It's on! A Home Buyers Workshop designed for you!
We are putting together the final details, but if you, or anyone you know are planning on purchasing a home in 2008, put the evening of 22 January 2008 on your calendar. Location will be the new Schertz Civic Center off Schertz Parkway. We are finalizing a list of presenters that will provide information and answer your questions about all aspects of home buying in our LOCAL market.
Planned participants include: Realty Executives (us of course!), United Title of Texas, Supreme Lending, First American Home Warranty, Edward Jones Investments, A New Home 4 U Home Inspection Service, Allstate Insurance, and Alamo Westar Survey.
These specialists will be on hand to give a short presentation on their area of expertise and how it affects a buyer, as well as being available for Q&A.
So, if you need to know about new loan policies, what a home warranty covers in Texas, do the new flood maps affect insurance, can you use your IRA to purchase a home, or any other questions, plan to attend.
This is not just for first time buyers - anyone interested in purchasing a home should be here and this includes investors as well.
Please drop us an email if you will attend so we can plan on refreshments.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Ready for 2008?
Are you planning to purchase or to sell a home in 2008? Now is the time to start planning for success. We will be helping you by hosting both a buyer and a seller workshop in January at the Schertz Civic Center. Details to come, but we are teaming with a host of professionals to provide you with the information you need to make informed choices and educated decisions when it comes to the largest single investment most of us make in our lives!
Sales are forecast to increase in 2008, and with the growth in the San Antonio area, we all need to be prepared. Home prices will surely be going up, but only for the best properties. New home construction has already seen dramatic increases in costs with materials going up almost every month. Cement, steel, lumber, sheetrock, copper and more have all contributed to these increases. You may see new homes advertised for low prices, but make sure to check the size and quality of amenities such as faucets, carpet, etc. There will be good deals, but only if scrutinized.
Call or email with any questions and any inputs if you would like to see or hear from a particular specialty for any of our upcoming workshops as well.
Sales are forecast to increase in 2008, and with the growth in the San Antonio area, we all need to be prepared. Home prices will surely be going up, but only for the best properties. New home construction has already seen dramatic increases in costs with materials going up almost every month. Cement, steel, lumber, sheetrock, copper and more have all contributed to these increases. You may see new homes advertised for low prices, but make sure to check the size and quality of amenities such as faucets, carpet, etc. There will be good deals, but only if scrutinized.
Call or email with any questions and any inputs if you would like to see or hear from a particular specialty for any of our upcoming workshops as well.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Internet Information
I just read an article on MSN about how consumers like you can dig up "the dirt" on a neighborhood through on-line sources. It is pretty interesting that all these sites claim to have "expert" opinion in them with no screening to ensure the validity. Sites such as Zillow.com are gaining popularity and do have a lot of great information on them. However, not all the information is going to be current, let alone correct in some cases.
For example, home sales prices in Texas are not required to be disclosed and, therefore, not recorded in public record. (This makes the tax assessor's job a bit more difficult as well) So, the comparative data that is provided by Zillow and others is public tax assessment values that may not reflect market value of a home in Texas. Also, if an individual provides information through one of these internet sites, there is no way to validate it to make sure the poster does not just have an agenda. Why wouldn't a seller want to provide inflated price information to make their price look good?
How about digging up "the good stuff" on a neighborhood? Try using local Chamber of Commerce resources, City web sites, school district sites, or even asking to be put in contact with a resident. As a Realtor, I can not provide my opinion on a certain street or location, it is up to the consumer to make that ultimate decision on where they want to live (it is considered "Steering" and is prohibited by both my Realtor Code of Ethics, as well as law). However, I can provide resources for you to conduct a little research to help make your decision process easier, or at least more educated. And a Realtor can give you informed market value information based on sales prices recorded in the MLS.
So, before you dive into a web site that advertises it's expertise, ask a Realtor to provide local resources for you to get current, localized information. And if you want local real estate market information, a local Realtor will be your best resource.
For example, home sales prices in Texas are not required to be disclosed and, therefore, not recorded in public record. (This makes the tax assessor's job a bit more difficult as well) So, the comparative data that is provided by Zillow and others is public tax assessment values that may not reflect market value of a home in Texas. Also, if an individual provides information through one of these internet sites, there is no way to validate it to make sure the poster does not just have an agenda. Why wouldn't a seller want to provide inflated price information to make their price look good?
How about digging up "the good stuff" on a neighborhood? Try using local Chamber of Commerce resources, City web sites, school district sites, or even asking to be put in contact with a resident. As a Realtor, I can not provide my opinion on a certain street or location, it is up to the consumer to make that ultimate decision on where they want to live (it is considered "Steering" and is prohibited by both my Realtor Code of Ethics, as well as law). However, I can provide resources for you to conduct a little research to help make your decision process easier, or at least more educated. And a Realtor can give you informed market value information based on sales prices recorded in the MLS.
So, before you dive into a web site that advertises it's expertise, ask a Realtor to provide local resources for you to get current, localized information. And if you want local real estate market information, a local Realtor will be your best resource.
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