before Congress AGAIN.  Please contact your congressman,woman to be specific in this new bill on (1)  schools accountable for demonstrating that they are meeting educational goals;  (2)  funds ONLY SPENT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION and NO vouchers;  (3)  ANNUAL statewide assessments that measure each student’s progress toward meeting the state’s college and career-ready standards;  (4)  required schools to collect and break-down data on students’ performance by subgroups and cross-tabulated by gender;  and (5)  reauthorizes and fully funds the Women’s Educational Equity Act to provide resources to FULLY IMPLEMENT TITLE IX.  It is URGENT that you contact your local congressional representative NOW.

Mortgage rates are largely determined by the interest rate on the 10-year U. S. Treasury bond.  The rates are is on the average about 1.8% higher than the prevailing Treasury rate.  The Treasury rate is influenced largely by the expected rate of inflation.  The U.S. had low rates of inflation for the first 14 years of the 2000s.  Real estate professionals who want to follow mortgage rate trends should keep an eye on the 10 year bond rate and the outlook for future inflation.  The mortgage rates are likely to be SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 1.5 AND 2% MORE THAN THE CURRENT TREASURY RATE.  This according to Dr. Dotzour, chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M U.

Evaluate where is a NEED or WANT.  First look at curb appeal, acceptable wall colors, kitchen and bath finishes and floor coverings.  Change these if they need doing.  Be sure the roof and mechanical components are working as they should.  You may have to replace those.  If you go into major renovations to increase the price of your home – YOU MAY NOT GET THAT RETURN ON YOUR DOLLAR.  If you want to do renovations and plan to live there for several more years that is fine.  Remember a buyer has to pay for an appraisal, which may not reflect all the money you put into renovations.  Just look UPDATED and offer a home warranty to cover the mechanical items for usually a year.

The drop in gasoline prices is equivalent to $100 per month or a $1,200 annual pay raise for the average driver, according to economist Dr. Ray Perryman, president of the Waco-based economic research firm, the Perryman Group.  He predicted Tyler and East Texas’ economy would show a 2.3% increase in employment in the next 5 years and about a 4.6% increase in output.  Perryman said strengthening of the dollar, politics, OPEC decisions and issues between Russia and Ukraine are contributing to this.  Since our area is so DIVERSIFIED we should proceed along as he  predicted.

For those living in any kind of Homeowner’s Association, when selling that property always clarify who pays various fees.  Some HOAs charge no fee to give out information, such as restrictions, financial status of association, plat of subdivision and other documents for a buyer to understand the situation with the HOA.  Some associations charge a fee for this and it needs to be determined as the offer is written on the property.  Also if any of the information has to come from a title company, what do they charge.  IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT AN HOA BEFORE BUYING.

40% of all U. S. oil and gas jobs are located in Texas, employing 411,600 workers, an increase of 23,000 or 6% since 2013.  The Rainy Day Fund is supported almost entirely by the oil & gas industry – helps to fund public education, water & road infrastructure projects & disaster recovery, + others.   Currently 2.5 million royalty owners in TX with 95% of Texas counties having production of oil & natural gas.  Everyone of Texas’ 36 congressional districts, 150 House districts & 31 Senate districts include counties where people are employed in the oil & gas industry.  SUCH A BLESSING FOR THE STATE IN 2015!!