4 Things to Know About College Station Before You Move

When planning a move anywhere, it’s a good idea to do your research, especially if you haven’t spent much time there in the past. Even if you have relatives that live in the area and you’ve visited once or twice, you’ll want to acquaint yourself with the culture, the amenities, and what you can expect from your new home.

College Station is a wonderful place to move, whether for work or simply a change of scene. The home of Texas A&M University, there’s enough to do that things won’t get boring, but it remains laid back and friendly compared to larger cities. Here are a few things to know about College Station before you move.

Bryan? College Station? Both?

Once you move to College Station, you may start to hear the term “Bryan-College Station” or simply BCS. Bryan and College Station are technically separate neighboring cities, but they’re often lumped together to form one greater area. Those in Bryan often enjoy watching football games at College Station’s Kyle Field, and those in College Station will often stop over to Bryan for the farmers market or to see what’s going on downtown.

First Friday

Speaking of Bryan, one thing you’ll want to check out when you move to College Station is First Friday in downtown Bryan. Throughout the year, downtown Bryan is a center of culture and charm, full of cute cafes, restaurants, and shops. On the First Friday of every month, the streets are closed after hours and open to a night of live music, art, and an excellent opportunity to get to know your neighbors and local businesses. You may not need to go every month, but this can be a great way to help you get to know your new home.

Transportation

There is public transportation in College Station, but it may not be the best decision to rely on it, depending on where you live. Most of the public transportation is centered downtown or in the college area, and the city and surrounding area are rather spread out. Most residents of College Station rely on their on personal vehicle. However, if you want to save gas during the work week or reduce your carbon footprint and you’re able to take the bus, this can be a great option.

Nightlife

College Station is ultimately a college town, so if you like to go out at night, you’ll find something for you here. There are a number of great restaurants, bars, and clubs in the heart of the city and students or young, single professionals often enjoy the Northgate District as well. However, College Station is home to a number of families, as well, and you’ll be sure to find family friendly amenities as well. The city offers a nice blend for a variety of demographics.

Want to learn more about College Station before your move? Make sure you have an experienced realtor from College Station who can tell you everything you need to know about the area. The more you know before you move, the sooner the city will start to feel like home.

How to Save Energy And Add Value to Your Home

Boosting your home value is essential if you plan to sell your home at some point in the foreseeable future. Housing markets fluctuate and there’s a possibility that by the time you move, your house will be worth less than it was when you moved in. Even if that’s not the case, you want to make a return on investment, and that means adding value to your home.

You can do this by making improvements on the existing home, improvements that homebuyers will likely be willing to pay for when it comes time to list your home. This could be remodeling or updating the appliances. One sure way to add value to your home is by making energy efficient changes. Energy efficient changes not only add value to your home overall but reduce your energy bills in the meantime, and the eco-friendly appeal is not lost on many modern homebuyers. Here are a few ways to save energy and add value to your home:

Updating Appliances? Look for Energy Star

If you plan to remodel, make sure all your new appliances, windows, doors, etc. are Energy Star approved. Energy Star is a program started by the EPA that rates the energy performance of various home appliances. They have energy efficiency standards that have to be met in order to certify a product, and are generally held as the standard when it comes to energy efficiency. You can even use their website’s product finder in order to find the right products for whatever updating you plan to do. Want a new HVAC system? Energy Star can help with that. Redoing the kitchen? Find your new refrigerator from a list of Energy Star products. Even roof products and pool pumps are covered here.

Tighter Insulation

If your home’s insulation isn’t strong enough, excess cool air could be leaking into your home, or could be escaping out depending on the time of year. This quickly becomes a drain on your HVAC costs and your home’s energy performance. So if your HVAC bills have been particularly high, or you’re looking for a way to lower them before you move, new insulation might be the answer. Fiberglass insulation can have an R-value up to 25, making it a big hit with energy conscious homeowners...and homebuyers.

Have an Audit

If you’re unsure where to start with your energy efficient updates, have a home energy audit. A home energy audit, or home energy assessment, is a check-up by energy efficiency experts who measure how much energy your home is currently using and where and how you can save energy. If your windows need to be replaced, your insulation needs to be stronger, or your light fixtures need more efficient bulbs, a home energy audit can tell you all that and more, giving you the perfect roadmap for adding value to your home.

If you’ve recently made energy efficient updates to your home, make sure you let your realtor know. She can market your home as energy efficient, thus giving you an edge in the market and catching the eye of savvy homebuyers.

Home 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

Moving With the Family

Moving alone is stress enough, but moving with the family is a different ordeal altogether. Not only is there more things to pack, but more people to adjust to the move and more emotional reactions. On one hand, it helps to know that while your whole life is in transit — especially when moving to another state — at least you’re with the people most important to you. However, it can be a challenge to prepare the whole family for a move. Here are some tips for a smoother process.

Talk Things Through

Moving to another region or state is especially difficult for kids. They have all their school and their friends here, and it can be hard starting over in a new place at that age. Kids also hate to feel like they’re being frozen out of decisions that affect them. So before you start packing, and ideally as soon as you can, sit down with the whole family and talk about the move. Explain why you have to move and where you’re going. Invite the kids to ask their own questions. Keeping communication open throughout the move will help everyone to get along.

Involve the Whole Family in the Home-Buying Process

If you have older kids, don’t neglect their opinion on where they’d like to live. Instead, involve them in the choice. Maybe you can’t take them with you on the house hunt, so make sure you take lots of pictures for them. When you get home, sit down again and discuss the choices. Get the whole family’s opinions before making an offer. You may not all agree, but it will be better to involve everyone. You can also show the kids which room would be theirs, and discuss how they’d like to decorate their room. This will help them to not only accept the move, but even feel excited about it.

Declutter Together

Decluttering is an inevitable, important part of moving. Never is it more apparent how much in your home you don’t use until it’s time to pack everything. But this may be your child’s first time moving, and they might not be ready to let go of the toy truck they haven’t played with in three years. Go through the house together as a family. Make a pile for things to keep, things to toss, and things to give away. It’s important to remind the kids that they don’t have to get rid of everything. They can keep their favorite toys, blankets, or dresses. Set a benchmark perhaps: if it hasn’t been used in a year, toss it. Make a game of it to keep the interest of younger kids. And the kids should see you tossing your old clutter, too, to lead the example.

If you’re moving as a family, the whole family should be involved. That way, you’ll keep the bickering and stress to a minimum. When you get to your new house, reward yourself by dropping the stuff out and then going out to dinner together. Finally, make sure you have an expert realtor who can help your whole family get the most from their 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

Why You Need A Home Inspection Before You Move

For many home buyers in College Station, getting a good deal on the home of their dreams is their first priority. However, there is more to getting a good deal on a home than simply settling on a fair price. In order to get a great deal, home shoppers need to make sure that the house that they are purchasing is in good condition.

This may not be as easy as some home buyers might think. While an open house event is a great way to check out a home inside and out, it's important to do a more thorough inspection. Your realtor in College Station, TX can help you find out about the importance of arranging a home inspection before you close a deal and move in. Here are just a few of the reasons that you need to set up a home inspection for the property that you have your eye on.

Uncovering Hidden Problems

Some of the issues that may be lurking in a particular home are not always easy to spot. While it can be easy to detect problems like cracks in the walls or doors that get stuck, other things may be hidden from view. For example, the insulation in a home may be worn out and in need of replacement. The foundation may have shifted in the home and repairs may be needed.

A qualified home inspector can conduct an in-depth search to locate hidden problems that might pop up at a later time. This can keep you from hassles and expensive repairs in the future.

Code Compliance

Depending on the area where you live, some home improvements or additions need to inspected, approved and certified by a city or county employee. For example, if you are buying a home from an owner who built an addition onto the house, you may not know if that work was cleared by an inspector or if it is up to code.

These kinds of unapproved additions can be in violation of city ordinances, not to mention that unapproved home projects might be unsafe. Your College Station realtor can put you in touch with a home inspector who can check out these kinds of home improvements and help you locate the city compliance records for the projects, which are often on file with the city.

Liability

With nearly all home sales, the seller is required to to disclose any serious issues with the home as part of the sale. For example, if the seller knows that damaged pipes in the basement leak and could cause a flooding hazard, the seller will likely be required to let you know about this. If the seller intentionally covers up some problems with the home, they could be liable for repairs or you could back out of the sale with no penalty.

However, it's still a good idea to hire a home inspector of your own. This is an extra bit of insurance to make sure that you are not held liable for any problems that should have been fixed by the seller.

Important Services Checklist For Your Next Move

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As you move into your new home in the College Station area, you'll have plenty of things to remember. You'll need to pack up all of your belongings, hire a reputable moving company and figure out how you are going to get all of your things into your new home. Along the way, you'll have to sort items carefully and mark them so that they don't get lost. Making detailed checklists is a great way to keep track of which items belong where.

While you're sorting things out and making your lists, you'll want to take careful notes about home services and utilities that you'll need to take care of when you move. If you forget some of these things,you could add a lot of stress and frustration to your move. Here are some of the services you should add to your checklist when you find a new home with the help of your realtor in College Station, TX.

Power and Electricity

This is one of the most important utilities to turn on in your new home but you might be surprised at how often people forget about this. If you're moving a short distance, you may be able to simply switch over your electricity service from your current provider to your new address. However, if you're moving to a different county or state, you might have to sign up with a brand new provider.

Talk to your College Station realtor to find out which companies provide power service in the area to which you are moving.

Internet and Wi-Fi

A reliable Internet connection is almost a necessity these days. Without a Wi-Fi hotspot, you won't be able to keep up with email and social media in your new home. If you don't get this service activation scheduled right away when you move, you could be without Internet for days or over a week. This can affect your social life as well as your work responsibilities.

There are usually only one or two Internet service providers in any given area but you can still do some comparison shopping. Check out ISPs in your area to get the best deal and schedule service activation on the day of your move.

Water and Utilities

If you're moving into a pre-owned home, it is probably already set up for water service. However, you may still have to call the local utility company to have a new account set up or to have the account transferred to your name.

This can take several days or over a week so it's best to add it to your checklist to get it scheduled ahead of time. If possible, talk to the previous owners about their water usage and the price of their monthly bills to avoid sticker shock when you move in.

No one can remember all of the things that are necessary to finish when you are moving into a new home. Make it easy on yourself and go over this checklist with the realtor in College Station, TX so that you don't forget these important items. 

How To Set Up A Guest Room in College Station

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Once you have found the perfect new home with the help of your College Station Realtor, you will likely want to start decorating your new home in your own unique style. This might include picking out new furniture or choosing the right color of paint in each room. If you often have friends or family members over to visit, this could also include setting up a guest room.

A guest room can be one of the most important rooms in your house. It's the room that allows you to show hospitality to the people that you invite into your home. For this reason, you will want to make sure that this room is inviting and comfortable. If you're ready to learn how to set up the perfect guest room, check out the tips in this article.

Choose A Theme

When you're setting up your guest room, you should think carefully about the theme of the room. Just like when you moved into your new home in College Station, TX, you should think of ways to add a unique style to your home.

For example, consider setting up your guest room with its own theme. Giving your guest room its own unique theme can help your guests bring their own personalities to the space. Try decorating it in pale or subdued shades of paint to create a mellow, relaxing atmosphere. Also, try to set up furniture in such a way as to create plenty of space. You don't want to the room to feel too cramped.

Add Plenty of Storage

When you are entertaining guests in your home, you will usually be doing so after they have travelled. This means that they will probably have luggage. You don't want your guests to have to live out of their suitcases if they are going to be staying over the weekend or for several days.

Make sure you give your guests plenty of room to store clothes, toiletries and their luggage. You could provide a chest of drawers and some cabinets for extra room. If you're looking to save money, you could put your old furniture and storage chests into the guest room so that you don't have to buy new pieces. You could even repaint them to match the rest of the guest room's décor.

Stock Up On Essentials

Your guests need to have everything that they need to be comfortable when they come by to visit. This means that you can keep the bed made up with clean sheets, keep soap and towels in the bathroom and keep plenty of comfortable pillows on the bed.

It really doesn't take much to set up a guest room in your home. Once your College Station and Bryan, TX realtor has helped you find the right home for your family, you have free reign to set up your home in any way that you choose. When you get settled into your home, your creativity is your only limit. 

Top 4 Tips For Newlyweds Shopping For Homes in College Station

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Two people getting married can be one of the most exciting times of their lives. This is an occasion for happiness and celebration. These days, people tend to get married a bit later in life than compared to couples a few decades ago. In many cases, the two newlyweds will have spent quite some time living on their own in apartments or rent houses before deciding to get married.

For this reason, couples who have recently been married may be very excited about real estate in College Station and Bryan, TX. Buying their new home may represent part of their new commitment to each other. Here are four of the top tips for newlyweds who are shopping for the perfect new home in College Station.

#1 – Stick To Your Budget

When newlyweds are shopping for their first home together, budget will be one of their biggest considerations. After all, they are probably looking at a fairly tight budget since they had to cover the costs of a wedding and a reception. Although they may get some help from friends and family, it likely won't be enough to cover the cost of a house that is outside of their budget.

There is nothing wrong with spending some time living in an apartment or a rent house while saving up money for a new house. Take the time to carefully plan how much you can spend before you start house shopping. Your College Station realtor can help you find houses in your price range.

#2 – Plan To Grow

Many newlywed couples are looking forward to welcoming some new additions to their family. They may be planning to have children or adopt fairly quickly. Newlywed couples should carefully plan how many children they would like to have to help them get an idea of how much room they will need in the coming years.

Keep in mind that couples will need more than just a spare room to accommodate new family additions. New babies almost always require a lot of extra space so couples should plan for extra storage space and even a garage for a family-sized vehicle.

#3 – Consider The Future

In very many cases, newlyweds will not stay in their first house for the rest of their lives. As they have more children, get new jobs and earn more money, they may want to move into a larger home or a different style of residence. For this reason, couples should keep in mind that they don't need to spend a huge amount on their first home since they will need to have some savings set aside for the next place.

Also, couples may be more comfortable in a slightly smaller residence if they are confident that they will be moving after several years.

#4 – Pay Attention To Location

Newlyweds who are planning to start a growing family will want to look for homes that are close to schools, daycares, churches and shopping centers. Young couples may also want to be sure that they are close to entertainment and dining locations. A home that is close to work is also something to look for.

A College Station realtor can consider all these factors and help newlywed couples find the perfect home for their needs. 

How To Keep Your Home Cool In Texas

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If you want to buy a new home in Bryan or College Station, TX, you will be spending many summers in the Texas heat. If you're a Texas native, you are probably already familiar with just how scorching the summers here can be. If you're moving here from another state, especially from a Northern state, you might be in for a surprise when April turns into May!

Of course, Texas has much more to offer than high summer temperatures. In fact, we Texans like to think that it's just about the nicest place you could ever live! If you're interested in finding a home through a realtor in College Station, TX, then you'll need to know these key tips for keeping your new home cool during the Texas summer and throughout the year.

Invest In Fans

Here in Texas, we love our fans! Whether they are ceiling fans, box fans, oscillating fans or hand fans, you will learn to appreciate them too. Of course, one of the best ways to beat the summertime heat is to make sure that your new home comes installed with a top of the line air conditioning system in working order. Unfortunately, even if you have a newer, efficient A/C model, running your air conditioner on full blast will drive up your utility bills significantly.

Give your A/C a boost by investing in some durable, affordable oscillating fans. Here in Texas, it's common to see a ceiling fan in every room of the house. Ask you local Bryan, TX realtor if a property has ceiling fans installed in each room. If not, or if you like to keep it extra cool, some oscillating fans can really help out. They'll keep you much cooler while only using a small amount of electricity so your bill isn't affected too much.

Check Your Insulation

Whether you are buying a new home in Bryan or College Station or if you are having a new home built, you need to make sure that your insulation is up to date and installed properly. Talk to your realtor about getting in touch with the company that installed or repaired the installation.

This is especially important if you are moving into a home that is more than ten years old. Over time, insulation can start to wear down and deliver poor performance. Bad insulation means that your home won't be able to trap cool air in the summertime, meaning that your air conditioning will have to work overtime.

Get Outside

Texans are well know for their love of the outdoors during the summer months. If you have a pool in your backyard, you've already got a great excuse to get outside and beat the heat. If you don't have a pool, don't worry. Bryan and College Station are home to some great public pools and you can chill out there. Don't forget your sunblock and head outside with your kids, your friends and your family.

Whether you are going to the beach or to a cool, quiet library, there are many ways to escape the heat. While you're outside, make sure to turn off your A/C at home. This will help to keep your utility costs down while you are away.

You can find out more information about how to keep your new home cool by talking to your friendly realtor in Bryan and College Station, TX. 

Tips for Your New Home Investment

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Buying a new house is an important investment in your future. Along with looking for a house comes excitement, decorating ideas, and sometimes stress. You can cut back on home buying stress by knowing what you are looking for. Many times a realtor will ask you a few questions about what type of home you want, and knowing early on can really help speed up the process.

Ask yourself how many rooms you need. If you have or plan to have a large family you are going to want a house with more than one or two bedrooms. You may also want a second or third bathroom.

Think about what type of location you would want to live. If you want to live in the country then you may not want to look at houses in subdivisions. You should also consider how close the house is to places you frequent. Ask yourself how far of a commute would it be to get to work or school.

How much time and money can you put into repairs or renovations? A lot of people love the idea of a nice fixer upper, but don’t consider how much work it takes. Also consider how much maintenance the new house will take. A Victorian style home needs more routine maintenance than a simple ranch style brick home.

Perhaps one of the biggest things to consider is price. You should sit down and tally up an idea of a budget. Developing a price range and sticking with it is very important. If will narrow down the market and give your realtor an idea of what you can afford.

Featured Home for Sale in Bryan College Station

  

For more details go to my website .

Your local professional RE/MAX realtor agent, Sarah Miller , can help you narrow down the search for a new house. Sarah can also help guide you through the home buying process.

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