Monday, March 28, 2016

3 Ways to Make Kids Feel at Home in College Station, TX

Image credit: freedigitalphotos.net
When the kids in the family have to leave behind for school and friends to move to a new place, they may not see it as a grand adventure and instead see it as a dramatic time of upheaval and disappointment. When you buy a new home with the help of a professional realtor in College Station, TX, you can be sure of getting the right home for your family. This does not necessarily mean the kids will be on board with the change.

Try these three techniques to create a more welcoming, comforting and exciting feel to your new College Station, TX home.

1 – Set up their rooms before they arrive.
Coming into the house for the first time and seeing a bare and empty room as their new safe place can be difficult for kids. There is something comforting about their walls and no furniture. While older kids may enjoy decorating their own room and laying out furniture as they wish, they also need a feeling of comfort and security. Put some of their favorite things in a similar configuration to how they had them at your old home.

2 – Take a walk and of drive through the neighborhood.
To a kid in a new town or city like College Station, TX, halfway down the block is a whole new world. If you want your kids to feel comfortable with the surroundings, make them familiar as quickly as possible. Take them on the first drives to the local stores, the bank and other businesses. Walk around the neighborhood and point out street signs and landmarks so the kid gets to know he or she couldn't get lost just by taking a walk. You may even get the opportunity to meet some of your neighbors.

3 – Plan several weekends of new experiences and day trips.
College Station, TX and Bryan, TX have a lot to offer when it comes to natural beauty, history, culture and just plain fun. When you moved to the area with your kids in tow, it is of great idea to plan some outings that will help you all get used to your new world. These should be tailored to the particular interests of the kids, but can also include other things to expand their horizons.

After all, that is what moving to a new area does for the entire family. After working with a College Station, TX realtor and finding the perfect home, there is still a lot of transitioning to do. Kids who miss their old home, school and friends may have a more difficult time with it. Making things as comfortable and fun as possible will go a long way in helping them feel more at home in their new College Station, TX home.






Featured Home for Sale in College Station, TX




Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor bryan-college station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable sale of your home. Call Sarah Miller at 979-255-1904 for your real estate needs in Bryan-College Station and the entire Brazos Valley!

Friday, March 25, 2016

Turnkey or Fixer Upper for Your New College Station, TX Home


3492 Matoska Ridge Dr

Unless you are a contractor or a house flipper, chances are you do not want to buy a home with the help of a realtor in College Station, TX that needs extensive renovation or repair before you can move into it. A person or family moving to the Brazos Valley area needs a property that is safe and sufficient for the needs of everyone who will live inside. The decision then comes down to buy a turnkey home with every material and amenity in place or fixer upper requires remodeling for you can call it your dream home.

Buying a Turnkey Home in College Station, TX

The benefits of buying your dream home right off the bat are obvious. You will get exactly what you want and not have to live through the headaches of renovation with workmen stomping in and out all the time, the noise of power tools and the dust and dirt involved. Of course, a turnkey home will cost more than one that needs renovation or remodeling. It is important to stick to your home-buying budget. This could potentially mean that you have to leave out some things you really wanted like an extra bedroom or a finished basement.

Buying a Fixer Upper in College Station, TX

It may be possible to stretch your budget farther if you buy a home that needs some work for it has absolutely everything you ever dreamed of. Unless you are experienced, do not buy one with structural problems or serious upgrade requirements. Instead, choose a home in a great neighborhood that needs new paint, wallpaper, countertops and custom cabinetry to bring it up to where you would be proud to call it home.

Budget is still a very important thing to pay attention to, and remodeling can be a slippery slope that leads you into potential trouble or debt. You cannot keep adding just one more thing to the list of tasks for your contractor to handle. Instead, come up with a list together of your must-haves and then get a solid quote before the work begins.

No matter what method you use to achieve home ownership in College Station, TX or Bryan, TX, and experience and professional realtor can help you on your way. I hope she can help you see the possibilities and homes that may not currently be perfect for your tastes, but have a lot of potential. Whether you use more money to begin with to buy a fully outfitted home of your dreams or spend more money on the backend by getting a fixer upper is up to you. Just make sure you know what you're getting into before you make the decision.




Featured Home for Sale in College Station, TX


Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor Bryan-College Station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell of your home. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station Realtor that has a long list of the finest homes in College Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Why You Need a College Station Realtor to Buy the Perfect Home

Image credit: freedigitalphotos.net
Do-it-yourself may be a very popular way to fix things around the home, but going it alone during the home buying process may leave you feeling like an amateur plumber with water up to your knees. In your mind, the home buying process may not seem that complicated or time-consuming. You find a property like, offer to pay a reasonable amount, sign some papers and move in.

In reality, the services of a College Station realtor can make the whole process seem that simple even if it is really much more complex. Most working adults do not have the time or know how to find the best house and get the best deal on their own.

Get Your Foot in the Door During Showings

While anyone can walk in the door during an open house, a College Station realtor can organize additional showings for more properties that may not host public viewings. Not only can your agent get you in the door, but they can better position you to make a winning bid through careful and professional interaction with the sellers.

Find Properties For Sale Not Well Advertised

A quality College Station realtor knows where to look to find the perfect homes. Negotiation between different ones is not unheard of to facilitate buying other agent's listings. At any given time a professional realtor may have many properties for sale listed with them and they may not all get the same exposure. Also, if the person interested in buying a home finds a property on another website or while driving through town that strikes their interest, the realtor can contact the owners and their realtor more easily than someone not affiliated with the industry.

Tackle the Negotiations Like a Professional

Many people find it uncomfortable to haggle and negotiate. When it comes to real estate, you also need to research the property values, sale prices of similar homes and many other factors before you can offer acceptable bids. An experienced College Station realtor has done all this like work for you and knows what the sellers are likely to accept.

Navigate the Buying Process and Paperwork

The worst thing that could happen when you try to buy a home without the help of an experienced realtor that you make a horrible mistake with the paperwork and are cheated out of money or any other factors you tried to negotiate or end up not legally owning the property after all. Paperwork and appointments are just more things to worry about and be concerned over unnecessarily. The right College Station realtor can take all that stress away and seal the deal so you can move into your brand new home and enjoy your happily ever after.




Featured Home for Sale in College Station, TX


Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor Bryan-College Station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell of your home. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station Realtor that has a long list of the finest homes in College Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904

Friday, March 4, 2016

The 30 Days or Less Plan to Buying a Great Property in College Station, TX


When you and your family decide to move to a new place, the best thing to happen is to find the perfect home as soon as possible. No one wants to be stuck renting for a month or staying in a hotel during the property search process. Being prepared and enlisting the help of a professional College Station, TX realtor are the best options for doing this in 30 days or less.

A professional College Station realtor is a must.

If you want to find the best properties quickly, you need the help of an experienced and active realtor in the College Station and Bryan, Texas area. Research several and then go with one you know you can trust to have your best interests at heart. Experience, stellar service and a large catalog of properties to choose from can all help you make up your mind. A realtor makes every step of the home shopping and buying process smoother, quicker and less stressful.

Take some time to learn the local market and home prices.

As great as a College Station realtor is, you do not have to leave everything up to her. Take some time to study the market in the area where you want to move. Look at home prices, other houses for sale and whether the area is being built up or falling in value. An experienced local agent will also know this information, but it can speed up the entire process if you take the time to learn on your own. That way you will not ask to see houses that are over-priced or off market.

Be ready with financing and mortgage approval as soon as possible.

Take the time to meet with various mortgage lenders or financial companies well before you look at properties or decide on which one to buy. You need to know how much of a loan you qualify for before you shop in your price range. This also lets sellers know you are serious and ready to make a deal.

Keep your head out of the clouds when it comes to affordability and requirements.

People imagine their dream house for years sometimes, peruse magazines and websites showing the most attractive and luxurious rooms and amenities. The truth of the family budget usually counter-balances the dreams to a degree, and it is very important to maintain a reasonable attitude when shopping for property. Determine what you can afford and stick to it. Make a list of everything your dream house would have and then cross out the things that are impractical or unaffordable.

If you want to find the right home for your family in a short amount of time, it pays to do your homework, get prepared and make the whole process as easy as possible with the help of a knowledgeable and experienced College Station realtor.





Featured Home for Sale in College Station, TX




Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor bryan-college station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable sale of your home. Call Sarah Miller at 979-255-1904 for your real estate needs in Bryan-College Station and the entire Brazos Valley!