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round rock texas: Starter Home Vs. Forever Home
- 05/09/20 08:03 PM
Your Starter Home vs. Your Forever Home
Buying a home is exciting. Most people have visualized their dream home—large, inviting kitchen; multiple bedrooms for family and guests; perhaps a backyard with built-in BBQ, pool, and fireplace. Yet this dream is often out of reach financially for first-time homebuyers. These buyers are ready to find a starter home and perhaps are wondering if saving for a forever home makes more financial sense.
Before making this decision, it’s important to consult with a professional financial advisor about your unique situation; more often than not, getting a starter home makes the most sense.
Things … (2 comments)
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round rock texas: How do You Know if Your Neighborhood is Safe?
- 05/09/20 07:57 PM
Is Your New Neighborhood Safe?
How to Research Your New Community Finding the right home for you and your family involves more than the right number of bedrooms and a lovely front yard; the neighborhood in which it’s located can make a huge difference in the quality of your experience in the home. The most important consideration must be the safety of the community. Not only is it a critical component of a healthy lifestyle, but it can also have a drastic effect on resale values. Fortunately, there are some strategies and tools available to help you learn about the safety … (2 comments)
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round rock texas: Your Tax Refund
- 05/09/20 07:46 PM
Your Tax Refund Can Get You One Step Closer to Homeownership
Saving money each month toward a long-term goal is increasingly difficult for most people. Even committed savers can get thrown off track when unexpected problems or opportunities arise. It can be difficult to envision how $200 a month can add up to a new home; the dream of homeownership continues to get pushed back in favor of more immediate needs.
For many of these potential homebuyers, their tax refund can be a big step forward in their saving goals. Received in a lump sum, a tax refund is easier to see as … (2 comments)
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round rock texas: Investing in Real Estate 101
- 05/09/20 07:29 PM
Real Estate Investment 101
Real estate offers a solid investment opportunity that can provide not only an income stream, but long-term value appreciation as well. It’s never too late to begin investing in real estate. Regardless of the ups and downs of the market, people will always need housing, so real estate will remain a good way to create wealth. By understanding some of the basics of real estate investing, you can begin to create a successful investment plan.
• Start Now – Every market offers opportunities for buyers; there is no perfect time to get started.
• Understand the Risks … (1 comments)
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round rock texas: Selling During Coronavirus Questions: ANSWERED
- 05/09/20 07:13 PM
5 Questions Sellers Have about the Market during the Coronavirus Outbreak Answered
There are so many questions and concerns amid the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The real estate market is especially hard hit and sellers are concerned. Real estate at its core is a people business. It relies on person-to-person interaction and the coronavirus necessarily limits this contact. As the spring selling season gets started, home sellers will have questions and it’s important to acknowledge concerns and offer practical advice and concrete information to help sellers make the best decision for themselves and their families.
1. Should I still try and sell my … (4 comments)
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round rock texas: Buying During Coronavirus Questions: ANSWERED
- 05/09/20 07:06 PM
5 Questions Buyers Have During the Coronavirus Outbreak Answered
Everyone is being affected in some manner by the outbreak of Covid-19 coronavirus. During this time, buyers will have more questions than normal about the home buying process and their ability to buy a new home. While we can’t predict what the next few weeks and months will bring, the more we can educate ourselves, the better we can help buyers navigate the buying process smoothly during the pandemic. Here are a few common buyer questions as they related to the Coronavirus outbreak and real estate answered.
1. Can we still go see home … (3 comments)
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round rock texas: Organize and Declutter While You’re Home
- 05/02/20 04:59 PM
During a time when so many people are hunkering down at home, it can be challenging to keep a tidy house, especially when you have kids, pets, and other adults living in the same space. It can be stressful and overwhelming at times, trying to find a balance of keeping everything organized and clean while maintaining one’s sanity. There are a few tips to help keep your house in order while everyone is home, and while you have some downtime to knock out some much-needed organization projects.
Schedule Clean-Up Time Before Bed
Take ten minutes every evening for the entire family to … (2 comments)
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round rock texas: Keeping the Homeownership Dream Alive
- 05/02/20 04:54 PM
Buying and owning your own home is no easy task, and there are moments on everyone's journey when they feel like it's impossible. However, there are plenty of resources available to help make your dream of becoming a homeowner a reality.
The first step you should take when you're ready to consider buying a home is to check your credit score and/or start building your credit. Lenders want to see that you’ve been able to pay back borrowed money on time, and without missing payments or defaulting on the loan. If you have a poor credit score, you'll need to spend the … (0 comments)
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round rock texas: Changes in the Mortgage Market Since COVID-19
- 05/02/20 04:49 PM
It's been difficult to adjust to a new normal during the past few weeks. With most residents being asked to stay at home, there are many who have recently lost their jobs or been asked to work remotely. The mortgage industry has also taken a big hit that has directly affected homeowners, renters, and investors alike.
There are many who are in the final stages of closing on their homes, and the current pandemic has made it difficult to efficiently move forward with the process. To help, desktop and exterioronly appraisals are being accepted as long as there is sufficient property information … (0 comments)
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round rock texas: At-Home Family Night Activities
- 05/02/20 04:25 PM
During the past couple of months, families have been asked to stay at home. It can be challenging to keep everyone entertained when we aren’t able to go out of the house except to work in essential jobs, enjoy fresh air, and get groceries. Luckily, there are plenty of fun activities that the entire family can do together at home. Here are a few to inspire your own family to make lasting memories while spending quality time together at home.
1. Movie Night—This is a simple activity that everyone will enjoy. Every time you have a movie night, let a different family … (2 comments)
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round rock texas: 2020 Pantone Color of the Year– Classic Blue
- 01/30/20 03:45 PM
2020 Pantone Color of the Year– Classic Blue
Drum roll please – Pantone has chosen Classic Blue as their color of the year. Over the past couple years, bold colors on walls has become common place in designer magazines and new model homes. Bucking the old guidance of using bland, light hues to make rooms look larger, deep greens, rich reds and even soft blacks are used in even the smallest spaces. This year, Pantone has chosen a fresh Classic Blue to inspire homeowners and designers in 2020.
Classic Blue is just want it sounds like – as classic. Think of your … (1 comments)
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round rock texas: 3 Critical First Steps For The First-Time Homebuyer
- 11/22/19 07:35 AM
It’s tough being a newbie at anything, right? Learning new lingo, how things are done and how you’ll do them is a little confusing at first. Once you get the hang of it, though, everything becomes clear and you can relax into whatever it is you’re learning.
The same holds true for the home-buying process; when you’ve never bought a home before it can be challenging to know where to start and tempting (but not wise) to jump into the process by looking at homes for sale.
So, let’s get you off to a good start – one that will lead to success … (0 comments)
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round rock texas: The Life Expectancy Of Home Appliances
- 10/16/19 12:12 PM
Whether you’re shopping for a home or already own one, knowing the current age of the appliances is important. Like us, they have an average life span. Unlike us, they can be replaced. But it’s pricey to do so.
The experts at Consumer Reports recommend that you replace appliances if the cost to repair them is more than half the price of a new one. While that’s a good rule of thumb, it’s something you can put off with care and proper maintenance of your home’s appliances.
As a bonus, your appliances won’t become energy hogs.
Clark … (2 comments)
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round rock texas: Here’s What You Need To Know About The Current Real Estate Market
- 10/14/19 06:36 AM
Whether you’re entertaining notions of buying or selling a home, you’re no doubt keeping up with housing news. And, what you’re seeing may concern you.
Doom and gloomers, naysayers and, curiously, even some experts are claiming that they are worried about the housing market.
The fact is, the real estate market is the one bright spot in the economy right now, and there are three reasons we can say this with confidence:
Pending home sales Mortgage rates Consumer confidence Let’s take these one-at-a-time and break it down for you.
Pending home sales When a homebuyer signs an agreement to purchase, the … (1 comments)
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round rock texas: #1 Feature Homebuyers Want (and it's surprising!)
- 10/11/19 09:17 AM
Home sellers and listing agents across the country spend a great deal of time and energy trying to determine what home buyers want. They pour over magazines and read blogs to learn what is the #1 feature they can add or enhance to ensure home buyers find their home irresistible.
The National Association of Home Builders’ released a 2019 home trend and buyer preferences report which cited a surprising and very practical answer – laundry rooms. In the report, 91% of those surveyed stated that having a separate laundry room was essential in their new home.
The association surveyed over 4000 home buyers and … (3 comments)
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round rock texas: Maximizing Space in a Small Kitchen
- 10/11/19 07:27 AM
Maximizing Space in a Small Kitchen
A small kitchen doesn’t have to mean dark or cramped, you can maximize a small kitchen by using these clever tips. From tricking the eye to great ways to get extra storage, these easy design ideas will help you love your small kitchen.
• Tone on Tone Colors Scheme – Trick the eye by using subtle variations of the same color palate. • Strategic Shelving – Add a shelf above the backsplash to add room for spices or décor; place on a wall to display glasses or dishware and gain extra storage in the process.
• Design … (3 comments)
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round rock texas: 4 Reasons To Sell This Fall
- 10/09/19 02:27 PM
Traditional lore says that the best time to list your home for sale is spring and if it hasn’t sold by the end of summer, you’re out of luck. Along the same lines, homeowners across the country are often advised not to list in the fall and wait until after the holidays to list. The truth is that a great home will sell at any time of year and in fact there are some very good reasons to list in the fall, while everyone else is busy doing other activities.
4 Reasons to Sell this Fall
1. Less Competition
– As mentioned above, most … (5 comments)
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round rock texas: USDA Loans (they just may be the best option for low income buyers)
- 10/09/19 01:50 PM
Keeping your nose to the grindstone, using credit wisely and responsibly and paying your bills on time every month have their rewards, no matter how much or how little money you make.
One reward is how much easier it is to realize your piece of the American Dream – the opportunity to purchase your own home. A bonus for the low-income earner is a government-backed loan with no down payment.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Single Family Housing programs may just be the best option for low-income folks with good credit and a steady job to buy a house.
Two … (2 comments)
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round rock texas: Quick Fixes For A Stinky Home
- 10/08/19 08:17 PM
Inured.
That’s just a fancy way of explaining how we humans can, over time, become accustomed to something unpleasant.
If you’ve ever lived near railroad tracks or under the flight path of a local airport you know what we’re talking about. At first, the noise was torture. After time, however, you may have barely noticed it.
It’s the same with smells. We become accustomed to the odors in our home and it’s not until either someone very honest comes to visit or we return home after some time away that we realize just how stinky the home is.
While pets and smokers are obvious causes … (6 comments)
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round rock texas: Dreaming Of Life On A Golf Course?
- 10/08/19 08:05 PM
There was a time when real estate agents could confidently tell their clients that one of the biggest advantages of owning a home on a golf course is that the verdant view would be permanent.
Today, many owners face a view of brown, dead fairways, vandalized buildings and uncertainty about what may pop up when the land is sold.
Chalk it up to the busyness of Americans. The lengthy game of golf has declined in popularity, leaving course owners to deal with the consequences.
Or, blame the oversupply of golf courses and the waning of Tiger-mania (among other reasons), as John Eidukot at GolfOperatorMagazine.com does.
Whatever the … (2 comments)
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Your Starter Home vs. Your Forever Home 
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