Every so often, we at the Real Estate Center pause for a moment to try and get a sense of what’s on our customers’ minds. Most recently was in December, when we surveyed Tierra Grande readers to find out which TG article from 2014 they found most useful.
The most popular responses will likely come as no surprise to anyone who’s picked up a newspaper lately. The top three articles selected were about water, oil or both (who says oil and water don’t mix?).
“What To Do About All This Fracking Water,” Harold Hunt’s look at how water used in the fracking process is being reused, was considered the most useful by far.
Charles Gilliland’s analysis of the correlation between oil prices and rural land prices (“Oil Prices Lead, Land Prices Follow”) ranked second alongside “Whose Water Is It Anyway?,” Judon Fambrough’s discussion of Texas water rights.
Speaking of Fambrough, readers also appreciated his detailed explanation of when electronic correspondences hold up in court as a legally binding contract (“Electronic Transactions: When Email Becomes a Contract”).
The beginning of the year brought a new federal law intended to reform the mortgage lending industry, so it stands to reason that an article discussing its effect on the housing market would resonate with readers. Sure enough, “The Pendulum Swings: Dodd-Frank’s Impact on the Housing Market,” by Jim Gaines, rounded out readers’ picks of the top five most-useful TG articles of the year.
By the way, the first 300 survey respondents received a copy of our 2013-14 Annual Report/2015 Calendar. If you missed out this time around, be on the lookout next fall. You might just have another chance.
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