Top 25 Best Places to Retire

And the winners are…

Forbes magazine recently announced its list of Top 25 Best Places to Retire, and the Lone Star state had three cities make the list: Grand Prairie, San Marcos and Abilene.

Grand Prairie made the list because of its booming economy, low crime, warm weather and a cost of living that is below the national average. You can read about the list here.

Finding Help Next Door

A week has passed since 12 tornadoes blew through North Texas the day after Christmas, killing 11 people and causing $1.2 billion in damages. 

The emotional toll, which cannot be calculated in dollars and cents, was visually staggering as news accounts and Facebook posts showed storm victims sifting through what remained of their lives.


In my community alone, there were 171 structures damaged or destroyed--an estimated loss of $20.4 million, according to Ellis County Emergency Management.

While my home was untouched, the tornado passed just five to six houses down from us heavily damaging several of my neighbors homes as it moved northward continuing its path of destruction. Police blockaded roads, a curfew was instituted and store-bought generators hummed for days until power was finally restored. Although not hit as hard as our northern neighbors, clean up in our southern county continues.

As a rural community, we do not have things in place for quick, efficient communication. Through that weekend, the city of Ovilla website contained no information. Other government websites provided sporadic information.

I, along with my neighbors, found more information and help through Next Door, a private social network community. I’ve never been a big fan of social networking. Sure I have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, but my use tends to be sporadic at best.

But it was there, on Next Door that my neighbors and I discovered what neighborhoods were damaged. It was there we found out who had power and when power was getting restored. It was there we could vent and receive a sympathetic response. It was there we even found out about official stuff such as the curfew.

It was also there that we found out about whose pets had gone missing. And, it was there we all rejoiced online when Kip, a shorthaired English Pointer, was finally found three days later and reunited with his family. It was there someone volunteered to do laundry for displaced families, and it was there, others searched for personal items blown away.

But most importantly, it was there where human connections were made even through the anonymity of cyberspace, making this tragic event bearable.

When Your Home Doesn't Sell

Dear Home Diva,
My house has been on the market along time. Why won't my house sell?

Sincerely, P.T. High

Dear P.T.,
There are a number things that factor in why a house doesn't sell. While some additional factors may come into play, the main reasons for a home not selling usually are price, condition and location.

While you can't move your house to improves its marketability, you certainly can work on price and condition. If buyers are not looking or making offers on your home, price could be the primary factor. No one wants to pay top dollar for a home that doesn't merit the price.

While I love their programing, HGTV has conditioned a lot of buyers to expect move-in ready, updated homes. If you're missing some of the bells & whistles buyers expect, then you need to make your price attractive to them.

In today's market in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with inventory low, homes that are priced right sell fairly quickly, so you may need to look at a price adjustment.

I would also take a step back and objectively look at your house and how does it show? Is there too much clutter? Do you need better curb appeal? Does it need a good cleaning? All these can be factors in buyers passing over your home. --the Home Diva

Keeping New Year's Resolutions

January soon will sputter to an end and with it most people's New Year’s resolutions.

According to people who keep track of those sorts of things, between 40 and 45 percent of us make New Year's resolutions. (Raise your hand if you’re like me and do that sort of thing.)

We begin our journey filled with hope, promise and commitment, but by the end of week two, only 71 percent of us trudge on. By six months end, the number drops to 46 percent. As time goes on, success plummets. It's all rather depressing.

Still, there is a bright spot in all of this. 

Researchers say that those people “who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.”

Ten times. Whew! That’s a lot–enough to make me re-think and re-start my personal, professional and organizational goals and resolutions.

It may be the end of January, but I'm resolved to start tackling my resolution list again.

And, what you might ask the Home Diva does any of all of this have to do with real estate? Why, I'm glad you asked. Whether you've always wanted to buy a home, or upsize or downsize, a firm New Year's commitment can get you on the path to achieving your dreams.

If you need to sell, now is the time to start organizing, cleaning and getting your home market ready. I've got tons of ideas on my Pinterest boards to help get you started.

If you want to buy a home, now is the time to examine your finances and start the pre-approval process. Do you need to save more? Repair your credit? Find a realtor? Again, check out my Pinterest boards for information.

Remember, if we resolve to do this, we are 10 times more likely to succeed!

The 2015 Color of the Year and My Nomination for 2016 Color of the Year

Unlike last year’s cheery Radiant Orchid that supposedly evoked optimism and sophistication, Pantone’s selection of the muted, slightly muddled Marsala as its choice for the 2015 Color of the Year was greeted with mixed reviews.

Marsala, according to the Pantone’s press release, is the color that will enrich “our mind, body and soul, exuding confidence and stability.” Its touted as a “subtly seductive shade” that promises to draw us in “to its embracing warmth.”

Well, not so fast, Missy.

Others have failed to see its beauty, spewing out less than favorable reviews. Most notably this from The Atlantic, “Think rust, the grimy, gag-inducing type that lines corners or frat boy dormitory-style bathrooms. Or blood, the freaky dried kind whose iron content has been exposed to the air long enough to evoke a dull brick.”

Jeepers creepers, when you put it that way, I’m not sure I want that around my house. But I actually like the burgundy tone of Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year.

More importantly, I like the name of it. Marsala. It reminds me of chicken Marsala, and, hey, what’s not to like about that tasty little dish? But I digress…

Still, it’s no secret that naming colors would be my dream job. I envision myself sitting in a fancy, schmancy corner office after traipsing around the world visiting exotic places (for inspiration) and coming up with extraordinarily creative names for colors for ordinary paint chips. And, all this, of course, while earning a bazillion dollars.

So Pantone guys and gals… I’ve already got your 2016 Color of the Year.

I call it “Taffy Tabby” reminiscent of Howard of the Shelter Cat. Here’s part of my bazillion dollar marketing campaign press release: “Taffy Tabby spins a luxurious mix of vibrant orange hues and esoteric vanilla enhanced creams evoking a fine zen-like balance between playful and serious.”

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it… why not me?

And Pantone, no need to thank me. Just pop my check in the mail.

Homes for sale in Red Oak & Selling Memories

I’ve never been much of a sentimental kind of gal. No siree, Missy. I trudge ahead, barreling forward rocketing into that great oblivion we call the future.  

I am not a looking-back-kind of gal.

So it’s a bit odd that I’ve been waxing a bit poetic and been a tad sentimental the past few days.

I recently sold a home owned by a former student of mine. At closing, she got a bit teary-eyed, and then that got the escrow officer teary-eyed. But, I (who remained dry-eyed) scurried off to locate a box of Kleenex. Finding none, I returned with a napkin I rustled up from the break room.

The sale was an emotional one for my client because it had been her first home. While she dearly loved that house, she needed to move on.

As I was driving back to the office, I made a mental note to start bringing Kleenex to closings because this (ad)venture in real estate has always been more than just selling houses. 

We sell memories, bringing the promise of new ones and new dreams.

And, at least for me, it’s a moment, a glimpse, a condensed vignette of a life moving forward with faith in the future.

I thought about my client again as I drove on down the road and realized I will always see her as that young teenager sitting on a blanket listening to Tom Petty belting out “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”

But isn’t that what we do throughout our lives? We're all just running down a dream… goin’ wherever it leads…

Howard the Shelter Cat & Pet Rent

Howard the Shelter Cat snubbed my latest idea that he should start paying his fair share in rent. I thought it would be a great way to supplement my vacation fund.

As usual, he just yawned and turned his whiskers aside showing his usual indifference to anything non-food related.

It's a good thing I'm such a sap for the furry guy. Otherwise,  he'd be getting his eviction notice speedy quick.

Apparently, charging renters an extra monthly pet fee is becoming more and more the norm, according to recent news reports. That extra fee is in addition to those hefty non-refundable pet security deposits. Most landlords are charging anywhere from 10 to 50 buckeroos extra a month for the privilege of having a pet.

The extra fees supposedly help to pay for those pet walkways, parks, waste bags and other expenses related to pets.

Lucky for Howie, we don't rent. We own a home. Chalk up one more reason it's better to own, then rent.

Still, if there were some way Howie could work just a bit for his room and board…