Are You Getting the Tax Breaks You Deserve?

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.

Today I wanted to share some tips with you to save you some money in 2015. I can't believe it's already February, because we've been very busy already this year, which is a great sign for the Houston real estate market.

The first thing that we should talk about is the Homestead exemption. If you lived on your property through January 1st and it's your primary residence, you're going to be eligible for a Homestead, which will save you a considerable amount when you pay taxes. If you bought a home last year, make sure to document it and get that exemption in place. If you already have a Homestead exemption, you can go to www.HCAD.org and check to make sure your Homestead exemption is in place.

The other thing we need to speak about is insurance. The costs of construction have risen sharply in the last few years, so if you file an insurance claim and need to rebuild something, you need to make sure you're covered for the increased costs of building. Be sure to speak with your insurance agent if you have not done so in a while, so that when you file a claim, you'll be covered.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll be updating you on the real estate market here in Houston. Stay tuned, because we're expecting big things here in Houston for 2015.

As always, reach out to us if you need any assistance. We're always happy to help!
 

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!