By: G. M. Filisko, Guest Author
After finding a buyer, all you have to do to make it to closing is to avoid these five traps.
Finding a buyer for your home is just the first step on the home selling path. Tread carefully in the weeks ahead because if you make one of these common seller mistakes, your deal may not close.
Mistake #1: Ignore contingencies
If your contract requires you to do something before the sale, do it. If the buyers make the sale contingent on certain repairs, don’t do cheap patch-jobs and expect the buyers not to notice the fixes weren’t done properly.
Mistake #2: Don’t bother to fix things that break
The last thing any seller needs is for the buyers to notice on the pre-closing walk-through that the home isn’t in the same condition as when they made their offer. When things fall apart in a home about to be purchased, sellers must make the repairs. If the furnace fails, get a professional to fix it, and inform the buyers that the work was done. When you fail to maintain Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Please join me for this weekend’s Open Houses in Cinco Ranch; I will be hosting a tour of two fabulous homes on Saturday and Sunday. Would love to meet you!
2030 Crystal Downs in Cinco Ranch North Lake Village, Saturday, July 24, 2-4. $390,000. Very tastefully updated with new paint inside and outside. Granite counter top, Jennaire cook top, stainless steel kitchen sink, kitchen faucet. Wood flooring in living room, dining room and family room. The house has rich marble in entry. Two story foyer, plus carpet and other amenities suitable for Cinco Ranch Golf Course community life style. Five bedrooms, large library and game room.
Directions: I-10 West. Exit Mason Rd. Left on Mason. Right on Highland Knolls. Left on S. Peek. Left on North Lake Village. Right on Tryburn Trail. Left on t-junction onto Crystal Downs. House on left.
Pictures below of beautiful 2030 Crystal Downs in Cinco Ranch North Lake Village:
3226 Markstone Court in Cinco Ranch Town Center, Sunday, July 25, 2-4. $215,000. Beautiful on a quiet culdesac with huge pie-shaped lot in the heart of Cinco Ranch. Walk to everything including Beach Club, Lakes, Tennis, Fishing, Park, YMCA and exemplary Williams Elementary! Recent flooring and fixtures. Low tax rate. Save energy $ with double pane windows. A++ curb appeal, elegant two-story appeal with popular diagonal tile entry, recent paint and updates. One of the best houses currently on the market for premium lot, location, amenities and triple exemplary school track.
Directions: I-10 Katy Freeway, south on 99 Grand Parkway, exit and left on Cinco Ranch Blvd., right on Peek, right on Centerton, at stop sign turn left and go to the end of the culdesac.
Enjoy the photos below of gorgeous 3226 Markstone Court:
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Katy real estate is greatly affected by the oil and gas business particularly since petroleum tends to be a mobile industry. Compared to to other fields of employment, there are an inordinate amount of oil employees transferred in and out of our area at any time. This is the primary reason why there are always a lot of homes on the market in Katy, particularly on the south-side of I-10.
According to Ron Hanlen of Network Funding, there is another factor currently driving Katy real estate inventory levels: Mortgage interest rates. Despite dire predictions about the impending rise of mortgage interest rates, rates have held onto historic lows, in the 4’s.
Ron said, “Once the tax credit expired, everyone expected that listings would go down. But they haven’t…they have gone up. With all of the negative media attention on housing it would be easy to consider that it is because the sellers are distressed in some way. Maybe they lost their job or they are trying to sell the home before it goes into foreclosure.
But here is the real reason why listings are up: Interest rates are at an all-time low. Despite the constant bombardment of negative media coverage, the vast majority of existing Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
According to Drew Meyers, Zillow Business Development Manager, “When agents try to differentiate their listings from others or make the homes they represent really pop, home staging has gone from “nice-to-have” to a “must-have” strategy in the selling process.”
I couldn’t agree more! To separate my listings from the competition, I pay for my sellers to have a free two-hour consultation with a professional stager. Recently, a well-staged listing sold to the very first couple to tour the home. While I can’t promise these results, I can guarantee that professional staging is now an important part of the marketing process.
Ready to sell your home? To take advantage of my staging program, contact me. I have sold Katy and West Houston real estate since 1989. Experience does matter!
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
If you think Firethorne’s tennis coach is just an ace on the tennis court, you couldn’t be more wrong. Resident athlete/sports coach Chris Dante didn’t even take up the sport until he was 30, after excelling in baseball, (in 1988 he made it as far as the Olympic Trials), basketball, (City University of New York team captain), and football, as well as boxing and Taekwondo, (he has a black belt)!
“But after one too many broken noses, I turned to something less brutal — tennis,” said Dante, who helped launch Firethorne’s premiere tennis program this spring. With the new Women’s Tennis League and beginner tennis clinics now in full swing, Firethorne continues to demonstrate the Katy/Fulshear community’s commitment to fitness and competitive sports, through its hike and bike trails, swimming and running, regulation lacrosse fields and personal training at the on-site exercise facility.
During the summer, Coach Dante offers two morning clinics for resident children, (9 and 10 a.m.), and one 6 p.m. clinic for adult beginners. He also teaches private Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Katy’s Grand Lakes Master Planned Community residents are invited to the Grand Lakes First Annual Fourth of July Celebration on Saturday, July 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. The festivities will be held at 3650 Hollow Trace Drive by the Lazy River Pool.
Activities include:
- Mike Amabile and the Run Over Twice Band
- Solo singer Destiny Houston
- U.S. Navy Color Guard
- James Coney Island’s hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks
- Snow cones, cotton candy and popcorn
- Bucky Loo the Clown
- Uncle Sam stilt walker
- Water slides
- Pony rides
- Face painters
- Crafts
Life is great in Grand Lakes! To tour homes in Grand Lakes, contact me. To search all the houses currently on the market in Katy/Houston see Home Search. I have sold Katy real estate for over 20 years and would be pleased to work together.
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
In the annual Newsweek Magazine rankings of high schools nationwide, four Katy high schools, Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes, Taylor and Katy, again scored high enough to make the list’s top high schools. Last year Seven Lakes scored a bit higher than Cinco Ranch but, this year, the table’s have turned and Cinco out ranked Seven Lakes.
The standards for selecting schools include the number of Advanced Placement students, and International Baccalaureate and Cambridge test scores as compared to the number of graduates.
Approximately 1600 schools made the list; of that number only 6% are public schools. Out of the 1600 schools, following are the Katy rankings: Cinco Ranch–478; Seven Lakes–689; Taylor–982; and, Katy–1387.
In comparison, last year’s scores were: Seven Lakes–403; Cinco–458; Taylor–1067; and, Katy–1458.
To tour homes districted to a specific school, just contact me. To search all the houses currently on the market in Katy/Houston see Home Search. I have sold Katy real estate for over 20 years and would be pleased to work together.
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
5406 Faircreek in Grand Lakes, Saturday, June 19 from 2-4 p.m.
No carpet in this home, stunning wood and tile throughout. Gorgeous granite in kitchen and all baths. Plantation shutters accent all windows. Island kitchen opens to den and breakfast room, great for entertaining. Covered back patio is a great place to relax. No back neighbors. Sprinkler system already in place. One block from a stroll around the lake. All you need to do is move in and call this wonderful house “home”! $364,900.
I-10 West to Grand Parkway (Hwy 99). Left on Grand Parkway. Left on Fry Rd. Right on Rainwood Park. Left on Grand Brooks. Left on Statfield Glen which turns into Briar Landing. Right on Faircreek. House on left.
2030 Crystal Downs in Cinco Ranch North Lake Village, Sunday, June 20 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Very tastefully updated with new paint inside and outside. Granite counter tops. Jennaire cook top, stainless steel kitchen sink and stainless hardware. Wood flooring. The house has rich marble two-story foyer. Plush carpet. Near Cinco Ranch Golf Course. Five bedrooms plus game room/media room and library with hard wood floors. $390,000.
!-10 West. Exit Mason Road. Left on Mason. Right on Highland Knolls. Left on S. Peek Rd. Left on North Lake Village. Right on Tryburn Trail. Left at T-junction at Crystal Downs. House on right.
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch is pleased to announce the addition of capoeira classes to its weekly events roster. Beginning June 12, instructor Tiffany Gonzalez of Capoeria Mandiga Houston Academy will offer free Saturday morning classes at 10:00 a.m. in Heritage Square. Participants are asked to gather at Relax the Back (in LaCenterra) and are encouraged to bring wish list items for donation to the Houston Area Women’s Center and Special Pals animal shelter and adoption center.
Capoeira is a Brazilian form of martial arts with deep roots. The discipline originated in the slave quarters of Brazil. At the time, slaves were not allowed to practice self-defense, thereby making capoeira illegal to practice. In order to disguise its defensive tactics, slaves developed the art to appear as song, dance and acrobatics.
Despite its secretive beginnings, capoeira today is for everyone. Any person, regardless of race, sex, age, size or shape, can practice capoeira. In the true spirit of the martial arts, capoeira builds confidence, discipline, creativity and fitness of both body and mind. Its diverse aspects draw people from all parts of the world for its music, dance, self-defense, strenuous exercise and cultural ties. Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
It”s nearly impossible for the average citizen to keep track of all events directly impacting housing and mortgage markets. Professional mortgage lenders monitor the live trading of Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS). Government and conventional mortgage rates are directly based upon MBS. So…what exactly is a MBS?
Compliments of Wikipedia
A mortgage-backed security (MBS) is an asset-backed security or debt obligation that represents a claim on the cash flows from mortgage loans, most commonly on residential property.
First, mortgage loans are purchased from banks, mortgage companies, and other originators. Then, these loans are assembled into pools. This is done by government agencies, government-sponsored enterprises, and private entities, which may offer features to mitigate the risk of default associated with these mortgages.
Mortgage-backed securities represent claims on the principal and payments on the loans in the pool, through a process known as “securitization”. These securities are usually sold as bonds, but financial innovation has created a variety of securities that Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
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