Finding the Right College Station Realtor

Finding a realtor can make your life considerably easier when it comes to either buying or selling your College Station home. But how do you find the right one? Buying and selling your home is an important step, and the real estate professional you choose to help you through it should be someone experienced and committed to helping you get the best deal. With so many realtors in College Station, the search might seem daunting, but if you use these steps, you can be sure that you’ve made the best choice.

Listen to What Past Clients Have to Say

For real estate professionals, reputation is everything. Even if you’re just moving into College Station and haven’t heard much in the way of word-of-mouth, you can get a sense of a realtor’s reputation by looking up online reviews. Anything from Facebook to Yelp to industry specific sites like Zillow can offer reviews from past clients that give you an idea of what to expect.

Look at the reviews on the whole. There’s always a chance that one person might have given 5 stars where they weren’t deserved or given 2 stars over an issue that was blown out of proportion. However, if the majority of past clients weren’t satisfied with the job, that should be a red flag. Pay attention to the content of the reviews, as well. What did the customer actually have to say about the job and what claims do you see most consistently?

Check their Licensing

Different states offer different licenses for realtors in their area. In Texas, realtors take courses to judge their expertise before acquiring their license. You can search for a realtor on the Texas Real Estate Commission website. This will allow you to confirm that they are, in fact, licensed. If not, don’t bother.  Anyone without a license is a real estate fraud. However, just because a realtor is licensed doesn’t mean they’re qualified to help you. Looking up their license will also allow you to see if any disciplinary actions have been taken against them, and how long they’ve been licensed in the area. These are both important considerations in choosing a realtor.

Talk to Them

Once you’ve researched the realtor, the best way to find out if they’re the right realtor for you is to talk to them. Call them to schedule a consultation. Form a list of questions to ask them about their work or about the current market. Sit down with them and talk before you make any decisions to hire. All the internet research in the world doesn’t hold a candle after all to real interaction. If they’re able to competently answer all your questions and they leave you feeling confident at the end of the consultation, hire them. If not, it’s time to look elsewhere.

Finding the right realtor is essential when it comes to buying and selling your home. You should find someone who knows College Station and the current market well through years of experience. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone to schedule a consultation so you can make an informed decision.

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! Sarah Miller, Associate RE/MAX BRYAN COLLEGE STATION 3030 University Dr East Ste 100, College Station, TX 77845 License #: 500065

Making Your New House’s Interior Feel Like Home

It can be a process feeling at home in a new house when you’ve just moved. First, you have to unpack all the boxes, arrange the bedroom, and try out the new kitchen. For a while, you may find yourself comparing your new house to your old home where so many memories were held. It’s an emotional process as well as a physical process.

But one thing that can help is to decorate your house’s interior. After all, this is where you want to be most comfortable. If you start to make your house yours before you even move in, half of the adjustment process will already be finished and with each box unpacked, your house will start to feel more like home.

Do the Big Projects Before You Move In

You don’t have to tackle every project before you move in, but you should at least make sure the big ones are done. If you want to install hardwood floors, for instance, this is a project that could be very disruptive to live through. Taking down walls or adding new walls should be done before you move in. Some homeowners prefer to paint the walls before they move in, as well, so the paint smell has left by the time they move in. As far as furniture, wall hangings, and even progressive projects like window replacements, it can wait until after you’ve moved in.

Don’t Rush to Unpack, But Don’t Take Too Long, Either

When you first move in, you may not feel like doing much other than taking a nap. It’s not urgent that you unpack right away. Give yourself a little time. Walk around the neighborhood and meet the neighbors. But don’t let the boxes sit in the corner collecting dust for months, either. Start unpacking as soon as you can. Maybe you can do it in phases or listen to music while you unpack to make it easier. The more you unpack, the more your house will start to look like home.

Bring Artwork from The Old House

If you had artwork on the walls of your old home, you should bring as much of it as possible in the old house. You may even want to install them in the same place. The paintings that went over the living room can go over your new living room. The map that hung across from your bed can do the same in the new house. While you don’t want to replicate the design of your old house, it can help you adjust if you have some familiar sights to look at.

Try Something New

While you should hold onto a few familiar touchstones, the rest of the house should look all new. It’s a good idea to give your new home a different look altogether than your old house, as well as a different look than the current home had before you moved in. If you replicate the design of your old house, it may start to feel boring and stale. If you keep the interior of the new house too close to the original design, it may feel too much like someone else’s house. Paint the walls a fresh new color. Experiment with furniture arrangement or even buy new furniture. Redecorate the bathroom. Both you and your new home are on a new adventure with each other, and the interior should reflect that.

Add a Few Potted Plants

The addition of plants in the window sill or on their own shelf near a window can help breathe life into a new home’s interior design. It keeps the home from feeling stale and dull. This can be a great addition if you have cats (provided you buy pet-friendly plants like spider plants or petunias) to help them feel at home as well. You can also plant herbs and use fresh cuttings in your own cooking.

You may not immediately feel at home in your new house, but the more you fill it with the things you love and your personal design preferences, the more comfortable you’ll start to feel. After the first year, you may even be able to look back on new special memories that you enjoyed there, and you’ll wonder how it could ever have not been your home.

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! Sarah Miller, Associate RE/MAX BRYAN COLLEGE STATION 3030 University Dr East Ste 100, College Station, TX 77845 License #: 500065

Tips to Make Moving Easier

When you think about it, moving is a pretty monumental task. It may be treated as a simple fact of life, but in essence you’re boxing up you’re packing up your entire life to send it somewhere new, whether it be across the street or across the world. There may be things you have to leave behind or new things you have to pick up along the way. If you’re not extra careful with your packing, there may be things that you didn’t mean to leave behind that are forgotten anyway. And then when you reach your new house, you have to unpack, well, your entire life.

It’s no wonder it can be stressful to so many, but there are ways to make it easier for yourself. The most important is to plan ahead. If you have a chance, start itemizing and packing with at least 30 days to go before the move.

Communicate with Your Mover

If you’re staying within the same city, you may be able to avoid hiring a mover, provided your or some friends have trucks that can move things from the old house into the new. However, if you’re moving some distance or don’t have quite so many resources, you’ll need to hire a mover.

There’s more that goes into your moving estimate than simply distance. When you discuss the move with the mover, make sure to give them an accurate picture of what they’ll be moving. If you plan to buy new furniture once you’re there, you may just have boxes of kitchen supplies, clothes, books and such. If, on the other hand, you have a heavy armoire that was passed down from your grandmother that needs to be treated with special care, you need to tell your movers about that. This will enable them to bring the right equipment along and to more accurately offer your estimate.

Let Go of Old Junk

Maybe you’ve been meaning to go through your closet for months and clear out any unused items, but you just haven’t gotten around to it. Moving is an excellent time to cut loose anything that you no longer have any use for. Hold a yard sale or start a bag to donate to a local thrift store. Don’t be stingy. Consider seriously: will you actually use this in your new home? If its appeal is sentimental value, is it really sentimental or is it just the moving stress talking? You don’t have to cut your belongings down to bare necessities, but giving up utterly unnecessary items will make packing (and later unpacking) much easier.

Take Inventory and Label

It may be tedious, but taking an inventory will significantly lessen the chances of losing important items in packing and moving. It may also make you feel a little more confident if you don’t 100% trust professional movers. Label each box and keep a list of every item in your house with the label of the box out to the side. While you’re labeling boxes, this may also be a good time to mark if items in the box are fragile so the movers will know to treat them with care. All of these steps will also make it much easier for you when you’re unpacking in your new home.

Find Ways to Loosen Up

Moving isn’t just tedious and physically stressful. It can also be emotionally taxing. So when you’re preparing for your move, don’t forget to take care of yourself as well. Wherever possible, find ways to have fun. Maybe you can listen to your favorite music while you pack or create an upbeat playlist to keep your spirits up as you pack. Maybe you can make a game out of packing or get the whole family involved. Pack in phases and don’t forget to take breaks. Just go easy on yourself and remember that it will all pay off when you’re settled in your new home.

The right real estate agent will also help make moving easier, by having your back through the buying or selling process and helping you to find the best deal. If you’re selling, they can help you stage your home and where to add value. If you’re buying a new home, they can introduce you to the best neighborhoods for your household. Moving can be stressful, but it helps not to have to do it alone.

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! Sarah Miller, Associate RE/MAX BRYAN COLLEGE STATION 3030 University Dr East Ste 100, College Station, TX 77845 License #: 500065

Why Choose Brazos Valley?

Sometimes you move because you need a change of scene. You need to get out of the rat race. You feel too crowded in the same place and need to stretch your legs, physically and figuratively. Whether you just graduated school or you just retired or any life chapter in between, changing your location can give you a new perspective and breath of fresh air.

Brazos Valley is an excellent choice when you need a change of scene, whether it be the cities of Bryan and College Station or the quieter, outlying areas. Here are a few reasons to choose Brazos Valley for your next move:

More Space and Privacy

In Texas, wide open space is important, and you can certainly find that in Brazos Valley.  Properties tend to be wider, and you can even buy land in the outlying areas. Brazos Valley is the kind of place where you can look out at the stars from your porch on a clear night...and see more of them than you might in a heavier populated area. If you want a place to stretch your legs and experience some peace and quiet, Brazos Valley should certainly be a contender, especially the outlying Brazos Valley.

But Not Without City Amenities

That’s not to say that Brazos Valley is all fields and open space. Brazos Valley is centered around Brazos County, and in particular, Bryan-College Station. College Station is home to Texas A&M University and, by extension, the Aggie sports program. In the city, you can find a variety of excellent restaurants and bars, shops, communities, festivals, and activities for the whole family to enjoy. Downtown Bryan is full of colorful independent businesses. On the First Friday of every month, these businesses stay open later and you can enjoy live music and art while you shop.

It’s a Great Place to Raise a Family

By and large, residents of College Station and the outlying Brazos Valley would describe their community as “friendly.” It’s not so small that everyone knows everyone and you can’t get a moment’s peace, but neighbors smile and wave at each other and the community is very welcoming of newcomers. There are a number of great parks in Brazos Valley, as well as schools, from preschool to university. It’s sunny throughout most of the year, and a safe place to live.

Could Brazos Valley be the right place for you to have your change of scenery? It depends in large part on your realtor. An experienced realtor who has personally lived in Brazos Valley will do more than help you get the best deal on the house of your dreams. She’ll be able to tell you about all the best neighborhoods in the area, both within Bryan-College Station and without. She can direct you to the schools, parks, or places to buy enough land to stretch out. She’ll be an expert on the local market trends and be able to help you understand how they can work for you. If you’re moving to Brazos Valley for the first time, don’t go through it alone. Talk to a local realtor to help you make the most of 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! Sarah Miller, Associate RE/MAX BRYAN COLLEGE STATION 3030 University Dr East Ste 100, College Station, TX 77845 License #: 500065