The Houston Business Journal reported in its June 25 issue that Keller Williams Realty is the second largest Houston-area residential real estate brokerage firm for 2009 based on both closed transactions and volume of closed sales. The results take into account the combined figures for six Keller Williams offices: Northeast, The Woodlands, Professionals, Magnolia, Sterling Ridge and Livingston.
Tag: kingwood real estate
Young Life Holds Family Bar-B-Que
The Northeast Chapter of Young Life will hold a Family Bar-B-Que on Sun., May 2 from 5-7 p.m. at Deerwood Elementary at 2920 Forest Garden Dr. in Kingwood. Tickets available at the event are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Kids under five years old are free. Admission includes live musical entertainment, games and an inflatable for the under five crowd.
Young Life is a national non-profit organization for high school aged teens to help them build lasting friendships and to consider the direction of their lives. The Kingwood and Kingwood Park high school groups meet on Mondays during the school year at the YL Clubhouse inside the Vinyard Church at 807 Russell Palmer Rd. in Kingwood.
Mortgage News
Last week, the Federal Reserve did as promised and discontinued its policy of buying mortgage-backed securities as of March 31. By purchasing housing loans, the Fed has provided much-needed capital for distressed lenders and investors. The policy was in effect to help subsidize the housing market and keep mortgages rates abnormally low.
So what do the experts predict will happen to the mortgage rates? The leader of Freddie Mac, one of the two government-run mortgage financing companies, does not foresee an upswing in the rates in the immediate future. “There’s not going to be, at least in the short term, a major dislocation and a major move up in mortgage rates,” said Freddie Mac CEO Ed Haldeman in a recent Forbes.com article.
Keller Williams Viva Las Vegas Concert Welcomes Elvis to Kings Harbor
Kings Harbor Plaza will shake, rattle and roll during the Keller Williams concert in April. Elvis Tribute Artist Vince King will perform at the free Viva Las Vegas Concert on Friday, April 16 from 7-10 p.m. at Kings Harbor. He will be joined by a special guest act, the Keller Williams Thriller Dancers, who will Continue reading
Fed Expected to Stop Mortgage Subsidy: Real Estate Experts Urge Consumers to Buy Now
Next Wednesday (3/31) is a monumental day for the mortgage industry. It is the day that the Federal Reserve has said it will stop buying mortgage-backed securities in an effort to keep mortgage rates low and bolster the housing market. The expected outcome of this move is an increase in interest rates which have been hovering around 5 percent this week for a 30 year fixed rate loan.
February Home Sales Figures Released
On Tuesday (3/16), the Houston Association of Realtors released housing sales statistics for February 2010. While the number of homes on the market increased for the month, existing single family home sales were down in Houston and in two out of the three northeast Houston areas served by Keller Williams Realty Northeast.
Reflecting an abundance of pent up sellers, listings on resale homes were up versus a year ago across the area. Houston overall saw a two percent gain in single family homes on the market in February versus last year. Area 1 (Atascocita/Humble) saw 3.2 percent more homes listed; Area 32 (Kingwood) had a 7.9 percent increase; and Area 40 (Southeast Montgomery County) had 14.8 percent more houses listed for sale.
Texas A & M Quarterback to Speak at FCA Banquet
Texas A & M University quarterback Jerrod Johnson will be the featured speaker at the East Houston Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) annual banquet. The event will take place on April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Humble Area First Baptist Church at FM 1960 and Townsen Blvd, Humble.
Johnson was a standout football player at Humble High School and the 2005 Houston Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Year. His father Larry Johnson, who died in 2007, was a coach and principal at HHS and also played football for Texas A & M.
Keller Williams Family Reunion Highlights
Keller Williams Realty Northeast (KWNE) management and agents returned to the office last week after attending the Family Reunion in New Orleans from Feb. 20-24. The annual Keller Williams national convention is a chance for the company’s associates to renew, energize and celebrate accomplishments from the past year.
Senior Team Leader Lisa Dempsey had the chance to meet the renowned real estate visionary Stefan Swanepoel, who was a featured presenter at Family Reunion. Since 1987, Swanepoel has been an independent researcher for National Real Estate Data. He is best known in the industry for the annual Swanepoel Trends Report. He has written several books, including his newest: Social Media Report 2010.
Golf Tournament to Benefit the Troops
The Doug Erdy Team from Keller Williams Realty Northeast has announced that their 6th annual charity golf tournament will benefit the Blue Star Mothers, a service organization of parents whose children are in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The four person scramble tournament will be held on Aug. 16 at The Clubs of Kingwood with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Entry fee is $125 for one golfer or $500 for a team of four. A military discount is available. In addition to great golf, the entry fee includes an on-course box lunch and a sit-down dinner awards ceremony with a silent auction.
Real Estate Experts Give Insight into the Federal Housing Tax Credit
If you are looking to buy a home for the first time, there is no better time to buy than right now. First time home buyers can qualify for an $8,000 Federal Housing Tax Credit if they purchase a home by 4/30/2010 and close the sale by 6/30/2010 . Move-up buyers, who purchase a new home and sell their previous home during that same time period, can receive a $6,500 tax credit with qualifying income levels and years of homeownership.
On top of the tax incentive, interest rates are at a near a record low making home purchases even more attractive. Rates currently hover around the high four percent range: conventional and Federal Housing Administration mortgage rates are at 4.875% with VA being slightly higher at 5%, according to Mike Proctor of Genesis Mortgage Company in Kingwood.