I hope everyone had a very special Christmas this year.  I was in Dallas and had a white Christmas!  With Christmas over and as we begin to wind down 2009, there is still time to take advantage of the tax credits for first time home buyers and for those of you who have owned a home for 5 years.  We, at Eufaula Lakeshore Realty, will be open Monday, December 28 - December 30th and will be glad to show you property.  Just give us a call at 918-452-3184.  Need help finding out about property on the Multiple Listing Service?  We can help you with that, too.  We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon.

During the Holiday Season our thoughts turn to those who make our business possible. A sincere thank you for trusting us with your real estate needs.  May the joys of Christmas fill your home with many happy memories. 

We bring you smiles and laughter with our Christmas song.  We hope you enjoy. (click on the picture to the left)

Merry Christmas from all of us at Eufaula Lakeshore Realty:

Karen Weldin, Broker/Owner, MA, GRI, ABR, e-Pro, AHWD

Susanne Bain, REALTOR/Owner

Stephanie Fine, REALTOR, ABR

Priscilla Bradley, Broker-Associate

Donna McRee, Accredited Home-Staging Specialist

For those of you who like to look at statistics - here is a glimpse of the housing market in Southeastern Oklahoma comparing 1st and 2nd Qtr data of 2009 with the past several years.  I think you will find it interesting.  Take a look:  southeasternok.pdf  While the number of houses sold is down 13% and the average price is down 3.2% all in all I believe Southeastern Oklahoma has done well considering the state of the overall economy.  So, if you are looking for a “steal” in real estate in Southeastern, Oklahoma you might have to look elsewhere.  Real estate remains a great investment here!

I was on an appointment today meeting with a buyer and going over inspections at the house he has made an offer on.  When the inspector was through and gave his report to the buyer, the buyer started asking questions about how long certain systems and appliances should last.  When looking to buy or sell a home it is important to think about the life span expectancy of home systems and appliances.  This will greatly affect the listing or purchase price.  It should also make a big difference whether or not a seller or buyer purchases a home warranty on the property.    Below is a summary of life expectancies of certain systems and appliances.  Check it out and take the list with you when you are looking to purchase a home.  This might also make a difference to you about wanting a home warranty on the home you are about to sell or purchase.According to the National Association of Builders the life span of home systems and appliances is as follows:

Item                               Life Expectancy

Central A/C                                 15+

Window A/C                          10

A/C Compressor                     15

Electric Water Heater             14

Gas Water Heater                  11-13

Forced Air Furnace                15

Gas or Oil Furnace                 18

Trash Compactor                   10

Dishwasher                           10

Exhaust Fan                          20

Dryer                                   14

Disposal                               10

Freezer                                16

Microwave                            11

Electric Range                       17

Gas Range                            19

Gas Oven                             14

Refrigerator                          17

Clothes Washer                     13

My real estate company, Eufaula Lakeshore Realty is located at Lake Eufaula, Okalahoma.  As at most lake areas, there are many manufactured homes in the region.  This includes modular homes, doublewides and singlewides.  The most difficult homes to resell are the singlewide mobiles.  First, it is difficult to place a value on the mobile and then it is difficult to find a lender to loan on them.  I have been researching resources for both buyers and sellers for manufactured homes and have come up with some resources for your consideration and review.  Click here to go to the “Buying” page on the Eufaula Lakeshore Realty website.  There I have listed some links you might find helpful.  I hope you will take a look.

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day Weekend.  It was a busy one for me.  There were a lot of folks at Lake Eufaula looking at property.  Thanks to all of you who gave me a call and allowed me to show you some lake homes.  The frustrating part is that there were several buyers ready to purchase but they can’t find a lender to loan them money on a singlewide mobile home - even with at least 30% down.  Where are our lenders?  If you are familiar with lake communities then you know that there are a lot of single-wide and double-wide manufactured homes around the lake.  If companies are going to manufacture these homes and sell them then some provisions should be made for resale for sellers and buyers.  I have at least four (4) buyers right now who would buy a manufactured home if they could find a lender who will work with them.  Any lenders out there want to help?  Give me a call at 918-605-7405 or find my other contact information on my website at www.EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com. I will let you readers know if I hear back from anyone.

It is that time - time to put away the things of winter and think about preparing your home for the summer.  May is actually home maintenance month and the time to put the furnace to bed, have your air conditioning checked out and check the screens and windows.  Here is an article by Marilyn Lewis of MSN Real Estate to help you with this project.  Take a look at her check list and see how easy spring preparation can be!  Just click on this article: “May Home-Maintenance Check List” and take a look.  You will be glad you did.  Then, visit my website at www.EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com and take a look at other helpful information for buyers and sellers.

For those of you who are close enough to come to Lake Eufaula this coming Saturday take advantage of Eufaula Lakeshore Realty’s open houses in Sycamore.  There will be four houses open for viewing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sycamore Bay is located just north of the intersection of I-40 and Highway 150.  Two out of the three are waterfront homes and all three have a dock!  The price ranges from $165,000 to $479,000.  To see a sneak preview of these homes you can view them on our website at www.EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com under Company listings. 

Click here for MLS#226034

Click here for MLS#230557

Click here for MLS#226829

We hope to see you Saturday - look for the Open House signs!

Buyer Etiquette….take a moment and think about it.  I find that most real estate customers are searching on the internet for properties for a couple of weeks at least before they start calling a real estate agent.  Then the process begins of contacting one real estate agent to see one of their listings, another for another listing and so forth.  I am not sure people stop and think about just hard most of us in the real estate profession work.  We invest a lot of time showing people properties and are very disappointed when the customer goes to another agent to write a contract.  I can’t stress enough (as I do over and over if you look back in entries of my blog) how important I believe it is for a person to first research real estate agents and pick an agent and then look for properties.  Be loyal to the real estate agent you choose.  Their time is valuable.  I totally understand if a buyer wants their own agent to represent them in a transaction.  If that is the case, be up front about that in the beginning.  Don’t go to the listing agent to show you the property and then move on to another real estate agent to write the contract.  Again, choose your agent and then have them show you the property.  If you do happen to fall in love with a property that your real estate agent/company has listed and you want to change agents,  have the courtesy of talking with them about it up front.  You may even want their help to refer you to an agent.  It all boils down to the basic foundation of our own ethics - the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them go unto you.”  Treat REALTORS with respect - we deserve it.

The Cedar Pointe Estates Parade of Homes is going on right now at Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma.  Eufaula Lakeshore Realty has two homes open today from 1-4 p.m. and tomorrow (March 22nd) from 2-4 p.m.  These are nice brick and stone homes that have a lake view and included a boat slip or have a boat slip available.  One is priced at $299,900 and one at $249,500.  If you are looking for a luxury home with all of the amenities at Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma - come by this weekend and take a look!  You just might find the dream lake home you are looking for!