James Murr

There are a lot of things that can improve the resale value of your home. Many of these things can be done without hiring a professional. There comes a time in every home owner’s life when he or she must ask the question, “What can I do myself (to increase the value of my property)?” I always encourage people to have high expectations and believe they can do it themselves. We have all picked up a paint brush at some point. Painting is probably the most fundamental of fix-ups that can have a significant impact on the appearance of a home. If your home shines, its time on the market will decrease and its sale price will increase. Flooring is another key element of a home’s appearance. I have personally taken the challenge of laying ceramic tile, and found it to be a relatively simple process if you buy the right equipment and follow the rules. If you are not up for such a challenge, find yourself a good contractor. They are out there; just keep your eye out for swindlers. There are some areas of your home that must be kept up for general maintenance purposes, like your roof, window seals, and insulation. Keep these areas in good shape to prevent the elements from weathering your home, and keep your utility bills down. Of course the most important area for almost all homes is the kitchen. Unfortunately, kitchen makeovers can often be the most costly with the price of materials and labor required to redo countertops and cabinets. Don’t worry there are excellent contractors out there that I would be happy to recommend. Good luck, and once you get started, keep up the good work!

If you are interested in real estate in Bryan College Station contact Cortiers Luxury Realty by clicking the following link, Bryan College Station Real Estate, or call the office at 979-985-5610.

The economic turn of events has affected local economies differently. As we have all been well informed, the economy and the real estate market have suffered declines. Although the markets have suffered, the decline is a generalization of national averages. The effect is significantly different between local markets. Some markets, like Bryan College Station, have seen little to no negative effects from the economic downturn, while other markets have seen severe declines. Some of the best places to buy real estate a decade ago have now turned into the greatest losses. Namely, Phoenix home prices have fallen 32% compared to a year ago, Las Vegas home prices are down 31%, San Francisco is down 31%, Miami, Las Angeles, and San Diego are all down over 26%, and New York is down 18%. Inevitably these markets will recover to some degree, but these once upon a time hotspots are currently suffering significant losses. Seeing the real estate market decline in other areas reminds me how fortune I am to be in Bryan College Station. Compare these statistics to those of Bryan College Station that I have posted in my other blogs. We are truly fortunate to live in such an insulated real estate market.

If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Bryan College Station please contact Cortiers Luxury Realty by clicking the following link, College Station Real Estate, or call the office at 979-985-5610.

Speaking from experience in dealing with mortgage giants, if you are looking for friendly service that takes an interest in your wellbeing, they may not be the company for you. I must admit that some of these mortagage conglomerates can change. One of the largest lenders has been bought by Bank of America. Let’s hope that Bank of America will make some productive changes for the lender. They have already taken a step in the right direction by firing former CEO Angelo Mozilo. Mozilo made a devastating e-mail mix up when he accidentally clicked reply all after receiving a plea for help from a customer. Mozilo intended to forward the email to a colleague, but instead he called the customer “unbelievable” and “disgusting”, and sent it to a number of recipients including the customer. This Freudian E-slip exposed Mozilo and resulted in the loss of his job. Hopefully Bank of America can pick up the pieces and help some decent people with their real estate mortgages. If you are purchasing real estate in Bryan College Station, I would personally recommend Dexter Mortgage or just call us, Cortiers Luxury Realty, and we will take care of everything.

If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Bryan College Station contact Cortiers Luxury Realty by clicking the following link, Real Estate in Bryan College Station, or call the office at 979-985-5610.

For the last several years we have all suffered financially as gas prices continued to climb to new heights. Now, ironically, as the economy supposedly takes a down turn, the price of gas has taken a sharp decrease. This price drop might be a serious lifesaver as the economy struggles to recover from the downturn. The average price of gas on July 11, 2008 was $4.11 a gallon. The average price of gas today is $1.66, but Bryan College Station residents can get it even cheaper than that. Our local low can be found at Kroger, who is selling gas for $1.47. If I took a trip to Dallas in my truck, which gets 12 miles to the gallon, it would cost me $123 in July. Today it would only cost $44! With all this extra money, Americans can spend their money on other things, like Christmas. Economists estimate that the drop in gas prices could stimulate the economy by up to 2%. So don’t fret over the negatives things. Turn your TV off, jump in your car, and go visit your friends and family while gas prices are low!

If you are interested in Buying or selling real estate in Bryan College Station contact Cortiers Luxury Realty online by clicking the following link, Bryan College Station Real Estate, or call the office at 979-985-5610.

Is Google taking over the world? No, but we would all probably be a lot better off if they did! Google is, however, making incredible technological advances in many different areas. Not only are they making incredible advances, the majority of their progress they are offering to the general public for free. Have you seen the new 3D street view on Google Maps? It is incredible, you can virtually walk down the streets of Bryan College Station and look at all the homes and all the neighborhoods. If you want to check it out, type in your address in Google maps. When the map comes up click on the little man above the zoom in and out buttons. You will be amazed to walk around your neighborhood. You might find yourself outside working in the yard. Google has set out to make all books without copyrights available for download in full text, just check Google books. Google has come out with their own web browser. They have advanced business features comparable to Microsoft Outlook, all for free. Recently they started wirelessly syncing their calendar, contacts list, and email to most smart phones. Google has actually come out with their own smart phone, the T-Mobile G1. Google documents allow you to keep all your documents, spreadsheets, and more in the Google documents section. Google video now owns Youtube. They have come up with a way to read the audio from our videos, convert the audio to text and then make that text searchable and match the videos with the appropriate advertisements. They released Google SketchUp, a 3D design studio. Anyone can now design 3D models for free. But serious architects might want to invest in SketchUp Pro 7, it costs $495, but I am sure that is competitive with other architectural suites. Not only is Google a technological leader, it is also a philanthropist. Google sponsored an idea to make water more accessible to those in Africa that live a distance from water sources. In conclusion, I like Google. I use them for everything. I love my friendly corporate giant, it takes care of me. Thank you Google. This article has nothing to do with real estate, but everything to do with ingenuity and business. If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Bryan College Station please contact Cortiers Luxury Realty online by clicking the following link; Bryan College Station Real Estate or call us at the office at 979-985-5610. Get creative and have a Googlicious day! Technorati Profile