner of Preston Road and Northwest Highway.

Steve

The Ebby Halliday Companies, which includes Ebby Halliday Realtors and Dave Perry-Miller & Associates, closed 168 homes priced at or above $750,000 in the first quarter of 2013, according to North Texas Real Estate Information Systems MLS statistics. The company’s luxury sales outpaced its nearest competitor by approximately 45% in the quarter.

Among the first quarter’s more notable transactions was the sale of the more than 8,000-square-foot penthouse at Tower I of The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton. Victoria Barr de Quiñones of Ebby’s Preston Center Office brought the buyer to the property, which was most recently offered for $9,950,000. The transaction was the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s second-largest property sale in the first quarter of 2013.

“One of the finest pieces of real estate in the world and one of the most fabulous penthouses in the country, this residence offers extraordinary architectural detail, 360-degree views of the city, 5,500 square feet of terraces and the perfect backdrop for a museum-quality art collection,” says Barr de Quiñones. “I am proud to have represented the buyers of this exceptional home.”

Sales of luxury homes priced at or above $750,000 in North Texas were up 19.9% in the first quarter of 2013 over the same period last year, according NTREIS data. The Ebby Halliday Companies brought the buyers to 43.3% of those homes and represented the sellers in 42.8% of those transactions, according to MLS statistics.

“At the Ebby Halliday Companies, we’re proud of our undisputed role as the dominant real estate firm in North Texas,” says Mary Frances Burleson, president and CEO of the Ebby Halliday Companies. “Our clients benefit from many advantages that are a direct result of our status as the market-share leader.”

According to Burleson, Ebby Halliday Realtors and its sales associates possess a unique understanding of the global real estate market. This understanding is a result of the locally-owned firm’s longtime affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, a network of premier real estate brokers in 30 countries, and its luxury division, Luxury Portfolio International®.

The approximately 200 firms that comprise Luxury Portfolio are some of the most powerful independent brokerages worldwide. This prestigious network represents more $1 million-plus properties than any other luxury real estate network.

“Finding your home is a personal process of discovery, and the Ebby Halliday Companies and the accomplished global network of Luxury Portfolio brokers are ready to assist in the journey,” says Ms. Burleson. “I encourage you to explore luxury properties from around the world at LuxuryPortfolio.com.”

Learn more about the Ebby Halliday Companies, its Associates and all of its listings at ebby.com and daveperrymiller.com.

Steve

Fun will be in full bloom this weekend at Wildflower! – the city of Richardson’s popular springtime arts and music festival. Ebby Halliday Realtors is once again a proud sponsor of the multi-day event, featuring six performance stages, the Wild! Marketplace, the Taste of Texas Food Garden, the family-friendly Kidz Korner and a lot more. Wildflower! takes place Friday, May 17, through Sunday, May 19, at Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson.

Wildflower! offers North Texans a great opportunity to see big-name musical acts right in our own “backyard,” including the Charlie Daniels Band, 38 Special, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Spin Doctors and Grand Funk Railroad, to name just a few. For event and ticket information, visit wildflowerfestival.com.

Steve

The following was sent to all members of the Ebby Halliday Companies by President & CEO Mary Frances Burleson. We love hearing good news. We thought you would too!

Sales Associates at the Ebby Halliday Companies consistently perform well in any real estate market.

The Ebby Halliday Companies led the Dallas-Fort Worth and North Texas market throughout the real estate downturn and more recent recovery of the past few years.

In today’s super-heated residential real estate market in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Ebby Halliday Companies’ Associates continue to lead the market by significant margins.

Ebby Halliday Companies’ Associates set a new, all-time record for monthly sales – for any month, in any year – by closing more than $638 million in residential real estate during April 2013!

That the Ebby Halliday Companies’ Associates perform so well in any market is a glowing testament to their professionalism, their hard work, and their dedication to providing exceptional service to their clients.

We are so pleased to recognize our Associates success, and are very proud of their outstanding performance.

Many, many thanks to each of you for all that you do! You are the best!

Mary Frances

Steve

This week’s Fresh Listing Friday takes us to the fabulous Neo-Classical home at 5101 Victor in the historic Munger Place neighborhood of Dallas. This three-bedroom, three-bath residence will be open for touring on Mother’ Day (May 12) from 2 to 4 p.m. Take mom to discover this exceptional buying opportunity before it’s too late.

Offering plentiful period charm, this beautiful home features an updated kitchen, an ideal floor plan for entertaining and everyday living, a large dining room, a living room with a fireplace and a music room/study. The master suite with a fireplace offers a remodeled master bath with granite countertops.

Just a few of this home’s additional amenities include an inviting front porch, full-plank hardwoods in most rooms, updated baths, a wood deck for backyard entertaining, a two-car garage with concrete driveway and an iron gate, and a sprinkler system for the beautifully landscaped yard.

To learn more about this just-listed home featuring Old World charm and New World amenities in Munger Place, click here.

To see all the other homes that came on the market this week (even if they aren’t listed by Ebby Halliday), click here. To start a home search of your own, visit the website voted one of the industry’s best by the Web Marketing Association, ebby.com.

Be sure to check back next week to see where the next edition of Fresh Listing Friday takes us.

Steve

Let’s face it, if you’re not connected to a smartphone chances are you’re a little behind on the latest news. If you’re like us you rely on your mobile device to keep you in the loop for everything from business to social media. Suffice it to say, we’d be lost without them. That’s why we weren’t all that surprised by the American Affluence Research Center’s most recent study, which found a growing dependence on mobile technology and social media among the country’s affluent households.

At the airport, in a waiting room, or just simply away from your desk, there’s no question that our mobile devices keep us plugged-in and immensely improve our day-to-day lives. So much so that the AARC reports approximately 80% of the affluent have at least one smartphone.

So what are they all doing on their mobile devices? According to the AARC 72% participate in social media, the most popular platforms being Facebook and LinkedIn. Once thought of as a playful pastime for college kids, there’s no questioning that social media has proven an invaluable way to communicate and stay current on global events in real time.

Stay connected to Ebby Halliday Realtors and North Texas real estate — and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To view all of the properties available for purchase in North Texas and to enjoy easy-to-use, innovative home search options, download the state-of-the-art Ebby Halliday Realtors app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Just search for “Ebby Halliday Realtors.”  You’ll be glad you did!