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Many avid golfers and others dream of having a home on a golf course and permanent lifetime membership to the clubhouse so they can play golf every day. If you love the sport of golf, you also love to play it, be near a golf course, and hang out with others that like to play […]

When one thinks about the best beaches in the world, probably Hawaii comes to mind, maybe California or Florida, Tahiti, Fiji, and the Greek Isles. The surprising thing for many is that Texas has some amazing beaches. The horrible BP oil spill did its damage to the Texan beaches in 2010. Thankfully, the damage, which […]

Many people make a mistake when buying a home to put all the focus on the home itself and not pay enough attention to the surrounding neighborhood. Besides considering the quality of the nearby school for those that have children and the cost of living in the area, there are many other factors to think […]

Many times I am asked if making improvements to a house will raise the selling price. The answer is a definite maybe. It depends on what you improve and what it costs to make the improvements. We are not talking about fixer-uppers that are in need of significant repairs. That is discussed in another blog […]

It is fun in any market area to take look at the most expensive homes. For those who are moving to Texas for the first time, you may be shocked at the range of lavish estates that are available. The Texas Monthly magazine gave a list in early 2016 of the most expensive homes in […]

Historic properties attract a special type of buyer because of the “pride of ownership,” grant money that may be available for restoration that does not have to be paid back, low-interest loans, and certain other tax advantages. However, owning, renovating, and restoring a historical home, is challenging because the costs of making renovations may be […]

Short sales were virtually non-existent prior to the real estate collapse caused by the subprime mortgage bubble burst starting in 2006 and culminating in 2008 with a global economic meltdown. Short sale became more popular when millions of home in America were in foreclosure or facing imminent foreclosure. If a homeowner could not pay the […]

A home warranty is a type of insurance that many homeowners should consider. To get a decent value for purchasing a fairly new home, this type of insurance is very important. Read the home warranty contract extremely carefully and make sure you are buying a home warranty from a very reputable company. The benefits are […]

The easy answer is to call us and get a full property evaluation report. Realtors and real estate appraisers use what are called “comps,” which they hope will be accepted by the mortgage lenders. “Comps” is an abbreviation for comparables. These are similar properties that sold in a nearby area during the past six months. […]

Real estate is an unusual asset class because the goal is to acquire properties that appreciate in value and have the benefits of the tax deductions for mortgage interest payments and depreciation. Losses can be captured and carried forward to offset future income, which reduces the tax burden. A popular tax-deferral strategy is to use […]