Dwight Cook's Blog Posts

Home buyers push sales volumes to record highsHOUSTON — (August 14, 2019) — Consumers kept Realtors across greater Houston busy in July, accounting for the greatest one-month volume

Mortgage rates fluctuate so keep an eye on rates.  We can refer you to lenders personally.  We do not make a dime on referrals, we just want our clients to get the best rates and service.

Rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage have hovered around 4% in the past week after hitting a 12-month high near 5% in November. While those tenths of a percentage point will matter to your clients

Wallethub.com has rated the top cities in America. America is undergoing an extreme makeover, thanks to rapid demographic diversification. By 2050, many shifts will happen. For example,

Thinking of buying a flooded home? Three-quarters of the 204,000 homes and apartments in Harris County damaged by Hurricane Harvey were outside the 100-year flood plain, so many homeowners were

The Travel Channel has named hotel Galvez as the creepiest place in Texas. Known as "Queen of the Gulf," Hotel Galvez in Galveston opened its doors in 1911 and was added to the National

HOUSTON HOUSING MARKET POPS IN MARCHDemand for rental properties remains strong; inventory reaches a five-month highHOUSTON — (April 10, 2019) — Lower interest rates pushed fence

Houston home prices are rising — fast — but local rents are a different story, as a new report lists the Bayou City among the top three U.S. cities with the most dramatic rent decreases

Onion Creek 10th Annual H-Town Chili ThrowdownHouston is known for being diverse and our diversity gives Houston many culinary choices.  But let's not forget Texas favorites ...Do you like?

Are you looking to buy a house? That's fine, but just keep in mind that in this heightened emotional state, it's easy to get swept up in the moment and make an emotional decisionSome decisions

Did you know that Houston represents more than 70 countries and American regions in its restaurants? The city has 10,000 restaurants showing off the diversity of palates and cuisines among its 6

How To List Your Home for the Best PriceMany people price their home based on neighborhood gossip or on how many dollars they need. Get real information and talk to an appraiser or Realtor

HOUSTON — (February 13, 2019) — Fresh on the heels of a record-breaking 2018, home sales across greater Houston began the new year at a dramatically slower pace. Sales volume fell

When you think Texas, Oil, and Cattle come to mind.  No dish more accurately reflects Houston’s guns-and-oil heritage than the almighty Texas steak. No matter how it’s cooked,

Do You Prefer the Charm of an Existing Home?When homebuyers begin their research, they want to see all their available options! In many cases, they will include both new construction and existing

Never, am I right? Frozen treats are great all year. Two new shops for creamy frozen desserts are now joining the Houston food scene.La Argentina Gelato, originally a Katy creamery, just opened

Was one of your goals for 2019 to learn a new skill? If so, it doesn't get much cooler — or more useful — than knowing your way around a cocktail kit. And who better to learn some

How Much Has Your Home Increased in Value?During 2018, home values increased nationally by over 5%! If you are planning on selling your home in 2019 you may be pleasantly surprised by how much your

The top reason homeowners cited for not listing their home for sale in 2018, was their belief that they would be unable to find a home to buy. After 3 years of declining inventory for sale, we&rsquo

You may have heard that the housing market is softening. There is no doubt that buyer traffic has decreased. There are fewer purchasers in the market than there were last month and at this time last

If you’ve ever watched “The Price is Right,” you know that the only way to win is to be the one to correctly guess the price of the item you want without going over! That

HAR shared stats with us on home sales in 2018.Despite uncertainties amid Houston’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Harvey, 2018 proved to be a record year for Houston home sales with 82,177

Below are the websites for the Homestead Exemption forms for Harris and surrounding counties.  It is also a good time to get a market analysis to fight your tax assessment. At the

2414 Rosedale St, Houston, TXPrice: $500,000It's kinda crazy but the childhood home of megastar Beyoncé set the web ablaze this week.Built in 1946, the three-bedroom home has

The following is the official announcement from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo:Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials released the entertainment lineup for the 2019 Rodeo season, which

Get half price carnival tickets for a limited time.  Yes, the Rodeo will be back in Houston soon. Visit: https://www.rodeohouston.com/Tickets/Carnival-Rides-Games

Have you made a New Year Resolution yet?  Making a New Year's resolution is a great way to make a positive change in your life, whether it's going to the gym, waking up earlier, or saving your

Technology Hiring plans remain robust across the nation. The table below shows percentages of technology managers from 28 U.S. cities who expect to add to their teams in the first half of 2019.RankU

If your security camera makes you feel less secure, there might be a problem.Especially when a voice emanating from the other end claims to be a “white hat hacker”. That&rsquo

Houston is famous for its stifling summer heat, but we do have winter. The coldest temps are yet to come! Here are some important winter home maintenance items to help you protect your home from

Builders are super-discounting right now - because they’re trying to get rid of inventory.  Discounts don’t just apply to new homes. Market observers say that as the housing

Home sales continue to outpace 2017’s record levels Holiday's are here and even though Houston home sales slowed slightly in November it was not enough to knock the real estate market off

The city’s post Harvey recovery ‘Czar’, Marvin Odum, who recently stepped down, says a comprehensive protection infrastructure for Southeast Texas will cost billions and take

Like most major cities, Houston has had its fair share of market cycles. However, this most recent decline in the local economy’s growth rate that was caused by a steep drop of oil prices put

It seems like every day I get a least a dozen(s) of spam calls.  What a waste of time.Be sure to register your phone numbers at the National Do Not Call Registry. https://donotcall/

A Whopper for a penny?Brilliant, but competition in the burger arena may be a prediction for real estate.  I'm not suggesting that you can buy a house for a penny, but I have seen homes listed

Hi, thank you for attending our Airbnb event.  Here is the info for the Airbnb slide deck:Slide Deck - Click hereHere is the info on the broker that offers ownership and passive income streams

Only three US cities featured in the latest comprehensive ranking of the 72 best cities to live in the world as an expat.According to the recent Expat Insider report, conducted by networking group

Thanksgiving is a great time to gather with family and friends and share our stories of gratitude. Unless its your thing there’s no doubt some folks find the prep work and cooking exhausting.

A survey including Texas reveals that for the past five quarters, the majority of Americans said their housing markets were overheating. Now, in the fourth quarter, 75 percent of Americans say their