All about Northwest Arkansas Real Estate with Nicky Dou: March 2010

Welcome to Rolling Acres Neighborhood located in Bentonville, Arkansas! Rolling Acres is a newer neighborhood (less than 5 years old as of 2010) with lots of trees, winding streets or rolling acres, and tons of character! The neighborhood has a community pool and playground and the neighborhood has get togethers during various times of the year including a Hayride/bonfire around Halloween with a cake walk and other fun things for both children and adults, Easter egg hunt, pool parties and "ladies night outs"... Rolling Acres is a great neighborhood located in Bentonville, Arkansas where the spirit of community is active and the neighbors actually 'interact".

Visit the Rolling Acres website

Join the Rolling Acres Facebook Group

Map of Rolling Acres Bentonville, AR
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I have had the opportunity of selling most of the homes in Rolling Acres (my husband & I, that is). We have worked with the builders in Rolling Acres since we moved here ourselves in 2006. The homes are not the typical "cookie cutter home" that you tend to see in many neighborhoods throughout Northwest Arkansas. We have just begun working with the developer and a new builder to Rolling Acres - GREENBUILT construction and management - this year in building even more quality homes in Rolling Acres Bentonville, AR! Call me if you would like to see some of the available homes, plans - or if you would like to have us customize a home that fits your needs. Below is a plat of the neighborhood and if you would like to know which lots are still available - email me. We will also be posting the new homes as they become available on both the Rolling Acres website as well as the Facebook Group for Rolling Acres so be sure to sign up from the link above!

Thanks for visiting my BLOG! I would love to help you relocate to Bentonville, AR (I also work other areas within Northwest Arkansas...) Warmest Regards ~ Nicky Dou

I found the best Hair Stylist in Northwest Arkansas this week. I have lived in Northwest Arkansas my entire life and have gone through many many hair stylists - not because they were bad - with me it has almost become a thing of "when it is convenient" instead of playing the waiting game... As a top Realtor in Northwest Arkansas my schedule varies and I am quite busy and I always put my clients and family first so my hair gets put on stand-by some times... (not too often though ;)) Well I feel like I hit the jackpot this week. I called my favorite hair place, Spa Esthetiques, Monday morning to see if I could bring my little girl, Madison in to get her hair cut. They got us right in and that is when I met Amanda Beth Huffaker!

Madison has always loved getting her hair done - she feels so special and grown up. Amanda took her time with Madison and really made her feel extra special. I could tell that Amanda was really great with kids - but she went above and beyond with Madison & her hair ended up exactly how I had envisioned it! Madison may only be 5 years old - but Amanda took her time and made sure it was perfect (like I have really never seen any one else do before). That leads me to the rest of my story. I was in need of a highlight and trim as I usually am - and I asked if she could see me the next day - and she made room in her schedule for me! YEAH! I didn't have to wait a week or longer :)

I ended up cutting off over 5 inches of my long hair and have the shortest hair I have ever had! AND I LOVE IT! - she helped me "visualize how it would look" and spent time going over how to do it and really I found a hair stylist that I will MAKE time for now! THANK YOU SO MUCH Amanda! I will refer all my new clients that move to Northwest Arkansas to you... I love when I find someone that truly has a passion for what they do and how they do it and Amanda is a perfectionist when it comes to HAIR!!!

Below is a photo of Madison getting her hair cut & me with my favorite new hair gal, Amanda @ Spa Esthetiques in Bentonville.

Time is about to run out on the Tax Credit given to buyers either purchasing their first time home (haven't owned a home for a 3-year period) or if you are a repeat buyer that has been in your current home for 5 of the last 8 years.

FAQ on the $8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit (CLICK LINK FOR MORE INFO.) quick facts below...

• The $8,000 tax credit is for first-time home buyers only. For the tax credit program, the IRS defines a first-time home buyer as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.

• The tax credit does not have to be repaid unless the home is sold or ceases to be used as the buyer's principal residence within three years after the initial purchase.

• The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home's purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.

FAQ for Repeat "Move-up" Buyers - $6500 Tax Credit

• Buyers must have owned and lived in their previous home for five consecutive years out of the last eight years.
• The tax credit does not have to be repaid unless the home is sold or ceases to be used as the buyer's principal residence within three years after the initial purchase.
• The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home's purchase price up to a maximum of $6,500.
• The tax credit applies only to homes priced at $800,000 or less.  
• To be eligible to claim the tax credit, buyers must have owned and lived in their previous home for five consecutive years out of the last eight years.
• The tax credit does not have to be repaid unless the home is sold or ceases to be used as the buyer's principal residence within three years after the initial purchase.
• The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home's purchase price up to a maximum of $6,500.

The following apply to both First Time Buyers and Repeat Buyers:

• The tax credit applies only to homes priced at $800,000 or less.
• The tax credit now applies to sales occurring on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010. However, in cases where a binding sales contract is signed by April 30, 2010, a home purchase completed by June 30, 2010 will qualify.
• For homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before November 6, 2009, the income limits are $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.
• For homes purchased after November 6, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010, single taxpayers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

For more information about this please contact your Real estate professional - OR if you are looking for a Realtor in Northwest Arkansas - Contact me, Nicky Dou! 479.236.3457

I love when I see people that are truly passionate about what they do. I dont ever care what it is - I was in a gas station the other day and the clerk was so happy and passionate about her job that really put a smile on my face.

I feel fortunate to be doing something that I am passionate about! I love the real estate business and getting to be creative in my marketing and helping people buy and sell homes. I was told once that if you find something you love to do "you will never work a day in your life"...

Do you love what you do? If you do not have you considered what it is that you would love to do? Maybe if you could figure it out then you could find a way to make it happen!! My husband used to be in a profession at a large corporation that he truly was not passionate about. He was good at what he did but it wasn't exciting to him and the day he left to join the world of Real Estate he was a different person - a happier one. I admire that he took that leap of faith and love that he has never looked back!

I wish everyone could enjoy what they do like I do. Try to find the positive in what you do and do it to the very best of your ability until you can find a way to do what you truly are passionate about.

As a child I always thought I would grow up to be a doctor. I think it was that it was a challenge and that doctors make lots of money and they help others. Up until my 2nd year of college this was the path I took and one day I figured out that this may not be my true calling. I honestly did not know what I wanted nor did I until I got out of college however things worked out just the way they were meant to. My parents never "pushed me" to be anything - they always told me I could be or do anything I wanted to... but that they would be proud of my no matter what I did as long as I did it well and was happy doing it! I will never be able to thank them enough for that.

Just some random thoughts today - the first day of Spring - and here in Arkansas we are getting snow... ;) Go out and get passionate with what you do!!!

I thought I would write a little something about my favorite  (and the BEST) Real Estate company in Northwest Arkansas, Century 21 Exclamation Realty - The Best Real Estate Company in Northwest Arkansas!!!

I have had the opportunity to work with a few companies in Northwest Arkansas since I began my real estate career including owning my own company for a couple of years. I began working at Century 21 Exclamation Realty after a LOT of thought and a LOT of interviewing companies in NWA. There are many reasons I decided to go with C21 which I won't go into all of them...

I am a very independent person and do not need much "hand holding" when it comes to listing and selling Real Estate. I sort of like doing things a little "different" and I tend to keep in the loop of new technologies within Real Estate and even outside of Real Estate to see what I can bring - NEW - to the Real Estate world in Northwest Arkansas. When I met with Marcella Hagan (owner of Century 21 Exclamation Realty) I could see she shared similar visions as mine and would allow me to grow as I need to - without the "making me do things the way they have always been done"... I feel those ways are long gone... The thing about C21 Exclamation Realty & the management team is that they will hold your hand if you need it or want it - but they will also let you be creative and do things "outside the box" in fact they want you to!

When deciding which company to work at (this last time around) I looked at many aspects of the business including: Is the office nice (a place I would be proud to bring my customers), are the people nice (will they welcome me and make me feel comfortable), will I have a good commission split, Will I be able to grow as an agent... these are a few of the questions I asked myself. From day one I have only felt welcomed when I go into our BEAUTIFUL office located at Village on the Creeks in Rogers near Pinnacle. I also feel I have (with what we get (including enhanced listings on Realtor.com for all of my listings, pro-quest 800 #'s for each listing, great office support when you need it, etc. etc.) the BEST commission split! I have heard agents and brokers from other companies say that they can beat my commission split - but I really do not think they can - unless they want to pay me to come over there... which I still am not sure I would ;) - I do not pay an office fee, and I am already at the top level after a couple of months I hit the "cap" which is paying into the company $18K... I will get 94% from here on out till next year. I am proud to say this as I feel I have earned it!

For agents in Northwest Arkansas considering a change - do yourself a favor and look over Century 21 Exclamations commission split below - if you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment - call Deborah Brown or Marcella Hagan and come join the fun!!!

Several key points

Are.....      1.  No Franchise fees are charged to the agent - (they pay that for you!!)

                2.  No monthly desk fee

                3.  Free visual tour

                4.  Free 1-800 info number

                5.  Personalized listing presentation for every listing

                6.  Agents get all their own listing calls

                7.  Paperless, web based office system

                8.  Company-wide enhanced Realtor.com  

                9.  Management mails out to your data base free...8 times a year for 5 years

                10. National Relocation team

                11.Company signs provided free (Agents provide if personalized)

                12. Agents can earn as much as 94/6 their first year.

•·         70% or 90% to start

•·         60% for newly licensed agents that includes extra training

                13. Free lead system

                14. Market statistics updated and graphed for agents monthly free

No Technology fee

No long distance phone fees

Free in house coaching

Motivational Sales meeting

Instant name recognition.  Century 21 has 97% market awareness!!!!!

READY TO JOIN?????

Are you looking for or interested in real estate in Northwest Arkansas? Are you on Facebook? Well if you said YES to the previous 2 questions then BECOME A FAN OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS REAL ESTATE on Facebook and keep up to date on all things Real Estate related in Northwest Arkansas! More features will be added soon including stats of the Real Estate market in Northwest Arkansas as well as a mls search... For now if you would like to search the Northwest Arkansas MLS click here...

& for those on the go Download the FREE PHONE App. for the mls in Northwest Arkansas or just text DOU to 87778. This is a really cool app!

I have had so many calls about "What is the development on Best Friend Lane in Fayetteville" in the last week since I put up my FOR SALE sign... Well - it is called OAKBROOKE and it is Fayetteville's newest community! A sustainable neighborhood located in Fayetteville, Arkansas with Craftsman Style homes designed in-house by the Paradigm companies staff lead by Architect, James Edward Ramsey. 

The Jamie Glen is the first home to be completed in Oakbrooke - the exciting and "new neighborhood" that encourages sense of community. The Jamie Glen is 1700+/- ht.sq.ft. and has A large "Dream Space"...(Master Bedroom) & 2 other "Love Areas"...(Bedrooms), a Nourishment area (kitchen), "Fellowship area" (Dining), & "Family Time" (Living Room) complete with a lovely "Greetings Area" (Your large Front Porch)... WELCOME HOME!!!

THE JAMIE GLEN is just about complete - STILL TIME TO MAKE THE $8000 TAX CREDIT!!!

"All roads lead home in Oakbrooke" - There are no permanent "dead end" streets, and friendly access is given to all areas. 

We welcome you to come out and visit Oakbrooke and would love it if you would join our Community! The first 4 homes, The Jamie Glen, the Victor, The Morgan Fields & The Taylor Grove will be ready for occupancy SOON! - What a great place to CALL HOME! Live on the best street in Fayetteville - BEST FRIEND LANE!!! 

For more details of these homes and to set up an appointment Call Nicky Dou @ 479.236.3457 or email me @ nicky@nickydou.com 

This is part two of my blogging on our past weekend in Hot Springs, AR where the Century 21 Awards Banquet was held. To view my first blog post (basically a weekend overview) of why Century 21 is so AWESOME click here...

We had SO much fun (Century 21 Exclamation Realty that is...) - We also won First Place for the Spirit Competition for all of Arkansas. The video is not meant to make any other companies in it upset... so get over it if you do get upset... ;) All done in fun - We had our own "Horse Races" with our very own "Go for the Gold" Century 21 Horse... Watch it and enjoy!

I just returned from the Century 21 Awards banquet in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I think everyone that attended had a great time - especially my office, Century 21 Exclamation Realty! The energy was intense... The weekend consisted of... Friday night our office gathered in the lobby/bar at the Arlington for cocktails with Marcella and Jimmy Hagan (C21 Exclamation owners) and the 30 some agents that attended from our office. Then we headed to where our banquet was going to be held on Saturday to set up for our skit (Horse racing...) and practiced... Funny Stuff. Check out the photos from the practice run below.

After finishing that we danced the night away at the Arlington until the band finished then about 10 of us headed down the street to Capone's - a cool little bar just 100 yards from the Arlington.

FINALLY went to bed! Wake up call will be in just a few short hours! (OH NO!!!)

It's Saturday!!! Off to a special brunch for all of the Century 21 crew! Now for the SPIRIT COMPETITION... We got to go first! It was so great - real funny.... And a crowd pleaser for certain! Two other companies presented and then we listened to Paul Sweeney - the Regional Trainer for Century 21 Real Estate, LLC.

                          OFF TO THE HORSE RACES!!!!

Jerry and I won $.60 at the races - but had a great time... now time to get back for the BIG awards Banquet! Social time with all of the wonderful C21 Agents across Arkansas first (I got to meet a fellow ActiveRainer - Tinker! - she is such a sweetie!)...

Dinner TIME! - surf and turf style - only the best for C21 (we are "The GOLD Standard you know...)...

YEAH - Awards time... Century 21 Exclamation had 3 tables full and every time someone from our office got an award it was like the room went crazy - screaming, cheering - lots of excitement. We know how to have fun that's for sure!

The agents in our office (Century 21 Exclamation Realty) that received awards were:

2009 Rising Star Award - James Dray

2009 Topaz Award - Marvin Shepard, Clayton Eason & Deanna Storms

2009 Sapphire Award - Myra Bolton, Rod Hagan, Donna Smith, Katie Voldeng, Jose Esparza, Martha Wiliams & my favorite Realtor - Mr. Jerry Dou (my husband ;)

2009 Masters Diamond - Tim Salmonsen

2009 CENTURION - Nicky Dou 

Spirit Competition Winner for 2009 - CENTURY 21 Exclamation Realty (CAN YOU GIVE ME A WHOOP WHOOP)

& the Number 1 Agent for the State of Arkansas in 2009 - NICKY DOU!!!

Others in the top 21 in the state of Arkansas from Century 21 Exclamation Realty include: Tim Salmonsen, Martha Williams the one and only JERRY DOU!

After the awards Marcella and Jimmy had us up to their Parlor Suite for a celebration of their 40^th wedding anniversary. What a great time had by all - Hot Springs thanks for having us!

Thank you ALSO to Marcella, Deborah & LaVeta for being such awesome leaders!!! YOU TOO Jimmie! I feel fortunate to work for such an awesome company and I just don't understand why some other agents in Northwest Arkansas haven't figured out that C21 Exclamation is the best company to work at!

CENTURY 21 EXCLAMATION is the absolute BEST!

WHO IS NUMBER ONE?????     WE ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warmest Regards - Your #1 Agent in the State of AR for C21

~Nicky Dou

1700 Oriole is a great deal and NOT a bank foreclosure or SHORT SALE!!! SO you can move in quick & still make that $8000 tax credit! Home features 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths - the master bath has an oversized whirlpool tub! Listed for sale for only $139,900 - THAT IS ONLY 72/sq.ft.!!!

• Large (.39/acre) corner lot
• Near schools
• Stainless appliances
• Oversized whirlpool tub in MB
• 3 BR/2BA + office
• Large 2-car garage
• Built in 1994

LOCATION:

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DONT FORGET TO VIEW THIS GREAT REAL ESTATE DEAL & OTHERS @ www.NWAFiresale.com