2012

10 Most Viewed Real Estate Posts of 2012

January 2, 2013 by khproperties Leave a Comment

It’s always fun to have a look back at your real estate website each year to see what people have been viewing the most. With 2012 behind us, we take a look at the most viewed real estate posts on the Kimberly Howell Properties site from 2012. Thank you San Antonio, we’ve loved bringing you all this information and we look forward to lots more real estate information over the next year. In order of viewership from January 1st, 2012 to December 31st, 2012 here are the top ten posts. What was your favorite post of the year?

Pumpkin Patches and Fall Festivals – Originally posted in 2011, shortly after our new site opened, this post proved popular in 2012 for those seeking family fun during the fall months.

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit – Gone, but not forgotten. – Some home sellers were affected by the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit as they sought to sell in 2012, this post helped explain the process of selling if you had received the tax credit in the past.

San Antonio’s Most Expensive Homes – Everyone loves to see how the rich and famous live and this post served to prove that point.

Parade of Homes San Antonio 2012 – The Parade of Homes is one of the most popular real estate events in San Antonio. This post also contained my favorite somewhat-abstract photo of the year.

3.8% “Sales Tax” on real estate via the Health Care Reform Bill? – We spoke a lot about the 3.8% sales tax on real estate (as it became known) in 2012 as emails kept floating about talking about. We set the facts straight in several posts and have a feeling it won’t be the last time we hear about it.

Homeowner Association (HOA) Laws Changed in Texas – Several changes were made to how HOAs may govern their neighborhoods regarding flag and religious materials, environmentally friendly systems, and foreclosure due to unpaid fees.

Rental Scam Comes to San Antonio via Trulia – Rental scams on the internet are nothing new, but 2012 saw an increase in calls resulting from these scams. Know how to avoid getting caught up in fake listing scams.

Get Your Property Tax Exemptions Here – Another strong post from 2011, this one details several of the most common home owner tax exemptions.

Option Period in Real Estate Contracts – Part of series of posts breaking down the basics of real estate contracts, this post covers the option period that is commonly used to perform inspections when buying a home.

5 Home Buying Mistakes After Contract – There are some common mistakes that home buyers make during the time period between going under contract and closing, this post covers five mistakes you should avoid.

Curious as to what our most visited page on the website is? That’s easy – hands down, it’s our easy to use map-based San Antonio home search.

As always, we welcome your suggestions and comments on posts. Have something you want to see us cover or a question about real estate you need answered? Let us know and we’ll add it to our list of topics to cover.

image courtesy of Rammikins!

Parade of Homes San Antonio 2012

May 25, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

The Parade of Homes comes early to San Antonio this year! This year, the annual tour of some of the latest and greatest that area home builders have to offer makes a return to The Dominion. Know for its previews of housing trends on the rise, this year’s Parade of Homes has some rather modern looking homes, reflecting San Antonio’s desire to break away from current trends in home building. If you’re more of a traditionalist, don’t worry – there’s still a few that reflect some of the more common styles you’re used to.

Be sure to check back later in the week to see some our thoughts about the Parade of Homes and the homes we visit.

Parade of Homes Schedule

Saturday, May 26 – Monday, May 28
8:30AM – 6PM

Tuesday, May 29 – Thursday, May 31
3PM – 9PM

Friday, June 1 – Date Night
Noon – 10PM

Saturday, June 2 – Sunday, June 3
8:30AM – 6PM

image courtesy of vladeb

* Happy 35th Anniversary to the greatest movie ever made, Star Wars/

Tax Return Deadline – Mail Your Returns Today!

April 17, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

As I posted last week, this year’s April 15th filing deadline for federal taxes has been moved to April 17th…today!!! So if you haven’t done so already make sure you get your tax returns filed by midnight tonight. Don’t forget and good luck with them!

As usual, Kimberly Howell Properties suggests you work with a qualified tax professional when filing your return, particularly if you own a home (or just recently bought or sold one). There are many tax advantages to owning a home and speaking with a qualified professional can help you avoid missing out or making a mistake. If you need recommendations, feel free to contact one of our agents to help.

401K

Tax Day – File 2011 Tax Returns By April 17th

April 15, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Tax day is always April 15th of every year, but on those years that the deadline for filing your tax returns with the IRS falls on a weekend, you have until the following Monday to file. This year however, your 2011 tax return is due on April 17th…a Tuesday.

Federal law makes a provision for tax days that land on a federal holiday to be moved to the following weekday (much like the weekend rule). In this case, it is not a federal holiday, but a District of Columbia holiday (which are viewed as federal holidays in the case of the tax law). Emancipation Day marks the day in 1862 when Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, a full nine months before the historic Emancipation Proclamation. This act freed some slaves in service in the District of Columbia and also compensated those that were freed. Emancipation Day is similar to Texas’ Juneteenth.

Will you be spending your weekend working feverishly to finalize your taxes? Just remember to file them on or before April 17th – and don’t forget to call your tax professional to see what tax advantages you might have to owning a home.

image courtesy of 401K

San Antonio Real Estate Market Update

April 2, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

What a fantastic first quarter in the San Antonio real estate market… and I predict the rest of 2012 is going even better. If you stop and listen closely, you can hear the sound of the pendulum swinging. That pendulum is the real estate market swinging from a buyers’ to a sellers’ market.

Last month I witnessed, on more than one occasion, good home purchase offers fall to the wayside because the sellers received other, more attractive offers in the same day. It’s been a long time since we’ve had this kind of action in the real estate market. Desirable homes are not staying on the market very long (some as little as two or three days) and the sellers are often getting multiple offers from separate prospective buyers. Gone may be days of buyers aggressively negotiating for sellers’ rock bottom prices. On the flip side, anyone wondering when would be the right time to sell their home; now just might be the right time.

Two other indicators, the Housing Affordability Index and the Pending Homes Sales Index, also support this prediction. These are just two of many measures tracked by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) to monitor the industry’s economic pulse and they both show the real estate sales market is on an uptrend. The Housing Affordability Index measures the ratio between median home price, median family income, and average mortgage interest rate. According to NAR, this index in January reached 206.1 – its highest level since recordkeeping began in1970. An index of 100 is the point where a median-income family has exactly enough income to qualify for the purchase of a median-priced home. So a ratio of 206.1 indicates that today’s typical family earns over double the income needed to purchase a median-priced home. That’s a lot of buying power and Pending Home Sales Index from January may be showing that playing out. The Pending Home Sales Index is a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings. According to NAR, January’s index rose 2 percent, continuing an upward trend and reaching its highest mark since April 2010. More people are buying homes and if access to credit improves, we should see even more increases.
Like I said, 2012 is going to be an exciting year leading, hopefully, to an even better 2013. So now is the time to buy, sell, and invest in real estate in San Antonio.

image courtesy of our very own Rockceptionist