Real Estate Blog

I’m a new Homeowner – now what?
A Guide to Owning a New Home
(PART 1)

Owning a new home is a dream come true for most. It means no more surprise rent hikes from your snaky landlord or costly pet deposits that you have to pay when moving in your beloved pets. But do not forget, owning a home is more than freedom to do as you wish but it is a big investment with a lot of responsibility. Owning a new home takes a lot more care and preventative maintenance than most people realize.

Why should I care about preventative maintenance you ask?

For example: a tube of caulk costs just a few dollars at your local hardware store but replacing an entire wall due

         Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Cupid’s holiday is here to remind you of just how wonderful love truly is. For those of you not spending V-day with a special someone, there are plenty of people that would appreciate some TLC (Time, Love, and Care) including friends, family members, pets, and yourself. Here are a few suggestions in the College Station/Bryan area to make your Valentine’s Day weekend a memorable one.

• Enjoy an early start to this romantic weekend by watching the A&M Baseball team play Northeastern on Olsen Field. The game starts at 6:35 PM and tickets range from $5 - $15. Our advice, grab that special someone and take him or her out to the ballpark for some hot dogs and cheer on your favorite team. Olsen

The job of a home inspector is to ensure that your home is up to code and livable for the next owners buying your property. While it may seem that a home inspection isn’t necessary for your home, buyers like to have an evaluation done to ensure that the property they’re purchasing isn’t attached to a mountain of repairs or health hazards. We know this process can be stressful to sellers, so here are some tips and guidelines to consider before having your next home inspection done.

1. Remove the Clutter
Make sure your home is tidy and mess free before the home inspector pays their visit. Items surrounding any wiring, plumbing, vents or electrical outlets should be removed so that the inspector can easily access each item on their checklist. Clutter also

When attempting to sell your home, it is extremely important to make your house stand out from other houses on the market. A simple way to do this is through home-staging. The goal of home-staging is to make the buyer feel and see themselves living there. If the buyer is unable to picture themselves living in this home, the sale is lost from the start. Home-staging may seem like a small part of selling your home, but it can make a huge difference in the end.

5 Simple Tips for Staging Your Home

1. Do Not Forget the Exterior. The first thing a potential buyer sees when searching for a home is the exterior. If the front yard of the house is not kept neat and tidy, why would a buyer want to explore further? To get a buyer inside the house, a

According to Realtor magazine, 60 percent of real estate professionals encourage their clients to sell their homes during the holidays because they believe it is a good time to sell. With fewer homes on the market, and a pool of more serious buyers, many realtors urge their clients to take advantage of added exposure they may get. High quality pictures of well-staged and decorated homes allow potential buyers to picture themselves in these homes.

To make your home even more appealing, have plates of homemade holiday cookies placed attractively throughout, so that potential buyers can really feel the holiday ambiance as they tour your home.

Holiday Decorating in Moderation

Choose tasteful holiday decorations, but don’t go overboard. You don’t want

Often times the holidays are stressful for many different reasons. So many things to cook, and clean, so many parties to attend, and of course so many gifts to buy. One of the most stressful things about the holidays is deciding what gifts to get for loved ones. There is always the desire to avoid being too cliche or predictable, and of course you want to get something that the person will actually enjoy. In order to save yourself some stress, here is a suggestion: instead of buying a gift why not give the gift that keeps on giving? Why not do a home project as a gift. In other words if there is something in the home that you have realized needs to be fixed but you just have not gotten to it, then fix it as a gift. Your time and effort will be well