DFW Economic housing markets amoung top in US

Biggest home price increases
Based on one-year change adjusted
for inflation:

Houston, TX .......................................4.9%
Wichita, KS......................................... 4.2%
DALLAS-FORTH WORTH...................3.8%
Buffalo, NY......................................... 3.7%
Pittsburgh, PA ....................................3.7%
Columbia, SC ......................................3.5%
Syracuse, NY.......................................3.4%
Baton Rouge, LA..................................3.3%
Rochester, NY..................................... 3.1%
San Antonio, TX...................................3.1%
source: Brookings Institution

BEST PERFORMING AREAS

1. Austin, TX
2. Baton Rouge, LA
3. Columbia, SC
4. DALLAS-FORTH
5. Des Moines, Iowa
6. El Paso, TX
7. Harrisburg, PA
8. Honolulu, HI
9. Houston, TX
10.Jackson, MI

Notice 4 out of the top 10 performing cities in the US are in TEXAS!

The $8,000 First Time Homebuyers

The $8,000 First Time Homebuyers tax credit ends sooner than you think. It is published to expire "before December 1, 2009" which is technically correct. I think it's wise to plan to close on or before November 20, 2009 because that is the last Friday before the week of Thanksgiving which is historically a tough time to close because many in the real estate industry take vacation during that week. If you wait until after Thanksgiving you only have one day left.

Since it takes some time after the time needed for a pre-approval to get a contract fully executed, and then some time to actually close, NOW is the time to get your First Time Home Buyers pre-approved.

Nine TIME-BLOCKING Tips

A NO excuse approach to getting things done.

1. Make appointments with yourself

2. Set aside the first part of the day

3. Do not check your messages before your time-blocked appointment

4. Instruct whoever is answering the phones to hold all calls

5. Put up a Work In Progess! DO not Distrub sign!

6. Stick to your own rules

7. Change your venue

8. Know your plan and work your plan

9. Make it a Priority

THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!

I know that one time or another your computer has crashed. We have all been there, what do we do? How do you recover? How do you start all over again? Well there are many many differents ways to prevent crashes.. well ok lets be honest.. anyone who says they can prevent them do not know what they are talking about! There are ways to back up information and never miss a beat. Of course if you are computer savy and have your own backup hard drive which automatically backs up everything then you are ok; but if you are like most of the population you have nothing. Granted most of us might have a external harddrive, but in reality we use it for a paper weight or a photo storage vs actually using it for the intended purpose! So I have this 500 gig external harddrive, but how do I move programs and all my information to it? How often do I update it? If I move everything over to it, how do I prevent from duplicating the information again and again everytime I move things to it again? By now you are lost and frustrated and tired of dealing with it. So your computer crashes and you say, "Well, I was going to back it up" or my favorite, "I have this external harddrive, but I never figured out how to back my computer up" well now there is a solution....
Online backups! Call me and I will give you companies who do everything for you automatically for a very reasonable fee. Be the first one to call and I will cover the cost for the first year

Quick Post :
Do not forget about the $8000 tax credit. Purchase a house before December 1st and recieve $8000 in Jan when taxes are filed. For more information and answers to all your questions go to http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/home.htmloday

Energy Tips and easy ways to SAVE money

SAVE ENERGY and SAVE MONEY.. HOME MAINTENANCE TIP..Has your energy bill got you hot under the collar? The best way to reduce your air conditioning bills this summer is to reduce heat in your home

1.Reserve heat-generating activities such as cooking, washing or drying clothes, and running the dishwasher until late evening or early morning, when it is cooler outside.

2.Install mini-blinds or solar film on your windows to cut down on the heat from the sun.

3.Switch over to compact fluorescent light bulbs - not only do they use less energy, but they produce very little heat.

4.Set the thermostat a few degrees higher - most people can be comfortable with a setting of 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit; plus, you'll save 7 to 10 percent of your cooling costs for each degree above 78!

5.Try using a ceiling fan or portable fan to supplement your air conditioning. A fan can make you feel three to four degrees cooler and only costs pennies per hour to operate.

For more tips and suggestions on how to save energy or to get a better energy star home email or call me anytime. If you have other ideas, add them to this list with comments...