Julie Johnson, Realtor, CMS, QSC

The last 3 months of 2008 were difficult. As the stock market dropped, so did the number of showings on my listings. The holidays did not help. Retail posted some of the lowest sales numbers ever, and homes sales slowed about 14% in Dallas.

Now, it is 2009. We have a new President, a new year and new hope for the future. Although the number of homes sold has decreased, more people have decided not to sell, making for a fairly steady 6-month supply of homes for sale.  In just the first few weeks of the new year, I have already noticed an increase in buyer traffic on my listings and more flyers being taken. And as the weather improves and the days become longer, things will only get better.

Finding time to work out with a 1 year old is diffucult, but Frisco offers a great solution. The Frisco Athletic Center offers memebers free daycare for up to 2 hours a day. Not only is it convenient, but my son loves it. They have lots of toys, TVs, and a great staff. Once your kids reach 8, they move from the Fun Club to the Zone. This room has a pool table, ping-pong, air hockey, video games and lounge area.

Learn more by visiting FriscoFun.org

As I am completing my EcoBroker designation, I am becoming even more aware of import issues. Have you though about which Presidential candidate is greener? I find this article interesting.

After living in beautiful Downtown Dallas for 4 years, I am moving to the burbs. We thought we would stay here longer, but crawling baby does not go well with 2 flights of stairs. We just put an offer in for a house in Frisco. All the sports, family entertainment, shopping, and food makes Frisco a perfect place to raise a family. We will also have a large lot with a garden and fruit trees. My little boy will be able to walk to all his schools. Although Frisco does not have much culture or art, the new Dallas Art District will be just a short drive on the Tollway. Time to start packing.

Today, I searched for “green real estate in Dallas” on Google. Only 318,000 results should up, but when I replaced Dallas with Chicago, LA or New York, over 3 million results were found, and almost 5 million for LA. We are currently the fastest growing city and the 4th largest in the nation.  Why is Dallas so behind when it comes to green living? Do we not care as much as the rest of the nation? No, this is due to a lack of education. All home owners should know the different systems in their house and what effect they have on water and energy usage and their health.

Although Frisco is one of the few cities in the nation to implement green building standards, many people living there are unaware of this. Even the builders do not discuss the energy efficient features added to each home with the buyers until asked. Frisco should be proud of the efforts made and publicize the benefits of green construction.

While the demand for green homes is increasing in other parts of the nation, Dallas remains unaware of the importance of simple changes in construction which can greatly reduce energy consumption, like extra insulation or a radiant barrier. Green living not only helps the environment but reduce your bills and improves our health.  As a whole, we need more education and awareness to catch up with other cities.

Are you aware the city of Frisco was one of the first cities to implement green standards for new residential construction?
Each house is tested to ensure adequate circulation. Clean air must be aloud in the home making the home healthier. And to reduce wasted energy, homes must get an 86 or higher on the HERS (Home Energy Rating System). By having minimum standards and not strict guidelines, builders have flexibility in how they accomplish these goals.

Click here to read more about the Frisco Green Building Program

After 6 months of continual decline, homes sale went up in February. My office and title company have seen more closing in January and February 2008 than in 2007. While parts of the county have suffered greatly, Dallas has barely felt the pinch, and the new FHA guidelines should make it easier to get a loan. The FHA limit increase from $204K to $271K. For DFW, this loan amount includes many nice homes in good neighborhoods. All this points to us having a great Spring and Summer in the Metroplex area.