March 3, 2016

How much earnest money is required when buying a house?

Upon execution of a residential contract, the buyer is required to deposit a defined amount as earnest money with a title company or the builder. The amount of earnest money is one of numerous terms that are negotiated between buyers and sellers. The amount of earnest money depends upon the local real estate market and […]

February 25, 2016

Do you have to pay an additional option fee to extend the option period?

Your inspector said the A/C isn’t cooling so you want to have the A/C evaluated by a HVAC technician. The problem is your option period ends today and you can’t get an HVAC technician out to the property today. So you and the sellers have agreed to extend the option period by 2 days. Do […]

February 12, 2016

How do you find out if you have a homestead exemption?

You think your Spring Texas home has a homestead exemption but you are not 100% sure. So how can you easily find out if you have a homestead exemption? At the Harris County Appraisal District website of www.hcad.org you can look up your account and see which if any exemptions have been applied to your […]

February 8, 2016

The pros and cons of an escrow account

Make a minimum 20% down payment on your purchase of a Spring Texas home and the choice of an escrow account will be yours. A less than 20% down payment forfeits the choice. If the choice of an escrow account is yours, should or shouldn’t you establish it? What are the pros and cons of […]

January 22, 2016

When does the option period end?

The option period is a defined length of time that has been negotiated and agreed upon by both buyers and sellers. The option period starts the day AFTER the contract execution date and ends at 5 pm (local time) on the last day. For example: If you are buying a home in Spring Texas and you […]

January 1, 2016

Easily file your homestead exemption with the HCAD APP

There’s an APP for that. It seems like an APP exists for almost everything you want to do including filing for a homestead exemption on your Spring Texas home. The Harris County Appraisal District’s new APP allows you to easily file and then track the status of your homestead exemption. No more printing, filling out, […]

December 26, 2015

What’s the average property tax rate for Spring Texas

Spring Texas encompasses two counties (Harris County and Montgomery County), three school districts (Conroe, Klein, and Spring) and numerous MUDs (Municipal Utility Districts). Property tax rates vary based upon a subdivision by subdivision basis. The biggest difference between the property tax rates of individual subdivisions is in the MUD tax. The MUD tax declines as […]

December 2, 2015

should you get your home inspected before listing it

Should you get your Spring Texas home inspected before listing it?

Should you get your Spring Texas home inspected before putting a For Sale sign in the yard? Yes or No ? Both answers have advantages and disadvantages. Yes – The advantages of getting your home inspected before listing it are: 1. repairs could be made for less money. Instead of hiring licensed technicians which is […]

November 20, 2015

8 reasons to list your house during the holidays

Here are 8 reasons why you should list your Spring Texas house during the holidays instead of waiting until after the new year. 1. Buyers who are looking during the holidays are SERIOUS buyers. You will receive fewer showings but the showings you do receive are by motivated buyers. 2. There’s fewer homes on the […]

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