JUNE FESTIVALS – DALLAS FORT WORTH 

1. Filipino Fest hosted by The Deep Ellum Outdoor Market

The Deep Ellum Outdoor Market will host the inaugural Filipino Fest Dallas on Saturday, June 16 from 11 am - 5 pm in Deep Ellum. The Festival will feature performances by local Filipino musicians, cuisine by local chefs, and arts & crafts vendors. Taste the best of South East Asian island cuisine and feast on lumpia (egg rolls), pancit (noodles), and Adobo seasoned BBQ pork.

The event will close down Main St. to pedestrian traffic for the morning and early afternoon.

The Backwater Opera from Denton, June Marieezy from Dallas, the Tony Q Project from Dallas, and Joe & Beth Felipe from Arlington will perform live on the outdoor stage.

Where: Deep Ellum on Main Street between Crowdus and Malcom X Blvd

2. Shakespeare in the Park

Twelfth Night: June 13 to July 21, 2014

All performances are at the Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre. From I-30, exit East Grand Avenue; about a half-mile north to Tenison Parkway. Turn right onto Tenison Parkway and the Park entrance is on the right.

3. 100.3 Jack FM's Throwback Tribute Festival

100.3 Jack FM's Throwback Tribute Festival Lineup:

Back In Black - A Tribute to AC/DC
Guns 4 Roses - The Ultimate Tribute to Guns N' Roses
Sheagles - An All-Girl Tribute to The Eagles
Mysterious Ways - America's U2 Tribute Band
Frontiers - The Journey Tribute Band
Rhymin-N-Stealin - The Original Beastie Boys Tribute Band
Le Cure - A Tribute to The Cure
Hysteria - Def Leppard Tribute Band
Strangelove - The Ultimate Tribute to Depeche Mode
Murmur - A Tribute to R.E.M.
Rio - The World's Greatest Tribute to Duran Duran
The Police Experience - A Tribute to The Police
Atomic Punks - The Tribute to Early Van Halen
Vitalogy - A Tribute to Pearl Jam

Saturday, June 30, 2014 Gexa Energy Pavilion

4. Razzle Dazzle Festival

June 6: Razzle Dazzle Days Cedar Springs Wine Walk & Dog Walk

A Quarterly event sponsored by the Cedar Springs Merchant Association. 6-9 p.m. Enjoy an evening of fun, frolic, food, drinks and shopping with discounts at participating merchants. Buy a CSMA wine glass for $10 at Buli Cafe and Hunkys and enjoy free wine from the participating merchants.

June 7: Jagermeister Oak Lawn Pub Crawl

Jagermeister "Party Bus Pub Crawl" to participating Oak Lawn area nightclubs. 9 pm - Midnight. Shuttle Bus Transportation runs continuously from Cedar Springs to participating clubs. Free event.

June 8: Metro Ball

Weekend’s Major AIDS Fundraiser at S4 Nightclub. 7 pm-Midnight. Dancing, raffles and fund-raising featuring a concert by Taylor Dayne.

5. Concerts in the Garden Music Fest

Concerts in the Garden is a summer music festival by the Fort Worth Symphony that features 15 different concerts. Each concert ends with a spectacular fireworks display. The event takes place at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden located on University Drive and Interstate 30. Bring a picnic and relax on a blanket under the stars or reserve your own table for added comfort. Lawn tickets and reserved seats are available. Kids 10 and under are free (in the lawn). 817-665-6000.

Buy vs Rent 

At one point or another, each of us has dreamt of buying our own dream house. The common wisdom passed on to me by my parents was to buy a house as soon as I can because according to them it was a great investment. But times have changed and together with it, our economy has been challenged multiple times in the last decade. Housing has been a negative talking point due to the tightening measures imposed by banks and lenders. Buying a house has never been an easy choice since then while renting a home became a viable option. With the projected lowering in prices of houses nowadays, is it safe to assume that maybe this year might be the best time to buy a house? Let’s weigh the pros and cons of buying and renting a house.

There are pros and cons to either buying or renting. Buyers can argue that owning a bit of the American Dream gives them security that they can pass on to their children. However, that dream can be very expensive and financially limiting. On the other hand, renters can have greater flexibility because it is simpler for renters to pull up stakes and move if the need arises. However, the money they pay each month helps the landlord's financial security, not theirs.

Pros and Cons of Renting

On the surface, renting a house or an apartment seems to be the more economical of the two choices. With only having to pay the monthly cost of rent and basic utility bills, people need not concern themselves with the details that come with housing loans and avoid a lot of the risk that comes with the possibility of not having the capability of paying off those mortgages. It is a far less complicated scenario.

Another advantage of renting a home is the mobility it provides. Considering how it is very likely that one will encounter a situation wherein packing up and leaving on relatively short notice (like a job opportunity in a far away land), merely renting a home makes it simpler to change addresses without having to sell the house or find someone who would take care of the house.

Renting, particularly an apartment, makes sure that certain small problems are taken care of. When the need for repairs and maintenance occurs, the responsibility usually falls on the landlord, instead of the tenant, to take care of such matters.

There are also a few disadvantages to renting. The lack of security is one of the most glaring of those disadvantages. At the end of the day, the house you live in is not yours. There is also the regular increase in the price of rent that sometimes occurs. This would throw off your budget or prompt you to look for other places to live in that fit your financial capabilities even more.

Pros and Cons of Owning a House

Having your own home is a benefit in itself. While there are going to be financial obligations that come with purchasing your own home, the one thing to take away here is that you will end up owning the house you live in, making for a level of peace of mind, and even a wise investment.

One thing you can do with an owned house, which you cannot do with a rented one, is to implement home improvements. Since you own the house, you can basically do with it whatever you please without having to go through a landlord and such.

Having your own home also guarantees that you have something to leave behind for your kids, which is a big deal. If you have a family, then living in your own house ensures that your kids will have somewhere to go to whenever they need it. Essentially, you guarantee that you and your family have a roof over your head for the foreseeable future.

The disadvantages of owning a house are also several. As alluded to earlier, having your own home makes moving out complicated and difficult. Sometimes, it can be immobilizing, having to choose between an owned home and a career opportunity.

Funding your own home may also take a long time, thus the enjoyment of owning a home may come after years and years of paying it off.

With both housing options brandishing their own set of pros and cons, it is really up to which one fits your lifestyle more. If you are a mover, rent. If not, plant your roots in your own home.

HOME SELLER TIPS: PROVING HOUSE VALUE IN NORTH DALLAS, PLANO & FRISCO

Being one of the best real estate company in North Dallas, here are some tips I can share with you on How to sell your Home.( Free Home Evaluation Form )

To sell your house has to prove its value to three people:
1.  The buyers agent whose job it is to scout for the best homes in the buyer’s price range
2.  The buyer who selects from these homes and
3.  The lender, who decides who actually decides if the home is worth the price
Your real estate professional will take all this into consideration when helping you set the list price.   To do this, your agent will prepare what is commonly called a  CMA (Comparative Market Analysis).  A CMA allows your agent to analyze your most up-to-date local market conditions by factoring in the following:
Factors houses that recently sold, houses that have recently been placed on the market, failed sales (expired listings) or houses that are under contract.  A closer look …
ACTIVE LISTINGS:  These are listings that are on the market.  Some sellers make the mistake of looking strictly at active listings for setting their list price.
WITHDRAWN and EXPIRED LISTINGS: These are homes that haven’t sold either after being on the market for some time and in some cases even going through several price reductions.  Usually these homes were overpriced or had major issues that deterred buyers.
SOLD AND PENDING LISTINGS:  Unlike active expired and withdrawn listings, these stats can show what prices are attracting buyers and getting offers.  Your agents CMA will help you to determine where the market has been, where its going and where it’s not.  To be a successful seller you need to know where to set your price.
Take a look at the video below for further explanation.

Home Buyer Turn Offs

Selling a Home? Avoid these Home Buyer Turn offs

1. Odors

House odors are number one on the home sellinguh-oh list. And narrowing it down, odors from cigarette smoke and pets take top billing, with mildew not far behind.

If you smoke indoors--the house smells like cigarettes. If you have pets, the house might smell bad--even if you don't notice it. Ask someone who doesn't live there to take a sniff, and don't get angry when they tell you the truth.

Eradicate the odors so that you can present potential buyers with a clean, fresh atmosphere--not a house that's full of perfumes to cover up the odors.

2. Dogs that Meet You at the Door or in the Driveway

Dogs frighten some people and irritate others. You'll have a much better response from showings if you control your pets--dogs, cats, whatever.

You say you plan to put them in a bedroom or garage and then ask people not to open the door to that area? Bad idea. Would you buy a house you can't inspect? Of course not.

Remove pets during showings if possible. If you can't, contain them in crates for their own safety and to show respect for the feelings of potential buyers.

3. Dirty Bathrooms

Grimy bathrooms are an instant turnoff. Scrub them, paint them, buy a new shower curtain, rugs and towels--do what it takes to make them shine. If you're serious about selling the home, the extra work is a must.

4. Dimly Lit Rooms

Dark homes are a turnoff to most home buyers, so try to brighten them up:

• Replace dim light fixtures
• Install additional light fixtures
• Install (quality) sun tunnels or skylights
• Remove heavy drapes to let the light stream through windows
• Repaint some rooms with colors that reflect light
• Trim tree limbs that shadow the house

Dirty and fogged windows are another buyer turnoff. Clean them inside and out to bring in more light. If possible, replace any double-pane windows with broken seals. You can find them by looking for a foggy residue that cannot be removed.

5. A House Full of Busy Wallpaper

Busy wallpaper in every room turns off most buyers, and even people who love wallpaper rarely like what you've chosen. It's a personal decorative touch that they want to select themselves.

It's the masses you must appeal to when you're selling a home, so take a hard look at your wallpaper and decide if it should be removed and replaced with paint. Don't paint over it, because it will be obvious that you did--and buyers know that makes removing it even more difficult.

6. Damp Basements

Dampness or damp smells in the basement throw up a red flag to buyers that the foundation leaks!

Most problems we see are not caused by faulty foundations. They occur because rainwater is being diverted towards the foundation instead of away from it.

• Clogged underground drains
• No rain gutters along roofline
• Downspouts aimed the wrong way

Go outside the next time it rains and determine where runoff water is going.

7. Bugs

Roaches, spiders, any insect that shouldn't be in the house. Get rid of them.

8. Poor Curb Appeal

You must grab a buyer's interest from the curb if you want to sell the home for top dollar. Home buyers often refuse to go into a house with an unkempt yard, sagging doors or peeling paint. You say you can't afford to paint? Okay, but get that yard in tip-top shape and grab a screwdriver to fix those doors.

9. Gutters with Plants Growing in Them

I'm serious. Some people never clean their gutters, and it always makes buyers wonder what else hasn't been maintained.

Remember the drainage issue in #6? Cleaning packed gutters might help.

10. Sellers Who Hang Around for Showings

Our New Listing is Coming Soon...

932 Warren Crossing, Coppell, TX 75019

Secluded Estate nestled on over 2.7 manicured acres backing to a calming creek. 


Large front yard, heavily wooded backyard, patio, wood deck, spa, irrigation well. This home is full of natural light and space.
 Inside Downstairs: features big master suite with sitting area, 3 bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half bathrooms, gourmet kitchen, 2 dining rooms, 2 living rooms, office, study room and 2 fireplaces. 
Upstairs features: second master suite, balcony, 1 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, kitchen, family room, media room space.