Truth be told whenever I watch American Idol I often find myself thinking like Simon Cowell when the words he speaks come forth from his gob in his critique of the contestants.  If you search your heart you may admit that Simon is pretty right on in his assessment of many of these folks and as a industry expert he should know a good from poor singer. However I would never in a million years say some of the things he does in the hurtful manner in which he says it. Yes, Simon's scathing remarks and harsh constructive criticism make for good TV, but I would never want to offend or intentionally hurt a client. Now Paula Abdul is consistently sweet and gushy in her praise for various contestants, however she delivers her critiques with the gentle hand of compassion and understanding, not the... 02/13/2009

    School Ratings For Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano Schools One of the most frequently asked questions by buyers is how to find school ratings. If you are curious about school ratings for Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and other North Texas school districts, then click http://www.robertlerner.com/cgi-bin/links/ybf.cgi?url==http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2010/districtlist.srch.html The link will take you to the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) school ratings search page. The TEA search screen will then ask you two questions. The first TEA question is "how do you wish to search?" Please choose the first choice "district name." The second TEA prompt is "enter the appropriate name or number." Please type in the name of the school district. For example, if you wanted to ... 02/12/2009

In continuation of the Thrive, not just Survive series presented by the North Texas Small Business Development Center and Collin College workshop session 2 focuses on your sales and marketing strategy in a tough economy: From the website: Session 2:    Your Sales and Marketing Strategy in a "Tough Economy"Date:    Wednesday, February 11, 2009Time:    6:30 - 9:00 p.m.Location: Collin College Courtyard CenterLearn: How to determine your market to know who your competitors really are. How to price your products and services. How what your customer needs are and how to exceed them (Under Promise, Over Deliver) For more information and to register see Thrive, Not Just Survive.  02/09/2009

I received this email from a Google Group that I subscribe to: A reporter with the New York Times is looking for people who received a loan modification but end up back in default because the new rate wasn't workable for them either. Maybe it was higher than the original; maybe it ballooned. Anybody seeing clients like that? trying to speak with people early next week. Thanks. I will post a link to this blog in the other one. If you have a story they may be interested in, please reply to this post. I fought this battle yesterday. We are 3 weeks from auction on my clients home in the Dallas, Texas area. I have an offer in to Wachovia. My client had stated from the beginning that his goal was to find a way, any way, to keep the home but agreed that having the option for a short sale in pl... 02/07/2009

Being a Professional Home Stager in the Great State of Texas has its share of perks as well as challenges.  Texans are a proud people and guns are a way of life for many. From hunting, recreational shooting to security, guns are generally accepted here as "normal". Now I bring up this point not to stir controversy or state a position on them rather, I bring it up as a Professional Home Stager who recommends that while in the process of selling a home, sellers should take serious the consideration to remove or at minimum, lock safely and securely any weapons in the home. Why? For answers to this as well as a variety of other subjects please visit Selling Safely   **************************************************************************  As a regular contributor and professional member o... 02/06/2009

On Wednesday I had the pleasure to attend the North Texas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Collin College workshop, Thrive, not just Survive. It was a great opportunity to network and get some relevant information for today's small business owner. There's still more to this series too! This workshop was the brainchild of Marta Frey, Director of the SBDC. Not only does Marta work hard for the center but she works even harder for each of their clients making each one of us feel like the "only one" that matters.  Our success is their success. If you haven't already heard of them or used their services, this FREE RESOURCE is available to you to help start, maintain and grow your business - no matter the industry - to the next level.  I highly recommend this awesome resource here... 02/06/2009

Mortgage interest rates are closely linked to credit scores. Borrowers with high credit scores are charged lower mortgage interest rates. Borrowers with low credit scores are charged higher mortgage interest rates. Given the importance of credit scores, it really makes sense to regularly check your credit reports for accuracy. Unfortunately, mistakes on credit reports are not rare occurrences. Mistakes on credit reports happen far too frequently. You can check your credit reports (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) for free at https://annualcreditreport.com A few minutes spent verifying the accuracy of your credit reports could save you lots of money on your next mortgage loan. To view all of my other Blog posts about Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano, please click www.AllAboutNorthTexa... 02/06/2009

In a recent post, I shared about my experience with a 2nd lien holder (WAMU) charging off an account while in the middle of negotiating a short sale.  Once I found out about this, I was transferred out of loss mitigation and into the charge off department.  There I was told that they would require substantially more money than what I had already been told was needed by the loss mitigation department. I decided to give it a little time and then called back through the normal channels about a week later.  I did not go to the person holding the file, even though I had their direct number.  After all the typical running in circles, I was finally told that because it had been charged off, the buyer no longer needed approval from their bank.  I then shared the information that I was just told... 02/05/2009

Plano homes for sale are some of the best buys in the area right now, you cant go wrong with buying some good Plano real estate.  these homes right now will cost you about $100/ft or more.  Howeever, it is in a great area and the price for the area is really not all that bad.  You will be neighbored by frisco and other areas that are also very prominent. So do yourself a favor and check out some good Plano homes today! 01/31/2009

One of my favorite resources in all of Collin County is the North Texas Small Business Development Center located at the Preston Park Campus of Collin College.  I received this invitation this week due to my being out of town last Friday (originally it was scheduled for Weds. 1/28/09 but due to ice was postponed so now I can make it!). They are hosting a Thrive, Not just Survive workshop for individuals and businesses on Wednesday, February 4th at  8:00 AM - 12:00 PM. I registered today for the Business Track.  I've taken a bit of the email and pasted it below. This is a FREE Event but limited seating. For more information please visit: www.collinsbdc.com/Thrive Even if you can't make this event please check out the SBDC website. They are a wonderful, FREE resource for all North Texas  ... 01/30/2009

Lisa Hale, Director, Plano East Senior High School Theatre has been recognized by the Texas Educational Theatre Association as the State High School Theatre Teacher of the Year 2009. This year the TETA Convention was held in Houston,Texas January 22 - 25, 2009.  Ms. Hale's commitment to her students, colleagues and the fine arts program at Plano East has always been unparalleled. Her dedication and love for the arts is apparent in her teaching style, her students and the quality of productions the theatre department consistently puts on. Recognized by the state has now brought her 25 years of teaching excellence to the forefront. An honor truly deserved! Approximately 100 students from around the state of Texaswere invited to attend the 2009 TETA Convention "TheatreFest" and audition. T... 01/30/2009

Short Sale Troubles... I have been working a short sale with Aurora as the 1st lien and WAMU as the 2nd.  After much discussion and effort, I was told by Aurora that the minimum net they would accept on this particular home was $158,000.  They were offering only $1,000 to the 2nd.  After talking to the WAMU about the $1,000, they declined and stated that if I would get them $2,000, they would take it.  I was told that their guidelines permitted $2,000 for a 2nd position lien on notes between $40,000 and $50,000. So this didn't appear to be very difficult.  All I had to do was close the $1,000 gap.  While I was in the process of working that out, WAMU decided to charge off the 2nd lien debt about 20 days prior to the scheduled auction date.  It is common to have a property pulled from au... 01/29/2009

  Low Mortgage Interest Rates Make This A Great Time To Purchase Your Dream Home In Allen, Frisco, McKinney or Plano Now is a great time to purchase a home in Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and other North Texas cities. Mortgage interest rates are near historically low levels. According to the January 29, 2009 Weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey conducted by Freddie Mac, the average 30 year fixed-rate mortgage had an interest rate of 5.10%. The same survey also indicated that the average fees and points were only 0.7% of the principal balance. The low mortgage interest rates translate into very affordable monthly mortgage payments. Assuming you borrowed $150,000 for 30 years at a 5.10% interest rate, then your principal and interest (PI) portion of your mortgage payment would be about... 01/29/2009

Executive Living in Prestigious Shoal Creek Plano Texas - Homes for Sale Shoal Creek Plano Texas Homes for Sale is a luxury home community for buyers in the high $300Ks to million dollar estates. Shoal Creek is divided in 6 phases, with the first five phases of Shoal Creek typically know as the higher-end Shoal Creek, and Shoal Creek Phase VI & Villas of Shoal Creek. At Shoal Creek, you can find a combination of traditional brick style architecture with some homes in the Mediterranean architecture also. The less expensive homes are built by tract builders like Grand Homes and D.R. Horton while the estate homes are often times custom built by builders like Citelli Homes, Lonnie Gray Premier Custom Homes, Summerlin Homes, Bob Bobbitt Custom Homes and Ventura Custom Homes. Here at Shoal Cr... 01/29/2009

Are you selling a home in North Texas in 2009 or thinking about it? Are you a North Texas Real Estate Professional who wants to learn more about helping your sellers achieve maximum results? Are you a Real Estate Investor who wants to know how to stage your investment properties? Then North Texas Home Sellers, Realtors & Investors (or anyone interested in learning more about home staging) it's not too late to enroll in the fun and informative Home Staging CE Course offered by Collin College from February 2nd through February 11th, 2009. Offered Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM this course is: Designed for the home owner or the professional real estate agent to prepare a home for resale. Learn the benefits of home staging and how staging a property for resale can help y... 01/27/2009

The hot topic in the Mortgage Banking world right now is refinance. Banks have been flooded with applications. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage applications, which includes both purchase and refinance loans, for the week ended January 9 increased 15.8 percent to 1,324.8, the highest reading since the week ended July 11, 2003, when it reached 1,358.2. The Majority of the applications are for refinances since the rates fell to a 37 year low. The influx of applications and lock request have put a strain on Major banks and even forced others to withdraw from some avenues of business.  The industry turn time on loans has reached a snails pace. Banks are requiring 60 day locks and investors mandatory delivery. LeaderOne has always embraced the Am... 01/24/2009

  Do You Want To Save Some Money On Your North Texas Electricity Bill? Electricity rates were deregulated in Texas a number of years ago. There is an easy way to compare the available electricity rates in your service area. Visit  www.powertochoose.org/_content/_compare/compare.aspx and then input your Texas zip code. The powertochoose.org website will then generate a list of electricity providers and their prices per kilowatt hours. If you currently own a home or are looking to purchase a home in Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano or other North Texas cities, then visiting the powertochoose.org could save you a bunch of money. To view all of my other Blog posts about Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano, please click www.AllAboutNorthTexas.com  Also, be sure to visit my Website www.RobertLern... 01/23/2009

I've used a lot of audio and video in my real estate business. I post on YouTube all the time, but not so much for the purposes marketing a home to a buyer. I use it for personal business promotion more than anything else. When it comes to my website, I like to use http://www.BitsOnTheRun.com. The beauty is that it allows you to stack your audio or video into a play list. I love the convenience of it. I can add as many videos as I like to the playlist without cluttering up my site with a new player for every video. I have posted an example below. For reference, this is the page on the internet where I am actually using it: http://FactsOnForeclosure.com/foreclosure_client_testimoinals.html. You can also see how I used in on the home page of my traditional real estate site. To review, ple... 01/21/2009

As you may know, I recently posted about the FHA Short Sale Guidelines that were changed on 12/24/2008.  I have two points to discuss today.  The gap and the direction. The GapThe old FHA short sale guidelines permitted a sale which would net the lender at least 82% of the "as is" market value determined by an FHA appraisal.  The new guidelines have a tiered scale beginning at 88% and ending at 84%.  If the home is sold within the first 30 days of the approval to participate in the program, the offer must net the seller's lender at least 88% of the market value after all closing costs, real estate fees, liens etc. have been paid.  During the 2nd month, the threshold is dropped to 86% and after 60 days on market, it drops to 84%. So readers might be thinking, "Well that's not so bad.  Wh... 01/19/2009

  According to Recent Study, Home Prices Not Expected To Fallin the Dallas Metropolitan Area On Thursday January 15, 2009, the Dallas Morning News ran an article titled "Area home prices called least at risk." The article referenced a study by PMI Group. PMI Group is a mortgage insurance company. The PMI Group study gave the Dallas Metropolitan area a less than 1% chance of having lower home prices in two years. The same study gave Miami, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Riverside a 99% chance of having lower home prices in two years. To view all of my other Blog posts about Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano, please click www.AllAboutNorthTexas.com  Also, be sure to visit my Website www.RobertLerner.com for more information about North Texas. To search the MLS inventory of Allen homes f... 01/19/2009