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Tips to Making a Successful Offer!

Thursday, December 21, 2017
by Christie Cannon

Before You Make an Offer, Here Are 4 Tips for Success!

So, you’ve been searching for that perfect house to call a ‘home,’ and you finally found it! The price is right, and in such a competitive market, you want to make sure that you make a good offer so that you can guarantee that your dream of making this house yours comes true!

Freddie Mac covered “4 Tips for Making an Offer” in their Executive Perspective. Here are the 4 tips they covered along with some additional information for your consideration:

1. Understand How Much You Can Afford

“While it’s not nearly as fun as house hunting, fully understanding your finances is critical in making an offer.”

This ‘tip’ or ‘step’ should really take place before you start your home search process.

Getting pre-approved is one of many steps that will show home sellers that you are serious about buying, and will allow you to make your offer with the confidence of knowing that you have already been approved for a mortgage for that amount. You will also need to know if you are prepared to make any repairs that may need to be made to the house (ex: new roof, new furnace).

2. Act Fast

“Even though there are fewer investors, the inventory of homes for sale is also low and competition for housing continues to heat up in many parts of the country.” 

The inventory of homes listed for sale has remained well below the 6-month supply that is needed for a ‘normal’ market. Buyer demand has continued to outpace the supply of homes for sale, causing buyers to compete with each other for their dream homes.

Make sure that as soon as you decide that you want to make an offer, you work with your agent to present it as soon as possible.

3. Make a Solid Offer

Freddie Mac offers this advice to help make your offer the strongest it can be:

“Your strongest offer will be comparable with other sales and listings in the neighborhood. A licensed real estate agent active in the neighborhoods you are considering will be instrumental in helping you put in a solid offer based on their experience and other key considerations such as recent sales of similar homes, the condition of the house and what you can afford.”

Talk with your agent to find out if there are any ways that you can make your offer stand out in this competitive market!

4. Be Prepared to Negotiate

“It’s likely that you’ll get at least one counteroffer from the sellers so be prepared. The two things most likely to be negotiated are the selling price and closing date. Given that, you’ll be glad you did your homework first to understand how much you can afford.

Your agent will also be key in the negotiation process, giving you guidance on the counteroffer and making sure that the agreed-to contract terms are met.”

If your offer is approved, Freddie Mac urges you to “always get an independent home inspection, so you know the true condition of the home.” If the inspector uncovers undisclosed problems or issues, you can discuss any repairs that may need to be made with the seller, or cancel the contract.

Bottom Line 

Whether buying your first home or your fifth, having a local real estate professional who is an expert in their market on your side is your best bet to make sure the process goes smoothly. Let’s talk about how we can make your dreams of homeownership a reality!

 

Christie Cannon | REALTOR
The Cannon Team
Keller Williams Realty Frisco
469-951-9588
www.ChristieCannon.com

 
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Reasons to Smile: Keller Williams Ranked #1 Happiest Place to Work

Monday, December 18, 2017
by Christie Cannon

Reasons to Smile: Keller Williams Ranked #1 Happiest Place to Work

Ask most business leaders and they’ll tell you that success starts with smart hiring & satisfied workers.  Keller Williams is undoubtedly following this key business guideline and giving its employees plenty of reasons to smile these days. According to career site CareerBliss, Keller Williams is ranked the number one happiest company in America to work for in 2018. The rankings recognize businesses that are dedicated to to creating a happier work environment for their employees.  Each company’s BlissScore includes factors such as company culture, leadership, overall work atmosphere, and one’s relationship with coworkers. Keller Williams tops this list because it prides itself on a unique, agent-centric culture that focuses on cutting edge technology, education & services.

The Christie Cannon Team is proud to be partnered with Keller Williams Realty and look forward to passing on its high level of professionalism & expertise to our clients. You can view the full list of Happiest Places to Work in 2018 here.

 

Christie Cannon | REALTOR
The Christie Cannon Team
Keller Williams Realty Frisco
469-951-9588
www.ChristieCannon.com
 

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How Many Hours to Pay Your Mortgage

Wednesday, December 6, 2017
by Christie Cannon

Many people understand & believe that home ownership is key to fulfilling the American Dream.  In a world where affordability varies so widely and is affected by so many factors, the folks over at HowMuch.net created an amazing visual aid to offer an easy apple-to-apples comparison.  Using US Census Data  to determine median incomes v/s media sale prices, these experts broke down each cities respective housing costs to the number of hours required to cover an average mortgage.  While Memphis, TN can be home by Wednesday, New York, NY will be putting away some late night hours.

 

Want to see how your individual city faired, be sure to check out the source data found here: https://howmuch.net/sources/hours-work-afford-home

Christie Cannon | REALTOR
The Christie Cannon Team
Keller Williams Realty Frisco
469-951-9588
www.ChristieCannon.com
 

 

 

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Mortgages Getting Easy Again? North Dallas Real Estate

Friday, November 24, 2017
by Christie Cannon

Too Easy to Get a Mortgage?  Is This the Start of a New Bubble?

Bubble Alert! Is it Getting Too Easy to Get a Mortgage? | MyKCM

There is little doubt that it is easier to get a home mortgage today than it was last year. The Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), published by the Mortgage Bankers Association, shows that mortgage credit has become more available in each of the last several years. In fact, in just the last year:

  • More buyers are putting less than 20% down to purchase a home
  • The average credit score on closed mortgages is lower
  • More low-down-payment programs have been introduced

This has some people worrying that we are returning to the lax lending standards which led to the boom and bust that real estate experienced ten years ago. Let’s alleviate some of that concern.

The graph below shows the MCAI going back to the boom years of 2004-2005. The higher the graph line, the easier it was to get a mortgage.

Bubble Alert! Is it Getting Too Easy to Get a Mortgage? | MyKCM

As you can see, lending standards were much more lenient from 2004 to 2007. Though it has gradually become easier to get a mortgage since 2011, we are nowhere near the lenient standards during the boom.

The Urban Institute also publishes a Home Credit Availability Index (HCAI). According to the Institute, the HCAI:

“Measures the percentage of home purchase loans that are likely to default—that is, go unpaid for more than 90 days past their due date. A lower HCAI indicates that lenders are unwilling to tolerate defaults and are imposing tighter lending standards, making it harder to get a loan. A higher HCAI indicates … it is easier to get a loan.”

Here is a graph showing their findings:

Bubble Alert! Is it Getting Too Easy to Get a Mortgage? | MyKCM

Again, today’s lending standards are nowhere near the levels of the boom years. As a matter of fact, they are more stringent than they were even before the boom.

Bottom Line

It is getting easier to gain financing for a home purchase. However, we are not seeing the irresponsible lending that caused the housing crisis.

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Inventory v/s Demand Creates Luxurious Opportunity for Buyers

Wednesday, November 8, 2017
by Christie Cannon

Shifting Inventory in North TX Creates Opportunity.

A Tale of Two Markets: A 6-Month Update | MyKCM

Six months ago, we reported that the mismatch between the type of inventory of homes for sale and the demand of buyers in the US was causing the formation of two markets.

In the starter and trade-up home categories, there were significantly more buyers than there were homes for sale, causing a seller’s market. In the premium, or luxury, home categories, the opposite was true as there was a surplus of these homes compared to the buyers that were out searching for their dream homes, which created a buyer’s market.

According to the National Association of Realtors latest Existing Home Sales Report, the inventory of existing homes for sale in today’s market is at a 4.2-month supply. Inventory is now 6.5% lower than this time last year, marking the 27th consecutive month of year-over-year decreases.

Looking at the latest report from Trulia, we can see that not much has changed, and in fact, recent natural disasters across the country have made inventory conditions even more dire.

Trulia’s market mismatch score measures the search interest of buyers against the category of homes that are available on the market. For example: “if 60% of buyers are searching for starter homes but only 40% of listings are starter homes, [the] market mismatch score for starter homes would be 20.”

The results of their latest analysis are detailed in the chart below.

A Tale of Two Markets: A 6-Month Update | MyKCM

Nationally, buyers are searching for starter and trade-up homes and are coming up short with the listings available, which is leading to a highly competitive seller’s market in these categories.

Premium homebuyers, on the other hand, have the best chance of less competition and more inventory of listings in their price range with a 14.7-point surplus, which is creating more of a buyer’s market.

Real estate is local. If you are thinking about buying OR selling this fall, contact us to discuss the exact market conditions in your specific area.

 

Christie Cannon

The Christie Cannon Team

Keller Williams Frisco TX

469-951-9588

www.ChristieCannon.com

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Thinking About Buying in North Texas | Know your Credit Score!

Monday, November 6, 2017
by Christie Cannon

Considering Buying? Learn Your Credit Score!

Thinking About Buying? Know Your Credit Score | MyKCM

Knowing your credit score or getting a recent copy of your credit report is one of the first steps that you can take toward knowing how ready you are to start the home buying process.

Make sure all the information listed on your report is accurate and work to correct any mistakes. The higher your credit score, the more likely you will be to receive a better interest rate for your mortgage, which will translate into more ‘home for your money.'

Many potential buyers believe that they need a 750 FICO® Score or higher to be able to purchase a home. The truth is that according to Ellie Mae’s Origination Report, over 53% of loans were approved with a FICO® score under 750 last month!

Here are some tips for improving your credit score:

  • Make payments, including rent, credit cards, and car loans, on time.
  • Keep your spending to no more than 30% of your limit on credit cards.
  • Pay down high-balance credit cards to lower balances, and consider balance transfers to free up credit.
  • Check for errors on your credit report and work toward fixing them.
  • Shop for mortgage rates within a 30-day period — too many spread-out inquiries can lower your score.
  • Work with a credit counselor or a lender to improve your score.

Once you know your score, your next step will be finding a lender and getting pre-approved for a mortgage. Doing this will ensure that you know your budget before you start looking for your dream home.

 

If you are looking some great resources in finding a local lender to assist you, please feel free to give us a call!

 

Christie Cannon

REALTOR

The Christie Cannon Team

Keller Williams Frisco

469-951-9588

www.christiecannon.com

 

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"Shift Happens"

Saturday, September 30, 2017
by Christie Cannon
September 26, 2017
 
In real estate, like life, change is the only constant. The first thing I want you to be aware of is that “shift happens.”  Shift isn’t a bad word. It is simply a change in the trends we are seeing the market.  Reviewing these changes helps us determine reasonable expectations & where to focus effort to best assist you with the sale of your home.
 
This year we believe that we are seeing the market shifting beyond the seasonal fall/winter cycle.  We, like many industry experts, believe we are seeing a return to greater balance in the real estate market.  It's still a Seller's market though - the graph below shows where the sellers market, neutral market and buyers market begin to change.  A seller market means we will still see some appreciation in our home prices.
 
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What trends are we are seeing in the market today:
 
1.  Again, the sky isn’t falling.  We are discussing a slight change, not a panic.  That means a little longer time on market and we need to pay more attention to ensuring your home is priced right and not too high as the consumer will not react as favorably to the higher prices when there's more to choose from.
a.  TX economics remain strong & the “attractiveness” of our cities remains high.
 
b.  Corporate relocations continue to be drawn to our area.
2.  Prices remain stable. 
a.  Prices in most market areas are still seeing slight increases; however, the pace of increase has slowed dramatically &/or stabilized in almost every area. 
 
b.  For many months, sellers have been able to “ratchet” up their listing price as each home in the community has sold.  This strategy has proven to reach a limit.  We are now seeing large amounts of price reductions daily.  Likewise, there are an increasing number of homes that are having appraisal issues, where a lender’s independent valuation of a home is coming in less than the contracted sales price. 
 
c.  A strong pricing strategy remains among the most critical aspects of selling a home. 
3.  Inventory is increasing & in some areas increasing quickly.
a.  One of the primary drivers that have fueled real estate’s strong numbers over the past few years has been a low inventory environment.  The inventory in almost all price points and cities is on the rise.
 
We measure inventory in both total number & “month supply”.  Month supply is simply the time it would take to sell the existing inventory if new listings ceased coming on the market.
 
 I'll use Frisco as an example of this increase in inventory.  Frisco’s housing supply has increased every month since December 2016.  In fact, August 2017’s inventory was just under double from December 2016.  This is reflected in August as 1,094 homes listed with 320 homes selling for a 3.8 month supply.  This holds true for most of the surrounding cities as well. 
4.  Days on market are increasing, and houses are still selling.
a.  As you can envision, when inventory increases, days on market also rise.  The increase of days on market often slightly lags the changes to “month supply”.
 
b.  It may be surprising, but the average days on market are as high as 90+ days in some price ranges, even in the most popular markets.
5.  Buyers have more choices.  This is a critical take away! 
a.  When buyers have more choice, Price, Condition, & Location become key!
 How do we prepare for this “shift”?
 
1.  Strong pricing strategy remains among the most critical aspects of selling a home in an environment where buyers have choice.
a.  Our listings that elect to utilize a smart pricing strategy often still see multiple offers & shorter days on market.  There is always a balance between Days on Market & Price.
b.  Expect to see elevated levels of price competition. Timely price adjustments increase timely closing probability & reduces time on market.
c.  Simply imagine you are purchase a new car.  There are 3x dealerships offering the model & features you want. 1x of the 3 dealerships is offering theirs’ for $5k less.  Most buyer’s are not going to make an offer or negotiate with the 2x at higher prices to see if they can make it work; they will simply go the lowest price dealership first & attempt to negotiate.  Should that fail buyers will move to the higher prices to negotiate.
2.  Pay attention to changes in Showing Traffic relative to competition.
a.  Higher relative seller/buyer ratios (month’s supply) reflect a more competitive market for sellers.
b.  Having a large number of showings relative to other similar properties without an offer (or with a lot of low offers) is a strong indication of overpricing.  The image below provides an overview of how showings, or lack thereof, can be viewed in terms of pricing strategies:
Related image
 
 
What are some of the things The Christie Cannon Team of KW Frisco has done to be ahead of these challenges?
 
1.  Expanded our marketing team to include an in-house designer to ensure your home is well prepared & properly marketed.  If you think you need a refresher at this time, let us know and we will gladly arrange a time with our designer to come visit with you at your convenience. She is also reviewing your listing photos, marketing campaigns and sites to help improve wherever we can to gain more buyer interest. 
 2.  Conduct more frequent digital marketing reviews for your home, to ensure our listings continue to capture a larger share of interest from buyers.
3.  Expanded our Inside Sales Agent team to increase our ability to directly call agents & prospective buyers who have expressed interest in your home or previously toured your home.
4.  Increased our digital marketing campaigns to include banner ads& more direct to consumer marketing and re-targeting branding with your home. 
5.  Reverse prospecting (where we contact the agents that have clients searching for your “type” home.)
6.  Increase agent & broker tours and direct agent to agent marketing to better introduce and keep your home in front of the market.
7.  The introduction of Special Financing options available exclusively to our KW clients & our KW listings to assist with incentives to buyers and help you stand out!
 
My goal is to arm you with the best information so you can be prepared to make informed decisions about getting your home sold.
Looking for more info?  We are always happy to help.  Remember, we review each any every home we have on the market regularly & consistently to help you get SOLD!!  
 
Written by Christie and Kevin Cannon / Keller Williams Realty / no unauthorized use or copy permitted. www.christiecannon.com | 972.215.7747
 
The Christie Cannon Team | Keller Williams Frisco TX | 4783 Preston Rd #300
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A Look Back & a Glance Ahead with Freddie Mac

Saturday, January 3, 2015
by Christie Cannon

Freddie Mac's chief economist looks back & reexamines their 2014 predictions! Click here to read.  It is a great review of the US Housing Data from 2014. 

Their 2015 predictions can also be found here! 

- Christie Cannon 

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It's a Great Time to Be Living in McKinney!

Friday, December 26, 2014
by Christie Cannon

Have you heard what has been going on in McKinney?  McKinney is growing and has been named #1 Best Place to Live in America!  Check out these great videos showcasing everything McKinney has to offer.

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Frisco Accepting Donations for Project Warm Us

Wednesday, November 12, 2014
by Christie Cannon

Project Warm Us is a great way for members of the community to give some much needed warmth to the homeless in the Dallas, TX area.

Donate your new or gently used items - coats, jackets, sweatshirts, sweaters, blankets, scarves, hats, gloves, shoes, socks(new only).  Donations are being accepted between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm at the Frisco Square Management Office, 8874 Coleman Blvd., next door to Dimples Cupcake Factory.  To learn more, click here...


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Displaying blog entries 11-20 of 27

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Photo of Christie Cannon Real Estate
Christie Cannon
Keller Williams Realty
5933 Preston Road #300
Frisco TX 75034
972-215-7747
Fax: 972-215-7748
Send an Email
Keller Williams Frisco - The Christie Cannon Team - http://www.christiecannon.com

 

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