“When politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all performers are well trained.”                                                                                                                                                        --Edward R. Murrow

OWNERS NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2008 

FORECLOSURES – U.S. foreclosure activity increased by 75% last year, with over 2.2 million foreclosure filings, default notices, and bank repossessions according to Realty Trac. In December 2007 alone, there were over 200,000 foreclosure filings, which was a 97% increase from December 2006. Last year’s fourth quarter saw the highest foreclosure filings on record. Locally, Bell County saw 199 foreclosures in January, and 166 slated for the 5th of this month. We will likely continue to see increasing numbers of foreclosures. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have fallen behind on your mortgage payments or if you are in danger of being foreclosed upon. I cannot help or advise a property owner unless I am informed of his or her personal situation. With sufficient advance notice, we can often prevent a foreclosure. Your information will remain strictly confidential. 

NOTICES TO VACATE – I am often asked by property owners why it is that renters seem to move out so frequently. Because we are a military community, we have a larger number of renters that are more transient than in many civilian communities. We also have the second youngest population per capita in Texas, and younger couples and families tend to be more mobile. Interestingly, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Real Estate Center at Texas A & M University, Texans are more mobile than the average American. Over four million Texans relocated from one residential unit to another in 2005, which is 19.1% of the state’s population compared to 16.1 % for the United States. In the Fort Hood Area, over 89,000 householders lived in a different home one-year ago. Of those householders, 25.2% were homeowners and 74.8% were renters.  

SPRING FERTILIZATION – This month we will be fertilizing the yards of properties for owners that have requested this service. The cost of performing this service, which includes the fertilizer, is $65.00 (plus tax). If you would like your property to be added to our list, please contact our maintenance department at hrmaint@aol.com. 

RENTAL TRAFFIC – January was a busy month for us as many re-deployed 1st Cavalry soldiers and their families rented the majority of our available rentals. We leased 43 properties and ended the month with an overall occupancy rate of 99%. We leased 22 properties in February and ended last month with an overall occupancy rate of 98%. Our availability list is now growing as soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division are readying to deploy to Iraq. We will do our best to keep your properties rented and/or to re-rent them as quickly as possible.

David Gerke, CO-Owner/Broker