Premier Real Estate

Although the real estate business never takes a break off, the spring is certainly a time that many prospects are out looking for a brand new home and you want to make sure that your home is in the best selling position possible.  What this means is that the curb appeal needs to be just right.

Finding the right curb appeal for you can be fun, as you get to choose exactly what your home will look like on the outside.  As spring rolls around though, one thing that you should think about is trimming up the trees that you might have in your yard.

This can truly make your yard look incredible and will keep those trees looking absolutely breathtaking so your home will be sold that much faster!  More tips in the next blog!

Saving money on your home insurance is very, very important — we all know this but I can tell you from experience and as I mentioned in the last blog, coming up with ways to save some money on your home insurance is difficult.  One sure fire way to make sure that you save a little on your premium is definitely by your credit score.

I can tell you that your credit score is something that many, many insurance companies are looking at and they are certainly letting that influence their decision to up or lower your premium, so that is something that you want to keep an eye on. 

Another thing you want to make sure of is that you have alarms installed.  Having security cameras and alarms installed can really help you in the long run assuring that you definitely get a lower premium.

Now that we have talked about just a few things that people expect to see in the kitchen, let’s discuss what people are demanding to see.  The first thing is space.  People want big kitchens nowadays, they want a kitchen that they can move around in and cook in and have kids in.  They want a lot of counter space, a lot of space in general – it is something that you should really think about whenever you are buying a home.

Next, they want a surprise.  These days, it is all about what you can hide and when you can hide something as normal as a fridge; it really makes your kitchen fantastic!  Some fridges are even designed to look like stand alone armoires, along with things like dishwashers and even warming ovens and other major appliances.

The overall color scheme and design of the kitchen is something that consumers are looking into as well.  Black, white and chrome are all very popular choices for the modern buyer.

Kitchens are something that is becoming very, very popular in the real estate world.  People are looking to make their kitchen as high-tech as possible and that is truly something that is appealing to the buyers in this day and age.  High-tech kitchens seemed like something of the future – where you could call your kitchen and turn it on from your phone or even kitchens that have LCD TV’s in them.

This is not just a thing of the future any longer, this is something that is happening right here and now.  Constantly, kitchens are being upgraded and they are truly becoming something more than just something to cook in.  To be honest – kitchens could make or break your home.

That is why in the next blog, we are going to explore some of the beautiful kitchens and go through some of the amenities and technology that buyers and consumers are demanding!

Real estate is a tricky thing to get a handle on – you never really know what you can and can not do and that is exactly why we are here!  The question on many people’s minds right now is should you buy a home or should you wait?  Well – the first question that you should ask yourself is ‘are you ready to settle down?’

Once you buy the home, it is going to be very difficult to get rid of and resell right now … so that is something that you want to make sure that you consider when you are making the decision to purchase a home.

Another thing that you need to think about is if you can afford the home that you are considering buying.  While prices have dropped themselves down a lot in the real estate market, you want to make sure that you find a home that is going to fit into your budget and that can be hard if your budget is very, very small.

When you are dealing with a home, there is going to be mold there – one of the first things that you need to remember is that mold is everywhere and if you know that your house is clean, you are still going to have mold.  In this blog, we are going to talk about how you can get rid of mold in your home and hopefully make sure that it stays gone from your home as well.

As we discussed, mold is everywhere and it has been around forever – so you really need to think about that and get that into your head so you know what you are dealing with.  Dealing with mold is fairly easy – sunlight and ventilation are the two things that are key items in getting rid of your mold problems.  You want to always make sure that you use your common sense whenever you are approaching a mold situation. 

Most of the time, mold is going to form in your bathroom, you really just need to use a mold killing cleaner and ensure that there is some sunlight in there as well.  Mold is difficult to get rid of but not impossible!

Houston, Texas, is another surprisingly palatable location. It is not like many of the other big metropolitan regions in the United States, mainly because it has not been horribly damaged by the current housing crisis. So, it is not decreasing housing values which make it a sought after location. Rather, it is anticipated that both jobs and the population will grow in the future, creating value and appreciation in the houses there.

The area is very low tax as well as being high in business, so employers will be flocking to Houston. With more jobs, there will be more employees as well, and that will lead to a greater demand for homes — and those homes will need to be affordable.

Currently, the average cost of a home in Houston is an enviable $120,000.

When you are ready to make that big commitment and buy a new home, there are a whole lot of things you need to watch out for if you do not want to wind up losing that home.

For example, stay away from those seminars. You know the ones. No Money Down seminars. Real Estate for Cheap seminars. Those things. You have to sit through a sales pitch that typically lasts no less than three hours, listening to someone trying to sell you books, DVDs, CDs, and goodness knows what else by people who claim to be real estate experts full of trade secrets. Those people are full of something, all right, but if you listen to them, something really important to you will be empty — your wallet.

These things are full of bunk. They will not provide you with any helpful information. They will, however, provide you with all the tools you need to make sure no qualified real estate agent is going to want to touch you with a ten foot pole. You’ll wind up making a bunch of ridiculously low offers on homes you cannot afford, and you will get rejected every time.

It is pretty obvious that in this day and age, you really need to be aware of the environment and this is especially true if you are looking to make a house that you are trying to sell a little bit greener.  Honestly, there are a lot of different things that you can do that can make the house extremely appealing to those couples that are looking for a ‘green’ home versus just a normal home.

For one, need to do some research.  Researching different ways that you can be eco-friendly is a great start and definitely something that everyone should do who is in the real estate business … or who is trying to get into the real estate business for themselves.  The next thing you need to consider is not going to be good …

Cost …. The cost to make a home eco-friendly is very high but you know what?  Add that onto the price of the home and you will absolutely have a better chance at selling the home!  In the next blog I will go over some of the ways that you can make the house extremely eco-friendly and great looking!

While you may be considering renting your home out instead of selling it, you probably have no idea how to get started.  First and foremost, you need to make sure that you get yourself a contract together.  This should be a tenant-friend contract, as you do not want to scare them off, but you definitely want to make sure that you are protecting yourself as well as protecting the home.

The contract should be pretty standard and once everything you have to say on it is done, you should definitely take it to a lawyer and absolutely have it looked at.  That way, everything is going to be legal and you can make sure that your butt is covered!

After that is done – then you move onto the actual renting of your house out and we will explore that a little bit more in detail in the next set of blogs!