There has been much discussion lately about eliminating the local MLS (ours is Bryan-College Station MLS) and going with a national MLS. The proponants of this claim that it will eliminate worries about finding properties online and allow agents to show properties beyond their boundries.
I for one will stick to selling Bryan and College Station homes (and the surrounding areas). I feel like the pundits have some very solid points and a lot of negative points. I believe that the people that are for this measure (most of them are fellow Realtors) have a very minimal understanding of what a real estate agent truly brings to a transaction. A move to a national MLS will make us simple door openers, nothing more and nothing less.
I don't sell in Austin or Houston or Huntsville for one very good reason...I don't know the area. I would hate to sell a property to folks and then find out that it's in an area that's known for foundation failure (Houston and other areas have actual fault lines), or that there is a sewage treatment facility nearby that we didn't happen to smell that day, but that one or two months out of the year it's quite noticable.
Real estate is local. I've blogged before about the need to realize that the news in real estate is on the national level and that it looks very different here in Bryan/College Station. The same can be said for what sells here. In Michigan, where I came from originally (but, as they say, got down here as fast as I could...), it was desirable to have the master bedrooms upstairs. Heat, after all, rises and it was a nice way to maximize that and keep your bedroom cozy. Not so here as that feature all but sometimes kills a sale. In Huntsville, just miles from College Station, it is extremely common for slab failures to occur, and it doesn't affect the price that the home sells for. Not so in Bryan or College Station, with those listings even with a corrected issue taking much longer to sell and accepting typically, a much lower price per square foot compared to homes without issues.
How would you like a real estate agent to show you a house in College Station and not mention that the upstairs master will be an issue for resale? How about one from Austin that doesn't know that south College Station has traffic issues (currently being resolved) and that it could take double the time to travel to the university from one location compared to another? What about listing a house with a Houston agent, who doesn't understand the impact that proximity to Texas A&M University plays in home pricing and fails to price the house properly costing you thousands of dollars?
Real estate is a local venture and keeping it local is the best plan. Now, that isn't to say that a property in Caldwell shouldn't have some presence on the Austin MLS, or a property in Anderson shouldn't be listed in Houston MLS. For this I think a simple plan of cooperative listings would work well.
When buying or selling ensure that your real estate dollars work to your advantage! Use a local Realtor!!!
Showing posts with label Bryan texas real estate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bryan texas real estate. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Existing Home Sales Up
Both in our Bryan and College Station market, as well as the national market existing home sales were up in September by a significant 7.5%. This was unexpected as the economists were predicting furthur slowing.
Unfortunately this news was almost lost in the landslide of almost apocoliptic news in other fronts. For those of your that are news hounds, however, remember that bad news sells good or average news seldom does.
Headlines that splash are "Economy is hitting rock bottom" not "Our economy isn't growing as much as hoped, but is on the rebound".
We get many phone calls both from potential buyers and potential sellers asking about the market. We do have many people sitting on the fence but overall its still a very strong market.
It is especially important to have an agent that is experienced in Bryan and College Station real estate right now as there are some potentially rough waters to negotiate in the loan, appraisal and closing phases. It is just as important to have an excellent local lender on your side, as they are much more aware of potential issues than your larger, out of area, lenders.
In short our market is still moving. Prices are up modestly (that's typical for our market) and loans are still available.
Call today to start your own personal search or click on our MLS search and enter your criteria, price range and whether you are looking for Bryan or College Station or one of our outlying areas and we'll keep you up to date with all the new listings. If you're ready to search call and we'll arrange a time when we can meet (yes, weekends are always a possibility with advance notice) and arrange appointments to see the homes that either best suit your needs, or you are most interested in if you would like to pick. My Buyers Agent and I will show you a variety of different homes within your criteria and aren't the type of agents that show you 3 or 4 and encourage you to pick.
If you are interested in selling your Bryan or College Station home call today for a free market analysis.
Unfortunately this news was almost lost in the landslide of almost apocoliptic news in other fronts. For those of your that are news hounds, however, remember that bad news sells good or average news seldom does.
Headlines that splash are "Economy is hitting rock bottom" not "Our economy isn't growing as much as hoped, but is on the rebound".
We get many phone calls both from potential buyers and potential sellers asking about the market. We do have many people sitting on the fence but overall its still a very strong market.
It is especially important to have an agent that is experienced in Bryan and College Station real estate right now as there are some potentially rough waters to negotiate in the loan, appraisal and closing phases. It is just as important to have an excellent local lender on your side, as they are much more aware of potential issues than your larger, out of area, lenders.
In short our market is still moving. Prices are up modestly (that's typical for our market) and loans are still available.
Call today to start your own personal search or click on our MLS search and enter your criteria, price range and whether you are looking for Bryan or College Station or one of our outlying areas and we'll keep you up to date with all the new listings. If you're ready to search call and we'll arrange a time when we can meet (yes, weekends are always a possibility with advance notice) and arrange appointments to see the homes that either best suit your needs, or you are most interested in if you would like to pick. My Buyers Agent and I will show you a variety of different homes within your criteria and aren't the type of agents that show you 3 or 4 and encourage you to pick.
If you are interested in selling your Bryan or College Station home call today for a free market analysis.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
What Does Your House And A Widget Have in Common?
It's time to put your house on the market. You've cleaned, you've staged, you've contacted several agents to come out and talk with you. The agents seem to agree that, though your house is in great shape, and looks nice, your wall color is a bit unique. It's not going to suit everyone. What's your inclination? Do you paint, or let the buyer?
As real estate agents we often see people get a little emotionally involved when selling their home. It's hard not too! You've invested years of your life there. The kids may have grown up there. Johnny's height still is marked on the utility room door...I understand. I also caution you to try very hard to divorce your emotions from the process.
Imagine this...you are the head of the leading widget maker in Texas. You've done studies that show that College Station people like maroon widgets (what else would they like here in Aggieland?) Instead of going with maroon widgets though you decide that blue widgets are the way to go. They go with your office furniture better. Guess what? The widgets don't sell. You've spent alot of money on fancy boxes and marketing widgets that just sit on the shelves.
Now let's talk about your house. Yes, that purple in Suzy's room might have been her color, but for right now it's not about Suzy. For the moment it's about equity and maximizing it. Suzy's new room at the new house can be purple and pink, if she'd like. Paint the walls and you'll see green!
Your house when on the real estate market is, first and foremost, a product. You need to present it as a product. It needs to be clean and look nice. It needs to be staged properly. If at all possible it needs to be as neutral as possible. Accent with your furniture and accessories, not the wall color when preparing to sell your home.
For more advice on how to sell your home faster and for more money call today. Please let me talk with you about our professional marketing services. I would love to apply for the job of selling your home!
As real estate agents we often see people get a little emotionally involved when selling their home. It's hard not too! You've invested years of your life there. The kids may have grown up there. Johnny's height still is marked on the utility room door...I understand. I also caution you to try very hard to divorce your emotions from the process.
Imagine this...you are the head of the leading widget maker in Texas. You've done studies that show that College Station people like maroon widgets (what else would they like here in Aggieland?) Instead of going with maroon widgets though you decide that blue widgets are the way to go. They go with your office furniture better. Guess what? The widgets don't sell. You've spent alot of money on fancy boxes and marketing widgets that just sit on the shelves.
Now let's talk about your house. Yes, that purple in Suzy's room might have been her color, but for right now it's not about Suzy. For the moment it's about equity and maximizing it. Suzy's new room at the new house can be purple and pink, if she'd like. Paint the walls and you'll see green!
Your house when on the real estate market is, first and foremost, a product. You need to present it as a product. It needs to be clean and look nice. It needs to be staged properly. If at all possible it needs to be as neutral as possible. Accent with your furniture and accessories, not the wall color when preparing to sell your home.
For more advice on how to sell your home faster and for more money call today. Please let me talk with you about our professional marketing services. I would love to apply for the job of selling your home!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What Marketing Sells a Bryan or College Station Home?
"Everyone has 30 seconds of fame", remember the old adage? Well, expand that to every marketed property and you'll have the fate of a property that is marketed by an agent that is, shall we say, not "net savvy"?
The old stick it on the MLS and forget it was enhanced by newspaper coverage, magazine coverage and Cable Mart coverage. In its time this was good! Newspapers used to make my phone ring reliably on Monday mornings. I remember the day when I would study all the listings in the paper, in case someone called and the property they called about was sold, I could refer them to a different property and set up a showing....That was several years ago. Enter the internet age...and a whole different way of showcasing your property.
Your property has the potential to be extremely "famous" this way! Web sites with real estate listings abound and getting your house on to these web sites is as easy as hiring a "net savvy" agent. Getting an agent that places well on the search terms typically used is one of the ways that your house will get maximum exposure. "College Station real estate", and "Bryan Texas real estate" are two of the top terms for Google in B/CS real estate. If you Google "College Station real estate" currently you'll find my listing coming up at number 4, you'll find my featured properties coming up easily and quickly when you open the page. Excellent exposure! If you Google "Bryan Texas real estate" you'll find my listing at #9 on the first page as well. This requires work to keep my web site up there at the tops of these searches, but doing it gives my marketed homes more exposure than 95% of the other homes out there. This is better than most of the more public portals because the traffic is typically the very interested home buyer for our area. The public portals many times have people just shopping different areas to find out how real estate compares.
Our marketing doesn't stop there though! There are other more public portals that won't attract such a targeted market, but still perform very well. Trulia, Craigs List, Realtor.com, Oodles, and other general portals will showcase your home well when someone searches in our area. We carefully insure coverage on the best of these with some 300 or more web sites getting the information as well.
In general print advertising whether it be newspaper, magazine, or flyers, underperforms in comparison with targeted web site marketing.
Make sure your agent has a large internet presence and can get things done with Web 2.0!!!! Call today to speak to us for our marketing package!!!
The old stick it on the MLS and forget it was enhanced by newspaper coverage, magazine coverage and Cable Mart coverage. In its time this was good! Newspapers used to make my phone ring reliably on Monday mornings. I remember the day when I would study all the listings in the paper, in case someone called and the property they called about was sold, I could refer them to a different property and set up a showing....That was several years ago. Enter the internet age...and a whole different way of showcasing your property.
Your property has the potential to be extremely "famous" this way! Web sites with real estate listings abound and getting your house on to these web sites is as easy as hiring a "net savvy" agent. Getting an agent that places well on the search terms typically used is one of the ways that your house will get maximum exposure. "College Station real estate", and "Bryan Texas real estate" are two of the top terms for Google in B/CS real estate. If you Google "College Station real estate" currently you'll find my listing coming up at number 4, you'll find my featured properties coming up easily and quickly when you open the page. Excellent exposure! If you Google "Bryan Texas real estate" you'll find my listing at #9 on the first page as well. This requires work to keep my web site up there at the tops of these searches, but doing it gives my marketed homes more exposure than 95% of the other homes out there. This is better than most of the more public portals because the traffic is typically the very interested home buyer for our area. The public portals many times have people just shopping different areas to find out how real estate compares.
Our marketing doesn't stop there though! There are other more public portals that won't attract such a targeted market, but still perform very well. Trulia, Craigs List, Realtor.com, Oodles, and other general portals will showcase your home well when someone searches in our area. We carefully insure coverage on the best of these with some 300 or more web sites getting the information as well.
In general print advertising whether it be newspaper, magazine, or flyers, underperforms in comparison with targeted web site marketing.
Make sure your agent has a large internet presence and can get things done with Web 2.0!!!! Call today to speak to us for our marketing package!!!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Bryan and College Station real estate Slowdown?
Both Bryan and College Station posted home sales down in August from previous years and the past very strong months. Remember that July of this year was a record breaking year with sales surpassing previous years strongly. This could be an indication that the market is softening slightly here, though it could be that many people that traditionally would have bought in August instead jump started their plans and bought in July.
Overall there were 411 new listings in August. 292 sales occurred with a total number of active listings sitting at 1,139. The average sales price stayed strong at $179,870. Average days on the market stood steady at 105.
In the lower end market up to 99K there were 44 sold and 216 total listings. in the 100-180K market there were 149 sold with 446 total listed. In the 180-299K price range 57 sold with 257 total listed. Over 300K saw 30 sold with 220 total listed.
Again remember that in July we saw an almost equal number of sales and listings in the more popular price categories up to 200K. This could be the beginning of a slight softening or it could be a minor fluctuation.
Stay tuned for more details!
Overall there were 411 new listings in August. 292 sales occurred with a total number of active listings sitting at 1,139. The average sales price stayed strong at $179,870. Average days on the market stood steady at 105.
In the lower end market up to 99K there were 44 sold and 216 total listings. in the 100-180K market there were 149 sold with 446 total listed. In the 180-299K price range 57 sold with 257 total listed. Over 300K saw 30 sold with 220 total listed.
Again remember that in July we saw an almost equal number of sales and listings in the more popular price categories up to 200K. This could be the beginning of a slight softening or it could be a minor fluctuation.
Stay tuned for more details!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Picking The Perfect Bryan or College Station Home for Sale
Picking the right house in Bryan or College Station is, of course, a matter of personal opinion. There are as many distincive homes as there are types of people, and the "right" home for some would be a disaster for others. However, it is important to keep a few things in mind when choosing your next Bryan, Texas or College Station, Texas home.
1. Pick your Realtor carefully. A good Realtor can make the difference between a successful search and a flop. Finding the right agent can be the first step in finding the right home, and negotiating the right price. Look for an agent with experience. Not necessarily a lifetime...sometimes too much can harm the transaction (do you really want your agent to not be in touch with todays prices?), but enough to help you in evaluating homes and negotiating the price. You also want an active agent. Last month was an extraordinarily busy month in real estate in both College Station and Bryan. Despite that only over 350 units were sold in July, 08', the busiest month in the last seven years. We have over 640 agents on the books in our BCS MLS! In July I closed 9 transactions...our srongest 25-50 agents are the ones doing most of the business and are the ones most in touch with the market. Pick your agent amongst those that are actually in the business full time with experience. It will make a better experience all around!
2. Search for your new home with resale in mind! It may seem strange you right now, but money is made on real estate when it's bought, not when it's sold! You need to negotiate the best possible price on the best possible property for it to be a successful transaction!
3. Stay within the market averages! Though it goes against many peoples grain, staying within the average purchase price of homes in the area is a smart move. You may be able to afford much more house that the 120-200K that our market pulls, but you will maximize your resale if you stay within a margin of plus or minus 50 percent when buying. Buying a home for over 300K can be a good investment if your are going to stay in place for quite some time. If, however, you are planning on moving (or would like to be able to entertain the idea) within the next 3-5 years stay at under 300K to maximize your return.
These are just a few of the tips I can give you to maximize your real estate investment. Call today to set up a complimentary meeting to find out how we can work together to maximize your real estate experience! Call Coti or Chris today at (979)575-7765 or (979)574-1084!
1. Pick your Realtor carefully. A good Realtor can make the difference between a successful search and a flop. Finding the right agent can be the first step in finding the right home, and negotiating the right price. Look for an agent with experience. Not necessarily a lifetime...sometimes too much can harm the transaction (do you really want your agent to not be in touch with todays prices?), but enough to help you in evaluating homes and negotiating the price. You also want an active agent. Last month was an extraordinarily busy month in real estate in both College Station and Bryan. Despite that only over 350 units were sold in July, 08', the busiest month in the last seven years. We have over 640 agents on the books in our BCS MLS! In July I closed 9 transactions...our srongest 25-50 agents are the ones doing most of the business and are the ones most in touch with the market. Pick your agent amongst those that are actually in the business full time with experience. It will make a better experience all around!
2. Search for your new home with resale in mind! It may seem strange you right now, but money is made on real estate when it's bought, not when it's sold! You need to negotiate the best possible price on the best possible property for it to be a successful transaction!
3. Stay within the market averages! Though it goes against many peoples grain, staying within the average purchase price of homes in the area is a smart move. You may be able to afford much more house that the 120-200K that our market pulls, but you will maximize your resale if you stay within a margin of plus or minus 50 percent when buying. Buying a home for over 300K can be a good investment if your are going to stay in place for quite some time. If, however, you are planning on moving (or would like to be able to entertain the idea) within the next 3-5 years stay at under 300K to maximize your return.
These are just a few of the tips I can give you to maximize your real estate investment. Call today to set up a complimentary meeting to find out how we can work together to maximize your real estate experience! Call Coti or Chris today at (979)575-7765 or (979)574-1084!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Bryan's New High School Drawing New Homes!
Bryans new high school is coming along nicely! As fast as the high school is going up, the community is seeing new homes pop up in Austin's Colony. Austin's Colony is strategically placed with easy access to not only the new high school, but some fantastic shopping and the new Premier Cinema. Imperial Homes, New Vision, and several other builders are seeing the potential and responding to the demand. Blessed with Harvey Mitchell Elementary and close in to town this subdivision is poised for much more growth and it's become one of our most sought after subdivisions in Bryan.
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