Ask the Agents #14: Home Staging Services
Question: What do home staging services do – and are they worth the money? Answer: The point of staging a home is, simply, to make it more appealing. You know about getting rid of clutter, touching up paint and replacing the dead shrub by the front door. Staging takes that “fluffing” process to an entirely
At the Half-Way Mark: River Oak Demographics Update
As we wrap up the mid-year print edition of the River Oaks Market Report, here is a teaser of the demographics in the River Oaks real estate market since January 1. Origin of Buyers The trend of fewer buyers coming from River Oaks itself continues. It fell from 38% in 2017 to 26% in 2018, and now
Ask the Agents #12: What is Title Insurance?
Question: What is title insurance? Why do I need it? Answer: Before you close on a new home, the title company does a title search that includes examining the deed, tax records and survey. The point is to make sure that there are no existing liens or restrictions on the property you want to buy.
Ask the Agents #11: When Should We Close on Our House?
Question: Does it make any difference whether we close on our new house before or after January 1? Answer: If this new home will be your primary residence, then, yes, it does make a difference. If you own your house as of January 1, you will qualify for the homestead exemption. What does that mean?
Ask the Agents #10: For Sale By Owner
Question: We’re considering selling our home ourselves without using a real estate agent. Is that legal? Answer: Yes, it’s perfectly legal to sell your own home. But there are many reasons why you are better off using a professional. Sellers who choose to sell their home on their own – the industry term for “for
Ask the Agents #9: Earnest Money and Option Fees
Question: What is an option fee? How is it different from earnest money? Answer: Earnest money is an amount agreed on in your home-purchase contract that you pay soon after the contract is signed by all parties. It is typically about one percent of the agreed-upon price, although it can be more if you want
2300 Timber Lane: A Mid-Century Home With Plans to Stay
River Oaks has always been a daunting real estate market, especially for younger homebuyers. Getting a toe-hold in the neighborhood has been made even more difficult in recent years by builders who have been snapping up older and smaller homes – the fixer-uppers, if you will – and scraping them from the Earth. The builders
Ask the Agents #8: Short Sales, Setbacks, Home Inspections & More
Last year we began a new feature on our blog called Ask the Agents. It’s proven to be one of the most popular features on the website. Here is the current batch of questions – most of them from our clients – and answers. Question: What does “short sale” mean? Answer: When the net proceeds
Ask the Agents #7: Bye-Bye, Old Swimming Pool
Question: Our kids are grown and have moved away, and we no longer have any use for our backyard pool. We’d prefer to stop paying for its upkeep and get rid of it altogether. Do people do that? Answer: Yes, they do. But just filling the pool with a couple dump-truck loads of dirt is