2008-11-20T09:10:56-06:00 http://www.dallascitycenter.com/dccblog/index.php steve@ncc.com tag:dccblog,2008:KellerWilliamsDallasCityCenterweblog Pivot Copyright (c) 2008, Authors of Keller Williams Dallas City Center weblog 2008-11-20T09:10:00-06:00 2008-11-19T12:23:00-06:00 tag:dccblog,2008:KellerWilliamsDallasCityCenterweblog.5

A friend had mentioned she was going to do the Susan G. Komen 3 Day, 60 mile Walk for the Cure with some co-workers. I thought, "Hey…That's a good idea. It helps a great cause and it will motivate me to exercise." And so my training began 5 months ago. I never knew walking could be painful. I progressed though and soon a 9 mile walk around White Rock Lake was "pretty easy". With the help of generous and supportive family and friends I raised over $2,200. The morning of Friday, November 7th was a very chilly one at Southfork Ranch as we waited for the walk to begin. The open ceremony began with short stories of some of the reasons why 4,000 walkers and 400 volunteer crew members gathered that morning. These inspiring stories stuck with me throughout the 3 days and will be something that I carry with me forever. The inspiration from all the women and men emanated as U2's "Beautiful Day" sounded the start of our first day's walk. It was all so very powerful.

With the help of generous and supportive family and friends I raised over $2,200. The morning of Friday, November 7th was a very chilly one at Southfork Ranch as we waited for the walk to begin. The open ceremony began with short stories of some of the reasons why 4,000 walkers and 400 volunteer crew members gathered that morning. These inspiring stories stuck with me throughout the 3 days and will be something that I carry with me forever. The inspiration from all the women and men emanated as U2's "Beautiful Day" sounded the start of our first day's walk. It was all so very powerful.A friend had mentioned she was going to do the Susan G. Komen 3 Day, 60 mile Walk for the Cure with some co-workers. I thought, "Hey…That's a good idea. It helps a great cause and it will motivate me to exercise." And so my training began 5 months ago. I never knew walking could be painful. I progressed though and soon a 9 mile walk around White Rock Lake was "pretty easy".
With the help of generous and supportive family and friends I raised over $2,200. The morning of Friday, November 7th was a very chilly one at Southfork Ranch as we waited for the walk to begin. The open ceremony began with short stories of some of the reasons why 4,000 walkers and 400 volunteer crew members gathered that morning. These inspiring stories stuck with me throughout the 3 days and will be something that I carry with me forever. The inspiration from all the women and men emanated as U2's "Beautiful Day" sounded the start of our first day's walk. It was all so very powerful.

The first day we trekked almost 22 miles through Murphy, Plano, and Richardson before ending up at camp. Day two- we left camp just after dawn and circled through Plano, Addison, and Carrollton for just over 21 miles. As I Realtor, I was loving this! All these beautiful homes on a walking tour! I tend to concentrate more on East Dallas real estate so it was fun to get to know other parts of the Metroplex. By the end of day two, I was beginning to feel sore, pretty much all over. I originally thought day two would be the most difficult since we would be sore from day one and still know we had two more days to go. I was wrong. Day three was definitely the most difficult. The strain on the body after two days of a constant motion, despite lots of stretching and staying hydrated, is not only physically painful but also tests the mind's determination and dedication.

At SMU, while crossing the finish at of what seemed like the longest "last two miles!" of the 18 we walked on the third day, I reflected on several things; the joy of accomplishing something physically challenging, how proud I felt of myself for sticking with something so big from beginning to end, all the wonderful support from friends and family (not just in donations but also in checking in with me throughout), and of course the unity of all these women and men- walkers, crew members, organizers, cheering fans (the people cheering us on all three days was the highlight)- all for one purpose. That made all the pain I was feeling seem very insignificant. It was a unique and inspiring journey I'll never forget.
Leslie Price ]]> kwdcc 2008-10-15T10:49:00-06:00 2008-10-15T10:49:00-06:00 tag:dccblog,2008:KellerWilliamsDallasCityCenterweblog.4

WE ARE growing, yet again! WE ARE so proud to announce the addition of Elizabeth Ho to our group of talented realtors. Elizabeth brings over 6 years of Residential Real Estate experience to her clients, along with a passion for working with others.

A resident of Texas for 29 years and fluent in Vietnamese, she has spent her entire working life counseling others. Prior to earning her real estate license, she was a management and technology consultant for Deloitte Consulting where her clients ranged from large Fortune 100 companies to the public sector such as the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Her proven track record with all types of real estate sales, including new construction, condo-conversions, condominiums and townhomes, and single family homes has created a business that she can be proud of. Developers and builders trust her with an all encompassing marketing plan from brand development and marketing campaigns to sales team delivery.

“Elizabeth is innovative, hard working, and driven towards success,” says Lynne Gorman, Team Leader. “She has a great talent for connecting with people, and her energy and passion for this business is contagious! Her desire to build a highly productive real estate team and serve her many clients at the highest level creates a perfect match for her and our business model. She is a true businesswoman.”

Clients can expect Elizabeth to give back to the communities in which she works. While with Deloitte, she organized a company team to train and raise funds for an AIDS charity bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Her team conquered some devilish hills and raised over $60,000 for AIDS research. Elizabeth continues her leadership by graduating from the MetroTex Association of Realtors Leadership program, and leads many committees in her industry.

“I enjoy being in an industry and with a company that ties me closely to the neighborhoods and communities of North Texas,” says Elizabeth. “My clients place a great deal of trust in me to accomplish their real estate goals. That results in a strong relationship and most always, a lasting friendship.”

Keller Williams Dallas City Center is so pleased to be in business with such a genuine and talented person, and we look forward to assisting her in the growth of her business and service of her clients. ]]> kwdcc 2008-05-28T13:25:00-06:00 2008-05-28T13:25:00-06:00 tag:dccblog,2008:KellerWilliamsDallasCityCenterweblog.3

It's often difficult, here in Dallas, to be a Realtor® and also be happy about the local Real Estate news reporting. We suffer, along with many other cities, from a media that is all too anxious to report the doom and gloom of the real estate market. Ironically, when you compare the Dallas real estate market to the national market (and most other similar sized cities) we compare quite favorably... in fact, our market is quite healthy....

So imagine my glee to open the Dallas Morning News this morning to find an article on the front of the business section titled "New study finds higher home prices". The article goes on to point out that while prices nationally declined an average of 3.1% for the 1st quarter of 2008 (compared with the 1st quarter of 2007), Dallas home price comparing the same periods rose by 3.76%! And inventory is down slightly too! Another noteworthy statistic in the article was that Fort Worth home prices rose 2.59%.

I have been wearing a smile all day that you could not get off of my face if you tried!

Want to know what your home is worth? Thinking of buying or selling a home? Contact the Home Sales Remedy Team today and we'll schedule a consultation so that we can get started on helping you move forward!

— Steve Shatsky ]]> kwdcc 2008-05-28T11:30:00-06:00 2008-05-22T16:25:00-06:00 tag:dccblog,2008:KellerWilliamsDallasCityCenterweblog.2

I always try to look for and emphasize the good news in the Dallas Real Estate market... and whether or not it is a short sale story, there is a lot of good news out there.

Case in point, I was reading the newspaper last week and sadly was not entirely shocked to see a story reporting a rise in homes scheduled for foreclosure next month. What did surprise me was the percentage rise reported... it was an increase of more than 30% from the same month last year!

In my notes from the article, I jotted down that for the DFW Metroplex 5,300+ homes are scheduled to be sold at auction next month and that in some counties the increase was as high as 50%. Dallas County had the lowest increase, but still was reported to be a 22% increase.

Fortunately, foreclosure may not be the only solution for homeowners dealing with financial and life challenges. Recent changes to the tax laws now make a Short Sale solution an even more attractive option for struggling homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

Do you qualify for a Short Sale in the Dallas / Fort Worth area? Need to speak with a Short Sale Specialist? Please email or call me today for more information. I will be happy to schedule a consultation so that we can get started on helping you move forward!

—Steve Shatsky ]]> kwdcc