By Tom Branch, on January 21st, 2012 
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs announced 4th Quarter and 2011 Annual Awards at a recognition breakfast held at the Glen Eagles Country Club on January 20, 2012.
The Branch Team was recognized as the Top Listing Team and Top Closing Team for the 4th Quarter. The team was also recognized as the Top Listing Team and the 2nd Closing Team for 2011.
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs is the top-producing RE/MAX brokerage in the Dallas area and ranks number 11 in production in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex among almost 2000 brokerages.
Source: RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs
By Tom Branch, on January 14th, 2012 Standing Watch
Aspens in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Click photo for larger view.
Photograph taken on January 3, 2012 at 1:54 PM with an 18mm lens. The only post-shoot processing was a little sharpening and conversion to black and white.
Photo Copyright 2012 – Tom Branch
By Gina Branch, on January 13th, 2012 
New Year’s Day 2012 was cool and crisp and snow-covered as we wound our way to the top of the mountain 18 miles outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Above 12,000 feet the air is very thin and I could feel myself starting to breathe heavy. When you’re used to being near sea level, this increase in altitude has a definite impact.
 I was excited to try my hand at skiing again, but since it had been 25 years, ski school was a must. After half a day, I was ready to head downhill, at least a small hill. Most of the skills came back just like riding a bike.
The view from the chair lift was beautiful. Many of the snow covered trees were still green and the fresh snow glistened in the sunshine. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the journey to the bottom was invigorating.
I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year than pointing the skis downhill and feeling the cold breeze on your face. The Ski Santa Fe facility was near perfect with short lift lines, reasonable prices, a nice cafeteria, a great ski and snowboarding school, and breathtaking scenery.
The best part was sharing the experience with my husband and close friends. I can’t wait to visit again!
Click here to see more photos of the trip to Ski Santa Fe.
By Tom Branch, on January 7th, 2012 Want to know what mobile users see when they visit your site? Pick up your smart phone, open your browser, and type in your URL. If you do not have a mobile-ready site you’re in for a huge surprise!
With a large percentage of the market moving onto mobile devices, you simply must have a mobile version of your website these days. Mobile website design is completely different from full-size browsers. There are severe limitations in screen size and bandwidth capabilities of these devices that must be considered.
My suggestion is to keep it simple! Mobile users want easy access to information. For real estate agents, that means easy access to MLS searches and contact information. We also include a link to a mobile version of our blog.
If your site is running on WordPress, there are a number of plugins available that will detect mobile devices and send users to the mobile verison of the site. One of our WordPress-based sites uses Plugin Buddy Mobile to create a mobile version of the site. Other than creating and uploading a mobile banner, this was a 10 minute set up. The limitation for real estate agents is access to a mobile-ready IDX solution.
We chose to develop a stand-alone mobile website using a simple PHP script to detect mobile users and send them to the mobile website. This choice was driven by our access to the RE/MAX of Texas mobile-ready property search. While we could have purchased another mobile IDX solution, the cost is prohibitive since not only do we have to pay the IDX provider, we also have to pay our MLS another monthly fee to feed the data to the provider.
You may also want to register a .mobi domain name and set up an m. subdomain for your websites. Mobile users will often try using the .mobi top level domain (www.thebranchteam.mobi) or m. subdomain (m.thebranchteam.com) when they’re looking for a mobile version of your website.
Mobile computing is not only here to stay, it’s going to become an even larger percentage of your web traffic. Is your website mobile friendly?
By Tom Branch, on December 4th, 2011 
Another happy home buyer in Allen, TX. This 4 bedroom, 3.1 bath, 2641 square foot foreclosed home with a pool was recently purchased by our clients. We were able to negotiate a sales price that was 85% of appraisal district value and get the bank to pay almost all of the buyer’s closing costs!
Distressed properties can be a good value but you have to do the research and plenty of extra due diligence since they are almost always sold “as is” and without a sellers disclosure (foreclosures are exempt from disclosure in Texas).
Looking to purchase a foreclosure? Contact us at 214-705-2470 for a current list.
Photo: Copyright 2011 Tom Branch
By Tom Branch, on December 4th, 2011 
Gina and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last night. We love trying different dining spots and we were refered to Dakotas by one of our recent past clients.
What’s really unique about the location is that it’s actually located under the streets in downtown Dallas. According to the staff, alcohol sales were not permitted at street level at some point in the past, so the developers went “underground” so to speak. The photo above was shot looking out the window from our table. Dakotas has a great outdoor patio complete with a lighted wall of water coming down from street level.
The food was fantastic. Dakotas is a steak house and the Filet Mignon was wonderful with a nice soft texture and just the right amount of seasoning. Side dishes are served family-style and are large enough for two people. The wine list is extensive and I thought the prices were very good. The wait staff was first class–there when you needed them but not hovering all the time.
Dakotas is located at 600 North Akard. It can be hard to find because the entrance is the top of the elevator shaft sitting in the triangle created by Akard, Erway, and San Jacinto. I drove past it the first time. Parking is very limited but they have complimentary valet service so take advantage of it.
If you’re visiting Dallas or a local looking for something new to try, stop by Dakotas.
Photo: Copyright 2011 Tom Branch
By Gina Branch, on November 24th, 2011 
Fall is my very favorite season. The cool breeze replaces the sweltering still air of summer; football returns and has sports fans of all ages fired up, and people finally take the time to express thanks to those who mean the most during the Thanksgiving holiday.
The first “Thanksgiving” was in November, 1621 as the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest, but didn’t become a national holiday until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared it so in the midst of the Civil War. Today, many of us travel hundreds of miles to enjoy a bountiful feast surrounded by family.
You have undoubtedly noticed the plethora of television ads touting retailers’ Black Friday sales encouraging consumers to hurry into stores as soon as their empty forks hit the plate. I would urge you instead to slow down and enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend. Take this time to give thanks to those you cherish – family, friends, colleagues and clients. A little appreciation goes a long way this holiday season.
Photo: Copyright 2010 Tom Branch
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