Dallas Home Appraisals News and Information

Huffingtonpost.com has put up an "Economic Distress Map" that shows unemployment, foreclosure and some housing stats from virtually every county across the country.  It's an interesting look at where the recession is hitting hardest.

There was some interesting stuff in the DMN this weekend regarding buying and selling houses and market trends.  I'm going to try to go through and hit the high points in the next couple of days, particularly for those outside the D/FW area who might be thinking of buying investment properties here.  The D/FW market has some great opportunities for investors now, even as we are still weathering the downturn better than a lot of other markets.

Still wondering if the stricter rules that Texas places on cash-out refi's has helped soften the rate of foreclosures here, since Texas does make it a little harder to take out equity.  Whatever the reason, the stats continue to show that we haven't taken the hit of states like California, Arizona and Florida.

Keep an eye on interest rates if you're still on the fence about a refi or buying.  The market is up again today and as long as it keeps rising so will rates.  This summer might also bring some relief to values as more buyers gear up to get into homes before school starts, creating a little more competition.

More tomorrow, but, as always, we'd sure love to hear your thoughts, opinions, tips, etc. regarding the housing markets and lending!  In the meantime, please contact us at Blue Star Appraisals Inc. with any questions about market values or whether a home appraisal might benefit you at this time!  Also, please don't put off checking your property tax assessments much longer, protests must be filed by June 1 in most D/FW area counties.