Happy New Year Means a New Start
Is this what a new year means to you? I was fortunate in so many personal ways and professional ventures in 2011! A significant accomplishment was the production of this newsletter to connect with my friends and clients! My life in the volunteer community continues to be enriching and makes me so grateful for all the efforts that members of that world make for people less fortunate.
What a year with respect to personal adventures! The trip to Jackson, MS with my book club to experience elements of The Help was so much fun and educational. In September I went with friends to experience the mountains surrounding the Black Butte Ranch and other parts of Oregon. The most enjoyable were the trips I took with my nieces, nine-year old Sophia, at Disney World, and fifteen-year old Erica in New York City and Connecticut. The most rewarding aspect was spending time with them alone and giving them first-time experiences. However, my goal for 2012 is to make the year even more wonderful. I hope it will be for you and yours.
Ring in the New Year!
The New Year makes me think of all the photos you have sent me of your precious babies. I have treasured these pictures and then the recent photos of how they have grown. Thank you for sharing.
U.S. Pending Home Sales Hit Highest Level in 18 Months
The most Americans in more than 18 months signed contracts in November to buy homes, raising hopes that a boost in sales will follow, a real estate industry group reported....Read More.
Hopeful Sign for Housing Market
Foreclosure listings fall 26% from year ago to continue 11-month trend, says Steve Brown, Real Estate Editor of the Dallas Morning News. The decline in North Texas foreclosures will continue into the new year....Read More.
Marty "Paints the Town!"
These are some of the beautiful and distinctive homes I helped clients buy and sell throughout the area, everywhere from Dallas to Plano to Frisco to Southlake… I am an agent who like Sherwin Williams paints the town.
Referrals Outside of the Area
I don’t know that many of you believe that my job is limited to helping clients buy and sell their homes, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of another facet of the many that are part of my repertoire.
Sometimes someone is moving from across the country to the area and you call me to help them. Most of the time I personally am able to help them, but if they want to move to Fort Worth or Denton, I am able to refer them to someone I personally know can help them in their search either to sell their home there or to buy a home in the area.
However, if they are moving from Seattle to Paris, Texas or Paris, France, I may also be able to provide them with the person who can help them on either or both ends. I personally know several agents across the country; however, I don’t know an agent in Paris, France, but I dohave the resource in Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. LRE is a global network of 550 premier real estate firms with 4600 offices and 140,000 sales associates in 30 countries around the world. In fact, last year I won the company award for providing the most referrals which were successful in those transactions closing successfully. All of these transactions took place outside of this area.
There are other aspects of my career that I will expand in another newsletter in the future, but at this point, please don’t forget to call me when you know of someone who needs real estate assistance whether it be in this area or somewhere other than this community. I am there to provide the help to help your friends and family.
Marty's Remarks
Looking at the overall statistics for this month, it looks like we are possibly starting to climb out of the valley. There were more plusses than minuses. However, just because we have this one month of more positive records does not mean we are experiencing a Boom, something actually the Dallas area has never experienced, but we also have not had a Bust as has a lot of the rest of the country.
| NTREIS ACTIVITY REPORT | ||||||
| November 2011 - Year to Date -Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties | ||||||
| % Change | % Change | Average | % Change | |||
| # of | vs. Prior | Average | vs. Prior | Days on | vs. Prior | |
| Area | Sales | Year | Sale Price | Year | Market | Year |
| Allen | 1,047 | 1% | $246,590 | 1% | 73 | 11% |
| Dallas E | 1,590 | 2% | $251,470 | 8% | 93 | 27% |
| Dallas Far N | 766 | 3% | $332,530 | 2% | 86 | 8% |
| Dallas N | 502 | -5% | $800,820 | 3% | 111 | -13% |
| Dallas NE | 474 | 12% | $239,991 | -9% | 75 | 23% |
| Dallas NW | 442 | 6% | $208,478 | -5% | 85 | 21% |
| Fairview/Lucas | 244 | 6% | $371,260 | 9% | 88 | 9% |
| Frisco | 2,575 | 7% | $289,387 | 2% | 75 | 9% |
| McKinney | 1,716 | 3% | $223,451 | -1% | 80 | 10% |
| Oakcliff N | 828 | -11% | $105,165 | 8% | 72 | 7% |
| Oakcliff S | 364 | -13% | $59,180 | -8% | 71 | -3% |
| Park Cities | 628 | 4% | $1,069,514 | -2% | 98 | -19% |
| Plano | 2,495 | 4% | $270,130 | 0% | 74 | 14% |
| Richardson | 809 | 8% | $173,399 | -3% | 74 | 37% |
| Uptown (condos) | 719 | 5% | $301,832 | -5% | 122 | 10% |
| Southlake | 419 | 9% | $609,041 | 1% | 86 | -9% |
Dallas Museum of Arts: An Adventure for All
As a long time member of the Dallas Museum of Arts, I find so many opportunities to view and participate in programs at the museum as diversified as there are people. I have attended lectures, movies, authors’ presentations, exhibits, all varied from light-hearted to intensely profound. Currently the museum offers The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk.
It is an enormous exhibit presented in a very innovative fashion. My sister Yvonne and her nine-year old daughter Sophia were here visiting from San Antonio the first weekend in December and I decided that it would be interesting to see how a nine-year old would react to the fashion extravaganza. Some items in the exhibit astounded her, especially in the displays which used talking mannequins which she thought were eerie.
Later I took friends Ann Stewart, Realtor, and Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic’s Daughter and The Traitor’s Wife to the exhibit.
They were also fascinated as I was the first time and actually this time I saw many elements that I had missed the first time. It is composed of numerous galleries including a creative catwalk, graffiti wall acting as a backdrop, a moving catwalk, all were dramatic and definitely creative.
We went on a Thursday night which the museum offers live music in the Atrium. Just another example of how much is offered at the museum for so little.
The exhibit continues through February 12, 2012 in the Chilton Galleries. Don’t miss it, it is a must see.
MUSIC/PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS:
Meyerson Symphony Center-214.692.0203
1/13-1/14 Masters of Film Music. James Newton Howard
1/19-1/22 Goulding Plays Sibelius
1/26-1/29 Mozart and Schubert
AT&T Performing Arts-214.880.0202
1/12 David Blaine
1/13 Mark Twain Tonight
1/15 Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Wyly Theatre Proscenium
1/19-2/2 Giant
Verizon Theatre-972.854.5111
1/13-1/15 Tyler Perry's The Haves and The Have Nots
1/19 Kenny G
1/20 Elvis Lives
1/21 Tool
1/28 Gordon Lightfoot
Dallas Children's Theater-214.740.0051
1/20-2/4 If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Casa Manana-817.332.2272
2/10-2/26 Charlotte's Web
Charles W. Eisemann Center-214.692.0203
1/14 Lorrie Morgan & Pam Tillis - Grits & Glamour Tour
1/22 Junie B. Jones
1/28 Igudesman & Joo in A Little Nightmare Music
MUSIC/PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS:
Bass Performance Hall-817.212.4280
1/11 Suzy Bogguss at McDavid Studio
1/13-1/15 Beethoven & Brahms, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Conductor
1/17 Joyce Yang, piano
1/20-1/22 Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney
1/27 Lewis Black
1/28 LeAnn Rimes
1/29 Junie B. Jones
VISUAL ARTS EVENTS:
Crow Collection of Asian Art-214.979.6430
1/20 Year of the Dragon Preview Party
1/25 Cliburn Commissioned Works Recital
Dallas Museum of Art-214-922-1803
Ongoing-2/12 The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier
1/12 Artist Talk: Mark Manders
1/26 State of the Arts: KERA's Jeff Whittington
Kimbell Art Museum-817.332.8451
1/11 Lecture: Catherine de' Medici
1/14 The Artist's Eye: J. T. Grant, Fort Worth
Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
Perhaps you remember the movie Traffic in which ultimately every character is connected to one another surrounding the crash.
This novel generates the same approach to link the action of a fictionalized version of the 1974 event when a tightrope walker pitched a rope across the twin towers in New York and practically danced between the World Trade Center, stunning thousands of viewers below.
At first I thought I was reading a collection of short stories because that is how renowned Irish-American author Colum McCann introduces us to the myriad of characters in the novel.
Ultimately, we discover how they are all connected to the tightrope event and how it may have influenced them or how they envisioned the act. McCann skillfully weaves the act into the disparate lives of the characters in the novel.
The book gives insight into the period, when in 1974 soldiers were coming home from Vietnam, computer technology (my least favorite characters in the book) is on the horizon, Nixon is about to resign, all this reflecting the times. The book has been published in over 30 countries and the author has received enormous credit and numerous awards for his work.
I am looking forward to reading some of his other works. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.
10 top apps for kids
By Jinny Gudmundsen, Special for USA TODAY. Gudmundsen is the editor of Computing With Kids (www.ComputingwithKids.com) magazine.
Gudmundsen's Tip: "Since the iPad 2 is now the hot tablet, people who had the first generation iPads are now dumping them for the newer technology. But for a family wanting a tablet for kid apps, the original iPad is fine. Check out the used market.
To read the complete article, click here.
Gift Wrapping Adventures
If I were building a house for myself I would have to include a room appropriate for wrapping gifts. I truly enjoy wrapping a gift for someone special. Wrapping gifts is my artistic side.
I also give instructions on gift wrapping, from the proper way to cut paper to how to make big beautiful bows. Therefore, I will, in future publications add short videos on gift wrapping.
Pictured here are examples which agents from my office and I wrapped for an agent who had purchased this as a contribution to a non-profit.
Hope you will find this as much fun as I do.
