Register Real Estate Advisors

Three year old Perry Built home in quiet, gated community of Spring Lakes that is convenient to I45, Hardy Toll Rd, The Woodlands, & shopping in Old Town Spring.  This community offers lakes with fountains, ducks, miles of walking trails, parks, volleyball & lighted tennis courts, & community pools. The home has an open floor plan that boasts of high ceilings, tile floors, a master down, three bedrooms up, large walk in closets, upstairs game room, tile backsplash in kitchen with granite island & stainless steel appliances.  This large lot has plenty of room for a pool or entertaining.  It is a short sale and an excellent value! (more…)

The homebuyers tax credit has now come to an end but don’t let that stop you from purchasing a home right now. The market has really turned around and is on the upswing  in the  Houston, Texas area and there has never been a better time to purchase. Home prices are low and so are interest rates. What a great time to purchase your home for a great price and when the market really gains its strength back, you will have made a great investment!! Our team is standing by, ready to assist you in your purchase. If you are looking to sell your home, our recent sales tell us now is the time. We are coming into the busiest season of the entire year and buyers are out looking. Let our strengths work for you. You won’t be sorry you trusted us to help you with one of the biggest decisions of your life. We look forward to serving you!

HOUSTON (Houston Business Journal) – New home sales surged 26.9 percent from February to March, according to the Department of Commerce.

 The nationwide increase, which was the largest one-month gain in five decades, was accompanied by a 23.8 percent increase in new home sales year over year.

 There were 228,000 new homes on the market at the end of March, a 6.7-month inventory at the current sales rate.

 Last month’s sales increase was credited partially to fairer weather and buyers hurrying to beat the expiration of the government’s homebuyer tax credit.

1. Develop a master “to do” list so you won’t forget something critical.
2. Sort and get rid of things you no longer want or need. Have a garage sale, donate to a charity, or recycle.
3. Don’t throw out everything. If your inclination is to just toss it, ask yourself how frequently you use an item and how you’d feel if you no longer had it.
4. Pack like items together. Put toys with toys, kitchen utensils with kitchen utencils, etc.
5. Decide what if anything you plan to move yourself. Precious items, such as family photos, valuable breakables, or must-haves during the move, should probably stay with you.
6. Use the right box for the item. Loose items encourage breakage.
7. Put heavy items in small boxes so they’re easier to lift. Keep weight under 50lbs. if possible.
8. Don’t over-pack boxes and increase the chances they will break.
9. Wrap every fragile item separately and pad bottom and sides of boxes.
10. Label every box on all sides. You never know how they’ll be stacked and you don’t want to have to move other boxes aside to find out what’s there.
11. Use color-coded labels to indicate which room each item should go in. Color-code a floor plan for your new house to help movers.
12. Keep your moving documents together, including phone numbers, driver’s name, and van numbers. Also keep your address book handy.
13. Back up your computer files before moving your computer.
14. Inspect each box and all furniture for damage as soon as it arrives.
15. Remember, most movers won’t take plants.

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

DALLAS (Dallas Morning News) – About 350 Dallas–Fort Worth homes are currently facing foreclosure not because the owners are behind on mortgage payments, but because they owe money to their homeowners associations or equity loan holders.

This number accounts for less than 10 percent of the total foreclosure postings for May in the four-county area, but the number of filings is increasing, said George Roddy, president of Addison-based Foreclosure Listing Service.

Homeowners associations (HOAs) debts typically include unpaid dues, fines or special assessments. Each HOA is governed independently and the HOA foreclosure filings do not have to specify how much is owed, which varies widely.

Because foreclosures by HOAs do not include the original debt on the properties, the buyers of those properties have to negotiate to pay the original mortgage. Owners have six months after the sale to redeem their ownership by paying the HOA debt, according to Roddy.

 Additionally, nearly 250 foreclosure filings were made in DFW this month that were the result of defaults on home equity loans.

This weekend I will be holding open three of my listings.  I hope you’ll stop by to see them! 

Saturday from 1-3pm  25819 Sarah Springs, Spring, 77373, Spring Lakes Subdivision

Saturday from 3-5pm  25714 Serene Springs, Spring, 77373, Spring Lakes Subdivision

Sunday from 2-4pm  25535 Mill Pond, Spring, 77373, Lexington Woods Subdivision

1.  Average price for a single-family home appreciated for a fifth straight month, by 12.3%, to $203,271.
2. The median price of a single-family home rose for the 10^th consecutive month, by 6.5%, to $147,000.
3. 6.3 months inventory of single-family homes compares favorably to the national average of 7.8 months.
4. Townhouse/condominium sales rose 8.9%
5. Total dollar volume grew 5.1%, reaching $747 million

Information courtesy of the Houston Association of Realtors, 2010 MLS Chair

At today’s quarterly office meeting our team was awarded with the 1st Quarter 2010 Top Listing Agent Award.  Business is a booming!  If you need to buy, sell, or lease a home I hope you’ll call on our professional real estate team for help.  We are determined to be the best, most professional, and most knowledgeable team in the business!

You will walk away from the closing table with a packet full of documents and some of them are very important to keep. Hopefully the following guidelines will help you know what to put in the safety deposit box and what you can toss.

• The HUD-1 Statement, usually printed on legal size paper, is the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) Statement. This statement itemizes all the costs associated with the closing. You’ll need this for income tax purposes and when you sell the home.
• The Truth in Lending Statement summarizes the terms of your mortgage loan.
• The mortgage and the note (two pieces of paper) spell out the legal terms of your mortgage obligation and the agreed-upon repayment terms.
• The deed transfers ownership of the property to you.
• Affidavits swearing to various statements by either party. For example, the sellers will often sign an affidavit stating that they have not incurred any liens on the property.
• Riders are amendments to the sales contract that affect your rights. For example, if you buy a condominium, you may have a rider outline the condo association’s rules and restrictions.
• Insurance policies provide a record and proof of your coverage.

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

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.