Are you stuck with the Realtor assigned by the RELO company?
Written by Jill Wente on February 22nd, 2012 categories: Home Buyer Information, Home Seller Information | views
If your employer offers you relocation benefits, the relocation company will “assign” a Realtor to work with you. The Realtors who agree to be assigned have taken relocation certification courses and agree to pay your relocation company between 35% to 40% of the commission they earn from either helping you with the purchase of a house or helping you sell your current house.
If you are selling your house, the relocation company will typically have two Realtors from two different real estate brokerages meet with you to present their marketing plans. You will then have an opportunity to choose between the two Realtors.
If you do not like the Realtors assigned by the relocation company because they didn’t listen to your needs or may they are not familiar with your neighborhood, you are not stuck with them. You do have choices!! Just tell your relocation company the name of the Realtor you want to use. The Relocation company will then contact your chosen Realtor to confirm that they are willing to pay a relocation fee. Although Realtors don’t like to pay a 35 to 40% fee to the relocation company (can you blame them?), the majority of Realtors will agree to pay the fee.
You do not have to use the Realtor assigned by your relocation company in order to receive your relocation benefits. You do have a right to choose your Realtor.
If you are relocating to Spring Texas or moving away from Spring Texas and you would like for me to be your Realtor, then give my name to your relocation company. I work with all the major relocation companies including SIRVA, CARTUS, PRUDENTIAL, HEWITT, and BROOKFIELD.
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Relocating to The Woodlands
Written by Jill Wente on February 19th, 2012 categories: Home Buyer Information | views
If you’ve been thinking about relocating to the Woodlands, watch the video below. It will motivate you to stop thinking about relocating to the Woodlands and to start relocating to the Woodlands.
When you are ready to start house hunting in the Woodlands, give us a call at 281.300.3141 or 281.804.8626. We will be happy to help you find the right house to call ”Home”.
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Spring Texas Real Estate: Market Report January 2012
Written by Jill Wente on February 16th, 2012 categories: Spring Texas Real Estate Market Reports | views
What’s going on with the Spring Texas Real Estate Market? The buyers were out in force in January generating a 12% increase in home Sales and a 11% increase in Pending Sales. Both the average sales price and the median sales price experienced increases. Spurred by an increase in a sales and a decrease in listings, the months of inventory dropped below 6 months.
Months of Inventory – six months of inventory is typically considered a balanced market and for the last two years the Spring Texas real estate market has been hovering above 6 months. The buyers have definitely been throwing their weight around and has forced more than one seller to take their house off the market and wait for better days.
With less than 6 months of inventory, those better days could now be here. If you are thinking about putting your house on the market this Spring, don’t wait. Do it now when the months of inventory is lower.
Quantity of Sales – Both sales and pending sales experienced a double digit increase. More than a few of these sales were fueled by the relocation of 200 Halliburton employees to the area. Halliburton relocated their technology center from their Duncan OK location to their Beltway 8 and IAH airport location. The employee moves were scheduled for February.
Mortgage Interest Rates – 30-year rates for FHA loans are hovering between 3.75% and 4%. If you are confident about your job prospects and you’re thinking about up-sizing, now is the time. Interest rates will go back up. Lock in a 30-year rate now when the rates are low. The difference in your monthly payment on a $250,000 mortgage at 5% vs 4% is $461.
What’s ahead for the Spring Texas real estate market? Check out our real estate predictions for 2012.
Our Prudential Gary Greene Champions office started the year off running. For the month of January, our office pended $28 million in real estate (increase of 55% over last January).
Real estate is local and not all subdivisions are faring the same. If you are interested in selling your Spring Texas home, give me a call at 281.804.8626 to discuss what’s going on in your subdivision.
The data represented is from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University and the Houston Association of Realtors MLS for single family existing homes in Area 13. Area 13 covers a large geographic area stretching from I45 to Hwy 249 to Beltway 8 to Spring Cypress.
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Top 10 Homebuyers regrets
Written by Jill Wente on February 13th, 2012 categories: Home Buyer Information | views
Woulda, coulda, shoulda …. the regrets of home buyers. Here’s a list of regrets I have compiled from Spring Texas home buyers so that maybe you can gain from their hindsight.
I wish I would have chosen a house with a smaller yard. Cutting grass when it’s 95 degrees and 85% humidity is exhausting.- I should have gotten the home inspected. Since it was a new home, I thought there wouldn’t be anything wrong with it. Builder says the repair is not covered under the warranty. Ouch!!
- I should have asked to see the sellers water bills. My monthly water bill is more than my electric bill … Ridiculous!
- I wished I would have taken notes when the seller showed me how to turn on the gas fireplace. I know there’s a trick to it but I can’t seem to figure it out.
- I should have walked around the backyard. The neighbor’s dog barks uncontrollably whenever I’m in my backyard which is not much now.
- I wished I would have thought more about resale. An apartment complex is being built on what use to be the empty lot behind my house.
- I should have driven through the neighborhood at different times of the day and different days of the week. Driving down my street on the weekend is like driving on an obstacle course with lots of weaving and dodging.
- I should have paid closer attention to the condition of the carpets. No matter which way I arrange my furniture it still doesn’t cover all the spots.
- I should have investigated plans for future road development. The Grand Parkway is going to be built right behind my house. Good for my commute time but bad for a good night’s sleep.
- I should have said “NO” to the house with the wallpaper. I eventually got the wallpaper off but with it came the sheet rock.
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Proposed Low Income Housing Projects
Written by Jill Wente on February 10th, 2012 categories: Home Buyer Information | views
It seems like each year we hear about some new proposed low income housing project in the Spring Texas area. Thankfully, the proposed projects have been opposed and with their funding efforts quashed the projects don’t get built.
This year – 2012, there are 7 pending applications for low income housing projects in the Spring Texas area. The developers of these projects have applied for $1.5 – $2 million per project in housing tax credits. Residential home values in the surrounding neighborhoods of these low income housing projects will decrease if these projects are built.
The proposed low income housing projects are:
1
. Magnolia Gardens - 100 unit low income elderly complex
2. Spring Hills – 100 unit low income elderly complex
3. Merritt Spring – 192 unit low income elderly complex
4. Zion Valley – 192 unit low general low income complex
5. Booker Senior Villas – 120 unit low income elderly complex
6. Lafayette Manor – 150 unit low income elderly complex
7. Spring Trace – 180 unit low income elderly complex
Click on the map for a larger view of the location of the low income housing projects.
Call or email your representatives of Debbie Riddle – email, Dan Patrick – email, and Ted Poe – email and let them know you are against low incoming housing projects in Spring Texas. It’s up to all of us to protect our housing values and to oppose low income housing in Spring Texas.
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The Chancel says “Goodbye” to Plantation and “Hello” to Travis
Written by Jill Wente on February 7th, 2012 categories: Home Buyer Information | views
The Chancel, a 140 home site community in Spring Texas, has said “Goodbye” to Plantation Homes and “Hello” to Travis Homes. Located at the intersection of T.C. Jester and Spring Cypress, Plantation Homes and Meritage Homes have been the exclusive builders in The Chancel. But Plantation Homes was not keeping up with their lot commitment and the developer said “Goodbye”.
Travis Homes seized the opportunity to build in The Chancel and bought all of the 46 lots previously committed to Plantation Homes. Without the help of a model home to showcase their product, Travis Homes quickly sold 8 of their 46 lots. Travis Homes are building homes with square footage ranging from 2,045 to 3,845 and with base prices starting at $171,000 and reaching $236,000.
Located in Klein school district, The Chancel is nearly 50% built-out. Lots and inventory homes are currently available from both Meritage Homes and Travis Homes. The annual HOA fee for The Chancel is $720 and the 2011 tax rate before the homestead exemption is 2.87%.
If you want to learn more about The Chancel or other new constructions homes in Spring Texas, give us a call at 281.300.3141 or 281.804.8626. We can help you find and purchase foreclosure homes, resale homes, and new homes in Spring Texas.
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7 Reasons why your house won’t sell
Written by Jill Wente on February 4th, 2012 categories: Home Seller Information | views
Has your house been sitting and sitting and sitting on the Spring Texas real estate market? Has it been more than 45 days since the last time you had a showing? Maybe on the reasons below is stopping your house from selling.
Your house won’t sell because:
1. Unavailable for showings – Do you require 24 hours notice? Do you require confirmation of all appointments? Do you require 1 hour showing windows? Do you restrict showings to certain days of the week? Showings occur at convenient times for buyers which may not be convenient for sellers. Unless you are on your death bed, don’t turn down a showing. The showing you turned down could be the one you have been waiting for.
2. Poor condition – Buyers don’t and won’t buy your lived-in house. Replace the stained carpet. Repair and paint the beat-up back door. Stain the weathered front door. Change the filthy air filters. Replace the grungy shower caulk.
3. Bad photos – The majority of buyers begin their search of homes for sale on the Internet. If the photos of your house were taken from your Realtor’s car window or they are dark and grainy, buyers are going to say “NEXT”. Buyers have plenty of homes to look at and if the photos of your listing don’t grab the buyers then they won’t schedule a showing to view it.
4. Over priced – Pretend you’re a buyer and search Spring Texas homes for sale. How does your house stack up to other houses listed at the same price. Be honest! Your house may be better than those other houses but what about your subdivision. Has there been a lot of foreclosures and short sales in your subdivision pushing prices down?
5. Out-dated - Yes, I know it seems frivolous to replace the brass light fixtures when they are in perfect working condition. It also seems to be a waste of money to remove the wallpaper. But … buyers don’t want out-dated. They want updated.
6. Incomplete or Mistakes in listing data – Buyers have an enormous amount of flexibility on how they can perform searches. If your listing data is incomplete or inaccurate, your house is either not be shown to buyers or being shown to the wrong buyers.
7. Not a product – Does your house look like it’s your home? Are your kids names on their bedroom doors? Do you have photos of the family over the fireplace? Is your kids’ school schedule taped to the refrigerator door? When you put your home on the Spring Texas real estate market it’s no longer your home. It is a product. A product that you are wanting someone to buy. Buyers can’t envision your house as their house when all they see is your home.
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How did Spring Texas get its name?
Written by Jill Wente on February 1st, 2012 categories: Discover Spring Texas | views
In the 1870s, railroad workers were laying tracks from South Texas into Houston. After a harsh winter, the railroad workers finally reached the area during spring time. The railroad workers were so excited winter was over they named the area “Camp Spring”.
In 1873, Camp Spring was platted and became a settlement. Later “Camp” was dropped from the name and Spring became the base of operation for railroad workers.
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Do you Buy or do you Sell first?
Written by Jill Wente on January 27th, 2012 categories: Home Seller Information | views
For one of a half a dozen reasons ranging from your house is too cramped to your commute is too long, you want to sell your Spring Texas house. The question is “Do you Buy or do you Sell first“?
The first step is to determine if you have the option of buying before selling your current house. If you are not planning on paying cash for your next home, you will need to get a loan and thus a call to your lender is in order. Are you able to get loan pre-approval for your next house while still owning your current house? Are you planning on using the equity in your current house for the down payment on your next house? Your financial situation may require you to sell your current house before buying your next Spring Texas house.
If your financial situation allows you to have options, then consider these pluses and minuses:
BUY first:
- Less Hassle – You aren’t interrupted by buyers wanting to view your home at inconvient times. You no longer live at the house that’s on the market. You have already moved on.
- More Costs – You have the expense of maintaining two households. (lawn care, utilities, mortgage, insurance, real estate taxes)
SELL first:
- Higher sales price - Occupied houses sell quicker and for higher prices than vacant houses.
- Financial Certainity – You know the sales price of your house, the cost of negotiated repairs, and what you will net.
- Multiple moves - You may have to move into temporary housing until you find the right next home or until your new construction house is complete.
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Akaihi sushi ROCKS!
Written by Jill Wente on January 23rd, 2012 categories: Dining and Entertainment | views
Since Akaihi’s opening on January 5th in the HEB shopping center at Louetta and Stuebner Airline, my husband and I have dined twice at the Japanese restaurant. Both times we have been extremely pleased with the wait staff and the sushi has rocked!
We can’t vouch for all of the 50+ sushi rolls available because we haven’t tried them all. But of the sushi rolls we have tried, the Catepillar (eel and avocado) and the Shaggy Dog (Shrimp tempura) are our favorites. The sushi was fresh and the portions were generous making it difficult to eat it all in one bite.
The drinks were reasonably priced with $2 domestic and $3 import beers during Happy Hour. Wine was reasonably priced as well at $5 for a glass of Beringer Chardonnay. The portion wasn’t skimpy as the bartender provided a healthy pour.
We give Akaihi’s a big 2 thumbs up! Give them a try. This is one restaurant we would like to see stay in business.
During Akaihi’s Happy Hour which runs from 3 – 7 pm and is avaiable 7 days a week, numerous sushi selections are $1.50 each and many sushi rolls are discounted 20%. Akaihi is located at 7316 Louetta Rd Spring TX 77379 next to Spec’s.
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