The DeLois Smith All Star Team

Advancing the Study of Residential Real Estate

Gary Keller, chairman of Keller Williams Realty (and also the real estate company that we are affiliated with) donated $5 million dollars to Baylor University to advance the study of residential real estate. Read the entire article here...

The Home of the Future

Reprinted from The Residential Specialist, July/August 2007 issue. Visit online at www.crs.com.

What will new homes look like in 2015? For starters, they'll be slightly smaller than they are today, according to architects, designers, and manufacturers surveyed by the National Associaton of Home Builders. The average size of a new home will be 2,300 to 2,500 square feet, slightly less than the 2,459 average for the first three quarters of 2006. Higher ceilings and upscale amenities will also become more common.

Issues driving the changes include accessibility for aging baby boomers, technological advances, green construction materials and environmental concerns. Other trends:

• Formal living rooms will shrink or vanish altogether, while family rooms will get larger.
• Ceilings in the average home will be nine to 10 feet; some luxury homes will have 12-foot ceilings.
• The family room will be the most important feature in the average home, followed by low-maintenance exteriors, design, location and two-car garages. In luxury homes, design will be the most important feature.
• Outdoor kitchens and second master bedroom suites will become more common in luxury homes.
• The average home will have two and a half to three and a half bathrooms.
• Recessed lighting and bold colors will be more common in both luxury and average homes.
• Demand for energy-efficient appliances, mechanical equipment and windows, and environmentally friendly green products will increase.
• Programmable thermostats, structured wiring systems and mult-line phone systems will be standard in the average home, while luxury homes will include just about every electronic feature that is available.

SOURCE: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS

4th of July Photos

4th of July photos are now online! You can view them by scrolling through the column on the right side, or by clicking here.

Tour of Homes: July 14-15 @ The Links at Shadow Ridge

Have you always wanted a home that will allow you a low maintenance, carefree lifestlye? Join us Saturday and Sunday, July 14-15, for a special Tour of Homes at The Links at Shadow Ridge. From 2-4 p.m. you can tour five quality homes designed by the Andy McDonald design group and constructed by Murray Waldron. Prices range from $177,900 to $207,500. The Links at Shadow Ridge offer a unique opportunity for a warm and caring neighborhood with sidewalks, a Links neighborhood pool, and monthly lawn maintenance.

Click on the property address for more information.

2 Calcutta Cove  *  3 Caluctta Cove  *  12 Calcutta Cove  *  4 Calloway Court   *  17 Calloway Court

One of Our Newest Listings: 261 Lower Airport Road

Luxury living at its best! This scenic rolling pecan orchard, formerly part of Bass Pecan Estate, is just one mile from the local airport in Lumberton and would provide an excellent opportunity for horse lovers, second home, multi-generational living, retirement home, or a peaceful retreat for a family on-the-go.

Click the play button to view a montage of 261 Lower Airport Road.***

***This post contains a video. If you have recieved this post via email, please click on the title to visit the actual weblog and view the video.

Click here for more photos and information on 261 Lower Airport Road.

One of Our Newest Listings: 1007 South 28th Avenue

Every week we feature one of our newest listings. This week we are featuring 1007 South 28th Avenue, located in Southwest Hattiesburg.

Click the play button to view a photo montage of 1007 South 28th Avenue.***

***This post includes a video. If you are recieving this post via email, please click on the title to be directed to the actual weblog so that you can view the video.

Click here for more information and photos on 1007 South 28th Avenue.

Now Casting the New Season of Flip This House on A&E

Flip This House, A&E's #1 rated lifestyle show, has been to Charleston, Atlanta, San Antonio, and New Haven. Which city will be next?

813 Casting and Departure Films are conducting a nationwide search for the new cast of characters who will be featured on the upcoming season of Flip This House! Will it be your team?

They're looking for confident, charismatic, motivated and opinionated people who "flip" residential properties for a living. They want real-estate adrenaline junkies who love the high risk, high reward nature of their jobs and who are devoted to doing a great job!

If you would like your team to be featured on the upcoming season of Flip This House, send an email to fth@813casting.com. Include your contact info, bios on you and your team, and some reasons why your team should be the next to be featured on Flip This House! Teams should consist of four or more people.

Website: http://www.aetv.com/flipthishouse/

Schedule an interview with Casting Director Steve Grant. Email fth@813casting.com.

Information came from the official casting notice.

Eight Steps to Home Ownership

We've started a new series of posts entitled "Eight Steps to Home Ownership."  These are eight useful and systematic steps to help you purchase your home. This week we focus on Step Two: Obtain Loan Preapproval. To read our first post, click here.

Few people can buy a home for cash. According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), nearly nine of out 10 buyers in 1999 financed their purchase, which meant that virtually all buyers - especially first-time purchasers - require a loan.

The real issue with real estate financing is not getting a loan. Virtually anyone willing to pay lofty interest rates can find a mortgage. Instead, the idea is to get the loan that's right for you - the mortgage with the lowest costs and best terms.

REALTORS routinely suggest that consumers start the mortgage process well before bidding on a home. Many lenders (the sources of money) and programs, for example, are available through recommendations from The DeLois Smith All Star Team/Keller Williams. By meeting with lenders, either online or face to face, and looking at local options, you will find which programs best meet your needs and how much you can afford.

What is it?

"Preapproval" means that you have met with a loan officer, your credit files have been reviewed, and the loan officer believes you can readily qualify for a given loan amount with one or more specific mortgage programs. Based on this information, the lender will provide a preapproval letter, which shows your borrowing power. You can visit as many lenders as you like and get several preapprovals, but keep in mind that each one carries with it a new credit check which will show up on future credit reports.

Although not a final loan commitment, the preapproval letter can be shown to listing brokers when bidding on a home. It demonstrates your financial strength and shows that you have the ability to go through with a purchase. This information is important to owners since they do not want to accept an offer that is likely to fail due to financing.

How do you get approval?

Real estate financing is available from numerous sources, including lenders in local banks and mortgage companies. We may suggest one or more lenders with a history of offering competitive programs and delivering promised rates and terms.

The loan officer will carefully review your financial situation, including your credit report and other information. The lender will then suggest programs which most closely met your needs. For instance, a first-time buyer may qualify for state-backed mortgage programs with little money down and low interest rates, while a repeat purchaser (someone who has purchased a home before) with more equity (money invested in the home) might want to get a 15-year loan and the lower overall interest costs it represents. Typically, first-time buyers opt for the traditional 30-year loan, with either a floating interest rate or a fixed rate of interest over the lifespan of the loan.

If you haven't done so already, read our closing coordinator's article where she gives great advice on choosing a lender. Click here to see what Amelia Watkins has to say.

Just Reduced: 120 Longwood Terrace

Click here for more information on 120 Longwood Terrace!