Register Real Estate Advisors

1. Give your forwarding address to the post office, usually two to four weeks ahead of the move.
2. Notify your credit card companies, magazine subscriptions, and bank of the change of address.
3. Develop a list of friends, relatives, and business colleagues who need to be notified of the move.
4. Arrange to have utilities disconnected at your old home and connected at your new one.
5. Cancel the newspaper.
6. Check insurance coverage for moved items. Usually movers only cover what they pack.
7. Clean out appliances and prepare them for moving, if applicable.
8. Note the weight of the goods you’ll have moved, since long-distance moves are usually billed according to weight. Watch for movers that use excessive padding to add weight.
9. Check with your condo or co-op about restrictions on using the elevator or particular exits.
10. Have a “first open” box with the things you’ll need most – toilet paper, soap, trash bags, scissors, hammer, screwdriver, pencils and paper, cups and plates, water, snacks, and toothpaste.

Plus, if you’re moving out of town:

1. Get copies of medical and dental records and prescriptions for your family and your pets.
2. Get copies of children’s school records for transfer.
3. Ask friends for introductions to anyone they know in your new neighborhood.
4. Consider special car needs for pets when traveling.
5. Let a friend or relative know your route.
6. Carry traveler’s checks or an ATM card for ready cash until you can open a bank account.
7. Empty your safety deposit box.
8. Put plants in boxes with holes for air circulation if you’re moving in cold weather.

6 Items to Have on Hand for the New Owners

1. Owner’s manuals for items left in the house.
2. Warranties for any items left in the house.
3. A list of local service providers – the best dry cleaner, yard service, etc.
4. Garage door opener.
5. Extra sets of house keys.
6. Code to burglar alarm and phone number of monitoring service if not discontinued.

Reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by permission of the National Association of Realtors, Copyriht 2005, All rights reserved

If the latest technology and entertainment options are important in your new home, add the following questions to your buyer’s checklist.  This is interesting information I got from the REALTOR Magazine Online and reprinted with permission of the National Association of REALTORS.  Visit the Consumer Electronics Association ( http://www.ce.org/techhomerating ) for a complete Tech Home Rating Checklist.

1.  Are there enough jacks in every room for cable TV and high-speed Internet hookups?  Does it include U-Verse if that’s important to your family?

2.  Are there enough telephone extensions or jacks?  Most people use their cell phones these days, but some still want a phone in every room, including the bathrooms.

3.  Is the home prewired for a home theater or multi-room audio and video?

4.  Does the home have a local area network for linking computers?

5.  Does the home already have wiring for DSL or other high-speed Internet connection?

6.  Does the home have multi-room lighting controls, window-covering controls, or other home automation features?

7.  Does the home have multi-room lighting controls, window-covering controls, or other home automation features?

8.  Is the home wired with multi-purpose in-wall wiring that allows for reconfigurations to update services as technology changes?

Moving to the Houston area?  I would like to be the first to welcome you and assist you with all of your real estate needs whether you are moving to Houston, The Woodlands, or Spring, Texas.  As a relocation specialist, I can help you sell your current property anywhere in the world and find a new one in this area.  As a RE/MAX agent, I help relocate families all over the globe.  Please call me today and I will be happy to send you a copy of the Houston Newcomer Guide.  It will help you narrow your search area and give you a lot of helpful information about the communities in the surrounding area.  I would like to help you with all of your relocation needs and my website offers a wealth of information.  You can search the entire Houston MLS database on my website and see my featured listings, too.  You can read my award winning blog and catch up on all the latest housing news.  Please call me today so we can get started.  When you talk to your human resources coordinator, please ask for me by name!  Shannon Register 832.628.SELL

Finding a new home can be exciting. But deciding what you truly want and need-and can afford-can be challenging. Making these decisions begins with setting priorities among many different preferences. Most homebuyers invariably face trade-offs. As your buyer’s representative, I can play a key role in helping you sort out your options. My team can also offer important insights specific to our local market. Here are many of the considerations you’ll want to discuss with me or my team members:

Basic Home Features

• Do you prefer a single-family detached home, townhome, condominium, or other type of property?
• Desired number of bedrooms and baths
• Preferences regarding kitchen, dining, family rooms, etc. and preferred home layout
• High-priority home features, such as kitchen appliances, fireplace, etc.
• Other types of rooms needed (e.g., a home office or a hobby space)
• Storage spaces (closets, basement, and outdoor shed, etc.)
• Need for a garage or parking space, and if so, for how many cars?

Other Home Preferences

• Ranch, two story, split level, etc.
• Age and style of home (Victorian, bungalow, modern, etc.)
• How important is energy efficiency or other green home features?

Neighborhoods/Location

• Commuting considerations (to work, shopping, etc.)
• Proximity to desirable features (such as a community center, exercise facility, school, hospital, etc.)
• Views – how important is to find your ideal view (overlooking a park, for example) or avoiding a bad one (busy highway)?

Lot Characteristics

• Size and Shape of yards
• Landscaping Considerations – need for privacy, play areas, decking, etc.
• Home orientation – is it important for your home to face a particular direction?

Life at Home

• If you’ll be sharing your home with kids, pets, or others, how does this impact your housing preferences?
• Proximity to neighbors

Related Costs

• HOA or Homeowner Association Fees
• Property Taxes

Trade-Offs

• How much do you want to invest in a home beyond the purchase price, either financially or in terms of sweat equity, if you can’t find exactly what you want?
• Are you willing to consider other neighborhoods that provide better affordability?
Resale
• How long do you plan to live in this home? How does this impact the type of home you will buy, how much you’ll spend, and your choice of location?

This information is reprinted from a www.REBAC.net publication.

FORT WORTH (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) – Prices of existing homes in Fort Worth-Arlington increased 0.75 percent in March compared with last year, according to the CoreLogic real estate research firm.

 Overall, Texas had a 2.2 percent increase while there was a 1.7 percent increase nationwide.

 “In more than half of the 100 markets surveyed by CoreLogic, home prices increased from March 2009. The year-over-year increase is a sign of stability,” said Mark Fleming, CoreLogic’s chief economist.

Moving to the Houston area?  I would like to be the first to welcome you and assist you with all of your real estate needs whether you are moving to Houston, The Woodlands, or Spring, Texas.  As a relocation specialist, I can help you sell your current property anywhere in the world and find a new one in this area.  As a RE/MAX agent, I help relocate families all over the globe.  Please call me today and I will be happy to send you a copy of the Houston Newcomer Guide.  It will help you narrow your search area and give you a lot of helpful information about the communities in the surrounding area.  I would like to help you with all of your relocation needs and my website offers a wealth of information.  You can search the entire Houston MLS database on my website and see my featured listings, too.  You can read my award winning blog and catch up on all the latest housing news.  Please call me today so we can get started.  When you talk to your human resources coordinator, please ask for me by name!  Shannon Register 832.628.SELL

1.  Look for exclusions to coverage.  For example, most insurance policies do not cover flood or earthquake damage as a standard item.  These coverages must be bought separately.

2.  Look for dollar limitations on claims.  Even if you are covered for a risk, there may be a limit on how much the insurer will pay.  For example, many policies limit the amount paid for stolen jewelry unless items are insured separately.

3.  Understand replacement cost.  If your home is destroyed you’ll receive money to replace it only to the maximum of your coverage, so be sure your insurance is sufficient.  This means that if your home is insured for $150,000 and it costs $180,000 to replace it, you’ll only receive $150,000.

4.  Understand actual cash value.  If you choose not to replace your home when it’s destroyed, you’ll receive replacement cost, less depreciation.  This is called actual cash value.

5.  Understand liability.  Generally your homeowners insurance covers you for accidents that happen to other people on your proprety, including medical care, court costs, and awards by the court.  However, there is usually an upper limit to the amount of coverage provided.  Be sure that it’s sufficient if you have significant assets. 

This information was reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by permission of the National Association of REALTORS, copyright 2005, all rights reserved.

SAN ANTONIO (San Antonio Express News) – About $102 million of the $3.9 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) was awarded to Texas, the majority of which has yet to be dispersed by cities and counties.

 Texas calculated it had committed just over 30 percent of the $102 million in state NSP funds as of last week, said Gordon Anderson, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

 The program is designed to reduce the number of foreclosed homes and halt the depreciation of home values in communities nationwide.

 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that Dallas has committed less than 1 percent of its $8 million allocation, while Houston had not committed any of the $13.5 million it was given.

 However, Harris County was awarded nearly $15 million separately and has distributed all but 1 percent of its available funds. San Antonio also has been busy pumping NSP money into stimulus projects to stabilize its neighborhoods. According to the HUD report, the city has committed nearly three-quarters of the $8.6 million it was awarded.

HOUSTON (Houston Chronicle) – Area single-family home prices weathered the economy well in 2009, remaining essentially flat with a median price of $72.58 per sf, according to an annual home price analysis commissioned by the Houston Chronicle.

The study analyzed the median price per sf of 52,100 homes sold through the Multiple Listings Service last year in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston and Brazoria Counties. To be included, neighborhoods must have had at least five home sales. In 2009, 1,890 were listed, down from over 2,000 in 2008. Of all homes surveyed, 18 percent were new.

Some of the survey’s findings were:

• homes priced between $80,000 and $150,000 made up the largest segment sold in the market;
• 81 percent of the sales were outside Beltway 8;
• Fort Bend was the only county to post a noticeable increase in median value;
• values in more than 120 of the area’s largest neighborhoods, with at least 1,000 homes, declined or were flat last year, while about 80 registered increases;
• the most expensive home sale was $6.3 million, down from almost $10 million in 2008; and
• values in more than half of the neighborhoods surveyed were down — some by as much as 50 percent.

While overall prices remained stable, sales fell 25 percent from their peak in 2006.

The percentage of foreclosure sales dipped slightly to 20.5 percent of total sales.

Moving to the Houston area?  I would like to be the first to welcome you and assist you with all of your real estate needs whether you are moving to Houston, The Woodlands, or Spring, Texas.  As a relocation specialist, I can help you sell your current property anywhere in the world and find a new one in this area.  As a RE/MAX agent, I help relocate families all over the globe.  Please call me today and I will be happy to send you a copy of the Houston Newcomer Guide.  It will help you narrow your search area and give you a lot of helpful information about the communities in the surrounding area.  I would like to help you with all of your relocation needs and my website offers a wealth of information.  You can search the entire Houston MLS database on my website and see my featured listings, too.  You can read my award winning blog and catch up on all the latest housing news.  Please call me today so we can get started.  When you talk to your human resources coordinator, please ask for me by name!  Shannon Register 832.628.SELL