Big new high school in Prosper builds small-town pride Coleman Street heads north out of tiny Prosper past porches and hayfields until it passes a column-studded brick edifice that seems to span the horizon. Welcome to the modern American high school, Texas style. Prosper High School is a $113.5 million, 590,000-square-foot behemoth, complete with a medical tech lab, a restaurant-worthy kitchen, a greenhouse, a broadcast studio and, of course, an indoor football practice facility. All this in a still-sleepy town of just 7,000 people. The school opened last week at half its capacity, but district officials say it will soon fill up as families push north from crowded suburbs like Frisco and McKinney. So like some of the area's new schools, it's a symbol of growth's march, but also a comm... 11/05/2009

Located mainly in Collin County, with a small portion spilling over into neighboring Denton County, Prosper is a community brimming with potential. Right in the heart of one of the fastest growing regions in Texas and the rest of the country as a whole, this small town is welcoming new residents and businesses practically every day, and Prosper, Texas homes and land are becoming increasingly sought-after among homebuyers of all kinds. Conveniently connected to the rest of the Metroplex through the North Tollway, Preston Road and Highway 380, Prosper’s location has inspired its business leaders to coin the catchy “All roads lead to Prosper” marketing slogan. The town started life as a farming community in the mid-1800s and eventually became a railroad stop before it incorporated in 1914.... 11/05/2009

Prosper Texas LEARN MORE ABOUT Prosper, TX Formerly two towns, Rock Hill and Richland merged becoming the town of Prosper in 1902. However, Prosper was not officially incorporated until 1914. Since then, Prosper has blossomed into a population of more than 6,000 Texans. Many families and young professionals choose to make Prosper home due to its proximity to Dallas and Fort Worth (optimal commute times) offering residents the opportunities of big city living within a close distance, excellent schooling, as well as its small town charm. The Prosper Texas Community Served by the Prosper Independent School District, children that attend schools in Prosper tend to do just that; prosper. The Prosper Independent School District is "committed to excellence" and has proved its commitment by co... 11/05/2009

For people who know Texas, and specifically the Dallas area, mentioning that I and work in Prosper, Texas is usually followed by their response of 'Oh, Prosper.  I've heard that's a nice area'.  However, when I blog and answer questions about our DFW Metroplex on www.trulia.com, buyers still predominantly ask about Plano, Frisco, and McKinney.  What I have found during the course of my career in real estate is that buyers tend to start their home search in areas that they've heard about.  But, that isn't always where they end up buying.  Part of the job of the area's real estate community is to educate new prospective residents about all of the suburbs surrounding Dallas and Fort Worth and being an ambassador for the areas they don't know.  Here are the things that I do to attract buyer... 11/04/2009

New in 2009, Collin County voters can now vote at any of 57 Countywide Election Day Vote Centers.  So, you have the option of voting where it is most convenient for you. There is a text service available this year, too.  Text your 5-digit zip code to 469-713-INFO (4636) and receive back up to 3 Vote Center addresses. (Standard text messaging rates do apply). If you don't have a computer, you can call 972-424-1460 ext. 1990 (Metro) or 1-800-687-8546 (toll free) and ask for the address of the nearest Voting Center. We have some important issues up for vote today.  Please be sure to make time to vote. Have a blessed day! Ronda     11/03/2009

Prosper began as a settlement in 1846, known for its lush soil and ideal growing conditions for cotton crops. Four years later the two settlements of Rock Hill and Richland were developed, and lived side by side until the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad came through in 1914, and forced them to merge into what is known today as "Prosper".The optimistic name choice was not without merit, as this community of 500 residents became a market center for area farmers and their plentiful bounty of corn and cotton crops. Even then, people knew there was something special about this North Texas area, but little did they know, Prosper would become the "Diamond" of Collin County between now and 2035.Today, Prosper has come into its own with a population of approximatley 7,116; adding a resident... 10/29/2009

This blog post can apply to any home.  But, a trend I am seeing come back with some newer listings is the lack of preparation before putting the home up for sale.  The make-ready stage cannot be ignored by any smart seller in our area.  At the very minimum, these are the things a seller must do to get the home ready for sale anywhere in the DFW Metroplex: 1.  Strip out enough personal possessions to allow the focus of attention to be the bones of the home and not the decorations.  Staging a home for sale entails stripping away distractions.  You may have to walk in and out of your front door and through your own home many times to know when you have it right.  Did you notice the size of the rooms and the condition of the flooring, or were you focused on photographs and knick-knacks?  If... 10/28/2009

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. We have tried everything we could to gain their attention, but every single time, it falls on deaf ears. Including going up to the top of the food chain. This post is a complaint about my clients' home buying experience with Bowen Family Homes. Back on May 15 2009, my clients close on both their homes: the sale of their former home and the purchase of the home they reside in now. 30 days prior to that, my clients wrote a contract to purchase a Bowen Family Home in Prosper TX. In their contract, Bowen agreed to add some additional items to the list as part of the sale. During the final walk-through, more items were added. All of these items were supposed to be completed prior to closing. It is 165 days later that by Bowen Family Homes did ... 10/27/2009

Now that twitter.com tweets will be included in google.com search results, it is more important than ever that all Prosper Resident Realtors get on board with using social media as an added piece of an effective marketing strategy to draw attention to Prosper, Texas. Here are just a few ways in which you can use twitter.com as a real estate tool: 1. Tweet about all open houses you have scheduled.  Be consistent in the wording. Instead of 'holding open three homes today in Prosper, Texas', do three separate tweets.  Be consistent in using the words 'open house' so buyers can find you.  (Example: 'Open house in Prosper at xxxx Willowview 2-4pm').  Anytime the buyers want to search for open houses in our area, they can go to google.com or go to search.twitter.com and type in OPEN HOUSE IN ... 10/27/2009

Think this sounds like a demanding wish list for a buyer? 1. Gated community 2. Great schools 3. 1+acre lot size 4. Custom home with luxury finish-out 5. Renowned builder 6. 4,000 sf or larger home 7. 3 or more garage spaces 8. Budget - around $500,000   Depending on what part of the country you live in, this may sound like a pipe dream.  But, in Prosper, Texas, we ask, "when can you make an appointment to come out and walk home sites?"  Christie Farms, located on Custer Road, just 1.5 miles from Highway 380, fits the bill.  Build to suit from such renowned builders as Dave R. Williams, Alford Homes, or Castlemark.  Large, acre-plus lots.  Gated community.  Niche neighborhood.  A level of finish-out that would cost in the millions in other metropolitan cities in the U.S.  Fantastic Pros... 10/20/2009

In the North Texas region, sale comps rule when it comes to determining the market value of homes.  We have a market that has a large corporate base, so there is a steady turn of homes throughout the year.  Supply determines value, too.  When supply of homes is saturated, our home values drop.  When supply diminishes, those values appreciate.  When a balanced market returns, as is the case in Prosper, Texas, buyers need to listen very carefully to their agents when they tell them about sale comps in the area and how that impacts the market value of each home.  We have a very educated seller-base, which means that the listing agents are doing a tremendous jobs of educating their clients on sales comps at the time they list the home.  It is a competitive advantage to know enough about a n... 10/18/2009

Seller's:  Same song, second verse - right?  Buyer's are still trying to tell us that Prosper, TX is a buyer's market, even when we can prove to them in sale comps that we're a BALANCED market.  I know the low-ball offers can be exhausting.  We selling agents don't care for them, either.  It's a lot of work for no result.  So you've gotten what you would consider low-ball offers on the house in the past?  Maybe.  Or, you've gotten no offers on the house to date?  Don't tell anyone that - let them assume you just haven't accepted a reasonable offer yet.  What now?  Well, there are a few truisms that I have found in my experience in the real estate market in Dallas/Fort Worth in general, and in Prosper, specifically, that you may find of interest: 1.  A home in demand stays in demand. If ... 10/16/2009

It's getting dark earlier, and we're losing that precious daylight marketing time of Summer, that allows us to show homes after the traditional work day ends and into the evening.  This is the time of year when many agents in the North Dallas Suburbs cut back to their Fall/Winter schedule.  Smart agents know that a serious buyer wants to view the home inside and out, which means they need to see the home during the daytime.  But, smart agents also recognize that nothing draws attention to your home in the evening more than the lights being on.  Not just those beautiful coach lights out front, or the up-lighting in the landscaping.  Light the house up completely.  Every light in the main rooms of the house.  Prosper has new and beautiful homes!  Show them off.  (You can skip the bedrooms... 10/15/2009

Moving to Texas By the numbers 23,507,783 people (2006 census estimate) reside in Texas. For more demographic data about the Lone Star State, visit the official site of the Census Bureau. 262,017 square miles of land; equal to 7.4% of the total area of the United States, and second only to Alaska for size 4,790 square miles of inland water 367 miles of coastline 801 miles is the longest point from north to south within Texas 733 miles is the state's widest point from east to west 8,749 feet - Guadalupe Peak, the highest elevation 305,951 miles of roadways, more than any other state CONTACT TIFFANY SHARKEY OR TONYA PEEK 214-356-4472 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MOVING TO PROSPER TEXAS!   10/12/2009

Moving to Texas Congratulations and welcome to the Lone Star State. Texans are friendly people. In fact, our name comes from the Caddo Indian word tejas, which means friend. We are very proud of our state - and you will be, too. There's an old saying among naturalized Texans, "I wasn't born in Texas, but at least I got here as fast as I could." Texas' size is matched only by its diversity - people of different cultures coexist and several different industries flourish. You'll also find a variety of food, music, languages, entertainment, employment opportunities, professional sports, and outdoor activities. The Texas Department of Information Resources has put together TexasOnline.com, a nationally recognized, award-winning portal for the citizens of Texas. You'll find links to Web sites... 10/12/2009

Now that we've entered the 4th quarter of the year, it's a very good time to stop and analyze the housing market in Prosper, TX and see how things are doing: Active homes in Prosper:  169 Active listings in the MLS. We had a solid September and October showings and sales show that Prosper, TX is a hotbed of activity now that we're beyond the 100-plus degree heat of August.  At only 169 homes available, ranging in price from $140,000 to $21 million, choices are limited and market conditions fluctuate from balanced to seller's market conditions depending on the price point.  The only saturated price point in Prosper is the $300,000-$400,000 range.  Below and above, the numbers of available homes are pretty limited. New home inventory in Prosper:  28 Active listings in the MLS. There are o... 10/07/2009

As a Realtor in the North Dallas suburbs, we were pretty fortunate to be one of the last large metropolitan cities in the nation to feel the impact of the recession.  We have also been fortunate to feel the rebound happening pretty rapidly all across the Metroplex.  However, going into 4th quarter, 2009, I am a bit wary that we could have another wave of foreclosures caused by delinquent mortgages in Collin County.  96 banks have failed so far in 2009.  Some people have confided in me that they are barely hanging on.  We remain cautiously optimistic, but with emphasis on the caution. We saw a good amount of activity this Summer/Fall in Prosper.  If you are in the area, you couldn't miss the signs going up and coming down.  Homes were selling AND leasing.  Leasing was a relatively new co... 10/05/2009

It's been a while since I have posted "Funny Friday Quotes", so, since my husband and I going to a "Marriage 101" life group through our church, I thought today's funny quotes should be about marriage...ENJOY!   Funny Quotes About Marriage"In my house I'm the boss, my wife is just the decision maker." -Woody Allen "My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met." -Rodney Dangerfield "A married man should forget his mistakes; no use two peopleremembering the same thing." -Duane Dewel."When you see a married couple walking down the street, the onethat's a few steps ahead is the one that's mad." -Helen Rowland "I don't think I'll get married again. I'll just find a woman I don't likeand give her a house." -Lewis Grizzard. "I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to inte... 10/02/2009

  Big new high school in Prosper builds small-town pride   Coleman Street heads north out of tiny Prosper past porches and hayfields until it passes a column-studded brick edifice that seems to span the horizon. Welcome to the modern American high school, Texas style. Prosper High School is a $113.5 million, 590,000-square-foot behemoth, complete with a medical tech lab, a restaurant-worthy kitchen, a greenhouse, a broadcast studio and, of course, an indoor football practice facility. All this in a still-sleepy town of just 7,000 people. The school opened last week at half its capacity, but district officials say it will soon fill up as families push north from crowded suburbs like Frisco and McKinney. So like some of the area's new schools, it's a symbol of growth's march, but also a c... 09/22/2009

Last weekend  I had a "whirlwind" of a trip to New York!  I arrived in White Plains, NY at 10:00 on Friday night and went straight to Monster B's bar in Connecticut and had a blast!  The guys loved my southern accent!  After getting back to the hotel and sleeping only 4 hours, I headed to New York City and "conquered it" in one day!I ate a New York bagel, a "slice of pie", saw  Time Square, during the day AND night, Ground Zero, Waldolf Astoria, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Statue of Liberty, rode the subway, had a picture taken with the Naked Cowboy, went to the Coach, Nike and Louis Vuitton, Empire State Building, McSorley's (the oldest bar in New York) and Little Italy.  I bet I walked 10 miles!!! Went back to the hotel around 1am, got up at 5 and hopped on a plane back the Dallas at 7am... 09/22/2009