Oklahoma

It is vital to have home inspections conducted by a professional that is concerned for your well being, not just there to get the deal done. I would suggest conducting a full home inspection, utilizing a structural engineer, a licensed EMP inspector, and a termite company which will look at wood rot and pest control. Alarm and fireplace are optional as well, these are free of charge. Your initial investment will range from $500-$600 depending on your area.

In the Tulsa and Surrounding areas I would suggest utilizing ACL Home Inspections. This company is thorough and dedicated to you. Ash is the owner and the contact. (918)521-3818.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then 10 would be worth 10,000 words. And I think 10,000 words describing your house could lead to a sale much more quickly than only one picture, or worse yet, no pictures. When searching listings for my buyers, I am continually annoyed and disappointed by Realtors that do not include the maximum number of pictures. And it is totally appalling the Realtors that do not include any pictures at all. These are not new, inexperienced Realtors either. I'm seeing this lack of service from experienced Realtors. So if you're a seller, ask to see the listing that your Realtor has put in the Multiple Listing Service for you. This MLS is how other Realtors find your property for their buyers. If your property has no pictures or just one of the front of the house, how appealing is that? There are just too many houses on the market right now to waste time on one that has no pictures. Why are there no pictures? Is it totally ugly and in disrepair inside? Is it just a little messy and possibly workable? Who knows? Buyers are not going to take the time to look at questionable properties. And that's what a property is with no pictures...one big question mark. Sellers, please discuss this with your Realtor. Make sure they have the maximum number of photos allowed by their MLS. Even with difficult properties, you can find something to photograph. What good is it to have print ads or internet advertising when it is all words and no pictures? Your house needs to become a buyer's next home, and nothing helps them picture that better than pictures. (pun intended)

Well with the bailout passing this Friday. I am getting a lot of clients asking me what does this mean for me. Well this is what I tell them. With the government bailout of the banks or saving main street which ever one you want to call it should help lenders loosing up just a little bit.

Lets face it the credit markets were tight. When banks are scared to lend to each other do you think they want to lend to you and me? NO. This bailout will put money back into the credit markets that will allow banks to lend back to banks which in turn will allow them to not freeze your credit cards, home equity loan, or even lines of credits that employers rely on to pay their employees.

So can you buy a house now with the bill pass? You sure can. Interest rates are still at historical lows. You still will have the tax benefits in buying a home and there is always personal reasons on why to buy. This is a great time to buy a home don't let the media discourage you from buying there job is to sell advertising and the only way you will watch them is for them to interject fear into you. So I say go ahead and buy just be smart. Don't buy nothing that you can't afford.

Kenyatta Lampley
Lampley Mortgage Team
www.KenyattaLampley.com

Southeast Oklahoma is a true hunters' paradise. While most hunters would probably like to own their own hunting land, Choctaw County and McCurtain County in Southeast Oklahoma have thousands of acres available for public hunting. When we get hunting land to list, it always attracts a lot of attention, but when we don’t have any hunting parcels available, remember that you can live anywhere in our beautiful part of America and be close to public hunting areas.

For those living near Hugo Lake including those that have chosen to live on the water at Lake Raymond Gary, there are many acres of hunting land around Hugo Lake. According to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers site for Hugo Lake, there are around 26,000 acres available around Hugo Lake to the hunter. 18, 000 acres which are managed by The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and 8,000 more acres managed by the Corps”

“The lake area offers excellent hunting opportunities with over 25,000 acres of land available to the hunter. Bow hunting is permitted in and around most of the park areas. Kiamichi Park contains an archery practice range and is now a 3,000-acre Quality Deer Management Area. This makes Hugo Lake a “one of a kind” area, where quality archery hunting is available within walking distance of Class-A camping.”₁

Map of Hugo Lake, courtesy of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, is available on their site. The dam on Hugo Lake is on the Kiamichi River. The Kiamichi River flows into Red River about 18 miles downstream after leaving the Hugo Lake at the spillway located at Sawyer, Oklahoma.

Anywhere that you live in our area, you can’t be very far from Pine Creek Lake which is approximately 8 miles north of Valliant, Oklahoma. Again, according to the U.S. Army Corp:

“Hunting at Pine Creek Lake is in accordance with applicable Federal and state regulations. Unless otherwise posted, hunting is permitted in designated hunting areas with all legal weapons. Generally, all lands are open to the public for hunting except developed recreational areas and lands around the dam and other structures.”

There are two areas for archery only – 200 acres north of Hiway 3 and 120 acres west of Little River Park. This map of Pine Creek Lake indicates the many acres that are available to the public for hunting around Pine Creek Lake.

Broken Bow Lake area in McCurtain County is the area that many local hunters head to during deer season.

“With the exception of developed areas and certain Game Preserves, all project lands are open to the public for hunting. Deer are the most important big game species found in the area.” ₁

The Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area covers 250,000 acres and is a permitted area for hunting and other recreation. Details concerning the permit costs, etc. can be found on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Web Site.

So if you want to live near where the hunting is good, come to Southeast Oklahoma. If you have huntin gland in our area that you want to sell, call Judi Barrett, broker at Integrity Real Estate Services about what she does to get your property noticed by buyers looking to buy hunting land in Southeast Oklahoma.

For all of your real estate needs in Southeast Oklahoma, call Judi Barrett at 580-212-5946 at Integrity Real Estate Services.

1.) U.S. Army Corp of Engineers

Turkey and quail photos courtesy of morguefile.com

Deer photo courtesy of U S Corp of Engineers

Part 1 of 4

Being a Realtor I understand the "seasonal fluctuations" in the housing market. Summer months are usually most active and then slower period comes because of holiday season and winter months. And this cycle repeats itself every year. Nothing new...The law of supply and demand takes care of the market's self-balancing, hence, we have either Buyers or Sellers Market. And that also happens every few years. Real estate values go up, up but they cannot go up, up forever. Simply said, what goes up will have to go down. But it doesn't mean that it will stay there, does it?

From 2001 to 2005 property values rose up in unprecedented speed of almost 58%! That is a huge value gain comparing to the historical value of 4% annually. Then what has happened, what triggered this unbelievable gain? Are we really that surprised? Irresponsible lending, "lier loans" known as "no documents" loans where applicants lied on their applications about income, were not required to provide tax returns etc. Then these loans were packaged and re-packaged and sold for profit with help of the "cooking books accountants". Guess where the majority of these loans defaulted? Yes, you guessed it - California, Arizona, and Florida...all of most distressed markets!

What is the point I am trying to make, you ask? Well, it is not our economy at fault! It is reckless borrowing - both on government and individual levels -which are a drag on the economy! It is time to stop "golden parachute" and stop rewarding bad behavior and performance by people who got us into this unbelievable mess! Stock market didn't tank, our 401s are safe and the unemployment rate is very low. We will recover. This is the American way. More and more people are getting involved in the political process and more aware about giving blank checks to our politicians.

But there is a story emerging behind the headlines. "Amidst fears of financial freefall, the real estate market is emerging as a bright spot. Indicators are pointing to an end of the bust; in fact, real estate may be poised for a bounce"- writes Dave Jenks, VP of Research and Development for Keller Williams Realty.

Is Housing Headed for a Turnaround?
Home prices falling back into alignment with historical trends

Source: Keller Williams Realty

The long-term affordability trend of 4 percent appreciation has been recovered after a five-year period of unsustainable growth (2001 to 2005) followed by a three-year market correction (2006 to 2008).

In the part2 I will introduce the Oklahoma real estate market - if and how it is affected by the national news; statistics of Oklahoma City market and is a right time to invest in home ownership or real estate investment...

I would love to hear your comments and questions about this article and real estate in general.

Please send them to: Bo@Okla-OK.com

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