6027 Vanderbilt JUST REDUCED!!!!

6027 Vanderbilt Avenue was just reduced to: $445,000 and now also available for rent $2,400/month.

Beautifully updated 1930's home with 3 bedroom, 2.5 baths situated on a lot and a half. Kitchen was updated with 1930's style cabinetry, stainless steel upgraded appliances, granite style counter tops, apron sink. The home boast hardwoods through out, upstairs and down, 2 bathrooms and all 3 bedrooms are upstairs. Great home! Call for a privates showing today!

Erin Balen 214-282-6747

Good things come to those who wait!

Today the Dallas Morning News publishes an article about the March 2nd fire that plagues Greenville Avenue. As I interpret the article we are looking for a much longer build out time on the 4 restaurants and bars on lower Greenville.

As a neighbor and a person highly interested in home values of East Dallas, I understand the concern of a burned down building, temporary fencing and all the trash that comes along with it. BUT, we all need to realize that this will take some time, it always does when there is a lawsuit involved.

Yes, for the time being it's not great but with the changes, ideas and upgrades that are being planned for the development it will greatly improve our neighborhood and community!

To read the article for yourself please click here!

My house is worth what?!?!

Many articles have stated that Dallas Central Appraisal District is inflating home values this year to above their actual worth. Many of you will need to protest your homes value. Now is the time to submit your request. In doing so you will need a comparative market analysis, a.k.a. CMA. I am happy to provide you a CMA at no cost, just go to my website and fill out your information!

Click to get my FREE CMA!

If you have any questions about this process feel free to call or email me:

214-282-6747 cell

ErinSellsDallas@gmail.com

Dallas home prices RISE 2.6%!!!

Prices were up 2.6 percent in the lates Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller Home price index. Also prices nationwide rose by 0.6 percent in February from a year earlier! Another great fact that proves our housing market in the Dallas Area is kicking butt and taking names is that February was the fourth consecutive month that Dallas-are home prices increased!

What does this mean for your adverage buyer? Well it means the time to buy is now. Our rates our still really low and home values are close to rock bottom pricing as they have been in years.

To check out what kind of housing is out available in your price point sign on to www.erinbalen.com or feel free to give me a call: 214.282.6747 cell! Now is the time to act!

"We Pray that You Will"

As an East Dallas dweller, on and off for the past 14 years, and most other East Dallasites we are all hoping that Terilli's, Mick's Bar, Greenville Bar and Grill and Hurricane's can "RISE FROM THE ASHES!" I drive by this nearly everyday in hopes to see progress, and from the hardly legible hand writing in the middle on the top of this banner I'm not the only one!

They have supported the front brick wall, contractors have been named, and the community is behind them. There is even a Facebook page in support of the employees that have lost their jobs do to this tragic event: "Help Lower Greenville": http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=32496073#!/HelpLowerGreenville?ref=ts This group is also having a concert at the Balcony Club in Lakewood on May 23rd from 1:00pm-7:30 in support. Please go to this page for more information: http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=32496073#!/event.php?eid=103850742984254&ref=mf

As I get more news I will post more information on this blog and also on the new facebook group "Vickery Place Neighborhood." Please become a fan of Vickery Place Neighborhood for more community events, changes and happenings!

Another East Dallas Listing by Erin Balen!

Another great home for sale in East Dallas just in time for National Open House Weekend!!!!! This home is located near Casa Linda: 1717 Crowberry Drive Dallas, Texas 75228. Perfect starter home with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car detached garage, 2 living rooms, 2 dining rooms AND an in ground pool and spa. This home boasts pride of ownership with great maintenance from the current owners. I will be sitting this house open on Sunday, 4/11/2010, from 1:00-3:00. Stop by and see me, I'll have bottled water and door prizes for everyone!

This home is listed for $179,000, call me for a private showing if you can not make the open house 214.282.6747 cell

The DFW Area holds 3 of the top 30 Fastest Growing Counties in the last decade!

The Dallas-Fort Worth area added more new residents last year than any other metropolitan area in the country, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday! With DFW welcoming a whopping 147,000 people during a 12 month period starting in July 2008 topping all other major cities in Texas, including Houston.

Most of our fellow Dallasites are making their way to Rockwall County, which ranked as the third-fastest-growing county in the country during the last decade. Their populating has nearly doubled since 2000. Good jobs and better-than-elsewhere economy are drawing people to Texas, experts say. "We have had a very vibrant economy with a diverse set of industries," Murdock said. "When you have the kind of population growth we've had, you don't have it without having economic growth."

Along with Rockwall County, Collin, Denton and Kaufman County are also in the DFW area and have all ranked in the top 40 Nation wide county's for growth in the last decade.

$6,500 Tax Credit... Don't let the time run out!

The $6,500 tax credit for home owners who are "trading up" is getting close to the expiration date. The latest version of the plan allows folks who already own a primary residence the option of utilizing a $6,500 tax credit - as opposed to the $8,000 credit that is only for first-time buyers - toward the purchase of another home. This $6,500 tax credit for home owners is a great incentive to change your primary residence, if you were already considering it.

But are you eligible to receive the $6,500 tax credit for home buyers? Check your status against these criteria amassed by The Washington Post:

1. You've owned and resided in your current home for a consecutive five out of the past eight years, and your adjusted household income doesn't exceed $125,000 if you file taxes singly, $225,000 if you are married filing jointly.

2. Whatever you intend to purchase, the home cannot cost more than $800,000.

3. The replacement home must become your main residence. There is no requirement in the legislation that you sell your current home.

4. Like the first-time-buyer credit, the $6,500 verson permits a broad range of dwelling types for your purchase. These included newly constructed or existing single-family homes, condominiums, manufactured or mobile homes, and boats that function as your principal residence.

5. Home buyers who go to closing between Nov. 6 and Dec 31 can claim the $6,500 credit on their 2009 federal tax returns or amend their 2008 returns.

If you were planning to change your primary residence anyway, and can close by the June 30, 2010 expiration date, why not take the free $6,500? The financial benefits of this federal housing tax credit are legion, as you can save money by downgrading to a cheaper home, and/or use your original property to generate rental income.

It's time to File... you Homestead Exemption!!!!

If you purchased a home in the state of Texas in 2009 don't forget to file your homestead exemption form before April 15th, 2010! Here's a little information about how the homestead exemption was established and how it is applied!

The History of Texas Homestead:

The state of Texas is unique in its application of homestead protection. Although this protection is very substantial, it presents serious limits on the ability of a homeowner to mortgage his/her homestead.

The urban residential homestead consists of a lot or lots of 10 acres or less that is located within a city or town. There is no limit on the value of the land and its improvements entitled to homestead protection. Rather, what is defined as homestead is based solely on the size or acreage of the land involved.

The Texas homestead exemption began as protection for the wives and children of the early settlers in the event the man of the house was lured into a not-so-honest game of chance or decided he needed a few dollars more to continue a night out on the town. More seriously though, the wives and children of a deceased breadwinner were secure in their home(stead) and could not be removed because of some improper or manufactured claim of debt.

As a state constitutional protection, it has withstood the test of time and remained virtually unchanged as we have moved from the 19th century through most of the 20th century.

The practical protections of the homestead laws prevent any creditor (except for the mortgage holder, a taxing authority, or the holder of a note created for a home improvement loan) from forcing the sale of the homestead to satisfy nonpayment of a debt. It is difficult to "abandon" the homestead protection to borrow against its equity. An owner who wants to maintain property ownership and be able to borrow against its equity would have to move out of the property and demonstrate it is now being used as rental/income- producing real estate and that he or she has established a new homestead elsewhere.

It is interesting to note that home equity loans were not available in Texas until the constitution was amended, effective January 1998. Home equity loans in Texas involve numerous restrictions and requirements that may not exist for such loans made in other states. The amount of a home equity loan plus the balance of the first mortgage may not exceed 80% of the value of the property, thus leaving a 20% equity cushion at the time of the second lien.

Links to Homestead Exemption Forms:

Dallas County: www.dallascad.org

Collin County: www.collincad.org

Denton County: www.dentoncad.org

Tarrant County: www.tad.org

Please feel free to call or email with any questions.

Erin Koskovich-Balen

214.282.6747 cell

erin.balen@yahoo.com