Listing Your Home During the Holidays.

Traditionally it was considered a bad idea to keep your home on the market or list your home during the holidays. But is this still true? What if your situation requires you to list your home during the holidays? How will listing your home during the holidays affect you and the sale of your home?

With the transition from the traditional Realtor role, before the Internet driven home searches, there were definite selling seasons. Now, with most buyers researching homes online, buyers are constantly searching for homes, even during the holidays. Listing your home during the holidays could come with some real advantages.

1. Less competition: Typically the supply of homes dips during the holiday seasons, not picking up again until January. Fewer homes to choose from means an advantage to you, the seller.

2. Holiday buyers are more serious: True, there may be less active buyers during the holiday season, but those that are looking are serious. Would you prefer ten showings to buyers that might be interested in buying or only three showings all to buyers who must move in the next month?

3. Gain the buyer's advantage once your home sells: Once your home is sold, you will also be in the advantageous position of being a buyer right as the market begins to pick up. More options can lead to a better negotiating position for you. This gives you the opportunity to sell high and buy low.

While there are clear advantages to listing your home during the holidays, some insist that listing your home during this time is not a good idea. Their reasoning? It will make you look desperate, therefor attracting low offers. While some buyers may think this way, having fewer homes, thereby less competition, is actually to the sellers advantage.

If you are considering listing your home during the holidays there are several things you should keep in mind.

1. Be mindful of your religious holiday displays: You have probably already heard that you should minimize personal photos through out your home when listing. This same principle applies here. You want the buyer to be able to imagine your home as their home. To avoid distracting buyers, holiday displays should be kept neutral.

2. Decorations should be limited: Large holiday displays can alter the feel of a space. A room can suddenly appear smaller filled with many decorations. Instead of the ten foot tree that requires you to reposition the couch, consider a smaller, table top tree. Outside lights should be restricted to a minimum, and you should avoid large displays.

3. Appropriate holiday decor can make your home more attractive: When used tastefully and appropriately, holiday decor can add to the appeal of your home. Poinsettias in your entry way, fresh garland, or a wreath at your front door can improve the curb appeal of your home.

4. Showings can be restricted, when needed: While we always recommend that you make your home available for all showings, during the holidays it would be appropriate to restrict showings on a day that you may have family or friends over. If a buyer is serious, they will wait to see your home.

There are extra considerations during the holiday season as to how your home should be decorated and how your home should be marketed. However, handled appropriately, there can be clear advantages to listing your home during the holiday season. If you are considering listing your home during this time, please call us at 832-675-9675.

Weekly Stats Recap: Nov 13, 2011 through Nov 19, 2011

The real estate market is constantly changing. Be an informed buyer or seller by knowing what is currently happening in your area. Changes such as new listings, the number of homes pending, and the current list price to closing price ratio affect both buyers and sellers. Knowing these statistics will help you make important decisions through out the buying and selling process.

For the week of Nov 13, 2011 through Nov 19, 2011

Bentwater Stats
# of new listings: 9
# of homes relisted: 1
Total Number of active listings: 131
# of pending changes: 0
Total number of homes pending: 6
# of homes closed (sold): 1
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 2

April Sound Stats
# of new listings: 1
# of homes relisted: 0
Total Number of active listings: 56
# of pending changes: 2
Total number of homes pending: 12
# of homes closed (sold): 1
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 1

Walden Stats
# of new listings: 10
# of homes relisted: 0
Total Number of active listings: 194
# of pending changes: 3
Total number of homes pending: 31
# of homes closed (sold): 4
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 6

The Woodlands
# of new listings: 26
# of homes relisted: 8
Total Number of active listings: 466
# of pending changes: 14
Total number of homes pending: 116
# of homes closed (sold): 18
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 28

These numbers represent an entire neighborhood. Age, size, amenities, and condition of your home must all be considered to complete a full Competitive Market Analysis. For a more detailed analysis of your home and your market area, please contact at 832-675-9675.

Weekly Stats Update - Nov 6, 2011 through Nov 12, 2011

The real estate market is constantly changing. Be an informed buyer or seller by knowing what is currently happening in your area. Changes such as new listings, the number of homes pending, and the current list price to closing price ratio affect both buyers and sellers. Knowing these statistics will help you make important decisions through out the buying and selling process.

For the week of Nov 6, 2011 through Nov 12, 2011

Bentwater Stats
# of new listings: 5
# of homes relisted: 2
Total Number of active listings: 131
# of pending changes: 1
Total number of homes pending: 7
# of homes closed (sold): 1
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 1

April Sound Stats
# of new listings: 1
# of homes relisted: 0
Total Number of active listings: 57
# of pending changes: 0
Total number of homes pending: 11
# of homes closed (sold): 1
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 0

Walden Stats
# of new listings: 3
# of homes relisted: 2
Total Number of active listings: 120
# of pending changes: 3
Total number of homes pending: 18
# of homes closed (sold): 1
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 5

The Woodlands
# of new listings: 34
# of homes relisted: 11
Total Number of active listings: 474
# of pending changes: 18
Total number of homes pending: 121
# of homes closed (sold): 12
#of homes expired or withdrawn from the market: 22

These numbers represent an entire neighborhood. Age, size, amenities, and condition of your home must all be considered to complete a full Competitive Market Analysis. For a more detailed analysis of your home and your market area, please contact at 832-675-9675.

Waterstone On Lake Conroe

Steve Bowen does it again with Waterstone, Lake Conroe’s newest waterfront community in Montgomery, TX. For those who are not familiar with Steve, he has developed over 3000 waterfront lots around Lake Conroe in seven different communities, including, Grand Harbor, Grandview Estates, Harbor Side, The Cliffs, South Shore Estates, and Sunrise Ranch.

Waterstone, located off 1097, next to Buffalo Springs, is sure to be a great place to live. The community has a beautifully landscaped entrance that will be gated sometime in August of 2010 when the first residents will occupy the community. A large berm has been built around the front of the community to ensure privacy and noise control for the residents. Eight acres of the development are dedicated to walking trails and a park-like setting with an outdoor covered pavilion hosting a beautiful outdoor fireplace. Some of the other amenities included in this development are Montgomery ISD schools, no MUD taxes, city water and sewer, fiber optics, and concrete streets.

Section one was opened with 33 waterfront lots of which only five remain as of July 10, 2010. Homes in the community start in the mid 300’s with several builders and floor plans available. For those looking for waterfront lots, they are bulk headed and with community approval, boat slips may be constructed.

To learn more about this community, or others like it, please contact us today at 936-242-0662.

Weekend Recap - A Barbecue and a Movie

This weekend was pretty low-key. Kenny revisited Waterstone on Saturday (more on that in a later post), some college friends came by, we barbecued, and we finally took the kids to the movies.

By the time Kenny finished working on Saturday, our friends had arrived from Katy. Our plan was to swim at the yacht club pool and come home to barbecue. We ran into friends at the pool, and they joined us for dinner. This continues to be one of my favorite aspects of living in Bentwater; wherever we go in the neighborhood we run into friends.

We promised the girls a trip to the movies, and on Sunday we finally took the girls to see Toy Story 3. The closest theater is The Grand in Conroe, but we opted for Star Cinema Grill this time due to the available movie times. While not normally a fan of cinema grills, I was impressed with Star. Some of my past complaints include, a layout that made it hard for the kids to see over the row in front of them, poor service, and extremely high prices. The layout was good at Star with only one row of tables and chairs on each level. Our waiter was attentive, and I found the prices to be reasonable. Plus the food kept our youngest entertained for at least half of the movie, which meant she only crawled all over me for the last half of the show. I will definitely bring them back to Star.

We finished the weekend up with another trip to the pool. As always, the weekend passed much too quickly.

Getting Value out of your Pool

Several things may come to mind when deciding to put in a pool. Who should I contract to build my pool? What features should I include? Saltwater or chlorine? And another very important question you should ask yourself is, "How much will a pool really add to the value of my home?"

When we decided to put a pool in at our previous home, we interviewed six different pool builders. Two promised us quotes and specs, and never called us back. One brought his "supervisor", played good cop/bad cop, and told us they would wait on our porch while we made a $50,000 decision. Two more gave us quotes nearly $20,000 higher than the good cop/bad cop duo. Then, we met Tom Webster of Island Pools, who has been building custom pools for 32 years. Within minutes of meeting Tom, we knew he was the person we wanted to work with. He gave us straight answers, explained the process step by

step, and helped us decide exactly what features to include. We were worried about the cost and time associated with maintenance, and he suggested options to meet our needs. He incorporated our ideas and provided us with 3-D images of the design.

After completing the design phase, we secured financing and applied for approval from our HOA. With these two steps accomplished, Island Pools began building our pool. Throughout the project, Tom was particular about the details, such as waiting for quality flagstone. When the pool was complete we were very happy that Tom had put so much thought and attention into every detail of our pool.

Over the course of several years, we never experienced any maintenance or mechanical issues. Our pool was easy to maintain, requiring very little money, time, or energy. Our time and energy were, instead, spent enjoying our pool!

When the time came to sell our home, we, obviously, were curious about how the addition of a pool had affected the value of our home. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Real Estate, an in-ground pool can increase a home's value by approximately 8%. However, the value a pool adds can differ depending on the community. To best ascertain the ROI, a comparative market analysis can help you determine your home's value. To obtain a free CMA of your neighborhood, please contact Texas Realty Associates at 936-242-0662.

The Verdict? A pool may add value to your property, but the best gauge to determine if you should get a pool is how much enjoyment you think you will receive from it.

Interested in a pool? Contact Tom with Island Pools at 713-992-4612.

**Disclaimer: Island Pools and Texas Realty Associates makes no guarantees of return on your investment. Market and home conditions can vary, affecting your home's value. For more information about your home's value, please contact Texas Realty Associates at 936-242-0662 for a detailed market analysis of your neighborhood.***

Weekend Recap - Fourth of July

This weekend, we tried to pack in as many Fourth of July activities in our neighborhood as possible. I have been looking forward to this holiday weekend, since we were house hunting in July of last year. These kind of events are exactly why we choose this neighborhood.

We started off our weekend with Bentwater's annual Yankee Doodle Parade. I was really worried that it was going to rain on our parade, but it did not. Instead, it rained all over the pool party.

The rain ruined most of Saturday, but fortunately let up Sunday. We were able to enjoy a lunch overlooking the lake, a barbecue with friends and neighbors, a fly-over by Freedom Flight, and, of course, fireworks.

Freedom Flight

Bentwater fireworks

Kenny and the girls watching the fireworks