One more thought about the most recent discussion about Rowlett's home values.
The discussion seemed to center on Jim Grabenhorst's presentation to City Council regarding percentages of increases of home prices. I know Jim. He seems to be a pretty nice guy. I did not say Jim uttered an incorrect percentage. However, I immediately knew what he was talking about. He was correct about "new" houses. My criticism of Jim's presentation was that either on purpose to give a positive spin, or inadvertently he allowed the listener to assume that the 20% increase in value applied to all of Rowlett. That, of course, is not true. Rowlett is still doing well with increases in value at about the 10% range, however........not 20%. That would be misinformation if inadvertent, or misrepresentation if purposely used to mislead.
Jim is a salesman, not an analyst. he will put positive spin on his product. That's okay. However, accurate numbers are important; particularly when planning the tax base. Care must be taken to report accurate information to City Council and the citizens. My criticism of Jim was that he allowed others to think all of Rowlett rose 20% in value. I chose to think Jim's choice to report only the best numbers in Rowlett was inadvertent. I accurately reported that Jim said "new" houses, not the resale market. I think he could have strengthened his presentation by adding the positives of the resale market to his presentation. It's a very good number and would have been a better overall report.
But, people.........this is how misinformation gets started. Poor reporting.
The thrust of my whole "We need an analyst" post was exactly that. We need someone who is good at analyzing the real estate data around here. Too many mistakes are being made because of poor analysis, in my opinion. Rowlett's future depends on the careful nurturing of the tax base. It's more than simply doing the right real estate deal. It's what comes in the future because "of doing the right deal" today. The right parks, the right pay for police and firemen, the lifestyle that others living outside Rowlett wants to move to Rowlett to enjoy, are all part of correct nurturing of the tax base. Your real estate values will increase faster than your tax bill. That puts value on your balance sheet. Good tax base is more than tax bill. A lot of things come from a healthy tax base.
The discussion seemed to center on Jim Grabenhorst's presentation to City Council regarding percentages of increases of home prices. I know Jim. He seems to be a pretty nice guy. I did not say Jim uttered an incorrect percentage. However, I immediately knew what he was talking about. He was correct about "new" houses. My criticism of Jim's presentation was that either on purpose to give a positive spin, or inadvertently he allowed the listener to assume that the 20% increase in value applied to all of Rowlett. That, of course, is not true. Rowlett is still doing well with increases in value at about the 10% range, however........not 20%. That would be misinformation if inadvertent, or misrepresentation if purposely used to mislead.
Jim is a salesman, not an analyst. he will put positive spin on his product. That's okay. However, accurate numbers are important; particularly when planning the tax base. Care must be taken to report accurate information to City Council and the citizens. My criticism of Jim was that he allowed others to think all of Rowlett rose 20% in value. I chose to think Jim's choice to report only the best numbers in Rowlett was inadvertent. I accurately reported that Jim said "new" houses, not the resale market. I think he could have strengthened his presentation by adding the positives of the resale market to his presentation. It's a very good number and would have been a better overall report.
But, people.........this is how misinformation gets started. Poor reporting.
The thrust of my whole "We need an analyst" post was exactly that. We need someone who is good at analyzing the real estate data around here. Too many mistakes are being made because of poor analysis, in my opinion. Rowlett's future depends on the careful nurturing of the tax base. It's more than simply doing the right real estate deal. It's what comes in the future because "of doing the right deal" today. The right parks, the right pay for police and firemen, the lifestyle that others living outside Rowlett wants to move to Rowlett to enjoy, are all part of correct nurturing of the tax base. Your real estate values will increase faster than your tax bill. That puts value on your balance sheet. Good tax base is more than tax bill. A lot of things come from a healthy tax base.
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