As we begin to focus on family for a few days, we send our thanks to all of you that have worked with us in the last year. We have truly been blessed. As you begin to make your plans for 2007, remember that interest rates are low and inventories are high - it's a great time to buy homes! Happy Thanksgiving!

GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS RARELY MAKES HEADLINES...so in addition to reminding you that new home sales across the US were up in September, I also wanted to copy the AP story about worker productivity and wage expectations. The U. S. is still going strong economically and is still the best place to pursue your dreams in the world. On a more local note, through October 2007, in my Flower Mound RE/MAX office, 25% of closings are showing the internet as their business source, which is an astonishing jump from one year ago at only 7%. The Anne Lakusta Team is working with a search engine optimization firm, subscribes to all of the enhanced features on realtor.com, creates single property websites where warranted and utilizes every feature of remax.com in order to assure that our listings are getting full and complete internet exposure. We're always looking for ways to reach the home shopping public!

Remember, interest rates are low, inventory is high, economy is strong - it's a great time to buy a home!


AP Wire Story from 11/07/07: "Worker productivity surged in the summer at the fastest pace in four years while wage pressures eased.

The Labor Department reported that productivity - the amount of output per hour of work - jumped at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the July-September quarter. That was double the 2.2 percent rise in the second quarter and represented the fastest surge in worker efficiency since 2003.

At the same time, wage pressures eased with unit labor costs dropping at an annual rate of 0.2 percent, the best showing in more than a year.

Both outcomes were far better than had been expected and should relieve some of the concerns that a remarkable surge in productivity that began in the mid-1990s was in danger of being reversed."

Just a quick note to encourage everyone to vote either before the end of this week because Friday ends early voting or to remember to vote on November 6th! In Collin County there is a county bond election on the ballot; in Southlake there is is a revised city charter on the ballot; in Flower Mound and Coppell there are sales tax increases on the ballot. Several local intiatives that influence all of us as residents and homeowners! When you decide to sell your home and purchase another, tax rates, crime statistics, parks, etc. do influence your ability to sell, so do weigh your choices carefully. You can get detailed information on the web page of each city.

Newswires reported today that sales of new homes in the U. S. posted an unexpected gain in September although that improvement followed after sales had fallen to a record slow pace. The Commerce Department reported yesterday that sales of new homes rose by 4.8 percent in September – good news for an industry that had been forecasting that sales would fall by another 2.5 percent. In fact, that means the new home market in September performed 7.3 percent better than expected! Let’s continue to hope that the media doesn’t talk us right into a recession that really isn’t happening. This is a great time to turn to your real estate professionals on The Anne Lakusta Team and find a great buy on your perfect home. And that’s a fact, not just a sales pitch!

Comeback Cities: Top Places Ready for a Rebound

The following is a list of the 10 metro areas identified by Business 2.0 magazine,including their projected median sales prices for single-family homes and the percentage of growth expected in the next two years. While the numbers are moderate, they are a huge improvement over what's been happening in these cities and others.

1. Dallas-Ft. Worth
Q1 2008: $151,930
Q4 2009: $161,690
Growth Rate: 6.4%

2. Indianapolis
Growth rate: 6.3%

3. New Orleans
Growth rate: 5.7%

4. Atlanta
Growth rate: 5.6%

5. Montgomery, Ala
Growth rate: 5.5%

6. Memphis
Growth rate: 5%

7. Mobile, Ala
Growth rate: 4.7%

8. Austin, Tx
Growth rate: 4.7%

9. Houston, Tx
Growth rate: 4.6%

10. St. Louis, Mo
Growth rate: 4%

The mortgage business continues to make headlines and many of you are asking if it makes any difference to you as a homeowner, landlord, tenant or investor. Many of us play multiple roles in our real estate business dealings - owning more than one home, leasing commercial space, looking for an investment opportunity. The truth as we see it, is that the mortgage meltdown is continuing. Countrywide is the nation's largest overall residential funder.....but is also the biggest subprime orignator as well. Today Countrywide borrowed $11.5 billion to fund operations - which just cannot be a good thing. Countrywide has had a large presence in north Texas due to strong local representatives, but very little subprime business in our communities.
Many financial analysts believe that the subprime squeeze, where some buyers may now be ineligible for a loan or for as large a loan, may cause some valuations to come down at a time when interest rates remain historically low - which creates the perfect set of circumstances for solid buyers! The Mortgage Banker's Association reports that buyers with credit scores above 620 and 10% down can still get a desirable loan, funded quickly. Less qualified borrowers can also find funding, but the interest rates have increased on those loans - which follows the solid economic principle of increased risk = increased return. Nothing unusual or notable in that formula. If we all step back and ignore the hysteria, there is some good resulting from the tightening of loan criteria for mortgages, and our wonderful north Texas communities will continue to be highly desirable places to live!

As the 2nd quarter of the year ends, we are counting our many blessings for our dynamic DFW area economy! The Anne Lakusta Team closed almost $7,000,000 in real estate sales in the first half of the year. We have enjoyed a healthy balance of listings and buyers, just as the area marketplace has. We have seen investors make good purchases and other investors decide it was a good time to sell...and they all are happy with their decision to invest in real estate. The relocation market has been slower due to sluggish home sales on both the east and west coast, but companies continue to move employees and to make the necessary provisions to get their employees settled here. We have heard from many of you that successfully argued for a reduction in your appraised value, and we are always so happy to be of assistance to you in that process. We also are seeing our clients remodel, up date and add on to their homes and we have enjoyed sharing comparables and advice with them as well. Don't forget to call on us for all of your real estate needs!

It is an exciting time for us as we continue to grow our knowledge base and our client base in 2007. We are continuing to work with investors as buying clients and are now working with corporate investors as potential listing clients as well. While we hear national news about the crash of the subprime mortage lenders, here in north Texas our real estate market continues to be active and strong. We are seeing the number of foreclosures rise, but with the lease market remaining viable, residential prices are not decreasing as might be expected. Foreclosure listings require patience, skill and expertise to walk away with a truly good buy, but we are seeing them in the north Texas market daily. Banks will entertain multiple offers on foreclosures, holding offers for as long as 60 days while they wait to receive others. Banks accept no contingencies, expect a timely close and charge penalties for any delays. However, an offer packaged correctly, including information about comparable properties and repairs needed to the subject property to bring it up to comparable condition, can be successful. As you analyze your investment options, remember that real estate can provide a reliable, desirable passive income stream with an annual increase in equity!

For those of you dreaming of your relocation to Texas, let us tell you that today is 80 degrees and absolutely beautiful! And we know many of you are dreaming of a move to our beautiful north Texas area. As the real estate markets in other parts of the country struggle a bit, we hear from quite a few of our relocation customers that they are ready to move, but just can't get their home sold. The good news for those of you waiting on your home in another state to sell is that we are just coming into our busiest and best time of the year. There will be many lovely homes for you to choose from this spring in our area!. We are busy showing properties, doing market analysis for area homeowners and keeping current with inventory and expected selling periods - we'll be ready for you when you are ready to move! Whether you are considering just a move up/move down in our area or a big cross country move, we can't emphasize enough how important it is to go ahead and get in touch with us, so that we can begin to work with you in preparation. As the busy season approaches, an informed buyer, an informed seller and one of us as your well prepared agent can make any move smooth and stress free! Use our callonapro.com to search for properties in the north Texas area or visit remax.com to search for properties nationwide. Although it's only February, with a beautiful day like today, we all begin to have spring fever- so go ahead and call Anne, Daniel or Bobby today!

It is hard to believe that the first month of 2007 is drawing to a close. We are so blessed to have our business off to a great start for the year. It is a special pleasure to be visiting with so many of our past clients as they consider the possibility of moving this spring. The forecast for the north Dallas suburban real estate market is a strong one. Our current listings are enjoying a steady stream of lookers and we continue to hear from potential sellers and buyers at a rapid pace! That is good news for us all. If you did not receive our e-mail newsletter, you missed several important articles about our real estate market. You also missed the opportunity to order a recent report specific to the Dallas area on remodel & home improvement projects: cost versus value. If you would like a copy of the report or to sign up to receive our newsletter, please send us an e-mail at annel@rmdfw.com.

2007 is off to a busy and happy start for all of us here at The Anne Lakusta Team. Our newest member, Daniel Drews, is already busy with past clients and their referrals. Anne has listing appointments scheduled in Richardson, McKinney, Frisco, Plano, Flower Mound, Highland Village and Colleyville. Bobby is busy with repeat clients - which are always near & dear to our hearts! Listing coordinator, Carol Kyer, is busy creating new marketing tools for our listings and searching for upgrades to Anne's listing presentations & marketing analysis. Leslie Maddie, Administrative Assistant, has post cards ready to go out to our 2006 buyers reminding them to file for their homestead exemption and is hard at work preparing the January e-newsletter. ALL of us are committed to providing the best possible service in 2007 and are excited about the new technology that is available to assist us. January is a time for considering your options for the year, and we are always so honored to be asked to discuss move options. We can do a free market analysis anytime for you and are experienced in helping people either move up or move down - with the least stress possible! Call us today to schedule a "commitment-free" visit and we'll look forward to working with many of you this year!