Home buyers and sellers have consistently asked WHEN the real estate market will be back to normal. Well, good news. There are three indicators from the latest monthly numbers from the Houston Association of Realtors that might assuage those concerns. The First Indication Is Active Home Listings Are Up Total active listings in June 2022 were 28,409. This time, it’s 36,431. Now, what does that mean? It means homes are staying on the market longer so there is more available to buyers. More supply means less demand. Which explains why… The Second Indication is Average Sales Price Going Down Thing ..read more

You usually hear the stories about homes being too expensive for renters, but are renters being forced into buying? Over the past month, I’ve spoken to a number of agents who consistently work with renters. And the stories are mostly the same, especially during this time of the year: rental prices have increased significantly. Apartment rentals that were $1000/mo are now $1300/mo (or more). And for the would-be renters in the $700-800 range, there is just not inventory. But are renters being forced into buying? Short answer: yes. In a recent survey from Homelight, agents found that as prices c ..read more

In Houston, you need to know how to prepare for hurricane season because it lasts from June 1st to November 30th! That’s a LONG time, right? In this blog, I’ll attempt to do two things. One, what you should have in preparation for a hurricane. Two (and I’m going to assume this is what most people are actually worried about), how do prepare for hurricane flooding. Hurricanes like Harvey did their heaviest damage because of the amount of rain that fell rather than the wind conditions. How To Prepare For Hurricane Season – Before The Storm The best time to prepare for a hurricane is before hurric ..read more

When you decide to sell your property, you are most likely going to need to allow potential buyers into your home to look at it. These potential buyers are most likely going to be strangers. And, no, it is UNLIKELY you are going to vet them before they arrive. So, you may ask: am I allowed to record them while they are in my house? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it depends on what kind of recording equipment you use. And whether you alert the parties involved that you are recording them. And there are different rules based on the KIND of recording you do. Am I Allowed To Record VIDEO of Pot ..read more

No matter how hard you try, there are nine spring cleaning tasks that homeowners overlook because you’re blind to what you see and use every day in your own home. Summer is almost here and the school year is about to end, but is your home ready for the next few months? Before you say yes, check to see if you missed any of these tasks: #1 Clean and Inspect Your Vacuum While most people worry about their vacuum getting jammed up with fibers, a dirty vacuum is more likely to emit odors. So, sprinkle baking soda into the bag (or container) to absorb odors. Now, as I just mentioned about jamming up ..read more

Securing a rental home in Texas takes three major steps. Until you knock them all out, another party can come in with a better offer and steal your rental away. So even if a rental home has been on the market for a long time, always treat your rental search like the homes have JUST come to market. And move through these steps as quickly as possible. For Most Landlords, You Actually Have To See The Home There were a lot of problems with tenants sending their applications to properties sight-unseen. The number one problem? “This is not nearly as nice as the pictures.” Honorable mentions are “I d ..read more

New HOA laws are going into effect that will lower the power of HOAs. It’s great news for all those Texans that felt their HOAs were going too far! The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 1588 which goes into effect on September 1, 2022. Thanks to my good friends at Alamo Title for breaking this down: Fences Homeowners anywhere in Texas can put up a perimeter fence around their property for added security (front, sides, and/or back of homeowner’s property). The law specifically states that homeowners associations cannot restrict it (i.e: New fence/gate around homeowner’s front yard/driveway). But ..read more

You usually hear the stories about homes being too expensive for renters, but are renters being forced into buying? Over the past month, I’ve spoken to a number of agents who consistently work with renters. And the stories are mostly the same, especially during this time of the year: rental prices have increased significantly. Apartment rentals that were $1000/mo are now $1300/mo (or more). And for the would-be renters in the $700-800 range, there is just not inventory. But are renters being forced into buying? Short answer: yes. In a recent survey from Homelight, agents found that as prices c ..read more

In Houston, you need to know how to prepare for hurricane season because it lasts from June 1st to November 30th! That’s a LONG time, right? In this blog, I’ll attempt to do two things. One, what you should have in preparation for a hurricane. Two (and I’m going to assume this is what most people are actually worried about), how do prepare for hurricane flooding. Hurricanes like Harvey did their heaviest damage because of the amount of rain that fell rather than the wind conditions. How To Prepare For Hurricane Season – Before The Storm The best time to prepare for a hurricane is before hurric ..read more

When you decide to sell your property, you are most likely going to need to allow potential buyers into your home to look at it. These potential buyers are most likely going to be strangers. And, no, it is UNLIKELY you are going to vet them before they arrive. So, you may ask: am I allowed to record them while they are in my house? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it depends on what kind of recording equipment you use. And whether you alert the parties involved that you are recording them. And there are different rules based on the KIND of recording you do. Am I Allowed To Record VIDEO of Pot ..read more