4 Reasons to Have Homeowners Insurance

Buying a home can be a costly, taxing process so when the suggestion of homeowners insurance comes up, some homeowners tend to balk. In a perfect world, of course, it’s nice to have the confidence but you may not want to spend any more than you need to. But that’s the thing: if you’re planning on purchasing a home, you need to have homeowners insurance. It affects not just liability when it comes to any property damage but often even your ability to get a mortgage loan.

Mortgage Lenders Need It

There’s no state requirement that says you must have homeowners insurance, but it is required by most mortgage lenders. After all, financial institutions are taking a chance on you when they offer you a mortgage loan, and they need to protect minimize the risk as much as possible. Varying mortgage loans will have different homeowners insurance coverage requirements, but on the whole, if you need a mortgage loan, you probably need homeowners insurance.

Protection from Home Damage

So maybe you’re a pretty careful resident. You take good care of your home. However, you’re not the only factor from which your home needs protection. Anything from burglars and vandals to storms and natural disasters could cause damage that you didn’t expect to your home. Without homeowners insurance, you’ll probably be paying for all the repairs and replacements on your own. With homeowners insurance, you have a cushion so that an unexpected disaster doesn’t ruin your year.

Protection from Lawsuits

Homeowners insurance doesn’t just protect your home; it also protects you. Imagine a neighbor comes over the day after a snowstorm, and slips on ice on the driveway, hurting themselves. Or imagine the windows break and someone is cut by glass. You like to think you take precautions to make sure no one is hurt at your home, but if it happens, the result could be a demand for you to pay the hospital bills. This can lead to emotionally and financially painful lawsuits. Homeowners insurance offers the confidence that someone has your back financially and that any costs can be covered.

Personal Property Coverage

Burglary is a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Even if burglars don’t destroy your home, they still make off with personal property that may have been very important — or costly. Flood or other water damage can also damage your personal property. With homeowners insurance, you have coverage to replace those personal property items. You may not be able to replace sentimental value, but when it comes to costs or essential function in your home, homeowners insurance has your back.

No one likes to think of worst case scenarios, but as a homeowner, it’s something that you need to consider. While you may not want to put out the money for homeowners insurance right away, remember that not buying homeowners insurance could be even more costly. If you’re still not sure, talk to an experienced College Station realtor about the importance of buying homeowners insurance and how to adjust your budget accordingly.

Smart House: The Benefits of Home Automation

In 1999, Disney channel released an original TV movie called “Smart House,” about a family who wins a computer-programmed home that soon takes on a life of its own. It’s a common theme in stories written when society was on the verge of high tech automation: the idea that computers will one day take over. But today, smart houses are becoming more and more common — without any controlling side effects. If anything, they help to give homeowners more control of their home. Smart thermostats allow homeowners to change the temperature of their home remotely from their phone. Smart locks give the home stronger security, and smart lighting offers energy efficiency.

The benefits of adding automated features to your new home are numerous. Here are a few of our favorites:

Energy and Utility Savings

One of the biggest perks when it comes to smart home features is the energy and utility savings. Again, consider smart thermostats that allow you to program your home heating and cooling or change it remotely. This keeps your HVAC system from using any more energy than it has to in order to make your home comfortable, so you can save energy...and of course, costs on your HVAC bills. The same applies to automated, motion sensor lighting. Sometimes we just forget to turn the lights out when we leave a room, but that forgetfulness can cause the bills to go out. With automated lighting, you don’t have to think about it.

Better Security

Automated lighting can also add stronger security and safety to your home. For instance, if a burglar is trying to break into your home and motion-sensored lights suddenly switch on, they’re likely to be scared off. With smart locks, you don’t have to worry about forgetting to lock your doors and windows before vacation, or forgetting your keys when you need to get back in. You can lock and unlock your home from your smartphone. Worried about your child while you’re in your home office or leaving them in the care of a new babysitter? Consider a smart camera that allows you to check up on them from your phone. The idea of knowing your home is safe without having to put much thought into it is a level of comfort that feels almost luxurious.

Comfort and Ease

Which leads to the next point. With so many automated home features, the upkeep of your home becomes so much...easier. You can adjust your home’s features from an app on your phone, or even create preset programs so that you don’t have to fuss with it at all unless you need to change the program. Customizing your home to your comfort and preferences is not only easy to achieve, but practically out of sight, out of mind.

Finally, the more smart home features you add to your home, the more the value of your home will rise. Interested in getting a more accurate appraisal of how smart home features can boost your home value? Talk to a College Station realtor today.

Everything You Need to Know About Renting Out Your Property

Let’s say you inherit a house from a favorite aunt or grandparent. You don’t want to sell it, but you like living in your current home. Or maybe you’re moving out of your old home, and rather than selling, you’d like to have a longer term profit for the property. Maybe you want to make a little extra income with your vacation property when you’re not using it. These are all great reasons to rent out a property. But renting out your property shouldn’t be done lightly. You need to consider carefully whether it’s the right choice for your home, and you need to be especially careful in choosing the right tenant or the decision to rent out could cost more trouble than it’s worth.

Selling vs. Renting

First, make sure renting your home out is really the right choice over selling the home. Some of the reasons listed above are good reasons to rent the property, but what if things aren’t that clear cut? Ask yourself a few questions about the reason for your move and the market surrounding you. Do you plan to return to the property eventually? If so, renting is definitely the way to go. If you’re deep in mortgage debt, you may not be able to afford to sell the home, and it may make more sense to rent it. Renting your house out can also help you appreciate home value before you eventually sell. Ask a realtor about the rental market in the area. If it’s strong, renting your home out might help you cover the mortgage cost and earn a profit.

How Much to Charge

If you decide to rent your home out, the next question is how much you should charge per month...or how much you feasibly can charge in the current rental market. You can find prices of comparable rental properties in online listings, and even a few paper listings. However, you want to keep in mind the fluctuation of value from neighborhood to neighborhood, and the selling (or renting) points of your own home. Here again, it may help to talk to a realtor for a clearer idea of what’s realistic.

Background Checks

You’ll want to be sure that you find a tenant you can trust. You might click with certain families when they view the home, but don’t just rely on that first impression. In addition to their application including employment information, a potential tenant should be willing to submit to a background check. You can do this one of two ways. You can run the background check yourself, pulling credit reports in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and checking state and local records for any criminal history. You can also contact their references and employers. If you don’t have the time or want a second opinion, you can hire an online background check agency, but make sure they’re reputable by checking reviews or Better Business Bureau ratings before hiring them.

Your Responsibility as a Landlord

But the tenant is only one part of the equation. You also have to be a responsible landlord. Make sure you have a written lease detailing your rights with the property as well as the tenant’s rights. It may be a good idea to hire an attorney to advise you on the terms. Make sure the property is insured in the event that any damage happens. And that attorney you hire will also come in handy in the event that you have to evict a tenant. While no one likes to think about it, even the most careful tenant selection can still end in eviction, and as a landlord, it’s important to be prepared for anything.

Like buying and selling property, renting property out can be rewarding but should be considered carefully. Talk to an experienced College Station realtor about whether it’s the best choice for you.

How to Start Your Home Garden

A garden can be a great way to make a new house feel like home or breathe life back into an old home. They can be useful, giving you fresh vegetables and herbs for cooking, or purely aesthetic, full of colorful flowers and gentle scents. Gardens take meticulous care and planning, however. If you’ve never had a home garden before, there are certain things you’ll want to consider and steps you’ll want to take carefully for the best results.

Choose a Type of Garden

This is the first question you need to ask when starting a garden at home. There are various types of gardens that you could plant. If you’re looking for a way to boost your curb appeal, a flower bed could be perfect. If you want something that’s practical as well as aesthetically pleasing, you might prefer a vegetable garden or an herb garden. Succulent gardens have some of the aesthetic appeal but require less maintenance. Chances are, if you’re thinking of planting a garden, you already have a few ideas of what you’d like to do with it, but this is the time to solidify them.

Choose a Location

The next thing to decide is where to plant your garden. For instance, vegetables and flowers need at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. In the case of a vegetable garden or flower bed, you’ll want to pick a particularly sunny area that’s not obstructed by shade. However, you may be able to find flowers or plants that thrive in shaded conditions. You’ll also want to consider what best suits your curb appeal. And don’t rule out a sunroom with an indoor garden, if that’s something that could appeal to you.

Plan the Time

You should also get an idea of when to start your garden. Because your plants are dependent on the elements, different seasons will yield different results. Your best bet is spring or autumn. Autumn is a good time of year to plant bulbs, trees, and perennials. Spring with its soft, fresh soil is perfect for digging and nurturing the garden, while summer is mostly spent waiting and pulling weeds to protect the garden. Winter with its snow and storms isn’t ideal for gardening, but with Texas’s warmer climate you may be able to start planting a little before spring actually arrives. You can also look into planting vegetables and plants that thrive in winter.

Get the Right Tools

Finally, for the upkeep of your garden, you want to make sure you have the right garden tools. It’s more than gloves and a good spade. You should also have pruners, possibly pots, and twine can’t hurt. You may not be able to think of all the garden tools you’ll ever need, but get them as needed and hold on to them. Your idea for your garden may change over time, and that will require new tools.

Starting a garden is a great way to put your own statement on your new home. But to find the right new home in the meantime, contact an experienced College Station realtor.