Greetings!
This is my first email newsletter which gives me the opportunity to share with you with real estate news and specifically my news. Ironically in high school,
I was the editor of the “Bear Tracks”, our school paper and my column was entitled “MarthaReMarks”, this newsletter adapted it to “MartyR.E.Marks”. Prophetic, right?
Great news developed in June when I once again received the D Magazine honor of Best Realtor for 2011, which I have received for numerous years. This year D Magazine created a new award designated as Top Producer, which I also received.
My gratitude to my clients is tremendous. I thought it would be nice to post the pictures of some of the many cards I have received from you through the years. Each issue I will post some of the various photos I have collected throughout my real estate life. Thank you to so many of you for allowing me to be your Realtor.
PRE-OWNED HOME SALE SLIDE ENDS IN JUNE WITH FLAT MARKET
By STEVE BROWN Real Estate Editor stevebrown@dallasnews.com
Published 08 July 2011 11:53 AM
North Texas pre-owned home sales were flat in June compared with a year ago.
It’s the first time since May 2010 that home sales weren’t down from the previous year.
Real estate agents sold 6,929 pre-owned single-family homes through their Multiple Listing Service last month, the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University and the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems said Friday. Read More
6426 La Manga Drive, Dallas, Texas 75248. Offered at $365,000
This fabulously updated 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home shows like a model. Sparkling wood floors, light and bright throughout. Incredible kitchen open to outdoors, breakfast and family rooms, with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances that include a wine chiller and gas cooktop. Outdoor kitchen with wine chiller in Pergola-style patio. Fresh paint throughout. Bathrooms remodeled in the latest style. Split bedrooms. Inviting solarium. Wonderful location, walk to Brentfield Elementary. Ideal floorplan for a family, single or couple!
Jani and Chi Kajala stand in front of their new home in Frisco, which is under contract and scheduled to close this month. Jani is from Finland and is a Professor at the SMU Plano campus teaching computer skills related to creating video games. Chi is still working long distance by computer and phone to her home country, Vietnam. She supports and helps college students find schools out of the country.
Many thanks to Gary Brubaker for referring this lovely couple to me.
Dr. Shaheen Hajibashi and his girlfriend, Leigh Ann Trice, attend the closing in June. Shaheen is signing documents for the purchase of a condo in Uptown. He just received his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School and will do his residency at Parkland. Shaheen is from the area and graduated from Richardson Berkner High School.
Leigh Ann is a Texas Tech graduate and works in interior design in the Design District. An agent who heard about me from another agent in her office in Fort Worth who has referred Dallas clients to me, sent them my way.
NTREIS ACTIVITY REPORT
May, 2011 - Year to Date - Collin, Dallas, Denton and Johnson Counties
MARTY'S REMARKS:
These statistics reflect what you all have read in the paper and on the internet. Our sales have been down, but nowhere as significantly as the rest of the country. A recent trip to Oregon made me aware of how lucky we are. If you want more details on your neighborhood, please do not hesitate to call or email me and I will be glad to do the research. I am here for you to counsel you or advice you on your real estate questions and needs.
MUSIC/PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS:
Meyerson Symphony Center- 214.692.0203
7/4 Star Spangled Spectacular
7/19 American Soundscapes
AT&T Performing Arts-214.880.0202
Majestic Theater
7/2 The Legends of Magic & Comedy
Wyly Theatre
7/9-31 The Wiz
Winspear Opera House
7/14 The Onion
Music Hall at Fair Park-214.565.1116
7/14 The Ultimate Ladies Night Out Concert
7/19-31 Guys and Dolls
Dallas Children’s Theater-214.740.0051
7/1-17 The Pied Piper’s Magic
MUSIC/PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS:
Verizon Theatre-972.854.5111
7/9 Cedric the Entertainer
7/17 Kid Cudi
7/19 Dolly Parton
Contemporary Theater- 214.828.0094
7/1-10 Five Women Wearing the Same Dress
American Airlines Center- 800.745.3000
7/8 Rihanna w/Cee Lo Green
7/12 Britany Spears
7/27-31 Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus
Bass Performance Hall- 817.212.4280
7/8-31 Mingo Fishtrap
7/22 Rhett Butler & Joel Guzman
7/26-31 9 to 5
Water Tower Theater- 972.450.6232
7/22-31 Little Shop of Horrors
Theatre Three- 214.871.3300
7/15-31 See What I Wanna See
VISUAL ARTS EVENTS:
Crow Collection of Asian Art- 214.979.6430
7/1-31 Motion Pictures: Handful of Drawings by Katsushika Hokusai
7/1-31 Tradition Transformed: Tibetan Artists Respond
7/1-31 Fabled Journeys in Asian Art
7/1-31 Dream Chamber: Chinese Bedroom Furniture
JULY 4TH CELEBRATIONS:
7/2 Freedom Fest - Frisco
7/3 Kaboom Town – Addison
7/3 Independence Celebration – Farmers Branch
7/3-4 Lone Stars & Stripes – Grand Prairie
7/4 Fair Park Fourth – Dallas
7/4 All American Fourth - Plano
Just finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, who wrote Seabiscuit. It was fabulous. It is a non-fiction account of Louis Zamperini and other POW's held by the Japanese during WWII. He also was on a raft with two other soldiers for over 37 days without supplies, food, etc. It was incredible.
I have just finished Rebecca Skloot's book about Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have been reproduced millions, jillions, of times since she died.
It is a remarkable story titled The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
As this picture might indicate I am not changing careers. I bid and won this “white elephant” at an auction sponsored by the Association of Women Executives and my fellow participants egged me on to model it. The money raised supports Captain Hope’s Kids which provides item to the kids in homeless shelters in Dallas. I have been a member of AWE for over 20 years.
The organization provides professional support through programs, activities, mentoring and community involvement for professional women. I have made great friends who have supported me in my personal and professional endeavors including this “modeling gig."
Additionally, there was a silent auction with items collected by the members. I donated items from my “gift” closet. I also wrapped a crystal bowl (in the bright yellow, orange, pink and green package pictured here) and included similar wrapping for five other items of the winner’s desire. You could say gift wrapping is one of my hobbies.
Becky is such an incredible leader, remarkable woman, and fabulous friend. She will be missed by all the many women who have participated in this organization and the not for profit community.
We were so lucky to have her as a part of this organization for 25 years.
To learn more about the Dallas Women;s Foundation, please visit their website: www.dallaswomensfoundation.org.
As many of you know, I have two darling precious nieces who live out of town. Erica is 15 and soon to be a sophomore at LaVernia High School. She is pictured here with her horse Glory. For Halloween she painted a flag on Glory and wore an Uncle Sam hat and won the best costume competition at her Play Day event (horse riding competition among her age group). She is also an excellent student. On a visit not too long ago she came along with me to show country property. When we got to the house, I went into the house with the wife and Erica walked the acreage with the husband. I think she has Farm and Ranch Realtor in her blood.
My other niece Sophia is 9 years old and is a girly-girl, but also an animal lover. She has begun taking riding lessons, but is not as entrenched in horses as her sister. She is very active in her Girl Scout troop and just bridged from Brownie to Girl Scout. Sophia is also very interested in sports and is currently on a softball team. Both of my girls are excellent students and both at this time want to become teachers, but if they were to become Realtors, I would be so proud.
SchoolMatters.com
When shopping for a new house, most families also find themselves shopping for a school district. Study up at SchoolMatters.com, published by Standard & Poor's. On it you'll find all the relevant numbers - size, test scores, teacher/student ratio, and so on - by district and school. The site also compares community income, education levels and median home values with state averages. Now if only it told you which teachers to request.
Mortgage-calc.com
There's no shortage of mortgage calculators out there, but this one ranks high for efficiency. No ads, no pop-ups, nothing but straight number crunching. Here you'll find the standard offerings: What will your mortgage payment be? When will you pay it off? But the site also features more advanced arithmetic:With "prepay vs. invest," for example, you plug in the amount of a recent windfall to determine whether it's better used on your mortgage or on stocks.
DoItYourself.com
You could pay someone else to install a door, rip up your carpet or clean your gutters. Or, with coaching from DoItYourself.com, you can roll up your sleeves and, well, do it yourself. Founded by the son of a hardware salesman, the site provides step-by-step instructions for almost every home project - from removing adhesive (warm vinegar) to building an addition. Should you realize, mid-job, that you're not so handy after all, you can find support in the site's moderated forums.
Realtor.com
So you're not in the market for a home. Well, that's no reason not to look. For shameless real estate voyeurism, there's no better site than Realtor.com. Just plug in the zip code and let the ogling begin. The biggest online listing service, this site has more than 2.5 million homes for sale or rent across the country. So whether you're imagining a waterfront condo in Hilton Head, N.C., or a five-bedroom in the Chicago suburbs, you'll find something to covet.
©Marty Marks, 2011
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