You're Always At Home With Refind Realty.
Buying your first or next home should be a rewarding and exciting time in your life, and one that you look back on with fond memories.
The market has changed a lot and I'd love to show you the exact strategy I use to get sellers in DFW top dollar for their property.
Let me walk you through the entire pre-approval process so you know exactly how much home you can afford.
My emails are a great way to stay up-to-date with local news and real estate market trends, even if you're not currently in the market. So, come on and join me to stay in the loop!
affordability Calculator
Get pre-approved to know exactly how much house you can afford. Use this calculator to get a quick estimate. Contact me for assistance!
Discover the latest new home constructions in DFW and take advantage of the builder incentives that are available now.



Refind Realty Blog:


By Steven J. Thomas
Your listing agreement ran out, the sign came down, and your Duncanville home still isn't sold. That stings. It also puts you in a bigger club than you think. Homes in Duncanville spent a median of 111 days on the market in June 2026, and across DFW there are roughly twice as many sellers as buyers right now. Plenty of good homes are expiring unsold. The difference between the ones that sell on the second try and the ones that sit again comes down to what you change before you relist.
If your Duncanville home didn't sell in 2026, don't rush to relist the same listing. First diagnose why it sat: price, condition, photos, or marketing reach. Homes here take a median of 111 days to sell, so pricing to the current buyer's market matters most. Get an honest read with the free Home Selling Score, fix what the data says, then relist with a fresh strategy.
An expired listing is rarely about the house. It's about the match between the house, the price, and the market it was sold into. Here's what the market actually looks like in southwest Dallas County right now.
Read that list again and the story writes itself. Buyers have options, they're comparing hard, and they skip anything that feels overpriced or tired. If your home was listed at a 2022-style price with 2022-style photos, it never had a fair shot. That's fixable.
Before you sign anything with anyone, including me, get answers to four questions.
This is exactly the kind of audit I run for sellers before we relist. The Home Selling Score gives you a readiness read on price position, condition, and timing in a few minutes, and it's free.
Here's the hard conversation. In a buyer's market, the price that didn't work for 111 days will not magically work in month five. But that doesn't automatically mean a huge cut. It means repricing with strategy.
Mortgage rates help you here. The 30-year fixed averaged 6.49% in Freddie Mac's late June 2026 survey, and some Dallas lenders were quoting purchase rates near 5.99%. Every tick down pulls more Duncanville buyers off the sidelines. Based on current conditions, a well-priced relist has more buyer eyeballs available than it did a year ago.
You don't need a renovation. You need to remove the objections that showed up in feedback. In Duncanville's housing stock, much of it built between the 1960s and 1990s, the usual suspects are dated paint, heavy window treatments blocking light, worn flooring in one or two rooms, and landscaping that reads neglected in the Texas summer heat.
If you want to know which fixes pay you back and which ones don't, grab the free Home Value Maximizer before you spend a dollar.
When a home comes back on the market, the MLS shows buyers and their agents that history. You beat that with a genuinely fresh launch: new photos, new description, corrected price, video content, and syndication across Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and social channels. A relist should look like a brand-new listing, not a rerun.
Timing matters too. Days on market clocks reset differently depending on how long the home has been off the market, so the gap between your expired listing and your relist is a strategic decision, not a guess. This is worth a 15-minute conversation before you commit to anything. You can book an appointment and we'll map it out together.
Compare that to the cost of another four months of mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, and utilities on a home that isn't selling. On a $395,000 Duncanville home, carrying costs alone can run $3,000+ a month. Getting the relist right the first time is the cheaper path.
A lot of southwest DFW sellers aren't just selling, they're trying to get into new construction in places like Red Oak, Midlothian, or Waxahachie. An expired listing wrecks that timeline, and the fear of carrying two payments keeps people stuck. This is exactly the problem I built my business around. As both the broker and the loan officer, I can line up your sale, your financing, and your build timeline in one plan instead of three disconnected ones. If that's your situation, start with a quick chat about the sell-and-build plan.
An expired listing isn't a verdict on your home. It's data. It tells you the price, the presentation, or the marketing missed the market, and all three are correctable. Diagnose honestly, reprice to today's Duncanville numbers, fix the objections buyers actually raised, and relaunch like it's day one. Homes are still selling here every week. Yours can be one of them.
Start with your free Home Selling Score to see exactly where your home stands.
Browse what's actually selling around you on the Lone Star Living App.
Ready to talk strategy? Book an appointment today.
You're Always Home with Steven J. Thomas.
Legally, as soon as your previous listing agreement ends, unless it has a protection clause for buyers already introduced to the home. Strategically, take one to three weeks to reprice, refresh, and reshoot photos so the relaunch looks new instead of recycled.
Not necessarily. The median Dallas-area price cut has been about $15,000, but every month you carry an unsold $395,000 home costs roughly $3,000 in payments, taxes, and insurance. A correct price now often nets you more than a stubborn price later.
That risk drops sharply when you change the inputs: current comps, refreshed condition, new media, and a concession budget. If a second listing stalls, options like a cash offer or the Sell and Stay program give you a backup path without giving the home away.
Yes, effectively. DFW has roughly twice as many sellers as buyers per Redfin's early summer 2026 data, and about 26% of Dallas-area listings took a price cut in May. Well-priced, well-presented homes still sell, but buyers set the tempo.
Based on current conditions, plan around Duncanville's 111-day median but know that correctly priced relists often beat it, especially with rates near 6% pulling more buyers into the market. No one can guarantee a timeline, so build your plans with margin.
Live listings and sold activity for Duncanville and all of southwest DFW are on the Lone Star Living App at https://lonestarliving.hsidx.com/@sthomas. It's the same data I use, updated straight from the MLS.
Steven J. Thomas is a dual-licensed real estate broker (Refind Realty DFW) and loan officer (Envision Home Lenders, NMLS #689220) based in DeSoto, TX. Call or text 972-846-9170. Equal Housing Opportunity. Market data cited from Movoto, Redfin, Zillow, and Freddie Mac, June 2026, and subject to change.

6 Smart Ways to Build Home Equity

7 Insider Secrets To Selling Your Home w/o a Lot of Time or Money

DFW Home Seller Negotiation Secrets

Home Appraisals Guide

Avoiding Pitfalls That Can Derail Your Home's Sale

Ultimate Guide To Buying a Home

A First Time Homebuyers Guide In DFW

Are You Ready To Buy?

25 Insider Secrets To Buying A Home

How to Improve Your Credit
Download All My Guides For Free


Unlock insights into potential selling prices.
Get a personalized analysis sent directly to your inbox.
Stay ahead with updates on property value fluctuations.
Benchmark your property against neighborhood listings.


I used this realtor and it was a great experience. He was patient and very helpful with our journey. He also helped us find a great lender with little hassle on the process, also got us approved for well above the market of our original home so we were able to get more house with a lower mortgage rate. So to anyone who is interested in buying a home take my advice give Steven a call. It’s worth it 😁


Steve was absolutely amazing! Everything was easy! Very professional in all aspects. Punctual, responsive, and diligent. He goes above and beyond to ensure you get to see as many homes as you’d like no matter the location. Not only was he knowledgeable about home buying, he also has a resourceful network for new home owner needs. I recommend Refind Realty to everyone!


I definitely recommend Steven to assist with your home buying needs. As a first time home buyer the process can be overwhelming, but as my realtor he was knowledgeable & patient while addressing my concerns and assisting me with my new home purchase. Thanks again Steven!! :-)

When buying or selling a home, there are so many options…which can also present a lot of obstacles. Laws change, forms change, and practices change all the time in the real estate industry. Because it’s our job to stay on top of those things, hiring a realtor reduces risk, and can also save you a lot of money in the long run.
When you work with me as your Realtor, you’re getting an expert who knows the area; knows how to skillfully guide your experience as a seller or buyer; can easily spot the difference between a good deal and a great deal. My job is to translate your dream into a real estate reality, and I work hard to earn and keep my business. This also means earning your trust: When you work with me, you’ll be working with a realtor who looks out for your best interests and is invested in your goals.
There are two different types of loans conventional loans and government-backed loans. The main difference is who insures these loans:
1 - Government-backed loans (FHA, VA and USDA):
(a) - Are, unsurprisingly, backed by the government.
(b) - Include FHA loans, VA loans, and USDA loans.
(c) - Make up less than 40 percent of the home loans generated in the U.S. each year.
2 - Conventional loans
(a) - Are not backed by the government.
(b) - Include conforming and non-conforming loans (such as jumbo loans).
(c) - Make up more than 60 percent of the loans generated in the U.S. each year.
1 - FHA LOANS:
FHA loans, which are insured by the Federal Housing Administration, are typically designed to meet the needs of first-time homebuyers with low or moderate incomes. FHA loans can be approved with a down payment of as little as 3.5 percent and a credit score as low as 580.
FHA loans are often called “helper loans,” because they give a leg up to potential borrowers who may not be able to secure one otherwise. For this reason, FHA loans have maximum lending limits, which are determined based on housing values for the county where the for-sale home is located.
Because the agency is taking on more risk by insuring FHA loans, the borrower is expected to pay mortgage insurance both at the time of closing and on a monthly basis, and the property must be owner-occupied.
2 - VA LOANS:
VA loans are backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and they are guaranteed to qualified veterans and active-duty personnel and their spouses. VA loans can be approved with 100 percent financing, meaning VA borrowers are not required to make a down payment.
Unlike FHA loans, borrowers do not have to pay mortgage insurance on VA loans.
3 - USDA LOANS:
You may also hear about USDA loans, which are backed by the United States Department of Agriculture mortgage program. USDA loans are intended to support homeowners who purchase homes in rural and some suburban areas. USDA loans do not require a down payment and may offer lower interest rates; borrowers may have to pay a small mortgage insurance premium in order to offset the lender’s risk.
Buyers who have a more established credit history and a larger down payment may prefer to apply for a conventional loan. These loans may offer a lower interest rate and only require the home buyer to purchase monthly mortgage insurance while the loan-to-value ratio is above a certain percentage, so a conventional loan borrower can typically save money in the long run.
Conventional loans are divided into two types: Conforming loans and non-conforming loans.
1 - CONFORMING LOANS:
Conforming loans are those that meet (or conform to) predetermined standards set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — two government-sponsored institutions that buy and sell mortgages on the secondary market. By selling the loans to "Fannie and Freddie," lenders can free up their capital and return to issue more mortgages than if they had to personally back every loan that they approve.
The main standard for conforming loans is that the amount borrowed must be under a certain amount; in Alaska, a single-family home loan must be under $647,200 in order to be considered conforming.
Properties with more than one unit have higher limits.
2 - NON-CONFORMING (JUMBO) LOANS:
But what happens if a borrower wants to borrow more than the Freddie- and Fannie-approved loan amount? In this case, they would have to apply for a “jumbo loan,” which is the most common type of non-conforming loan.
Because the lender cannot resell the jumbo loan (or any non-conforming loan) to Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae, jumbo loans are considered to be riskier than a conforming loan. To protect against this risk, the bank will typically require a higher down payment; the interest rate on a jumbo loan may also be higher than if the same borrower applied for a conforming loan.
Rate types: Fixed-rate vs. adjustable-rate mortgages.
In addition to the loan type you choose, you’ll also have to determine if you want a fixed-rate mortgage or an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM). A fixed-rate mortgage has an interest rate that does not change for the life of the loan, so it provides predictable monthly payments of principal and interest.
An adjustable-rate mortgage typically offers an initial introductory period with a low-interest rate. Once this period is over, the interest rate adjusts periodically, based on the market index. The initial interest rate on an ARM can sometimes be locked in for different periods, such as one, three, five, seven, or 10 years. Once the introductory period is over, the interest rate typically readjusts annually.
Site: www.stevenjthomas.com
Call :(713) 505-2280
Email: [email protected]
Office 128 S. Cockrell Hill Rd, DeSoto TX 75115
© Copyright 2022 | All Rights Reserved
Facebook
Instagram
X
LinkedIn
Youtube
TikTok