Where are Home Prices Headed in 2015?

There are many great Houston area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 832-428-6453 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

 Where are Home Prices Headed in 2015?

It may be hard to believe, but we are already well into December. This year has gone by so fast and we are looking forward to a nice holiday break. However, before we sign off for 2014, we wanted to address some things in our market report. First, the national market.

A recent Case-Shiller report indicated that there has been a broad-based slowdown for home prices. Results showed that home prices continue to decelerate, but we have to look at that in context. The report addresses that since last month, home prices have decreased from 5.6% to 4.9%. However, when compared to last year, home prices are still up 4.9%. 
Where are home prices headed? Well, according to 100 of the top economists in the country, we are looking at a steady increase in home prices over the next 5 years.

Houston Real Estate Market Snapshot

How You Can Determine the Worth of Your Houston Home

Looking to buy or sell a home in Houston, TX? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (832) 428-6453 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The Houston are has been on fire lately, and the month of September was no exception. We've sold around 7,900 properties, which is an increase of 7% since last year. Inventory is below 3 months, which makes now an incredible time to be a seller. Around $2 billion in property has been sold thus far in 2014, which is up $300 million from last year, or 16%. 

Why is the market so hot, you ask? Much of it is thanks to the Greater Houston Partnership, whose goal is to make the Houston area the best place to live, work, and build a business. Because of this partnership, Houston was ranked first in growth of all the metro areas across the nation. Another reason may be do to our size - combining all of our counties, we would be the 25th largest country in the world. Since 2008, we have seen our GDP skyrocket by $84 billion, which is bigger than the 6 largest metro areas combined! Yet another reason is the rate at which people are moving here; about 1,000 people are moving to Texas every day and a good share of them are coming to Houston.

As you can see, Houston is a great place to be right now. With no signs of the market slowing down, our advice is to take advantage of these conditions while they last. If you would like to discuss your options, or if you have any questions about real estate in our area, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to give you a hand! 

How You Can Stay Safe and Save Money this Winter!

How You Can Determine the Worth of Your Houston Home

Looking to buy or sell a home in Houston, TX? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (832) 428-6453 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The fall is here and winter is right around the corner, so now is the time to start preparing your home for the cooler weather. We've put together this short checklist to help you protect your home and your family from the changing weather:

• Now is a good time to maintenance your heating system. Make sure it is working and that there are no gas leaks before the cold comes.
• Reverse your ceiling fans for maximum efficiency. This will pull cooler air upward and push warm air down. 
• Another great way to ensure you're not losing heat is to ensure the damper for your fireplace is in the correct position. Having it open is like leaving a window wide open, which will cause a draft throughout the house. If you're not using your fireplace, make sure your damper is in its proper position - this is a simple way to shore up energy consumption in your home.
• Replace older or single-pane windows. There are many different styles of energy efficient double-pane windows out there. Although they can be expensive, installing updated windows will save you a ton on your energy bill and will add value to your home in the long run. 
• Check the ducting in the attic. It's hidden away, so we often don't think about it, but a recent report suggests that 10% to 15% of energy waste could be reduced by sealing ducts correctly. 

These are all, with one exception, incredibly cheap and easy things to do. If you want to keep your family warm AND save money on your energy bill, we suggest doing at least a few of these items. If you would like to learn more about this topic, or have any general real estate questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to give you a hand!