Condition and Appearance

We have covered two steps you can take to get an external view of the market, your competition. One was to tour existing homes currently on the market and the other was to tour new homes in your market that are in the same price range as yours. So now, let's take an internal view of your home.

Try to excel in areas where you have the most control and don't worry about areas where you have no control. Where do you have the most control in the value of your home? The answer is in condition and appearance.

Condition - In my years of experience in real estate, the number 1 reason that home sales fall through, other than financing is due to inspections.

Once you receive a contract from a buyer that is signed and accepted by all parties, one of the first steps a home buyer takes to insure he has made a sound investment is to order an inspection. This is where a licensed professional inspector performs an inspection on your home. His mission is to evaluate the physical condition: structure, construction, and mechanical systems; identify items that need to be repaired or replaced; and estimate the remaining useful life of the major systems, equipment, structure, and finishes.

Many sellers make the mistake of thinking there is nothing wrong with their home, especially if they bought it new and it still has a builder warranty. Research has found that 45% of defects found were often present when the home was purchased new - many times due to annexation or upgrades in law to a higher building code after the home was purchased. Whether or not you are willing to pay for any repair issues sited as "aged" or "in need of repair" in an inspection, it may be too late to save the buyer and no one likes these kind of surprises!

BEST ADVICE EVER ---> GET A HOME WARRANTY WITH SELLERS COVERAGE!!! FOR ONLY $60, OLD REPUBLIC COVERS MANY OF THESE SURPRISES!!!

Therefore, I highly recommend that you hire your own inspector to site any repair issues. It costs a little more but can save you so much more in time, aggravation and maybe even a lost sale. If any repair issues or recommendations are found by an inspector, you have more time to address the issues and to repair them at a far lower cost. Oftentimes, you or a handyman can repair any issues at a far lower cost. A repair sited by the buyer's inspection requires a professional licensed to perform that type of work. It comes at a higher cost.

This decision is entirely up to you, but as your Realtor®, I feel it is my fiduciary duty to give you advice that can save you time, money and frustration.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime, any hour.... 281-948-7042.

© 2009 Brian Worrell Team, Realtors in League City, TX - 281-948-7042. All Rights Reserved.

THE TIME IS NOW....

Uncle Sam Wants YOU!!! .... to have $8,000.

Are you ready to get your $8,000 tax credit? Are you looking in Friendswood, Pearland, Clear Lake, or surrounding areas??? Well, if you don't call me within the next 2 weeks, it may be too late. Many buyers qualify and don't even realize it. There is $8,000 sitting and waiting for you. This opportunity may never come again. Call me asap for details. You must close on your new home by Nov. 30. And to close by the end of November requires a contract be in place by the end of October, so do not delay! Call me today, 281-948-7042.

© 2009 Brian Worrell Team, Realtors in League City, TX - 281-948-7042. All Rights Reserved.

Whether or not you plan on selling your home now or within the next year, it is important to prepare for this event by making sure your home is in great market shape to attract not only the most offers, but the highest offers.

Homebuyers are more sophisticated today than in any other prior real estate market. The Internet and ease of getting information is probably a big factor.

Homebuyers shop by comparison, taking price, location and condition into consideration. To attract the highest offers, sellers need to view their home through the critical eyes of a potential home buyer. While it may not be easy to look at your home with unbiased eyes, it makes a big difference in making changes from having a "lived-in" look to being a showstopper!

The best advice is to take two steps before preparing to get your home in market shape:

1. Ask me to set-up a "preview tour" of homes currently on the market in your neighborhood. This is to help you get a feel for what your home will compete with when you place it on the market. It is good to develop a positive and negative feedback review of the home's you tour versus your own home. Our strategy is not to establish a level playing field, but a playing field where buyer attraction is tipped in your favor.

2. You will want to merchandise your home in as near of a "like new" condition as possible. Tour new homes that are in the same price range as your home and what do you see? Then return to your home, tour it and what changes can you make to have the home appear to be in a similar condition to the new homes you just saw.

Please feel free to call upon me to guide you through homes currently on the market or to assist in ideas on positioning your home in today's market.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime, 281-948-7042.

© 2009 Brian Worrell Team, Realtors in League City and Friendswood, TX - 281-948-7042. All Rights Reserved.

Some Preliminary Steps that Make Home Finding More Enjoyable!

One preparatory step to finding the home of your dreams is to establish a budget. While that is anything but exciting, the results will be well worth the effort!

• The development of a household budget is a desirable activity both before you make a real estate purchase as well as consistently during your ownership.
• By preparing a budget while you are looking at homes, you can better focus on mortgage payment goals and how the home will affect your total expenses.
• Maintaining a budget can help prevent potential financial disasters as well as point you in a money saving direction so you have more funds available for those things you need and want.
• You will need a little time to develop a budget.
• Most importantly, get everyone involved in spending involved in developing the budget.
• Be realistic in your budget assessment. Make provisions for possible increases in some items [for example, insurance, taxes, school tuition]
• Then look for ways to get control over your budget.

Items Needed to Develop a Budget

• All current monthly loan payments.
• All other monthly expenses [such as child care, dues, etc.]
• Records of variable expenses [for example, utilities, food and car repair] from the last 12 months. This will give you an estimate of your monthly expenses.
• Records of annual or semi-annual expenses [such as insurance and taxes].
• An estimate of what your new mortgage payment will be. Our loan officers at www.compufund.comcan determine this for you for free and at no obligation!
• Records of non-fixed expenses [for example, medical expenditures, new tires]. This will give an estimate of average expenses of this type.
• Records or an estimate of personal expenses. [entertainment, travel, etc.]
• Get a current copy of your credit report. Go to www.equifax.com or www.experian.com.

The Brian Worrell Team, Realtors® is dedicated to building and preserving wealth in home ownership. We want your move to be an enjoyable experience and we sincerely hope these tips to happy homeownership are worthwhile.

Thank you so much again for visiting our web site at www.BrianWorrell.com and we hope you continue to use it as your real estate resource center for Friendswood, League City, Pearland, Clear Lake, Webster, and surrounding areas.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime, 281-948-7042.

© 2009 Brian Worrell Team, Realtors in League City, TX - 281-948-7042. All Rights Reserved.

I orchestrated a broker open house today... Had about 15 agents from various brokers show up... but from several area offices: ReMax, Coldwell Banker, Keller Williams, and Prudential. Not a bad turnout considering the weather. Crazy timing. I am left wondering how many agents would have come through with good weather! Life goes on.

It will all have been worth it when these agents bring a contract or at least show the house! I also got a lot of great feedback from the agents that came through my two listings. Click here to see my listings. It only takes 1 buyer per home sold. A little bit of effort can go a long way.

Thanks to the other agents that participated in the open house with me - Jeff George, Virginia Metcalfe, Anne Edwards, and Jill Kasselman!

© 2009 Brian Worrell, Realtors in League City, TX - 281-948-7042. All Rights Reserved.