By Tom Branch, on June 16th, 2010 
3 Bedrooms | 2.1 Baths | 2-Car Garage | 3410 SF
Homes For Sale – Plano, TX. Large one story on beautifully landscaped corner lot. Huge great room with vaulted ceiling, wall of windows and skylights. Spacious master has two sided fireplace and patio access. Master bath has double steam shower and leads to spa room overlooking the sparkling diving pool and waterfall. Kitchen has butcher block island and built in bench seating. Recent hardwoods, 16 SEER HVAC, pool pump, and paint. Great floor plan and yard for entertaining.
Click here for current status, pricing, details and photos.
Source: NTREIS | Photo Credit – Tom Branch
By Tom Branch, on June 14th, 2010  What a nice evening for baseball in North Texas! It was a hot and humid day but as the evening progressed it cooled off a bit and a light breeze helped make it feel a bit cooler.
Gina and I along with Denise and Stockton Helbing attended the Frisco RoughRiders versus the Midland RockHounds game at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas.
Stockton and Denise are past clients and we had been trying to get together for months. It was great to get a chance to catch up on what had been going on with the two of them and their new home.
While we ate dinner before the game we discussed how fortunate we are to live in the greater Dallas area. Not only do we have great food and shopping but we have lots of local entertainment venues.
According to Wikipedia, The Frisco RoughRiders are currently the Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball club. The team plays in the Texas League, assigned to the South Division. Prior to 2003, the franchise was based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and were known as the Shreveport Captains (and, for the 2002 season, the Shreveport SwampDragons). In 2003, they were purchased by Mandalay Entertainment in connection with Tom Hicks, owner of the Texas Rangers and the company that owns it, Southwest Sports Group. Mandalay Baseball moved them to the Dallas suburb of Frisco and changed their name to the RoughRiders.
They currently play at the Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco. Opened on April 3, 2003, the stadium seats 10,600 fans. The stadium is both unique and innovative; both bullpens are surrounded by seats and there is a pool area available for rental just beyond the right center field wall.
Here’s a quick video we put together.
The Rockhounds scored first in the top of the fourth inning but the RoughRiders answered with 4 runs of their own. The final score was 7 to 2 with the RoughRiders winning another home game.
By Tom Branch, on June 11th, 2010 
It may seem counterintuitive for a lender to go along with a Short Sale since they are legally entitled to pursue the full balance of the loan. Yet, more and more lenders are approving Short Sales.
Lenders are painfully aware of just how bad the current mortgage crisis and resulting foreclosures are. They know the disturbing reality is that a large number of distressed borrowers will helps the lender look good on paper since the house never gets listed as an actual foreclosure. Second, while the lender is taking a loss, the loss is far less than it would be in a foreclosure situation.
On a recent industry call with a major lender, they disclosed that the average recovery in a Short Sale is 60 cents on the dollar. Now before you get all excited that you can buy a property for 60 cents on the dollar, let us explain how they arrive at that number.
Let’s assume that a borrower owes $200,000 on a property. The market value is set at $150,000 by the appraisal or Broker Price Opinion and the property sells for $140,000, which is 94 percent of market value. The closing costs come to $14,000, leaving the lender a net of $126,000. $126,000 is 63 percent of the $200,000 loan balance.
With a foreclosure, the lender only recovers about 30 cents on the dollar. Which would you choose? The numbers make this a no-brainer.
The other issue with foreclosures is the impact they have on neighborhoods. If a neighborhood experiences a number of foreclosures, the property values in that neighborhood drop as well. Why is this important to the lender? They may be holding other mortgages in the same neighborhood, and a foreclosure drives down the value of those houses as well. They’re poisoning their own portfolio!
Bottom line is if the numbers work for the lender, they are very likely to approve a Short Sale. It’s the lesser of two evils when compared with foreclosure.
By Tom Branch, on June 11th, 2010 
This is Part Three of a series covering the Eight Personal Qualities for Success.
In Part Two I covered, The Ability to Focus and Determining the Price You’ll Pay. In Part Three, I’ll discuss Self Responsibility and Be Committed.
Self Responsibility
You are totally responsible for the success of your business and your life. There are no excuses. There may be set backs or economic downturns, or problems that affect your business.
Your suppliers or vendors may discontinue making or providing your favorite products or services, change the way they do business with you, or even merge with another company.
Economies change, corporate policies change, and prospects don’t buy from you, and the weather is too hot or too cold.
While those things definitely have an impact on you, the way you do business and the sales you make, it is important to realize that those things are beyond your control, and it’s up to you, and you alone, to accept responsibility for the success of your business.
No matter how bad you might have it, no matter what difficulties or challenges you might encounter, let me assure you that there are many people who have had difficulties and challenges far greater than any you are ever likely to encounter, and somehow, they manage to pull through. And you can do the same.
Here’s a little credo that can help you. It contains just 10, two-letter words:
“If it is to be, it is up to me.”
That simple one line sentence says it all. It places the responsibility exactly where it should be… directly on your shoulders.
Be Committed
Make a total commitment to your success. Once you have made the decision to be in business, be in that business. Jump in with both feet. Don’t let anything hold you back. Even more than getting into the business, see that the business gets into you.
Make a commitment that you are going to succeed, no matter what.
Don’t try to work two different jobs or projects at one time. You can’t do either of them justice, and you’ll likely end up frustrated and broke, and never know whether or not you could have been successful.
In Part Four of the series, I’ll cover The Extra Mile, Control Your Time, and Persistence and Determination.
By Tom Branch, on June 11th, 2010 
5 Bedrooms | 2.1 Baths | 2-Car Garage | 2444 SF
Homes For Sale – Springtown, TX. Custom country living on acreage with easy access to the city. Gourmet kitchen with concrete countertops overlooks family room with fireplace. Downstairs master suite with jetted tub, separate shower, and large walk-in closet. Extensive updating including hardwood floors, bathroom tile, and designer paints. 5th bedroom could be second master or another living area. Mud room connects garage and main house. Back yard is perfect for entertaining.
Click here for current status, pricing, details and photos.
Source: NTREIS | Photo Credit – Tom Branch
By Tom Branch, on June 6th, 2010 
4 Bedrooms | 3 Baths | 2-Car Garage | 2118 SF
Homes For Sale – Fort Worth, TX. Preforeclosure. Former Merrit model home on 1 acre. Open kitchen with breakfast bar, Corian type counters, and black GE appliances. Comfortable living room with wood-burning fireplace, crown molding, and pre-wired for surround sound. Elegant formal dining. Spacious master suite. Master bath with garden tub, dual vanities, separate shower, and walk-in closet. Separate guest suite with private bath. Remaining two bedrooms and bath split.
Click here for current status, pricing, details and photos.
Source: NTREIS | Photo Credit – Tom Branch
By Tom Branch, on May 31st, 2010 
After watching the media reports over the past few weeks, I’ve been amazed at some of the stories.
There was an apartment complex whose management company forbid a veteran from displaying the American flag in his window because some of the other tenants might find it offensive. They were going to evict him if it was not removed.
There was a Florida Condo Association who was going after a Medal of Honor recipient because he put his American Flag out every day. While there were rules against the display of the flag there is a Federal Law preempting those kinds of rules just as there is a law that allows owners to install small dishes and antennas for television reception.
There are plenty of other examples but for the sake of brevity I will not go into them all.
The media reports had me down. I attended the Liberty Fest in Farmer’s Branch over the weekend. It renewed my spirit to see so many people out paying respect to America’s greatest national resource-the men and women who proudly serve and protect her.
I was on active duty in the US Air Force for over 21 years. I did combat tours in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. That flag means everything to me. When the National Anthem plays and the Flag is hoisted I still get tears in my eyes. I wish all Americans could share my love for this country and the freedoms that we have. Freedom of speech, the freedom to bear arms, the freedom against unreasonable search and seizure are just a few of the many freedoms we have as Americans.
Those freedoms are not free. They have been bought and paid for with the blood of soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors who have given the lives defending this nation.
Ronald Regan said it best, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
On this Memorial Day, take a minute to reflect of the great many freedoms we have as Americans and commit yourself to defending those freedoms in whatever way you can.
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