Home Buying Tips

September 27, 2008

9 things you should know about homeowners insurance

Health insurance and homeowners insurance … both are coverage we know we need but rarely take the time to understand. That is until we need it. Hurricane IKE’s recent roll through our area sent a lot of Spring Texas homeowners scurrying for their policies. Unfortunately some homeowners were taught a painful financial lesson that they won’t soon […]
September 11, 2008

Spring Texas home sellers missed opportunities

The topic for this post “Spring Texas home sellers missed opportunities” is courtesy of my husband, working partner, and fellow Better Homes and Gardens Gary Greene, Realtor, Rick Ratchford. Rick is an exclusive Buyers Agent meaning he only represents buyers and not sellers. I on the other hand represent both buyers and sellers but that’s […]
September 3, 2008

What “Days on Market” really means

DOM or Days on Market – what does it really mean? The simplest definition of Days on Market (DOM) is …. its the quantity of days a property has had an Active status in our multiple listing service. DOM is a statistic that is open to interpretation as to what it really means. The average […]
August 21, 2008

Texas ranks #8 lowest state in state-local tax burden

There is no denying that our real estate taxes in Spring Texas are higher than in other states. But you shouldn’t ONLY take into consideration real estate taxes when considering whether its affordable to live in Spring Texas. For 18 consecutive years the nonpartisan Tax Foundation has published an estimate of the combined state-local burden […]
August 18, 2008

Minimum down payment on FHA loans increases Oct. 1, 2008

If you have been counting your pennies and saving for the down payment on your Spring Texas home you will want to consider purchasing before October 1, 2008. Because on October 1, the minimum down payment requirement for FHA loans increases from 3% to 3.5% of the sales price. FHA increase on minimum down payment […]
August 13, 2008

First time homebuyer tax credit – what is it and how to get it

February 2009 UPDATE–  If you were a first time homebuyer and purchased a home in 2008 the tax credit outlined below applies to you.  If you are a first time homebuyer and are planning on or have already purchased a home in 2009 read – 2009 First time homebuyer tax credit. If you are a first time homebuyer […]
August 8, 2008

Spring Texas Homes #14 for Affordability

In its latest issue, Money Magazine, announced the “Top 25” cities where homes are affordable. And coming in at #14 on the list of affordability is Spring Texas homes. With an annual median family income of $74,298 and a 2007 median home price of $131,005, its easy to understand why the residents of Spring Texas […]
July 31, 2008

How to decide if a Spring Texas home with a POOL is for YOU.

If your vision of the perfect home comes with its own private pool, then you will love all the numerous options available for you on the Spring Texas real estate market. As of today, there are 286 Spring Texas homes for sale with a private pool in the $100,000 – $600,000 price range. That equals […]
July 17, 2008

Your Spring Texas dream home is in the 100 Year FLOOD ZONE now what?

Before sitting down with my buyers and writing an offer on their Spring Texas dream home, I will contact our in-house insurance agent and find out if the home is located in the 100 year flood zone. A home located in the 100 year flood zone means that in any given year there’s a 1% […]