3 Best Winter Activities in College Station

One of the best things about living in College Station is that while it offers the friendly, laid back atmosphere of a small town, it’s also a college city with plenty of activities to enjoy. Throughout the year, there are fun events like live music, museum exhibits, sports, and shopping excursions. In January, Santa’s Wonderland and Christmas in the park may be closing, but that doesn’t mean the winter fun is over. Here are just three of the events and activities you can try in College Station this winter.

Spirit Ice Arena

Spirit Ice Arena is open year round, but there’s just something special about going ice skating in winter. There’s public skating as well as figure skating lessons and exhibitions and hockey tournaments for the sports lover. They offer an annual Spirit Sensational Winter Camp where the kids can make friends, do arts and crafts, and learn how to skate. But if you’re not a kid, don’t worry, there are classes for you, too. There’s also a date night every Thursday, so you can enjoy a chilly but romantic evening with your special someone at Spirit Ice Arena.

Vinclusive

On the weekend of January 19th and 20th, you can enjoy a luxurious weekend of wine hosted by College Station’s own winery, Melissa Hof. Vinclusive allows participants to take part in the pruning and blending process...and to bring home the wine that they helped to make. They offer a daytime package, which includes both the pruning and blending workshops and lunch at Vintage House Restaurant, and a luxurious weekend package, with all the perks of the daytime package plus a 2 night stay at The Villa Bed and Breakfast, gourmet breakfast, and a four course dinner. If you need a brief winter vacation without leaving home, whether for you and someone special or just yourself, Vinclusive is a great option to keep in mind.

TAMU Basketball

Aggieland football season might end in January, but basketball season is still going strong. From January through March, come to the Reed Arena to support Texas A&M’s men’s and women’s basketball teams as they go up against rivals like Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas. This year, the men’s basketball team reached the top 10 of Associated Press’s Top 25 poll of college basketball teams, and they don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. The women’s basketball team is going strong themselves, but there’s still much more of the season to come. Will Anriel Howard break the Texas A&M career record of 19 double-doubles (which she’s already tied with Danielle Grant and Kelsey Bone). Will the men’s team keep their ranking, or even rise higher before the end of the season? This winter, you can be there to find out.

If you’re moving to College Station this winter, we’re happy to have you here. These are just a few of the activities you can enjoy in the winter months here, along with our terrific restaurants, parks, and museums. For more information about winter activities going on in town, talk to your local real estate agent. She’s an expert when it comes to College Station and Brazos Valley. She can help you find the best goings-on this winter...and the properties closest to them. 

House For Sale in College Station

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!

3 Things to Know About Buying Land

Sometimes living in the city can be a little too much, and you need to get away. Maybe you have a dream of building your own home on your own land, or you want to start a farm. Maybe you’re just particularly outdoorsy and the idea of having multiple acres in which to sprawl out appeals to you. However, the decision to buy land should not be made lightly. It’s not all sunshine and green grass, and there are some things to consider before you sell your apartment in the city and buy a few acres of land in the country. But if you’re prepared for everything that comes with it, buying land can be incredibly rewarding.

The Further You Get from the City, the Cheaper Land Will Be

Real estate is always at its most expensive in the heart of the city, so it’s common sense that the further you move from the city, the more affordable real estate will become. This goes for land. While buying land and building your own home will probably be more expensive than buying an existing home, land purchased well into the country will be considerably more affordable than land purchased right outside of the next city. However, this distance brings with it expenses of its own, like commuting costs to work or school that may make up the difference.

Take All Expenses Into Account

There are the obvious expenses to buying land: the cost of the land itself and building supplies for the new home. Then there are the expenses that creep up on you after you’ve already settled into the land. Commuting costs will almost certainly go up if you have business in the city or kids that need to be taken to and from school. And the more land you have, the more maintenance will cost to keep it in good shape. Property taxes will vary, of course. All of this should be taken into account when you start to budget and save for your land purchase.

With Land, You’re In it for the Long Haul

Many homeowners enjoy buying a house, flipping it, and selling it again to get a return on investment (ROI). This is easy enough to do in the city suburbs, but it’s not a very realistic goal to have when buying land. You can profit from being a landowner, but it takes a much longer time to do so, sometimes as long as 10 or 20 years. Especially if the land is vacant, you have to consider how long it will take you to get through all of the paperwork and approval to build property. If you’re buying land, you should be interested in living there for some time. This is why it’s convenient if you’re considering going into farming, or creating a family home...but not so convenient if you think you might be moving out of state in a few years.

Brazos Valley is an excellent place to buy land. There’s a wide variety of beautiful acres to choose from, and it’s within close enough distance to cities like Houston and College Station that you’ll be comfortably secluded without being cut off. Before you buy land, make sure you’re prepared for all the benefits and challenges that come with it. Talk to your local realtor to help you know what to expect. 

Lot For Sale in College Station

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!

3 Tips for Moving on a Tight Budget

No one ever said moving was easy, but sometimes the expenses can make it especially challenging. Sometimes moves come unexpectedly and you don’t have as much money to spend on it as you’d like, or you have other expenses to deal with after you move. Moving on a budget can be difficult, but it’s not impossible if you know where to save. Here are some of our favorite tips for moving without breaking the bank:

Move in the Winter

For movers, fall and winter are considered the “off-season.” It’s understandable. No one wants to have to drive for hours through the snow or load up all their stuff in the middle of winter. But if you’re moving on the budget, it might be worth it to consider moving in the colder months. Because movers get less business in the winter, they’re likely to offer sales and discounts during the off-season. You could save up to 30% on moving costs and have your pick of pick-up and delivery dates. You also might get to your new home faster, since there will be less traffic on the roads.

Lighten Your Load

Moving is a great time to go through all your stuff and see what you need to keep and what you need to toss. Think about it. You’ve downloaded all your music by now, right? Do you really need that big, outdated stereo? Are you going to read that book ever again? What about your wardrobe, is there anything that can be cut back on? Getting rid of the things that you don’t need anymore, or don’t want anymore, will not only make the move a bit cheaper and easier, but it might pad your budget a little. Rather than throwing out all of that, consider throwing a yard sale to make some extra cash.

Re-use Boxes

Rather than buying packing boxes new, save the next box that comes in from Amazon. Take boxes home from work. You can ask your friends, family, or local stores if they have any empty boxes they don’t need. Put feelers out on social media, even. Most people have more boxes than they need, and they’re just going to go in the trash if no one uses them. On the other hand, when you’re moving on a tight budget and every penny counts, buying new boxes for moving can be an expense you can’t afford--especially since moving companies know that movers need them and they’ll make you pay for it. There’s no need to spend that much on cardboard boxes when there are so many opportunities to get them for free.

Moving on a tight budget can be done with these savings-savvy tips, but to make the stress of the move easier, it’s worth considering hiring a realtor. A local expert in the Brazos Valley area can help you sell your home for the best price or move into the right home for you within your budget. She might even be able to offer a few extra tips to save you money on your move.

House For Sale in College Station

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!

Real Estate Predictions for 2018

2017 was quite a year for real estate, both in Brazos Valley and around the country. Now that it’s at an end, it’s time to look ahead to the predictions for 2018. Though it’s hard to know everything that will happen over the course of a year, economists and realtors alike have noticed trends moving in very specific directions. Based on those trends, here are some things you can expect when buying or selling your home in 2018:

We’re In for Another Seller’s Market

2017 was a seller’s market to be sure, with the price of home’s rising a whole 6.9 percent. 2018 is expected to be less extreme, but home prices will have a higher than average increase. Zillow’s chief economist, Svenja Gudell expects home prices to increase by 4.1 in 2018. There are a few factors that contribute to the rising home prices, like the rate of inflation, the desirability of the neighborhood, and the rate at which people are selling their homes. In 2018, it’s expected that more homeowners will decide to stick it out with their homes and remodel, which means there will be more buyers looking for homes than owners trying to sell their homes. It also means that if you’re considering selling your home, this may be the year for you.

Homeownership Will Stabilize

In 2016, homeownership dropped to an all-time low. Many people couldn’t afford to buy their own home or enjoyed the reduced responsibility that came with renting. Things started to improve somewhat in 2017, but in 2018, the rate is expected to finally stabilize at 63.9%. Many of those former rental apartment dwellers should start to seek out the security of a homeownership and will now have the savings to make it possible.

Millennials Will Take the Suburbs

For the past several years, the vast majority of millennials have preferred urban areas for a variety of reasons: it’s closer to work and has better public transportation coverage, it’s closer to their friends, and there’s more to do in the heart of the city than the suburbs. There tend to be more apartments in urban areas as well, which is what most millennials have sought. However, as millennials come into their 30s, market experts predict we’ll see more millennials moving into the suburbs...and into houses.

Buyers Will Move Away from High-Tax States

With major changes coming to tax laws, many buyers will no longer be willing to live in states with high income and property taxes like New York, California, and Maryland. In view of this prediction, Texas may receive an influx of homebuyers drawn in by the lack of personal income taxes and lack of property taxes for senior citizens.

If you’re interested in buying or selling your home in College Station or the Brazos Valley area this year, it’s a good idea to stay informed. If you have any questions about what to expect from the real estate market this year, talk to your local realtor. She can give you an expert look at the market and the best ways for you to buy or sell your home in it. 

House For Sale in College Station

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!