Deuce of Hearts Ranch - New Home, TX Neighborhood Minute

Welcome to Deuce of Hearts Ranch! This BRAND NEW area is located on the south side of town in New Home, Texas. Just drive south on slide, or FM 41 go past the stop sign and the development will be on west side of the road.

New Home, Texas, was originally named Deuce of Hearts Ranch. Like many surrounding small towns, it started as a farming and ranching community in the early 1900s. The economy of New Home has always been closely linked to farming, specifically cotton farming, and the gin in New Home works hard to produce thousands of bales each season.

The developers are currently developing new construction homes on 1 acre, 1.5. acre & 3 acre lots. Bardominiums are also welcome in this development, so if you’re looking for some extra elbow room, wide open spaces, new construction homes, and a GREAT school district, come check it out!

https://cityofnewhome.com/about-us/

Link for more information on New Home, TX

The Palms - New Home Neighborhood Minute

Welcome to this weeks neighborhood minute, today we’re traveling a little outside of Lubbock, slightly south almost all the way to New Home, Texas is the most quaint and adorable neighborhood, The Palms. If you take Slide Road southbound, you’ll run right into it before you get to New Home. Our goal and hope with these short segments is to give buyers a small snapshot of a neighborhood in the area they might be considering, and see if it could be an area they really want to pursue! Lets go check this one out.

This area is a part of the New Home School District, and features builders like Sharkey Custom Homes, Victory Homes, and Flatland Homes. Residents really love this area for the larger half acre lots, the smaller school district, and the great combination of city and country living. This area does have a small homeowners association and pays for the upkeep of the entrances of the neighborhood.

Home values in this area start around the low $500,000’s, but can go all the way up to the high $600,000’s at the time of our research, but of course home values change rather quickly, and it would be our honor to have you reach out to someone on our team to run the most up to date numbers for you.

We have attached a YouTube link to the top photo of this blog post. Most of the information is the same, but we have video clips in there of what the neighborhood looks like, and we would LOVE to have you come follow along for an even closer look!

Allen Farms Lubbock- Neighborhood Minute

Welcome to Allen Farms!! Our main goal with these blog posts is to introduce you to local neighborhoods in Plainview or Lubbock / surrounding areas to aid in your search for the perfect neighborhood for your family! Allen Farms is a newer Lubbock neighborhood being developed by DR Horton, one of the nations largest homebuilders. They plan to have 525 lots total, and have 6 floorplan available for residents to choose from.

This area has a small homeowners association, and will include a park area in phase 2. Homes in this area can qualify for USDA loans for those that qualify as well, and they currently offer many homebuyer incentives through paid concessions, and a 4.99% interest rate should you use their DHI Mortgage provider. However, these are limited time offers, so always check with your agent to see if these are current offers being provided.

This area is a part of the Cooper Independent School District and feeds into Cooper East Elementary, Cooper Middle School, and Cooper High School.
Home values in this area start in the low $200,000’s and can go all the way up to the low $300,000’s at the time of our research. However please know that home values can change rapidly and the best way to have the most accurate information is to speak to one of our agents so that they can run numbers for you.

Floorplans Available in Allen Farms:

The Cali 4/2/2

The Ashburn 3/2/2

The Elgin 4/2/2

The Justin 4/2/2

The Kingston 4/2/2

The Seabrook 4/2/2

https://www.drhorton.com/texas/lubbock/lubbock/allen-farms

Preston Hollow Wolfforth- Neighborhood Minute

Preston Hollow

Hey you guys welcome to this weeks neighborhood minute, this week we’re in one of my favorite neighborhoods tucked away in Frenship nation, Preston Hollow. Preston Hollow is located just north of 82nd st in Wolforth off of Preston Hollow ln and north 2nd st. Lets go check it out.

This area started being developed around 2014, and is pretty established now, with only a few builder owned lots available. This neighborhood is a part of the Frenship school district and feeds into Bennett elementary, Alcove Trails Middle school and Frenship High school.

Many home buyers love this area for its convenient location to the brownfield hwy and it’s affordability. Home values start in the upper $200,000’s and go all the way up to the upper $300,000’s at the time of our research, but please note that home values can change rapidly, so give our team a call if you would like more accurate details!

Do sellers have to disclose a death on the property?!- SPOOKY Questions with Kristen!

Happy Halloween! We wanted to take a minute to have a little Halloween FUN and answer a question that believe it or not, we do get asked more than you might would think! Do you as a seller of a home have to disclose if there is a death on the property? The answer: It depends!

We cannot answer for all states, as this may be different from state to state, however, to answer your question, we have to ask some of our own!

Was this death by natural causes like a heart attack, or even a suicide or an accident that is unrelated to the condition of the home? If so, then you, nor your agent has to disclose this death.

However, if the death that occurred on the property was not caused by natural causes, such as a murder, yes. You do have to disclose that. Truth be told, the neighbors will tell them anyways, so you may as well be forthcoming!

Scary Interest Rates- SPOOKY Questions with Kristen Episode 25

Scary Interest Rates

One thing many homebuyers are facing right now, is high interest rates. As of right now they have officially gone up over 8%, making home purchase affordability look way different than it did two years ago. You will hear realtors saying over and over again, “they’re still historically low!”. That’s true. In the 1980’s we saw rates as high as the 18%-19% range, however I’m fully aware that you don’t care about what they were in the 80’s, you care about what we can do to get you into a home right now. So lets chat about it.

The tendancy with something like these high rates is to just say, “it’s not a good time to buy, we should just wait”. However I would love to challenge you on that a little bit! Buyers right now have a little bit of a leg up, because these sellers need to move these houses, and there are less buyers on the market because of these rates.

Many lenders and realtors are doing their best to get creative, it is possible to buy down a rate, and we have seen many sellers even offering to help buyers do so to get a point or even two sometimes lower. There are also many home loans that are assumable at those lower rates in certain situations. VA loans and FHA loans are assumable, and some sellers purchased their home using those and you could potentially assume those loans if you qualify. However, with assumable loans there is so much to know, so chat with your realtor about this.

All that to say, if you can afford to buy right now with rates where they are, you should! If you cannot, then you can look into some creative financing, or wait. Truthfully the best time to buy a home is when you’re ready, and if you’re ready now, we’re here to help you get as creative as we need to to help combat those scary rates!

Milwaukee Ridge- Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Milwaukee Ridge

Hey you guys welcome to this weeks neighborhood minute, today we are in a great neighborhood with a homeowners association off of 34th street and Milwaukee Ave, Milwuakee Ridge. Milwaukee Ridge was developed by Betenbough Homes starting in about 2005, lets go check it out.

Many home buyers look for homes in this area because of all the amenities it provides. There is a small HOA fee that costs its residents about $336 a year, and allows its members to use the neighborhood pool, park, pavilion area that can be rented for parties, and the tennis + basketball courts. This neighborhood also markets itself to be a “sex offender free” neighborhood.

This area is a part of the Frenship Independent School District and feeds in to Westwind Elementary School, Heritage Middle School, and currently, Frenship High School, however this is subject to change in the next 1-2 years. Home values in this area start in the low $200,000’s and can go all the way up to the mid $300,000’s at the time of our research, however market values can change very quickly, so give our office a call to get the most up to date information. We provided a few links below should you want to look further in to the area, or the developer, and the link to our YouTube video can be found by clicking the photo at the top!

https://milwaukeeridge.com/

https://www.betenbough.com/communities/lubbock

Interested in a home over there? Check out this one that is currently for sale by our office! Listed with Maggie Riley! Give her a call for more information!

The Do's and Do NOT's of DIY- Questions With Kristen

Happy October! We have been enjoying the little bit of fall weather around here, and we thought it might be fun to do a small mini series on some of the more, well, sinister questions we get as Realtors. For instance, “what is the craziest thing you have ever seen while showing a house?!” “have you ever been attacked while showing homes?” “do you have to disclose if someone died on the property?” “what is the scariest thing you have ever seen on inspection report?”. Frankly, the list can go on, but you get the picture!

The thing I wanted to address first and foremost today is something that may not seem scary, until you’re face to face with it, and it’s some of the DIY projects gone wrong. Listen, I am all for some good sleeve rolling, and getting your hands dirty. We are all capable human beings and we can do many things ourselves. However, there are some things we should NOT be doing ourselves.

For example, one of our team members just a few months ago had a client under contract on a home. The inspection report came back, and the inspector felt that the AC unit needed to be inspected further by someone who knows those units better. So, we of course sent out a local AC expert to look, mostly to be sure if any repairs needed to be made they could request them, but also because we wanted the home warranty to cover this unit should it fully break down.

Once our local AC repairman got up there it was very clear that someone had pieced together this AC unit. Was it working? Technically, yes. However, none of the coils matched, and there was duct tape used to hold pieces together, and it was 100% not warrantied. It needed a whole new unit because the homeowner decided NOT to have a licenced plumber to the work. Long story, short, the buyers were faced with either buying a new AC unit themselves, which was going to cost them over $12,000, or back out. They backed out.

So, buyers, when you make repair requests, be specific! Ask for professionals. Sellers, when you know serious work needs to be done, hire someone to help you do it right.

For more on this subject feel free to watch our video on YouTube and stay tuned for the rest of the series!

https://youtu.be/24NMbWMRhK4?si=aGrUXyNjZmysC3RC

One Ford Road - Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

One Ford Road

Our hope with these blog posts is to give you a short synopses of a local Lubbock or Plainview neighborhood. today we’re out in an adorable neighborhood that has probably caught your eye if you have driven past it, One Ford Road. One Ford Road is a newer West Texas neighborhood being developed by Blackstone Development, and is located off of 109th st just West of Milwaukee avenue.

This area has plans for about 126 new construction homes, with 6 home plans to choose from. The smallest floorplan has about 1124 sq ft, and the largest is a five bedroom 3 bathroom 3 car garage plan with just under 2500 sq ft. One ford rd is located in the Frenship Independent School District, and feeds into Upland Heights Elementary School, Heritage Middle School and Frenship High School.

Home values in this area start around $260,000 and can go all the way up to about $420,000 at the time of our research however market values can change rapidly, so please visit our meet the team tab on our website to speak to one of our agents for one of the most up to date analysis, or visit our YouTube video on this neighborhood linked below!

Timber Ridge Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Timber Ridge Lubbock

Welcome to Timber Ridge! Our hope with these blog posts is to give you a short synopses of a local Lubbock or Plainview neighborhood. Today we’re visiting a south Lubbock neighborhood, Timber Ridge. Timber Ridge is located between Indiana + University Avenue, just north of Woodrow Rd, and gives its residents and great mix between city life and country life.

This area is a part of the Cooper Independent School District and feeds into Lubbock Cooper South Elementary School, Cooper Middle School, and Cooper High School. Many residents love this area because of the large lots, most over a ½ acre and some larger than a full acre, making plenty of room for barns, shops, plus RV and boat parking.

This area was primarily developed beginning around 2006-2014, and home values in this area start around the low $300,000’s and go all the way up to the higher $500,000’s at the time of our research. However, please note that home values are rapidly changing, so contact one of our agents today so they can run the most recent and up to date comps for you! If you would like to be a neighbor in this neighborhood, give us a call!

Suncrest Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Hey you guys welcome to this weeks neighborhood Minute, today we are out in Suncrest a great development in South Lubbock just off of Quaker Ave sandwhiched between 98th st and 110th st. This area began development in the early 2000’s and finished up around 2010, lets go check it out.

Suncrest is a part of the Cooper Independent School district and feeds in to central elementary, Laura Bush middle school, and liberty high school. Residents love this area for it’s quiet culs-de-sacs and quick access to shopping near 114th and quaker, like HEB, Walmart, Academy, and many restaurants.

Home values in this area begin around the lower $300,000’s and can go all the way up to about the mid $400,000’s. If you would like to be a neighbor in this neighborhood, give us a call.

Hillcrest Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Hillcrest Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Welcome to Hillcrest! Today we took a small tour North of town so that we could introduce you to one of Lubbocks finest tucked away areas that many may not even know is here (unless you’re a pretty avid golfer), Hillcrest. Hillcrest is located off of North University ave about 2 miles Northwest of North Loop 289 towards New Deal.

This area is a part of the Lubbock Independent School District and feeds in to Wolffarth Elementary School, Cavazos Middle School, and Lubbock High School. Many residents love this area for the mature trees, larger lots, and quick access to not only Loop 289 but also to Hillcrest Country Club which the whole neighborhood is built around, and that residents can choose to join to use. Hillcrest Country Club has tennis courts, a golf course, a pool, and clubhouse.

There are many different type of homes over here. They have townhomes, and single family residences (most of which are on a half acre or more). Development out here started in the 1960’s but there are a few that were built well into the late 1990’s. Home values here can start around the upper $100,000’s and go all the way up to the low $400,000’s at the time of our research, however home values can change rapidly, so please give our team a call for the most up to date numbers. If you would like to be a neighbor in this neighborhood, give us a call!

The Overlook Lubbock - Neighborhood Minute

Welcome to The Overlook. The Overlook is one of the two locations for the 2023 West Texas Homebuilders Associations Parade of homes. This area is located in south Wolfforth off of FM 179 and 120th st. The Overlook is a newer area being developed by the West Texas Land Guys, has single family residences, townhomes, and duplexes and features builders like Joey Yates Homes, Dynamic Homes, Flatland Homes, Tim Roten Homes, Betenbough Homes, Dreambuilt Homes and more.

This area is a part of the Frenship Independent School District and feeds into Bennett Elementary School, Frenship Middle School and Frenship High school. There is not an HOA or Public Improvement District Tax on this area.

Home values in this area start in the low $200,000’s and mostly go up to about $350,000, however a few of the Parade homes are being listed in the low $400,000’s at the time of our research. It is always best to check in with a local agent because home values can change pretty rapidly.

The 2023 Parade of Homes is July 15th- the 30th and open weekdays from 6-9 PM, Saturdays from 10 AM - 3 PM, and Sundays from 1-6 PM. For more information on this area you can head to our YouTube Channel for the full video with a small drive by tour by clicking the top photo in this blog, or you can head to T he Overlook website linked below!

https://overlookwolfforth.com/

Viridian - Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Welcome to Viridian. Our hope with these blog posts is to give you a short synopses of a local Lubbock or Plainview neighborhood. Viridian is located South of 130th and in between Indiana Ave and University. This area is being developed by EPIC Properties,  and features newer construction homes built by builders like DR Horton, Southern Homes by Dan Wilson and Cody Craig Custom Homes.

This area is a part of the Cooper Independent School District and feeds in to Cooper East Elementary School, Cooper Middle School + Cooper High School. It is also built around Cooper East Elementary, making such convenience for the local residents.

This area does have a Homeowners Association for a small fee which will eventually allow its residents access to a community center and pool starting development in the summer of 2023, according to their website. Home values in this area start around the upper $200,000’s and go all the way up to the upper $300,000’s at the time of our research. however market values can rapidly change, so contact a member of our team if you have any questions!

For more information you can also head over to the developers website linked below :)

https://epicproperties.com/residential/viridian/

Bell Farms - Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Bell Farms

Welcome to Bell Farms. Bell Farms is located in Lubbock, TX off of University Ave just south of 130th st. This area has primarily been developed by Betenbough homes, and development around 2015, with many lots still available on the back end.

This area is a part of the Cooper Independent School District and feeds in to Cooper East Elementary School, Cooper Middle School, and Cooper High School. Many residents really love this area for the PID, or public improvement district, that helps to provide a great little park area by paying an extra small amount towards their taxes each year.

Home values in this area start around $200,000 but can go all the way up to about $350,000 at the time of our research. However, market values can change quickly so contact one of our agents with any questions by using our “meet the team” tab.

The Vineyards at Escondido Ranch

Welcome to the Vineyards at Escondido. Our hope with these blog posts is to give you a short synopses of a local Lubbock or Plainview neighborhood. The Vineyards at Escondido are located in Lubbock just northeast of 50th and alcove, deep in the heart of Frenship Nation! This area is a new development by the Texas Land Guys and was recently featured in the 2022 Parade of Homes.

This area is to appeal to high end buyers, featuring ½ acre lots with plans of vineyards spread across the development. These homes are on city water and will be in walking distance to all of the new Frenship schools and will be feeding into them starting in the fall of 2023.

Some of the builders in this area are Artistry Homes, David Jordan Homes, Victory Homes, Homes by Lyons, Nesloney Homes and Victory homes. Home values in this area start around a million and go all the way up to about 1.75 million at the time of our research, however please note that home values can change rapidly so always get with one of our trusted agents to see where those numbers are currently!

For more on this neighborhood check out their website

https://vineyardsescondido.com/

What is a 2-1 Buy Down?! - Questions With Kristen Episode 20

What is a 2-1 rate buy down? I’m SO glad you asked! ;)

You have likely heard this buzzword floating around in real estate circles lately, and it can be a little confusing to fully understand what it means. Since the beginning of time (or interest rates ;)), home buyers have always had the option to buy down their rate, typically using extra closing cost funds. However, since rates have gone up so drastically in the last year or so, there have been some new programs that have rolled out, typically called “2-1 Rate Buy Down”.

A 2-1 Rate Buy Down simply means that yes, you buy the rate down, but for only two years. So if you for instance had a 7% interest rate, you could use this program to buy down your rate to 5% for the 1st year of your mortgage, then it jumps to 6% for year two, and you won’t have to pay that full 7% on the mortgage until year 3. However, the buyer can refinance at anytime during the first 2 years should rates drop, at no charge, or of course sell the property. The money remaining in escrow goes back to the buyer when the refinance or sell their home.

The main tricky part with this program is that typically the seller has to pay this fee, and it can be pricey depending on the sales price of the property, but usually around $9k-$20k. Hope this was helpful information, should you have any questions please reach out to any of our team members and ask for our lender list, we can send you over to some folks who can walk this through with you even better!

-Kristen

Up Front Homebuyer Costs to be Aware of- Questions with Kristen Episode 19

Whether you are purchasing your first home or your fifth the entire process can feel like you’re trying to take a sip of water from a fire hydrant. One question I get far too often is “what hidden fees can I expect when purchasing a home?!”. Super fair. I want to know that too!

First thing to be aware of is your earnest or option money. Once you make an offer and it gets accepted you will immediately need to submit money to the title company for your earnest money and your option money. Your earnest money is like your good faith money. It is typically about 1% of the contract sales price, and will go towards your downpayment as long as you make it to closing.

Your option money is a bit less, usually $100-$500, and it buys you an option period, or a period of time to get the home inspected and negotiate any repairs with the seller. If you back out of the transaction during this option period, you only lose your option money, plus the cost of inspection. However, if you make it to closing, this goes towards your downpayment and closing costs.

Inspections and appraisals are another thing, however these are typically billed to title and are a portion of your closing costs and prepaids that come from lending. Typically when you purchase a home you will have a down payment, and closing costs, and the total of that number is what you bring to closing. The only cash you need up front is your earnest and option money, which like stated above, goes towards your down payment at closing! Hope this helps!

For more information visit our YouTube Channel for a quick video on this topic!

https://youtu.be/QdPncGBBZvo

Uptown West - Lubbock Neighborhood Minute

Our hope with these blog posts is to give you a short synopses of a local Lubbock or Plainview neighborhood. Welcome to Uptown West! Uptown West is a new 253 Lot subdivision located at North Frankford and Erskine Ave. Construction on this area began in 2020, with plenty of lots still available, and incredible builders like Blackrock Properties, M&M Homes, Joey Yates Construction, and AveNew Homes.

This area draws many new families for its convenient location, affordable price points, and incredible schools. This area is a part of the Frenship Independent School District, and feeds in to North Ridge elementary, Terra Vista Middle School, and Frenship High School.

Home values begin around the upper $200,000’s and go all the way up to the mid $300,000’s at the time of our research. However market values can rapidly change so feel free to reach out to any of our team members for more up to date information!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HOSApDdMjPg

What is a PID? Is that different from an HOA? - Questions with Kristen Episode 17

Admittedly, this question is tricky! First of all, lets tackle, “What the heck is a PID?” PID stands for Public Improvement District and is when a certain area or neighborhood is subject to an extra portion of their taxes that is specifically allocated to the upkeep or beautification of a neighborhood. It is NOT in every neighborhood, and it is NOT an HOA.

So what’s an HOA? An HOA, or a Home Owners Association, is a neighborhood that has a governing body, that charges a fee to be a part of that neighborhood and uses and allocated funds based on the governing system and needs of the neighborhood, like a pool, or entrances etc.

So what is the difference? The main difference is the governing body. HOA’s have appointed leaders, and their fee is paid for separately, where as PID is a portion of the homeowners taxes, is a part of their mortgage payment/taxes paid out to the city. There is NO governing body, or appointed leaders in a PID. Hope this one helps! :)