Before putting your house on the market for sale, you need to take some time "pretending to be a potential buyer." Get in your car and drive up and down the street in front of your house (don't worry about what the neighbors think...they'd do the same thing!) and imagine that you are seeing your home for the very first time. What could you improve?
The photos that your agent will take are equally important. Most buyers use these photos to help determine if they even want to visit the house. If the home isn't properly staged for the photos, you could lose some potential buyers.
The most common needs are small changes, like new door hardware and a fresh coat of paint on the front door, a new porch light and house numbers, or trimming back shrubs. Look closely-a potential buyer certainly will! Remove any dead or dying plants or trees, fertilize the lawn, put fresh mulch in the flower beds and hide the trash can. Adding a pot of brightly colored flowers near the front door or on the front steps can help, too.
By the time you're finished and ready for your agent to take photos, your home should be calling out "Come in! You want to see me!"
If you're thinking about selling, visit our website: www.taylorhometeam.com for a wealth of useful information for the selling process.
Potential clients and first time buyers usually ask this question. It's not one of the easiest answers to give. Most of the time a mortgage is required, so the lender requires a title policy. In some types of ownership transfers, title insurance is not required, or necessary. A good title company can help you determine your needs.
Listed below are a few of the hidden risks that are covered under an owner's policy:
Owners Policy-Homeowner
Just as lenders want security with their loan policy, you should want to protect your investment with an owner's title policy. For a low, one-time premium you can receive an owner's title insurance policy to protect your property against hidden risks or undiscovered interests.
The Owner's Policy Provides:
Peace Of Mind
Title insurance adds security and peace of mind to your ownership. Remember that a policy issued by Kendall County Abstract Company can help you prevent the potential loss of your property due to these causes as well as many others. If you have any questions about title insurance, call your local title compnay. They will be happy to answer your questions.
Owning real estate is one of the most precious values of freedom enjoyed in this country. When you decide to buy any type of real property, you want to be sure the property will be yours and that no one else will have any liens, claims or encumbrances against your property other than those disclosed to you or arranged by you (such as a mortgage).
If you are buying or selling real property, having a title policy protect the transaction gives everyone involved peace of mind.
If you are considering buying or selling real estate in the Texas Hill Country, check out our website: www.taylorhometeam.com
If you've never bought a home, or maybe you did...but don't get deeply involved in all the details, the loan process for getting a mortgage might be a bit mysterious to you. With all the focus on the mortgage industry lately, we decided to simplify and demystify this process for the average person.
The Typical Mortgage Loan Process:
1. Get Prequalified! Call us and we will help you connect with highly reputable mortgage professionals. As we have seen in recent weeks, they are NOT all created EQUAL! A referral from your Realtor is your best bet.
2. Start shopping for homes....we will be happy to show you any available homes in your price range that will suit your needs & wants. Once a home is selected, we will help you negotiate the contract for purchase.
3. Make sure you provide all personal documentation requested by your Mortgage Professional and sign and return your typed loan package promptly. Delay in these steps can actually delay your closing, or possibly cause you to lose the contract on the home you are purchsing if not careful.
4. Your Mortgage Professional's Loan Processor will verify your employment, assets and income.
5. Your Realtor, Mortgage Professional, and Title Escrow Officer will see that the title commitment, tax certificates, wiring instructions, survey, and appraisal are ordered and on track to be ready for closing as required.
6. Your Mortgage Professional will submit your loan file to the underwriter.
7. Make sure you discuss interest rates with the Mortgage Professional throughout this process and be prepared to lock your rate 30 days in advance.
8. Once the underwriter has issued the Final Approval, your file will be submitted to the Loan Closer.
9. The Loan Closer will prepare closing documents for your final signature at closing.
10. Your Realtor or Mortgage Professional will contact you with your closing costs so you can prepare your certified funds for closing. You will then go to the specified title company (or Fed/Ex is sometimes used for out of town buyers) and sign your closing documents. As soon as funding occurs, you will get the keys to your new home!
It seems like times are tough all around, and we feel that it's important to keep a good sense of humor to ease the tension. With that in mind, we hope these jokes will make you laugh!!
~If you really want to know exactly where the property line is, just watch the neighbor mow his lawn!
~If you think nobody cares you're even alive, just try missing a few house payments!
~The trouble with owning a home is that no matter where you sit, you're looking at something you should be doing!
~By the time you pay off a home in the suburbs, it isn't!
Cheers!
It can be really hectic moving out of your old home, and into a new one. There are a few things most buyers actually WANT sellers to leave behind. A thoughtful seller can make it a lot nicer when they leave a few items for the new owners such as:
1. Owner's manuals for appliances
2. Warranty info for anything that is in the house and still under warranty
3. Contact info for service providers that the seller used, like pest contro, pool maintenance, cleaning services and yard work, even a good veterinarian referral if the sellers and buyers have pets
4.Schedules for trach and recycling pickup and mandatory watering conservation schedules
5. Info on neighborhood events, like block parties and annual parades & festivals.
For more community info, and links to Texas Hill Country resources, visit our website at www.taylorhometeam.com
Your Local Real Estate Experts! "The Texas Hill Country Sells Itself....We Just Make It EASIER!"
EXPERIENCE - INTEGRITY - DEPENDABILITY
Our Client-First Philosophy
There are many qualities and skills that go into being an excellent real estate professional - integrity, in-depth community and market knowledge, marketing savvy, effective negotiation skills and a high-quality professional network, all of which are hallmarks of how we work.
That said, in our experience as Texas Hill Country real estate professionals, we've also found that providing the very best service is essentially about putting our clients first. This means keeping ourselves accessible, being good listeners as well as a good communicators, and responding quickly to your needs.
This "client first" philosophy has always been our approach and it requires us to continually improve our skills and ways of doing business. In addition, we've found that the latest technologies are enabling us to do everything we've always done, only much more quickly and efficiently. They've also helped us to extend the range of services we provide to our clients.
Sally Taylor
Sally is a Tacoma, WA native. She is a graduate of Washington State University & has her Master's degree from the University of Oregon. After travelling extensively & working in Berlin, West Germany & Australia, she eventually found her way to Texas which she now calls home. Sally has been selling Real Estate in the Hill Country for the past 8 years. She loves what she does & it shows.
Bill Taylor
Bill, a US citizen born in Canada, has spent most of his business career in state government economic development programs. He has held senior and agency head positions in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Texas. He has been recognized as a skilled marketing and public relations specialist both in the domestic & international marketplace. As a licensed Texas Realtor, his extensive expertise in negotiating benefits our customers who are buying or selling a home. Bill has also played professional ice hockey in Canada and Europe, which has nothing to do with real estate, but we thought you might find it interesting. Bill and his wife Sally have resided in the Texas Hill Country for over 17 years.
* Sally, our Team Leader holds a GRI, Graduate Realtors Institue, designation.
The Texas Hill Country, including:
"Sally and Bill Taylor exemplify what everyone looks for in a Realtor. We were fortunate enough to be referred to Sally Taylor by our out of state Realtor. Sally was given the task of finding a house in the Hill Country for our future retirement. We had never met her and only talked to her briefly until our first meeting in her office. I was so impressed by her knowledge of the area and the non-threatening approach she had in finding us a home. At no time did we feel uncomfortable or pressured. Knowledge of the market, understanding our needs, not wasting our time on properties that did not fit into our parameters, were only a few of the reasons we used Sally to a successful end." ~~Kenna & Linda S., Boerne
"The Taylor Team is completely committed to obtaining the best results for their clients. From contract to closing, the Taylor Team provides the type of service that only other Realtors can wish for! Committed, Integrity, Professionalism are just a few of the words I can use to describe how they treat each and every client!"
~~Tony S., Boerne
"Kerri sold us our property and we found her to be extremely knowledgeable concerning the purchase as well as very helpful regarding construction preparation. Kerri is the only realtor, of many, that we have met during the buying and selling of numerous personal residences that now we consider a friend. We look forward to calling Kerri for any future real estate needs."
~~Larry & Carol J., Comfort
"As a first time home buyer, I was a little apprehensive and nervous about purchasing a home. Luckily for me, I found Kerri Luke. Kerri understood the strain it is on a first-time home buyer to learn all that's required with finding a house and getting a mortgage. She dedicated so much time to making sure I understood the home-buying process. A year later, Kerri's still keeps in touch to see how things are going and if I'm enjoying my new home. What a Realtor!"
~~MaryLynn B., Comfort
"Purchasing a home or land from long distance can be a challenging endeavor. The Taylor team provided support beyond that normally expected of a real estate agency. Without your assistance and support, we would not have been able to pursue our dream of owning in the Texas Hill Country. Thank you!"
~~Kathleen Romane, Vancouver, WA
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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