homeowners: Things to be Aware of About Online Home Browsing - 11/28/23 06:26 AM
Browsing online for a home is aways fun and exciting because you are mostly viewing elegantly decorated homes including beautiful, sculpted yards and gardens. When browsing be careful, you may not be getting the true picture. Just viewing online, it may be difficult tell if the home is close to a busy street which produces loud noise, hidden plumbing problems and/or property has already been sold. Since the above may be true, now is the time to set expectations by completing a home buyers’ worksheet. Within this worksheet be sure you define must haves and nice to haves. Review online property … (1 comments)

homeowners: Enhance Home Efficiency Using Smart Home Tech - 08/10/23 06:22 AM
Todays’ homeowners want energy efficient homes to save money, enjoy ease of use, and security it offers.  Now homeowners are finding themselves embedded in the digital age and how technology reshapes actions within our homes.  Homeowners are seeing efficiency and green living trend upward and smart home features are helping them meet demands that homeowners seek.  There are several technological advancements that make it more convenient and efficient to help optimize the comfort of their home.
Thermostats – Smart thermostats create greater ease of comfort within the house for the occupants based on their daily habits while minimizing energy use.  In addition, … (3 comments)

homeowners: Smart-Home Tech for Over 55 Homeowners - 07/20/22 12:01 PM
Homeowners over 55 are seeking solutions in their daily lives that will help them maintain and provide their safety and security.   Smart technology is part of the answer to help older people to age in place.  This will improve their quality of life and allow them to be independent longer.  Such things as smart beds which can be customize for individual needs and systems that detect falls are great options in achieving this goal. According to The Hartford and MIT AgeLab study older Americans’ major concerns are home maintenance, safety and security, making daily life easier and convenient, saving money, and … (3 comments)

homeowners: Increase Home Value - 08/04/20 06:10 AM
Most homeowners are interested in increasing equity in their home.  Value is increased through neighborhood appreciation, remodeling, redecorating, and adding additional storage.  When marketing the home these updates and appreciation tend to stand out to potential buyers.  Prior to making updates, the homeowner needs to be concern about resale value.  This means your updates should appeal to majority of the buying public.  Following are design tips to consider prior to updating your property:
Room should be larger – Naturally, adding space to a room will obviously make it seem larger.  Rooms will seem to be larger if proper selection and placement of … (0 comments)

homeowners: Buyers Need Home Office - 04/22/20 06:43 AM
With the increasing need for more people to work from home, this creates an increasing need for office space within the home.  The need has been created as a result of increase drive time to work, amount of traffic on the roadways, and such things as the COVID-19 pandemic.  Currently, many homeowners already have an office within their home.  These homeowners either have a formal office, work from their dining room table, or sofa, etc.  Home builders and homeowners remodeling their home realize there is an increasing need for office area within the home.  Sometimes this is a challenge when remodeling … (0 comments)

homeowners: Homeowners Biggest Remodeling Mistakes - 04/01/20 06:20 AM
One of the biggest undertaking homeowners do is remodel their home.  When planning the project, they need to do detail planning to lower their chances of having regrets after completing the project.  Some homeowners fail in this regard.  This can lead to regrets later which can be defined as blunders that were preventable.  Following is a discussion concerning regrets:  
Budgeting – Underestimating the cost to do the project can be a serious misstate.  This can prevent homeowners completing the project, incur a financial loss, or lead to future financial problems.  It is important to have detail construction plans in order to … (0 comments)

homeowners: Explanation of Home Closing Costs - 02/06/20 06:35 AM
When buying or selling your home all buyers and sellers incur closing cost associated with the transaction.  Normally, closing cost (need to include commission and if 5% down payment) are about 8% to 12% of the property purchase price depending on the type of transaction, other than full cash transaction which may be less.  Shortly after signing a contract between a buyer and seller of property, many lenders are willing to provide a good faith estimate of proceeds involved in the transaction.  Your real estate agent should be making that request for their client.  The final closing disclosure of cost should … (1 comments)

homeowners: Home IBuyer Programs Provide to Real Estate - 10/30/19 06:17 AM
Homeowners who wish to sell their home has a choice to take an instant offer (usually must make a decision in mere days) or sell their home the traditional way.  Selling the traditional way using a real estate agent may result in greater return on your investment.  More companies are investing in technology; therefore, this is playing larger role in helping buyers and sellers satisfy their real estate needs and desires.  As time passes there probably will be fewer realtors; therefore, people will need to develop new skills that will be of value to the consumer.  The IBuyer programs offer greater … (0 comments)

homeowners: Positive Attitude Towards Home Buying and Selling - 10/03/19 05:33 AM
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently released a survey that we are experiencing lower mortgage rates at this time which makes it more favorable to purchase a home.  Nearly two-thirds of people believe this a good time to move forward purchasing a home.  At the same time, there is a word of caution, there is some potential buyers that are concern about the direction of the economy.  Many people feel the economy is improving, but millennials tend to be the most pessimistic about the direction the economy is going.  Majority of homeowners and buyers are experiencing lower housing interest rates, … (1 comments)

homeowners: Home Sellers - Traditional Selling Versus Selling to IBuyers - 09/05/19 05:36 AM
Now we are seeing a rise in homeowners selling their home to iBuyers versus selling their house on the open market.  Selling to an iBuyer offers more convenience and allows the seller to plan their physical move with less stress.  Since iBuyers may help make your move less stressful, but which method is more profitable to the seller?  Often a seller who sells directly to an iBuyer pays higher fees versus selling the home the traditional way using a real estate agent.  At the same time, iBuyer approach may allow seller to receive his cash quicker, and create more certainly on … (0 comments)

homeowners: Upgrades Desired by High End Home Buyers - 01/25/19 06:02 AM
Home sales appear to be slowing down within the high-end home market.  Sellers are realizing they need to invest in upgrades to their home prior to putting their home on the market.  Now that there is a larger inventory of these types of homes on the market, this gives buyers more choice to choose from.  In order for sellers to meet the demand of buyers, many sellers are being forced to update their home.  Following are some upgrades a seller can make to their home to improve their chances of quick sale:
High ceilings – Many buyers are asking about and desiring … (1 comments)

homeowners: Homeowners Insurance Does Not Cover - 11/16/17 06:35 AM
Homeowners need to understand what home insurance covers and does not cover.  Important to understand what is covered, and how to read your insurance policy. There are four parts to an insurance policy.  Two of the parts are the most important sections: inclusion and exclusion sections.  The inclusion section identifies what perils are insured within your insurance policy.  Then it becomes necessary to review the exclusion section.  This section defines what coverages have been eliminated, or limited within your home insurance policy.  If exclusion section does not limit or take away the coverage, then you are covered for the peril.  This … (0 comments)

homeowners: Reasons You Should Own a Home - 07/19/17 07:07 AM
In today’s world, one the primary goals for many people is to own their own home, and have it paid for by retirement age.  Achieving this goal will provide the homeowner additional flexibility during their retirement years to enjoy the fruits of their labor due to increased savings.  There are some positive reasons why many people desire to own their home versus renting:
Benefit from taxes – A homeowner is allowed to realize savings on their federal income taxes by deducting interest, property taxes paid on their homestead, and some expenses incurred when purchasing the property.
Benefit of appreciation – Over the long-run … (3 comments)

homeowners: Home Technology Is Attractive To Homeowners - 02/16/17 05:54 AM
Homeowners are desiring smart homes whether they are buying a new home, or living in their current home.  This trend appears to more evident with affluent homeowners, but the trend is spreading.  Some of these homeowners would prefer to have greater technology capability and less square footage.
Smart thermostat – Control you home environment room by room using your smart phone.  This can be done either external or within the house.  This technology allows a homeowner to conserve energy, and ability to check on their property when away from their home.
Home surveillance – New surveillance systems are wireless and can monitor … (0 comments)

homeowners: Vacation Tips For Keeping Your Home Safe - 08/15/16 11:05 PM
While on vacation enjoying the good life, you do not want to return to find your home has been vandalize and/or personal property stolen.  Prior to leaving on vacation, you need to make preparation that makes your property look like there is both activity inside and outside the home.  Following are some suggestions to help homeowners make this occur:   
WI-Fi Doorbell – This device will videotape activity at the front and is accessible by your smartphone.
Lights – Use smart lighting technology to vary the timing of turning on and off lights, both on the interior and exterior of home.  If the … (2 comments)

homeowners: Home Upgrades Increase Value and Reduce Maintenance - 03/17/16 12:05 AM
Home improvements over the past several years has increased for some of the following reasons:
Housing downturn force homeowners to fix-up instead trade for new home.
Stimulus programs caused homeowners to invest in energy efficiency upgrades.
Growing demand for rental properties to upgrade their properties.
Homeowners are spending money to upgrade their home to reduce maintenance time and expense.  Following is a list of some of the upgrades homeowners are doing to improve value and reduce upkeep:
HardiPlank siding – This is a cement type product that is resistant to temperature fluctuation, insects, and rot, etc.  Homeowners may want to consider this product when in need … (0 comments)

homeowners: Design Tips To Create A Beautiful Kitchen - 12/10/15 11:48 PM
Probably the most used and important room in a home is the kitchen.  When selling, homeowner’s who invest in updates to the kitchen will yield largest return.  This is due to the fact the kitchen is used and enjoyed more than any other room in the home.  Following is a list of tips to consider to improve the looks and function of this area:
 Pendant lighting above the center island.
 Painting your walls with a warm mocha or a smoky blue.  In addition, update cabinets with a rich    cabinet color.
Install roman shades with a classic look.  Be sure the pattern and color … (0 comments)

homeowners: Real Estate Considerations - 09/23/15 12:37 AM
Current and future homeowners usually are not involved with real estate on a daily bases.  At the most, many of these homeowners are involved with selling and/or buying a house once every decade.  Even with low exposure to real estate, many people think they understand how it works, based on their past experience and talking to family and friends.  Some of things they believe to be true are false which may hinder their chances of buying and/or selling at the right time and price.  If it has been a long time since a person has done a real estate transaction, they … (1 comments)

homeowners: Protect Yourself From Mortgage Scams - 09/02/15 05:54 AM
In today’s world many people want to be homeowners, and will need to secure a mortgage loan prior to purchasing their home.  Many times this means discussing loan programs with multiple lenders.  Picking a trusted mortgage lender can be a tricky process.  First impression is important, and many times correct when interviewing a lender.  If lender states something that seems to be too good to be true, this should be a red flag to do further investigation before committing.  When interviewing mortgage lenders, following are some situations to be aware of before committing to a business deal:
·     Kickbacks – Mortgage … (1 comments)

homeowners: Second Home Hidden Costs - 03/31/14 01:14 AM
Many people dream about owning a second home in affordable area so they can enjoy the beaches and play golf, etc.  In addition, homeowners feel they can rent the property a sufficient number of weeks within the year to cover their monthly mortgage payments.  Some of these owners forget or are not aware of some expenses associated with rental properties.  Following is a list of things second homeowners need to be aware of, and have in place when renting their property:
·      First of all, you must be nice to your renters, and have nice furnishings in the house.  Renters … (3 comments)

 
John Watts (Keller Williams Realty)

John Watts

Austin, TX

More about me…

Keller Williams Realty

Address: 12515-8 Research Blvd, Ste. 100 , Austin, TX, 78759

Office: (512) 751-3359

Mobile: (512) 751-3359



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