Thursday, December 31, 2015

Selling a home in 2016? Here's what you need to know

If you expect to put your home on the block at some point in 2016, here are some key factors for you to keep in mind before you address issues and concerns to make the best possible deal.
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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

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The Federal Housing Administration continues its mission to help consumers realize the dream of homeownership. In today's mortgage lending environment, there are three buckets of loan options available for borrowers, including conventional, FHA and jumbo loans.
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Sunday, December 27, 2015

10 homeowner tax breaks you should be taking advantage of

If death and taxes are the two true givens in life, there probably should be a third: the bucketful of tax breaks Uncle Sam throws out every year to encourage more Americans to buy a home.
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Friday, December 25, 2015

Top Home Design Trends for 2016

Today, Zillow Digs announced the top home design trends for 2016, along with the three soon-to-be forgotten fads of 2015. Results were based on a survey of leading interior design experts and trending photos on Zillow Digs. So what will be 2016’s hottest design trends? Check out the surprising results below.
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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

The Best Month to Buy a House (Hint: It's Soon)

Since the crash of the housing market during the Great Recession, many people hesitate to buy a home out of fear that prices have hit a high point yet again. They think buying right now means the value of their home purchase will only decrease. That’s not the case at all. Here are five reasons why now is a great time to buy a home and what the best month is to buy a house:
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Sunday, December 20, 2015

Major milestone met for residential projects in downtown Houston

Developers have finally exhausted the Downtown Living Initiative in 2015, a major milestone for residential development in downtown Houston.
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Friday, December 18, 2015

Is a bay window on your "must-have" list for your home?


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House-Hunting for the Holidays: Do's and Don'ts for Homebuyers

Here's a tactic for holiday-season home shoppers: Call agents who do a lot of work in the neighborhood you're interested in, and ask them about homes that aren't listed yet, but are being prepared for sale. You might get an early look at a house that's set to go on the market in April or May.
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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Hedge Funds and Real Estate: Could it Create Another Bubble?

From August 2014 to August 2015, there was a rise in national home prices of 4.7%, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Index. From August 2013 to August 2015, the index showed an increase of 10% in national home prices. While these increases in home prices are somewhat high, there have been many periods in the history of the United States when the annual increases in home prices nationwide were much higher.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

U.S. Housing Can Withstand a Rise in Interest Rates

Low interest rates, steady job gains and improving household finances have helped bolster the housing recovery. And even as 2015’s strong first half has given way to some wobbly months of late, housing fundamentals appear primed to withstand a looming U.S. rate increase.
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After a year of recovery, Zillow’s experts say 2016 will be all about housing affordability, with a lack of affordable homes near city centers pushing young and first-time buyers out to the suburbs.

After a year of recovery, Zillow’s experts say 2016 will be all about housing affordability, with a lack of affordable homes near city centers pushing young and first-time buyers out to the suburbs.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Why housing is back and recovering

Existing home sales, which represents the largest part of the residential market, is strong, according to Mitch Roschelle, partner and real estate advisory lead at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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Thursday, November 19, 2015

Real estate today: Older buyers, more bathrooms

After years of flunking, the American housing market finally merits a B+ grade.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The real reason foreclosures spiked in October

It is possibly the nastiest consequence of the holiday season. Foreclosures rise now, as banks try to get ahead of the traditional December moratoriums, when they suspend all foreclosures due to the holidays.
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Thursday, November 12, 2015

Pending Home Sales Near Their Lowest Point in 2015

Is the real estate streak of 2015 finally fizzling? The Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors®, which measures homes under contract but not yet sold, reported a 2.3% decline in sales from August to September. That’s a steeper decline than the July-to-August drop of 1.4%.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The real reason the Fed is eager to raise interest rates now

The Federal Reserve’s credit numbers showed American consumers borrowed at an all-time record of $28.9 billion in September, besting the previous high-water mark set in November 2001.
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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Drowning homeowners are getting relief

While the number of borrowers in a negative-equity position on their mortgages is still high, at just over 14 million, that number is falling fast, especially for those most seriously underwater.
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Spring home values have risen 11.5% in the past year. Did yours?

Spring home values have risen 11.5% in the past year.
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Friday, October 30, 2015

How would you like to sit by this fire on a crisp fall evening?


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How To Spot Potential in an Older Home

Sometimes older homes’ outdated paint colors, fixtures and appliances scare off buyers. But making cosmetic changes to update the home to your taste might be more affordable than you’d expect. It’s all a matter of seeing the potential in older homes.
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Thursday, October 29, 2015

15 Easy Home Upgrade Ideas

You can give your house a makeover without doing a big renovation - or having a big budget. These are some of our best home makeover tips: quick, simple, and stylish.
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Thursday, September 3, 2015

The 8 Biggest Home Decor Mistakes You Can Make

Decorating is a process, and there will undoubtedly be hits and misses — but you don't have to learn every interior design lesson the hard way. Save yourself some heartache and dollars by avoiding these regrettable decorating disasters.
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Check out this aquarium bar counter! Is this perfect for entertaining in your home?


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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Selling Your Home? Know the 7 Features Home Buyers Want Most

Homeowners are sometimes hesitant to upgrade when it's time to sell. After all, you won't be living there much longer, and home remodeling efforts only increase home values by 66.1% of the average project’s costs, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2014 Cost vs. Value report.
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Is this a great bedroom for your daughters? WOW!


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Thursday, July 30, 2015

Home Ownership Dips to Lowest Level in Almost 50 Years

The U.S. homeownership rate fell to 63.4 percent in the second quarter of 2015, according to the U.S. Census. That is down from 63.7 percent in the first quarter and from 64.7 percent in the same quarter of 2014. It marks the lowest homeownership rate since 1967.
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Pool Home #3 in our series. Rank it on a scale of 1-10, please for its appeal in Backyard Oasis category?


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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Strong housing on verge of reversal: Redfin

Sales of existing U.S. homes rose to the highest level in eight years, according to the National Association of Realtors, but that may be the peak for the year. One real estate brokerage claims consumer demand for housing took a sharp turn for the worse in June, as potential buyers balked at higher home prices.
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This is the first in a series of Pool Homes and Backyard Oasis. Check this one out and on a scale of 1-10, how would you rank it for its backyard oasis appeal?


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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Millions could be saving $200 a month on mortgages

About 6.5 million mortgage borrowers could qualify for and benefit from refinancing their home loans, according to the "Mortgage Monitor Report" from Black Knight Financial Services, which could translate into massive savings for those consumers.
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Check out the row of windows upstairs. Looks like a commercial property more than home doesn't it? Thoughts?


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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

You are going to keep seeing many variations of indoor-outdoor rooms next to, or overlooking the pool and backyard oasis. Can you see yourself living in a room like this part of the year?

from Sheila Ahmed http://ift.tt/1NA0hkH

The way things used to work, the housing sector was typically the one to lead the United States out of economic hard times. That’s because central bankers tend to loosen monetary policy coming out of a recession, and mortgage demand – and thus, the health of the housing market – is particularly sensitive to interest rates.

from Sheila Ahmed http://ift.tt/1NA0hkH

Every once in a while, I love to bring it all back to a traditional home and yard. Works for me, how about you?

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What is the prefect number of garages you need these days to assure all of your vehicles have a proper home? Give me a number please?

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I thought you might like to see what a really awesome Master Bathroom can look like when someone goes all out. What do you think? Like it or love it?

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Energy company opens model 'smart home' in Spring

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Modern and classic combine for a really awesome living area. What do you think?

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Let's get back to a nice, neat and beautiful home like this one. It doesn't always have to be a massive estate for you to call it home, does it?

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Mortgage rates hit a 2015 high when the national average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit 4.08% earlier this week, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey. That's lower than where the U.S. average was at this time last year (4.12%), but home loan pricing (rates, loans and fees, taken together) has been on the rise for most of 2015, pushing homeownership out of reach for many Americans, as the cost of a mortgage creeps up.

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NEW EXCLUSIVE LIST of Pool Homes in Spring Texas CLICK BELOW for EXCLUSIVE Home List!

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LOCATION means everything, but I think this home would probably be perfect almost no matter where it was? With that said, let's leave it right where it is shall we?

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Indoor-outdoor living at its finest. But help me out here, does this staircase lead to the pool where you have to hop to the other little island to leave the area? Thought on this one?

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Some credit them with saving the housing market. Others blame them for taking advantage of a crisis and bullying real homebuyers out of the American Dream.

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I think this deck and sauna are positioned for you to take full advantage of that view. Wouldn't you love to relax here at the end of your very hectic day?

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Why not dream a little. Imagine you are flying home in your own private helicopter and are about to land in this beautiful estate you call home. How does that feel?

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Be honest, how many of you can see yourself taking a nice warm bath overlooking the Pacific Ocean? It does make for one heck of a Master Bath doesn't it?

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Sneak Peek: Clear Lake City’s first new home development in decades

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Wouldn't this make the perfect 4th of July home for backyard barbecues, creating memories and enjoying your friends and family? Happy 4th of July to you and yours.

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Take the “GUESS MY HOME VALUE” Challenge and Win Big! If you guess your home’s value and are within $25,000 of the Current Estimate of Value You Will Win a Gift Certificate Valued at $1000, Instantly. Take the Challenge. Click on Photo and See if You Win!

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Leather, glass and a first class view can make for one heck of an exciting Saturday evening. It doesn't get any better than this. Imagine the sunsets you get to view. Love it?

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You are going to keep seeing many variations of indoor-outdoor rooms next to, or overlooking the pool and backyard oasis. Can you see yourself living in a room like this part of the year?


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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Finally, Housing Recovers

The way things used to work, the housing sector was typically the one to lead the United States out of economic hard times. That’s because central bankers tend to loosen monetary policy coming out of a recession, and mortgage demand – and thus, the health of the housing market – is particularly sensitive to interest rates.
from Sheila Ahmed http://ift.tt/1GkfHU8

Every once in a while, I love to bring it all back to a traditional home and yard. Works for me, how about you?


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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Guess Who Won't Be Able to Buy a Home If Interest Rates Keep Rising

Mortgage rates hit a 2015 high when the national average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit 4.08% earlier this week, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey. That's lower than where the U.S. average was at this time last year (4.12%), but home loan pricing (rates, loans and fees, taken together) has been on the rise for most of 2015, pushing homeownership out of reach for many Americans, as the cost of a mortgage creeps up.
from Sheila Ahmed http://ift.tt/1KYTnps

NEW EXCLUSIVE LIST of Pool Homes in Spring Texas as of 7/2015

NEW EXCLUSIVE LIST of Pool Homes in Spring Texas CLICK BELOW for EXCLUSIVE Home List!
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LOCATION means everything, but I think this home would probably be perfect almost no matter where it was? With that said, let's leave it right where it is shall we?


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Friday, June 19, 2015

STOP! DON'T DARE SELL YOUR HOME UNTIL YOU KNOW THE 7 CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK

STOP! DON'T DARE SELL YOUR HOME UNTIL YOU KNOW THE 7 CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK EVERY REAL ESTATE AGENT BEFORE YOU SIGN ANYTHING... These questions may surprise, even SHOCK you. FREE Instant Download.
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Thursday, June 18, 2015

12 Warm-Weather Home Projects to Start Now

Warm weather greets us most mornings now, making this the best time to begin household tasks that can’t be done in extremely high or low temperatures. The benefits for starting this work now are numerous. Keeping doors and windows open lets paint and other finishes dry more quickly. Family members can stay outside longer than normal, keeping the interior work area free of renovation traffic.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Lock it in: How (and when) to secure a low mortgage rate

Deciding when to lock isn't just about market conditions, because if you're not prepared to complete the loan process within a certain time frame, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars in fees for locking in too early.
from Sheila Ahmed http://ow.ly/Op6Vi

Friday, June 12, 2015

NEW EXCLUSIVE LIST of Luxury Homes in Harris County Texas as of 6/2015

NEW EXCLUSIVE LIST of Luxury Homes in Harris County Texas CLICK BELOW to Get this EXCLUSIVE LIST!
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Thursday, June 11, 2015

4 Tips for Summer House Hunters

Making the decision to buy versus rent is a big step. A home will likely be the largest single purchase you make. Summer is often the big season for real estate; many families with children hope to be settled by the time school starts. In particularly hot real estate markets, houses can sell very quickly, so it's a good idea to get prepared now for the homebuying process. http://ow.ly/ObUBp
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Sunday, June 7, 2015

Harris County, Texas area home values have risen 11.5% in the past year. - CLICK HERE

Harris County, Texas area home values have risen 11.5% in the past year. Homes are in high demand. What is YOUR home worth? Enter your address to learn how much homes are selling for in your market.
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Atlantic Hurricane Season begins

Atlantic Hurricane Season begins
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Thursday, June 4, 2015

The biggest mistakes millennial homebuyers make

Buying your first home or know someone who is? Here are three common, and potentially costly, mistakes to avoid.
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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

U.S. pending home sales race to nine-year high in April

The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed last month, increased 3.4 percent to 112.4, the highest level since May 2006.
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Thursday, May 28, 2015

7 Ways to Make a Small Space Seem Bigger

The thrill of moving into a new space is so exciting. The opportunity to start fresh is an adventure that allows for exploring where your stuff looks best. But if you're finding things seem a bit scrunched, we have smart ideas for creating the illusion of spaciousness — even if you're living in a tight studio. Check out these maximizing tips plus design inspiration for your new digs.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

US home prices rose at steady pace in March from year ago

Home values are rising at a faster rate than incomes, potentially pricing many would-be buyers out of the market. Yet current increases have moderated from the double-digit gains of late 2013 and early last year.
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Thursday, May 21, 2015

ATTENTION - Spring, Texas Home Owners - CLICK HERE

ATTENTION - Spring, Texas Home Owners IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOME THIS MESSAGE IS FOR YOU... Before you place your home on the market you must get an honest professional opinion of it's market value. CLICK BELOW for your FREE INSTANT Home Valuation
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