We are excited to introduce our new series for new real estate agents called The Real Deal. You are not going to want to miss this information-packed series. The Real Deal New Agent Class Series is a special group of classes specifically designed for agents who have been licensed less than one year, who are just starting out and building their businesses from the ground up. We will dive into five of the most important areas that new agents need to know about to help you establish your business and be a better REALTOR® to your clients.
Mastering The Deal With Your MLS Subscription – In this class you will learn MLS basics including understanding the dashboard, the vital tools available to grow your business and tips to better help your clients. Date & Time: Tuesday, March 2nd @ 10:00 am on ZOOM Instructor: Annette Carvalho-Jordan, VP/Technology Trainer for Republic Title
Making The Deal With Lenders – Dive in to the basics of lending such as pre-qualifications, loan estimates, the mortgage process and the Closing Disclosure (CD). Date & Time: Tuesday, March 9th @ 10:00 am on ZOOM Instructor: Shaun Niedigh, VP/Business Development at Republic Title
Writing The Deal, Contracts – We’ll cover the Contracts and Addenda you’ll need to submit each time you write an offer along with an overview of the digital tools you’ll need to write and send them. Date & Time: Tuesday, March 16th @ 10:00 am on ZOOM Instructors: Jay Turner, Sr. VP/Residential Counsel for Republic Title & Annette Carvalho-Jordan, VP/Technology Trainer for Republic Title
Winning More & More Deals – This class will cover lead generation, winning listing appointments, prospect and client follow-up and more. Date & Time: Tuesday, March 23rd @ 10:00 am on ZOOM Instructor: Shaun Niedigh, VP/Business Development at Republic Title
Closing The Deal, The Title Process – The big day is here! In this class you will learn about the entire title process including title insurance, the title commitment and what to expect at closing. Date & Time: Tuesday, March 30th @ 10:00 am on ZOOM Instructor: Sheri Groom, Executive VP/Residential Operations at Republic Title
The January 2021 DFW area real estate statistics are in and we’ve got the numbers! Our stats infographics include a year over year comparison and area highlights for single family homes and condos broken down by MLS area. We encourage you to share these infographics and video with your sphere.
To see past month’s reports, please visit our resources section here.
For the full report from the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center, click here. For NTREIS County reports click here.
Texas ranked second in the nation for relocation activity in 2019, according to the 2021 edition of the Texas Relocation Report released today by Texas REALTORS®, which analyzes the latest available migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U-Haul.
“Once again, Texas welcomed more than half a million new residents from other states,” said Marvin Jolly, 2021 chairman of Texas REALTORS®. “Some move here for a lower cost of living than where they’re from, a great quality of life, diverse job opportunities, good weather—there are many reasons people continue coming to Texas.”
According to the Census estimates, Texas welcomed 537,000 – 582,000 new residents in 2019. This is the seventh year in a row that Texas attracted more than 500,000 new residents from out of state. The Census also estimated 435,000 – 471,000 Texans moved to other states, yielding a net gain of approximately 100,000 people. The Lone Star State also welcomed approximately 192,000 – 222,000 new residents from outside the United States in 2019.
The highest number of new Texans from other U.S. states relocated from California and Florida, respectively. Other top states for people moving to Texas included Louisiana, Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Georgia and Arizona.
California ranked first in the United States for the number of residents moving out of state in 2019, with Texas coming in second. The most popular out-of-state relocation destinations for people moving out of Texas included California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia. While California was the top state new Texans moved from and existing Texans moved to, about double the number of Californians moved to Texas compared to the migration of Texans to California.
From 2014 to 2018, the top counties for people moving to Texas from out of state included Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis. On the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) level, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA recorded the highest number of incoming residents from out-of-state during the same time frame.
“Though we don’t have 2020 relocation statistics yet, increased remote-work opportunities and company relocations continued to fuel moves from other states to Texas during the pandemic,” said Jolly. “No matter what part of the state these new residents are moving to, no one is better positioned to help them realize their real estate dreams than a Texas REALTOR®,” he said.
New year, new house? Could this be the year you finally buy a house and get out of renting for good? There is a lot to consider with this decision so we’ve put together a list of the advantages of buying and some reasons to keep renting in the event buying is not in your best interest at the moment. Take a look and think it over! If you have any questions on buying vs. renting, there’s no better person to talk to than a Realtor. They are your industry experts and can get you going on the path towards buying.
Advantages of Buying
Interest rates are generally low right now, making it a great time to buy.
When you buy a house, you will know that the mortgage rate for the next 5 to 30 years is going to be the same every month. Rent may continue to increase each year.
With each payment, you will build equity and increase the amount of total home ownership.
There may be down payment programs available in your area that can help you purchase your first home.
You Should Consider Buying If
You want to build wealth. Investing into real estate is the fastest way to add zeros to the end of your net worth.
You want to settle down, build community and know you will be in the same city or town for at least 2 years.
You Should Keep Renting If
You need flexibility and don’t want to commit to staying in the same location for the foreseeable future.
You have limited income or are unsure about your current job. Renting allows you the flexibility to downsize your living space.
If you are thinking about buying a home, reach out to a REALTOR® to get started.
Many types of documents need to be signed in a real estate transaction. A number of factors are driving the real estate industry to transition from traditional paper and wet-ink signings to electric signatures on digital paperless documents. This is known as a digital closing or more commonly called an eClosing.
CONVENIENT
Review documents in advance and ask questions of the appropriate parties.
Close from any location.* If wet-signing is required a mobile closer or in a few instances a mobile notary may be utilized.
ECO-FRIENDLY
Reduced use of paper.
Reduced carbon footprint of shipping and storing physical documents.
EFFICIENT
Earlier document delivery.
No redundant paperwork.
Shorter signing appointments.
Shorter funding times.
NEW EXPERIENCE
Streamlined closing.
Automated data validation.
Close on your real estate transaction interactively through a virtual closing room.
The December 2020 DFW area real estate statistics are in and we’ve got the numbers! Take a look at our stats infographics, separated by county, with MLS area stats on each county report as well! These infographics and video are perfect for social sharing so feel free to post them!
To see past month’s reports, please visit our resources section here.
For the full report from the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center, click here. For NTREIS County reports click here.
Click here for a printable version of our Homestead Exemption flyer. For more information, view a video covering Homestead Exemptions on our YouTube channel here.
The tax offices watch deed filings and update their tax records but as a new purchaser, you may need to notify the taxing authorities of your ownership in the chance that the deed filing is missed. You may do this by contacting the appropriate tax appraisal district in your county from the following list:
Tarrant County Appraisal District – 817-284-0024 – www.tad.org
Your property is assigned a single appraised value, which is sent to all taxing jurisdictions. The jurisdiction then applies the tax rate, as set by its governing body, to the appraised value.
In order to qualify for a residential homestead exemption you must provide the following to the Central Appraisal District when submitting your application:
A copy of the applicant’s Texas drivers license or Texas identification certificate.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The property address on the exemption application must match the address listed on the applicant’s Texas driver’s /Texas identification certificate; otherwise the Chief Appraiser is prohibited from approving the exemption.
**TAX EXEMPTIONS On January 1, value, ownership, legal description of the property and exemption status of the taxpayer is determined. Several forms of tax relief are available which may reduce the taxable value of your property. Applying for exemptions is the taxpayer’s responsibility. Some exemptions require a new application each year. Contact your appraisal district to learn more about the following exemptions and how to file for them:
• General Homestead Exemption • Over 65 Exemption • Disabled Individual Exemption • Disabled Veteran Exemption • Agriculture Land Exemption
TO RECEIVE YOUR EXEMPTION(S), YOU MUST OWN THE PROPERTY AND BE LIVING IN THE PROPERTY AS OF JANUARY 1ST. YOUR APPLICATION MUST BE APPLIED FOR ON OR BEFORE APRIL 30TH TO RECEIVE THE TAX BENEFITS FOR THIS YEAR, THIS IS A FREE SERVICE.
Remember, tax statements are generally mailed in October of each year. The taxes are payable on or after October 31st, however, you may elect to pay them as late as January 31st without penalty. Taxes become delinquent February 1st and on this date penalties and interest do accrue. If you receive a Tax Statement and your mortgage company is escrowing funds for taxes from your monthly payments, forward the statement to your mortgage company so that they can pay the taxes.
If the Central Appraisal District sends correspondence regarding your exemption, make sure to respond.
Republic Title of Texas, Inc. makes no express or implied warranty respecting the information presented and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
We are thrilled to announce that we have been named the #2 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 for large size companies in 2020 by the Dallas Business Journal and the #7 Top Workplace for mid-size companies by the Dallas Morning News! This is the seventh year in a row that Republic Title has been named to both top workplace lists.
Whether you’re purchasing a new or existing home, or refinancing, title insurance protects you against any problems affecting the title to your home.
The Basics
There are two types of title insurance: the owner’s policy and the lender’s policy. The owner’s policy protects your property rights as the homebuyer, whereas the lender’s policy insures the financial investment of the bank or lender. If someone else claims ownership of your property or a lien on your property, title insurance typically defends you legally and financially.
Common Risks
Here are some examples of things that may affect title:
Liens against the property that serve as security for the payment of an obligation, such as mortgage liens, judgment liens for unpaid court judgments, federal tax liens, state and local liens for failure to pay real estate taxes or assessments, mechanic’s liens to secure payment for property improvements, liens for recovery of child support payments and so on.
Easements which are rights granted to a third party to use a part of your property for a specific purpose. An example is an easement to a utility company to have power lines running along the back of your property.
Building or use restrictions contained in recorded plats, agreements or deeds.
Claims arising out of bankruptcy or decedent’s estates.
These are just some of the many reasons why getting owner’s title insurance is crucial when buying or refinancing a home.
Refinancing?
When you refinance, you are obtaining a new loan even if you stay with your original lender. Lenders will usually require a new title search and lender’s policy to protect their investment in the property. A new owner’s policy is not necessary at this time as the one you received when you purchased the property is good for as long as you or your family own the property.
Enduring Value
Owner’s title insurance is a one-time fee based on the value of your home. In Texas, rates are based on the sales price of the property and set by the Texas Department of Insurance. You can calculate title insurance premium rates using the insurance calculator found on our website. With a home being one of the largest investments you’ll ever make, it’s clear why getting owner’s title insurance is a smart option.