Community June 7, 2022

An Overview of Boerne, Texas Pt 2

If you’re considering moving to the Hill Country, check out Boerne.

 

Today we want to highlight one of the centers of Texas’ Hill Country, Boerne. This town has German roots that are apparent as you walk down the street. There’s tons of history here and plenty to do. 

You can watch our part two overview of Boerne, Texas in the video above.

If you have questions about today’s topic or anything else, please call or email us. We are always willing to help.

Community May 26, 2022

How Julie Helps Us Sell Homes

How Julie and By Design Staging help us sell homes for more.

 

Today I’m down at By Design Staging with Julie Young. We worked together for many years, so I wanted to talk about all she does for us. 

They’ve worked with me for about a decade now, and they’ve always enjoyed bringing value to their clients. Even in this hot market, you can still get a lot more money for your home by staging it.

Just last week, one of their stagings sold for $225,000 over the list price. You don’t want to leave money on that table, and Julie and By Design help us make sure that doesn’t happen.

 

“Even in this hot market, you can still get a lot more money for your home by staging it.”

 

They have over 20,000 square feet in their new building. They have an incredible amount of stuff in here, so you’d imagine that it would be hard to organize everything. However, each item is tied to an RFID tag. Their stagers can make selections online, and their logistics team goes to the exact location in their storeroom and picks up the requested item. They wanted to make sure they could respond quickly to every client. 

We really appreciate how Julie takes care of all our clients and our community. If you have questions or anyone else you’d like us to interview, feel free to call or email us. Of course, we’d also love to help you with all of your real estate needs.

Land & Ranch May 17, 2022

A Few Things To Know About Ranch Real Estate

Here are some things you should know about ranch real estate in Texas.

 

Today I’m excited to talk about a subject I love: ranch real estate. 

First, I want to discuss how it can be used as a hedge against inflation. Inflation is a sustained increase in the prices of services and goods over time. On the real estate side, the increase in a home’s value over time is called appreciation. 

As a homeowner, you can use that appreciation to hedge against inflation. If you’re buying a home today, the price is fixed, so you’re hedging against future inflation. Although inflation always rises over time, so does appreciation. However, the value that you paid for the ranch does not change. All real estate is a way to hedge against inflation.

Second, you might be wondering, “What exactly is a ranch?” Here in Texas, a ranch can be on 50 acres or several thousand and can be used for whatever your interests are, whether it’s hunting, fishing, or swimming.

 

“Make sure you team with a great ranch real estate broker.”

 

If you’re not into any of that, ranches are also great places to bring your bikes, ATVs, and your family. You can find ranches with small homes or 10,000-square-foot lodges. Depending on what your lifestyle is like, you can even have an airstrip on your ranch. 

One of the great things about buying a ranch in Texas is our agricultural and wildlife tax exemptions. Your ranch may fall under one of those depending on how you use it. If it does, your taxes are almost zero, which is a beautiful sight to see. It keeps your carrying costs at a minimum, and it’s also a good way to grow wealth for future generations. Texas real estate on the ranch side has not dipped in years, and it isn’t predicted to do so for years to come.

However, if you want to buy a ranch, you should seek out an agent with experience buying and selling ranch properties. There are little details to pay attention to, like water rights, easements, surveys, boundaries, and more. If your agent isn’t experienced in this kind of transaction, it could come back to bite you. Make sure you team yourself up with a great ranch real estate broker like us. 

If you have any questions about buying a ranch or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Market Update May 12, 2022

Your May 2022 Market Update

Jeremy Dean is here to give a lender’s perspective on our current market.

 

The magic question for many right now is, “What’s going on in the real estate market?” Jeremy Dean from Legacy Mutual Mortgage is here with me today to discuss the financial aspects of it.

Interest rates are changing almost daily. We’ve seen a large increase in rates in a short period over the last 90 days, which has some people worried about what’s happening. Though we predict that rates will continue to rise over the next 24 to 36 months, they won’t do so at such a rapid pace. Also, as more inventory hits the market and buyers have more choices, homes may become a little more affordable. 

However, since we know rates are likely to continue trending upward and so will home appreciation, the best time to buy is now. For example, if rates climb 1%, you’ll pay about $350 more per month on a $500,000 loan.

 

“Interest rates are changing almost daily.”

 

Even though we’re giving buyers this advice, some are saying they still want to wait a year and see what the market does. In those cases, Jeremy will usually show the buyer a total cost analysis to demonstrate what would have happened if they’d bought a year ago. He presents what their net worth would be now if they hadn’t waited and what their net worth will be a year from now if they buy right away. He proves to them that waiting can truly cost you. 

Jeremy is always available to answer questions or discuss your financial situation and help you make good decisions. He’s a wealth of knowledge, so reach out to us, and we can put you in contact with him. Also, call or email us if you have any real estate questions, and let us know what topics you want to hear about in future blogs, who we should interview, and which questions we should answer. We’d love to hear from you.

Community April 25, 2022

An Overview of Boerne, Texas

If you’re considering moving to the Hill Country, check out Boerne.

 

Today we want to highlight one of the centers of Texas’ Hill Country, Boerne. This town has German roots that are apparent as you walk down the street. There’s tons of history here and plenty to do. 

 

You can watch our part one overview of Boerne, Texas in the video above.

 

If you have questions about today’s topic or anything else, please call or email us. We are always willing to help.

Home Tips April 8, 2022

How To Get Your Home Organized for a Spring Sale

Here are a few helpful tips for organizing your home for the spring market.

 

If you’re planning to sell your home this year, I have some tips to help get you organized this spring:

 

1. Pack early. Decluttering and depersonalizing are important steps to getting your home ready for sale. If you can pack a lot of that stuff ahead of time, you’ll get your home organized and make it more appealing to buyers in the process. You may want to consider renting a storage pod or dumpster to donate or get rid of unused items in your home while you prepare it.

 

Walk through your house and think about if you use things regularly, if you can store them ahead of time, or if you can just donate them to a number of different organizations in the hill country like HCFS, HCDB, or Junk King.

 

“Tuck away those important items and keepsakes while you sell.”

 

2. Make sure your house is spotless. I’m talking about five-star hotel cleaning. You may want to bring in a professional service to make sure those windows, baseboards, and every nook and cranny is clean.

 

3. Put away private items. If you’re going to be selling and showing your home, make sure you tuck away crucial items like jewelry, keepsakes, and medicines.

 

4. Don’t neglect the outside. Make sure your home looks great from the curb by pressure-washing the exterior and maybe adding a fresh coat of paint.

 

I work with a company called Olive Branch that’s all about getting organized. Reach out to learn more, and I’ll get you connected with the company’s owner.

 

If you have any other questions about getting organized, getting clean, or selling your home this spring, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email today. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Home Tips April 8, 2022

Sterling Electronics – Part 3

Home Tips April 8, 2022

Sterling Electronics Part 2

Home Tips April 8, 2022

Sterling Home Electronics – Part 1

Market Update March 28, 2022

When Is the Best Time to Enter the Market?

 

Five tips to help you decide when the right time to move is.

 

Buyers and sellers often ask when the right time to enter the real estate market is. We’re currently experiencing a crazy market, so I’m sharing a few things to consider to help you decide when the right time is for you and your family to enter the market:

 

1. What’s your motivation? Usually, people buy or sell a home because something major has happened in their lives. That could mean they’ve been married, had a baby, retired, are relocating for a job, etc. The other question to ask yourself is what your finances look like. Have they dramatically increased or decreased? Is that another motivating factor? 

 

2. Every market is different. We live in and love the Hill Country, and right now, our market is very strong. Many people are moving here from other cities or states for our higher standard of living. However, you need to evaluate your specific market at the time you’re thinking about moving. 

 

You also need to consider the interest rates. Though we’ve enjoyed great interest rates recently, we’re starting to see them rise. Rates will impact your sales price and buying price point.

 

“Many people are moving here from other cities or states to get a better quality of life.”

 

3. Seasonality. You may have a personal preference of when you want to buy or sell. For example, you might want to move in the summer when your kids are out of school. As far as the Hill Country goes, our market is fairly strong throughout the entire year, except maybe from Thanksgiving through mid-January.

 

4. Sellers should always put their best foot forward. Even if you’re putting your house on the market in the winter, make sure your landscaping is spruced up.  You’ll leave money on the table if your house isn’t in top condition. Work with a real estate agent that will help you decide what’s needed before selling. 

 

5. Money isn’t everything. This is my most important tip today. It’s not all about getting the most money for your house. It’s more about making sure you’re making good life decisions both for your finances and family. Real estate is many different things; it’s physical, it’s difficult to move, and it’s emotionally stressful. Ensure every piece fits together well before jumping into the market.

 

If you have questions about when the right time is to enter the market or anything else, call or email us. We would love to speak with you. Also, let us know what you want to hear about in our future blog posts. We want to make videos that are helpful for you.