By Tom Branch, on September 29th, 2010 
Even more reasons to start enjoying a low‐maintenance and energy saving lifestyle!
For a limited time, CB Jeni Homes is offering a 2‐1 Buy Down Program in The Enclaves at Willow Crest, their luxury townhome community located in the highly sought-after area of Northwest Plano.
The Enclaves at Willow Crest is a luxurious two‐story townhome community offering buyers a convenient Northwest Plano location with one of the lowest tax rates in Collin County as well as being served by the exemplary Frisco ISD. Buyers enjoy award‐winning architectural designs and an exciting, low‐maintenance contemporary lifestyle. This amazing new construction townhome community boasts beautiful Old‐World‐Style designs with brick and stone exteriors that offer charm and elegance, while reducing energy costs with Energy Star features.
Available designs offer 1,633 to 2,300‐plus square feet of living space, including a master-down end-unit design. Build pricing ranges from the $180s to the $230s – and completed homes with extensive upgrades range from the low to mid‐$200s. Many future buildings are pre-sold and quick move-in townhomes have limited availability.
Residents of this luxury townhome neighborhood will also enjoy the full featured HOA which provides – all Landscaping and common area care, Pool w/Cabana area and Playground, 2 Community Parks w/BBQs, Hazard Insurance for Building Exteriors and Maintenance, and Pest Control all included!
Contact Wendi Leigh at (214) 387‐4414 to schedule a time to see what The Enclaves at Willow Crest has to offer.
* Cannot be combined with other offers. Limited to closings within 30-45 days. Must use approved lender. Offer may be withdrawn without further notice.
** The Branch Team with RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs is the exclusive listing broker for CB Jeni Homes.
By Tom Branch, on September 29th, 2010  Walt Disney was a man of extraordinary vision and foresight. He knew what it would take to be successful in his chosen area of business, and he developed a formula that expressed his philosophy and could be used in any type of business to ensure its success. He called it his “Law of Unlimited Abundance.”
Walt said that it didn’t matter what type of business or endeavor a person was engaged in, they could be successful and enjoy unlimited abundance if they would simply follow his formula or plan.
Walt Disney’s “Law of Unlimited Abundance” states that to be successful, you must, “Do what you do so well, that the people who see you do it will want to see you do it again, and will bring others to see you do it.”
That’s the credo that built the enormous successes of Disneyland and Disneyworld. And in their arena of operation, they stand alone.
Disney’s law can work for you too!
It can be similar in your business world too. You see, the key is to “do what you do,” not what someone else does, but what you do. You don’t have to copy. You simply do your job the way only you can. That’s what makes you special, sets you apart from others, and attracts people to you.
Then you do what you do “so well,” that is, provide the type of service your customers require, want, or need in an exceptional manner. It leaves no room for mediocrity, it’s “so well.” That implies exceptional performance.
And if you will do that so “the people who see you do it,” (your customers), “will want to see you do it again,” (that’s repeat business), “and will bring others to see you do it,” (that’s referral business), you too can meet with unparalleled success.
Because so few people perform in business that way, it sets you completely apart from all the competition. Customers can’t get the kind of service you offer from anyone or anywhere else. It’s simply not available anywhere, at any price.
So by default, you become unique, different, and difficult to replace. And it will be reflected in your business and your income. It has to. There’s no choice. It is a basic, eternal law of nature. You simply reap the results of what you’ve sown.
By Tom Branch, on September 27th, 2010 
The Texas Real Estate Commission has proposed a rule change to 535.154. The new rule would require any advertising placed by a salesperson to contain the license number of the sponsoring broker. Brokers will be required to place their license number on any advertising they place.
Click here for the proposed rule change on the Texas Secretary of State website
The current rule requires the broker’s or brokerage’s name to be included in all advertising placed by a salesperson or broker.
While TREC rules require licensees to promptly file assumed business names (DBAs) with the commission, the concern revolves around DBAs not being searchable by consumers and other licensees. As soon as the new TREC website is up-and-running, my understanding is that DBAs will be searchable.
If this is correct, adding a broker license number to advertising does not really add anything meaningful. I can see consumers calling in and asking about property number XXXXXXX (insert your broker license number) thinking it’s a property ID number of some sort.
The commission estimates that this will have no impact on real estate licensees. I disagree.
Everything will need to be changed to accomodate this change–business cards, letterhead, websites, yard signs, brokerage signage, etc. I estimate the cost will average close to $2000 per licensee or $240 million dollars in unnecesary costs to Texas Real Estate licensees. The proposed rule has a quick phase-in date of January 1 , 2012. It’s basically a year to change everything.
The open comment period runs through October 9th. You can send your comments to:
Texas Real Estate Commission
Attn: Loretta DeHay
P. O. Box 12188
Austin, TX 78711-2188
You can also fax comments to her attention at 512-465-3910.
If we do not take a stand, this will likely be approved at the November TREC meeting and go into effect in 2011.
By Tom Branch, on September 27th, 2010 
It’s been said that you can tell how professional a person is by the size of their income at the end of the year.
And you can tell exactly how valuable the service you perform is by how much people are willing to pay you for it. If you do the same job that everybody else does, and do it no better than the way they do it, you can’t expect to earn more money or be considered any more valuable than those other people.
You see, the market, by nature, will pay superior rewards only for superior goods and services. It will pay average rewards for average goods and services, and it will see that inferior rewards are paid for inferior goods and services.
In other words, you will be rewarded in direct proportion to the value you provide your customers. It’s inescapable. That’s the law of nature.
Now, if the products and services you sell or provide are similar in coverage and price to everyone else’s (and most of them are), then the difference between you and other people in your position has to be in the type and amount of personal service you provide your customers and clients.
This then has to be the area you excel in–it becomes your competitive edge.
By Tom Branch, on September 26th, 2010 
2 Bedrooms | 2.1 Baths | 2-Car Garage | 1800 SF/Tax
Plano TX Townhomes For Sale – Beautiful new construction with stone exterior ready in October. Gourmet island kitchen with breakfast bar has granite counters, stainless appliances, glazed maple cabinets, and gas cook top. Designer touches include archways, rounded corners, upgraded tile, and iron balusters with oak handrails. Gas on patio for BBQ. Full service HOA for low maintenance living. Price is for 30 to 45 day close using approved lender.
Click here for current status, pricing, photos, and a virtual tour.
Source: NTREIS | Photo Credit -Tom Branch
By Tom Branch, on September 25th, 2010 
With the onset of cooler weather rats and mice start looking for a warmer place to spend the winter months. The migration to the inside will start in late September and continue through the winter months.
Entry points for rodents can be as small as a dime for a mouse and a quarter for a rat. Rodents are opportunistic and often enter through an open door.
The most common areas of entry are; the line leading into the home from the air conditioner, under the garage door, dryer vents with faulty flapper valves, and vines growing on the side of homes.
The best way to prevent rodent entry into your home is to walk around your home checking the areas listed above. If you can insert an object the size of a dime, seal it up.
By Tom Branch, on September 24th, 2010 
We completed our first short sale back in 2005 and five years later short sales have become 70-plus percent of our listing business. During that time we authored and published, “Avoiding Foreclosure – The Field Guide to Short Sales” which is the anchor of our marketing strategy for short sales. The book was not designed to educate real estate professionals. It was designed to help homeowners and homebuyers understand the short sale process.
While a few agents purchased the books for their own use, many were concerned that their clients would simply contact us. Those same agents asked us to produce a professional edition that they could use in their businesses. They asked for it and we delivered!
Now available – an unbranded version of “The Field Guide to Short Sales” book.
It has been re-titled “Avoiding Foreclosure – The Consumer Guide to Short Sales” and our contact information has been removed. Room has been left on the back of the book for you to label it with your contact information.
This is a great marketing tool to give to your potential short sale clients and almost always secures the listing!
Click here to visit our website.
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