Greetings!

So much to do, so little time…I feel that my holidays began in October when I took my 9-year old niece Sophia to Disney World, then last month I took my 15-year old niece Erica to New York City and returned home to all kinds of Christmas activity. 

At the same time, I have been working with various clients to help find their homes in the Metroplex.  One couple from New Jersey wanted acreage and we looked north, east and west throughout the Metroplex with most sites providing an hour drive to their worksite. Ultimately they decided to enroll their son in a parochial school in Dallas and in the new year find a home closer to their company in downtown Dallas. Another couple from Illinois has not been successful with their home sale there so they will have to wait until it is under contract before they resume their search. I helped another couple from California find a rental for a year before they buy. Unfortunately, we Realtors are frequently faced with the stress and frustration that these newcomers endure.  I am most hopeful that the real estate market improves in 2012.

Still I am most thankful that our economy has not been as battered as it has through most of the rest of the country.  With that in mind, I want to express my wishes for a merry and bright holiday season and a joyous new year.

Holiday Cheer!

In keeping with the spirit of the Holidays, I am sharing pictures of clients and friends who have sent me their special holiday cards.  I have been keeping them for years and am so aware of how long I have been in the business and have been so fortunate to participate in their lives. ~Marty

Dallas-Fort Worth home sales rise again in September

By STEVE BROWN, Real Estate Editor, Dallas Morning News

A turnaround in pre-owned home sales continued in September, with North Texas sales up 14 percent.

It was the third month in a row that area home sales were higher than they were a year ago, according to data from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University and the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems. ... To read more, click here.

If you have a Dallas Morning News online subscription, click here to access in interactive map that accompanies this article.

Showcase of Homes

Sharing just a few of the housing successes I have had this year, thanks to all my wonderful clients and friends!

Welcome, Sophia!

Baby Sophia arrived September 13, 2011 into a Finnish-Vietnamese household in Frisco. 

I recently helped Jani Kajala and Chi Tran Yen purchase a home in Frisco this summer.  Jani works with SMU at their Plano location teaching students the skills in developing video games and Chi has a business in Viet Nam helping students find university sites in other countries. 

Mom and Dad are very happy with their new addition.

Dallas Women’s Foundation Luncheon

The Dallas Women’s Foundation luncheon is one of my favorite fundraisers.  Last year the speaker was Queen Latifah, who spoke eloquently about women’s issues and her own successes.  It was was most enlightening to the guests and in particular to the 250 teenage high schoolers, who were the foundation’s special guests.

Our speakers this year were activist Mavis Leno (Jay Leno’s wife) who was interviewed by CNN producer and author Maria Ebrahimji about Leno’s work as Chairperson of the Feminist Majority’s Campaign to Help Afghan Women & Girls.  This project provided us with the awareness of the issues affecting women in Afghanistan and Islamic countries.  The money raised at this luncheon will help advance the mission of the Dallas Women’s Foundation which is to lift the community by investing in women and girls in the Metroplex.

Santa is Visiting Saturday, December 3rd!

Every year the Forest office of Virginia Cook Realtors invites Santa Claus to visit so that clients and friends may bring their children for a picture with Santa.  In turn many of the visitors end up using the pictures for their annual Christmas cards.  Because we try to make it a fun time for the families and the children we provide craft tables for the children.  Many of the children enjoy it so much, that they do not want to leave and parents have to pull them away.  We also have goodies for both parents and children. 

It is such a fun time for all of us agents, as we have the opportunity to connect with these families, many of whom bring extended family members, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts and uncles. 

For many years I have had my youngest sister Yvonne, allow me to have my nieces come for the weekend.  The 15-year old, Erica, has outgrown the event, but the 9-year old still comes and has connected with several of the children and loves to help with the craft table.  We are open, Grandmothers and Grandfathers, to you bringing your grandchildren.  Just please let me know when you would like to come, call or email me. We will be open 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

MUSIC/PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS:

Meyerson Symphony Center-214.692.0203
12/2-18 Christmas Celebraion-DSO Holiday concert
12/10 Deck the Halls
12/12-13 Michael W. Smith
12/20 Christmas at the Meyerson
12/23 A Canadian Brass Christmas
12/26-27 Mannheim Steamroller
12/31 New Year’s Eve w/DSO

AT&T Performing Arts-214.880.0202
Wyly Theatre
12/18 Peace on Earth
Winspear Opera House
12/1 Jamie Foxx
12/3-4 The Nutcracker
12/10 A Mary Mary Christmas
12/11 Linda Eder Holiday Show
12/16-18 Shen Yun
12/20-31 Les Miserables
Kalita Humphreys Theater
12/1-24 A Christmas Carol

Verizon Theatre-972.854.5111
12/3 Yo Gabba Gabba

Dallas Children's Theater-214.740.0051
12/1-22 Madeline’s Christmas

Casa Manana-817.332.2272
12/2-23 Santa Claus the Musical

Music Hall at Fair Park – 214.565.1116
12/16-18 A Christmas Carol

Highland Park United Methodist Church–214.521.3111
12/4 Christmas Celebration

Charles W. Eisemann Center-214.692.0203
12/1-4 A Dickens of a Christmas-Vocal Majority
12/7-11 A Kodachrome Christmas-Comedy
12/17-23 The Nutcracker

MUSIC/PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS:

Bass Performance Hall-817.212.4280
12/1-4 Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
12/5 Handel’s Messiah
12/9-24 The Nutcracker
12/12 Michael Martin Murphey’s-Cowboy Christmas
12/18-20 Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2
12/21 Christmas w/the Von Trapp Singers

VISUAL ARTS EVENTS:

Crow Collection of Asian Art-214.979.6430
12/1-31 Qualities of Jade
12/1-31 Qiu Anxiong: Animated Narratives

Kimbell Art Museum-817.332.8451
12/1-31 Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome

OTHER EVENTS:

Town of Highland Park-Tree lighting-214.521.4161
12/1 Tree lighting-7pm Armstrong Pkwy @ Preston

Gaylord Texan Resort-800.457.6338
12/1-31 Ice: Shrek the Halls

Northpark Mall-214.631.7354
12/1-31 The Trains at NorthPark

Highland Park Holiday Tours-214.664.5221
12/1-31 Ho Ho Carriage Rides

Dallas Arboretum-214.515.6500
12/1-31 Holiday at the Arboretum

Dallas Woman’s Forum-214.823.4533
12/9-12 Alexander Mansion Holiday Tour

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Luncheon

Many years ago I served as an officer on the board for the Girl Scouts.  It was my first experience with the Girl Scouts. When I was a young girl my family could not afford the costs of uniforms and meetings.  To serve on the Board was my opportunity to be a Girl Scout and I am so happy that my two nieces are now involved. 

The local region Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, has continued to ask for help in various ways.  For several years I have worked with the committee which has chosen the award winners for the Real Girls Real Women Luncheon.  Nominees have been amazing girls and women.  They are presented at the annual luncheon and this year the luncheon exploded.  There were twice as many guests as there have been in the past.  Venus Williams was the guest speaker who addressed the group with the story of her success.  It was a story which the girls could relate to and aspire to succeed in their own way.  We were all enthralled with her presentation as a spectacular sports champion and most successful business woman. 

I look forward to continuing to work with the Girl Scouts as they celebrate their 100th anniversary next year.

It’s a Wonderful Life

For some reason, I can’t think of a book to review for you, although I have read many, but want to share with you that my favorite Christmas movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. 

Ironically as I rode the train from New York to Connecticut for Thanksgiving we passed through a small town named Bedford Falls, and I immediately started thinking about that movie and the fabulous message it provided.  We were in the town for a very short while to let passengers off, but it was long enough for me to decide it must have been the Bedford Falls of the movie.  My favorite actor for all times is Jimmy Stewart and I can’t help but think of that movie at the same time I remember him. 

Traditionally my family watches the movie and many of us still shed a tear when the angel rings the bell.  There are so many traditions created through the holidays and I would love to hear about yours.  Please email me and I will publish them! Maybe others will want to replicate yours.  My wishes to you and yours for the best holiday ever and an absolutely wonderful new year!

Marty’s and Erica's Adventures in the Big Apple

For several years I had promised to take my 15-year-old niece Erica to the Big Apple.  I did not get to go until I was in my late 30’s.  It was a real experience for her and I learned a lot about teenagers;  She lives in a small town near San Antonio and is a “Cowgirl”.

We explored the city, mastered the subway system, and did a lot of walking.  We went to the 911 Memorial, Staten Island Ferry, enjoyed “Wicked” and “Mary Poppins”, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and so much more. The afternoon after the parade we caught a train to Connecticut to visit a family friend. I had been babysitter for the hostess when I was 11 and she was 3. The rest of her family live in Floresville, near where my niece and her family live.

As for real estate, I am most appreciative for what we have here in the Metroplex.  My Connecticut friends have a colonial style home on a couple of acres and the property is valued in the millions.  The house is approximately 15 years old and about 3000 square feet old.  In a north Dallas suburb you could find a comparable house for $250,000.  The acreage is nice but thinking of maintaining that much land in our Dallas heat would be very time consuming.  Once again, I am most thankful for my life here in Dallas.

Taming the Dragons!

Here is an app I love...Dragon Dictation! If you purchase Dragon for your Mac or PC, you could spend $50 or more, but Dragon for your iPhone is FREE! I dictate my information and ideas and Dragon creates a text document that I can mail to myself or someone else.

Although funny morphs can happen, I have found that if I speak carefully and enunciate clearly, the Dragon translation is remarkably accurate.

At left are some of the many free Dragon apps...the one I use is Dragon Dictation.

Create Shortcuts for Your iPhone

Jim Rossman, Tech Writer for the Dallas Morning News has a nice article on how to create shortcuts to your iPhone settings.

Click here to read.

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