By Tom Branch, on July 10th, 2013  Gina and I recently sold our existing home and purchased a new home. As part of our listing process, we retained our stager to help get the home into show-ready condition. We sold the home in 3 hours that Sunday and closed on our new home about 4 weeks later.
As we began to move into the new home, we looked around and realized that we needed help getting the new home looking its best. We needed help with paint colors, furniture placement, and ideas on how to best accent it all. A quick call to our stager and we set up a time for her to help us “stage” our new home.
Moving into a new home? Want it to look its best? Call your stager! It’s not just for sellers any more.
Click here for a list of stagers in the North Dallas area.
Photo: Licensed from Shoot2Sell
By Tom Branch, on June 2nd, 2013  It’s a seller’s market in many places these days. The good news is buyers who have been on the fence waiting for interest rates and prices to bottom out are back in the market. The bad news for those buyers is inventory levels are at all-time lows. In Plano Texas, new listings are sold in hours with multiple offers. One new listing a few weeks ago had 34 offers in the first two days!
The impact is two-fold. First, buyers are driving up the prices of homes to the point where they will not appraise for the sales price. Second, for every buyer who manages to enter into a contract, many more are left dismayed that they cannot find a home. I had one buyer last week who offered $15k over list price on a $310k home and their offer was not the highest offer.
While it often would appear that the offer with the highest price is the accepted offer, that’s not always true. Sellers often consider other terms in addition to price:
Title Policy – In Plano Texas it is customary for the seller to pay for the title policy. On a $300k home, that policy costs the seller $1911. The buyer can make their offer look stronger by paying for the title policy. I recently sold my personal home and the offer I accepted was not the highest offer. I was really concerned about appraisal issues so I took a slightly lower offer that paid for the title policy (among other things) since those items added to my bottom line without raising the sale price of the home.
Possession Date – Typically the buyer takes possession at closing and funding. Many sellers are moving into new homes so being flexible with the closing date and allowing a seller lease-back can make a buyer’s offer stronger. I recently had a seller who was willing to move out of their home at closing and funding, stay in a short-term lease for 90 days, and place most of their furniture into storage. A smart cash buyer came in with an offer that included a 90 day lease-back. While it was not the highest offer, it was the accepted offer.
Residential Service Contracts and Homeowners Association Resale Certificates – These costs are typically paid for by the seller and can often add $1000 to the seller’s closing costs. Smart buyers are paying for their own residential service contracts and offering to pay for the resale certificates. This adds to the seller’s bottom line by reducing their closing costs.
Smart buyers can get their offers accepted in a tight market. It’s not always about the price!
Click here to search homes for sale in Plano Texas.
By Tom Branch, on May 20th, 2013
By Tom Branch, on May 8th, 2013 
I learn something new every day. This afternoon I was out meeting with Aaron Law with Marlin Landscape Systems.
We had met with Aaron several weeks ago about doing the landscape design for our new home in Frisco, Texas.
Today, we got a peek at his work. As we chatted, we mentioned we wanted to add some color to the short columns in front of the home. He talked about adding pots to the columns and adding annual plants. As we explored the idea, he stated, “you need a thriller, some fillers, and a spiller.”
Huh?
Once again he stated, “You need a thriller, a filler, and some spiller”
The thriller is the tall plant in the center of the pot, the filler is the colorful plants that fill in around the thriller, and the spiller spills over the sides of the pot.
You have to love this business! We meet new people every day and learn something new every day!
Photo: Used with Permission
By Tom Branch, on March 17th, 2013  CB JENI Lifestyle Homes has announced that they will be building townhomes in Viridian.
These two-story townhomes will range from 1572 to 2249 square feet with prices starting at $195,990. There will be six different floorplans including the Ashland, Caterina, Marcello, Salerno, Tuscany, and the Verona.
Pre-sales have begun and the builder is offering a number of pre-sale incentives including up to $12k that can be used for upgrades and closing costs (buyers must use one of the recommended lenders) and 2 hours with a professional interior designer to help create and personalize these new homes.
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Located in Arlington Texas, Viridian’s tagline is “Exceptionally Placed in the Center of the Metroplex.” Residents enjoy easy access to the entire DFW Metroplex whether its uptown fine dining in North Dallas or a downtown evening in the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Viridian is also loaded with community amenities including Poolside Escapes, Lake Viridian, the Club House, tennis courts, and more. The community boasts 600 acres of lush parks, 600 acres of serene lakes, 14 miles of trails, and three luxurious amenity centers.
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Click here to see all homes for sale in Viridian Arlington Texas.
Feel free to contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
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Purchase a new home through us and we'll help you with your closing costs! We'll give you a credit of 1.5% of the price of the home at closing to use towards your closing costs.
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By Tom Branch, on March 11th, 2013
By Tom Branch, on March 11th, 2013 
The North Dallas Market is Hot! The Branch Team listed the property at 11901 Shoal Creek in Frisco Texas on Friday evening. In the first 48 hours we had 33 showings and 7 offers. This continues to confirm that properly prepared, staged, photographed, and right-priced homes are flying off the market. With inventories and interest rates at record lows, this is the optimum time to sell your home.
Our marketing plan includes 2 hours of professional staging, professional photography, and over 30 years of team experience selling real estate.
Click here for a FREE market evaluation of your home’s value.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information on North Texas real estate.
Photo Copyright 2013 – Imaged2Sell
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Gina and I recently sold our existing home and purchased a new home. As part of our listing process, we retained our stager to help get the home into show-ready condition. We sold the home in 3 hours that Sunday and closed on our new home about 4 weeks later.
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