“World's Most Complete Neighborpedia”
Sponsor a Community — What is Localism? | Register or Sign In
Explore:   What's happening in your neck of the woods?
HomeTexasHarris,    Fort Bend CountyHouston

Houston, TX

Blog_tag

10 Minutes after our last blog....

02-12-12
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team: Real Estate Agent in Tomball, TX
  • view my blog
  • Office: (713) 632-4500
  • Mobile: (713) 447-4343

About ten minutes after we wrote the piece about yesterday's showing on our personal home which is on the market, the phone rang. It was the showing agent from that showing wondering if she could reshow the people who had come by.

We were thrilled! Of course she could come by. Even after spending the morning fine tuning, we ran around putting last minute finishing touches throughout.

As soon as the bell rang we exited stage left to leave them alone to give it all the looks in all the nooks and crannies. It was a very cold day and to make our back yard camp out more entertaining, sleet pellets began to fall from the grumpy looking sky.

From the comfort of the covered patio, we shivered and waited. Twenty five minutes later they were still looking.

Their agent came out at that point and told us to come back in. The prospects felt it was too cold for us to be outside and they were fine with us being in the house while they continued to look and measure.

All the looking and measuring took from 3:45til 5pm so they know the house as well as we do now! They had a contractor with them so they are obviously planning to expand the redo we just did. That is IF they make an offer we can work with.

One step at a time. Yesterday at this time we knew there was some interest, and they thought our home was pretty. Today we know they like it well enough to measure it and consider making further modifications. Wonder what we will know this time tomorrow!

Selling a house is not for the faint of heart. I am now convinced that it is not possible to totally detach yourself from the space in which you live.

1 Comment
Blog_tag

The Agent arrived right on time....

02-12-12
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team: Real Estate Agent in Tomball, TX
  • view my blog
  • Office: (713) 632-4500
  • Mobile: (713) 447-4343

The doorbell rang at 3:45 yesterday afternoon. The agent was bringing her clients for the scheduled showing.

We opened the door and then respectfully went out the back door to stay out of the way.

After about fifteen minutes the agent brought her clients out to look at the yard and the garage.

They asked us a few questions and then asked if they could go through the house again

The entire process took about half an hour (which we think is a nice showing for a house that's 1845 square feet and most showings take about 10 minutes.) They obviously did not hate it since they went back for a second look.

The agent stuck her head out the back door and said "you have a very pretty home!"

Thanks a bunch! We are grateful for the showing... But since it has been almost 24 hours since the big event, and we have not received an offer, we are guessing that it did not make the cut. Oh well! There is always tomorrow. More waiting.

In the meantime, we deep cleaned every square inch again. Wonder if we will get as good at waiting as we have become keeping the house in show shape?

It is now much easier to understand why every seller wants feedback about every showing! "You have a very pretty home" just does not do much to communicate. Where is pretty on the scale of what the buyer wanted?

1 Comment
Blog_tag

Waiting is difficult!

02-11-12
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team: Real Estate Agent in Tomball, TX
  • view my blog
  • Office: (713) 632-4500
  • Mobile: (713) 447-4343

Waiting is difficult.

For us it is more difficult than usual in these last few weeks. Three weeks ago when we put our house on the market we had spent five months getting it ready and researched it thoroughly to be sure it was priced right.

All our years in the Real Estate business we have believed that when a property is priced right and in good condition, it will sell quickly.

Now with three weeks gone and only one showing we are having difficulty with the situation.

The fact that there are 10 other homes on the market in our subdivision has been taken into account. The fact that it has rained almost every day should also be factored in but we are not the ordinary sellers!

If a little knowledge makes average sellers a danger, consider our 58 years combined experience! We would be an agents nightmare!

After careful consideration of the over all market we have done the only thing we could think
Of to possibly make the phone ring. We lowered the price last night. This morning the phone rang with a scheduled showing for late today.

Of course the lower price does not assure us there will be an offer from these folks. It is a lottery possible though than if no one sees the house. If only we had an agent to blame for the inactivity!

Perhaps this experience will remind us down the road when we have sellers that get hostile... Waiting is difficult!

7 Comments
Blog_tag

What would you do with...

02-10-12
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team
Jeanne and Ralph Janisch CRS, Brokers Durango Home Team: Real Estate Agent in Tomball, TX
  • view my blog
  • Office: (713) 632-4500
  • Mobile: (713) 447-4343

What would you do with an acre and a quarter of land close to town? Suppose it came with three homes, one of which was mobile, and a 1800 sq ft cinder lock building which was once a convenience store?

Suppose this place was located close to a major road and had lots of industrial and commercial buildings all around on similar pieces of acreage?

If the land had a natural low spot, would you dig a small pond and stock it? Would you utilize one of the houses and rent the other two?

Do you like to barbeque? You could make large quantities and sell it from the little store building that comes with the property. You could also make any number of delicious fast foods or stock the shelves and freezer with breads and beverages to return the store to its previous use.

You could change your lifestyle completely and live and work on the same property. The savings in gasoline would be one terrific extra!

3 Comments
Blog_tag

Houston ended 2011 with healthy real estate market

02-09-12
Mark Fuller
Mark Fuller: Real Estate Agent in Houston, TX
  • view my blog
  • Office: (713) 470-2161
  • Mobile: (834) 423-4762

After several months in which home sales figures were skewed by the effects of the 2010 homebuyer tax credit, the Houston real estate market concluded 2011 solidy in the black. December marked the seventh straight month of increased homes sales and the month contained a host of indicators suggesting a healthy start to the new year. Prices of single-family homes across Greater Houston for the full-year of 2011 were up slightly from 2010. The median price reached an all-time high for a December in Houston and months inventory hit its lowest level in two years.

According to the lastest monthly data compiled by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), December sales of single-family homes throughout the Houston marktet climbed 7.2% when compared to December of 2010. Positive sales activity was recorded in every segment of the housing market except the luxury segment-those homes priced from $500,000 and above-which was unchanged year-over-year.

The average price of a single-family home was statistically flat at $219,791 compared to December 2010 while the December single-family home median price-the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less-rose 1.9% from one year earlier to $160,000.

Foreclosure property sales reported in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) increased 6.1% in December compared to December 2010. Foreclosures comprised 20.5% of all property sales, remaining consistent with the levels they maintained for much of 2011. December's median price of foreclosures held steady on a year-over-year basis at $82,550.

December sales of all property types in Houston totaled 5,460, up 6.6% compared to December 2010. Total dollar volume for properties sold during the month increased 7.5% year-over-year to $1.16 billion. On an annualized basis, sales of all property types were up 4.3 percent compared to 2010 levels while total dollar volume rose 5.2% to $13 billion.

"2011 ended on a very promising note," said Wayne A. Stroman, HAR chairman and President/CEO of Stroman Realty. "We spent a good part of the year struggling to accurately gauge the market because we were comparing to accelerated sales in 2010 that resulted from the homebuyer tax credit. Once we distanced ourselves from that period, we saw clear indications of a healthy market with a balanced supply of housing inventory and strong pricing-conditions that put Houston in an enviable position compared to many housing markets around the country. The key to sustaining that positive momentum in 2012 will be continued improvement in Houston's employment numbers."

The Houston houseing market concluded calendar year 2011 with noteworthy gains in sales volume along with strong pricing. Single-family homes sales rose 4.0% for the year while sales of all property types increased 4.3%. On a year-to-date basis, the average price rose 0.9% to $213,723 while the median price ticked up 0.7% to $155,000. Total dollar volume for full-year 2011 climbed 5.2% to $13 billion compared to full-year 2010.

Source: Houston Association of Realtors

0 Comments