What Time of Year is Best for a Big Move?

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It has long been an assumed real estate rule to shop for, buy and move to a new home in the spring or summer months. This advice gets passed around to anyone who is interested in moving to another part of the country or even just to a new community in the same state. The reasons for it are many, but they are not always the whole picture.

If you have a big move in your future, consider carefully when the best time to move will be.

Minimize Travel Problems

Moving in the warmer spring and summer months can minimize travel problems due to bad weather for people in the northern parts of the country. Snow and ice storms are the last things you want to experience when you are packing boxes and a big truck and driving a long distance.

When it comes to warmer climates like Texas, however, the chances of snow storms are so slim that they fail to be a true factor in deciding when you should move. Instead, you might want to avoid hurricane season.

Competition and Cost

Because so many people accept the rule of shopping for a new house in the spring, competition for the properties may actually be higher. This can not only stop you from getting the property you want, but also drive up prices more than you want to pay. People may be more eager to sell in the off season.

However, because of this same idea on timing, there will undoubtedly be more houses to choose from in the spring and summer months. If you shop during the winter, you may miss out on the perfect option that will only become available once the weather gets balmy.

Moving With Kids Who Are Still in School

One of the major reasons why moving in the summer months is popular has to do primarily with not interrupting the kids' educations. It is both academically and emotionally tough for kids to move to a new school, but it becomes even more difficult if you switch them in the middle of a school year. They have to worry about making new friends and catching up with classes that may be very different than they are used to.

When it comes to moving to a new state or just across town, choosing the right time of year can make the process that much easier and less stressful. Although the classic suggestion or spring and summer for moving makes sense in most cases, it is possible to realize some benefits from shopping for houses in autumn or winter as well.

In the end, most people move at a certain time of year because they have to. A new job often forces people to move at a precise time that may not be ideal in the market. When there is time to make a choice, however, focusing on the weather, ease of finding a great property and minimizing the negative impact on kids and the whole family are the best considerations to make. 

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Moving to College Station, TX in the Springtime

College Station, TX is situated just northeast of Houston and enjoys warm weather most of the year. This makes it easy to move to the Brazos Valley in any season, but if you intend to buy a house in this area, Springtime is a great choice. What could be better than starting your new life in a new home at the same time as the warmth of spring is starting up again for another hot Texas season?

Even in December and January, the average temperature in College Station, TX hovers around the 60° mark although it can get quite chilly at night. In the middle of the summer, July and August, the weather soars up into the 90s on average. If you and your family prefer cooler weather, moving in the winter can be a good choice as well, but no one wants to carry boxes in and out of the front door when it's near 100°F.

Not only is the weather suitable for moving to College Station, TX in the spring, but there are plenty of things to do to learn about your new community and home. The area boasts many parks and recreation areas to explore and enjoy with the family. Sports and outdoor activity are important in the region and clubs and organizations become more active as the weather gets warmer.

A few of the parks in the College Station and Bryan, Texas area include Castle Rock Park, Emerald Forest Park, Parkway Park and the Veterans Park and Athletic Center. There are dozens more community parks to explore near your new home. Most of them feature playgrounds for the kids, walking trails to explore the natural beauty of the area and various sports fields for soccer, baseball and more.

Spring time is a great time to move to the College Station area because there are also so many more fun and you will event is that you will want to miss. Besides plenty of Easter celebrations around the community, there are also Earth Day activities, art shows, blues and jazz festivals, plenty of sporting events at the local fields, schools and Texas A&M University.

Some other spring events include the AJ GA golf tournament, Chillfest, the Children's Festival, the beginning of the Starlight Music Series and the Messina Wine and Roses Festival.

So many things to do and explore in the College Station, TX area, moving to a new home here is always an adventure. To maximize your enjoyment of the season and experience all the wonderful activities that makes this region so wonderful, moving in the springtime is always a good choice.

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!

10 Buyer Tips for Going to an Open House

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If you have never bought a house before, you may be a bit nervous about attending open houses because you don't know what to expect. Even if you have been on the market for some time, there are always new things to learn about the process that can help you find your dream home. Open houses are quite popular methods of getting potential buyers in the door and talking with the seller's real estate agent. What you do, how you act and what you ask during an open house is an important part of the process.

1 – Be prepared for the open house experience. Wear comfortable, appropriate clothing and shoes. Always bring a notebook, pen or pencil or other recording device and a camera if pictures are allowed.

2 – Research before making your plan. While going to open houses may be fun for you, not focusing on houses in your price range or the right neighborhoods is a waste of everyone's time.

3 – Always be polite and considerate. It is the seller's agent's job to show you the house, but this does not mean they are your personal tour guide. Use your best manners and do not commandeer the agent's time if there are other people viewing the house.

4 – Remember that this is someone's private home. While you can certainly open closet doors to see how large they are, an open house is not permission to paw through someone else's belongings. Treat every part of the house and everything in it with respect.

5 – Pay attention to other buyers and open house visitors. Do other shoppers leave quickly? Do they ask a lot of questions you are interested in as well? Seeing how more experienced open house goers react to the house and the price can help you make up your mind.

6 – Ask intelligent questions. Do not ask questions that are already covered in the real estate ads or information sheets.

7 – Sign in and take the information sheets. Most open houses have sign in sheets or books to keep track of how many people came to the showing. Sign in but feel free to omit your contact information if you are not completely interested in the house.

8 – Learn to ignore décor. Open houses are frequently given in homes where the owners are still living. This means their family photos, favorite knickknacks and everyday stuff might still be sitting around. Even if the real estate agent staged the home professionally, it is important to look past the décor and judge the actual building.

9 – Engage all your senses: look, listen and smell. The house may look wonderful, but is the neighborhood noisy? Does the ductwork or plumbing clunk and clank when it is used? Is there a funny smell in the kitchen or exhaust drifting in from a nearby highway? Use all your senses at an open house.

10 – Never make decisions about buying on the spot. This is especially important if you are going to the open house with a spouse or significant other. Take some time away from the house and agent to discuss your honest opinions about the property.

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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!

5 Must-See Pictures Before Buying a Home

Every person who shops for a new home to buy looks at the real estate listings to get an idea about what the house looks like, how big the rooms are, what kind of layout or floorplan the house has and how much painting and floor installation needs to be done before they are happy with the look. The more pictures the better when it comes to house shopping, but most of the snapshots of bedrooms or porches are not as important as you might think.

When it comes to buying a home, there are 5 main pictures that should always be seen before making a decision.

1 – Picture of the House from the Street
This not only shows you how appealing the house looks when you approach it, but can also tell you a lot about the upkeep and landscaping maintenance. Also, you can get an idea about the surrounding neighborhood from how well the house is presented.

2 – Picture of the Basement or Utility Room

While knowing the third bedroom is hot pink can give you an idea about future redecorating needs, a picture of the hot water heater or plumbing under the house can reveal a much bigger problem. Look for rust, water damage, mold or rot on wooden boards and other potential issues that may necessitate very large and expensive fixes.

3 – Picture of Both the Front and Back Yards

As you are focusing on beautiful shade trees or fussy clipped hedges that would take a lot of maintenance, also consider the slope of the land around the house. Will rain water run down the hill in the back straight into the basement? Will mowing be really difficult due to a berm out front by the street?

4 – Layout Picture and Floorplans

Unless you go to an open house armed with a tape measure and large notebook, you need some way of finding out the actual layout and measurements of all the rooms and hallways in the home. Seeing a picture of the actual floorplan can help you determine if the house has useful spaces for your family. After all, a three bedroom home may sound great if you have three older children, but if one of the bedrooms is 10 x 8 feet, you will have a hard time housing your teenage son in there.

5 – Overhead Satellite or Google Earth Type Picture

As long as you have the property's address, you can easily get access to this overhead satellite picture of the house, neighborhood and surrounding area. While recently looking at potential properties to buy in another state, I thought I had found a wonderful house with a nice yard. A Google Earth search revealed a working gravel mine within three miles or its front door. Just imagine hearing that operate all year round!

Satellite images can not only reveal serious potential headaches, but also issues that may affect your house insurance. Is there a river or large stream nearby that may put the property on a flood plane? These pictures also help you determine if shopping is conveniently nearby or if a busy industrial park will add traffic to the neighborhood.

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!