Blog – John Angell – Paragon Realtors

Vague Specifics – February 2021

Well that was a rough week. Leading up to the week of the cold front, it was hard to believe the forecast. Then the weather came, and what started out as novel and somewhat funny (depending on if you had power or not), turned to annoying, and for some turned to dire. It was great to see snow on the ground for the first time in God-knows-how-long, but the absurdly low temperature is just not something for which most Texas homes were built. 120 degree heat index? No problem! 2 degrees? No.

I know a lot of people are furious about the power grid and a perceived lack of preparedness, but whenever an act of weather is considered “unprecedented” or “record levels”, it’s just not something for which we make foolproof contingencies. I can’t tell you the last time this city was below 10 degrees for any length of time, and I’d say an ounce of restraint when complaining about power outages will age better than knee-jerk calls for heads to roll. Granted, I’m one of the few who didn’t have outage issues, but my house was also one of the last 1% of the Metroplex to get power back on after the big ice storm a few years back.

“But John, you brilliant yet absent-minded assayer of the human condition,” I hear you ask, “is the cold weather going to slow down the real estate market at all?” Well, dear reader, I’m happy to say the only problems we should see in the immediate future is a temporary delay in new listing inventory while people repair their broken plumbing. By this time next month, expect everything to be back to Covid-Level Normal… except plumbers will be lighting their Cohibas with $100 bills.

Please let me know if you need a contractor referral. Conversely, if you wouldn’t mind sharing a great contractor experience with me, I’d love to send them business!

(Side note: disc golf in the snow and a negative degree wind chill is surprisingly fun and gives you an excuse for a terrible score.)

Recovering from Snowmageddon

What an unforgettable, terrible cold front it was it was. Record snow, near-record low temperatures…. and in typical Texas weather fashion, 70 degrees the next week.

Unfortunately those of us who don’t have a crystal ball and didn’t winterize ahead of time, the damage is largely already done. The best we can do is assess the damage and rebuild/replant/repair.

Here are a few things to consider:

Plants – When you hit a hard freeze, even “hearty” plants can suffer. During an extended hard freeze, the water within a plants cells freezes, causing destruction at a cellular level. It can take several days for the damage to appear, and like someone recovering from frostbite, gradually introduce heat to your plant will help slowly introduce warmth to the cells. Remove mushy leaves/flowers, so fungus doesn’t take hold. With wooded plants, it’s best to leave them until spring. and prune/cut as necessary. The best thing you can do for your lawn is to fertilize it in March.

Swimming Pool – Hopefully you a) had power and b) kept your pump going. There are a lot of different indicators that you have damaged pool plumbing. The most obvious is bubbles coming out of the jets. More subtle signs include: tile cracked/falling tiles, wet spots in the yard, water pooling under pool equipment, and dropping water levels. Pools can be absolute money pits, but to pool lovers they’re essential for Texas summers.

Plumbing – If there is an upside to your plumbing being damaged by freezing temperatures, you’re going to see it once your pipes thaw. “Assessing the damage after a winter freeze is a pretty straightforward process,” says Andy Parrish, owner of Pro-Bowl Plumbing, “The damage has already been done, and if you’ve had damage done to the copper or cast iron piping in your house, you’re going to know about it the moment the water starts to flow again.” If you need a great plumber referral (such as Andy), give me a call.

DFW MLS Statistics – February 2021

Architectural Corner – Shotgun House

Also called the shotgun Shack (The Talking Heads once made a reference), this housing style was popular from 1860’s – 1920’s, beginning in New Orleans but spreading through the deep south and as far as Chicago. Originally built for the middle class, Shotgun houses quickly became associated with poverty in America.

No more than 12′ wide, the shotgun house was a quaint product designed to make the maximum use of space in cramped subdivisions. They were typically elevated several feet above the ground to compensate for frequent flooding, and were so narrow that hallways were unfeasible. They were almost all wood frame & wood shingle construction, and many of them had no windows on their sides.

Thousands of these homes have been renovated thanks to urban gentrification projects; Chip & Joanna Gaines did one in Waco!

Vague Specifics – January 2021

The 2021 market has started out exactly as analysts thought: spicy hot. We had the usual New Years hangover which lasted all of 10 days, and then we were back in action. I had the luck to pick up a couple of investment properties in Oak Cliff. One of them got 17 offers in less than 48 hours and will close so far above list price that I don’t see how it will be a viable investment. But hey, I will never be a man who objects to giving me more money that I’m expecting.

With every selling season and all its nuances, new truths emerge. We live in a rapidly escalating market, but buyers with very high expectations for their purchases. Now add to that incredibly low interest rates. What do you think this would mean and who would it best serve? I had a listing about a year ago. Great house. It was priced about $100,000 below the top-of-the-market, but needed about $80,000 in updates. It made sense to us that building in a little discount would entice buyers to make the investment. It was in a great north Dallas neighborhood, had an amazing backyard living space, and well over 3,000 sqft. It had been updated in the early 2000’s with travertine/granite/2000s colors (which were tired), and the master bathroom (massive as it was) was still very 70s. We put it on the market at $600,000 and got 5 showings in the first few days. After 4 months we had had a TOTAL of 10 showings and no offers.

“But John, you elegant yet knavish truth-sayer,” I hear you ask, “whatever is the point of this captivating story?” Well, dear reader, the answer is people are willing to pay a premium on low-interest borrowed money for a completely updated property. It makes sense considering the odds of them paying off a 30 or 15-year mortgage are rather low. The losers in this scenario are houses like my listing. I’m trying to get the owners to spend the necessary money to bring it up to expectations, but it’s an uphill battle. If only people would spend their money like I want them to, things would be so much easier.

Shedding Those Holiday Pounds

(I’m not going to note how many weight loss articles I’ve written in my newsletters over the years; my psyche is fragile as it is.)

According to Popular Science, it takes the average person 6 months to lose the weight they gained over the holidays (if they lose it at all). While the best way to take off the holiday weight is to not gain it at all, we all have our weak moments, and the end of the year (especially 2020) can break anyone’s will.

Here are a few tips for losing that holiday weight:

1) Stay Hydrated – A great deal of the “bloat” we get from the Holidays comes from sodium intake, which can be counteracted by drinking lots of water. While fat can’t just be flushed away, it’s amazing how lots and lots of water can actually deflate us.

2) Get on the Wagon – According to Homer Simpson, alcohol is, “The source of and answer to all of life’s problems.”. It is, however, a serious source of calories. If you have to drink (say you’re in real estate), clear spirits tend to be the lowest in calories.

3) Go Green – I’ve been attempting to eat vegetables first with my meals so that it fills me up, but unfortunately it does nothing to satisfy my bottomless stomach. However, eating vegetables at the beginning of your meal could serve you a feeling of fullness, and lower the chances of pigging out on things that actually taste good.

4) Watch the Snacking – If you’ve ever had a meal diary, the empty calories you absorb in-between meals can be horrifying. You had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, a chicken breast for lunch, and a sensible dinner? Great! Unfortunately, the morning Frappuccino, 3 cookies in the break room, and bowl of ice cream after dinner just provided your body with more calories than you burned. It’s never been written anywhere that life is fair.

DFW MLS Statistics – January 2021

Architectural Corner – Jacobean

Lasting from 1600 – 1625, Jacobean architecture signified the 2nd phase of Renaissance architecture (following the Elizabethan style). It was named after Jacobus, Latin for King James I of England, and began shortly after his death. it was a shift from Elizabethan, incorporating more classical-style Roman features, and was heavily influenced by the Flemish and German immigrant craftsmen who constructed them. Although churches often exhibited great intricacies Jacobean brought the majesty to the homes of the wealthy

Flat roofs with open-work parapets, round-arch arcades, columns and pilasters were relied upon heavily, while other classical elements appeared more freely than in Elizabethan architecture. The style itself heavily influenced furniture design and decorative arts for years to come.

While this style of architecture was far too fanciful for the hard lives of the puritans who weren’t contemporaries, they are not unknown in the United States.

Vague Specifics – December 2020

It’s been a trying year, and all of us (except for wealthy introverts) have felt the hardships of COVID-19 and the economic shutdown. There’s no shortage of statistics which illustrate the challenges of the pandemic, but at the same time we will have learned some important lessons along the way

Thanks to Zoom, Skype et al, we are now able to work from home. Seeing how this will affect the economy will be fascinating. “But John, you roguish, yet trustworthy wordsmith”, I hear you ask, “how is this going to affect housing?”

Well, dear reader, homeowners are no longer confined to living within proximity to work. Couple this with “suburban flight” and we’re going to have people not just moving to the ‘burbs, but moving to small towns or even the country.

There are a lot of factors that go into suburban/rural flight. Whether it’s traffic, crime, or skyrocketing home prices, the idea of living in a less-populated, less-stressful area becomes intriguing. The 20th century saw a massive migration from small towns to big cities. Perhaps the 21st century will, to some extent, see a reversal.

However, don’t look for real estate prices to drop in Dallas. I’ve spent the last few weeks analyzing economists’ predictions, and I’d love to share my findings with you. I’m conducting them via Zoom or in-person all through January. I’m also happy to provide you with a quick market analysis of your property, so that you can understand what your investment is doing and what’s predicted to come.

I wish you and your family a healthy and happy Christmas!