by Tracy Hammons | May 23, 2024 | Home buying & selling
Home… As real estate agents representing buyers and sellers, we get to look at a lot of houses, usually defined by an address. But we hear the term “Dream Home” used all the time, especially when our industry is represented by Hollywood or in the media. In Fact, many of the popular shows make it seem like the word “house” is shallow or uncomfortable. Since drama is what sells these episodes that must mean there is some emotional tie to “Home”.
So what is Home? We hear “Home is where the heart is” all the time. Sure it is cliche but there is just something to it. It also means that Home IS a place. But we already decided that home is emotional. So does that mean that Home is an emotional place? If emotion is “of the heart” and a house is physical maybe we can just agree that Home is the house of the heart. I guess that old saying isn’t so cliche after all.
For many, Home is where you can let your hair down. Put your feet up. Relax. Even rest and rejuvenate. Home is the place where you can really be you without worrying about the judgment of colleagues or classmates. Home is the place where you feel the safest. While I can tell you that I feel right at home wherever I am as long as Ashley is by my side, there is a feeling of ease that comes at once when we walk through the door of the house we refer to as Home.
At the time of this writing, we have only lived at our current address for about three years. So when did the house we purchased become “Home”? We have said from the very first day when we were headed there after a long day, “Let’s go home”. That was before it even felt like Home. At that time it was just the house where we kept our stuff and slept at night. How does a house become a home?
For us, it was after we began feeling comfortable there. After all our stuff was in its place and we began to develop a routine. After we had invited friends and family to join us and break bread at the dinner table. The first birthday party and lazy Sunday afternoon. That house wasn’t home until after the first argument and reconciliation. After the children had found themselves in discipline and we heard their giggles and pitter-pattertering feet echoing through the rooms once again. It’s the memories that make it Home. It literally takes time to make a house a Home.
Even though I moved from there many years ago, I can still go back to the hill where I was raised. There were 3 family Homes on that little hill. When I step onto the carport of my Grandfather’s place, I am instantly transported back to the day he brought his Skeeter bass boat home, all the fish frys with family, the first time I held my cousin’s son, Easter, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and every birthday in between. Step out back under the shade trees where we sat and shelled peas, cracked pecans, or just sat and enjoyed the shade and each other. So even after a Home is no longer where you live the status is never removed.
At AT Home Texas Real Estate, we understand that when we list your Home there is a part of it that will be yours forever. We also know that when we are house hunting, we may be looking at addresses, features, and room sizes, but you are looking at so much more than that. You know that house will one day be your Home and there is more to that than a mortgage. We get it. We love that part of our journey together with you and we will keep you informed about all the details, so you can make an informed decision all while dealing with the nuances of Home.
by Ashley Hammons | Apr 7, 2023 | Buying & Selling, Buying a Home, Home buying & selling, Real Estate, Real Estate Agent
While at the Hunt County foreclosure auction on Tuesday, I saw a couple frantically looking for “The Trustee.” They asked everyone who passed by on the 2nd-floor lobby, “Are you the trustee?” It seemed they had not been to a Trustee’s Sale before and didn’t understand how it worked. I was there waiting on my trustee, along with another bidder. We all started to chat and found out the story of this couple and why they were looking for The Trustee. I realized I could help them. I explained to them how the auction worked and that there wasn’t one single trustee; it depended on the property. I asked them if they had a copy of the Notice of Trustee Sale, and they proceeded to pull out a screenshot of the notice on the woman’s cell phone. These notices usually have a phone number or a trustee company name listed, but this one did not, so the digging began.
This couple’s story was that their son’s home was getting foreclosed on even though his grandmother left the home to him. The family was refinancing it when they found out it was getting foreclosed on sooner than they thought. After speaking with the mortgage company, the couple came to the sale to see if the house received any bids. In response to the situation, I started digging and got several phone numbers for possible trustees based on all of the names on the notice they provided me. After about an hour of phone calls, we were able to locate the right person. The woman was speaking to the trustee company and walked away down a hall. I stayed sitting on the cold marble floor waiting for my trustee. Minutes later, she came back covered in goosebumps and was almost in tears. My heart leaped. I wondered, “Are these sad or happy tears?” She then told us she talked to the right person and got the sale postponed! Her son wouldn’t be homeless. The other bidder started clapping and congratulating them. It was an exciting time at the foreclosure auction! After the couple left, the other bidder said he planned on bidding on that property but said to me, “What you just did was amazing! You are a hero!” Foreclosure auctions are not usually very exciting. It’s very uncommon for there to be praise or joy at these events. The other buyer said, “I am happier that they got to keep the home than I would have been if I had won the bid to own it!” I don’t think of the trustee sale as a happy place for the homeowners, but this experience has changed my perspective.
by Tracy Hammons | Mar 16, 2023 | Buying a Home, Income Property, Real Estate Agent
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we want to share a treasured story with you.Not so long ago, Ashley received a call from a family inquiring about a house next door to them that had been foreclosed on. In rural Hunt and Hopkins Counties, next door can be a half mile away as many acres tend to separate homes in this part of Texas. The family was interested in purchasing the property for a son and daughter-in-law, whom Tracy went to school with in Cumby. Ashley did some research and confirmed that the property had been foreclosed on and was being managed by an asset management company. Since the house was not currently for sale, all she could do was call the foreclosing bank and inquire.
Several months passed and the family stayed in contact with Ashley, calling her each time they saw a vehicle at the property. Ashley, in return, kept an eye out for the property and any change in the records. Out of the blue, Ashley received an email from an REO residential management platform she subscribes to explaining that she had been assigned the listing of this very property! If that isn’t divine intervention, what is? After all, we do believe everything happens for a reason.
Upon inspecting the home, it was immediately apparent this property would be a hard sale on the open market. It had been on fire in the past and not fully repaired, an add-on was literally falling off the house, and rain was leaking in many places from the roof. Many businesses at the time were still working from home due to an illness we will not name, so it took almost six months for Ashley and Tracy to negotiate and close the deal for the family.During negotiations, Tracy waved his commission to get the deal done for the family. After the closing, the family was so happy they delivered a very emotional thank-you letter inside a small treasure chest filled with silver pieces! Yes, Tracy received a REAL treasure chest! If you know Tracy, you know he enjoyed telling his kids about helping pirates buy real estate and paying him with treasure!
Tags: Home, Homes, Hopkins County, Hunt County, Listing, Northeast Texas, Rains County, Real Estate, Real Estate Market, Rockwall County
by Ashley Hammons | Jun 7, 2021 | Uncategorized
Folks are worried about buying in this market. They fear a bubble or market crash. We do not believe it is coming. However, here are some things to help ease your mind.
According to market experts during the market crash moving the country from the roaring 20s into the great depression, inflation-adjusted home prices fell by only 7%. I know that number seems small. We are talking about the market average here. Of course, some homes at the very top of the market would have lost more and those at the bottom may have lost less. By 1940 those same homes had not only gained back that 7% but had gained an additional 8% of value.
We saw very similar things during the “Housing Bubble” rupture of 2008. Many homes in the hottest markets at that time lost significant value, like up to 75%! Those same homes by 2018 had not only gained back their losses but had put on over 10% increases over their previous high. Keep in mind that a great majority of homes in North Texas actually saw no loss during that time, rather their values seemed to hover steadily for a few years then began to build value once again.
To me, that shows tremendous stability in the housing market and its ability to rebound. The housing market is one of the heaviest regulated in the country because so many people have so much of their life’s earnings involved. If you are thinking about buying a home for your family but are fearful of what home values may do in the future we can look to the past with confidence knowing that if we do see a downturn we can expect to see a light at the end of the tunnel in just 10 years. This really doesn’t seem like that much risk given that Americans tend to stay in their homes for 7 years. It only means if there is a blip in the market some folks may have to stay in their homes an additional 3 years.
We don’t believe we are heading into a great market crash or the bursting of a housing bubble, but with inflation, on the rise, this may be the best time to make your move.
-Tracy Hammons, Associate Broker, AT Home Texas Real Estate
by Ashley Hammons | Apr 27, 2016 | Income Property
INCOME PROPERTIES IN GREENVILLE, TX
Do you dream of becoming your own boss? Is creating passive income through rental properties a goal you are working toward? Real estate is one of the safest investments. A rental property is also a great way to diversify your portfolio. Investing in income properties in Greenville and Hunt County, Texas, allows you to generate positive cash flow. You will be able to enjoy a month-to-month income while investing in the long-term benefits of property ownership. Not to mention the tax benefits. The opportunities in real estate are vast! At, AT Home Texas Real Estate, we help Greenville, TX investors like you turn real estate into revenue.
PUTTING REAL ESTATE TO WORK FOR YOU
The real estate professionals at, AT Home Texas Real Estate consider your success to be our success. We put our expertise to work for you, doing whatever it takes to reach your real estate income goals. We work hard to produce outstanding results and exceptional customer service. In every transaction, we conduct ourselves according to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. And when you come to AT Home Texas Real Estate for help finding income properties, you can count on us to be responsive, efficient, and focused on earning the best possible outcome for you.
Let AT Home Texas Real Estate help you turn an investment property in North East Texas into a revenue stream. If you have any questions about income property in Greenville, Texas, call our office today at (903) 454-2824. Or click here to schedule a consultation and learn more about potential income properties and the MLS home search options we can provide. Even if you are in the preliminary stages of your real estate search, we can help.
Leave us a comment, have you been thinking about investing in real estate in Hunt County or Greenville, TX?
