Real Estate Information Archive

Tis the season when the agents of The Christie Cannon Team offers up our best nod to Clark W. Griswold with the best of Christmas & Holiday Lights in North TX.

While our father's may have "taught us everything we know about exterior illumination," we are not above some advice, so please help us make a great list with your comments & suggestions!

• Frisco Square - Drawing over 675,000 visitors seasonally, Frisco Square offers North TX largest choreographed light display!  Boasting snow machines, sled riding events, horse drawn carriage rides, light & music shows, outdoor ice skating & even a parachuting Santa - this place has it all!  Starts Nov 25th
• Highland Park & Highland Park Village - What can I say?  Gorgeous architecture complemented by professional Christmas lighting.  Spanning about 20 blocks, this is the perfect time to splurge on a horse drawn carriage ride.
• SMU's Annual Celebration of Lights -  Another long-time tradition & boasting over 100,000 lights. Starts Nov 28th
• Deerfield, Plano - Starting (officially) on December 1st, this quintessential Plano neighborhood is jammed packed with gorgeous home competing for the best, funniest, & most traditional displays.  Check out their website for best routes, carriage ride info, & even segway tours!
• Prairie Lights - Growing larger each year, this Grand Prairie display is located in Lynn Creek Park and has become a destination in its own right.  Offering a 2-mile path of lights, a laser light display, holiday village, & more.  Be sure to check out their website as there are costs for this one!
• Interlochen in Arlington - A North TX original, this community has been wowing light viewers for over 40-years!
• Tour of Lights in Farmers Branch - over 500,00 twinkle lights will delight.  This is any easy one for those who like to stay in the car.
• Vitruvian Lights in Addison - Located in Vitruvian park, this one excites with food trucks, FREE photos with Santa & Reindeer, Holiday Village, & Free Concerts in the park!
• Texas Motor Speedway - Supporting Toys for Tots, this huge display boasts a drive-thru display & Santa's Village.  Be sure to check out the website for pricing!
• ICE & the Gaylord Texan Resort - Ice skating, gingerbread house building, sled riding, Santa photos, Holiday village, light displays, 2+ million pounds of ice, what do they not have?
• The Pharrs in Farmers Branch - Located at 14535 Southern Pines Cove, this family has been celebrating Christmas in a big way & share their joy from their own front lawn!
• The Trains at North Park - OK - two warning are required, they are not technically lights... but I still feel nostalgia for making the trip to the city to watch the trains at Christmas.  The second warning, watch out for the shopping at this one!
• Dallas Children's Holiday Parade - Again, not technically lights, but come-on, its a parade - what Grinch doesn't like a parade?  This one has been going on since 1987 & frankly doesn't get its due!
• The Krampus Walk - Hey, it can't all be about the kiddo's.  This what happens when you have a much "hipper" brother & sister-in-law who are not in "the 'burbs" - you learn about the Krampus pub crawl... I mean "walk" through Deep Ellum.
• Christmas in the Stockyards in Fort Worth - Hey, its TX - we need a Christmas Cattle Drive to go along with our caroling & the Stockyards is the place to see it.  On December 12 the Snowball Express will be welcomed at the Stockyards with the Walk of Gratitude.  For those not in the know - the Snowball Express is a charity that supports & honors the children of men & women who have fallen in service to our great nation.

Have some ideas & comments that will help our list?  We would love to hear from you! 

Thank you & we wish you a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday Season!

Christie Cannon  REALTOR

The Christie Cannon Team

Keller Williams Frisco TX

469.951.9588: Mobile

972.215.7747: Office

Voted as one of the BEST Realtors in D Magazine for 2010-2016

Voted as a Five Star Professional 2012-2016 Texas Monthly Magazine

Named among America's Best Real Estate Agents by Real Trends Magazine

Named among the Top 250 Real Estate Teams in the Nation, as seen The Wall Street Journal

Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

Global Property Specialist - Marketing with a Gloabal Reach

#1 Keller Williams Agent 2011-2015

Top 50 Agents with KW Realty International

Frisco TX | Keller Williams Frisco TX | Christie Cannon | 469-951-9588

This past Monday, the Frisco ISD school board proposed the 2016-17 attendance zone changes. Earlier this year, the voters in Frisco ISD voted 58% against for a proposed 13-cent property tax increase.  As a result of the unexpected outcome, Frisco ISD proposed a reduced budget for 2017-18.  Included in this proposal was the delayed opening on multiple new schools.  As a result of these delays, the Frisco ISD proposed Monday a rezoning for a few hundred Frisco ISD students.

The families of students are expected to be contacted by Frisco ISD and will be given an opportunity to provide their input by December 12th.  The school board's final decision is expected to be reached at a final vote on Jan 17th. 

The latest information, FAQ's, & details on Frisco ISD's zoning can be found at www.friscoisd.org/departments/attendance-zones/rezoning

Christie Cannon Named to REAL Trends' America’s Best Real Estate Agents in Frisco, TX.

Christie Cannon of Keller Williams Realty Frisco was named one of America’s most productive sales associates as a part of REAL Trends America’s Best Real Estate Agents, the newly issued ranking report produced by REAL Trends and sponsored by Zillow Group.  Cannon’s Team is now a member of the “America’s Best Real Estate Agents,” and ranked number 14 for the state of Texas.  

REAL Trends America’s Best Real Estate Agents ranks over 12,000 residential real estate professionals solely based on their excellence in real estate sales during calendar year 2015. All production numbers are independently verified by a third-party in order to ensure accuracy and report integrity. This group of highly successful real estate sales agents represents less than 1 percent of all real estate practitioners in the United States.

The real estate professionals are ranked in four categories:

• Individual agent — Sales volume
• Individual agent — Transaction sides (in each real estate transaction there are two sides that can be represented by a real estate agent: the buy side and the selling side)
• Agent team — Sales volume
• Agent team — Transaction sides

To qualify for inclusion, an individual agent must have closed at least 50 transaction sides or $20 million in sales volume in 2015. For real estate agent teams, the minimum is 75 transaction sides or $30 million in closed sales volume.

“The average residential real estate agent in the United States closed fewer than eight transactions in 2015 and had less than $1.5 million in sales,” says Steve Murray, publisher of REAL Trends’ America’s Best Real Estate Agents and president of REAL Trends. “To say that Christie Cannon is an exceptional sales professional is an understatement. To attain this level of sales is truly outstanding.”

“We are also pleased that two of the nation’s most prominent online real estate websites, Trulia® and Zillow®, have partnered with REAL Trends to bring a superior level of customer exposure of these sales agents’ performance,” Murray added.

Information on those receiving this recognition can be found online at http://www.americasbestre.com. 

“I am obviously pleased and honored to be ranked on this ranking of the country’s top residential real estate agents,” said Christie Cannon, “It represents the time and effort that we put into each client that we serve and how much work it takes to build a successful real estate career. The level of sales it takes to qualify makes it a truly special recognition.”

ABOUT REAL TRENDS

REAL Trends is a Castle Pines, Colorado-based real estate publishing and consulting firm that offers a wide range of research and advisory services to the residential real estate industry. Recognized as the leading source of trends in the industry, REAL Trends also publishes the REAL Trends The Thousand, as advertised in The Wall Street Journal and the REAL Trends 500, which ranks the top brokerage firms in the United States.

Zillow is a registered trademark of Zillow, Inc. Trulia is a registered trademark of Trulia, LLC. These marks are used with permission.

Many experts have been calling upon home builders to ramp up construction to help with the lack of existing inventory for sale. For the past two months, new home sales have surged, with July’s total coming in at the highest since October 2007.

The latest estimates from the US Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development show that sales in July were31.3% higher than this time last year, and 12.4% higher than last month, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 654,000. 

 Zillow’s Chief Economist, Svenja Gudell, echoed the reaction of some as she commented:

“July(‘s) new home sales data was a surprise, but a welcome one. For years, the market has been practically begging builders to both ramp up their efforts overall and to put more focus on serving the less expensive end of the market. Today's data confirms both are happening in earnest.”

 The National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) Chairman, Ed Brady, didn’t seem as surprised:

 “This rise in new home sales is consistent with our builders’ reports that market conditions have been improving. As existing home inventory remains flat, we should see more consumers turning to new construction.”

  NAHB’s Chief Economist, Robert Dietz, believes this is just the start for new home sales if market conditions continue:

  “July’s positive report shows there is a need for new single-family homes, buoyed by increased household formation, job gains and attractive mortgage rates. This uptick in demand should translate into increased housing production throughout 2016 and into next year.”

  The existing home sales numbers for July will be released today and will shed more light on the overall health of the housing market.

Bottom Line

New home sales hit their highest mark in over 9 years. Buyers are out in force to find a home that fits their needs. Many are turning to new construction, as the inventory of existing homes has not been able to keep up with demand.

Christie Cannon of Keller Williams Frisco Named One of America’s

Top 1,000 Real Estate professional Teams BY
Real Trends, As advertised IN

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Christie Cannon, From Frisco TX, Had an Impressive 2015 on Her Way to Becoming One of DFW’s Top Professionals  

Christie Cannon of Keller Williams Frisco was named one of America’s top real estate professional teams by REAL Trends, as advertised in The Wall Street Journal.  Her Team is now a member of the “The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals,” a prestigious national awards ranking sponsored annually by REAL Trends and advertised in The Wall Street Journal.  Cannon is now ranked in the top one half of 1 percent of the more than 1.1 million Realtors® nationwide.

The Thousand real estate professionals was announced on June 24, 2016, with four separate categories honoring the top 250 residential agents and agent teams for excellence in:

• Individual Sales Professionals—Sales volume
• Individual Sales Professionals—Transaction sides (in each real estate transaction, there are two sides that can be represented by a real estate agent: a buyer’s and a seller’s.)
• Team Professionals—Sales volume
• Team Professionals—Transaction sides  

For the second year, REAL Trends has added two new categories to The Thousand ranking based off of average sales price. This new category is broken down into the top 50 residential agents and agent teams for excellence in:

• Individual Sales Professionals – Average Sales Price
• Team Professionals – Average Sales Price

According to The Thousand, Cannon had 270 home sales totaling over 97-million in home sales, ranking 235th, in the nation.

“The best individual agents and teams—including Cannon’s award-winning efforts—were nothing short of phenomenal considering the challenges in today’s complex housing market,” said Steve Murray, founder of REAL Trends, a Denver-based consulting, publishing and communications company and The Trusted Source that complies the yearly, third-party verified list.

“Becoming a member of such an elite group as The Thousand is an incredible accomplishment in any market, but what Christie Cannon did during these challenging times is impressive on so many levels,” said Marti Gallardo, vice president of classified advertising for The Wall Street Journal.  “Cannon's efforts topped 99.99 percent of the more than 1.1 million Realtors nationwide.”

“I am absolutely thrilled to be named to The Thousand,” said Cannon, who serves clients primarily in Collin, Denton, & Dallas Counties.  “It’s incredibly gratifying to help clients find their dream homes as well as help them sell their properties quickly and for the highest price possible.”

The ranking of The Thousand can be found at:

          www.thethousandrealestateprofessionals.com 

About The Thousand - This awards program was developed jointly by WSJ. Custom Studios (and is not affiliated with the Editorial Department) and REAL Trends, a leading source of analysis and information for the residential real estate brokerage industry. REAL Trends The Thousand honors America’s elite real estate professionals and their companies and is compiled and analyzed by REAL Trends with a special ad section included in The Wall Street Journal. 

So by now we have all seen the myriad of TV Real Estate Shows - you know the shows where lovely couples are generally seeking out starter homes at prices that would make our average North Texas' buyers pass-out.  As a long-time agent and someone who has been asked by producers to participate in such shows, I am often asked what is the Reality v/s the Realty? I came across the below blog post from a Real Estate Magazine that discusses that very question.  By now most of this may be fairly common knowledge, but I thought it may also be a little fun.

Reality TV Show Myths vs. Real Life:

Myth #1: Buyers look at 3 homes and make a decision to purchase one of them.

Truth: There may be buyers who fall in love and buy the first home they see, but more often than not the process of buying a home means touring more than three homes. (We often see buyers who understandably want to tour & examine dozens of homes before they are comfortable making such an expensive decision.)

Myth #2: The houses the buyers are touring are still for sale.

Truth: The reality is being staged for TV. Many of the homes being shown are already sold and are off the market.

Myth #3: The buyers haven’t made a purchase decision yet.

Truth: Since there is no way to show the entire buying process in a 30-minute show, TV producers often choose buyers who are further along in the process and have already chosen a home to buy.

Myth #4: If you list your home for sale, it will ALWAYS sell at the Open House.

Truth: Of course this would be great! Open Houses are important to guarantee the most exposure to buyers in your area, but are only a PIECE of the overall marketing of your home. Just realize that many homes are sold during regular showing appointments as well. (Open Houses are a great tool, but really are only 1 of many options.  Likewise, despite marketing, an Open House’s success is often very dependent on a home’s location, the communities’ traffic, & the proximity to New Home communities.)

Myth #5: Homeowners make a decision about selling their home after a 5-minute conversation.

Truth: Similar to the buyers portrayed on the shows, many of the sellers have already spent hours deliberating the decision to list their home and move on with their life/goals.

My take away - Like most things on TV, these shows are all about having some fun; so relax & enjoy.  As a watcher of renovation shows, I fully understand that kitchen remodels take longer than 3-days; adding granite + new tile doesn’t really raise the value $25k; & no matter how easy it looks on TV, I will never be able to make a cute coffee table out of a reclaimed shipping pallet  -– but I still enjoy watching them!

The fast pace of North Dallas' Real Estate market often has people asking about where prices are headed v/s where prices have been.  

As we have previously reported, each quarter Freddie Mac releases their Home Price Index, tracking national & local statistics.  One of the most compelling illustrations of how high values have risen can be found in the above map, reflecting overall state values as a percentage of their increase over Pre-2008 Peak Values.  Texas' value, as a whole, ranks 3^rd behind North Dakota & Colorado for their percent over Peak Values.

Christie Cannon  REALTOR

The Christie Cannon Team

Keller Williams Realty Frisco 

469.951.9588: Mobile

972.215.7747: Office

www.christiecannon.com

Voted as one of the BEST Realtors in D Magazine for 2010-2016

Voted as a Five Star Professional 2012-2016 Texas Monthly Magazine

Name among America's Best Real Estate Agents by Real Trends Magazine

Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

#1 Keller Williams Agent 2011-2015

Top 100 Agents in the Nation / KW

Have Questions about your community or your home?  Please give me a call!

Christie Cannon  REALTOR

The Christie Cannon Team

Keller Williams Realty Frisco 

469.951.9588: Mobile

972.215.7747: Office

www.christiecannon.com

Voted as one of the BEST Realtors in D Magazine for 2010-2016

Voted as a Five Star Professional 2012-2016 Texas Monthly Magazine

Name among America's Best Real Estate Agents by Real Trends Magazine

Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

#1 Keller Williams Agent 2011-2015

Top 100 Agents in the Nation / KW

Christie Cannon & The Christie Cannon Team was recently awarded

The Five Star Real Estate Agent Award & featured in Texas Monthly magazine.

Thank you for all your support!

For 13 years the Five Star program has conducted market research in 45 markets in order to identify excellent service professionals. Homebuyers & sellers are surveyed and asked to evaluate with whom they have worked.  Judged on 10 criteria, these nominations are then elegible for the award.  The Christie Cannon Team is thrilled to announce that we have been blessed to receive this award for the 5th year in a row!

Additional info on the award can be found here!

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you & for your continued support!

Christie Cannon  REALTOR

The Christie Cannon Team

Keller Williams Frisco TX

469.951.9588: Mobile

972.215.7747: Office

Voted as one of the BEST Realtors in D Magazine for 2010-2016

Voted as a Five Star Professional 2012-2016 Texas Monthly Magazine

Name among America's Best Real Estate Agents by Real Trends Magazine

Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

Global Property Specialist

#1 Keller Williams Agent 2011-2015

Top 100 Agents in the Nation / KW

While many have reported the record gains that DFW has seen over the last 5-years have started to slow in their pace of increase, affordability continues to be a real problem for low-to-medium income households.  

Our record increases are easily reflected in the latest S&P/Case Shiller Index.  With local home prices up over 8.4%, Dallas' increase is almost twice that of the national average of 4.4%.  According to the Case Shiller Index, North Texas' record levels are almost 20% higher than our "peak" market in 2007!  While many of the economic fundamentals of the North Texas economy remain strong, many in our market are starting to grow weary of the increasing affordability gap. Despite Dallas being among the top three increases in the nation, many experts still consider the North Texas market a bargain compared to many other market areas around the nation. However, we are already starting to see signs of buyers (especially those that are long term residents) growing fatigued with rising sale prices compared to North Texas' more modest historic gains.

CHRISTIE CANNON  REALTOR

The Christie Cannon Team

Keller Williams Realty Frisco

469-951-9588: Mobile

Voted as one of the BEST Realtors in D Magazine for 2010-2016

Voted as a Five Star Professional 2012-2016 Texas Monthly Magazine

Name among America's Best Real Estate Agents by Real Trends Magazine

Among the top 250 Real Estate Teams in America as seen in The Wall Street Journal

Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

Gobal Property Specialist

#1 Keller Williams Agent 2011-2015

Top 100 Agents in the Nation / KW