Among all the shifts that have happened this year, the fact that businesses rely on a remotely-located workforce has become an accepted fact; as a result, homeowners are now spending the majority of their time in their houses and condos. This has proven especially true in the luxury real estate market, where buyers are often remote-working professionals with the means to afford a property that supports this new lifestyle.

But what exactly does this lifestyle look like, and what are the demands and expectations of today’s higher-end buyers?

With interest rates dropping into "under 3% levels", the move to buy for both 1st time homebuyers and those moving from their current homes, has skyrocketed! Knowing and limiting yourself to  your price range can be difficult. Ask questions from ALL the persons involved in your transaction...including your Realtor!

Getting pre-qualified for a mortgage will help some understand the ceiling on their price range. However, it is equally important to understand whether the monthly payment on a new home is not only feasible for you, but also comfortable! Consider the following questions: Is it more or less than your current housing payment? Can you make the new payment without impacting your lifestyle and budget? Assuming a household’s income is never a guarantee, is there a safety blanket to maintain payments for a period of time?

With low interest rates on other "large ticket items": cars, furniture and more, I want to caution every qualifying buyer to avoid opening any new credit lines, increasing the balances on credit cards or other loans, or drawing from savings accounts that will be utilized for down payments and closing costs. This could lead to a delay in closing, or worse, cause a buyer to no longer qualify for a loan!

Questions…need a referral to a mortgage professional? Call me @ 713-594-7391.
25+ years of Helping Buyers and Sellers With Their Real Estate Needs.

If you’re a parent of a school-age child, or school-age children, your home probably will need to accommodate some distance learning when the new school year starts. For some households, spring became a frantic last-minute scramble to adjust to sheltering and schooling at home. For fall, you might want to spend time thoughtfully planning and setting up a more effective remote-learning environment that works for your entire family.

A comfortable chair or other seat for your child is high on the must-have list for a successful study space and suggest comfortable padded seats. Adding an extra one for a parent or other adult is best, in case that person needs to assist with homework.

As the school year progresses, the amount of projects and assignments to keep track of will grow. Bins, shallow boxes, stackable trays and art caddies are all great options that can be easily moved around as needed. Add a magnetic chalkboard or dry-erase board close to a child’s desk. This visualization tool will help kids plan and complete their assignments, and will provide a central place to display reminders or jot down learning tips, like multiplication facts.

The right lighting helps kids stay focused and can protect their eyes. Task lighting is a must-have, and will be especially important when the sun sets earlier in the fall and winter. And consider adding a wall sconce to provide even more light.

One more thing: let me clarify: a professional stager’s purpose is very different from an interior designer’s usual work. The typical designer wants to make a home livable for the residents. A stager’s goal, on the other hand, is to emphasize home’s assets, minimize its less desirable facets, and make everything look big, light, bright, and open in the photographs that all buyers today see online before they decide to spend time on a personal visit.

Staging-savvy designers can work wonders with dark rooms, spaces that are too small or too large, furniture that’s out-of-scale for the setting, too much furniture, strange floor plans, poor color choices, and dowdy design features. Whether what they do is comfortable to live in is almost immaterial. So, usually it’s uncomfortable! But if the goal is a shorter time on the market and more money in the bank at closing, isn’t a short term inconvenience worth it?!

I believe in this value to the seller SO much, that I pay for it!