Cody

The Ebby Halliday Relocation Team has just received the SIRVA “Preferred Broker of the Year” award, which was announced at the 2011 Worldwide Employee Relocation Council National Relocation Conference.  Of the evelven broker finalists for the prestigious award, SIRVA recognized the Ebby Relocation Team for their excellence in performance, service quality and partnership in 2010.

SIRVA is the world’s largest provider of moving and relocation services. This vast Preferred Broker Network (PBN) consists of 300 broker members with 11,000 registered “SIRVA Team Agents” serving over 160 metropolitan areas throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

As one of the oldest, most established independent real estate brokers in the country, Ebby Halliday has consistently received top ratings in performance and service quality. Ebby Halliday has also long been a recognized leader in relocation services and is proud to add this most recent award to the list of accolades. Congratulations to the Ebby Relocation Team!

Pictured above is Tracey Gatlin, CRP, Manager of Preferred Broker Network & Home Rental Services for SIRVA Relocation; Martha Marshall, SCRP, SGMS, Senior Vice President & Director of Relocation for Ebby Halliday; and Tina Swenson, CRP, SGMS, Vice President & Director of Corporate Development for Ebby Halliday.

Cody

Back in May, Chief Executive magazine named Texas the best state for business.  And, it must be true, because just this week, CNBC came to the same conclusion in their fourth annual Top States for Business.  

In this study, all 50 states are measured on 40 different metrics in ten key categories of competitiveness including cost of doing business, workforce, quality of life, economy, etc.  Throw in the fact that Texas now has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state and that we’ve managed to avoid the worst of the real estate crisis and you know why this is the Lone Star State’s second time to take the #1 spot in CNBC’s ranking.

To read the full report, visit CNBC.com.

And if you’re looking to make a move to the North Texas and DFW Metroplex area, start your home search now at ebby.com.

Cody

In mid-April, FORTUNE magazine released their annual FORTUNE 500 list which included 24 North Texas-based companies.  And those 24 companies helped The Lone Star State to tie with California for being home to the most FOURTUNE 500 companies in the nation at 57 each.  Not bad.

So it’s no surprise that Chief Executive magazine just named Texas as the best state for business.  How did they choose?  They asked more than 600 CEOs across the country to rate states based on various criteria including taxation and regulation, quality of workforce and living environment.  Here’s part of what they had to say:

“By contrast, Texas, the second-most populous state and the world’s 12th largest economy, is where 70 percent of all new U.S. jobs have been created since 2008. Unsurprisingly, it scores high in all the areas CEOs value most. ‘You feel like state government understands the value of business and industry to create jobs and growth,’ observed one CEO.”

 

To read the full article from the May/June 2010 issue of Chief Executive magazine, visit chiefexecutive.net.

To find your next home in North Texas, visit ebby.com.

Cody

Each year, Fast Company Magazine takes 12 of the best and boldest ideas from various cities across the nation to create their idea of the perfect city.  And we’re proud to report that this year’s Fast Cities 2010 features Dallas for having culture front and center.

We can thank the new AT&T Performing Arts center for tipping the culture scale in our favor.  Fast Company says its October opening solidified our already thriving Arts District by “bringing a red-hot heart to the city’s downtown, already home to a symphony hall and sculpture museum“. 

Ebby Halliday has always recognized the importance of the arts and culture in the cities we serve and we are proud to be a Flagship Corporate Alliance Donor of the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

To see the complete Fast Cities 2010 list, click here.  And to read more about Fast Company’s take on Dallas’ culture, visit fastcompany.com.

But don’t think Dallas’ can-do spirit stops there for our Arts District, it’s going to get even better in the coming years.  The Park, five acres of shared public green space over the existing Woodall Rodgers Freeway will unite Downtown Dallas and the Arts District with the already vibrant Uptown.  See for yourself by checking out this great virtual fly through of The Park:

And if all this makes you want to live in the middle of the culture and excitement, Dallas makes the grade on that, too.  From luxurious hi-rise living at One Arts Plaza, The Residences at the Ritz Carlton and Azure to great condos and townhomes, The Big D offers endless urban living options. 

You can start your search now at ebby.com.

Cody

This national story from ABC News further illustrates that Texas is a great place for real estate.  The article discusses how the Lone Star State has faired so well during these changing times in real estate.  Click here to read more.

Cody

On the heels of North Texas being named the fastest growing areas in 2009 comes more upbeat news about home sales in Dallas/Fort Worth.  Home sales rose 11 percent in March from the same time last year according to data from the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate Center at Texas A&M.  Median home sales prices also increased by 6 percent from a year ago.  To read more about this wonderful news, please read this article at The Dallas Morning News.

Cody

First-time home buyers still have time to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit, but time is running out.

To qualify for the tax credit, a home sale must close before December 1, 2009.

The last week of November will be extremely busy for title companies. With Thursday, November 26th and Friday the 27th being Thanksgiving holidays, that entire week and Monday the 30th may be grid-locked with last minute closings.

Many loans now take a minimum of 30 days to process because of new lending requirements and appraisal issues, and some can take longer.

This means first-time buyers wanting the $8,000 tax credit must have applied for their loan, finalized their contract, and have it at the title company by the last week in October to ensure enough time to process and close their transaction before the deadline.

If you would like to take advantage of the tax credit or know someone who may be interested in a first-time purchase, encourage them to act soon.

The next six weeks will pass quickly – don’t miss out!

Cody

According to Forbes Magazine, Dallas is the best city in which to earn a living.  And the Lone Star State was well represented on the list - Houston was ranked #2 and Austin came in at #4.  One of the biggest reasons for the decision was the fact that 38 top-ranked companies are headquartered in Dallas.  Rankings were also determined by median income, cost of living, job growth and the quality of the business environment. 

You can read the entire article at Forbes.com here.

Cody

The winning Sales Associates from the Southlake Office visit with Ebby Halliday at a recent CRES First Quarter 2009 Awards Luncheon

Recently Ebby Corporate Real Estate Services hosted the winning associates of the First Quarter 2009 Outbound Referral contest at Maggiano’s Willow Bend to celebrate their national referral achievements.  Guest of honor Ebby Halliday spoke about the great state of Texas and how Texas, and especially North Texas, is one of the best real estate markets in the country.   

Every Sales Associate who sent a qualified outbound referral, either national or international real estate assistance, and whose office also made their referral goal was invited to attend the luncheon.  

At the event, each Sales Associates had the opportunity to have their picture made with Miss Ebby and have their personal copy of Ebby Halliday: The First Lady of Real Estate signed.  

A special thanks to Associate Avaan Lieberman of the Plano Office for serving as photographer for the day!