By Tom Branch, on December 26th, 2013  We often field phone calls from people relocating to the North Dallas area looking for homes with basements. While some are relocating from areas with basements, many are concerned about tornados. While there are a few older homes with basements, there are also homes that have a storm cellar or shelter. These are primarily found in the rural areas, but we do see them in the suburban and urban areas as well.
According to CBS News the odds of a strong tornado hitting your home directly are extremely small. You can expect it to happen about once in every 8,000 years.
Storm shelters can be added to any home. Some are installed below ground and others are steel boxes that are engineered to withstand large tornados. We checked with a few local installers and found that prices start at about $7500 and go up depending upon the size of the shelter and how it will be installed on the property.
Click here to see all homes for sale in North Dallas with storm shelters.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockPhoto
By Tom Branch, on December 23rd, 2013  While finding a home with a tennis court is not common in the greater Dallas Fort Worth area, they do exist. A home with a tennis court typically sits on a very large lot as the court measures 78 feet by 36 feet in size but requires 120 feet by 60 feet to give space for over-runs. This drives up the price of the house. While you may find homes with tennis courts in the $300k range, most of them are substantially higher.
According to WikiPedia, “Tennis is played on a variety of surfaces and each surface has its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and carpet courts. A North/South orientation is generally desirable for outdoor courts to avoid background glare at dawn or dusk. Orientation should also take into consideration other structures and features on the site, neighboring property, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and prevailing winds.”
Click here to see all homes for sale in the greater Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex with tennis courts.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockphoto
By Tom Branch, on December 20th, 2013  While it is the middle of winter in North Texas, spring usually comes early. With the warmer spring temperatures, we find buyers searching for Allen Texas homes for sale with pools.
Homes with pools in Allen Texas are common and are found at a variety of price-points. Most pools are made of gunite but we do see vinyl-lined pools from time-to-time. We prefer gunite pools as they tend to hold up better over time. Older pools tend to use chlorine to sanitize the water but saline is becoming popular. Saline pools require less maintenance and the plaster covering the gunite tends to last longer. Older chlorine pools can be converted to saline for around $4000.
Click here to see all homes for sale with pools in Allen Texas.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Photo: Copyright Imaged2Sell
By Tom Branch, on December 17th, 2013  We’ve been watching an interesting trend over the past few years—wine has become very popular. While fine wines have always been popular among the well-to-do, recent trends show that it is now popular with all economic groups.
Not surprisingly, an entire industry has evolved to cater to those new wine connoisseurs. Browse any store or online specialty shops and you’ll find all kinds of things for sale. Corkscrews, glasses, decanters, napkins, coolers, racks—the list seems endless.
That trend is now influencing Plano Texas housing–wine cellars. Although we do see the occasional wine cellar under the home, most of them are spaces dedicated to wine or entire refrigerated wine rooms. Some are minimal while others are quite extravagant with wet bars, seating, dim lighting, and walls of wine racks.
Click here to see all homes for sale in Plano TX with wine cellars.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockPhoto
By Tom Branch, on December 16th, 2013  We can’t speak for all areas of the country, but we can tell you that locally lot sizes have decreased over the years. There are a number of reasons for the decrease but the major reason is that land costs have climbed dramatically and smaller lots allow the builders to keep the overall costs down.
Many buyers prefer large lots so they are not on top of their neighbors, have room to put in a pool, build a larger one-story home, or simply room to enjoy the outdoors. While the average new home in Frisco Texas sits on a one-eighth acre lot, there are homes for sale on larger lots (one-half acre or larger) in Frisco Texas.
While many of these homes are higher priced, there are homes available at more reasonable prices.
Click here to see all Homes for Sale in Frisco Texas on Larger Lots.
Have questions or need more information? Contact us at 214-227-6626.
Photo: Copyright 2013 Imaged2Sell
By Tom Branch, on December 11th, 2013  Realty Revolution LLC (the property management division of The Branch Team) has been selected for the 2013 Best of McKinney Award in the Property Management category by the McKinney Award Program.
Each year, the McKinney Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the McKinney area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2013 McKinney Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the McKinney Award Program and data provided by third parties.
Click here to visit the Realty Revolution LLC website.
About McKinney Award Program – The McKinney Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the McKinney area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
Source: McKinney Award Program
By Tom Branch, on November 25th, 2013 
4 Bedrooms | 4 Baths | 4131 Square Feet Per Tax | 3 Living | Study | Pool-Spa
Outstanding features in this Deerfield gem – travertine floors, grand archways, extensive crown molding, granite countertops in the gourmet kitchen, gigantic master suite & huge master bath plus a private entry to the pool & spa, built-ins in the study, 3 fireplaces, 3 car garage, covered patio, and more.
Additional Information
Click here for more photos, information, pricing, and current status.
Click here to see all homes for sale in Deerfield in Plano Texas.
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