Real Estate Information...and Beyond!

A ton of information about - everything!

2006-06-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

I am always looking for bigger and better tools for marketing, the latest and up to date real estate information, and news on market trends. Sometimes I find really useful sites. Then there are other times when I find a site that makes me feel sympathy for the poor sap sitting on the other side of cyber space spending all of his time creating something that people laugh at. But then again, that poor sap may be getting paid a ludicrous amount of money to creat junk. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to laugh.

Anyway, I did find a very useful site, not only for me as a person concerned with our clients in the real estate industry, but it is useful for me as the family man who owns a home, has a wife, a daughter, and a dog. It is called Sperling's Best Places.

Basically you go to this website, type in a zip code of your preference, and it will pull up a map with a bunch of little blue menu items to the left of the map. The menu items give you options of what you'd like to find out about that particular zip code area. For instance, if you'd like to know about the people, economy, housing conditions, crime rates, climate average, or education statistics, all you have to do is click on the blue menu item. You will then be given a plethora of extremely useful information about your area of choice.

I typed in my own zip code. Here is just a very, very small taste of what I found out when I clicked on the "Employment" menu choice: Unemployment Rate - 5.10%, Recent Job Growth - 2.97%, Future Job Growth - 22.87%, Sales Taxes - 7.75%. Now, that's only part of what I was offered. I was also offered these statistics juxtaposed against those of the average across the United States.

For a consumer in San Antonio this is just good information to have. For a potential Seller it is useful in considering a sale price and so forth. For a potential Buyer it is useful in making a decision on what area you wish to move to. For a real estate Agent it is great because it aids in effectively considering all facts on a particular area.

So, if you have a minute you should stop by Sterling's Best Places.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

The woes of searching for a job!!!

2006-06-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

If anyone of you have ever had to scour through the classifieds, pen in hand, sifting through the multitude of "Models Needed" ads, "Earn $5000 a week ads," and/or the "67 years of experience necessary" ads, then you can empathize with those out there who are in need of employment. And if this is you, currently, then I hope this blog will alleviate some of the frustrations you may be experiencing.

The Internet is a very powerful and convenient resource for just about anything. Particularly, in this case, it is a great resource for making things easier as you search for employment. For instance, there is a web-site specific to San Antonio called SanAntonioJobs.Com. This web-site offers a person the ease of typing in a specific search that is catered to their expertise, and then getting a string of results back fit to their search criteria. This site is free of charge.

But it gets better. Let's say that you are a specific religion (we will use the Protestant faith as the example) and would like to work in an environment with people who are like-minded. Then you can check out ChristianJobs.Com and post a resume, look for employment opportunities, and simultaneously be doing their online devotional or checking out the latest praise and worship artist out there. It really is just that simple.

I've given you two examples, but there are a multitude more. I encourage you to go to Google's search engine, type in a search specific to your needs, and then begin to surf. For example, let's say that you reside here in San Antonio and you need a job. Go to Google's web-site and type in "san antonio employment." Then sit back and be overwhelmed with the opportunities.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Is Time Warner the only and/or best option?

2006-05-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

I had an interesting thing happen to me the other day. I was talking with Kathy King, the owner of The Owen Group. She saw the name Grande Communications on one of the letters we send out to our clients. She asked me who Grande Communications was. I kind of gave her a blank stare for a moment, and then said, "Are you being serious?" The blank stare was returned to me. She then responded, "Yes, I am."

This led me to walk around our office and take a spontaneous poll of just who had and had not heard of Grande Communications. To my surprise, the number of those who had not heard of Grande Communications juxtaposed to the number of those who had was shockingly one-sided. I felt very...well, surprised! The fact that so few people had heard of Grande Communications doesn't say much for their advertising, but this does not carry any service and pricing implications. And this is the point of my blog.

Time Warner, much like Google, kind of has the monopoly, at least in San Antonio, when it comes to cable, phone, and Internet service. Everyone is familiar with Time Warner, and everyone has seen the stupid road runner logo:

But how many of you are familiar with this logo:

While the former logo may catch your immediate attention, and while the latter logo may invoke emotions of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...you may just want to wake up from your Internet slumber and take a look at what they have to offer.

Grande Communications has a variety of products to offer that rival Time Warner right down to the very bandwidth. In fact, I have found that in most instances Grande Communication is better priced than Time Warner.

If there are any Grande Communication users out there, please give us some feedback on their services, support, and pricing.

Ok, there, I've done a good deed for the day. :)

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Real Estate showings have slowed down...

2006-05-26T09:58:00.000-05:00

Currently the market is a bit slow where showings are concerned. It's a Seller's market, per Realty Times statistics, and the average sales price has gone up, and yet showings are still slow (http://realtytimes.com/rtmcrloc/Texas~San_Antonio). Why?

According to research done by Realtor.Org and the National Association of Realtors, the real estate market is taking a breather of sorts. All across the United States there were record sales last year. But with the mortgage rates increasing, people are having to adjust. In addition to this there is the fluctuation of gas prices. We jumped from about $2.50 (on average) a gallon to anywhere from $2.60 to $2.85 a gallon. That is a substantial increase. Added to these 2 factors is the boom in new home construction. Some people are speculating that it's just a tad overwhelming to the consumer.

But all of you Seller's out there - don't fret!!!

In any dialogue or philosophy all the terms have to be defined so that erroneous assumptions aren't made, erred conclusions aren't drawn, and miscommunication doesn't happen. For example, just what do I mean when I say that the showings have "slowed down"? Do I mean that they've gone from 10 to 2, 20 to 1, or 15 to 12? Have the showings slightly slowed down, or have they ceased all together? Do you see what I'm saying? So, let me explain the term "slowed down."

Typically in late May and moving into June we are overrun with showings. On most properties, depending upon price and location, there are an average of 5-6 showings per week. Currently it seems as though the average would be 2-3. Now, putting this into perspective makes it seem a little easier to swallow, doesn't it? Keep in mind also that we are in fact about to move into the busy season. June and July have always been our busiest months. School just let out yesterday. So there are a lot of factors to keep in mind where showings and real estate are concerned.

Take a look at this site:

http://www.realtor.org/PublicAffairsWeb.nsf/Pages/MayForecast06

If you have any questions, comments, or general thoughts, please post them.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

A new coffee house in S.A.

2006-05-25T10:39:00.000-05:00

We all know who has the monopoly on coffee sales around the world. I'll give you a hint -

I'm fairly certain that all of us at one point or another have uttered the words, "Grande Latte please," or, "Triple Venti Cappucino." Maybe your beverage of choice is a Caramel Machiato, Frappucino, or just a plain old coffee of the day. Regardless, most of us love coffee and have given money to Starbucks. I mean, um, the folks who seem to have the monopoly.

What is the draw to this place anyway? If you want to meet a friend somewhere for a cup of java and some conversation, it is typically this place that is chosen. It is the hangout for college kids who are studying, writing papers, or just reading. It is the meeting place for pyramid scheme businesses. It is the hot spot for Agents to meet their clients and write up contracts. It's just a busy, busy place. And I think part of the draw is familiarity, being known by the employees when you walk through the door, and consistent customer service. But is this place the only place to find these things?

San Antonio has a new coffee house chain. It is called "It's A Grind." Based in Long Beach California, this coffee house chain offers a strikingly similar atmosphere to their competitor, but with one advantage over the competition - price!!! I mean let's be honest. Some of us have taken a look at our bank statement at the end of the month and said, "Did I just have a momentary lapse of reason this month by spending that much money on coffee?" And it's true - the monopoly does charge quite a bit for a few ground up beans, some milk, and a cup. But what are some of the other advantages of this new place vs. the old?

Says owner, Kim Montgomery, The chain offers and array of coffee and tea based drinks and pastries - all served in an environment that the company's web-site describes as "a neighborhood coffee house with a blues and jazz motif."

The ambience of the stores, says Kowalski (vice president of operations), is one of the key features that has made It's A Grind a worthy competitor with the Starbuck's enterprise.

Kowalski says that the stores feature high back chairs that you don't so much as sit in, as you do sink into. We invite our customers to stay and relax, says Kowalski. We want to have the neighborhood coffee house feel. People love it, Montgomery adds. They love the product, the furniture, the atmosphere -- they do stay.

Make sure and check out It's A Grind. It is located at 11255 Huebner Rd.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Information about Buyers

2006-05-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

Marty Kramer, from Texas Realtor magazine, wrote an interesting article in the April 2006 issue. It is entitled "What are they thinking?" The "they" in the title refers to Buyers and Sellers. The subtitle says, "Sellers' attitudes, buyer's Internet use, why FSBO's don't want your services, and other results from the Texas 2005 Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers."

Of particular interest to me was some of the statistics given concerning Buyers. Research showed the following:

Where buyer first learned about home purchased

2004 2005

Real Estate Agent 34% 32%
Internet 17% 25%
Yard signs 16% 17%
Home builder or their agent 15% 15%
Friend, neighbor, or relative 6% 6%
Knew the seller 4% 2%
Print newspaper advertisement 3% 2%
Home book or magazine 1% 1%
Other 3% --

Action taken as a result of home search

Drove by or viewed a home 73%
Walked through a home viewed online 60%
Requested more information 24%
Found agent used to assist in the
search or purchase of a home 20%
Contacted builder or developer 18%
Prequalified for a mortgage online 7%
Applied for a mortgage online 7%
Found a mortgage lender online 5%

These statistics prove a point. Namely, that the value of a licensed, professional, and authentic Realtor is still treasured. Yes, granted, the statistics for 2006 have not yet come out. But I'd be willing to bet that the percentage of Buyers who found a home through a real estate Agent doesn't differ much from 2005 to date. In fact, since the Internet is now a stunning and powerful tool for Buyers to find a home at their convenience, I'd not be surprised if we learned that the percentage of Buyers who learn about their home through an Agent in 2006 doesn't increase over and above last year. How?, you may ask. Well, if Buyers are out there searching the Internet and they find a particular home that sparks their interest, contact the Agent to view the home, but then realize that the Internet can be extremely deceiving when it comes to how a home actually looks (especially in light of the fact that some Realtors out there use Photoshop to alter the original pictures of the home), then it is very probably that they will become very, very willing to listen to a professional on the issue vs. leaning upon their own Internet search. Yet the Internet is what got the Buyer their in the first place. So, the two, i.e. the Internet and Agents, walk hand-in-hand in function and purpose.

I'll keep my eye open for statistics such as this in a few of the other magazines I view. Maybe they will offer differing statistics. Then again maybe they will only affirm what this article says.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Gimmicks to watch out for!

2006-05-19T14:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I mentioned that there are many Realtors and Agents out there who are using gimmicks to lure in people. I also forewarned readers to beware these gimmicks. They, like the proverbial book, aren't to be judged by their cover. The adage, "sounds too good to be true," is very fitting in most instances where these gimmicks are concerned.

For instance, you may see an advertisement in a magazine, on the Internet, or even on the side of a van that says, "We will sell your home for free..." Often times, in fact, most times, there is no fine print below, above, or present, explaining the catch. And believe me, there is a catch. I mean honestly, would an Agent of any brokerage sell a home for free??? Or, you may see an advertisement that says, "We will sell your home in 24 hours...guaranteed!" When the general public sees an ad like this the immediate thought is, "Wow, in the real estate market the competition is high. Agents are doing everything they can to grab Clients. This person is really putting themselves on the line." Now, they are in fact putting themselves on the line, but not in the way the consumer may be thinking. Another advertisement that is pretty popular is, "We will sell your home in ______ days or we will buy it!" This advertisement is more true than not. Your home will be purchased, but at what price? My point is that these advertisements are very misleading. They are borderline deceptive.

I had an interesting conversation with an attorney at the Texas Real Estate Commission today. I explained to her a hypothetical scenario. My hypothetical scenario was a "what if" type of event. For example, what if I said this, that, or the other in my advertising as an Agent or Realtor? She immediately let me know that I was being deceptive and/or misleading. I agreed. It was an enlightening conversation.

Now, some of you reading this may say, "Gosh, aren't you kind of shooting yourself in the foot? You aren't going to be able to use these gimmicks now. You have knowledge of their motive." No, we aren't shooting ourselves in the foot. We don't use these kinds of gimmicks. We never have. Call us here at The Owen Group old fashioned, but we believe in stellar Client service as the best tool for growing and sustaining our business. Smoke and mirrors aren't necessary. When we advertise, "Wow - under contract in 8 days," that's because the home went on the market 8 days earlier and had a receipted contract on it in 8 days. Or, when we advertise, "This home sold in _____ weeks," it really did. Or when we advertise that we give unique and preeminent service, we really do. You see, if we advertised using gimmicks then we'd be more worried about avoiding the catch in the gimmick than we would be concerned about you - the Client. Thus, you'd suffer. This is unacceptable.

Agents have enough trouble competing against each other in the marketplace without gimmicks. And Agents who advertise like this, in many instances, give the rest of us bad names who work in this industry. There are enough car salesmen in the world.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Very pertinent information!

2006-05-18T10:40:00.004-05:00

First things first:

Spurs 98
Mavs 97

Need I say more?

Now on to the pertinent information. Remember how I talked about Zillow.Com? I read an article in the Real Estate Journal that echoed my sentiments about the innacuracies and risks in seeking valuable information from these sites. Take a look at this --

And as many home voyeurs have learned, the sites' information can be far from complete. Their operators concede some of the information about homes they get from data providers and government sources may be outdated or contain inaccuracies. A number of states and counties don't provide actual sales prices as part of the public record. (Often, the prices can be estimated using other public data.) Market oddities make other information hard to obtain: Sales data for New York cooperative apartments, for example, are typically not filed with the county. In other cases, the sites haven't yet gathered the information: Zillow says it hasn't yet obtained data yet from states, including New Hampshire and Maine. (In all, Zillow says it has data on about 65 million homes, and valuation estimates for 47 million.)

The sites also don't guarantee accuracy of the prices they furnish. Their operators say their current home-price estimates are based on complex formulas that factor in elements such as recent sale prices for comparable homes in the neighborhood. But these estimates can vary from the going market price, for example, if owners have made significant renovations. Most of the time, the services say, they're within 10% of the actual market price (emphasis mine - Real Estate Journal concerning Zillow.Com).

However, regardless of these knowns facts concerning such inaccuracies, variables, and less than reliable formulas, people are flocking to Zillow.Com and sites just like it. So just what is the draw? According to this article it has a great deal to do with, well, um, snooping. People like to see what other people paid for their homes, especially their friends, family, and employers. Take a look at this blurb:

With the new tools, consumers are going on a snooping spree. Philip Koss says he has keyed in his own home, searched friends' places -- even Zillowed his boss. (He got the address from an office Christmas-party invitation; the boss's place was valued at about $2 million). Recently, after receiving an invitation to dinner at the new home of some friends, the 32-year-old architect in Pasadena, Calif. and his wife searched that address, too. Before dinner, as the friends showed off their small fixer-upper, Mr. Koss and his wife struggled to contain their disbelief. After the tour, his wife leaned over to confide: "I can't believe they paid $780,000 for this thing."

So Zillow.Com (and sites like it) is doing more than just feeding Buyers and Sellers wrong information, and thus making it very difficult for Realtors to do their job without a fair amount of opposition. Sites like this are also causing a little jealousy, ridicule, and even feelings of guilt. Note what one woman said concerning the, let's call it, "snoopy effect:"

Home-value searches have turned into something of a parlor game. After a wedding last month, Yvonne Bylund and a handful of other guests retired to a friend's home, where talk turned to real estate. Soon the party was gathered around a computer, firing out potential search targets. Women fished their address books out of their purses, says the 49-year-old, who lives in Anaheim, Calif. One man pulled up his ex-wife's address, while a woman checked on her ex-husband. One guest was stunned to learn the price of her boss's house. "We all felt kind of guilty," says Ms. Bylund."

Folks, there are so many purported great sites out there that allegedly offer such great services, but just as you heed the old adage, "Never judge a book by its cover," so too heed the new adage, "Not all that is novel is necessarily of value." That's probably not a new adage, but I like to think that I just made it up. :)

As well, there are a lot of gimmicks out there that real estate Agents are now getting into. This will be the focus of my next blog. I hope to educate all of us a little further so that we, the Agents and Admin staff, aren't sucked into competition with these people, and you, the Buyer/Seller aren't fooled by them.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Get the latest Real Estate news

2006-05-15T14:39:00.000-05:00

First, I want to thank everyone for visiting this Blog site. The response has been fairly overwhelming. Apparently many of you are finding this to be a very useful tool. Please feel free to place a comment on the blog, or you can e-mail me personally with any ideas or suggestions. Or, better yet, send us a referral as a thank you. :)

Now, on to what is going to be of great use to you, the Client. I found a site where you can get the latest Real Estate news in the entire Texas area delivered right to your e-mail. It may make some of what I blog "old news" to you, but I'm doing this to be of service to you, not for popularity.

The web-site, RECON, has a TON of information on it about anything and everything going on in Texas. Yes, there is a great deal of information about San Antonio as well. All you have to do is enter your e-mail into the box at the top left of the web-site. That's it.

Again, please feel free to send me some suggestions or tips on what would make this web-site more useful to you. I'd really appreciate the information.

Have a super day! And remember...

Dustin...The Owen Group!

I'm back!

2006-05-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

Hi folks,

Yes, I made it back safely. I am back in the office and ready to implement what I've learned -- one...step...at...a...time! :)

If you ever head to Austin for any reason, and you are looking for a hotel, I do not recommend staying at the Hilton. Wow was it expensive?! In addition to the room rates, there is a charge for everything you can imagine. In fact, there is even a charge to use a computer in the Business Center. I could not believe it. I hooked my laptop up in the room so that I could check showings and feedback and possibly blog once or twice in order to update all of you, but then I saw that there was a $9.95 a day charge for the Internet. So, thought I, I'll go down to the Business Center. That's when I found out there was a charge for every 15 minutes I was on the computer. This would explain my not blogging during my time in Austin.

For an incredibly comfortable, affordable, gracious, and stellar stay, visit the Hampton Inn:

http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=AUSDTHX

To all of our active Clients - I have already made my phone calls to check on showing and feedback. So you will be hearing from me this afternoon.

I hope to blog a little later concerning some of the stuff that I learned. This will all depend on how quickly I get everything done that I need to get done.

And NO - I don't want to hear from ANY Maverick fans.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Off to get some more training!

2006-05-08T12:24:00.000-05:00

I wanted to inform you all that I, Dustin Curlee, will be out of the office from noon Tuesday (5-9-06) to Friday afternoon (5-12-06). Why? Well, The Owen Group takes training very seriously. We never like to become stagnant. If we aren't learning something to make us a better force for you, then we aren't doing our job. Presently there is what is called an MREA Base Camp being held in Austin, Texas.

What is an MREA Base Camp? It stands for Millionaire Real Estate Agent Base Camp. It is held at a conference center in Austin, Texas by Keller Williams National twice annually. The Instructors are Keller Williams Agents from all over the nation who work for the biggest teams in the world. It is a fantastic opportunity to grow by leaps and bounds in all areas of our areas of expertise. I attended this training in November of '05. It was incredible. I was further trained in managing and servicing listings. As well, I had some extra training in making the admin part of our office more efficient. This year I will be trained in tracking, servicing, and systematizing leads so that no one is ever not cared for when they contact us. I am really excited. It is fast! It is furious! It is comprehensive! It is well worth it.

Don't fret though. I will still be checking CSS from the wireless connection at the hotel. I will also have my cell phone so that all the Agents can contact me anytime during the day. I will be checking my e-mail as well. If you have any needs during this 3 1/2 days of training that need my particular attention, please call the office at 210-493-3030 and ask for The Owen Group. There is a staff of people here who are always available.

Oh, by the way, did anyone watch that game? The Maverick's got introduced to a few people.

Hi, my name is Tim Duncan and I block your shots.

Hi, my name is Manu Ginobli and I confuse you with my athletic freak skills.

Hi, my name is Tony Parker and you can't stop me from driving the lane:

Needless to say I held my breath the last 4 seconds of the game. Did you? Tuesday night everyone - yes, Tuesday night.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Zillow.Com - reliable or not?

2006-05-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

Some of you may be familiar with Zillow.Com, and some of you may not. In short, it is a web-site that offers Buyers the ability to compare home prices to avoid over paying for a home; Sellers have the ability to Zillow's valuation tools to compare the comps in their area; and it gives Owner's the advantage of tracking the value of their most important asset. This web-site also features Satelite imagery when looking at neighborhoods and homes. For instance, here is an image of Keller Williams (where I am sitting right now):

http://www.zillow.com/search/Search.htm?addrstrthood=16350+Blanco+Rd+%23110&citystatezip=San+Antonio%2C+Texas&mode=search

Pretty neat huh? But remember, don't always judge a book by its cover -- even if said book looks really, really nifty on the outside. Why do I say this?

Well, while many of the features of Zillow.Com are indeed helpful and very modern, it is also still in Beta form (which means it's not out of testing phase yet). In fact, their site says this, "This is a beta site. You can see exactly what we have in our Data Coverage and Zestimate™ Accuracy table. We will add and improve home information as we grow." This means that they aren't reliable for wrong information. And the more I check, the more I see wrong information. In fact, as a rule, it seems as though the prices are off by about $5-10K. So, let's say that you go to this site to get a rough appraisal of your home, or you look on here to get an estimate of the appraisal value of a home that you are interested in buying, and thus, basing what you may offer on what Zillow.Com says, will you get the right price? Maybe, but more than likely not.

I have been spending quite a bit of time on this web-site today checking our Active listings, Zillow appraisal prices, and going over the homes we've recently sold and comparing the actual appraisal price to what Zillow quotes. It's consistently off. Some are off by about 8%, while others are off much, much more. Now, just so that I'm being fair, you may hit the nail right on the head when you go there. There were a few quotes that came in right on the money (pun intended).

Just be very cautious. Don't be sucked in by the cool buttons and graphics. After all, the price you sell your home for, or the price you offer on a home you deeply desire is a very important price indeed! This is precisely the reason why you have professional real estate agents, like your Realtors here at The Owen Group, who work very hard to give you service far above and beyond your expectations!

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Gas prices in San Antonio...

2006-05-04T12:57:00.000-05:00

(Read all the way to the bottom so you can see our gift to you)

The average for a gallon of gasoline in Texas is currently more than 40 cents higher than what Texas motorists paid only a month ago.

That's according to AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch.AAA Texas officials say gas prices in the Lone Star State averaged just under $2.30 a gallon last month.

Today, the statewide average price for a gallon of regular self serve is nearly $2.73, up 14 cents in one week.According to the survey, Dallas motorists are paying the highest prices at $2.81 a gallon. That represents a weekly increase of 14 cents. The lowest average can be found in Corpus Christi at $2.65 a gallon, up 16 cents since last week.

In San Antonio, gas currently costs just under $2.76 per gallon, according to AAA Texas. That's up 16.4 cents from a week ago and 9.2 cents compared to a year ago."Crude prices pushed near the all-time record high of $70.85 earlier this week amid concerns that shipments from Iran, Nigeria and Iraq were in jeopardy," says Rose Rougeau, spokeswoman for AAA Texas. "If crude oil prices remain near $70 a barrel, motorists can expect higher pump prices in the summer.

"The national average for regular self-serve gasoline is almost $2.72 a gallon. That's 12 cents higher than a week ago.

(Source can be found at: http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com

AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline in Texas.
___________________________

I think we are all feeling the effects of this. It is true that gas prices are just ridiculous. In fact, this article was written almost 3 weeks ago. Since that time the gas prices have actually reached even greater heights, while our gas tanks reach greater depths. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Kind of.Go the the link below and take a look at Gas Buddy's great web-site. You can look at your state and city and find the cheapest stations that offer the lowest prices. Take a look:

http://www.gasbuddy.com/

Happy traveling,

Dustin...The Owen Group!

Current state of the showings...

2006-05-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that the showings have...S...L...O...W...E...D...down a bit. If I could paint a picture to encapsulate what the last week looked like, it would be something like this:

Now, why might it be that the showings have slowed down so much just over the last week?! I'll give you one hint --

Downtown, annual celebration, tons of high calorie food, crowds, Riverwalk - ok, maybe that was more than one hint. Yes you guessed it - FIESTA!!!

Currently we, The Owen Group, have almost 15 active Sellers on the market. This is a little above average for this time of year, but nothing overwhelming at all. When I logged on to CSS today (Centralized Showing Service, www.css-showings.com) I was very surprised to see so few showings. And then I remembered about Fiesta. Indeed, San Antonian's catch "the fever." Needless to say, if you were sitting in your home yesterday getting ready for the Spurs game to come on, and were thinking to yourself, "Self, why have there been so few showings," rest assured that it wasn't just you. Every Listing we have right now saw very few showings, with the exception of one or two.

My only hope is that the showings aren't stifled again this week because of that, um, performance (?) from our Spurs last night. I'm as die hard a fan as they come and even I turned off the TV with 4 minutes left. Please, please pray for Tuesday night.

Dustin...The Owen Group!

A great web-site for in-depth information about your San Antonio area

2006-04-26T15:57:00.000-05:00

Good Wednesday afternoon,

This post may not apply to everyone. It is concerning the capping situation within the North East Independent School District.

Many of you are already aware of the NEISD capping scenario. I found a web-site with a plethora of information about the entire process. Within this NEISD web-site you will find power point presentations, PDF files, maps of the capping lines, and even an interactive link where you can type in the school name and it will provide you with the necessary information. Here is the link:

http://www.neisd.net/boundaries.htm

If you have any questions concerning exactly what is going on, and if this site doesn't answer your questions, please feel free to call us or e-mail.

Have a great day!

Dustin...The Owen Group!
www.owengrouphomes.com

An introduction...

2006-04-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

The Owen Group is constantly doing research to stay on top of the latest trends, technology, and client service opportunities. As of late, one of the greatest sources of communication is the Blog world. Not only does this medium allow us to keep you updated on the current market temperature, the latest real estate trends, and other real estate related information, but it also gives us the opportunity to let you know what we are doing to better ourselves for you, the client!

Please be patient with us in the beginning as we work out the bugs in the template and iron out the wrinkles in effectiveness. Also, we truly appreciate any ideas or feedback. After all, we are doing this for you. So if you have any thoughts please feel free to e-mail us at dustin@owengrouphomes.com.

More to come very soon!

Dustin...The Owen Group!
www.owengrouphomes.com