The Avalanche-Journal's Real Estate Section comes out every Saturday. It contains local Real Estate related news, editorial stories and features of local Realtors, builder floor plans, real estate classifieds, and much more.
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REAL ESTATE SATURDAY Produced By Advertising Editorial Staff lubbockonline.com homes.lubbockonline.com LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Inside Real Estate: Local Real Estate News - Page 3 Builder Confidence Up - Page 3 On The Web: Follow us on Facebook & Twitter View Full MLS Listings & Open House List Home Showcase - Page 3 Featured Floorplan - Page 5 Where did you grow up? I was born and raised on a farm around the Lubbock area. I am a graduate of Frenship High School and attended Texas Tech. Why do you live in the Lubbock area? What do you like most about it? My husband and I moved to Memphis, Tennessee, for about 6 months when we were first married and couldn’t get back to Lubbock fast enough. Lubbock has the friendliest people who truly care about others. Lub- bock will always be my home – there is no other place like it. Once you live here, it’s very hard to leave. How long have you worked in real estate? I have been in real estate for 11 and a half years and have loved every minute of it! What did you do before that? Before real estate, I was a stay-at-home mom. I raised my two daughters, who are 31 and 29 years old now. My oldest daughter is an attorney, and my younger daughter and her husband are expecting triplets, two boys and a girl, so I will be experiencing a whole new way of life being a grand- mother. I am very excited about having grandchildren! What is your specialty? I specialize in residential real estate. I love working with first time buyers, empty nesters and families looking to move up to a larger home or build a home to accommo- date their family. Buying or selling a home, my specialty is making it as stress free as possible for my clients. What designations do you have and what does that mean for the people you work with? My designations are ASR (Accredited Sellers Repre- sentative) and GRI (Gradu- ate Realtor Institute). This is one of the most compre- hensive training available to Realtors in the nation. It is designed to enhance Realtors’ knowledge of real estate marketing and skills that will set you apart from your competition. What are the most grati- fying and most challeng- ing aspects of your job? One of the most challeng- ing things in real estate is to find that perfect home at the right price for my clients. It is also one of the most rewarding feelings you can have when you walk into that home and know by the look in the buyer’s eyes that “this is the one.” What tips do you have for someone looking to buy or sell a home? The first thing a buyer needs to do is talk with a lender and get pre-approved. That way there are no sur- prises and the buyer knows what their price range is. The seller needs to declutter and stage their home, be- cause the way a home looks when you live in it is totally different than the way the house needs to look to sell. What do you see in the fu- ture for real estate sales? The Lubbock market is on the increase. There are between 1,500 and 1,600 houses on the market ac- cording to the MLS Residen- tial Data Report. With the interest rates at an all time low, the market is increasing in sales. It’s a great time buy or sell a home now. Why should someone choose you as their real estate agent? As an experienced profes- sional Realtor, I have built a reputation for client satis- faction and I am devoted to making your move as easy as possible. I truly have a compassion for commitment to service. I am a full-time agent who loves what I do and it shows. Donna Flewellen BeTTeR HomeS AnD GARDenS ReAl eSTATe, AnDeRSon PRoPeRTieS 806-687-7700 dkfl[email protected]Realtor Revealed Donna Flewellen, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Anderson Properties GRI, ASR Photo by Misty Setzler Check out our mobile site to search thousands of local homes and land for sale, homes to rent and an open house map every weekend. SCAN ME! m. homes. lubbock online .com May 19, 2012 The South Plain’s #1 Real Estate Source ● Visit our mobile site @ m.homes.lubbockonline.com
Inside Real Estate: Local Real Estate News - Page 3Builder Confidence Up - Page 3 On The Web: Follow us on Facebook & Twitter
View Full MLS Listings & Open House ListHome Showcase - Page 3Featured Floorplan - Page 5
Where did you grow up? I was born and raised on
a farm around the Lubbock area. I am a graduate of Frenship High School and attended Texas Tech.
Why do you live in the Lubbock area? What do you like most about it?
My husband and I moved to Memphis, Tennessee, for about 6 months when we were first married and couldn’t get back to Lubbock fast enough. Lubbock has the friendliest people who truly care about others. Lub-bock will always be my home – there is no other place like it. Once you live here, it’s very hard to leave.
How long have you worked in real estate?
I have been in real estate for 11 and a half years and have loved every minute of it!
What did you do before that?
Before real estate, I was a stay-at-home mom. I raised my two daughters, who are 31 and 29 years old now.
My oldest daughter is an attorney, and my younger daughter and her husband are expecting triplets, two boys and a girl, so I will be experiencing a whole new way of life being a grand-mother. I am very excited about having grandchildren!
What is your specialty? I specialize in residential
real estate. I love working with first time buyers, empty nesters and families looking to move up to a larger home or build a home to accommo-date their family. Buying or selling a home, my specialty is making it as stress free as possible for my clients.
What designations do you have and what does that mean for the people you work with?
My designations are ASR (Accredited Sellers Repre-sentative) and GRI (Gradu-ate Realtor Institute). This is one of the most compre-hensive training available to Realtors in the nation. It is designed to enhance Realtors’ knowledge of real estate marketing and skills
that will set you apart from your competition.
What are the most grati-fying and most challeng-ing aspects of your job?
One of the most challeng-ing things in real estate is
to find that perfect home at the right price for my clients. It is also one of the most rewarding feelings you can have when you walk into that home and know by the look in the buyer’s eyes that “this is the one.”
What tips do you have for someone looking to buy or sell a home?
The first thing a buyer needs to do is talk with a lender and get pre-approved. That way there are no sur-prises and the buyer knows what their price range is. The seller needs to declutter and stage their home, be-cause the way a home looks when you live in it is totally different than the way the house needs to look to sell.
What do you see in the fu-ture for real estate sales?
The Lubbock market is on the increase. There are between 1,500 and 1,600 houses on the market ac-cording to the MLS Residen-tial Data Report. With the interest rates at an all time low, the market is increasing in sales. It’s a great time buy or sell a home now.
Why should someone choose you as their real estate agent?
As an experienced profes-sional Realtor, I have built a reputation for client satis-faction and I am devoted to making your move as easy as possible. I truly have a compassion for commitment to service. I am a full-time agent who loves what I do and it shows.
Donna Flewellen BeTTeR HomeS AnD GARDenS ReAl eSTATe, AnDeRSon PRoPeRTieS 806-687-7700 [email protected]
Realtor Revealed
Donna Flewellen, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Anderson Properties
GRI, ASR
Photo by Misty Setzler
Check out our mobile site to search thousands of local homes and land for sale, homes to rent and an open house map every weekend.
SCAN ME!
m.homes.lubbockonline.com
May 19, 2012
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The South Plain’s #1 Real Estate Source ● Visit our mobile site @ m.homes.lubbockonline.com
2 SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2012 LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL homes.lubbockonline.com
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WASHINGTON – Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes gained five points in May from a downwardly revised reading in the previous month to reach a level of 29 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released May 15, 2012. This is the index’s strongest reading since May of 2007.
“Builders in many markets are reporting that buyer traffic and sales have picked back up after a pause this April,” said Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla. “It seems we have resumed the gradual upward trend in confidence that started at the beginning of this year, as stabilizing prices and excellent affordability encourage more people to pursue a new-home purchase.”
“While home building still has quite a way to go toward a fully healthy market, the fact that the HMI has returned to trend is an excellent sign that firming home values, improving employment and low mortgage rates are drawing consum-ers back,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “The pace of this emerging recovery could be stronger were it not for the significant impediments that the market contin-ues to face with regard to builder and consumer access to credit, inaccurate appraisals, and more recently, rising materials prices.”
Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 25 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores from each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more build-ers view conditions as good than poor.
Each of the index’s components rebounded from declines in the previous month. The component gauging current sales conditions and the component gauging traffic of prospective buyers each rose five points in May to 30 and 23, respectively, with the traffic component hitting its high-est level since April of 2007. The component gauging sales expectations in the next six months rose three points to 34.
Three out of four regions registered improving builder sentiment in May. This included a six-point gain to 32 in the Northeast, and five-point gains to 27 and 28 in the Mid-west and South, respectively. The West posted a two-point decline, to 29.
ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Build-ers is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 140,000 members involved in remodeling, home building, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with 800 state and local home builders associations around the country.
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ReAl eSTATe SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2012 LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL 3homes.lubbockonline.com
Making mistakes in life can be a great way to learn. However, making certain mistakes when selling your home can cost you time and money. Fortunately, many of these are avoidable if you follow the advice of your Lubbock Realtor and the experiences of other sellers. Here’s my advice on a few practices to avoid when your home is on the market.
Setting the Price too high
When you list your home, you may think, “Why not ask for a lot? A buyer can always offer less.” This is true, but most buyers won’t… not if the home is priced out of line with similar homes in the area. Homes with prices set too high usually stay on the market longer than average and often sell for less than homes that are fairly priced
to start with. Your Lubbock Realtor will review how much comparable homes in the area – or “comps” – re-cently sold for to help you determine the best asking price.
Putting uP a For Sale Sign too Soon
Even though you’re ready to sell, is your house ready to be shown? Have you fixed leaky faucets, repainted the dingy dining room walls and replaced the broken mirror in the master bath? Sure, you learned to live with these minor annoyances, but a prospective buyer will factor those in when view-ing the home.
Making Your houSe hard to Show
To sell your house, you want to make it as easy as possible for prospective buyers to see it at their convenience.
Even if you ask for advance notice to view the home, be prepared to keep it in viewing-ready condition and have a plan for securing or remov-ing your pets when buyers visit. Try to keep your schedule as flexible as possible, since many buyers want to view homes in the evening or on the weekend.
hanging around
The best place for you to be when buyers are viewing your home is some-where else. Buyers often feel uncom-fortable looking through a home when the owner is present, and they want to be free to discuss the pros and cons of the house without fear of offending the owners. You may want to stay to answer questions, but it’s best to leave this task to your Lubbock Realtor who can then relay any feedback to you.
going it alone
The biggest mistake many people make is thinking they can sell their own home without using a Realtor. Just like in other business deals, it really is best to work with a profes-sional. Your Lubbock Realtor knows the local market, stays up-to-date on housing regulations and understands how best to market your property. He or she will work with your best inter-est in mind to sell your home quickly and for the most money.
To find a Lubbock Realtor or search for your next home or investment property, visit LubbockRealtors.com. For more information on Texas real estate, visit TexasRealEstate.com.
Five mistakes to avoid when selling
Perez ruizrutenberg
LocaL ReaL estate News – Lubbock associatioN of ReaLtoRs
BY Debora Perez Ruiz, PresidentLubbock Association of REALTORS®
builder confidence rises 5 points in May
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ReAl eSTATe SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2012 LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL 5homes.lubbockonline.com
Creative Homes would like to invite you to tour their model home located in one of Lubbock’s favorite subdivi-sions, the highly desirable Lakewood Estates. Please visit this fully furnished and professionally decorated home at 5826 102nd Street.
The instant you step into the entry of this brick and rock combination home, you’ll experience several of the logo assets of a Creative Home. From top to bottom, this Cre-ative Home showcases it all – the crown moldings and the opulent light fixtures and ceiling fans, the workmanship evident in cabinetry, and the enriching wood floors, ceramic tiles, and frieze carpeting.
This open and airy plan suits the needs of a single owner who entertains often, as well as the needs of a busy family. A built-in corner entertainment center and massive fire-place provide the perfect gathering spot. The formal dining room is defined by a columned plant ledge which draws the eyes upward to a geometrically enhanced ceiling design.
The kitchen, too, will undoubtedly prove to be a well-loved center of activity. A fireplace to warm your breakfast time and a bay window to sit and dream from are as ir-resistible as the corner of windows above the kitchen sink, which offer the perfect view of the neighborhood. Other kitchen amenities include ash cabinetry, stainless Whirl-pool appliances, and tall, well-lit ceilings. The spacious utility houses freezer space with cabinets above and leads to an oversized rear entry garage.
A surprise awaits you on the opposite side of the living area. A study space replete with computer desk and abun-dant shelving provides an expansive entryway into the two front bedrooms and hall bath. Each bedroom features a dif-ferent heightened ceiling application and great closet space. The hall bath, like the rest of the home, sports three-inch shutters, as well as marbled vanity and linen storage.
Finally, your attention is demanded for the most allur-ing feature yet, the master retreat. This suite is privately isolated at the back of the house and is entered through an archway also offering access to the back patio and lushly landscaped fountain. The master bedroom grandly accom-modates a sitting area and plenty of space for an entertain-ment center, all drawn together by the step-up, artistically shaped ceiling. Two separate and spacious walk-in master closets should accommodate the wardrobes of even the most voracious shoppers.
A five-foot circular rug adorns the center of the elegant master bath, the most irresistible feature of this home. Two entire walls host the his-and-her vanities separated by a cornered dressing table. The immense marble shower is positioned adjacent to a big-enough-for-two whirlpool tub which begs for bubbles. All privacy issues are well ad-dressed by the separate commode room and the four foot glass block window above the tub.
This home is open for viewing daily from 12 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Creative Homes Sales Con-sultant Lisa Lowe may be reached at 806-783-3034 or on her cell at 806-549-3826. This home is priced at $172,950. Online, please explore Creative Homes at www.stopdream-ingstartbuilding.com.
5826 102nd St. – Lakewood Estates
Featured Floorplan – Creative Homes
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