To Sell or to Rent: That Is the Question

Should you rent your home out or sell it? Both can be good options, depending on your situation.

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I recently met with a former client who asked me if they are better off renting their home out as an investment property or simply selling it. It really depends on your individual circumstances and goals, but there are advantages to each method.

If you’re looking to build wealth, you can use one investment property to get you to the point where you have four or five of these properties bringing in passive income each month. If this is your goal, it’s important that you meet with an agent who is looking out for your best interests.

Most people need to sell in order to buy.

However, most people need to sell their home in order to buy another property or they simply want to cash out on the equity they already have. In cases like these, selling makes much more sense. Renting is more of a long-term investment.

If you have any questions for us or need help selling your home, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Summer 2017 Houston Market Update

Today I wanted to give you a bit of an update on the Houston real estate market.

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It is hot, and we’re not just talking about the weather. The Houston real estate market is on fire. We had some wonderful gains these past few months. The highest gains took place among homes priced $750,000 and above where we saw 8,500 homes sell. This is an almost 10% increase from this time last year.

The average sales price increase 1.5% to just over $300,000. That is a hot market. Even the lease market has increased, with single family home leases up 17% and townhomes and condos up almost 21%.

We’ve seen some wonderful gains these past few months.

So, between strong employment numbers and a healthy housing inventory, we can expect a great end to the summer and a wonderful start to the fall season.

If you have any other questions or you’re looking to buy or sell a home, please give me a call. I’d be happy to help!

4 Tips for Buying a Home Inside the 610 Loop

If you want to buy a home inside the 610 loop this summer during the busy buying season, follow these four tips.

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If you want to buy a home inside the 610 loop during the spring and summer buying season, follow these four tips:

1. Drive around the area to really discover what works best for you: Since there are so many different neighborhoods within the loop, drive through to get an idea of them all. If you have pets like us and you want to live close to a dog park, for example, do your research to find dog parks and trails.

2. Get a home inspection: We recommend this for both resale and new construction homes. You’ll want to examine things like stucco, which was very popular after 2000. You also want to be sure the home’s flashing is done right so that there is no moisture behind the stucco.

3. Get a survey: This will establish the property lines. Sellers might actually have this done, but you want to get your own just in case. The current homeowner might have installed a fence off the property line or had a patio that wasn’t included.

4. Check out the new flood maps: They just changed as of January 2017, so check the updated flood map to be sure you have the right flood coverage.

Flood maps changed this year, so you need to know how it would affect your coverage.

We also wanted to quickly remind you that we’re having our vacation giveaway this year! If you buy or sell a home with us in 2017, you’ll be entered to win.

If you have any questions or you're ready to buy or sell a home, give us a call or send us an email soon. We look forward to helping you!