Nancie Przada\’s Blog

Rafael Tree Service has taken care of our tree removal and trimming for the past six years.   Removing very large trees, near a home, is dangerous.   It certainly takes an experienced professional team to get the job done correctly and safely.   Everett Benitez and his crew are full time professionals with the latest equipment and knowledge.   They skillfully remove the largest trees, grind and remove stumps as well as trim and shape trees for future growth and beauty.   They understand that trees add to the beauty of a home and are a natural resource on our earth.   Their goal is to provide excellent service at a fair price.    

http://www.rafaeltreeservice.com./ or call 214-770-5844

TEAM-PRZADA has used Nina George Staging exclusively for the past two years for their client™s home staging needs.   As Realtors, Pat and Nancie offer this service to all sellers to better prepare their home for today™s market, even before the home is listed!   These projects can be as simple as walking the home with the seller while Nina makes positive suggestions on staging tips.   Or, the project can be more extensive with Nina making suggestions, as well as furnishing and accessorizing the home for a quick sale.   Nina George Stagingalso offers œHandy-Man work for projects such as painting, texturing, replacing of light and plumbing fixtures.    A œone stop shop for making your home look great!We have been impressed with Nina on many levels.   The size of the project doesn™t seem to matter; her work ethic, attention to detail, knowledge, professionalism and great personality are always intact.   Our clients LOVE her!   If you have the need for home staging, furnishing or accessorizing, organizing and œHandy-Man projects then Nina George Staging is your answer.   Contact Nina at 214-215-4228 or ngeorgestaging@aol.com     Check out her updated website at  http://www.ninageorgestaging.com/

TEAM-PRZADA spent Saturday, April 16^th in support of the SPCA of Texas at the sixth annual Strut Your Mutt Dallas.   The 3K walk/fun run was held at Dallas™s Fair Park, and was presented by VCA Animal Hospital Companies.    More than $175,000 was raised to support various SPCA of Texas endeavors such as rescue and care of abused animals, adoptions, and provide low-cost clinic care.      The SPCA of Texas is entirely run on private donations, so the fundraiser is vital to the good works they do.   Participants were encouraged to run or walk with all of their family members, both furry and human!   TEAM-PRZADA did its part by walking with dogs Cinnamon and Murphy, along with their daughter and grandson.   A wonderful time was had by all, but most importantly a difference was made for North Texas™ dogs!   If you missed out on the wonderful doggie day, no worries, you can still make donations to the SPCA of Texas until May 31^st, 2011.   Just click on over to www.strutyourmutt.info  

Great American Cleanup Collection  

Collect your unused stuff and BRING it to the ONE STOP DROP!   WHEN:   9a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 26  WHERE:   Clark High School * 523 West Spring Creek Parkway * Plano, TX 75023   (East parking lot off of Stadium Drive)

**Bicycles-any condition (Bikes for Tykes and Bicycle Recycle)   **Books-hardback and paperback (Friends of the Plano Public Library)   **Cell Phones-phones and accessories (ECO Phones)   **Clothing-all gently used and clean clothing, belts, purses, backpacks, wallets, duffle bags and stuffed animals (World Wear Project)   **Paper Shredding-secure on-site shredding, TWO FILE-SIZED BOX limit per household, and no commercial business paperwork accepted. (DFW Shredding.com)   **Eye Glasses-   prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses, reading glasses, frames and accessories (Allen High Noon Lions Club)   **Pet Products- collars and leashes, toys, grooming supplies, bedding, laundry detergent, dish detrgent, spray bottles, IAMS canned and dry food (unopened) Tidy Cat non-clumping litter (Plano Animal Services)   **Shoes – adult athletic shoes and any style children’s shoes in good condition (Shoe Bank)  

**Sporting Goods – all types of usable equipment (Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children)

**Non-profit organizations may provide receipts;   no other organization will provide donation receipts

livegreeninplano.com

“House” on the Corner….Christ United Methodist Church in  Plano, Texas, moved to prime real estate thirteen years ago on the corner of Parker and Coit Roads.      Early this past summer,  the Phase  II sanctuary was completed  except for the  steeple….   it had been delayed!   However,  before  Thanksgiving, the steeple arrived!   Many church members and interested observers   waited two days for calm winds to see  the construction crew hoist the much anticipated steeple to the very top of the  sanctuary.   That special event happened on the second day…the steeple now stands proudly for all to see, God’s NEW House On The Corner!   Have a look….

As I was driving yesterday, listening to ESPN Radio, I heard a lender sponsor say that mortgage rates were at a low rate of 3.99%.   I don™t know the particulars of his comments or the mentioned loan he referenced, but what I do know, because of the current mortgage rates, this is one of the most remarkable times to buy a home in many years.     For several months now, with a credit score in the high six hundreds, mortgage loans have been available somewhere in the 4% range.   Buyers, now is the time to get serious about buying that first home or your next home!  In yesterday™s Dallas Morning News, Steve Brown™s article stated that home prices dipped for the second consecutive month, according to the Standard & Poor™s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index.   The Dallas area experienced a dip of 1.7 percent in August following a 0.4 percent in July, after eight months of increases.     S&P™s David Blitzer said the housing market  seems to have stabilized at new lows.   It doesn™t appear markets are hanging onto the temporary momentum caused by the homebuyers™ tax credit.   Since the credit expired, home sales in the D-FW area appear to  have drifted lower.   Some expect this market to remain weak through the end of the year.   As a consequence, it becomes a real buyers™ market.   In August, home prices were about 5.6 percent below their peak in med-2007.  

Today™s Home Buyer¦Who Are They and What Do They Want?  WHO:

As reported in REALTOR magazine, almost half of the housing market in 2009 was comprised of first-time home buyers.   In part, thanks to the Federal Tax Credit.   Analysts predict that 2010 will follow suit. So, who are these people?   The National Association of Realtors in 2009™s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers,   found the following characteristics:

• Most Are Married
• They™re Young
• They™re Diverse
• They Like The ˜Burbs
• They Take Their Time
• They™re Not Afraid of Foreclosures
• They™re Most Likely To Use A Referral

 WHAT:

It seems the current economic conditions have encouraged a reevaluation of what buyers look for in a home.   According to Steve Kerch, who writes for Market Watch, smaller homes are the trend, with buyers willing to forego previous indulgences in favor of a truer, more honest, practical fit.  

Paul Cardis, CEO of AVID Ratings Co., a group that monitors home-buyer preferences,   This market™s home buyers have a Top Ten List.   Drum roll, please¦.

1. Generously Sized Kitchens,  an island is a must.  
2. Energy Efficient Appliances along with high-efficiency insulation and high-efficiency windows¦Mother Earth says, ˜Thank you!
3. Two-Car Garages, a third bay, which can be used for storage is a bonus
4. Ceiling Fans
5. Home Office¦ many times in lieu of a formal dining room.
6. First-Floor Master Suite
7. Master-Bath Soaking Tub
8. Outdoor Living Room
9. Stone and Brick Exteriors
10. Community Landscaping, golf courses, swimming pools and the ubiquitous club house give way to walking trails and playgrounds

Who knew??   Media Room = OUT and Outdoor Living Room = IN.  

Have your received a call recently that friends are coming to Dallas, want to have dinner   and ask you to choose the restaurant?     A while back that was an easy  choice but lately, it seems, finding a restaurant with great food, service and atmosphere,  is a bit more difficult.  

On one occasion,  by accident,  we discovered Avanta Restorante on McKinney.   It is   small and intimate with an uptown bistro feel.   Located in the Oak Lawn neighborhood, it is convenient to the McKinney Trolley Line.    The menu features northern and  southern Italian dishes that are created using fresh seafood, steak or pasta.    From entree to dessert, the food was wonderful, service excellent all in a charming setting.    ( 2720 McKinney, Dallas, 214-871-4955)

In February, we revisited Andiamo Italian Bar and Grill in Addison.   Andiamo’s has served upscale Tuscon Cuisine since the early 90′s!   The setting  was charming but comfortable with outstanding food and service.   (4151 Belt Line Rd, Addison, 972-233-1515)

As we say in our family, both restaurants are “two-timers“, at least!

Perseverance  Several weeks ago, we had the pleasure of attending Mega Agent Camp, a Keller Williams mini-convention held in Austin.   We were treated to three of the most inspirational speakers imaginable!   Perseverance was the connection!  Homeless To HarvardLiz Murray was born in the Bronx to poor, drug-addicted, HIV-infected parents.   She became homeless at 15 when her mother died of AIDS and her father moved to a homeless shelter.   Liz   decided she could take one of two roads;   go to school, work as hard as she possibly could and see what happened or continue down the same path of her parents.   At the time, with an eighth grade education and 17 years old, she decided to complete high school in two years.   What happened next?   She was awarded a New York Times scholarship for needy students and accepted into Harvard University.   She left Harvard in 2003, to care for her sick father but continued her studies at Columbia University, to be closer to him.   In 2006 her father died of AIDS.   As of May 2008, she was back at Harvard working toward her degree with plans to graduate with a degree in psychology in June 2009.   (For more information, Google, Homeless to Harvard)  Life Without LimbsNick Vajucic is a handsome, twenty-six years old, born in Australia without arms and legs.   His parents were given no reason for his medical issues.   At eight years old he wondered why this happened to him, felt his life was hopeless and there was no point in going to school.   Today he travels the world as an inspirational speaker, enjoying his passions, swimming, golfing and fishing!     Because of Nick’s unique personal story, he is able to speak to groups of all kinds. It gives him entree with both  young and old, impoverished, imprisoned, business people, children, young people, peoples of all races, those with disabilities and those without.  People are literally captivated and disarmed by the fact he can genuinely rejoice in his circumstances.(For more information, Google, Life Without Arms and Legs)  Tommy EmmanuelThe second day of Mega Agent Camp, the agents from our Market Center were invited to sit on stage during Emmanuel™s performance.   Initially, not wanting to go on stage, I soon realized it was a happening!   Tommy Emmanuel™s unique style of playing guitar, which he calls œfinger style is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fingers.   He began playing  at age 4 by listening to the radio, learning by ear with no formal instruction. He didn™t realize that most musicians had a band backing them, just thought the musician and his guitar were making the sounds he heard.   Today, after a career that spans over four decades, he quips, œI save a lot of money by playing all the parts myself!(For more information, Google, Tommy Emmanuel)  

Talk about some nice real estate!   We toured the new Cowboy Stadium last Friday and like we have heard, it is BIG, clean, well-planned and has most modern sports equipment known to man.   The imposing structure  dwarfs houses and even the Walmart across the parking lot, is gleaming white and silver with very large doors on either side and a roof that opens.   It takes nine to twelve minutes to open the doors and roof and if opened, both ends of doors must be open to avoid a vacuum. The decision whether to play a game with the roof open must be made early, as once the game begins, the roof’s position can’t   change.   The field is said to have a six-inch crown, much less than Texas Stadium and built fifty feet below ground level.   The concrete base of the field is fourteen inches thick.   The roof is ninety feet above and if the Statue of Liberty was placed on center at the  fifty yard line, the tip of the torch would  lack about six or more inches touching the top.   Arches that are 30 feet high, seven feet wide and one quarter of a mile long, support the roof.   There are 800 bathrooms,1600 flat screen tvs and major speakers each the size of an eighteen wheeler! It is the only stadium where teams enter the field on the fifty yard line  and  also boasts of 300 ground level suites.     The letters below the BIG screen are five feet tall but look like font 16!   A tour is inexpensive and fun, so if you are curious, check it out.