Dallas - Fort Worth Real Estate Podcast with Brian and Tisha White

What is an iBuyer? You likely have heard of at least a few iBuyers, like Offerpad, Zillow Offers, and Opendoor. They’re companies that offer to pay you in cash for your home. It seems like a quick, painless way to sell your home.  Is this really the best method to sell your home for the most money possible? Well, when you’re thinking of working with an iBuyer, start by laying out your goal. Your goal could be to make the most money possible. It could also be to get out of the home as quickly as possible and to do the least amount of work to get there. The goal of an iBuyer, on the other hand, is to make the quickest buck they can for themselves. They don’t consult with you to learn what your goals are. “Ultimately, even if you want to sell your home quickly, doing so with an agent is still the better option.” You’ve probably seen signs around town that say, “We buy ugly houses!” These iBuyer companies work in a similar way to the folks behind those signs. They’ll make a cash offer that’s under market value 100% of the time, then they’ll discount for repairs, and that’s on top of the fees they’ll charge you. All in all, you’ll probably get somewhere between 9% and 12% less for your home than you would if you listed it on the market. That’s a lot of money to be left on the table! When we at BlueFuse meet with clients, we take the time to actually ask them questions about how we can help them make the most money possible. We help to streamline the process to be quick and easy, we offer staging services to get top dollar for your home, and many other methods to ensure that you’re successful. Ultimately, even if you want to sell your home quickly, doing so with an agent is still the better option. We work with a lot of investors and cash buyers who could bring you a cash offer anyway—it doesn’t have to be an either-or situation. If you have any questions about iBuyers or about selling your home in general, we want to be the real estate team that helps you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime!

People always ask us to explain the reason behind our real estate group’s name: BlueFuse. The truth is simple—we wanted to choose a name that would be as iconic and memorable as our service. We wanted to choose a name that would be just as unique as the experience we provide our clients. The name also represents the skills and ideas we each bring to the table. Tisha is a design guru. She’s got a great eye for color, among other things, and loves to implement shades of blue in her work. “At BlueFuse, we make real estate easy for you.” As for myself, I’ve got a lot of experience in the business side of things, given that I worked in corporate sales for 20 years. The combination of our two skill sets is how BlueFuse was born. We fused our abilities to form one great brand. At BlueFuse, we make real estate easy for you. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

A home warranty is a great thing to have as protection whether you’re a buyer or seller. The answer to whether or not you need one changes depending on who you are. If you’re a homebuyer, you definitely want a home warranty. Although you’ve probably had an inspection, there could be future issues that didn’t show up on the report. There’s actually a spot in the contract where the buyer can negotiate for the seller to buy them a home warranty. It helps protect you and probably won’t cost you anything. “A home warranty will cover expensive repairs.” On the seller’s side, we also recommend that they always include a home warranty as liability protection. After you’ve sold a home, you really don’t know what’s going to happen. If something major breaks in the next few months, a home warranty will cover any expensive repairs and provide peace of mind to any buyer out there. If you have any questions about home warranties or about anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.   

If you’re looking to increase your home’s value before putting it on the market, here are three updates you should focus on: 1. Kitchen updates. You don’t necessarily have to tear out your cabinets, but there are several minor things you can do that will make a big difference, including adding new appliances, repainting, and/or updating the backsplash.  2. Bathroom updates (especially the master bathroom). As with the kitchen, when we say “updates” here, we don’t mean everything has to be ripped out. Repainting, adding new vanity tops, installing new light fixtures, and replacing your shower door are all great updates that will make a big impact.  “Studies show that most buyers make a buying decision within 90 seconds of pulling up to a house, so don’t underestimate the impact of your home’s curb appeal.” 3. Curb appeal updates. Studies show that most buyers make a buying decision within 90 seconds of pulling up to a house, so don’t underestimate the impact of your home’s curb appeal. Make sure the grass is green and well-kept, and consider adding some flowers and fresh mulch to the landscaping. Also, sweep off and clean the entryway so everything looks and feels fresh.  Now that you know what to do to boost your home’s value, be on the lookout for our next video,here we talk about what not to do to your home before putting it on the market.  In the meantime, if you have any other real estate questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help you. 

Homeowners are often told that they need to upgrade their home right before they go on the market, but there are some guidelines to follow to make sure you get the best ROI for every dollar you spend on the property. The factor that we’ll discuss today is your home-selling timeline. This is very important—how long from now do you intend to sell? If you’re five years away from selling your home, it’s a good idea to upgrade your home’s big-ticket items, like your HVAC system, garage doors, your water heaters, and so on. These items won’t necessarily impact how much money you’ll get for the home, but they do impact your home’s saleability. If you plan to sell two years from now, you’re probably getting more serious about the prospect of selling. Take this time to renovate areas like your kitchen and bathrooms. There are a lot of design trends for kitchens and bathrooms, so you still have time to hit the start of a certain trend so your home isn’t outdated by the time you’re ready to put it on the market. You’ll also get to enjoy these renovated areas yourself for a while before you move on to your next home. “Refreshing your home’s paint one year or closer to the sale of your home means that it will look and smell fresh for potential buyers.” Now, if you’re planning to sell your home in a year or sooner, it’s getting to be crunch-time. This is the time to start cleaning your home out, decluttering, touching up your paint, and repairing/replacing your flooring. Refreshing your home’s paint this close to the sale of your home means that it will look and smell fresh for potential buyers. Feel free to reach out to us if you’re thinking of selling your home and are considering any of these home updates. Not only can we advise you on the best practices, but we also have a network of resources and partners we can recommend to make the process easy. At BlueFuse, we make real estate awesome for you.

When you’re maneuvering through both the home buying and selling process, it’s important to consider what method of representation will best serve your interests. Should you work with two different agents—one to help you sell and one to help you buy—or one agent (or team) for both processes?  If you’ve elected to work with the same agent, there’s a lot to consider with regard to the qualifications and expertise of that agent. You’ll want to work with someone who has tons of experience as a listing agent and an exhaustive knowledge in the area you’re selling in, so they can use expert techniques to market your home.     They’ll also need to have a strong grasp of the area you’re moving to as well. Showing homes and helping buyers make a purchase is very time-consuming. Therefore, doing both demands maturity, an appreciation for the process, and requires systems to ensure that your home sale and purchase are equally profitable.  Hiring one agent to represent you at both stages of the process isn’t always an advisable course of action, though. There are three scenarios in which you’ll be better off going with two different agents or teams. “It’d probably be more advantageous for you to work with a team that has endless resources and can provide you with superb client service.” For one thing, if you’re moving to an entirely different market, it only makes sense to hire two separate agents.  For our part, we actually have a network of agents from other markets that we refer our clients to. Ask your listing agent if they have anyone within their network who represents buyers in the market you’re moving to.  Second, you might just be relocating to another area of the city, but if your listing agent doesn’t have the market-specific knowledge and experience to ensure your success, it’ll be much more to your advantage to hire a buyer’s agent who does.  The last reason you might want to hire one agent to help you buy and another to help you sell is that a decent number of agents specialize in one or the other. We at the BlueFuse Group have buyer specialists and listing specialists whose sole focus is assisting buyers and sellers, respectively.  In truth, it can be difficult for one agent to juggle both transactional sides, so it’d probably be more advantageous for you to work with a team that has endless resources and can provide you with superb client service.  If you have any questions or would like help setting your own buying and/or selling experience in motion, please reach out to us. We’d be happy to help! At BlueFuse, we make real estate awesome.   

Each week, we usually get together and recap our market’s performance from the week prior, but now that May has come and gone, I thought we’d take a final look at last month’s overall performance and discuss some of the trends worth noting.  Let’s first focus our attention on closed sales, which reached 10,600 for the month of May. That’s a slight dip from where we were this past April. Between May of 2018 and May of 2019, we saw a year-over-year decrease of about 6% or 7% in the number of homes that sold in our North Texas market.   Our pending sales also saw a steep dropoff in May with just 8,600 units going under contract or exiting their option period, compared to 11,300 in the same month a year earlier—a 20% drop year over year.     As for the total number of listings, our market had 16,300 this May versus 16,100 at the same time last year. “With greater momentum, we’re quickly moving toward a balanced market.” With closings and pending sales down and listings remaining relatively flat (at worst, modestly up), our inventory has arrived at a 12-month high in terms of inventory. Across our whole market, there are more than 33,000 homes for sale right now, which tops the peak our market hit last August. For comparison, we had a little over 28,000 homes on the market in May of last year.  We’ve been squarely in a seller’s market over the last few years, but our surplus of inventory is giving buyers more choices and, with greater momentum, we’re quickly moving toward a balanced market.   Remember: Anything less than six months’ worth of inventory is indicative of a seller’s market, and though we’re currently at 3.6 months’ worth, inventory levels are higher than they’ve been in about the last five years. All in all, now is a fantastic time for buyers to dive into the market.  If you’re a seller, bear in mind that more homes are sold in our North Texas market than at any other time of year. Don’t let the summer selling season to pass you by.  We talk a lot about North Texas’s market conditions on the whole, but real estate is hyperlocal, so you’ll want to have an expert in your particular area at your side.  If you have any questions or would just like to have a conversation about the state of the market, please get in touch with us. At BlueFuse, our goal is to make real estate awesome for you. We’ll talk to you soon! 

One thing we emphasize here at BlueFuse is protecting our buyers. Even though it’s a seller’s market, it doesn’t mean the buyer doesn’t still have control over their portion of a transaction. Homebuyers in the market actually have 13 ways that they can get out of a contract, so when you’re looking to purchase a home, make sure that you work with an agent who understands all 13 routes you can take. If you’re a seller, on the other hand, then you’ll want to work with a team who will scour the contract and make sure that all of the details are covered, and that all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. Additionally, it will benefit you to know all the 13 ways that your potential buyer can get out of their contract. We won’t list all 13 here, but we will cover a few of the main ones so that, no matter which side of the transaction you’re on, you know at least a few ways that a buyer may legally break a contract. 1. If there’s an option period, the buyer is given time to back out of the deal. They can back out for any reason or no reason at all—if they back out during this period, it’s likely because something came up during the inspection that turned them off proceeding with the transaction, because they were unable to negotiate repairs, or because they found a better house. “When you’re looking to purchase a home, make sure that you work with an agent who understands all 13 routes you can take.” 2. If the buyer doesn’t get their financing in time, they’re legally allowed to walk away. Naturally, the buyer has to be able to get the money in order to purchase the house, and if they can’t get their financing approved in a certain timeframe, they’re allowed to walk away. 3. The buyer can opt out if they disagree with the terms of an HOA contract. If the home that a buyer is looking to purchase is within a homeowners association, the seller has to produce documents that outline the HOA covenants. Once the buyer receives these documents, they get the chance to review them; if there’s something in the covenants that the buyer doesn’t like, they’re able to back away. If you have any questions about today’s topic or would like to see the rest of the 13 ways to get out of a deal legally, call the BlueFuse Group first. We make real estate awesome for you.

At BlueFuse Realty, we’re always on the lookout for changing market trends. We like to stay on top of what’s happening in local real estate so that we can advise you on how to make the most of it.  With that in mind, let’s talk today about what our market is doing right now, and what these conditions mean for you.  First of all, despite the slight slowdown we’ve experienced recently, we’re still very much in a seller’s market.  We understand that this can be concerning for buyers, but don’t worry. Our team has the knowledge, skills, and resources to help you achieve your real estate goals no matter the state of the market. With that said, being a successful buyer in a seller’s market is all about crafting the strongest possible offer.  “The perfect offer uses what the seller wants to get you what you want.” Doing this means more than just offering a high dollar amount, though. The first step is to have us, your trusted Realtors, call the seller’s agent in advance. This allows us to determine what the seller is actually looking for in an offer. After this, we will connect you with an exceptional local lender who can get you pre-approved and underwritten right away. This will strengthen your offer exponentially, as underwritten offers are virtually the same as cash.  Once we’ve taken these preparatory steps, we can then help you develop an offer that appeals to a given seller’s specific wants and needs. There are several ways we can tweak an offer to make it as enticing as possible, whether that means removing the option period, eliminating a certain contingency, or making some other such concession. The perfect offer uses what the seller wants to get you what you want.  If you have any other questions or would like more information about how we can help you meet (and exceed) your home buying goals, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

With regards to mortgages, we’re often asked about how long pre-approvals last. This is important to know: If you’ve been looking at homes for a while, you don’t want to be caught off guard and discover that your pre-approval has expired. Typically, a pre-approval lasts about 90 days, but this can vary depending on your market and your lender.  A pre-approval is key to a home purchase. It lets both you and the seller know what you can afford, and it shows that you’re qualified to make a purchase up to a certain value.  “A pre-approval is key to a home purchase.” You can get either a pre-approval or a pre-qualification from your lender, but it’s better to get a pre-approval. To do so, you need to apply for the loan and provide some documentation, including income taxes, W-2s, employment history, debts, assets, and much more. Keep in mind that recent, expensive purchases can affect the process.  After they look over this, they can give you a pre-approval that states how much of a mortgage you can qualify for. You can give this to your Realtor so they’re able to better help you find and make offers on homes.  If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

We meet sellers all the time who want to know the best ways to sell quickly and for top dollar. There are actually six things sellers should focus on to do so, so don’t forget to implement these critical steps when the time comes for you to list:  1. Focus on staging. The way you live in your house is different from the way you sell your house. While your home is on the market, it should look neat, tidy, and well-staged at all times.  2. Spruce up your curb appeal. What buyers see when they first pull up next to your home on the street will serve as their first in-person impression, so make sure it leaves a good one. Keep sidewalks and driveways clean and clear, and make sure your landscaping is presentable. A little bit of fresh mulch can go a long way.  3. Highlight your home’s smart tech. Today’s buyers love efficiency, and that’s exactly what smart tech provides. If your home has a smart thermometer or any other similar features, remember to position these items as a selling point during your listing process.  “Sellers will often get the most bang for their buck by focusing on small, yet important, details.” 4. Get rid of unpleasant odors. After living in a home for an extended time, it’s easy to become noseblind to the smells that lurk within your walls. If you have pets or a smoker, it’s important to neutralize and eliminate any associated odors. With that said, it’s also crucial not to overdo it. Don’t overload the air in your home with super-strong perfume or a dozen, differently scented candles. Even pleasant smells can become overwhelming when used in excess.  5. Update the lighting, hardware, and fixtures. The truth about updating your home before you list is that bigger projects aren’t always better. Sellers will often get the most bang for their buck by focusing on small, yet important, details. Swapping out an old, worse-for-wear doorknob or a lighting fixture that’s straight out of the 90s will help put more money in your pocket at closing.  6. Minimize your decor. It’s easy to become overzealous with the design elements in your home. When it comes time to list, however, much of the staging process involves undecorating, not just redecorating. Keep design choices simple and neutral to appeal to the most buyers possible. Hopefully each of these tips gave you a good idea on where to begin as you prepare for your home search. If they did, we’d be happy to help you even more. If you’d like to learn more about preparing your home for sale, or if you have any questions about how we can assist you with your real estate goals, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

In today’s comparison of the market trends in two different markets, we’ll begin with Flower Mound. Flower Mound’s median home price is $423,000—that’s an 11% increase over this time last year. If the median price went up by 11%, that means homeowners in Flower Mound gain $44,000 in equity, which is great news. The number of listings in Flower Mound was also up significantly year over year: Comparing February 2018 to February 2019, we saw that the number of listings increased by 45%. Homeowners in the area, it seems, were trying to get ahead of the market, which is exactly what they did. Home sales in Flower Mound increased year over year, as well, growing by 38%. Since the number of listings grew faster than the number of sales closed, that means that the months of inventory must also have increased. And indeed, they did—we currently have 2.4 months of inventory here. Remember: Anything less than six months of inventory makes the market a seller’s market, so Flower Mound is in the midst of an extreme seller’s market. If you’re thinking of selling your Flower Mound home, now could be a great time to do so. You’ll get a lot of attention, make a lot of money, and you’ll get to sell it quickly. “You can get the best of both worlds if you sell your home at the top of the market in Flower Mound, and then negotiate a great deal for a home in Prosper.” If you’re selling your home and are in search of an area in which to buy a new home, consider Prosper. This is a great, growing area composed primarily of big, new construction homes, and there are still sizeable lots available. Although it’s in the northern part of town, Prosper actually has great access to Frisco and the Legacy area. At $521,000, the median home price in Prosper is a bit higher than Flower Mound, making it a great move-up opportunity. This is a 12% jump over last year, meaning that homeowners here gained a nice chunk of equity in the last year. The number of active listings in Prosper increased by 20% over last year due to the area’s growth, and many of those are new builds. The number of homes sold, however, dropped by 11% over 2018. It’s a great time to get in there and negotiate a great deal with builders. When the months of inventory are up, that is a great sign for buyers, since it means you’ll have more choices and more power in the negotiation process. You can get the best of both worlds if you sell your home at the top of the market in Flower Mound, and then negotiate a great deal for a home in Prosper. We’ve helped our clients do this, and we can help you do the same. If you have any questions or need a real estate team who really understands the market and studies the numbers to help you get the best deal possible, reach out to us. We’d love to help you make the transition.

We have the latest numbers for the Argyle and Lantana real estate markets, so today we’d like to compare the year-to-year statistics and analyze the trends we’re seeing. Here’s how February 2019 stacks up to February 2018. There’s a lot going on in the Argyle market; while it’s a fairly small area, it’s experiencing a huge amount of growth:  The median home price grew 20% to $484,000.  There were 86 listings, which was a 53% increase.  The number of closed sales went up 17%.  “When the number of listings is increasing faster than the number of homes sold, it means there’s more inventory.” When the number of listings is increasing faster than the number of homes sold, it means there’s more inventory. That’s certainly the case in Argyle, which currently has five months’ worth of supply. As a buyer, this means you have some options. We live in Lantana, which is a beautiful, master-planned community. It’s still experiencing some new home construction, but most of the neighborhood is already built:  The median home price grew 5% to $420,000.  The number of active listings fell by 1%; we have more homes coming soon, though. The number of closed sales dropped 43%. Lantana only has 2.8 months’ worth of inventory, which means it’s a seller’s market. As a seller, you’d have little competition, increased visibility for your home, and an easy time finding a buyer.  If you would like to talk about listing your home in the future, have any questions, or need more information, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

  I recently had the chance to speak with certified mortgage advisor Wally Elibiary of Fairway Independent Mortgage regarding the state of our market, and I’m excited to share our full conversation with you today. First of all, it’s a fantastic time to move up. Home prices have risen dramatically over the last several years, meaning homeowners who have built up equity over that time can now apply it toward purchasing their next home. This is especially true given the recent influx of inventory. Increased supply equals, first, an increased number of choices for today’s buyers, and second: greater leverage. If you are interested in purchasing a home, you’ll need to get pre-approved. According to Wally, there are three basic types of pre-approval: pre-qualification, conditional loan approval, or my personal favorite: the TBD pre-approval. With a pre-qualification, the lender may offer a letter that tentatively asserts you’re qualified to buy a home. This isn’t very concrete, however, and won’t garner much faith when presented to a seller. “Getting a TBD approval is a great way to solidify your chances as a buyer.” A conditional loan approval, on the other hand, involves turning in your paperwork and having lenders produce a letter stating that they’ve verified your capacity to secure a loan. This option is better than the first, but still not as strong as the TBD approval. TBD approvals put you through the underwriting process up front, so that you can (potentially) submit a non-contingent offer when you find the perfect home. A TBD approval could even help you beat out a cash offer. All in all, getting a TBD approval is a great way to solidify your chances as a buyer. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

If you’re looking to upgrade to a new home, you may be wondering the best way to do it. You’ll need to decide if you want to sell your home first and then buy the next one, buy first and then sell, or do both at the same time by making a concurrent sale. Before you decide which option to choose, you’ll need to review your finances. Work with a mortgage lender to see how much you can afford to pay for your next home. You’ll also want to consult your agent to determine what your current home can sell for—you want to know how much equity you can use as a down payment. Once your finances are figured out, it’s time to decide which route you’ll take: 1. Buying first. If you buy a home first, it eliminates the pressure of timing your home sale. You can move whenever you want and explore all the options that are available to you. However, you may become stuck with two mortgages for a time. 2. Selling first. When you sell first, you’ll know exactly how much equity you have for your next home. And because you’ll know when your home is closing, you’ll have a better timeline for finding the next one. However, you may need to work out a leaseback with your buyer or find interim housing in the meantime. 3. Buying and selling at the same time. A concurrent sale is possible, but you’ll need to have a plan. Make sure the kinds of homes you’re interested in are actually on the market. Then, you want to find a home when yours goes under contract. “Before you decide which one to choose, you’ll need to review your finances.” We can help you through every step of the process, regardless of which one you choose. If you’d like to get started on making a plan, have any questions, or need further information, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

When was the best time to buy a home? The answer: probably a couple years ago. Home prices have gone up dramatically over the past couple of years. Rates and prices were relatively low, and for folks who owned a home, there was a great opportunity. Historically speaking, however, now is still a great time to buy. Rates have ticked up a little bit, but we can remember a time when people were buying homes at 12% or 13% rates. It’s also still a terrific market for sellers. We’ve been in a crazy seller’s market for the last two years, and that’s starting to shift. “Just because buyers are getting more opportunities to purchase, it doesn’t mean that sellers won’t still get great prices for their home.” To us, this shift is a good thing; the market was frenzied, and those who wanted to move often couldn’t because they couldn’t get the house that they wanted. Now, things have slowed down, allowing people to get the home they’ve always wanted. But just because buyers are getting more opportunities to purchase, it doesn’t mean that sellers won’t still get great prices for their homes; it just means that we’re now in more of a balanced market. To hear in more detail our analysis of the market regarding when buyers and sellers should act, refer to the video above. For your convenience, we’ve provided timestamps for you below so that you can navigate the discussion at your leisure: 2:00—Why now is a great time to buy a resale home 2:37—Why now is an opportune time to build a new construction home 3:50—Buying a home with a bad agent versus a great agent: What makes the difference? 5:40—The consequences of overimproving 6:20—Why an agent is crucial for buying new construction 7:30—Can you save money by purchasing a home without an agent? 9:15—A lot of things can go wrong in a new construction home 10:20—The value of getting your new construction home re-inspected after living in it for a year Hopefully, you found the information in this discussion beneficial! If you have any questions about when is a good time to act in the market or about purchasing new construction homes, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to help.

One of the questions we hear the most from our clients is, “How long is it going to take to sell my house?” According to Realtor.com, the average number of days that a home is on the market before it’s sold is 65. That means if your home was listed today, you can expect it to go under contract in about 65 days. However, you can speed up the process by paying attention to these five factors that make a huge difference: 1. Location. This is a big one. Are you on a busy street, or located near major employers or schools? All of this will play a factor. 2. Price. First, and most importantly, you want to make sure you don’t overprice your home, because that will severely limit your buyer pool. You want to make sure that you look at what prices other homes like yours have sold for and price your home accordingly. 3. The home’s condition. Every home is a little different. What have you done to maintain your home? What updates have you made to it? 4. Inventory. This refers to how many homes are on the market. Supply and demand matter. If there are a lot of homes on the market, there’s a lot more competition for you. If there are fewer homes, then you have less competition and your home is more likely to sell more quickly. 5. School district. This is a particularly important factor for buyers with children. There are plenty of websites out there where people check the rankings of certain school districts. “Inventory refers to how many homes are on the market.” As you can see, these five factors really play a huge role in how quickly your home will sell when you list it for sale. If you have any questions for us in the meantime about your home’s value or about real estate in general, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.