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Featured Listing: 730 Long Prairie Dr.

Changing World of the Mortgage Industry

The last several years have seen an abundance of loan products flowing through our country. Zero down loans and 100% financing put homeownership within reach of just about everyone. But we all knew it couldn't last forever. The only thing constant in the mortgage world is that nothing ever stays the same. Read More »

How to Protest Your Property Appraisal

It's that time of year -- property tax appraisals are arriving in mailboxes and many homeowners are facing big increases. Last years tax rate reduction is being swallowed up by increased home valuations. It seems you just can't win. There are however things you can do to keep that appraisal value down. Read More »

Note - after reading this article, if you need help researching values for your neighborhood, please feel free to give us a call. Every year about this time we help homeowners determine what the real value of their home should be. We a good list of comparable homes in your neighborhood, you're ready and armed with the information you need to protest your appraisal.

The Five Biggest Investor Mistakes

Investing in real estate can be very profitable but only if you run it like a business. All too often people come into it thinking it would be a fun hobby to do in their spare time. It very well can be, but only if you avoid certain pitfalls. Read on to learn more about the Five Biggest Mistakes that Investors Make. Read More »

Tax Deductions for Being Green & Healthy

It may have been your dream house when you bought it, but most homeowners soon come up with a long list of ways to improve it. Fortunately, the Internal Revenue Service often offers assistance to homeowners remodeling, renovating and otherwise improving their homes. A collection of tax incentives for homeowners to make energy-efficient improvements took effect in 2006. Read More »

Buy a New Home? Take Your Realtor!

If you're like most people, when you're in the market to buy a new home you simply hop in the car, drive out to the communities that you're interested in and talk with the onsite salesperson about the homes you like. The sales person will then lead you around, showing you the homes, pointing out thing here and there and generally trying to convince you every step along the way of why their homes are so much better than everyone else's. You then go back to the office, write up a sales contract and six months later you're in your new home. This is how many people do it. Read More »

Maintaining Your Hardwood Floors

With today’s advances in wood flooring stains and finishes, cleaning your wood floors has never been easier. Regular maintenance requires little more than sweeping with a soft bristle broom, and vacuuming with a soft floor attachment if your wood floor includes a beveled edge that could collect debris. You also should clean your floors periodically with a professional wood floor cleaning product recommended by a wood flooring professional. The NWFA can help you find one in your area.

Preventive Maintenance

There are other steps you can take to minimize maintenance and maintain the beauty of your wood floors as well.

Do not use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to become slippery and appear dull quickly.
Use throw rugs both inside and outside doorways to help prevent grit, dirt and other debris from being tracked onto your wood floors. This will prevent scratching.
Do not wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
Wipe up spills immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
Do not over-wax a wood floor. If the floor dulls, try buffing instead. Avoid wax buildup under furniture and other light traffic areas by applying wax in these spots every other waxing session.
Put soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
Avoid walking on your wood floors with cleats, sports shoes and high heels. A 125-pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch. An exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 pounds per square inch. This kind of impact can dent any floor surface.
When moving heavy furniture, do not slide it on wood flooring. It is best to pick up the furniture completely to protect the wood flooring.
For wood flooring in the kitchen, place an area rug in front of the kitchen sink.
Use a humidifier throughout the winter months to keep wood movement and shrinkage to a minimum.

If you've been knocking around the idea of selling your home - NOW is the time to do it! The Houston area is seeing a huge shortage of available homes on the market, and that has created a fantastic sellers market.
Call Now: 281.787.0930

Interest rates are reaching all time lows and builders are desperate and offering unheard of incentives for new homebuyers. If you're considering making the jump from renting to buying, we want to talk to you! There are still loan products that can get you into a home with very little or even zero down!
Call Now: 281.787.0930

FLIP: How to Find, Fix and Sell Houses for Profit

Curious to see what you could qualify to buy? Apply online for loan approval now. It only takes a few minutes, and three local lenders can tell you what you could qualify to buy!

Tuesday: May 11th, 2007

This week, we've got quite a collection of information for you to feast on. Everything from investor and buyer tips to how to care for hardwood flooring in your home. The summer sales rush is kicking into high gear, and we're fielding more calls from buyers and sellers alike. If you're a homeowners thinking about selling your home, give us a call and let us help you determine if now is the right time. Likewise, if you're looking to buy a home, we'll be happy to help you find the perfect home for you and your family.

This week's newsletter marks the first time we've had a guest writer for our newsletter. Brad Levinton of Trenton Mortgage has submitted his article, The Changing World of the Mortgage Industry to enlighten us all about what all the recent mortgage changes mean to consumers in todays marketplace.

This week's newsletter also officially launches the new format for Realty Times. As regular readers of our newsletter, I'm sure you've noticed several formats that we've been playing with the last several months. This format seems to work well for us so you should expect to see it for a while. On a final note, each newsletter will highlight one of our listings. If you or anyone you know would be interested in any of these listings, please have them contact me directly. Thanks for reading all, and if there's anything else you'd like to see, just let us know!