What a fun and whimsical shopping experience! Girlfriends is a unique and quaint boutique located in historic downtown Rowlett and is owned and operated by Cheryl Fitzgerald, a long time resident of Rowlett. “Girlfriends” was opened 7 years ago to provide a new and exciting shopping experience for the Rowlett and Rockwall communities. The store has a great selection of reasonably priced designer clothing, accessories and novelty items for newborns, juniors and Missy shoppers! Bring your girlfriends and come experience the fun! Don’t forget print this newsletter and present for a 10% discount!

This is the coolest store ever!
Ashley E.

Girlfriends is an awesome place to find gifts other stores don’t have!
Carrie P.

I love this store! Its so much fun to shop at Girlfriends!
Hannah R.

This is a store me & my mom like to go to together!
Kaylie K.

Girlfriends

3706 Main Street
Rowlett, Texas  75088

Phone: 214-703-0057

Website: http://www.girlfriends-shop.com

Rockwall is the smallest county in the state of Texas, yet it’s the 2nd wealthiest for median income! With a population of approximately 29,500 people in a 22.6 square mile radius, Rockwall has emerged from obscurity to be recognized as one of the best places to live according to Family Circle Magazine.

The Mayor of Rockwall is Bill Cecil and his commitment to Rockwall has been unprecedented. He takes pride in the people and the community that’s made Rockwall “the best city with a small town feel.” Cecil was elected mayor of Rockwall 5 years ago after serving on the City council. He’s originally from Norfolk, Virginia, retired from the Air Force Reserves after 39 years of service and the Department of Defense at Bell Helicopter. He accepted a position with E-Systems (now L3) in Greenville and moved his family to Rockwall based on the advice of a friend.

Since his move to Rockwall many years ago, Mayor Cecil has been an advocate for improving the quality of life in Rockwall. He serves on a number of subcommittees such as Chair of the Harbor Tax Incentive Board, Chair of the Rockwall County Emergency Services and Certification, involvement in the Women’s League, and the Arts and Preservation of Historic Downtown Rockwall.

In addition, Mayor Cecil has been focused on community improvement. He shared with me some exciting news about a new project called “Hill Above the Harbor”. This 65 acre mixed use development will be the “Entryway to Rockwall” with class “A” offices, single family condo’s, restaurants, and unique shopping (you can get more information regarding this planned development by contacting the City of Rockwall). The Mayor has been successful in securing transportation and road improvement dollars. As a result, new construction of John King Blvd. as an option for Hwy. 205 will begin March 2010 and will provide easy access for North and South Rockwall.

The benefits of living and working in Rockwall are many. Rockwall is known for luxury lakefront living, but it also has various economic levels of housing, a wide variety of restaurants, shopping, a winery, three state-of-the-art hospitals and one of the best school districts in the state. Mayor Cecil has accomplished many things during his term as Mayor and believes we all have a responsibility to give back to the community and improving the quality of life for everyone.

What’s the most important benefit of selling your home without a professional Realtor? It usually comes down to one main reason – Profit. However, the thing most people don’t understand is that the seller is not paying an individual agent the full commission just for “selling your home.” The commission is split between the services of the Broker, the selling agent, the marketing and the buyers agent. These are the very things that get your home sold quickly!

The National Association of Realtors has determined that on average, homes sold “For Sale by Owner” sell for less money than those listed with a Realtor. Often times the seller does not price their home correctly. Also buyers feel that a seller that is avoiding paying real estate commissions should take the difference off the price. So, you likely won’t walk away with any more than if you had used a Realtor, and yet you will have paid for everything out of pocket and suffered the inconvenience of scheduling, showing and verifying the qualifications of each and every potential buyer.

If you want to lower your risk, you need to hire a Realtor. When you have a Realtor as an advocate, you share the risk of the transaction with your agent. Otherwise, it’s buyer and seller beware! Incredibly, many states do not have laws or regulatory bodies in place that protect homebuyers in many situations. If you have a Realtor as your advocate, that person will guide you to buying or selling a home that is safe, environmentally sound and priced fairly according to the current marketplace. By hiring a Realtor you are lowering your risk of ending up in court. Did you know that there is a day set aside at the Johnson County Court House to hear real estate court proceedings?

Realtors work for you at their own risk. Can you name another profession that will work for you on a contingency basis? Even attorneys charge by the hour. You don’t pay for any services up front with a Realtor because agents are paid at closing through lender proceeds. When you think about it, that’s an incredible endorsement that a lender is willing to finance your brokerage fees. That means you and the seller have no out-of-pocket expenses. Therefore, it’s in your agent’s best interest to work quickly, diligently, and use all resources to help you meet your goals, or there is no payday. But don’t be surprised if your agent asks for a commitment from you in the form of a contract. Wouldn’t you do the same if your time and money were on the line?

Realtors understand the market. Real estate professionals have invaluable resources that translate into experience which cannot be learned overnight. Rising and falling interest rates affect the number of available homes and thus the number of potential buyers and sellers. All it takes is changes in the existence of a major employer, and hundreds of homes in a neighborhood can be affected. As neighborhood experts, experienced brokers and agents will help you with buying and selling strategies and proposals that will get you the best price and terms.

Realtors know the inventory. Do you want to find a home quickly? With a Realtor by your side over four-fifths of existing homes in the United States are represented by real estate brokers. So are 70 percent of new home builders and their products, according to NewHomeNetwork.com Realtors cooperate with each other through an organization called the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that allows them to share their current inventory with each other. Your agent can also show you homes outside of the MLS inventory, including “For Sale by Owner” homes, new builder homes, and even expired listings and soon to be on the market. Again, Realtors have information and resources you don’t have.

Realtors understand difficult transactions. Less than a decade ago, a home could be bought with a simple two page contract. Now transactions are much more complicated and require seller’s disclosures, environmental and structural reports, survey report and various other documents that have turned a transaction into a legal minefield. Realtors work with contracts every day and can interpret which points are harmful and/or beneficial to you. If you found out a neighbor to the house you are buying is building a new fence, would you know to request a survey to ensure that the new fence doesn’t encroach on your new property? Would you know which survey companies were more reliable than others?

Realtors work for you and your best interest. Buyers and sellers are natural adversaries. You want to buy for the least price, and the seller wants the most. Agents are skilled negotiators to keep many heated issues from getting in the way of a fair deal on both sides.

Thanks in part to Realtors, more than 67 percent of the population are enjoying the benefits of owning a home. So keep in mind that every time you put a Realtor to work, you are working to keep your homeowner benefits in place. So, save yourself from a legal minefield and hire a professional Realtor!

Then a colossal market collapse sent the economy to the brink of chaos. Banks were being bailed out, a new President was elected, a war was on our minds, and people were wanting “new change.”

The Feds at the time made some adjustments that put a band-aid on the economy. One such adjustment was its backstopping of the mortgage-backed securities to the tune of $1,250,000,000,000. That is not a joke! The Feds used it to become the buyer of mortgage bonds. The goal was to use the extra demand to lead bond prices higher, which in turn, lead bond yields lower. Well, that is what happened.

Experts from the Fed say this intervention lowered interest rates by about 1 percent last year.

In other words, we’ve been getting low rates over the last year because the mortgage-backed market is “artificial”. The Fed is a non-natural buyer. Beginning April 1, 2010, things change, and it is back to normal. The Fed is putting an end to its support and the market is . . . well on its own!

For now mortgage rates are really attractive. There is growing hope in the markets after a huge election in Massachusetts. The dollar is improving, sort of. Inflation is tame. All great indications for low mortgage rates. However, sometime likely in February or March, Wall Street will start pricing bonds for the Fed’s Mortgage Backed Securities exit.

The prognosis does not look appealing. It will be quick and likely not pretty.

So, if you are looking to purchase or sell a home, have a solid plan in place. Don’t sit back too long and use hope as a strategy. Rates are low, take advantage of the market before things get unpredictable.

A good strategy if you are buying, get with Toni, and she will outline a game-plan to getting loan approval and having your plan in order. If you are likewise selling, Toni will help you take advantage of the influx of buyers who are looking based on this premise of uncertainty who are going to be new to the market. It is likely a short window to take advantage of.

by Jeff Payne, Loan Officer, TrustPoint Lending, www.trustpointlending.com

The family owned business of San Martino Winery located on the outskirts of Rockwall, Texas is just the place to find that one-of-a-kind experience! San Martino is owned and operated by Maria Perez & Emilio Ramos who opened the Winery in Spring 2004. The village of San Martino located northwest of Spain has been producing wine for hundreds of years. It was in this region of Spain that Emilio learned the family art of wine making that he so graciously brought to establish within the Rockwall community.

San Martino prides itself in producing handcrafted wines through modern techniques. The grapes for the wine are predominately grown in the Texas area (87% Texas grown), making it a true Texas product! They produce a wide array of wines for every occasion. This quaint winery offers tasting & food pairing events on a regular basis, as well as ocassional live music. Check-out their website for tasting & event times.

Maria Perez loves living and working in Rockwall. She explains that the people in the area are the reason she calls the Rockwall area her home. The heritage of San Martino is rich, yet humble. The owners of San Martino know they are not the largest Winery in Texas; however, their mission is to be the BEST Winery in Texas. With all the awards they’ve won so far, I would say they’re on their way to accomplishing their goal. Be sure to visit San Martino and try a glass of one of their award winning wines. It’s a relaxing and enjoyable experience!

San Martino is located at 1512 Hwy 205 North, Rockwall, TX 75087
Phone: 972-772-6043
http://sanmartinowinery.com

An educated real estate professional will provide meaningful data and be capable of interpreting that data so their client has a firm grasp on the reality of the market. Low interest rates, skyrocketing foreclosures, and tax credits are all very appealing incentives to purchase a first home. Affordability is at record levels, but putting price into perspective is very important to purchasing.

The median home price for 2009 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is $177,000 according to Real Estate Center at Texas A&M. First time home buyers need to be aware that many of these homes may be distressed properties, short sales, or foreclosures that have been stripped of appliances and plumbing fixtures that will often cost in excess of $20,000 to restore the home back to life.

Before you consider purchasing a home as a 1st time home buyer, speak to a knowledgeable professional about the reality of purchasing your first home and know the obstacles before making this very important decision.

If you would like to arrange a consultation with Toni Arney to explore your opportunities, click here.