Ensure an Accurate Appraisal of Your College Station Real Estate

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Appraisals are final when it comes to securing money from a bank, so don’t let a poor one ruin your College Station real estate plans. Be proactive to ensure your appraiser is competent and has all the information he or she needs, because your purchase, sale or refinancing goals could be wrecked with a low-ball appraisal.

Minimize the risk of receiving an inaccurate appraisal by …

  • Meeting the appraiser at the house. Show them around your College Station real estate, just like you’d show a potential buyer. That way you can highlight some of your home’s unique features that they might otherwise overlook. Also, if they have any questions about when things were updated or replaced, you’ll be there to share all relevant information — instead of them just taking a guess.
  • Establishing that he or she is geographically competent. Appraisers that don’t know the area can misquote, so be sure to ask them questions, such as how far their office is from the property and if they have access to local MLS data. If you feel the appraiser doesn’t meet geographic competency standards, then you can raise the issue with your lender. Continue reading →

Benefits of Downsizing Your Bryan/College Station Home

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Have you been considering downsizing your Bryan/College Station home? You are not alone. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 60 percent of buyers are considering downsizing to smaller, more efficient homes.

There are many benefits of downsizing your Bryan/College Station home:

  1. Reduce your impact on the environment: Your home will use less energy when you have less space to heat and cool.
  2. Simplify your life: Simplifying your life reduces stress, improves creativity and increases joy.
  3. Save money: When you buy a smaller, more energy-efficient home, you’ll save money on your utility bills. You’ll also reduce your maintenance expenses.  You will most likely have a smaller mortgage. When you have less space to fill, you need less stuff. So you can also spend less on furniture and other home décor. Continue reading →

How Do You Size the HVAC System for Your College Station Home?

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It may be more complicated than you think. For example, a conventional home has different HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) requirements than an earth-contact home of equal square footage. If your College Station home has good southern exposure and tight windows, these assets need to be considered as well.

When it’s time to replace your HVAC system, choosing one of the correct size is critical to getting the best efficiency, comfort, lowest maintenance and lowest operating costs over the life of the new system. To determine the right size HVAC system for your home, you need to take many factors into consideration, such as:

  • Weather conditions in your area, including prevailing winds
  • Building orientation and exposure
  • Total floor area and ceiling height
  • Number, size and type of windows Continue reading →

Bryan/College Station Home for the Holidays

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As a real estate agents, we spend a lot of time rushing in and out of Bryan/College Station homes. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the hustle-bustle of real estate transactions, and we forget to slow down to appreciate the pleasures of owning a home. So today, we want to take a moment to reflect on the home aspect of real estate.

Our job (one we love) is to help people just like you find a house that suits their lives.  Once you move in, you make that house into a home.

Holiday Traditions

Your Bryan/College Station home is where you and your loved ones celebrate holidays and where you create and continue family traditions. Whether you deck the halls with layers of tinsel and wreaths or have the whole family over to spin Hanukkah dreidels, the spirit of the season comes from the energy of the people gathering together in your home.  Continue reading →

Holiday Cheer Could Help Your College Station Home Sell

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A cozy fire, the smell of pine trees and a plate of warm cookies might be all it takes for buyers to envision themselves celebrating many holidays in your College Station home. So take the time this season to channel Mrs. Claus and cheerfully enhance your house for the holidays with these festive tips:

  • Deck the Halls – While you want to remind some buyers of their yearly traditions, you don’t want to offend others. If you usually go overboard with decorations, tone it down a little this year and go for a winter nature theme — think pinecones, snowflakes and the smell of cinnamon.
  • Spruce Up the Winter Curb Appeal – In the dead of winter, yards can look barren and bleak. Don’t add to the seasonal depression. Be sure you shovel snow, rake fallen leaves and clear dead flowers from their pots. Also, with darkness settling in so early, turn on both indoor and outdoor lights to give your College Station home a cozy glow. Continue reading →

Learn the Bryan/College Station Real Estate Basics of Concurrent Ownership

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If you’re looking to purchase Bryan/College Station real estate, you’ll probably come across many terms you don’t know — including concurrent ownership. This essentially means that more than just one individual can own property. You might be extremely interested in the details of concurrent ownership if you’re purchasing a property with another person, are married or have children.

It’s always good to educate yourself so you can assess all your options (and maybe show off to your Bryan/College Station real estate agent and loved ones if you happen to come across this term during your house hunt). Below is the basic breakdown of the four main types of concurrent ownership.

  1. Joint Tenancy with the Right of Survivorship – This means that all owners retain equal share of the property. In the event that one of the owners dies, their share of the property is distributed equally among the remaining owners. Be sure to use specific language in your deed or will, otherwise the property might be considered tenancy in common.
  2. Tenancy in Common – One or more people own the property, but the shares might not be equal. Also, if one owner dies, the property is passed by will or inheritance, not necessarily to the other owners. Continue reading →

How to Avoid Paying Private Mortgage Insurance on Your College Station Real Estate

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If you get a mortgage for more than 80% of your College Station real estate’s fair market value, your lender will require that you pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). PMI payments are expensive at about 0.5% to 1% of the entire loan amount on an annual basis.

Obviously, it would be a good thing if you didn’t have to pay PMI. To help you achieve that goal, here are several tips to avoid paying PMI on your College Station real estate:

  • Save for a big down payment: The easiest way to avoid PMI is to have a down payment of at least 20% of the value of the home you want to purchase.
  • Borrow to get 20% down: Check with friends and family for down payment assistance. You can offer repayment with interest and still never pay as much as you would have to for PMI. Continue reading →

How Is the Insulation in Your Bryan/College Station Home?

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Now that summer is behind us, it’s a good time to get up in the attic and assess your insulation. If it’s been a while since it was installed, there may well be peaks and valleys in it that are less than ideal for keeping your Bryan/College Station home comfortable and energy-efficient.

Luckily, more insulation can be blown in over what you already have. Blown-in cellulose insulation is a good option because it’s considered a “green” product, is highly effective and is less costly than fiberglass. Here are several benefits to adding cellulose insulation:

  • Allows you to recycle while you insulate. As they say, if you don’t buy recycled, you’re not recycling. Cellulose insulation is made from recycled paper and treated with a flame retardant for safety.
  • Controls pests. Now you can get cellulose insulation that is also treated with boric acid, a safe insecticide that is effective against both types of termites and cockroaches.
  • Prevents mold. Boric acid is also effective against mold and mildew. This prevention is continuous after installation. Continue reading →

Giving Thanks for Being a College Station Real Estate Agent

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At this time of year, as thoughts turn to gobbling down turkey dinners and watching football, it’s easy to get caught up in the details and lose the spirit.  So today, we want to take a minute to say something important:

Thank you!

Because of you, we have a job we love: being a College Station real estate agent.

Thanksgiving is a holiday of gratitude, and yet too few of us remember that when we’re stuck in traffic going over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house for her famous pumpkin pie.

So today, we’d like to say again, thank you.

Thank you for contributing to this community, online and in the real world, by asking questions, adding your insights, and trusting us with your housing dreams. Continue reading →

It’s Time to Fall Back on Helpful Bryan/College Station Real Estate Connections

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With Daylight Saving Time turning back the clock this month, sellers having trouble going the for-sale-by-owner route should take a hint from Father Time: Set aside the time to “fall back” on helpful connections and get your Bryan/College Station real estate sold.

Your for-sale-by-owner home is probably clear of clutter and staged to perfection, so why aren’t buyers lining up to take a peek? If it’s not the price, then it probably means you need to take a look at your marketing. The tips below will guide you on how to take some time to fall back on local connections and reach out to more people.

  • Connect through all your communities. Networking online through real estate sites and social media platforms are a good place to start, but don’t stop there. Use all of your connections by emailing friends, close coworkers, social groups and any other contacts from activities in which you participate. Also, talk to neighbors because they’ll be the best advocates for getting someone they know and like to move in down the street. Continue reading →