Family Matters Real Estate

5. McKinney, TX

WINNER
Top 100 rank: 5
Population: 125,000
Unemployment: 7.8%
Compare McKinney to Top 10 Best Places
Lots of towns near Dallas have low crime, affordable homes, and good jobs; McKinney is no exception. What makes it stand out is its gem of a downtown. Lovingly restored 19th-century buildings house restaurants, boutiques, and galleries; the 1875 courthouse contains a [...]

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
stevebrown@dallasnews.com
North Texas home sales surged by 27 percent in April from a year earlier.
The jump in pre-owned home sales was fueled by federal home buying tax credits.
The increase – along with an 11 percent rise in March – was enough to put home sales ahead [...]

Short Sale: The Basics

A short sale is when a home is sold for less than the amount owed on the mortgage for the home. This occurs when the bank agrees to take less than the full amount due on the mortgage.
A seller does not have to be behind on a home loan to seek a [...]

This is great news!

A combination of stable home prices and sizable sectors in health care, energy, government, and education kept these metropolitan areas relatively stable
By Prashant Gopal
America’s strongest economies have one thing in common-home prices that never got too hot or too cold.
Home prices in metros such as San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Little [...]

Collin County is now offering this free Property Fraud Alert. It might be something you might want to consider doing.

County Clerk Stacey Kemp has posted a new – and free – online service that will let you know when anyone attempts to change your land records on file in Collin County. Property Fraud Alert will [...]

First time in four months, average rate on standard fixed is 4.94 percent

Rates on 30-year home loans dropped below 5 percent for the first time in four months, but still remained above this year’s record low, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.94 percent, down from 5.04 percent last [...]

Random Act of Kindness
 
Random acts of kindness remind us of the good in people that often times are overshadowed by life’s disappointments and setbacks.  Act of kindness such as opening a door for a stranger, sending a “get well” card to a good friend or allowing a car to merge into your lane are [...]

Tuesday, July 28, 2009      By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Texas cities continue to lead the nation in homebuilding, even in the face of huge construction cutbacks.
Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth are the top markets in the country for building permits for single-family homes, based on numbers for the 12-month period ending in May. [...]

Here is a convenient list of Area DFW Fireworks displays!
Addison Kaboom Town-
Friday, July 3 5:00p to Saturday, July 4 12:00a
at Addison Circle Park, Addison, TX
Arlington,  Saturday  July 4th
Bedford, Saturday July 4th
Cleburne, Saturday July 4th
Dallas Fair Park, Saturday July 4th
Denton Fourth Jubilee, Saturday July 4th
Farmer’s Branch Celebration, Friday July 3rd
Frisco Freedom Fest-
Saturday, July 4th at 4:00 p.m.
Address [...]