How to Keep Your Home Safe While on Vacation

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.

Summer time is here in Houston. With the kids on summer vacation and the weather heating up, you or somebody you know may be heading out on vacation soon. While you are relaxing on vacation, the last thing you want to do is worry about  what is going on at your home. I want to share with you some helpful tips that will keep your home safe  and make your vacation that much more enjoyable. Here are 5 great tips for keeping your home safe.

1. Stop The Social Media Updates
• As social media sites have become more popular, a rising trend we have seen is people posting on these sites where they are going, who they are with, and how long they will be gone. While sharing memories with all of your family and friends online is a great thing, advertising that you are going to be vacant from your home is not. You may want to hold off on this until you get home.
2. Hold Your Mail
   • Nothing advertises that nobody is home better than stacked up mail or newspapers on your front porch or in your mailbox. A simple call to the post office or newspaper to put a hold on your mail is a simple fix for an obvious sign.
3. Call Police Authorities
   • If you live in a small town, a smart move would be to notify the police that you will be out of town so that they can keep an eye out for your home on their patrol. This can really scare home intruders away and make them think twice.
4. Notify Your Neighbors
   • Let your neighbors know that you will be out of town. They are around your house every day and will be the first line of defense against home break-ins or vandalism. 
5. Install a Float Switch
• There have been clients in the past who have had their air conditioning drain back up, which results in them returning to an absolute mess. Installing a float switch on the drain pan in your air conditioner is a simple, cheap fix that can save you a lot of headaches.

Both the weather and market are heating up, and I will be back in a few weeks with another market update. I hope you have a great start to your summer  and as always, please give me a call if you have any questions at all.

Major Changes to Flood Insurance Could Affect Your 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.

Important Changes to Flood Insurance

 

Today I wanted to update all my clients in Houston about Flood Insurance. It's not the most glamorous subject, but here in Houston this is a big issue because you might find yourself in a flood zone.

I was just talking with some home owners, and their flood premium was about $1,500 dollars per year. When these people sold their home, the new occupants were paying $4,000 per year in flood insurance premiums. That is a substantial increase!

Flood insurance has been a hot potato in the real estate industry in the last few years, and the situation doesn't appear to be getting any better.

However, the Grimm Waters Act appears to be providing some help to consumers. One thing that will happen is that full actuarial cost for flood insurance phased in over a five year period. This will mean that if you have flood insurance, your premiums will go way up.

If you live in a flood area you will probably want to speak with your insurance agent and find out what this means to you because there has been a lot of change recently.

Keep in mind that the changes to this policy only affect primary residences. If you have a beach home or something, then you need to check with your insurance agent. You could be in for a surprise if you do not double check.
Hopefully you have found this information to be useful. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

As always, if you're looking to buy or sell real estate in Houston, do not hesitate to contact me. We have a very strong market here and there are lots of great opportunities.

Expect a Booming Real Estate Market in Houston for Spring 2014

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. 

Real Estate Market Update for Houston in April 2014

I am going to be short and to the point today. I realize your time is valuable, so I have prepared a quick snapshot to let you know what is happening with Houston real estate. In general, the Houston market is red-hot with activity.

• There is currently only 2.6 months of inventory: This goes for all of Houston, but there are a few areas where we're seeing even lower levels of inventory like Memorial and Bellaire.
• The national average for inventory is 4.9 months, so this would help to explain exactly why our home prices are rising.
• Houston actually just experienced the 34th consecutive month where we have seen home prices increase.
• The average home price in Houston is up by 12%. The rental market is doing well too, with a price increase of 19%.
• The best segment of the market are homes that are $500,000 and above - their prices have risen by 28%.
• Homes in the $250K-$500K range have increased in price by 17%.
• We're seeing huge gains in home value, and these would probably be driven up further if there was more inventory around.
• There is a lot of new construction going on in Houston, and new subdivisions are experiencing an exponential amount of growth. Riverstone in the southwest part of the city is preparing to build 900 new homes. This is very promising for the future of real estate in Houston.

This is all I have for you today, but be sure to tune in to my report for the end of April where I will be discussing changes to Flood Insurance and how it might affect you.

So, if you're looking to buy or sell in Houston, or if you need any other information, then please give me a call.