5 Stops on Your Home-Buying Journey

Purchasing a home is often one of the largest financial decisions one can make in their lifetime. Understanding the process of buying a home prior to starting your search can greatly help reduce the uncertainty and anxiety throughout the process.

Meet with a Lender

One of the first steps you want to take is to meet with a lender if you plan to use financing. While many buyers may feel that this is jumping the gun prior to going to see a property, in reality you want to make sure that you are looking at houses in a price range that you will ultimately qualify for a mortgage. In addition, once you are ready to put in an offer you will need a preapproval letter to submit along with it. Having this step behind you takes away the stress of having to get it done after identifying a property.

Start Browsing

Once you’ve met with a lender and have a good sense of the price range you should be looking in, you can start taking a look at various real estate websites. Many major sites have most of of the available listings out there, making them a great place to start your search. Looking online will give you a strong sense of what you will be able to get for your money and may also give you an idea of some of the amenities or features you would like in your new home that you may not have thought of before.

Get Out There and See Some Properties!

Most Realtors will host open houses on Sunday at specific times, giving you a great way to start viewing properties. An open house offers you flexible times to view, and you can usually see multiple properties in a short period of time on the same day. In addition, open houses offer a laid back environment to take your time and view the home.

Meet with a few Realtors

Once you have seen a few properties and feel a bit more comfortable with getting serious about making an offer, it may be time to start interviewing some agents to assist with the negotiations and contract. You can speak with friends, family and neighbors to see if they have any recommendations. You should pick an agent who not only listens to your needs but also is knowledgeable about the local market. An experienced agent will also have access to listings not yet on the market. Not only will the realtor be able to help you with the contract negotiation, but they can also guide you through the home inspection process, appraisal process and settlement.

Get Focused.

Once you are comfortable with an agent, it is time to get serious. Your agent should have you set up with daily automatic emails to send you all new listings or changes to listing prices for you to review each morning. When a property comes on the market that you are considering, you should contact your agent right away to set up an appointment as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the open house to go view it; a well-priced property will often move long before the open house is held.

By following these steps, you’ll feel comfortable in the marketplace and, when the right home comes along, you’ll be ready to pull the trigger!

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Exterior Considerations to Keep in Mind While Hunting for Your Next Home

When it comes to buying or selling a home, there are a wide variety of factors to take into consideration. Aside from the location, layout, and amenities of a home, there are several important factors to consider when it comes to the home’s exterior. Here are some of the biggest considerations that should be carefully thought of and weighed out in relation to buying a home.

Landscaping

While it may be nice to have large trees that produce spectacular colors during the fall, eventually all of those leaves are going to come down on the property. One of the biggest things that often goes overlooked when buying a house is how much work it is going to take to properly maintain the landscaping. If there’s a lot of work that needs to be taken care of each week, its either going to consume your free time or cost you to hire people to maintain your yard for you. If you opt to outsource your landscape maintenance, you’ll have to pay someone to come and mow the lawn, trim the bushes and trees and keep everything nice and tidy. These costs should be factored in and considered when it comes to evaluating a home, as the total time and money investment in this type of upkeep can start adding up.

Backyard Pools

Most people would love to have a pool to relax in, but anyone that has owned and cared for a pool long enough knows they can require a lot of upkeep. Chemicals have to be added to the pool every so often–sometimes as often as once a week–to keep the pool water balanced. If the chemical levels are not balanced properly, the pool can turn green from algae, or there may be other complications from having too many chemicals in the water. These chemicals cost money, and properly maintaining and cleaning a pool takes time. You can hire a weekly pool company to free up your time, but this is going to be a regular cost, which you should consider before purchasing a home.

Curb Appeal

If you are buying a home, you are naturally going to want the home to look great to those who pass by. The better it looks on the outside, the more the home can potentially go for, even if the house’s sizes and amenities are similar to homes in the same neighborhood. If you are selling a home, curb appeal is crucial as you want to ensure your home looks great from the street. Making a house look great can only improve your chances of selling it at a higher price, so it’s always a good idea to work on the outside to ensure you’re showing off the best features of your home.

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in San Marcos, Kyle, New Braunfels, or the surrounding areas, be sure to contact the Walker Texas Realtor Group! We’d love to help you sell your home for the highest price possible, as quickly as possible–or sell your home for the highest possible price.

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How to Get the Home You Want

Buying a new home can be both exciting and stressful. If you’re thinking of moving to Texas for the first time or moving to a different area in Texas, there are some things you should do to improve the odds of getting the home of your dreams.

Get Familiar & Strengthen Your Credit

Buying a home is going to be one of the biggest financial decisions of your life, and you want to make sure you have a good credit score. The higher your credit score, the better interest rate you’ll receive. It may seem crazy, but just a .5% difference in a mortgage rate can mean tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. You definitely want that extra small percentage taken off your rate if you can get it.

In general, you’ll get an average rate with a 650-700 credit score. Any credit score higher than that and you’ll have a great chance of getting a nice reduction. You’ll want to sit back and wait to buy a home if you have a score lower than 650. It may be tough, but down the line, it may be worth waiting to get a better interest score.

Get Pre-Approved

Before even contacting a real estate agent, apply to several lenders. This can be quite a process, but it’s well worth the effort. To not prevent harming your credit score, apply for one loan every two weeks. The goal is to get pre-approved for a loan, as sellers love buyers who get pre-approved. If a purchaser gets pre-approved, it means there is less of a risk to them.

Shop Around for a Mortgage

Don’t take the first mortgage offered to you. Check out different companies, as you may find a mortgage with a lower interest rate.

Figure Out the Terms of the Loan

Make sure you know the exact terms of your loan, and what these terms mean for you. If you aren’t sure about anything, be sure to discuss your questions with the lender, and/or hire someone to help you figure it all out. Don’t go into anything blind.

Find A Good Real Estate Agent & Know What You Want

Once you get all of the above done, it’s finally time to locate a real estate agent. They should be a person you can trust, and they have to be able to listen to what you want and be able to find what you’re looking for while staying within your budget.

Figure out your price range and what you dream home will resemble. Remember, this is the biggest, most important decision you’ll make. You want this to be precisely what you want, but it’s also important to have realistic expectations… Don’t expect to find many $500k homes listed for $200k. Discuss your needs, wants, and budget with a knowledgeable real estate agent and they’ll help find what you’re looking for or help you realign your goals so you get the most bang for your buck.

Don’t Stress Out!

The home buying experience can both be long and frustrating, but at the end of the day, it will be worth it when you buy the home of your dreams. When things are getting tough, just focus on the end result and take your time with things. Don’t lose hope or patience, and before you know it you’ll be all settled in. If you’re looking for a reliable and trustworthy Realtor in the San Marcos, Kyle, or New Braunfels area, be sure to contact the Walker Texas Realtor Team to discuss your needs!

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6 Tips to Avoid Moving Nightmares

Moving can be an exciting change, but it can also be a nightmare if you’re not prepared. A treasure hunt can be fun, but not when you’re running late for work and can’t find your toothpaste.

Prepare a Go-Bag for Each Person

Once the movers have dropped off all of your furniture and boxes, your new home will likely look like a storage unit for a while. Being prepared with clean clothes, toiletry items and other essentials can help make the chaos a little easier to manage. Pack a suitcase for each member of your family. Keep each suitcase in the respective members’ room so that each day your family knows where to go when it’s time to shower and dress during the transition. A hanging toiletry bag in the bathroom will help keep everyone’s favorite shampoos and body washes accessible. Be sure to keep pet food and medicines with your go-bag if necessary.

Label Your Boxes

One of the first things to do when you start packing is keep a list of what items are in what boxes. As you add items to each box, be sure to write them down on a piece of paper–and tape this paper to its corresponding box. This comes in handy when you’re unpacking and trying to remember whether the pots and pans are in the 3rd box or 7th box labeled “Kitchen.”

Take Measurements

It may sound like a pain, but be sure to measure doorways, hallways and entrances to elevators (if your moving in an apartment complex). Then measure all of your furniture and make sure everything will fit through these areas. All too often, things look like they’ll fit, only to wind up being too big, tall or long to make it through the entrances.

Get to Know the Neighborhood

Unless you’re moving hours away from your current location, take a drive around your new neighborhood at different times of the day and evening. Learn the traffic patterns, width of roads and when traffic is the heaviest and lightest. This will help you to get your cargo to its new destination with the least hassle.

Research Moving Companies

There are many moving companies available today, so it’s important to do some research into each company before deciding choosing one. Be sure to ask for referrals or check online for reviews. If at all possible, arrange for several companies to come out and give a firm commitment to the cost of moving your belongings, and once you’ve found a solid company with reasonable rates, have them put it in a written contract so you don’t receive any unexpected bills.

Plan Your Meals

For the next several days, if not weeks, you will be living in a sea of boxes and trying to unpack while managing work and possibly school schedules. Knowing what you you’re having for dinner will definitely ease the stress while keeping up your energy as you unpack and get settled in.

Moving can be stressful, but if you follow the tips outlined above you can help make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. If you’re planning on moving to or from the San Marcos, Kyle, or New Braunfels, TX areas, be sure to contact the Walker Texas Realtor Team! We can help you find and close on your dream home, or can help you sell your home for the best price possible.

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Buying a Second Home

Buying a second home is a big decision and deserves a lot of forethought. People often buy a second home to use it as a retreat property in their favorite vacation destinations or to profit through either renting it out or selling it later. One of the more mentionable mistakes a first-time second home buyer makes is rushing into the purchase. This may lead to buyers remorse and could even cost you money in the long run. Today I will discussing with you a few things you can do to minimize many of the problems that can arise with buying a second home.

To begin, when buying a second home you should have plenty of disposable income and not a lot of debt. You don’t have to be in the top one percent of earners, however you should have a cushion of funds in your bank account worth at least six months of your second home’s rent if you are looking to get a loan. To get a good lender, you must be able to demonstrate that your finances are well maintained on paper.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is that of maintenance. Having a second home is a lot like having a second car that you don’t drive every day. It is easy to forget about it and let the dust settle. Some categories of maintenance you should keep in mind are that of house keeping, lawn maintenance and even yearly fees such as property taxes.

Keep in mind that when renting, a lot of the upkeep of the property is out of your control. In an article by U.S. News, one landlord offers some helpful advice by saying, “I’ve learned that it is critical to prepare for the worst, I’ve had tenants spray the inside of houses, start fires indoors and attempt to flush tennis balls down the toilet. It happens with both high and low-priced properties.”

Equally as important is your second homes physical upkeep. It is necessary to plan for the outside landscape maintenance, especially if you will be away from the home for long periods of time. Most towns have more than a few landscaping services to choose from. You may have to specify what days of the weeks you need them to come by, but this is all in the details. Having a good looking lawn will have your neighbors happy and keep the city off your back.

In the end, while landscape and general maintenance are both very important, don’t forget to take a step back and look at the big picture. Before jumping into purchasing a second home, ask yourself situation-dependent questions such as “Is it the right time to buy?”, “What are you looking for in a second home?” You should also explore all the finance options you can find before finally signing that dotted line.

If you’re looking to buy your first home, or a second home, in the Central Texss area, be sure to contact the Walker Texas Realtor Team today to discuss your needs! We’ll help you find exactly what you’re looking for in your ideal price range. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Making Your Home Shine During a Showing

As you know, the first impression matters when selling your property. A home should be visually appealing to help improve the chances of a quicker sell, at the best price possible. As a seller, you should do everything you can to spruce up your property to help convince potential buyers that the property is worth the asking price. The following simple tips will help your property stand out during viewings.

Make Repairs

Ensure that all necessary repairs are taken care of before showing your home. Check the cabinet doors, are they closing properly? Check the faucets, are they drip-free? Are there any scuffed up walls that need repainting? Does the HVAC system run properly? These are all important to check, as they won’t go unnoticed by others.

Clean Up

A dirty, cluttered property is not very appealing to buyers. Ensure that everything is as clean as you can get it–appliances, toilets, showers, sinks, etc. If you’re still living in the home and have furniture and all of your personal belongings, make sure you arrange everything in a visually appealing way that makes each room feels spacious and open. Hide any clutter in drawers, and consider putting some furniture in storage if the place feels a bit cramped.

Lawncare

Your lawn is one of the first things potential buyers will see when they arrive at your home. At the very least, ensure it has been mowed recently if necessary, and that there aren’t any unsightly weeds popping up. If you want to go above and beyond, consider buying some nice flowers and plants to spruce up the front yard if it looks a little barren.

Lighting

Switch on all the outdoor and indoor lights when your property is up for showing. The lights should be on at all times during a showing. It brightens up dimmer areas and prevents harsh shadows from sunlight during the day. During the night, the light gives the home a cheerful and homey impression when viewed from outside. For the inside, consider investing in high-quality light bulbs that give off a nice, warm glow. For the outside, ensue walkways are well lit and that your home’s address is visible in the evening.

Set the Temperature

An abnormally hot or cold property may not send a positive impression. If your home normally runs a bit hot or cold, or the temperature outside is on the extreme side, be sure to make necessary adjustments to the thermostat with plenty of time for your heater/AC to regulate the temperature throughout your home.

Before showing your property, ensure that you prepare it properly. Proper preparation can make a big difference on the time a property will take to sell. Without proper preparation, the price you receive for the property may also be impacted. The tips above will help you prepare your home for showing. For best results, be sure to choose a reliable and knowledgeable real estate professional for tips on preparing your property. They can also help bring more interested buyers in so you can sell your home at the best price quickly.

If you’rel looking for a San Marcos real estate agent, be sure to contact the Walker Texas Realtor Team. We have the experience necessary to help you buy or sell your home–quickly, and at the right price–in the Central Texas real estate market.

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What Should be Inspected Before Buying a Home?

Buying a home is a big investment, so it’s important to do your due diligence before finalizing a deal. Regarding home inspections, potential buyers should understand that inspecting a house is similar to evaluating any other investment opportunity. As a result, house inspections can lead to major discoveries and help prevent potential problems down the road.

Even for new homes, industry professionals recommend certain checklists before buying the property. These checklists are important because they allow home owners to find out if certain repairs or corrections are needed. In a nutshell, an inspector should be able to determine any additional costs of repairing structures of an old or a new home. Here are a few of the most important inspection factors to consider:

1. Ventilation, Sanitation and Plumbing

Since heating and air conditioning units are important for maintaining a comfortable home, it is crucial to inspect the HVAC unit and ventilation ducts. For new homes, anyone can inspect these units easily, but for older homes, it is recommended to hire an inspector before sealing the deal.

Even in new homes, the water filtration and drainage can cause issues due to uneven ground symmetry. Even if the water system seems reasonable, water pipes in older homes are prone to rust. One of the simplest methods to inspect water systems and pipes is to look for signs of rust and open-joints in the exposed pipes. Also look for water leaks in the septic system.

Another extremely important step is to inspect the wiring. The simplest method is to view the circuit breaker panel ensuring that wires are properly installed and all switches leading to that circuit breaker are working properly.

2. House Foundation

House surfaces are easy to check, therefore the first place should be the corner of a floor structure. Weak structures will show signs of dampness, rotting and even insect contamination. Likewise, the first hint of a weak roofing structure are cracks and heavy dampness, which are mostly evident in the pipes leading to the surface from the roof.

For deck and porches, it is wise to look for rot or damage to the structure. The driveway is also an area that is often overlooked. Be sure to check that the pavement is in good condition for the driveway.

3. Structural Damage

Check the condition of areas around windows for another hint of structural strength. Termite infestation and dry rot around the windows can be a sign of long-term structural problems.

If defects are found, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the deal should be called off. In such cases, the buyer can request a contingency clause asking the seller to fix certain defects before finalizing the sale to try and reach an agreement. Another viable option is to offer a lower sale price to accommodate additional expense needed to fix the structure.

If you’re looking for San Marcos real estate, please browse our site and contact us if you have any questions. We have what it takes to help find the perfect home at the perfect price for you!

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