Afraid of surviving the Texas Heat? Let that be the least of your concerns…Don’t let yourself be TAXED TO DEATH!  Each May the Central Appraisal District reassesses your home taxes by multiplying your county, city and school district tax rates by the assessed values. So get down to the nitty-gritty and figure out EXACTLY what your assessed value’s are. You wouldn’t want someone breaking into your home and stealing your belongings so don’t let the CAD rob you blind!

If you haven’t all ready, you should expect a letter in the mail from CAD stating your Appraised Property Value. BE PROACTIVE! If you find a discrepancy, do something about it! “A penny saved, is a penny earned.” You have two options: either challenge the value as too high compared with the actual market value of the house OR challenge the value as too high compared with comparable property’s assessed values. As American’s we enjoy many freedoms and rights…one of these is the RIGHT TO EQUAL AND UNIFORM TAXATION! So stand up and FIGHT!

Protests must be filed by MAY 31ST or no later than 30 days after you receive your notice. As always, we here at CLAY STAPP+CO are here to help you so if you have any questions please call one of our agents! Good luck!

For more information visit dcad.org/protest.aspx.

Working Hard & Keeping it Trendy! “TWIN DAY” brought to you by Kelley Perry & Subhi Gaharbiah!! ; )

Later today, the venerable PR firm of Rubenstein Public Relations will release this press release with more details, the official details, of Friday’s sale of Champ d’Or. As I told you yesterday, we know Champ was swooped up by a Dallas family with international ties (read: jet setters) and I have just learned thatClay Stapp was the buyer’s rep. As I may have explained before, just because a home sells at auction does not mean the realtors are left out. This firmly plants Clay on the scene as a leading Dallas broker and agent, and signals, I think, a real changing of the guard.

Everyone’s in their morning meeting, and something tells me champaigne is being poured doen on Cedar Springs. Two of the happiest agents in town today? Clay Stapp and Joan Eleazer!

Here’s the release:

AUCTION OF ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST SPECTACULAR HOMES, A 48,000-SQUARE FOOT FRENCH CHATEAU ON 39 ACRES NEAR DALLAS, TEXAS, A SUCCESS

Concierge Auctions & Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty produce monumental sale

DALLAS, TX – April 2, 2012 – An exquisite, 48,000-square-foot luxury mansion located on 39 acres, just 45 minutes north of Dallas, was successfully sold at auction, Concierge Auctions has announced. Following 433 auction inquiries, over 500 showings and over 10,000 website visitors, the estate, named Champ d’Or, which translates to “Field of Gold”, was sold in cooperation with listing agent Joan Eleazer of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty.

The buyer is based in the Dallas area with international ties and is represented by Clay Stapp of

CLAY STAPP+CO. Their name and the purchase price are confidential.

“It is a remarkable achievement to have sold this estate — and particularly to have done so in a five week time span,” stated Robbie Briggs, Broker and Owner of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty. “Champ d’Or is so unique that after years on and off the market with various brokerage firms, we knew that adding Concierge Auctions to the equation was the right move. The Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty team and Concierge Auctions collaborated to create a comprehensive marketing and public relations platform and ensure we identified every possible buyer. Our efforts attracted interest from around the world and instilled the urgency necessary to produce this successful transaction.”

“From public relations exposure including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, Inside Edition and more; to creative events such as a dinner with Sotheby’s International Realty owners from around the world and exclusive preview tours attracting over 500 attendees; to widespread global advertising, our outreach for this auction was unbelievable,” stated Eleazer. “We left no stone unturned.”

Modeled after the Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau in Paris, Champ d’Or is one of the grandest residences in the entire country. The property features endless unique amenities including a two-story mahogany library; a conservatory; two elevators; multiple staircases; a master suite with a steam room, hair salon, two-story Chanel-style “her” closet, an indoor lap pool and an exercise room. The entertaining prospects are endless, thanks to veranda seating for up to 450 people; a catering kitchen; a grand ballroom; an outdoor pool and pool house; a tennis court; an indoor bowling alley and racquetball court; a movie theatre; a wine room; a tea room modeled after New York’s Tavern on the Green; a commercial laundry room; and a 20-car garage.

“Champ d’Or is an incredible and unique property, and there was no doubt this auction presented a great opportunity,” stated Stapp. “My clients are experienced with buying at auction, and we were all impressed by Concierge’s execution. They are excited to be the next owners and look forward to living in and enjoying the home with their family.”

“We spent over a year researching auction firms before choosing to work with Concierge,” stated the seller, Alan Goldfield. “Ultimately I selected Concierge because they are the most skilled firm in the country in dealing with ultra-luxury homes, and their entire team is impressive. It feels great to have the property sold, and we are happy to be moving on with our lives and to have found a family who will love Champ d’Or as much as we have.”

“This is undoubtedly one of the most monumental property auctions ever completed in the

United States,” stated Laura Brady, Vice President of Marketing for Concierge Auctions.

“Champ d’Or is without comparison, so it was similar to selling a one-of-a-kind piece of art. Our auction platform is ideal for remarkable properties such as this — to identify interest and drive the highest price in an expedited period of time. I am thankful for the tireless efforts of our team and for our partners at Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, and I wish both our buyer and seller much happiness as they celebrate this transaction in the days ahead.”

The line graph is NTREIS’ (North Texas Real Estate Information System) total dollar volume of sales since 2007. Obviously, 2012 has picked itself up off a three year bottom, with January of 2012 having a higher dollar volume of sales than that of 2011, 2010, and 2009.

And the NTREIS Activity Report. What tale does this chart tell? The most striking observation is the “# of Sales” and “% Change vs. Prior Year” data (first two columns). An astounding 27 out of 32 areas in DFW have seen a substantial increase in the number of sales when comparing January of 2012 to January of 2011. And what do I mean when I write “substantial”? How about the “# of Sales” increasing by an average of 18% across the four counties.

But perhaps the most interesting conclusions come when one synthesizes the aforementioned data, “# of Sales”, “% Change vs. Prior Year” with the third and fourth columns, “Average Sale Price” and “% Change vs. Prior Year”. An averaging of all the area’s “% Change vs. Prior Year” of average sale prices comes out to -1.5%.

What is the market saying when there is a substantial increase in the number of sales with a very modest depreciation in sale prices? It’s proving what I and others have claimed for several months now. The market has finished flatlining and has begun its ascent. Price follows on the heels of demand, and demand is climbing. Prices will follow.

Decrease in Sales + Appreciation = Market Finishing its Peak

Decrease in Sales + Depreciation = All Hell Breaking Loose

Increase in Sales + Depreciation = Market Finishing its Valley

Increase in Sales + Appreciation = Market in the Middle of Ascent

The very best time to buy is when market prices are at their lowest. In my opinion, those who purchase now stand to gain the most out of their real estate investment as compared to purchasing two or three years down the road.

-David Stapp

We know you want someone who’s done it before.  That’s why we hire top agents & hold them to high standards of honesty, ethics, knowledge & guidance.  You can be confident with CLAY STAPP+CO.  Because we’ve done it before & will do it again!

4418 Brookview

We now office at 1933 Cedar Springs in a “real” office and have more than 20 real estate agents working with us. 2011 was a big year.  CLAY STAPP+CO ranked 16th in total sales in Dallas which is remarkable for such a young brokerage.  The last 2 years have truly been amazing and I personally want to thank my wife, Sarah, and our agents for all the hard work and support they have provided along the way.  I especially want to thank our clients who have given us the opportunity to assist them with one of the biggest and most important transactions of their lives.  Thank you!

The National Association of Realtors (of which I am a member) is reporting home sales increased 4.3% last month.  That might not sound like a lot, but that’s the highest level since May 2010!  This puts sales of previously occupied homes at the fastest pace in nearly two years!  This bodes well for the Spring real estate season.

I believe the Spring season has started already.  I wrote four offers last week and closed two homes.  Buyer traffic is also up.  I’m seeing more showings on my homes listed for sale and open house traffic has been great.  Additionally I have 4 homes about to hit the market and more buyers shopping now than I’ve seen in the past couple of years.

Maybe it’s the beautiful weather here in Dallas or maybe just that Uptown Dallas is such a desirable place to live.  Economists tell us the Dallas Fort Worth area had the third largest employment growth in the nation.  We were behind Houston (first place) and New York City (second).  We added 45,700 jobs!

Other indicators things are looking up:  Uptown Dallas had a 2% increase in sales over all but in the $500,000 and up price range we had a 10% increase in sales.  The stock market rally seems to be pushing this higher price range sales surge.

Looking ahead to the remainder of this year I think we’ll see 2012 look a lot like 2011.  Factors that will continue to help this recovery:

DFW economic recovery outpacing US average.

Home prices seem to have stabilized.

Interest rates likely to remain low the rest of the year.

I think this Spring will be the best time to buy a home with the best prices we’re likely to see and the lowest interest rates.  If only I had a crystal ball.  We’ll see how this plays out in our market here in Dallas!

If you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Alan Shaffer, Realtor

CLAY STAPP+CO

214-335-8956

www.AlanShaffer.com