Inside Houston Real Estate

Are you looking for something to do around your home this weekend that will also help the environment? Why not do a quick green renovation at home. Incorporating green products and practices in your home save our natural resources and are better for your health. Here are a few simple projects you can work on this weekend.

1. Floors. You can easily replace the floor in a room during a weekend. Bamboo and cork floors are excellent environmentally-friendly choices because they are renewable sources. They come in a variety of colors and styles so you can find something that will match your current décor.
2. Paint. Painting a room is a quick and easy way to change its look. However, traditional paint is loaded with toxic fumes that can aggravate respiratory conditions like asthma. When you paint your next room, choose a paint that contains less or no amounts of dangerous chemicals. Your room will look just as good, and your lungs will be happier.
3. Windows. If you still have old, single pane windows in your home, it’s time to replace them with double pane energy efficient windows. These newer windows will lower your energy consumption by keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Additionally, you may be eligible for a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency of up to $1500 if you purchase Energy Star windows in 2009 or 2010.
4. Insulation. A well insulated home saves you money and cuts back on the amount of energy you use. Make sure you have adequate insulation in your attic. Check your doors and windows for cracks and leaks that allow air to escape. Seal them with caulk or weather stripping. The Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency applies to Energy Star insulation as well.

Are you looking for a green home? I specialize in green homes and would be happy to help you find the one that fits your budget and needs. Call me today at 713-623-5195 or email me chempel@securemortgagecompany.com

KEYWORD: Houston green home

LINKS:

1. How to install cork floors. - http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,1550493,00.html
2. Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency - http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits

As a Loan Officer, I get to meet people from all ends of the spectrum: buyers, sellers, renters, etc. I also come across a lot of real estate agents, and it constantly amazes me at the different outlooks surrounding the real estate profession. Many buyers think sellers and real estate agents are out to stiff them. On the opposite side, many sellers think buyers and agents are out to stiff them. Unfortunately, even some agents think both are out to stiff them.

I know they say “it’s a dog eat dog world”, but if everybody was truly out to stiff everybody else (rather than just get a fair deal), nothing would ever get done. There’s a big difference between a good agent and a crummy agent. So, maybe we all need to be reminded of what a good Houston real estate agent really is:

Your agent is your business associate. They are in the business of finding you what you need, whether it’s a house to buy, home financing or an inspector for your new home. As your business associate, they there to look out for your best interest. Because if you’re not happy then no one will be happy.

Your agent is your negotiator. This goes along with the first, but is more in depth. For instance, if you’re looking at new construction and the builder has a “buyer’s agent”, do you really think that agent is there to help you get the best deal? No, they’re there to help the builder get the best deal. That’s why you have your own agent there – someone who is on your side and is looking out for you and your interest.

Your agent is your friend. Especially when you’re having problems buying your house, you’ll have a lot of worries. A good Houston real estate agent will be there to listen to them and either a) relieve your worries or b) be understanding of them.

As real estate agents go, they understand that buying a house isn’t easy. We understand that buying a house is stressful. We even understand that you may be stuck in a situation you’d rather not be in. Good agents aren’t just agents; they become your friend and once everything is done and completed you will be glad that you decide to use a Houston real agent.

If you need to purchase a home, I'd love to help you. Call me today at 716-623-5195 or email me at chempel@securemortgagecompany.com

Links:

A crummy agent

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/real-estate/2008/07/14/6-signs-of-a-crummy-real-estate-agent.html

New construction

If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person who really likes getting your hands dirty, now is a great opportunity to find a piece of Houston real estate you can enjoy. As you know it can be hard to find that perfect piece of fixer-upper real estate, but here are a few tips on what to look for:

1. More ground than house – Almost every do-it-yourselfer I’ve ever met enjoyed puttering in a garden and beautifying a yard. Not only can it be relaxing, but done right it can also up the value of the place if you decide to sell later. Having a beautified yard increase the value of the property is much easier to do if you have a large amount of ground to work with.

2. Expansion possibilities – If it’s a small house (or even a large one), estimate how much room there might be for building an extension. Sunrooms, an extra bedroom, widening small rooms – everything is a possibility if you have the land and skills necessary.

3. Wear and tear – While you probably don’t want a piece of Houston real estate that’s falling down around you, a little bit of wear and tear isn’t bad. Walls that need to be painted, ceilings that need spackling and little things like this give you plenty of room to get dirty without wiping out your budget. A warning, however. Make sure you get a place with a little wear and tear, not a money pit.

4. Lots of small rooms – Nobody likes a small room. However, if there are a lot of them, you have the option of being able to knock down non-load-bearing walls to expand. The nice thing about this is that you can rearrange the inside of the house to fit you.

5. Sloped ground - While you’ll want flat ground around the Houston real estate itself, sloped ground farther out is ideal for building rock walls or terraces without having to buy a lot of backfill. Done correctly, terraces can make a beautiful, somewhat inexpensive project. The trick here is to find large rocks from construction sites.

DIY can be a blast and having a house you can turn into a dream house makes the finished product all that more satisfying!

If you’re looking for that perfect piece of fixer-up property, I can help. Call me at 713-623-5195 or email me at chempel@securemortgagecompany.com for more information.

Keyword: Houston real estate

Links:

Beautifying a yard

http://www.diylife.com/2008/05/28/quick-ways-to-beautify-your-yard/

Building an extension

http://www.ehow.com/how_2095914_expand-house.html

Building rock walls or terraces

http://www.allanblock.com/RetainingWalls

Real estate investments are still going strong and will probably continue to be a popular method of financial gain into the future. Real estate is solid. It is a tangible product that is attractive to both beginning investors and experienced pros. The most important part of getting started in Houston real estate investing is knowing what you're getting into and what to watch out for. Here are 4 top tips from real estate investment professionals:

Understand the Realities

Real estate investment, like any form of investment, is risky. Do not use money you cannot afford to lose. Careful study, understanding the market, and practice help alleviate a lot of the risks but things happen in the best of situations so don’t play with what you can't afford to lose.

Research is a Constant

Research in real estate investment isn't something you do once. Research is constant. It is a daily part of your efforts and should always be at the forefront of your mind. From changing banking methods to market changes, researching and learning must be ongoing to be a successful Houston real estate investor.

Know the Property

Research isn't limited to financing and the real estate market. You need to thoroughly investigate each property before you buy. Fill out an investment worksheet to see if all the costs associated with the purchase will allow a satisfying profit.

Learn About Personal Protection

Taking risks with the money you have set aside for investment is one thing. Taking risks with your family's savings, property, and other assets is another. Consider starting an LLC. You can choose from a single LLC to cover all of your real estate holdings, or having a separate LLC for each property purchased.

Learning the tricks of the top real estate investors allows you to profit from the experience of those who have gone before you. If you would like more expert advice on Houston real estate investments, give me a call today at 713-623-5195 or email me at chempel@securemortgagecompany.com

LINKS:

real estate investment: http://reiclub.com/articles/makes-deals-happen

investment worksheet: http://visulate.com/cgi-bin/invest.cgi

If you’re thinking of buying a Home in the Houston Metro area, then you’re probably looking forward to the freedom home ownership brings. The freedom to landscape, paint basically do whatever you would like to your home is just ahead. But, first you must determine how much home you can afford to buy.

Before you do anything else, make a detailed list of your finances. You’ll need to factor in all your income, and list all your normal monthly debts. Make a separate section for things you don’t want to do without, but can if it's required. These are the first things that are eliminated when looking to save money in your budget.

Next make a budget for your household. Remember to include extras like going out to eat. A good budget will have all of these elements:

· Fixed expenses. These include food, clothing, housing costs, car payment; even taxes that are regularly billed are included in this category.

· Retirement. At least 10% of your income should go into a retirement account.

· Savings. This is any money that has been put aside for big purchases, to pay off debts, or for home repairs. Your savings budget should be 20% of your income.

· Miscellaneous. You should put 10% away to cover entertainment expenses. Going out to dinner and a movie would come out of this section.

Most finance experts will recommend that you don’t spend more than twenty-eight percent of your income on housing costs. Still, some lenders may offer loan packages that are more than what you have budgeted to spend. No matter how great that deal sounds, you need to stick to your budget.

Once you know how much you can afford to pay for your Houston home, you can shop around for the best mortgage rates and loan terms for your personal situation. With careful planning, you can avoid making a mortgage mistake, and getting more house than you can afford.

Need more help determining how much mortgage you can afford? Give me a call today at 713-623-5195 or email me at chempel@securemortgagecompany.com and I'll give you my professional advice.

KEYWORD: How much home you can afford?

Finances: http://www.securemtgonline.com/HowMuchyouCanAfford

Budget: http://www.ehow.com/video_4468230_budget-bills.html

Even with all the homes up for sale, some people just have to have new construction. It’s clean, it’s new and nobody else has lived in it. Understandable, but a word to the wise; if you go for a newly constructed home, bring your Houston real estate agent.

Why? Isn’t there a site agent on hand to help you? Well, yes… and no. Here are a few good reasons why a personal agent, or buyer’s agent, is a good idea:

Conflict of Interests

While the builder has an agent on site, that agent is not working in your best interests. Consider, if the site agent got a better deal for you (which takes money out of the builder’s hands), would they still have a job? No. However, your own agent is there to make sure you get a good deal. End of story.

Being Informed

A builder’s agent doesn’t have to tell you about the negatives of a deal. They’ll push the positives and even sometimes use high-pressure tactics to get you to sign the contract. Having your own Houston real estate agent is having a professional you know is on your side. They know the drawbacks of the transaction as well as the positives.

Contacts

Agents get around; they go everywhere. As a result, they tend to gather a lot of professional contacts and information. If you’re choosing a builder with a bad reputation, your agent might have heard about it. Your agent will have contacts to good home inspectors to go through the house when it’s finished. Your agent will know if the builder’s lender is reputable, and if not, your agent will be able to recommend a highly regarded lender to you. In short, your Houston real estate agent is a rolodex of home buying and selling resources.

If you’re looking at new construction and need a personal real estate agent, I can help. Call me today at 713-623-5195 or email me at Chempel@securemortgagecompany.com for more information.

Keyword: Houston real estate agent new construction

Links:

Buyer’s agent

http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/real-estate/house-buying11.htm

Choosing a builder

http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=284

If you’re putting up your home for sale in the Houston metro area, it may be time to bring out the brush and spackle. This doesn’t just mean on the outside, but everywhere. If you’re not sure whether you need to do it, here are a few ways to tell:

1. Peeling exterior – You may be used to the home and not see the peeling paint, but, as any real estate agent will tell you, curb appeal is very important. If buyers don’t like the way your home looks on the outside, they very seldom go inside. If the paint is peeling, it’s time to redo it.

2. Eye-catching colors – While you may enjoy your robin’s egg blue house with canary yellow shutters, buyers may not. A Houston home for sale needs to be painted in a way that the buyers can see themselves living in it. If your house is painted in unusually eye-catching colors, you need to repaint in neutral tones. Stick with neutral colors for interior painting also.

3. Peeling/stained shed – If you have a wooden shed on your property, you might need to repaint it or even replace it. Exposed wood under the paint is a major detractor and an eyesore. It may not matter to you, but it will matter to the buyer.

4. Cracks in the walls – If the interior of your home has little cracks, seal the drywall with spackling and repaint. Though small, the cracks will be seen as a negative, even if the rest of the house is well cared for.

5. Cracked tiles or water spots on the ceiling – Who looks up at the ceiling anymore? The buyer will and will see that unsightly stain in the corner that you haven’t noticed for years.

6. Artistic inspiration – If you’re an artist and you found the need to express yourself on the walls, you might consider repainting. Ask your real estate agent before hand; some forms of expression may sell better than others. It might be slightly painful, so it’s okay if you let someone else do it.

When you have a home for sale in the Houston area you have to be honest with yourself. Look at the house with fresh eyes and in a buyer’s point of view. If something stands out, it probably needs to be fixed.

If you’re thinking of selling your home, I'd be happy to give you suggestions on how to make it sparkle so it will sell faster and for more money. Call me today at 713-623-5195 or email me at chempel@securemortgagecompany.com for more information.

Keyword: Houston home for sale

Links:

Curb appeal

http://www.hgtv.com/curb-appeal/show/index.html

Neutral tones

http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Paint_Color_Selection-Painting-A1873.html

Seal the drywall

http://www.drywallschool.com/crack.htm

What is home staging and how will it help you sell your home? Staging your home for sale in Houston can quite literally be the difference between a quick sale or a long listing time, you really need to set the stage for your potential buyers. You want the home to look good, you want it to have the right atmosphere to attract buyers, and you want the first impression to blow them away.

Staging a home can mean sprucing up the paint job, eliminating clutter, moving furniture around – practically anything that makes your home look better to the buyer is staging. Whether you decide to do it yourself or hire a home staging professional, it can, and will, help you sell your home.

Here are a few pointers on how to stage your home and how each suggestion can help sell your home faster or for more money:

1. Style – Although the decorating styles of Houston homes for sale range widely, you want to make sure your home doesn’t have too much of a good thing. Too much decorating style overwhelms the potential buyers' senses and doesn't allow them to imagine adding their own personality to the home. Try to look at your home from a buyer's point of view and design it to sell.

How it helps: Furnished homes with just a hint of style help buyers see possibilities they can bring to the home such as a different wall color, new curtains or hardwood floors versus carpeting. The easier you make it for the buyers to see themselves living in the home, the better chance it has of selling.

2. Clutter – In real estate terms, “clutter” is any personal touch that makes it obviously yours. Remember, you’re trying to sell your home, not show people what a great decorator you are. Before you start with open houses, pack up all your personal pictures, knick-knacks and bric-a-brac.

How it helps: Removing your personal clutter lets potential buyers see it as their own. No matter how much you love the items, leaving personal touches is, invariably, a turnoff to the buyer. It makes it darn near impossible to see the house as anything but yours.

3. Cook – Before an open house, start baking chocolate chip cookies or an apple pie – something that smells good to most people.

How it helps: Houston homes for sale should feel, well, homey. Anything they can see, smell, touch or feel should be set up for maximum selling affect. Baking smells are an excellent touch.

Home staging will help get your home ready to sell, and set you well on your way. If you need help staging and selling your home, I'd love to lend a hand. Contact me today at Chempel@securemortgagecompany.com or call me at (713)623-5195 for more information.

Keyword: Houston Homes for sale

Links:

Design to sell

http://www.globalspan.net/staging.htm

Get your home ready to sell

http://www.life123.com/career-money/real-estate/selling-home/get-your-home-ready-to-sell.shtml

If you’re thinking about refinancing your home, you might want to think about a few other things first.

1. Are the mortgage rates higher or lower than when you first financed your house? If current mortgage rates are lower, refinancing might be a good idea. If they’re higher, however, you should reconsider.

2. Why are you refinancing? If you’re trying to get a better mortgage rate, it might be a good idea. However, if you’re refinancing to pay off credit cards or go on vacation, not only should your probably not refinance, you probably shouldn’t be going on vacation, either.

3. Do you currently have a fixed rate or an adjustable rate mortgage? Since adjustable mortgage interest rates are still rising, it might be a good idea to refinance to a fixed rate if you have a mortgage interest that is adjustable. However, if you have a low fixed rate mortgage on your home, it probably would be better to stay with it. The rule of thumb is, if you can save 1%-1.5% on an interest rate and you plan to stay in the house for at least 2-3 more years. The refinancing your home is probably a good idea.

4. How much longer do you plan to stay? If you plan to stay in your [city] home for five years or longer, refinancing might be a good idea. However, if you plan on a shorter amount of time, due to the cost of refinancing, you may end up losing money.

5. Do you have the money for refinancing? Refinancing a house costs time and money. The fees for refinancing can be a hefty $3,000 or more, which means you may not save any money for two or three years after refinancing your home.

If you need help refinancing your home or financing a new home, I can help. Call me today at 713-623-5195 or email me at chempel@securemortgagecompany.com for more information.

Keyword: Houston refinancing home

Links:

Current mortgage rates:

www.securemtgonline.com/dailynewsinterestrates

Fees for refinancing:

www.securemtgonline.com/FinancingClosingCosts

• Windows – Never buy a window based on which one is cheapest. You want windows that look good, and, as most Houston real estate agents will recommend, you want energy-efficient windows. During 2009 and 2010, you may be eligible for a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency of up to $1500 when you purchase Energy Star windows.

• Paint – Paint is one of the biggest places people skimp when it comes to cost, and a big no-no. Cheap paint may take several coats to look right; those several coats can end up leaving blotches and runs. In addition, cheap paint has a tendency to peel or wash off under light cleaning. If you’re going to add painting to your remodeling or repair work, quality is always better.

• Doors – Whether it’s for a shower or a screened-in porch, the door you choose can make all the difference. A rickety shower door falling off the railing is a big “don’t buy” sign. While you don’t want to blow your whole budget, the doors throughout your house should be of quality material. Likewise, a solid front door adds to the curb appeal and security of your home. Some exterior doors also qualify for the Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency. Find out if your exterior door qualifies for an Energy Star Rebate or Tax Credit.

• Flooring – Unless it’s expensive carpet on sale, cheap flooring never looks like anything but cheap flooring. Low cost carpet and wood flooring seldom has high durability and is likely to wear out before you’re ready to replace it again. Take the time to find quality flooring at a price you can afford – don’t go cheap!

Many Houston real estate agents will push quality, but the biggest point they’ll push these days is - go green! It may not be the cheapest option, but the benefits in efficiency and property value more than make up for the cost.

Want more tips on remodeling or repairing your home? Subscribe to this blog. Two or three times a week, you'll get information like this automatically sent to your email for free.

Keyword: Houston real estate agents

Links:

Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits