Blog - Debbie Marett

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The ROI of Renovation

If that kitchen needs new countertops, your roof leaks or you want to swap out an old tub for a new shower, the cost might seem like a major deterrent. But if you’re a homeowner with equity in your property, a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) could be just the answer. A HELOC allows you to […]
Market Info

A Tale of Two Housing Markets

For a long time, the housing market was all sunshine for sellers. Homes were flying off the shelves, and buyers had to compete like crazy. But lately, things are starting to shift. Some areas are still super competitive for buyers, while others are seeing more homes sit on the market, giving buyers a bit more […]
Market Info

Housing market shifts to favor buyers — but they’re not buying

Like much else about the U.S. economy, tariffs and broader uncertainty are weighing on home sales amid the industry’s crucial spring season. In March, more than 375,000 homes were newly listed on the market — an increase of nearly 9% compared to the same time last year, according to Zillow Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ZG) research. But newly […]
Market Info

The Inventory Dilemma: Why Existing-Home Sales Are Falling Short

April 24, 2025 Home buyer demand appears strong. So, why did existing-home sales falter last month? Existing-home sales have lagged over the past two years, while new-home sales have surged—highlighting a key dynamic: Buyer demand remains strong when inventory is available. The existing-home market continues to face a short supply of homes for sale, despite […]

Uncategorized The ROI of Renovation If that kitchen needs new countertops, your roof leaks or you want to swap out an old tub for a new shower, the cost might seem like a major deterrent. But if you’re a homeowner with equity in your property, a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) could be just the answer. A HELOC allows you to […]

Market Info A Tale of Two Housing Markets For a long time, the housing market was all sunshine for sellers. Homes were flying off the shelves, and buyers had to compete like crazy. But lately, things are starting to shift. Some areas are still super competitive for buyers, while others are seeing more homes sit on the market, giving buyers a bit more […]

Market Info Housing market shifts to favor buyers — but they’re not buying Like much else about the U.S. economy, tariffs and broader uncertainty are weighing on home sales amid the industry’s crucial spring season. In March, more than 375,000 homes were newly listed on the market — an increase of nearly 9% compared to the same time last year, according to Zillow Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ZG) research. But newly […]

Market Info The Inventory Dilemma: Why Existing-Home Sales Are Falling Short April 24, 2025 Home buyer demand appears strong. So, why did existing-home sales falter last month? Existing-home sales have lagged over the past two years, while new-home sales have surged—highlighting a key dynamic: Buyer demand remains strong when inventory is available. The existing-home market continues to face a short supply of homes for sale, despite […]

Selling The #1 Thing Sellers Need To Know About Their Asking Price When you put your house on the market, you want to sell it quickly and for the best price possible; that’s generally the goal. But too many sellers are shooting too high right now. They don’t realize the market has shifted as inventory has grown. The side effect? Price cuts are on the rise, but […]

Residential Owner Information Preserve and Protect your Homestead Exemption By Roland Love, Independence Title Vice President and Attorney If you own a home in Texas, your residential homestead exemption is one of the most important tools for reducing your property taxes. But did you know that exemptions aren’t automatic and require monitoring? With Appraisal District Notices arriving soon, now is the perfect time to check your exemption status […]

Market Info Here’s What a Recession Could Mean for the Housing Market Recession talk is all over the news, and the odds of a recession are rising this year. And that leaves people wondering what would happen to the housing market if we do go into a recession. Let’s take a look at some historical data to show what’s happened in housing for each recession going all […]

Buying What’s a Good Debt-To-Income Ratio? You’ll see the term debt-to-income ratio a fair amount if you’re applying for a mortgage. Debt-to-income ratio is also known as DTI. This is a measure of your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. Lenders use DTI and your credit history to determine whether or not you can repay a loan. Every […]

Selling What to Know About Selling a Home to a Family Member It’s not uncommon to want to sell a home to a family member, but it can become a tricky situation. You have to be mindful of not only the personal elements that can come with doing this type of transaction with a relative, but the IRS may also scrutinize the transaction if you don’t avoid […]

Selling Consumer Guide: Seller Disclosures When selling your property it is most important to disclose, disclose and disclose! Sellers must disclose certain characteristics of the property to potential buyers. An agent who is a REALTOR® can help you understand why and what you need to disclose, but here are the basics: What are seller disclosures? Seller disclosures are certain material defects—elements […]

Info about HOA's and CCR's HOA Covenants: What to Know About CC&Rs HOA covenants can shape neighborhoods and the lives of residents significantly. Here’s what you should know about HOA CC&Rs. With 75.5 million Americans living in communities governed by homeowners associations (or HOAs) and 3,000 new HOAs expected to form in 2025, community associations are quickly becoming an important aspect of real estate transactions. An HOA […]

Buying Too Many Homes for Sale, or Not Enough? Making Sense of Recent Headlines for Home Buyers If you’ve been thinking about buying a house, you’ve probably heard that there aren’t that many homes for sale. And if you’ve been actively looking, chances are you can confirm that firsthand. Browsing listings often feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. You find a home you like, and before you can even […]

Selling What To Do If Your House Didn’t Sell Last year, as many as 1 in 3 sellers took their home off the market because it wasn’t selling. If this happened to you too, you don’t need to be embarrassed. The market was very challenging in 2024! What you need are answers. As your local real estate agent, I can help with that by […]

Buying Home Appreciation: Your Best Protection Against Inflation Home Appreciation: Your Best Protection Against Inflation Authored By: The MBS Highway Team The Mortgage Bond market continues to pay close attention to inflation, which is a key driver of mortgage rates. Remember, inflation is the arch enemy of fixed investments like Mortgage Bonds because it erodes the buying power of a Bond’s fixed rate […]

Market Info Why Online Valuation’s like Zestimate’s Miss the Mark – Your Net Worth Deserves Better than Guesswork Why Online Valuation’s like Zestimate’s Miss the Mark – and Why a Real Estate Agent Offers More Accuracy Before the early 2000’s, you may have had a general idea about how much your house was worth at any given moment. But to get an accurate sense of it, you would’ve needed to ask a real […]

Market Info Answers to the Top 5 Questions Everyone’s Asking This Holiday Season When Will Mortgage Rates Come Down? Unfortunately, when it comes to mortgage rates, there’s no crystal ball. But there are key factors that will influence which way rates will go from here: the labor market, inflation, and the geopolitical landscape – just to name a few. While mortgage rates have been volatile over the past several months, […]

Buying What Does It Mean to Make a Principal-Only Payment? You’ll hear the terms principal and interest when you get a home loan. Your principal is the amount you borrow for your home loan, and your interest is what you pay monthly to use the loan. To calculate the principal of a mortgage, you would subtract your down payment from the final sales price of […]

Buying Avoid These Top Homebuyer Mistakes in Today’s Market No one likes making mistakes, especially when they happen in what’s likely the biggest transaction of your life – buying a home. That’s why partnering with a trusted agent is so important. Here’s a sneak peek at the most common missteps buyers are making in today’s market and how a great agent will help you steer clear […]

Building a Home Why Having Your Own Agent Matters When Buying a New Construction Home Finding the right home is one of the biggest challenges for potential buyers today. Right now, the supply of homes for sale is still low. But there is a bright spot. Newly built homes make up a larger percent of the total homes available for sale than normal. That’s why, if you’re craving more options, it makes sense to see if […]

Uncategorized Common Things that Homeowner’s Get Wrong about their Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Home insurance is designed to cover you in the event that your home is damaged. You pay a monthly fee so that if and when you need to use your policy, you don’t have to spend your entire savings trying to cover the damages, or worry that you won’t have enough money to even cover […]