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!

Houston Real Estate Market Update for Fall 2014

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.

 We just wanted to take a moment to give you an update on what's going on in the Houston real estate market and the nationwide market as a whole. Locally, Houston is still going very strong. Prices are up from last year, especially in the luxury home market, where prices are up 11%. The number of homes sold is currently right on par with where we were at this point last year. As far as inventory goes, we are down about 9% from last year and there are still not enough homes out there to satisfy the demand from buyers. We have about 3 months of inventory, which is well below the 5.5 month national average. 

In the national market, you may have heard through different mediums that it isn't doing so well, but that's really not the case. On a national level, this past Spring season was the best one we've had in the past 3 years. We are still looking strong as we go into the future. 

One more thing: mortgage rates, in case you haven't heard, are still at all-time lows. Locking in a rate now could see you save thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. Just something for you to keep in mind. 

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call or send us an email.

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.

Determining the value of your home can be difficult. Texas is a nondisclosure state, which means what a home actually sells for is not publicly disclosed. The county assesses how much homes are worth and the resultant tax data is typically all that is available.

This is a problem for people who want to sell their home because coming up with a list price is difficult, especially in our strong, growing market. Many people use Zillow to get their home estimate. The problem with that, however, is estimates can be hundreds of thousands of dollars off in either direction. If you are looking for a ballpark figure, online home evaluations are just fine - but if you want a true value, an accurate estimate, your best bet is working with a real estate professional.

An agent has a better understanding of market trends than websites like Zillow and Trulia. We have access to comparable property sales and other data that help us price your home in an informed manner. Additionally, HAR.com has been consistently ranked the #1 MLS site in the nation, so you do have at least one helpful online resource.

Real estate is incredibly local - what is happening regionally doesn't apply to the multitude of micro markets, especially in a large city like Houston. If you want the best information available so you can find the value of your home, give us a call or shoot us an email. We'll help you price your home competitively so you can sell it fast and get maximum value.