Northern Texas Real Estate Podcast with Anastasia Riley Anastasia Riley

Today I have an exciting announcement about my future, which involves a story from my past. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale I proudly joined Ebby Halliday Realtors almost 10 years ago. Back then, I was a brand-new agent and I didn’t know much, but I knew that Ebby Halliday had a stellar reputation in the community. I went to a local Ebby Halliday office for an interview and told the manager that I was a new agent, I didn’t know a single soul in the area, and that English isn’t my native language, but also that I’m willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to become the No. 1 agent. She said that she was glad to see me join the team, but she also warned me that almost 90% of new agents don’t make it to their second year—it might not be a bad idea for me to have a plan B in place. Little did she know that real estate was already my plan B at the time (and plan C or D, if I’m being honest). Shortly after, I purchased a home, and it made more sense for me to move to the Frisco office, which is where I met Terri Macaluso, who was managing that office. I told her the same thing I told the manager with whom I'd initially interviewed. I’m so thrilled to announce that I’m joining my former manager Terri Macaluso at Coldwell Banker Realty. ” She simply told me, “Well let’s get to work then.” It was under Terri’s leadership, management, and mentorship that my dream of becoming the No. 1 agent came true. I still remember that year’s award ceremony. Terri kept it a surprise from me; I remember she had a huge grin on her face, and it seemed like she was more excited for me to get the award than I was! That’s why I’m so thrilled to announce that I’m joining my former manager Terri Macaluso, who also happens to be one of my biggest cheerleaders here at my new home, Coldwell Banker. The tools and support they have here are truly unmatched, and I can’t wait to give you an update on my experience in a future post. I also want to give my love, honor, and respect to Ebby Halliday Realtors and thank them from the bottom of my heart for being my home and my family for almost a decade. I will miss them all dearly. Additionally, I want to thank my friends and clients for your continued support, love, trust, and loyalty. I promise the only disruption and inconvenience you might have (if any) during this transitional period is memorizing my new email address, anastasia@cbrealty.com. My phone number is still the same, so if you have questions or need any help at all, please feel free to reach out to me! I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for us all. * {box-sizing: border-box;} body {font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;} .mySlides {display: none;} img {vertical-align: middle;} /* Slideshow container */ .slideshow-container { max-width: 1000px; position: relative; margin: auto; } /* Caption text */ .text { color: #333333; font-size: 15px; padding: 8px 12px; position: absolute; bottom: 8px; width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff } /* Number text (1/3 etc) */ .numbertext { color: #f2f2f2; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px 128px; position: absolute; top: 0; } /* The dots/bullets/indicators */ .dot { height: 15px; width: 15px; margin: 0 2px; background-color: #bbb; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; transition: background-color 0.6s ease; } .active { background-color: #717171; } /* Fading animation */ .fade { -webkit-animation-name: fade; -webkit-animation-duration: 1s; animation-name: fade; animation-duration: 1s; } @-webkit-keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } @keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } /* On smaller screens, decrease text size */ @media only screen and (max-width: 300px) { .text {font-size: 11px} } Featured Listings Available near you: 1 / 3 2160 Woodhaven Drive 2 / 3 1900 Tapadero Lane 3 / 3 1329 Melrose Drive var slideIndex = 0; showSlides(); function showSlid

The current pandemic has changed everything. Today I’m explaining some of the ways the economy and businesses have been impacted. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale What a surreal time! We have never seen an event like the current pandemic in our lifetime. There has never been such a sudden economic halt as what we’re experiencing right now. This is the time for all of us to step up and be the best we can be. The majority of businesses are struggling; they’re only bringing in a small fraction of their usual revenue. To learn more about the coronavirus’s impact on the economy and business, watch my latest video above. * {box-sizing: border-box;} body {font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;} .mySlides {display: none;} img {vertical-align: middle;} /* Slideshow container */ .slideshow-container { max-width: 1000px; position: relative; margin: auto; } /* Caption text */ .text { color: #333333; font-size: 15px; padding: 8px 12px; position: absolute; bottom: 8px; width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff } /* Number text (1/3 etc) */ .numbertext { color: #f2f2f2; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px 128px; position: absolute; top: 0; } /* The dots/bullets/indicators */ .dot { height: 15px; width: 15px; margin: 0 2px; background-color: #bbb; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; transition: background-color 0.6s ease; } .active { background-color: #717171; } /* Fading animation */ .fade { -webkit-animation-name: fade; -webkit-animation-duration: 1s; animation-name: fade; animation-duration: 1s; } @-webkit-keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } @keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } /* On smaller screens, decrease text size */ @media only screen and (max-width: 300px) { .text {font-size: 11px} } Featured Listings Available near you: 1 / 3 2160 Woodhaven Drive 2 / 3 1900 Tapadero Lane 3 / 3 1329 Melrose Drive var slideIndex = 0; showSlides(); function showSlides() { var i; var slides = document.getElementsByClassName("mySlides"); var dots = document.getElementsByClassName("dot"); for (i = 0; i slides.length) {slideIndex = 1} for (i = 0; i

Low appraisals can be meddlesome, but there are plenty of solutions to this common problem. Here’s what you can do. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale A very common question I hear from my clients is, “Does a home have to appraise at the contract price or the financed loan amount?” The short answer is the contract price, but here’s why: When financing a home purchase, a lender must ensure that they don’t finance more than a home is worth. The lender will typically require the buyer to contribute a small amount to the transaction, commonly referred to as a down payment, to help safeguard against risk. The financed price, or maximum amount the lender can loan you, is usually expressed in loan-to-value ratio. For example, an 80% loan-to-value ratio product will require a 20% down payment. A 90% loan-to-value ratio will require a 10% down payment. A common problem occurs when an appraisal value is less than a contract price. For example, if a buyer agrees to pay $260,000 for a home and the appraisal comes back at $250,000, the loan will only cover 95% of the appraised value of $250,000, or $237,500. To complete the purchase, the buyer would need a down payment of $22,500 instead of the originally planned $13,000. You could just ask the seller to reduce their sale price. ” Basically, a low appraisal number has the ultimate result of requiring a higher down payment from the buyer. Of course, the buyer may not be willing or able to come up with that difference. In that case, they do have the option of walking away from the contract due to the appraisal contingency. There are also different ways to overcome a low appraisal. You could ask the seller to reduce the sale price to reflect the appraised value, or you could negotiate somewhere in the middle. If you have questions about this topic or anything else related to real estate, I’d love to be your resource. Just reach out via phone or email today. * {box-sizing: border-box;} body {font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;} .mySlides {display: none;} img {vertical-align: middle;} /* Slideshow container */ .slideshow-container { max-width: 1000px; position: relative; margin: auto; } /* Caption text */ .text { color: #333333; font-size: 15px; padding: 8px 12px; position: absolute; bottom: 8px; width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff } /* Number text (1/3 etc) */ .numbertext { color: #f2f2f2; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px 128px; position: absolute; top: 0; } /* The dots/bullets/indicators */ .dot { height: 15px; width: 15px; margin: 0 2px; background-color: #bbb; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; transition: background-color 0.6s ease; } .active { background-color: #717171; } /* Fading animation */ .fade { -webkit-animation-name: fade; -webkit-animation-duration: 1s; animation-name: fade; animation-duration: 1s; } @-webkit-keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } @keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } /* On smaller screens, decrease text size */ @media only screen and (max-width: 300px) { .text {font-size: 11px} } Featured Listings Available near you: 1 / 3 2160 Woodhaven Drive 2 / 3 1900 Tapadero Lane 3 / 3 1329 Melrose Drive var slideIndex = 0; showSlides(); function showSlides() { var i; var slides = document.getElementsByClassName("mySlides"); var dots = document.getElementsByClassName("dot"); for (i = 0; i slides.length) {slideIndex = 1} for (i = 0; i

If someone writes you a lowball offer for your home, how should you handle it? Today I’ll give you my advice. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale I know that getting a lowball offer for your home feels painful, frustrating, discouraging, and even offensive. I also know all the terrible—yet justifiable—things that you’d like me to pass onto the buyer who wrote you such a low and insulting offer. It’s very common for both sellers and their listing agents to get so wrapped up in their righteous indignation after receiving a lowball offer that they refuse all communication from the offender. However, the only winner here is ego-gratification, which has a monetary value of precisely zero. Today, I’ll give you a few suggestions for how to respond to lowball offers other than letting your anger get the best of you. I primarily encourage you to always be gracious and to respond with a counteroffer. The fact that someone liked your home enough to take the time to write an official offer on it is already a promising start. There might be various reasons why some buyers choose to send a low offer. Some simply want to test your willingness to negotiate—some sellers have been known to accept discounted offers for strictly personal reasons. Other buyers might send a low offer because they feel that your home is overpriced; if you’ve recently upgraded your home, the buyer might send a lower offer because they think the asking price was meant to compensate for the costs of those projects. There might be various reasons why some buyers choose to send a low offer. ” It’s not their job to know the value of your home. Most buyers don’t sit and study the market like we agents do when we appraise a for-sale home. It’s our job as agents and sellers to educate buyers on home values. After all, negotiation is how selling a home works, and to tell you the truth, negotiating an offer is the most fun we have in our workday as Realtors. If you are looking for a strong negotiator on your side as you sell your home, or if you have any real estate questions, feel free to reach out to me. Let’s talk. * {box-sizing: border-box;} body {font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;} .mySlides {display: none;} img {vertical-align: middle;} /* Slideshow container */ .slideshow-container { max-width: 1000px; position: relative; margin: auto; } /* Caption text */ .text { color: #333333; font-size: 15px; padding: 8px 12px; position: absolute; bottom: 8px; width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff } /* Number text (1/3 etc) */ .numbertext { color: #f2f2f2; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px 128px; position: absolute; top: 0; } /* The dots/bullets/indicators */ .dot { height: 15px; width: 15px; margin: 0 2px; background-color: #bbb; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; transition: background-color 0.6s ease; } .active { background-color: #717171; } /* Fading animation */ .fade { -webkit-animation-name: fade; -webkit-animation-duration: 1s; animation-name: fade; animation-duration: 1s; } @-webkit-keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } @keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } /* On smaller screens, decrease text size */ @media only screen and (max-width: 300px) { .text {font-size: 11px} } Featured Listings Available near you: 1 / 3 1224 Honeywood Lane 2 / 3 9117 Cranston Court 3 / 3 578 Langdon Street var slideIndex = 0; showSlides(); function showSlides() { var i; var slides = document.getElementsByClassName("mySlides"); var dots = document.getElementsByClassName("dot"); for (i = 0; i slides.length) {slideIndex = 1} for (i = 0; i

I just finished Benjamin Hardy’s “Willpower Doesn’t Work,” and I think it had a message that can apply to all our lives. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale In Benjamin Hardy’s “Willpower Doesn’t Work,” the author suggests that it is ultimately our environment that shapes us, and therefore, the most effective way to make desired changes in your life is by consciously designing and altering your surroundings. Willpower constitutes “white-knuckling” our way toward change, while dictating and enriching our environments means that accomplishment becomes automatic, rather than an effort. The author makes an interesting point that Will Durant’s historical record of the world, “The Story of Civilization” uncovered a secret about some of the greatest people known. They discovered most of them were average people that chose to take a stand. It appears that demanding situations created the need for greatness, and therefore, history was not shaped by great men, but by demanding situations instead. According to Hardy, for us to do our best work and live our best life, we need to put ourselves into a high-stress, peak-performance mode, followed by a high recovery period. The author recommends starting with journaling and visualization each morning at a place outside of your normal environment where you can align yourself with your aspirations before all the world’s distractions consume you. Do what you can to leap into a demanding situation where the stakes are high, and let it shape you. ” The more choices you have, the fewer decisions you make. So, eliminate some of your options—remove everything that conflicts with your decisions. Keep your closet down to between five and seven outfits to choose between. Get rid of junk food from the house. If you want to spend better quality, uninterrupted time with family, leave your phone in the car when you get home. Unplug your laptop so you that only have a certain amount of time before the power runs out. Create a self-imposed pressure to do what you need to. The author says that sometimes, carrying a heavy load gives us the traction we need to move forward in life. Outsource your motivation to high-pressure environments by competing at a skill level higher than your current one and by seeking out transformational relationships, even if it means you have to pay handsomely to a high-power mentor. Essentially, do what you can to leap into a demanding situation where the stakes are high, and let it shape you. If these messages resonate with you, I encourage you to grab a copy of Benjamin Hardy’s “Willpower Doesn’t Work.” In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for any questions you have. We’d be glad to hear from you. * {box-sizing: border-box;} body {font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;} .mySlides {display: none;} img {vertical-align: middle;} /* Slideshow container */ .slideshow-container { max-width: 1000px; position: relative; margin: auto; } /* Caption text */ .text { color: #333333; font-size: 15px; padding: 8px 12px; position: absolute; bottom: 8px; width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff } /* Number text (1/3 etc) */ .numbertext { color: #f2f2f2; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px 128px; position: absolute; top: 0; } /* The dots/bullets/indicators */ .dot { height: 15px; width: 15px; margin: 0 2px; background-color: #bbb; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; transition: background-color 0.6s ease; } .active { background-color: #717171; } /* Fading animation */ .fade { -webkit-animation-name: fade; -webkit-animation-duration: 1s; animation-name: fade; animation-duration: 1s; } @-webkit-keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } @keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } /* On smaller screens, decrease text size */ @media only screen and (max-width: 300px) { .text {font-size: 11px} } Featured Listings Available near you: 1 / 3 9117 C

Today I’m discussing what you need to know about rollback taxes. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Today’s topic is what you should know about rollback taxes when purchasing an Ag exempt (agricultural exempt) property. Recently I’ve had an uncommonly high number of calls from buyers wanting to purchase land. I myself live on an acreage and absolutely love the lifestyle and highly recommend the experience. Having an Ag exempt status allows you substantial tax savings. The agricultural exemption is actually not an exemption per se; it is property eligibility for a special appraisal method where you are being taxed not on the market value of the land but instead on this land’s agricultural productivity. Generally, a productivity value is much less than the fair market value, which significantly lowers your property taxes. However, what many buyers and real estate agents know is that if you change what you use your land for, you could be subject to rollback taxes. You could be accountable for three years of rollback taxes plus 5% interest. It used to be five years of rollback taxes and 7% interest up until September 1 of this year, so we got a small break. Rollback taxes are essentially the difference between the property being taxed and the normal market value rate. As you can imagine, it can add up to a massive amount of money. You’ll also have to pay rollback taxes if you subdivide your land. Having an Ag exempt status allows you substantial tax savings. ” Please make sure you work with a competent real estate agent to guide you through your land purchasing process. As always, if you or someone you know are looking to buy a piece of real estate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, please allow me the opportunity to represent you. I promise I will take excellent care of you. Call or email me with any questions or for more information. * {box-sizing: border-box;} body {font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;} .mySlides {display: none;} img {vertical-align: middle;} /* Slideshow container */ .slideshow-container { max-width: 1000px; position: relative; margin: auto; } /* Caption text */ .text { color: #333333; font-size: 15px; padding: 8px 12px; position: absolute; bottom: 8px; width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff } /* Number text (1/3 etc) */ .numbertext { color: #f2f2f2; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px 128px; position: absolute; top: 0; } /* The dots/bullets/indicators */ .dot { height: 15px; width: 15px; margin: 0 2px; background-color: #bbb; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; transition: background-color 0.6s ease; } .active { background-color: #717171; } /* Fading animation */ .fade { -webkit-animation-name: fade; -webkit-animation-duration: 1s; animation-name: fade; animation-duration: 1s; } @-webkit-keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } @keyframes fade { from {opacity: .4} to {opacity: 1} } /* On smaller screens, decrease text size */ @media only screen and (max-width: 300px) { .text {font-size: 11px} } Featured Listings Available near you: 1 / 3 14912 Gentry Dr 2 / 3 3019 Pitkin Dr 3 / 3 4813 Elkhart Dr var slideIndex = 0; showSlides(); function showSlides() { var i; var slides = document.getElementsByClassName("mySlides"); var dots = document.getElementsByClassName("dot"); for (i = 0; i slides.length) {slideIndex = 1} for (i = 0; i