Homes for Heroes Program

I am proud to say that I am a member of the Homes for Heroes program. Being a member of the program is a wonderful way for me to give back to the men and women who work so hard to give their all to the community. The program is open to police officers, firefighters, anyone in the military (including reserves), hospital personnel, and even educators.

If you would like to reap the benefits of this program and are in the Greater Houston area, please contact me at 281-387-8805 or, if you are located outside the Houston area, visit the Homes for Heroes website.

Some Buyers Still Don't Know What a Buyer's Agent Is?!

I have had the privilege of working 2 real estate markets - Dallas and Houston. To my amazement, there are so many buyers in the Houston area who either don't know what a Buyer's Agent is or simply don't care. It was only after obtaining listings that I found out that so many buyers out there call the listing agent to see property, rather than obtaining their own agent ... this was not the case in Dallas, where I only occasionally received calls from buyers interested in viewing one of my listings, and if I did, I quickly converted them to a buyer who worked solely with me.

So I'm wondering ... is it that buyers in Houston aren't aware of what a Buyer's Agent is, or again, do they simply not care and wish to cut out any "middle man" (the Buyer's Agent)?

I'm still trying to figure this one out!!

Random Acts of Stupidity

Why is it that buyers insist upon calling several Listing Agents when searching for a home, rather than working with one Buyer's Agent? It doesn't cost the buyer anything to have someone represent him/her, someone that he/she feels comfortable with and trusts. I realize that not everyone is aware of buyer representation, but most people are aware that it exists. I have worked with buyers who had no problem picking up the phone and calling a Listing Agent in order to see a home or ask questions, even though they know we have an exclusive agreement to work with one another. I have even had buyers call me and ask for information about a particular property, then two sentences later, they tell me that they are currently working with an agent, under a signed agreement for representation. After confirming what I thought I had heard, they go a step further and tell me that they "didn't want to bother their agent, as he/she is very busy". Excuse me?? Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Correct me if I'm wrong, but when that buyer closes on a house, isn't their agent getting paid a commission for providing a service to them? And they don't want to bother their agent, as their agent is busy? And what exactly does that imply, that I'm not very busy? I just sit around and wait for buyers to call with questions that they really should be directing to their agent, right? Not even! So, can someone clarify this for me, please . . . so, it's not okay to call your agent to ask some questions about a particular property because he/she is very busy, in spite of the fact that he/she will get paid at some point in the near future, right? BUT it is okay to randomly call some other agent, who is also very busy and ask questions about a property, knowing that this other agent will not be getting paid because you made it to the closing table, correct?

Can someone shed some light on this for me, please??

Real Estate and Emotion vs. Reason

If you are selling a home, Real Estate Agents tend to refer to the property you're selling as a "house." If you are buying a house, agents will often refer to it as a "home." Why is this? Because when you are buying a home, it is more than "just" a purchase. It is where you go "home" after a hard day on the job, where you raise your kids, where you watch the Super Bowl, barbecue in the back yard, or plant flowers each year to admire their blooms. You aren't buying a space to eat and sleep, you're moving into your private "safe haven" - a place you'll call "home" for years to come. Someday, you will sell that house, and when you do - someone else will call it "home". If you're still thinking of it as your home, selling is more difficult.

How do you let go?

It is very difficult, but necessary. To sell your home effectively, you need to make rational decisions. You need to let go of all the little touches you've added to the property and not be connected emotionally. Most "home improvements" don't add as much value as you might think -- they might not have as much appeal to a potential buyer as they do to you. The buyer is looking at your house and imagining it as his or her home. You need to help them. Take your photos off the walls. Remove the sports trophies from the fireplace mantle. Clean the "junk" out of those drawers in the kitchen. Remove whatever you may have accumulated in your garage, basement or attic. If you want to keep it, put it in storage and pick it up when you move.

Sell a house. Help someone else find a home.

Home Builder's Incentives

Thanksgiving Day my husband, Chris, and I decided to drive to Houston to check out some area home builders and find out what, if any, incentives they were offering (both buyer and Realtor incentives). What we found were a few nice floor plans, a handful of knowledgeable and polite sales representatives, a handful of inept and/or unprofessional sales reps, miserly incentives, and inflated prices just about everywhere we went. Why do new homes cost so much more in the Houston area than they do in the Dallas Metroplex? And why are the builders so stingy with their buyer and Realtor incentives? And what is up with those detached and/or tandem garages?

Build a Plan of Action Before Searching for a Home

Buying a home will probably rank as one of the biggest personal investments one can make. Being organized and in control will contribute significantly to getting the best home deal possible with the least amount of stress. Is important to anticipate the steps required to successfully achieve one's housing goal and to build a plan of action that will get you there. Before building a plan of action, take the time to lay the groundwork for your personal decision making process.

First, ask yourself how much you can afford to pay for a home. If you're not sure on the price range, find a lender and get preapproved. Preapproval will let you know how much you can afford so that you can look for homes in your price range. Getting preapproved helps you to alleviate some of the anxieties that come with homebuying. You know what you qualify for and what rate to expect, you know how large your monthly mortgage payments will be, and you know how much money you will have to put toward the down payment. Once you are preapproved, you avoid the frustration of finding homes that you think are perfect, but are not in your price range.

Second, ask yourself where you want to live and what is the best location for you and your family. Some things to consider are:

1. convenience for all family members
2. proximity to work, school
3. local transportation
4. proximity to retail and grocery stores
5. city and state parks that are nearby
6. types of homes in neighborhood, for example condominiums, town homes, new construction, existing homes

Before you know it, you will be ready to hit the ground running in your search for a new home!