If you’re living in a region of the United States where economic recovery is slow—or at a standstill—maybe you should consider a move to Texas. According to the December 2010 monthly economic review by the Real Estate Center, Texas is rebounding faster than the rest of the country.

From November 2009 to November 2010, the Lone Star State gained 194,400 jobs, for an annual growth rate of 1.9 percent. The national rate is a mere 0.6 percent. The private sector in Texas showed a 2.2 percent annual employment growth rate—more than double the national average of just 1 percent. The unemployment rate in Texas was 8.3 percent in November 2010, while the national rate was 9.8 percent. Here in College Station-Bryan, we ranked fourth in the state for unemployment rate in a metropolitan area, with 6.2 percent.

The mining and logging industry in Texas ranked first in job creation, followed by professional and business services, education and health services, and manufacturing. Professional and business services gained 62,100 jobs over the past 12 months, for an impressive 5 percent growth rate.

If you’re looking for an area that’s thriving, talk to us at Stylecraft Builders in College Station-Bryan। We’ve got lots of good news to share!

Labels: College Station-Bryan, economic recovery, economy, growth rate, national average, Real Estate Center, Stylecraft Builders, tanner brewster, Texas, unemployment rate

# posted by Stylecraft Builders’ Blog @ 8:31 AM 0 Comments

It doesn’t take much to chip away at your credit score. Here are five tips to preserve your creditworthiness.

1. Avoid making late payments.

Even one late payment, whether it’s a week or a month, can cost you up to 110 points on your credit. Pay attention to due dates and, whenever possible, pay early.

2. Keep your balance low.

While you need to use your credit to build a history that lenders can view, don’t overdo it. Your total debt should amount to no more than 30 percent of your income. Carrying a big balance will send up a red flag to a potential lender. Pay down your balances and you should see a boost in your score.

3. Keep your credit cards, even if you’re not using them.

You might think you’re doing the smart thing by reducing the number of credit cards you’re carrying, but cancelling cards changes your debt to utilization ratio. If, for example, you have three credit cards and each has a $2,000 limit, that’s a total of $6,000 in available credit. Let’s say you are carrying an $800 balance on one card and zero on the others. Your debt to utilization ratio is 13.3 percent, and that’s a good number. But if you cancel those other two cards, you reduce your total available credit to $2,000 and your debt to utilization ratio soars to 40 percent. You’re better served to tuck those cards away and not use them rather than cancel the accounts.

4. Don’t open new credit lines.

When you apply for a new line of credit, the company checks your credit report, and this inquiry automatically lowers your score a bit, maybe by five points. In addition, once you open the account, you could be sacrificing up to another 15 points until you prove yourself worthy by managing this credit wisely. Don’t collect credit cards; apply for what you need and avoid the temptation to accept more.

5. Don’t default on a loan.

No one wants to default on a loan, but it happens. Home foreclosure could cost you 90 points and bankruptcy can take away as much as 250 points! If a default is unavoidable, start rebuilding your credit as soon as you can, by following the first four tips.

Don’t let your dreams of home ownership be crushed by a low credit score। If you need advice, talk to us at Stylecraft Builders। We can help get you back on track!

Labels: bankruptcy, credit card, credit score, debt, default, foreclosure, interest rates, line of credit, mortgage, ratio, Stylecraft Builders, tanner brewster, tips

# posted by Stylecraft Builders’ Blog @ 9:18 AM 0 Comments