Is now a good time to buy in Plano?  Is now a good time to sell in Plano?

Let’s take those questions and use some local data from the NTREIS MLS system to answer them.  When analyzing data to get a good picture of the market, there are many factors to consider.  Today, let’s use two components to get a general idea of Plano’s housing market and whether it’s generally a good time to make a decision to buy or sell.

Component 1 –  Median Number of Days on Market

Median days on the Plano housing market for August 2017 is 15.  Taking a look at our year overall (from January to August 2017) we’re seeing a rise of the numbers of days on market from April and May at 8 DOM to August at 15 DOM.

Looking at calendar year to year for May of 2016 to May of 2017, we see the exact number of days on market (8) for both years.  We also see the slight increase in days on market when we compare August of 2016 (11 DOM) to August of 2017 (15 DOM).

Things here look pretty steady, so let’s look at another factor to shed more light on how the health of the Plano housing market.

Component 2 – Homes for Sale

Looking at this graph, the market looks saturated with homes, but don’t let the number of 1,361 homes on the market deceive you.

Take this number and compare it to the number of days on the market per period and this begins to shed light on what the market looks like today.  This graph shows that in January of 2016 there were around 600 homes on the market and, looking at the Median Days on Market graph, we can see that those homes took a median time of 22 days to sell.  Compare that to January of 2017 where there only about 675 homes on the market, yet they still took a median average of 22 days to sell!

Now look at August 2016 against August 2017 where the median time on market is 15 days BUT with an inventory of over 1360 homes for sale.

Taking these two graphs into account for the housing market of Plano, we can see that it’s a pretty healthy market.

Should you buy or sell now?  Taking this data into consideration, you certainly shouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger to buy or sell in today’s market.  There are quite a few variables (your ability to buy, your home’s value, etc.) to take into consideration and you should absolutely find a Realtor you trust to find the right answer for you.

You need to know how these figure affect you and your personal situation.  We’re here to help and if you would like a more personalized analysis for your decision making process, you can feel free to email us or call us at 214-649-5146.

This weekend, grab your daughters and their friends and head to Fabletics where Demi Lovato is scheduled to appear and sign autographs (with purchase of $50 or more at the store).   She is scheduled to appear this Saturday,  September 9th from 1-3 pm.

Lovato has some deep roots in Texas.  She was born in Dallas, Texas to Patrick Lovato and Dianna (Née Hart). She is of Hispanic, Irish and Italian descent. She has two sisters: Dallas Lovato, who is also an actress and singer and is five years older than Demi; and Madison DeLaGarza her half-sister, who is ten years younger than Demi. Her mother, Dianna Hart, was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country recording artist; her father, Patrick, moved to New Mexico after their marriage ended in 1994. He suffered some health problems and rarely sees Demi. But, the father and daughter saw each other for the first time in four years with a surprise visit in February 2008 by Demi.

She also has her own line of clothing at Fabletics, which pretty much explains her appearance here.

Career

Demi Lovato started acting at the age of six, when she landed her first series regular role as Angela on Barney & Friends, there she met her best friend, Selena Gomez. As time went on Lovato pursued her singing and instrumental career, and she guest starred on Prison Break, Split Ends (pilot) and Just Jordan. In January 2007 she landed a series regular role as Charlotte Adams on the Disney Channel original short series As the Bell Rings, which premiered on August 26, 2007 during Disney’s Back-to-School special night. She will soon be starring in a new Disney Channeloriginal series called Welcome to Holliwood that begins production in September 2008. Lovato also stars in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock as Mitchie Torres, which premiered on June 20, 2008. She is a singer and songwriter as well as a musician, playing guitar and piano since the age of eleven.

Lovato had opened for the Jonas Brothers on their summer 2008 Burning Up Tour. She also attended the Disney Channel Games 2008 in spring.

Her good friends, the Jonas Brothers, have also written songs along with Lovato for her debut album, according to USA Today. Lovato covered the Academy Award nominated song “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted on DisneyMania 6. Lovato was also voted #2 Hottest Stars in BOP Magazine in September 2008.

Fun Facts About Demi 

Here are some fun facts about the actress/singer that will help you either win at trivia or impress any die-hard fan you might meet this weekend if you’re heading to Fabletics for shopping and/or her apperance:

• Demi is close to Camp Rock co-star Meaghan Jette Martin. They text each other all the time and actually spent last [2008] New Years Eve in Texas together.

• On April 8th, 2008, Demi was put center stage before advertisers at Disney Channel’s upfront presentation at Legacy Recording Studios in New York. The theme was ‘the next big thing’.

• Demi says that before her kissing scene with Joe Jonas (in ‘Camp Rock’) she popped a mint in her mouth.

• She was born on the same day as Enchanted’s Amy Adams.

• She’s signed to Hollywood Records.

• Demi will be participating in the 2008 Disney Channel Games. She will be on the Blue team.

• Demi & Selena Gomez have a V-Log that they frequently update on their Youtube account.

• Demi was dating Cody Linley. She says that they had a kissing scene in acting class and they just started talking in the car for hours after that. Their first date was going to The Cheesecake Factory. They broke up because they both were too busy and now they are still really good friends.

• She has done an introductory video for ‘American Heart Association’s’ “Hoops for Heart” program.

• She is learning French.

• She loves pickles, cheese, eggs, homemade Rice Krispy treats, and chocolate.

• She says its weird seeing herself on TV.

• She chooses the computer over TV.

• She loved working with the Jonas Brothers, saying they are complete gentlemen and are the coolest guys she’ll ever meet.

• She says she and Selena Gomez when they were little would make Rice Krispy treats almost every day.

• She and Selena Gomez say they would love to do a duet together.

• Maria Canals Barrera (who plays Demi’s mom in Camp Rock and Selena Gomez’s mom in Wizards of Waverly Place) says the girls jokingly bicker over her saying things like “She’s my mom”, “No, she’s my mom”.

• Philly on December 16th 2007, stated that Demi could be the next Miley (Cyrus).

• Jonas Brothers Concerts She Has Attended: (Minneapolis on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 & March 2nd, 2008 in Cajun Dome).

• She attended her first event which was Chevy Rocks the Future on February 19, 2008. Her friend Selena Gomez was there and her Camp Rock co-stars the Jonas Brothers, Anna Maria Perez De Tagle, and Meaghan Jette Martin were also at the event.

• She loves poetry.

• She and her close friend Selena Gomez met when Demi asked her if she wanted to color with her while the two were at the audition for Barney.

• Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore, is one of her idols.

• She hates rumors.

• She owns a Mac laptop, which she and Selena Gomez use to make their youtube videos.

• She said she chooses tacos over pizza.

• Her first concert was a Britney Spears concert.

• She says her Camp Rock co-stars have become very close friends to her.

• She and Selena Gomez have matching guitar pick necklaces.

• Her celebrity crush is William Beckett from the band The Academy Is.

• She loves the band Paramore.

• She loves shopping.

• She has a necklace that says ‘True Love Waits’. Her friend Selena Gomez has a purity ring that says the exact same thing.

• She and her very close friend Selena Gomez have a handshake they have been doing for eight years now.

• She is not, nor has not ever, dated a Camp Rock co-star.

• Demi is of Hispanic, Irish, and Italian descent.

• She says her role model is Kelly Clarkson.

• She says she’s looking forward to getting to drive in 2008.

• She took part in Disney Channel’s Happy U Year which was a celebration to kick off 2008.

• She was mention in an article on people.com on who will be the next biggest tween stars.

• Her song ‘Shadow’ was performed on As The Bell Rings (episode: TALENT SHOW). She performed it as her character Charlotte and it was a duet with Danny (Tony Oller).

• She likes to buy most of her clothes from Forever 21 and her shoes from Aldo.

• She will have an offical website up soon.

• Demetria means “Goddess of Fertility” and is of Greek origin.
  Devonne is of English origin and means “Divine”.

• She is very good friends with her As The Bell Rings co-stars.

• She currently lives in California.

• She has brown hair and brown eyes.

• She has covered the song “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me.

• She is homeschooled.

• Her Chinese Zodiac sign is the Sheep.

• Her zodiac sign is Leo.

• She has an older sister, Dallas who is 20 and a younger sister Madison who is five.

• She can play the drums, as well as the guitar and piano.

• According to her myspace profile, her influence is love.

• Her agent’s name is Mitchell Gossett.

• Her height is 5’2″ and she weighs 100 pounds.

• Her song ‘Moves Me’ is featured on the dance instructional video ‘Off Da Hook: Hip-Hop F-Troop Style’.

• She’s written songs titled ‘Ride’, ‘Mirror, Mirror’, ‘Not Yet’, and ‘Moves Me’.

• Demi has performed in Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada on October 16, 2004.

• Demi has studied piano, voice, guitar, songwriting, and hip hop dancing.

• She is best friends with her Barney co-star Selena Gomez and Jennifer Stone.

• Demi has worked with Ashlee Simpson, Ricky Ullman, Christina Millian, Bubba Sparxxx, T-Bad, Selena Gomez, Abercrombie Models and Billy the Kidd.

• She has been performing since age 5.

• Demi has a myspace.com profile.

• Her mom is Dianna Lovato. She was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader during the 1983-84 season, and was once a country recording artist.

Like many millions of Americans, you may have spent yesterday celebrating Labor Day with a well-deserved day off of work.   There may have been a three-day weekend for you to enjoy, as well you should.  Did you know, however, that there’s a pretty important meaning behind the day, however, that not many folks really know about.

Labor Day: What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”

But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

However you celebrated yesterday, or even if you were part of the diligent workers who didn’t have yesterday off, we McCoys hope you had a wonderful day.  Thank you for being part of the workforce that makes this country the incredible place it is!

Special thanks to:  https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/ history

We adore our readers enough to tell you that knowing your home’s value on today market is crucial to your financial picture!

The biggest investment most of us will ever make is the purchase of property.  Whether you purchased it last year or 20 years ago, the value can dramatically change over time.  When you’re a homeowner, it’s important to keep abreast of trends, forecasts, and property sales in your area.  Not knowing can put you in the same category as the vast majority of homeowners who either underestimate or overestimate what their properties are worth. Whether or not you’re planning to sell your home now, in the near future, or not at all, it will always be beneficial to monitor the value of your home(s) because it/they has a direct impact on financial planning, borrowing, insurance, home improvement plans, and the best time to sell.  

Financial Planning

Before making any major decisions, it’s is always a good idea to assess your current net worth. Knowing the current market value of your property means you can determine if you are in negative equity or have made capital gains. This information is really important when making significant life choices, approaching banks for a loan, switching credit cards, re-mortgaging your property, investing in rental or vacation property, or starting a new business. It is particularly useful to know how much your home is worth when you are planning to retire, downsize to a smaller home, or you hope to buy a bigger property in the future.

Home Improvements

If you’re thinking of making home improvements to your property, either for your own benefit while living there or to increase the value of your home before putting it on the market, it’s important to know the current value of your home and of similar sized properties in the area. Is your already one of the highest valued properties in the area? Investing a significant amount of money into home improvements for the purpose of selling may not yield a profit. It may actually put you in the red and you’ll end up owning money.

Depending on the loan, a bank may or may not send out an appraiser.  You need to know it’s current value for yourself before there are any surprises  Getting a current market survey, which takes all the factors into account in your area is your safest course of action.  Find a local Realtor that you trust for advice before making any changes. They will be able to advise on the best way to make the most out of your investment.

Insurance

Many homeowners make the mistake of using the original purchase price or current market value of their property when getting a home insurance quote. In most instances, this will result in much higher monthly or annual premiums. Instead, you should use the rebuilding cost of the property – i.e. how much it would cost to rebuild if it were destroyed by fire – when renewing or taking out a new buildings insurance policy. Related to this, most people actually underestimate the value of their belongings for contents insurance, so be sure to take your time with calculating how much it would cost to replace everything you own, including things like CDs, records, clothes and shoes, cushions and curtains, etc.

Selling Your Home

This is most obvious situation when you would need to know how much your property is worth. Keeping track of the value of your home over the years means you will not be disappointed or surprised if it turns out that your property is worth more or not worth as much as you thought. This is particularly unpleasant news if you had set your sights on a larger property or a home in a more expensive area, only to discover you can’t afford it. By always knowing the value of your home, you can plan and save accordingly for a future move that requires more significant investment and avoid being disappointed.

Conversely, if the value of your home increases more than you had predicted, you will have more options than you originally thought. This has been the case for a lot of homeowners as the market has shifted.  You may choose to sell when you had not been considering it, or move a little sooner than planned because of high property values and demand from buyers.  This puts you at an advantage especially in today’s market where mortgage approvals are up and interest rates are still incredibly low.  This can be a really great time for anyone thinking of selling or hoping to make significant capital gains from their current property.

Arrange a Free Valuation

Step 1.  Click on the Free Home Valuation Link

Step 2.  Enter your address

Step 3.  Fill out the information about your home.

We’ll do the work for you and contact you for a time to go over your home and what your home value is in real time.

To celebrate their grand opening at the Shops at Legacy West, the Venetian Nail Spa will offer free pedicures to the first 100 customers on Sunday, August 27th from 12pm to 5pm.  We’re not sure if you’re supposed to call for an appointment or just walk in, but we suggest you try calling at 469-609-1500 if you’re planning to go, just in case.

Venetian Nail Spas were originally designed in 2001. The spa, which has locations in many different states promises, the highest quality of Nail Salon and Spa services, offering environmental lifestyle products to each to clients under the highest standards of business ethics.

One their website they state the following:

Venetian’s purpose is to create a beautifully, unique group of nail spas in markets that will attract people who are looking to have an enjoyable spa experience. Venetian Nail Spa began as a dream of a few dedicated individuals. We nurtured this dream, shared it with others, and built a thriving center committed to the health and wholeness of the community. We offer our guests numerous therapies, treatments, products and nail services that embody the healing traditions of many cultures. Our aim is to provide all guests with impeccable service through experiences that nurture the body, mind & spirit.

Venetian Nail Spa is committed to helping you capture the tranquility of serenity and dedicated to the enhancement of your natural beauty. With dozens of stores nationwide, we are excited about watching our vision continue to grow through our nail spas.

We McCoys are completely amazed at the incredible shops, retailers and businesses that are moving into the Shops at Legacy West.  The variety of services and experiences are just incredible.

We’d love to know if you tried this spa and what you thought about it when you went.  You can email us at ronmccoy@kw.com.

The Venetian Spa is located at on Legacy Drive, right next to Barnes and Nobles.  You can find it here in our Legacy West Map!

Opening it’s well decorated, colored coordinated doors at Legacy West is Frontgate, a premiere home furniture, decorating and accessory store that makes you realize your home really needs a make-over (even if it just had a make-over).   There’s such an array of styles and colors and styles that even if you don’t like decorating, just looking at the catalog will give ideas you didn’t even know you could have.

Take for example, a fireplace table.  You could feasibly go your whole life without ever knowing that fireplace tables exist.  When is the last time you used ‘fireplace table’ in a sentence?  Glance at the website and suddenly you may wonder how you lived without one.  

The opening of the showroom adds another incredible retailer in the all ready extensive list of luxury companies already calling the Shops at Legacy West their newest home.

Chris Nieto, the General Manager, Frontgate Legacy West was quoted as saying:

“We are absolutely thrilled to join the Plano community…and to show you firsthand what Grand Living means to all of us here at Frontgate. In Texas, everything is bigger and better – and we took that into account when preparing our new home for yours. Stop in to take care of your home decor needs or just to relax in the luxury of our expansive outdoor patio – with a glass of wine, of course. It is our privilege to get to know you and I personally ensure that as our guest, you will get the same world-class service and quality Frontgate has come to be known for. Hope to see you soon!”

Let’s be frank, here.  We’re afraid to think what will happen when we go into the store!  Folks that have been following our journey of building our new home in the Villas at Legacy West know how we blew our budget in picking out finishes at the Britton Homes Design Gallery and sold our home of 17 years, only to put things in storage till our home is built.

What’s going to happen when we get settled in?  Will we resist the urge to go browsing at Frontgate?  We’re not sure, but we do know that when a store offers free monograms on any sheet sets you buy, you suddenly question why the rest of sheets aren’t monogrammed.

Oh, one last thing, right now they’re offering a coupon code for 25% sitewide savings!  Just type in FRESH25 to receive yours!

Frontgate is located at 7700 Windrose Avenue, STE G190.  You can find it here on the map we McCoys made to help you find your way around when you visit Legacy West.

We Welcome You to Visit

Open House Schedule

Saturday 2-4

4851 Spencer Drive, Plano, Texas  75024-6355

Sunday 1-3

7201 Langmuir Drive  McKinney, Texas 75071-4607

3844 Elgin Drive Plano, Texas  75025-3860

725 Carrie Lane Lakewood Village, Texas  75068-4422

Sunday 2-4

8705 Berwick Drive  Plano, Texas 75052-3865

3829 Glasgow Drive Plano, Texas 75052

Do you know that excited feeling you get when you go up that very first hill on a roller coaster?  We’re talking about the point where, if you’re in the first row, you can see all the blue sky and scenery and at almost the same time, just how very far you’re about to fall.  It’s a thrilling combination of excitement and the realization that there’s no turning back now!  Well, if had to pick a name of this ride it would be, “We’re up!  We’re Down!  We’re Building a Home at Legacy Villas!”

Seriously, how do homes even get built?  There were so many people on our lot at once, there was barely room for the building materials!  Yet, they all worked together and very quickly and very efficiently completed the framing on our home.  The home that started less than a year ago as a concept now has a physical form.

You see for us, what we saw as of our home’s frame together isn’t exactly what the craftsman who are building it see.  The craftsmen working on our home see measurements (and they are good craftsmen,  you know the kind who always measure twice to cut once).  They see details and the tools needed to make the frame come together with perfect, mathematical precision. 

We’re picking out and rearranging furniture in our heads.  This is were we will be celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, picnics and great times with friends and family.  We’re already thinking of holiday decorations and it’s only August!!

As the walls go up, the house really starts to take shape!  What was once on a blueprint is being set up on our lot.  Soon, the craftsmen will lay out the electric in the house and add the pluming, the heating, the air conditioning, and so on, their minds are on the building process.  We’re thinking of how we’re going to love waking up in our incredible home in a place as fantastic as Legacy West.

A multitude of inspectors, engineers, city codes managers and Britton builders will check and double check the progress to make sure all details of the architectural drawings have been followed properly and they can put a ‘stamp of quality’ on what they’ve built.  We’re thinking of the time we’ll spend on our balcony, enjoying the sunrises and sunsets.

It’s the trust we have that the people who are making our concept home a reality that allows us to dream of what our life will be like living in the final product.  We know that if they need to, they’ll go back to the drawing board to correct any deficiencies or bad quality so we can stay on track for our goals.

Our journey, while it has been like a roller coaster ride, is one that we’re so happy to have embarked on.  We McCoys know, that soon, very soon, we’ll be handed the keys, moving in our furniture and placing a welcome mat on the front porch.