A new survey from NAR shows that 89% of all home buyers start their search on the internet.
If you’re thinking of selling your home, catering to the internet home shopper could give you the jump on sellers who wait until spring.

We’re happy to announce our first raffle winner! Be sure to watch and enter next time! You can do this by sending us your answer to the question found in the newsletter.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

People always hear about homes selling for crazy discounts after they’ve gone through foreclosure. When it’s hard to find these deals, they might seem a little farfetched. However, The Buehlers & Associates of Keller Williams Realty are proud to announce that we are now an officially licensed broker for HUD homes!

It’s been a long process that required a lot of dedication but, after 2 years of applications, we were approved! We’ve received our first assignments and we’re very excited. In the weeks and months to come, we’ll be showing you where to go to take a look at these homes and how to place bids and so on.

There’s really no telling what the discount on a HUD home could be when compared to the original sale price. We’ve seen everywhere from perfectly-maintained homes selling for 30% off to fixer-uppers going for pennies on the dollar. There really is no telling and you have to act fast!

So stay tuned and we’ll get you more information when we can!

Interest rates seem to be the only thing they’re talking about in the headlines of financial publications right now.  There’s a reason for that!  We are literally seeing all-time lows.

It’s important to understand what a huge opportunity this is right now for buyers. Even a slight difference in that interest rate could add up to thousands and thousands more that you pay.

One of our clients is refinancing their house to take advantage of these historic rates.  They were approved at 3.5%.  That is phenomenal!  If you were to buy a $200,000 home at 3.5%, your monthly payments would work out to about $898 per month.  Now let’s say you got an interest rate of 4.5%.  In order to pay the same amount per month, you would have to buy a $180,000 house.  That’s a huge difference!

Give us a call if you have any questions, want to request a video, or just want to chat! We’re here to help.  (972) 355-1600

Here at the Buehlers & Associates of Keller Williams Realty, we know how to sell homes quickly. It takes a lot more than just saying that, though.

In the videos included with this post, we take a look at two homes that sold incredibly fast. It’s a matter of doing the right things at the right time. With 24 years in the business, the Buehlers have become experts on when that right time is.

In the first video, our team took on a home that was already listed with someone else. They had it listed all Summer for a total of 169 days.  On top of that, they had a number of other factors that played out in their favor, but they just couldn’t get it sold. They called us and we listed it at the exact same price and we sold it in 3 days.

The story behind the home in the second video is even more amazing. It was listed locally with another broker for 193 days.  Our team took it on and sold it the very first day.

While these may just seem like crazy success stories, it’s easy to see that we must be doing something right. Our team sold 229 homes in 2009.  We want your home to be one of our success stories!

Give us a call at (972) 355-1600.

In the video to the left, Michael Hunt, one of our Buyers Agents, and Brooke Hunt, our Lead Buyer Specialist, take a look at why right now is the perfect time to purchase a home. These two have worked through both thick and thin in regards to the state of the national economy and provide excellent information on what to look for and why to look now. In particular, Brooke saw the heat of the savings and loan crisis and both of them worked through the aftermath of September 11th, 2001. Together with the Buehlers, there’s nothing that this team can’t handle.

This year, we’ve seen some of the lowest interest rates on record, which provides an excellent opportunity for first-time buyers and veterans alike. Beyond this, housing prices have also dropped to all-time lows. While Texas’ economy is resilient compared to the national average, home prices have reached an optimal level in the area and inventory is high. We have more than just the standard options. There are resales, foreclosures, and short sales, the latter of which is a relatively new term in the marketplace that is used to describe distressed properties avoiding seizure by the banks.

Michael and Brooke reach out to potential buyers who may not have even thought about purchasing a home. It’s a good investment and now is the perfect time to make that leap. Everyone needs a place to live, and owning a home is a lot better than renting because of the long-term return. Also, a lot of people are surprised about how beneficial the tax credits can be. Renters are letting their landlords take advantage of those credits while they throw money away.

So, you’re ready to purchase a home. Good! You’re making a fantastic decision. But where do you start? In the video below, Michael and Brooke walk through common starting points and explain how much they can help you. You’ve already made the right choice by beginning with the Buehlers. Now we’ll make buying a new home as simple (and fun!) as possible.

www.Realtor.com

www.BuyerSellerBuehler.com (The Buehlers & Associates’ webpage)

www.DallasREOPro.com

For those of you who drive around neighborhoods looking for homes for sale, we highly recommend our app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It’s not just marketing for us–it’s an extremely helpful tool to find homes for sale nearby (even homes from those other guys). You can get the app here: The Buehlers & Associates App.

Hello, everyone! The Buehlers & Associates of Keller Williams Realty are starting an interview series on everything you need to know about buying or selling your home. What better way to kick it off than to introduce the Buehlers themselves. Kurt and Darla Buehler explain the most important thing a potential buyer or seller in the Dallas/Fort Worth area can do: start with us!

Kurt and Darla are heading into their 25th year in real estate and all of those years were spent right here in Flower Mound, Texas. When you choose the Buehlers, you’re  getting not only the wealth of their experiences but also that of the entire Buehler Team. Throughout this video series, we’ll introduce you to these team members and they’ll show you first-hand what they can do for you. We know how to get you what you want and at the right price.

There’s a huge difference between a real estate agent and a real estate team. We have members dedicated to individual parts of the process because we understand that it’s too hard to rely on the “jack of all trades” method. The best part is that we all work for you. If you’re selling, we don’t just put a sign in the yard and hope for the best–we go through every possible channel to make sure your home stands out. If you’re buying, we know the area and the market and we will find you what you’re looking for!

So give us a call. We can get you started, answer any questions, or just chat!  (972) 355-1600

Tina Kight, our Listing Manager and Professional Stager, has years of experience with The Buehler Team and knows what it takes to get a home ready for viewing. In this two-video series, she shares crucial information on the differences between a staged and non-staged home and how these differences affect the length of time it takes to sell.

The first video we’re posting explains the importance of staging. While it may seem obvious that a better-looking home will sell faster, there are also some subtle intracacies that get overlooked without professional assistance. Tina can easily identify changes that need to be made, big or small, and help you implement them according to your budget. It doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive! In fact, a lot of the alterations we make come at no cost at all.

 In the second video, we show you first-hand what staging looks like. We take you to a home that was staged well by our staff and the seller, then show you a home that really needs a lot of work.

Seeing this all for yourself, it’s important to note the difference between staging and decorating. Decorating can be seen as a more generalized word, while staging refers to creating a specific environment that potential buyers can visualize themselves living in. While your house may not be your home unless it has pictures of your family, that can really take someone out of the atmosphere they were feeling when they first walked in the door. Most people have walked through a model home at some point in their life. The goal is to make your home feel as close to that experience as possible.

Don’t worry! There’s no need to feel lost at any point during the selling process. Tina and the rest of the staff will ensure that your home is as sellable as possible. We sold 229 homes in 2009. It’s what we do best!

Give us a call if you have any questions, comments, or just want some pointers with your home. (972) 355-1600

Did you know that there is a difference between a home that is “on” the market and one that is “in” the market? It’s true. If your home is priced too high, it may be for sale, but it is not in the market.

This may just sound like some clever use of word play, but it’s not–especially when you consider that you may be helping other people sell their homes! In this video, Dana Veach, the Listing Specialist for The Buehlers & Associates of Keller Williams Realty, draws an easy-to-understand graph and explains why pricing is such a delicate process. Fortunately for you, Dana has years of experience in determining the perfect starting price for your home.

The Buehlers & Associates look at three main things when determining the price of a home: location, condition, and supply and demand. While there are actually limitless factors that can affect that price, these three are the most crucial. When we talk about location, we’re talking about the subdivision, the school district, the price of homes in the area, and so on. For condition, Dana shows in the video that pricing your home too far above its condition will push it out of the market and actually help your neighbors sell their homes faster! Potential buyers can’t help but compare the prices and conditions of homes in the same area–we’ll help you be the better home in comparison. And, of course, if the inventory of homes in an area has skyrocketed, buyers are spoiled with choices and sellers have to price more competively. The supply of homes can greatly affect how yours should be priced, and demand varies over time. You can see this variance in the video as Dana does a great job of visually depicting the difference between the current market and the market in 2007.

Just remember: The Buehlers & Associates are here to help. Feel free to call us with any questions about this video or if you just want to chat. (972) 355-1600

Stay tuned for more interviews!

Kurt and Darla Buehler have had so many successes in the communities that they work in. They attribute much of that success to the communication that they have with every realtor in the community. They have made a concerted effort to help other agents who aren’t even in their company. We have helped with business planning, budgeting and marketing. When you do that with the agents around you, you have 1200 other realtors out there that know when our listings come up, they are going to show them

Agents understand that when they come into our listings they will see a home that is staged right and priced correctly. Our 23 years of a very good reputation in the community has made a huge difference. You can easily find our listings in the MLS because they end in a 929. That 929 is a reference to our anniversary. However, it has also been a sign to other agents that it is one of our listings. That tells them that the home will be priced right, well staged and they will get help on the listing.