Ever notice how most homes are designed to fit the average family, with average needs and average incomes? But what happens if you're not average? …………..Sterling Oak is a custom home builder in the North Tarrant, South Wise and South Denton Counties. We believe that houses can be beautiful, but the owner's taste and unique selections make houses homes. And when your house reflects your personality, you feel at home. At Sterling Oak, we want to help you create your dream home regardless of the size or your budget.
At Sterling Oak each home is constructed the old-fashioned way – through quality construction and a commitment to serving our clients. It is the way homes used to be built and the way Sterling Oak builds them today - with pride and attention to detail. Yet, we rely on our state-of-the-art processes and technology to get you the best products and prices. We are committed to the highest standards in new home construction. That is why we are designated as a Graduate Master Builder by the National Association of Home Builders and a Texas Star Builder by the State of Texas. Our goal is to build a home you will love every day you live there.
We offer innovative designs that are not only flexible, but can reflect your distinctive tastes. And if you want to start from scratch, we can do that as well.
We urge you to visit any one of our models and compare us to those of other builders. Once you do, we're confident that you will discover the unbeatable value Sterling Oak offers.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Interest Rates. Feds Meet Tomorrow !
We've reached a juncture in the credit markets where it really doesn't matter how low interest rates go -- banks are refusing to lend and consumers either have no desire to borrow – or they are in such troubled financial straits they can't meet the qualification criteria for a loan.
So what's the Fed to do? Many believe the Fed will announce in their post-meeting statement tomorrow afternoon (2:15 p.m. ET) that the answer to rekindling economy growth is actually quite simple – print money like crazy.
In a nutshell the idea here is that by flooding the economy with money – banks will ultimately find themselves bursting at the seams with capital – and they will essentially have no other option than to start lending. As the short-term credit market swings back into action, business confidence will rise, employment will improve and the engines of commerce will roar back to life.
Let me know what your thoughts are.
So what's the Fed to do? Many believe the Fed will announce in their post-meeting statement tomorrow afternoon (2:15 p.m. ET) that the answer to rekindling economy growth is actually quite simple – print money like crazy.
In a nutshell the idea here is that by flooding the economy with money – banks will ultimately find themselves bursting at the seams with capital – and they will essentially have no other option than to start lending. As the short-term credit market swings back into action, business confidence will rise, employment will improve and the engines of commerce will roar back to life.
Let me know what your thoughts are.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Texas Has Some of The Richest Cities!
Let me help you find your home near or in one of the Richest Cities in the United States!
Click on the link below to see the list.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6161683.html
Click on the link below to see the list.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6161683.html
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Extreme Home Make Over in Keller Texas !
Click the link below to see Extreme Home Make Over build a home for a Keller family.
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2008/12/08/extreme-makeover-house-revealed/
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2008/12/08/extreme-makeover-house-revealed/
Lower Mortgage Rates !
Treasury Department Considers Plan to Lower Mortgage Rates
Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower rates on 30-year mortgages to 4.5 percent.
WASHINGTON -- Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower mortgage rates and help stabilize the battered U.S. housing market.
Under one proposal, Treasury would seek to lower the rate on a 30-year mortgage to 4.5 percent by purchasing mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Scott Talbott, chief lobbyist at the Financial Services Roundtable, said Wednesday.
If enacted, such a plan would be an unprecedented opportunity for anyone with good credit and a solid income who could qualify for a mortgage at the lowest rates on records dating to the early 1960s, said Keith Gumbinger, senior vice president at financial publisher HSH Associates.
"You would have the mother of all re-fi booms," said mortgage industry consultant Howard Glaser.
The goal of the industry's proposal would be to take advantage of the unusually large difference, or spread, between mortgage rates and yields on government debt. On Wednesday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note yield sank as low as 2.65 percent, while the national average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgages was 5.75 percent, according to HSH Associates.
In recent years, there has been about a 1.8 percentage point difference between the yield on a 10-year Treasury note and a 30-year mortgage rate, but that spread currently hovers around 3 percentage points.
Analysts said that the government could use its ability to borrow money at low rates to in essence flood the market for mortgage-backed securities. This increased demand would tend to push down the yield on mortgage securities sold by Fannie and Freddie, which now average about 5.5 percent because of investor concerns about default risks. Once those yields fall, the theory goes, lower mortgage rates should follow.
That would have two benefits for the economy: Immediately adding money to the pocketbooks of homeowners who can refinance their mortgages and reduce their monthly payments, and eventually help arrest the slide in home prices since much lower mortgage rates would allow more potential buyers to qualify for loans.
"The goal is drive mortgage rates so low that home prices not only stop falling but begin to rebound," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.
If the government does buy up mortgage securities, it would be similar to the effort announced last week by the Federal Reserve to purchase up to $500 billion of mortgage-backed securities from Fannie and Freddie. The two mortgage giants, which were seized by federal regulators in September, own or guarantee about half of the $11.5 trillion in U.S. outstanding home loan debt.
The Fed, however, did not announce a specific target for mortgage rates, which plunged about a half percentage point after the announcement.
That caused new mortgage applications to more than double last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly survey released Wednesday. Refinance volume more than tripled, and made up for nearly 70 percent of all applications.
Still, the industry plan is not likely to help borrowers whose credit is so damaged that banks don't want to lend to them.
"It doesn't do anything to help all the borrowers facing foreclosures," said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance, a trade publication. "It's going to benefit the people who have equity in their home, who have decent credit and can refinance."
Treasury is considering several options, and could announce a decision as early as next week, industry sources said.
Treasury spokeswoman Brookly McLaughlin said she would not comment on speculation about actions the department may take in the future.
The proposal was reported Wednesday afternoon on The Wall Street Journal's Web site.
Treasury could make such a proposal as part of a request for the second $350 billion of the $700 billion financial rescue fund, industry sources said.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has been criticized by members of Congress for using the bailout money to shore up Wall Street banks, while not doing enough to help homeowners facing foreclosure.
In recent weeks, a diverse set of industry groups from real estate agents to carpet makers have called on lawmakers and the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to subsidize lower mortgage rates and beef up tax credits to help stimulate housing demand.
The National Association of Realtors has been pushing a plan under which the federal government would spend $50 billion to lower mortgage rates. It says doing so would yield about 500,000 more home sales.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Home Builders is leading a new "Fix Housing First" coalition to push for aid to the ailing housing sector, including a tax credit of up to $22,000 for anyone who buys a home before the end of 2009.
Click here to read more in The Wall Street Journal.
Lisa Warren
Branch Manager
Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower rates on 30-year mortgages to 4.5 percent.
WASHINGTON -- Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower mortgage rates and help stabilize the battered U.S. housing market.
Under one proposal, Treasury would seek to lower the rate on a 30-year mortgage to 4.5 percent by purchasing mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Scott Talbott, chief lobbyist at the Financial Services Roundtable, said Wednesday.
If enacted, such a plan would be an unprecedented opportunity for anyone with good credit and a solid income who could qualify for a mortgage at the lowest rates on records dating to the early 1960s, said Keith Gumbinger, senior vice president at financial publisher HSH Associates.
"You would have the mother of all re-fi booms," said mortgage industry consultant Howard Glaser.
The goal of the industry's proposal would be to take advantage of the unusually large difference, or spread, between mortgage rates and yields on government debt. On Wednesday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note yield sank as low as 2.65 percent, while the national average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgages was 5.75 percent, according to HSH Associates.
In recent years, there has been about a 1.8 percentage point difference between the yield on a 10-year Treasury note and a 30-year mortgage rate, but that spread currently hovers around 3 percentage points.
Analysts said that the government could use its ability to borrow money at low rates to in essence flood the market for mortgage-backed securities. This increased demand would tend to push down the yield on mortgage securities sold by Fannie and Freddie, which now average about 5.5 percent because of investor concerns about default risks. Once those yields fall, the theory goes, lower mortgage rates should follow.
That would have two benefits for the economy: Immediately adding money to the pocketbooks of homeowners who can refinance their mortgages and reduce their monthly payments, and eventually help arrest the slide in home prices since much lower mortgage rates would allow more potential buyers to qualify for loans.
"The goal is drive mortgage rates so low that home prices not only stop falling but begin to rebound," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.
If the government does buy up mortgage securities, it would be similar to the effort announced last week by the Federal Reserve to purchase up to $500 billion of mortgage-backed securities from Fannie and Freddie. The two mortgage giants, which were seized by federal regulators in September, own or guarantee about half of the $11.5 trillion in U.S. outstanding home loan debt.
The Fed, however, did not announce a specific target for mortgage rates, which plunged about a half percentage point after the announcement.
That caused new mortgage applications to more than double last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly survey released Wednesday. Refinance volume more than tripled, and made up for nearly 70 percent of all applications.
Still, the industry plan is not likely to help borrowers whose credit is so damaged that banks don't want to lend to them.
"It doesn't do anything to help all the borrowers facing foreclosures," said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance, a trade publication. "It's going to benefit the people who have equity in their home, who have decent credit and can refinance."
Treasury is considering several options, and could announce a decision as early as next week, industry sources said.
Treasury spokeswoman Brookly McLaughlin said she would not comment on speculation about actions the department may take in the future.
The proposal was reported Wednesday afternoon on The Wall Street Journal's Web site.
Treasury could make such a proposal as part of a request for the second $350 billion of the $700 billion financial rescue fund, industry sources said.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has been criticized by members of Congress for using the bailout money to shore up Wall Street banks, while not doing enough to help homeowners facing foreclosure.
In recent weeks, a diverse set of industry groups from real estate agents to carpet makers have called on lawmakers and the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to subsidize lower mortgage rates and beef up tax credits to help stimulate housing demand.
The National Association of Realtors has been pushing a plan under which the federal government would spend $50 billion to lower mortgage rates. It says doing so would yield about 500,000 more home sales.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Home Builders is leading a new "Fix Housing First" coalition to push for aid to the ailing housing sector, including a tax credit of up to $22,000 for anyone who buys a home before the end of 2009.
Click here to read more in The Wall Street Journal.
Lisa Warren
Branch Manager
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Roanoke’s Rock Hotel Takes Top Honors at State Conference
Old digs mean new honors for Roanoke, whose historic Rock building has swept the latest state awards program.
"It’s a prestigious award," said Amy Radford, the city’s marketing manager.
At this month’s Texas Downtown Association Annual Conference, Radford accepted the award on the city’s behalf for winning top honors in the Best Renovation-Rehabilitation — Public Sector category.
Four other finalists also vied for the award. They were the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at the Ritz in Austin; Baxter’s on Main restaurant in Bastrop; the Schuerenberg building in Brenham and the Cotton Exchange Saloon in Temple.
Officials from several cities applauded as a Roanoke structure built in 1886 took the prize.
"When people saw before-and-after pictures, they just gasped," said Radford, crediting architect Joe Judy among others for restoring the building. She accepted the award on behalf of the city, sharing recognition with Shane Harris and Denise Etcheson of RGA Architects Inc.
Rick Gilliland, principal of the Roanoke firm, has spent months helping preserve a unique part of Roanoke history.
Other Roanoke structures bearing RGA’s architectural touch include the Martin Doyle building and City Hall, as well as facade work for Tortilla Flats restaurant and the Shane Murphy property.
A structure once known as the Rock Hotel now stands as the Roanoke Visitor Center and Museum. Architects sought to preserve the building’s frontier aesthetic that’s permeated its walls since S.M. and B.S. Snead built them more than 100 years ago.
With proper marketing and homespun flavor — ingredients already boasted by Babe’s Chicken Dinner House — Roanoke sees the Rock building and ongoing Oak Street redevelopment as ways to accelerate its already growing reputation for down-home charm and uptown ambition, a balance few communities achieve.
State officials are taking notice.
In July, four judges evaluated the Rock building and others throughout the state for the Texas Downtown Association accolade. The judges were Scott Day of Urban Development Services in San Antonio; Carolyn Howard, executive director of the Beaumont Main Street Program; Rich MacMath, an architect with HDR Engineering Inc. in Austin; and Stephen Sharpe, editor of Texas Architect magazine in Austin.
For 10 years, the nonprofit Texas Downtown Association has held the awards program.
"They recognized the dedication it took to get the funding and save the building," said Radford. "It’s recognition of the work the city went through. We’re really happy."
More information is available at www.texasdowntown.org.
When people saw before-and-after pictures, they just gasped.
–Amy Radford, Roanoke’s marketing manager
"It’s a prestigious award," said Amy Radford, the city’s marketing manager.
At this month’s Texas Downtown Association Annual Conference, Radford accepted the award on the city’s behalf for winning top honors in the Best Renovation-Rehabilitation — Public Sector category.
Four other finalists also vied for the award. They were the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at the Ritz in Austin; Baxter’s on Main restaurant in Bastrop; the Schuerenberg building in Brenham and the Cotton Exchange Saloon in Temple.
Officials from several cities applauded as a Roanoke structure built in 1886 took the prize.
"When people saw before-and-after pictures, they just gasped," said Radford, crediting architect Joe Judy among others for restoring the building. She accepted the award on behalf of the city, sharing recognition with Shane Harris and Denise Etcheson of RGA Architects Inc.
Rick Gilliland, principal of the Roanoke firm, has spent months helping preserve a unique part of Roanoke history.
Other Roanoke structures bearing RGA’s architectural touch include the Martin Doyle building and City Hall, as well as facade work for Tortilla Flats restaurant and the Shane Murphy property.
A structure once known as the Rock Hotel now stands as the Roanoke Visitor Center and Museum. Architects sought to preserve the building’s frontier aesthetic that’s permeated its walls since S.M. and B.S. Snead built them more than 100 years ago.
With proper marketing and homespun flavor — ingredients already boasted by Babe’s Chicken Dinner House — Roanoke sees the Rock building and ongoing Oak Street redevelopment as ways to accelerate its already growing reputation for down-home charm and uptown ambition, a balance few communities achieve.
State officials are taking notice.
In July, four judges evaluated the Rock building and others throughout the state for the Texas Downtown Association accolade. The judges were Scott Day of Urban Development Services in San Antonio; Carolyn Howard, executive director of the Beaumont Main Street Program; Rich MacMath, an architect with HDR Engineering Inc. in Austin; and Stephen Sharpe, editor of Texas Architect magazine in Austin.
For 10 years, the nonprofit Texas Downtown Association has held the awards program.
"They recognized the dedication it took to get the funding and save the building," said Radford. "It’s recognition of the work the city went through. We’re really happy."
More information is available at www.texasdowntown.org.
When people saw before-and-after pictures, they just gasped.
–Amy Radford, Roanoke’s marketing manager
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