Frank Hayward, one of the real estate agents here at Virginia Cook, Realtors in Dallas, has been elected to serve as a 2012 Regional Vice President for the 80,000-member Texas Association of Realtors. Hayward will represent Realtors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on the association’s executive board.

CEO Virginia Cook will participate on a Realtor panel at the Dallas Division Meeting of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas today at Maggiano’s in NorthPark Mall.

Virginia and other Realtor panel participants from the North Texas area will discuss numerous topics including the outlook for home sales in 2012, new home buyer preferences, the relocation market, use of social media in the industry, and the impact of short sales, foreclosures, appraisals and lender financing.

Virginia Cook, Realtors is a sponsor of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on December 30 at the Ford Stadium in Dallas, which will be televised live on ESPN at 11 a.m.

"We are honored to be involved in this national event that showcases two great football teams and the Dallas/Fort Worth region," said Virginia Cook, CEO of Virginia Cook, Realtors. Many activities are planned for the week of the bowl game between Tulsa and Brigham Young University, including a “Day Out” for the wives of the coaches and players hosted by Virginia Cook, Realtors on December 28. During the outing, the locally-owned real estate firm will treat the women to lunch at Niemen Marcus in Fort Worth.

Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio have made Newsweek’s list of the 10 American cities best situated for the recovery. 

According to the news outlet, the cities that made the list are the places where the jobs are plentiful, and the pay, given the lower cost of living, buys more than in bigger cities.

Dubbing Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston “The Texaplex,” Newsweek points out that the Texaplex has become the No. 1 destination for job-seeking Americans, thanks to a hearty energy sector and a strong spirit of entrepreneurism. 

Newsweek states that “Texas is becoming to the Golden State what Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon were in the last decade: a refuge for workers and companies fed up with California’s high unemployment, cost of living, and dysfunctional state government."

The Texas economy benefits from widening diversification, pro-business policies, relatively low taxes, and the physical infrastructure in the cities is generally as good or better than in many East and West coast metropolitan areas.

Also included on the list were Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Salt Lake City; urban northern Virginia; Oklahoma City; Indianapolis; and Des Moines, Iowa.

“For sheer economic promise, no place beats Texas. Though the Lone Star State’s growth slowed during the recession, it didn’t suffer nearly as dramatically as the rest of the country. Businesses have been flocking to Texas for a generation, and that trend is unlikely to slow soon. Texas now has more Fortune 500 companies—58—than any other state, including longtime corporate powerhouse New York.”- Newsweek 

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/08/the-top-10-places-in-america-poised-for-recovery.html

The Dallas County Master Gardener Association is hosting its 2010 fall tour this Saturday, October 9th,  from 9AM-3PM. Five outstanding private gardens will be open for viewing. 

Dallas County Master Gardener Association is a non-profit, educational and volunteer service organization affiliated with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, an agency of Texas A&M University.  The program is designed to increase the availability of horticultural information and extend horticultural projects throughout the county.

For directions and ticket information see:

www.dallascountymastergardeners.org