Cold Weather Activities

Get ready, Austin! This Valentine’s Day weekend is supposed to be a record-cold one. We Texans aren’t all that used to cold weather, so if you’re going to hunker down indoors, we’ve got you covered when it comes to things to do!

MAKE A BIG BREAKFAST

HAVE A BONFIRE (IF IT’S NOT RAINING!)

DRINK HOT COCOA

DO A PUZZLE

MAKE SOUP

DONATE AN OLD COAT

MAKE S’MORES

PLAY A CARD GAME

LEARN A NEW SKILL

DO A CRAFT

GET DELIVERY FROM A LOCAL FAVORITE

BONUS: MAKE SURE YOUR HOME IS READY FOR THE COLD! 

Make sure you take fun photos and videos to create a memorable collage to reflect on later down the road… it’s not that often we get to experience a true winter down here!

We hope you have the best time checking off all of these ideas from your list!

Repairs to Make Before Selling Your Home

So you’re ready to put your home on the market and to you, everything looks great. Unfortunately, much of the wear and tear on your home becomes unnoticeable when it is something you see everyday. While you may not think about the one light switch that doesn’t work or the chipping paint in the guest bedroom, now is the time to take a step back and look at your home with fresh eyes. When you decide to sell your home, the first thing you should do is make any repairs you can to save yourself money in the long run. Here are a few repairs to cross off so you can get the best deal for your home!

1. Paint Your Walls

Re-painting the rooms that need a fresh face is the cheapest way to update the appearance of your home. Consider using light, neutral colors to appeal to a broader group of buyers. If the room is too dark or has chipped or dirty paint, make it look brand new with a coat of paint.

2. Make Minor Kitchen Repairs

Even if your kitchen isn’t large and spacious, a full renovation might not make sense financially. If your agent doesn’t advise you towards a renovation, consider making minor repairs instead. Paint what needs painted and install new fixtures where necessary. If your appliances aren’t operating properly or are in awful shape, you will need to replace them.

3. Update Your Bathroom

The first priority is making sure your bathroom looks clean. If the toilet looks old, replace the seat to give it a fresh new appearance. Replace any tiles that may be missing, clean the grout, and remove old wallpaper that may still remain. This is a room you should consider painting if need be to make it appear bright and clean.

4. Fix The Exterior

The outside of your home is the first thing buyers will see, so it is important that it looks good. Touch up the yard with sod as needed, remove any junk that may be in the yard, and make sure your fencing doesn’t have any missing parts or boards. Mow your grass and consider renting a power washer to make your siding look brand new.

5. Maximize Lighting

The goal is to maximize light so you can maximize the appearance of space. Light does a great job of making rooms look larger than they are. Update your fixtures, ensure that your windows appear clean and new, and add mirrors across from light sources to reflect even more light.

6. Ensure Functionality

Potential buyers are going to want everything to work. Do a full walk through of your home, checking all light switches, doorknobs, and locks. Repair or replace anything that doesn’t work as it should. The less issues that arise during the buyer’s home inspection, the better chance of you maximizing your profit during the sale.

 

Now go home and make that list! You will feel so much better once everything is done and it will help you get top dollar for your home!

5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS OF HOME SELLERS

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5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS OF HOME SELLERS

If you’re thinking about selling your home, you probably have many questions you want answered, so we’ve gathered 5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS from home sellers to answer for you today! Whether youre selling your first home or your tenth, many questions come with this process due to the constant changes in the real estate market. RE/MAX 1 is here to help you along the way!

Q: How long will it take my house to sell?

A: Currently in the Austin-area housing market, homes are spending an average of 46 days on the market! The time your home will sell will vary based on pricelocation, and a few other determining factors. Interested in getting in touch with someone about your home’s value? Fill out our no-obligation Home Evaluation form.

Q. Is staging that important?

A: A staged home is known to sell faster and for more money than a home that is not. If you can’t stage your home, you should at least de-clutter. Grab some boxes and start packing up your knickknacks that you know you won’t need in the meantime! 

Q. Should I be at my home when it’s being shown to potential buyers?

A. This may make buyers uncomfortable and you could lose potential offers. It can be beneficial to let buyers and their REALTORS® view the home without the seller present so they may talk openly and freely without feeling rushed or as though they are imposing.

Q. What should I disclose to potential buyers?

A. Everything! The Seller’s Disclosure Notice is a form required by sellers of previously occupied single family residences. It contains information required to be disclosed by Section 5.008 of the Texas Property Code regarding material facts and the physical condition of the property.

Q. How can you determine how much my home is worth?

A. There are many things that go into pricing a home for sale. In Austin, the median price for single-family homes was $334,702 in June of 2019. Some considerations are:

1. Location
2. Square Footage
3. Lot size / features
4. Number of Bedrooms & Bathrooms
5. Age of the Home
6. Flooring
7. Roof Age
8. Home Style
9. Amenities
10. Kitchen Upgrades

 

Your REALTOR® will be able to run a CMA, or a Comparative Market Analysis on your home. This will help you understand what similar homes are selling for in your area. Interested in getting in touch with someone about your home’s value? Fill out our no-obligation Home Evaluation form.


If you’re thinking of selling your Austin or surrounding area home, and have any other questions, please contact us and we’d be happy to provide you with the information and answers you’re looking for!

Spring Forward into Your New Home

This weekend, most of us will be turning our clocks an hour ahead as we ‘spring forward.’ We may be losing an hour of sleep, but that doesn’t mean you should lose hope on finding a home you love. If you’ve been thinking about buying a home but haven’t seen anything on the market that checks off the list of everything you’ve been looking for, this spring might just be when your dream home hits the market.

At the end of every year, we see a major drop in the housing inventory. Homeowners are less likely to sell in the winter months, and most closings happen before it gets too cold. The good news for you is that this encourages sellers to put their homes on the market after the new year when both the weather and the market start to warm up again!

We have seen the inventory climbing, and we expect spring to bring the biggest jump in available homes. So why should you buy now, if this is a yearly spring trend? According to CoreLogic, a leading provider for housing market statistics, home prices are projected to increase by 4.3% over the next year. If you’re thinking of waiting a few seasons, think again. Get a head start and beat the summer rush and higher prices.

Don’t wait to find your dream home – save some of your hard-earned money and call me. I’ll help you spend spring in your new house!