About Oklahoma City and Area Real Estate

Too Much Information can cause confusion for home buyers if they try to go too fast.  If you’re considering buying a home, don’t give yourself a headache by trying to know it all.

It’s my experience that about 1 out 6 people that contact me requesting information about a home are ready to make an offer.  If this Oklahoma Realtor were going to buy a home, I would contact the lender of my choice and get my financial ducks in order.  This is one of the most important steps in purchasing a property. I hate to see families disappointed after looking for a home, then finding out they can’t afford what they have been looking at, or even quality for a loan of any value.

If a Lender informs you that you don’t have enough credit or there are some skeletons from the past that may be hurting your credit, don’t give up.  A good Lender should coach you in a direction to resolve your issues in hopes that you will succeed in your desire for home ownership.  

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  Don’t give up. 

Just living the Ameican Dream:

 Rick and Nancy Jackson

www.DreamsDoComeTrue.Us

There are many cyber traps related to Real Estate.  In the Oklahoma City area market as well as others, these clever links will surprise many who are searching for homes.  Being on the other end of the market, we have been contacted by companies many times, who wanted to sell us your information.

Many times, national syndicates will run sponsored ads to come up on the top of searches when you type in a specific  phrase for things in your area. These ads are guaranteed to be at the top and sometimes bottom of your search.  Since they appear so quick, a lot of us may think we have found what we are searching for.  You click on them and the next thing you know is you are filling in a lead capture box and answering questions instead of getting the information that you looking for.

The information you have given is then sold to random realtors and mortgage companies to entice you to use their services.  Although this probably will no cause any harm, you are not getting the personal attention you deserve if you are sincerely wanting help on buying or selling your home.

The web site (www.DreamsDoComeTrue.Us) is completely free for your use and does not require any information from you.  The information boxes are only if you are wanting to correspond via email.  We appreciate the opportunity to supply you with specific information concerning your real estate needs.

Dreams Do Come True also is a network of many realtors in the Oklahoma City and Edmond area that are a part of Point 2.  Point 2 allows many realtors and brokers to share listings so that buyers and sellers have more inventory and exposure.  This means that we are not just showing you are listings, but many listings from all over the area.  Many buyers think that Realtor only want to sell their listings.  However, many of us are more interested in buyers finding the home that fits their needs.

Also Dreams Do Come True offers an IDX gateway so that you can search for any home that is on the Oklahoma City MLS.  The web site also offers the option for you too receive listings that fit the search criteria of your specifications.

We hope you find this information helpful,  and wish you the best on the world wide web.

Rick and Nancy Jackson

www.DreamsDoComeTrue.Us

Enclosing your garage might be a great way to gain living space or add a bedroom in your Oklahoma City home.  If done properly, it can add square footage to your home.  However before you convert your garage to a living area you might want to think about a few things.

Is there any chance you will need to sell your home?  Having a garage is more important to some buyers than the living space that you need because your family has grown.

Do you know everything that has to be done to count your converted garage as living area if your thinking that the square footage gained will increase your home’s value?

Do you have a carport or enough area to add a shelter for your car?

Oklahoma City weather can produce thick ice or snow overnight on your transportation. Having something to keep the elements off your car or truck can really make a difference in the way your day starts after an overnight ice or snow storm.

If your answer to the first question is yes, you should know that a lot of buyers are looking for homes that they can keep their cars in. Also a lot a buyers just need the garage for space to keep tools and work related items in.&I almost enclosed a garage one time for the same reasons you may be considering this.  Now I'm glad that I didn't.  With the market like it is now, people are buying.  A lot of first time buyers will not settle for a home without a garage. Does this mean you can’t sell your home because you have enclosed your garage Certainly not.  We have seen a lot of homes sell that had no garage, or the garage had been converted.  These are just some thoughts you might want to consider before converting or buying a converted garage.

Bringing you things to consider:

Rick and Nancy Jackson

Dreams Do Come True

If you would like to receive listings that only pertain to what you are looking for, we would be happy to set you a custom search up using an IDX Gateway. With this option, you will receive listings the day they become on the market. The listing you receive will match the size, price, area, and everything else you are looking for in a home. This will help eliminate a lot homes that don't interest you and save a lot of time.

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The Oklahoma City MLS view of homes for sale is used by Realtors to find homes for clients that have contacted us and requested a home search.  Although I have written many articles about the different ways we can search for you a property that needs, I felt this picture might give you a better understanding of what we, the Realtor see.

The picture to the right only shows several of the options that Realtors have when setting up a search for home or investment property.  There are close to 100 more fields that you can't see that can be integrated in your search.

Sometimes more is not good.  For example you are looking for a Brick Home.  If the Realtor listing a property does not put Brick in the Construction equals Field,  this listing will not be selected in your search.

Other problems that make searches tricky are small cities inside bigger cities.  I have seen some listings that appear in Oklahoma City, but are actually in Warr Acre, Bethany, or Nichols Hills.

Even the map search is not always 100% accurate because when searching for homes using the map perimeters, listings in new areas will not always because the system doesn't always know about the new streets.

There are a lot of search strategies that go into finding the right property for you.  That's why Realtors need you to communicate and give them as much information about the home you are hoping to find as you can.  We may not use all of the information at once, but it helps us to formulate a search that will get you fantastic results.

Thank you for reading,

Rick and Nancy Jackson

Dreams Do Come True

Thoughts at the end of a long short sale started running through my head as I took a short break from an all afternoon closing Title Company near Gaillardia last week. 

As I stood outside on this hot summer’s day in Oklahoma City, I couldn’t help thinking of the buyers and the anticipation that they must be feeling.  It was almost over and the moment of joy was coming. 

This family had pursued a home that was in the hands of a bank.  Driving from out of state several times, they had searched diligently for just the right home that met their requirements.  After finding this home, they waited for nearly 3 months to find out if their offer would be accepted.  My hat is off to them for their patience and trust.

I also thought of the family the home had belonged to.  It was a bitter sweet moment as I watch the Title Company, Lending Agent, and Buyers come to the end of the path of home ownership.  An employee of the Title Company even offered to change a diaper for the Client who had a small child.  You don’t get service like that buying a car.

There are a lot of people involved in the process of buying a home under the best circumstances.  But I don’t think that I’m exaggerating to state that over 4 inches of paperwork had to be signed on this closing.  All parties involved performed at an excellence that was amazing.  Everyone conversed and seemed comfortable as the paperwork was examined and signed and keys were exchanged.

As an Oklahoma Realtor, getting to the Title Company with a Closing is very important.  As a Realtor we probably see the buying and selling process from a different perspective than many.  There are so many functions performed that it would take a book to explain them all.  It varies for each client and each property.  This is one of the reasons that good communication is so important.  Posting my thoughts about the end of a long short sale is just a way for us to share a little about what we think about and help you to know more about the buying and selling process.

Thanks for reading,

Rick and Nancy Jackson

Helping you make your Dreams Come True

How will real estate change?  If interest rates remain at the current low rate for the next few years, and sellers are waiting on the market to improve before putting their homes on the Oklahoma City MLS, will we see a reduction in inventory?

With the remaining listings in the Oklahoma City area, are buyers already struggling to find a nice home that is a perfect fit for their needs?

For the buyer who wants a few acres and cable Internet and TV, it’s already a challenge to find a home that is close enough to their work place in Oklahoma City.  For the retired person who wants to live on the golf course, they don’t give these properties away.  For the young single mother who doesn’t have the time or ability to make home repairs, but doesn’t want pay rent any longer, it is a challenge to find a move in ready home that is in great shape.

I have clients that have been looking for their perfect dream home for many months, some even years.  I don’t think their picky.  They just don’t have to upgrade and they are comfortable in their current home.  Also the Media plays a big part and causes fear in these times of uncertainty.

Some want to upgrade, but think that they can’t sell their house in today’s market.  They don’t see the loss in equity in their current home being a gain in equity of a larger home in today’s market with the low interest rates and the motivated sellers.

Real estate is subject to supply and demand like any other commodity, with the exception of location and investment purposes.  How will real estate change?  It’s going to be interesting.

Feel free to contact us with any question pertaining to your real estate needs and thanks for reading.

Rick and Nancy

Helping make your Dreams Come True  

There are many ways search for homes on the Oklahoma City MLS system.  One of the ways clients ask me to search for their home is by the zip code.  The zip code (ZONE IMPROVEMENT PLAN) was implemented in 1943 for large cities.

Using a current zip code map is one of the ways to narrow down the area that you might be interested in buying a home in a large metro area such as Oklahoma City or Edmond. 

There are many other methods so select your MLS search up in today’s Hi-Tech world.  You can visit our web site and locate homes for sale by going to our Easy Map page.  However, this is only a portion of homes that are available on the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Listing System or MLS.

Keeping you informed:

Rick and Nancy Jackson

www.DreamsDoComeTrue.Us

Seeing a residential home sale all the way through is not always as easy as one might think for a realtor.  After a buyer has met their requirements to purchase a home, selected a home, and have a signed contract, there is still the matter of getting all the parties to a closing.

A realtor that cares will often find themselves  keeping good communication flowing between the client, title company, inspectors, listing broker, and the financing company until everyone sets down at the table and smiles.

Sometimes last minute things come up in this ever changing world of real estate and the requirements and qualifications that go into sale of a home.

Occasionally one of the parties listed above will miss a step, run into a new problem, or even get a little attitude causing the closing process to stall out. 

A professional Realtor will keep looking for solutions to everyone’s needs and help accommodate all parties in any allowable fashion to keep your home buying process going forward.  Focusing on the main objective of getting you into your dream home is our primary goal.

Just a little more about what we do.

www.DreamsDoComeTrue.Us

Rick and Nancy Jackson

405-826-8599

What sticks out in Oklahoma City.  The Devon Tower.  It is now the tallest building in the Oklahoma City area.  Talk about big Real Estate.  But another thing I've seemed to notice are some of the really nice homes at great prices that are on the Oklahoma real estate market.

Lately we have seen some very nice homes that are priced really low.  The real estate inventory in the Oklahoma City market still has a lot of listings available.  But when you see those that are updated and move in ready for the price of a fixer upper, you just know someone will buy them soon.

Even though some of these homes are older, it doesn't make them any less valuable.  We have seen homes built in the 1940s sell for over $84 per foot.  Homes that had detached garages and no central heat and air.   Why do they bring so much?  Location, quality of build, and precious.

We have seen homes built in the 1960s, and 1970 that were updated looked really nice for an affordable price.

It's hard to say how long this will stick out.  But if you consider buying a home, and don't think you can afford a new home the size you want, consider some of the current listings on the Oklahoma City market.  There are homes out there to fit your needs.  You would be amazed how low your payments would be at the below 5 interest rates available.

Give us a call today if you would like us to help you find a nice home for sale in the Oklahoma City area and Edmond housing market.

Just keeping you up to date on Real Estate:

Rick and Nancy Jackson

405-826-8599 Rick

405-921-8449 Nancy

Dreams Do Come True.  Let us help you. 

Keeping your home safe can be rewarding and fun to do.  Many times the things we do on a normal day to day routine produces a safe environment.

Keeping the lawn in good shape not only gives your home more curb appeal, but lowers the chances of a fire spreading from another area to your home.  Keeping bushes, leaves, and other growth away from your exterior walls helps also to prevent foundation problems and control insects that may be harmful or damaging to your home.

Keeping your garage clean and organized is another area that some of us neglect.  Combustibles such as paint, gas, and cleaners should always be treated with respect.

It's also very easy to start out with an extra extension cord in your home and branch it off to 15 different powered devices.  Remember there are just 2 little wires to supply everything you have plugged into your wall per outlet.  Also some breaker boxes hang in weather for long periods of time.  They can become filled with insects.  Sometimes breakers won't trip when they are supposed to due to corrosion.  The purpose of breaker is to stop the flow of electricity of the wires coming from it.  If the wires pull more amperage than they are rated for by being overloaded or a direct short the breaker should trip.

Homes with wood burning stoves or fireplaces should have the chimney cleaned and inspected along with the insert periodically.  Every winter when you first build a fire, you should make sure the chimney is clear of anything that might burn or prevent smoke and sparks from going up and out.  If you have an attic fan, it should never be turned on if the fireplace is going.

Water hoses that are connected to the outside of the home during winter can cause the plumbing to freeze and even burst.

Most of us know these things.  They have become a way of life for some of us older home owners.  Others have learned the hard way.  I'm writing this to help that one person from going through a bad experience that could have been avoided.

 Each season, I evaluate the primary concerns that we all hear about on the news.  There are many tragic things we don't hear about.  I know several Firefighters and they want you to keep your homes safe too.

Please keep your home safe.  It is your castle.

Rick and Nancy Jackson

Dreams Do Come True