Buying a Home - The Howell Group

December 19, 2012

Don’t Forget Your Homestead Tax Exemption

It’s time to start thinking about property taxes and your homestead tax exemption. If you bought a home in the past year or have never filed for your homestead tax exemption, the time is approaching. If...

November 16, 2012

Who Chooses The Title Company In Texas?

Here in San Antonio (and Texas in general), we use title companies to close our transactions when selling and purchasing homes. The purpose of the title company is two-fold; firstly, to manage all the incoming funds and...

September 28, 2012

Buyer Representation Agreement: A Closer Look At Contracts

Since this article was first written (in 2012), the Buyer Representation Agreement has gone through some changes. While the heart of the agreement remains, there are some changes and we are overdue on an update...

August 23, 2012

Don’t Expect Much From A Short Sale

We could write volumes on short sales and how they work, but this post is more of a gut-check for those of you considering making an offer on a short sale. While short sales can...

August 17, 2012

5 Home Buying Mistakes After Contract

Ahhh, pressing pen to paper (or clicking on a digital signature line)…you’ve just purchased a new home. Now that your offer is a contract and you’re on your way to buying a home, there will...

July 31, 2012

Option Period In Real Estate Contracts

The option period has been moved out of Paragraph 22 and is now part of Paragraph 5. of the contract. We will cover it in a new post soon. In the meantime, the main points...

July 25, 2012

Home Inspection: Do I Need One?

The simple answer? Yes. A home inspection is an important step in the home buying process, but one that many homeowners (and sellers) wish they could skip because of the cost – an average home inspection...

July 22, 2012

Appraisals: The Good The Bad And The Ugly

Now that we’ve covered the basics of appraisals, it’s time to talk about some of the positive and negative aspects of appraisals. Appraisals, without a doubt, are a good idea. Without them, the potential for mortgage...

July 20, 2012

Appraisals: What Are They And Why Do I Need One?

If you’re buying a home, you’re going to hear about appraisals more than a few times. Knowing what they are and why you need them is important, as is knowing some of the pros and...

June 8, 2012

Empty Nest? Consider Downsizing

My husband and I recently reached a huge milestone in our life together. Our youngest child graduated from high school, so soon we’ll have an empty nest. Once he goes off to college, it’ll be...

May 14, 2012

Is Now A Great Time To Buy Real Estate?

You’ve seen the ads before or heard the news: “Now is a great time to buy!” You’ve probably heard it more over the last few years than ever before, even a few weeks after the...

April 20, 2012

Cost Versus Market Price In Home Sales

The French Enlightenment writer, Voltaire, said, “Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in...