Monthly Archives: June 2013
Wall Covering Bonanza
Wall coverings are one of those things that people are like meh. Understandable: painting is far less expensive than purchasing wall covering and having someone install it. However, wall coverings are so rad. And there are so many different kind of wall coverings. I mean wallpaper itself is like, unreal: floral, stripes, wood,[1] I mean the sky is the limit. But you can also cover your wall with different coverings.
Using fabric to cover a wall is a more expensive but really cool way to decorate your home. Silk wall coverings[2] are probably some of the most beautiful because they feel like heaven[3] and they have that shimmery, silky glean that reflects light so well. But you could also cover your walls with burlap and it could look cool. Recently I looked at some vinyl wall coverings which were so cray cool. A lot of them were…
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Upcycled Rustic Initial Carved Headboard
When we redid some of our garden space we had some leftover 1 X 8 boards.
Santanna’s bed does not have a frame and these boards have been sitting under the deck for almost 2 years, giving them a great distressed patina.
As Jon and I were talking about how to cut up…or not…the boards and how we attend to arrange them to go over her full size bed I fell more in love with the look.
I decided instead, they would go in our room…over our king sized bed.
We had taken off an outdated headboard and have also been discussing how to upcycle that one.
Headboards are apparently a big deal at our house..who knew.
I wanted to headboard to go past the bed a little so that when the bed is made the headboard would extend at least the length of the bed + bedding, the headboard…
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Pretty Damn Cool Offices
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Top Producing Agents Vs. Normal Agents – Keller Williams Southwest Realty
Do you happen to know what it is that differentiates the average Houston real estate agents from the high dollar, top producing mega agents in this modern real estate industry? In all honesty, the answer to that question is quite simple. Trust and Knowledge. Top producing agents have the experience to convey exactly what you need to know about the market, the overall industry, your housing opportunities and what to expect. By displaying this information, you can easily trust these individuals or teams as they are the backbone of your goal. Great Keller Williams real estate agents or teams already anticipate any and all concerns that a buyer or seller may wonder and is completely prepped to state ease any worry by taking the time to easily and efficiently answer all questions that you may have.
Are you ready to put your real estate agent to the test? Let’s see if you already know these answers based off of their experience.
Four Major Sugar Land Real Estate Questions Being Asked Today
Here are four main real estate oriented questions all buyers and sellers are currently asking:
- As the real estate market recovers nicely, should I try to sell on my own?
- Where do you expect the home prices to be headed?
- Is this a new ‘housing bubble’ that is forming?
- How does a rise in interest rates impact me as a buyer?
Do you know the answers to these questions? If you are unaware of any of these answers, then it may be time to ask the real estate agent you are working with. If you then still do not have substantial answers, then that may be clear enough to know that the agent you are working with does not have your ultimate trust in selling your home. A top producing agent is very noticeable if you take a look at these few questions. Obviously, your questions may change from time to time, but these will stay dominant in an industry laced with bidding wars and low inventory.
Keller Williams Southwest is a top rated Sugar Land Real Estate company looking to expand our Market Center with talented and qualified agents looking to take their real estate career to the next level. With top rated training and technology, KW Southwest has well over 100 agents looking to help the citizens of Sugar Land and Houston, TX find their dream home and sell their current property. With the branding of Keller Williams Realty on your website, email, business cards and marketing, you will have the edge when it comes to getting the sales completed!
Come stop by our office today to take a tour of the facilities and discover the Keller Williams Southwest difference!
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Houston Real Estate Report – Top 5 Reasons To Sell Now
Many Americans are chatting about the reasons why right now is the ideal time to buy new Houston real estate. We have already gone over the reasoning as to why now is the opportune time to purchase a home, but let’s dive a little deeper into why selling your Houston home right now makes complete sense. We have compiled 5 reasons as to why right now is the best time to sell.
1.) Demand for Houston Real Estate Is High
Any real estate is currently selling at the quickest pace since late 2009 when the market jumped due to the home buyer tax credit. The current Existing Home Sales Report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) stated that monthly real estate sales have substantially increased 9.7% over the previous month from last year. Total homes and properties sold have been above year-ago levels for 22 consecutive months. Buyer traffic Is up to an unheard of 31 percent higher than one year ago and these Houston real estate buyers are quite serious about purchasing.
2.) Supply Is Slowly Starting to Increase
The total property inventory this previous month rose 11.9% to a whopping 2.16 million homes for sale. This, as of right now, displays a 5.2-month inventory supply at our current rate of sale, compared with an extremely low 4.3 months in January. Most real estate experts are expecting inventory to continually raise as negative equity slowly starts to escape most sellers homes. Bidding wars are occurring, and selling your home now may result in a higher price than originally thought.
3.) New Home Construction Is Coming Back With A Bang
During the previous few years, new homes were not a worry for competition when looking to sell your previously owned property. As the market starts recovering faster though, national builders such as David Weekly, D.R. Horton, Meritage Homes and KB Homes are making a drastic change to their building strategy. Although there are multiple differences that you must look into when comparing new versus pre-owned homes, this is still an upcoming threat to look at.
4.) Interest Rates Are Drastically Rising
Shown from Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, real estate interest rates for a traditional 30-year mortgage have increased to an unprecedented 3.98%, which ultimately represents a substantial rise of more than ½ point since January of this year. What is even scarier, is that even the experts in the Houston real estate field of mortgage rates are still expecting them to increase. For example, Polyana da Costa, senior mortgage analyst at Bankrate.com said:
“Rates are unlikely to keep going up so quickly and should remain below 5%.”
Whether you are looking to increase or downsize your current living situation, purchasing a home one year from now will be much greater than the rates you can receive at this moment.
5.) It’s Time to Make the Move You Have Wanted To
Put down on paper the reasons why you would even think about moving and let’s take a quick look at what is available for you right now. You have the ultimate power again to take back all of the control of your living situation by just letting us help you sell your house today. The time has officially come when you and your family can make the move, for the right price, and enjoy what truly matters in life, being with the ones you love.
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Statistics Show Real Estate Is Back And Better
The Sugar Land Real Estate industry is very often scrutinized for usually displaying a Pollyanna attitude about the real estate market. Most home owners believe that the market strategy of Sugar Land ‘to buy now or sell now’ is nothing more than a tactic to scare everyone in to moving to create a greater commission for them self. There is only one way to find out if this is true or not, so let’s take a quick look at some numbers to see if what we are hearing is actually truthful to what they are saying.
The cost of any newly purchased or bought home is figured by two major components: the actual price of the home and the current mortgage rate. In accordance with the most recent Case-Shiller Home Pricing Index, real estate values have risen a total of over 10% in the last year alone. If we look at Freddie Macs Weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey®, the highly sought after 30 year mortgage rate has also substantially increased from 3.67% to 3.91% during that exact same one year period.
The table displayed below shows the difference between the cost of the same exact Sugar Land real estate over the previous twelve months: We can now see that the advice given by Keller Williams Southwest to buy one year ago made complete financial sense for anyone looking to move.
What About Moving Forward?
Most real estate experts are not only stating that prices will continue to rise day after day, but are also substantially upgrading their current forecast as the housing market is displaying very strong signs that it is fully recovering. In regards to the infamous interest rates, the popular 30 year mortgage rate has rapidly increased by over a half point since this year began in January and most real estate agents, brokers, writers and experts are under the assumption that the increases on all things Sugar Land Real Estate will continue. Even those who are trying to be the ultimate voice of reasoning on this newly discovered issue are even projecting higher rates. To give you an idea from a mortgage analyst point of view, Polyana da Costa, senior mortgage analyst at Bankrate.com said: “Rates are unlikely to keep going up so quickly and should remain below 5 percent.”
Bottom Line
Hearing that now is the time to buy and sell is not a sales pitch, it is the truth. The market is low on inventory and high on buyers. Bidding wars are on the rise and if you list a property, you better expect to get multiple offers and fast. Cash offers are flooding the market and those looking to just purchase a home are getting beat out left and right by higher offers. The way we see it, the house is the newest iPad and you are selling yours. Look for multiple bids and the highest will win.
Selling real estate is a top producing career for many agents in our market center. Keller Williams Southwest is and will continue to be the top sought after real estate company in the Sugar Land, TX area. If you are looking for an exciting career in the fast paced world of real estate with advanced technology, unlimited training and a family oriented culture, then Keller Williams Southwest is the place to be! Come stop on by and discover the difference.
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New Statistics Show That Market Is Rising Daily
After the Sugar Land real estate market, as well as Texas real estate market, witnessed the housing bubble pop just over a few short years ago, many potential buyers are still a little hesitant to pull the trigger on their new home purchase. Today though, we will go into detail that the ultimately greatest risk a potential Sugar Land buyer can take as of right now is actually waiting to purchase that dream home. We of course realize that each and every purchaser ideally would like to be able to get the greatest amount for their purchase. Everyone wants a great price and the lowest possible mortgage interest rate available as those two items combined will determine the monthly cost that their family will ultimately pay. Lets take a quick look at each one:
Are home prices rising?
Just earlier this week, the Case Shiller Pricing Index was released. The index showed that United States real estate prices have increased by 10.2% over the previous twelve months. During May though, the Home Price Expectation Survey was shown predicting that overall real estate values would still increase by at least an additional 3.5% for each of the next five years. If you were waiting for the absolute bottom of the home price declines, you already missed it.
Are interest rates rising?
In accordance to Freddie Macs Weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the current 30 year mortgage rate has shot up to 3.81% this previous week alone the highest level in over a year. This is a huge increase of over a half of a percentage point in the last six months. And the Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae and the National Association of Realtors are all currently predicting that interest rates will continue to dramatically rise over the next eighteen months.
Conclusion
Sugar Land real estate is climbing rapidly and now is the time to buy more than ever. The longer you wait, the more you will undoubtedly have to pay. Purchase now and save more. This goes the same way for selling your home. With the market rising, you can sell any time right now and enjoy a bidding war on your property. With limited listings available, now is the time to sell and right now is the best time to buy!
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