new home Archives - Kimberly Howell Properties

New Home? Get It Inspected

December 26, 2018 by khproperties Leave a Comment

We’ve written on this subject multiple times, but it never becomes less important. Recently, we’ve seen quite a few clients choose to go without an inspection on a new build home and we’re concerned it may be a growing trend. A general home inspection (and at times other key inspections like pool, HVAC, well, septic, etc.) is an essential part of the home buying process. Common wisdom is that when you inspect an older home you will find problems – no home is perfect. We’d like to make it common wisdom that if you inspect any home, old or new, you will find problems. It’s just a fact of life.

We could write lists of things we’ve discovered on inspections at new homes: windows not caulked and sealed, fireplaces built in the wrong place, missing wiring, wrong appliances, broken appliances, exterior walls missing insulation, dangerous wiring improperly done, doors you couldn’t open, windows installed crooked…it’s an endless list. Pointing this out is not to say all builders are bad, but rather all builders are human. Ever have a bad day at work and know your focus isn’t solid like it should be? Ever had family stuff distract you from the work in front of you? Ever just flat out forget a key step in what you do day in and day out and realize it days later after it’s too late to correct? It happens to all of us.

Inspections allow you a second set of eyes to look at the things. They allow you an independent opinion of the house. All builders go through their own inspection processes, but those inspections are designed to benefit them, not you. That’s not to say they’re shady and one big set up, it’s just that we all have our focus – the builder’s is not exactly the same as yours.

An inspection will cost you money, but the money you spend will save you money by finding the problems before they become big problems later. Talk to your agent about getting an inspection and if your builder discourages you from getting one, let the red flags wave.

image courtesy of dynamosquito

Stadler Custom Homes Builds Home for Charity

October 2, 2018 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Stadler Custom Homes is building a new home in Hidden Canyon, one of Stone Oak’s newest neighborhoods, to benefit the Military Warriors Support Foundation and the San Antonio Food Bank. The home at 650 Winding Ravine is starting to take shape and we can’t wait to see the finished product. Ray Stadler has been building new homes in the San Antonio area since 1995 and has been very active in giving back to the community. While we wait for the home to be finished, check out the video of the footprint of the home and the surrounding land in this drone shot aerial video.

Decorating a New Home and Saving Money

August 29, 2016 by Jessica Flores 1 Comment

Buying a home is expensive enough, but decorating a new home can be costly, especially if you have recently graduated to a bigger space. Join us in welcoming agent Jessica Flores for her second blog post on the website – we have a feeling she’s going to be putting out a lot of great content for years to come. You can read her first post, “There’s a New Kid in Town: Newly Licensed Agents” which garnered a lot of attention for its honest look at the life of a new Realtor and how you can benefit from their eagerness and willingness to learn and explore new ways of doing business to help you get the home you want or sell the home you have. In this post, Jessica looks at some of the thoughts that go through all of our heads when we realize now that we have bought it, we’re going to need to figure out how to decorate our new home. She has a lot of experience, having moved multiple times as part of a military family. Let’s turn it over to Jessica, shall we? – Kimberly Howell Properties

Congratulations! You just closed on your new home and are excited to add your own personality to it. The problem is those boxes that you have been holding onto (and paying a storage fee for) no longer reflect the person you are today. Instead, they are filled with Bon Jovi posters and inflatable plastic furniture. While this speaks volumes of the fun person you are, it also yells out that shopping is in your near future.

Wait…shopping? You just purchased a house, buying everything new is not necessarily in your best interest…right? But you don’t want to live in an empty house either. So how do you go about decorating a new home and save money?

Hang Onto Those Credit Cards

More than likely, your clever real estate agent advised you to avoid debt of any kind during the home buying process. New vehicles, TVs, and furniture are some examples of the things they told you not to buy. Your lender warned you about doing anything that would open up a new line of credit or even making credit inquiries as those small checks can ding your credit report.

Your agent didn’t inform you of this because he or she doesn’t want you to have nice things…quite the contrary. They not only help you buy your house, but they want to help you build a home.

The thing is, your Realtor knows that opening up new credit can interfere with obtaining a loan even if you have already qualified, been approved, and are in the process of getting a home loan after putting a home under contract.

You listened to your agent and all went well, so now you may be thinking that you have closed and can check out one of those awesome deals where you have no interest for 36 months. So now’s the time to go wild decorating your new home…right?

That’s an idea, but you quickly remember that you will have a house payment soon. Also, your tastes will change as the years pass and what seemed like a great idea in the 80s is probably not what you’re thinking today.

So, what do you do? Do you blow up that shiny, vinyl furniture to sit on while gazing lovingly at Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora? You certainly could, but that would only be fun for a little while.

Decorating a New Home…For Cheap

The old saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” holds true when decorating a new home. Think outside the box – it’s not hard to find beautiful home decor and sturdy furniture that someone else has grown tired of or needs to get rid of to make room for something new they have purchased. It’s recycling at its best.

You can find items like these on Craigslist (just promise you won’t do your house hunting on there!), the Nextdoor app, and my personal favorite, neighborhood yard sales. You can also check out the bigger stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army and many communities have locally owned and operated consignment shops that can be a treasure trove of bargain finds.

Sometimes the treasures are vintage, but still classy and tasteful. Other items may just need to be cleaned well or touched up with a fresh coat of paint. A little love and some elbow grease go a long way.

One thing is for sure, you will get them for a very good price and will often find that you had a great time discovering your reclaimed furnishings while meeting some nice people.

However you decide to go about decorating a new home and adding accessories that reflect your style and taste is your choice. Keep in mind that you do have several options and if you’re willing you search for the bargains, they are out there.

As for me, I need to go cancel a storage unit and maybe have a yard sale of all the “treasures” I have been holding on to. It’s time to pack up the Bon Jovi posters for good. Ok, maybe I’ll just keep this one…

image courtesy of rhonogle

Zillow and Pulte Homes’ I Want a New Home Sweepstakes

October 4, 2013 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Want a Free New Home?

Zillow and Pulte Homes have teamed up to bring you the “I Want a New Home” Sweepstakes. It’s pretty easy to enter and win. Simply follow the link to the Zillow Facebook Page and “like” their page. Then fill out the required items on the form and you’re entered. Grand prize is a home built by Pulte in one of their neighborhoods valued at $350,000. Imagine winning a free $350,000 house – especially here in San Antonio, where that kind of money will get you further than some of the other areas of the country. Good luck and be sure to give us a call for your house warming party when you win!

image courtesy of edu piracés

Building or Buying a New Home? Use a Real Estate Agent

July 8, 2013 by khproperties 2 Comments

New Home Buyer Beware

Ah, new homes. There’s nothing like the sparkling shine when you walk through the front door of a freshly built home after the sawdust settles and in rolls the faint smell of paint and potential. It’s a unique feeling to know that your family will be the first to fill the space between those walls or that each and every detail was selected by you for the way you want to live.

Billboards and masses of flags line the streets guiding you in to these new communities as you begin your home search. But not everything can be as good as it seems once you’re in the door. Here’s why you really, really should use an agent when you decide to buy one of these gleaming new abodes:

Builders expect you to use an agent. They calculate agent commissions into their sales pricing already. And it’s something they have already figured out when they offer or agree to reduce the sales price or offer concessions like upgrades. You don’t get a lower price when builders don’t have to pay commissions – you just get less representation and the builders make more than they planned.
Negotiating. Builder prices are not always firm and they’re not always based off of the entire local real estate market. Builders generally have some give on their prices or in the features or upgrades they can offer. Why not have an advocate pushing to get you the most for your money?
Experience. As a first time home buyer or a first time new home buyer, did you know that most builders don’t include blinds or sod? Did you know that some consider tile and wood to be standard flooring, while others charge a premium? Do you know the stages of building construction or what to do if something goes wrong early in the process? A good agent will. And a great agent will help guide you through those stages and help solve any potential problems. Not to mention the fact that experienced agents can offer advice on price of upgrades, contractors, and workmanship.
On-site salespeople work for the builder. They may seem nice and friendly, but ultimately it’s their job to get money for the builder. While some are awesome and most are good, there just might be an unscrupulous few out there. We’ve seen everything from mysteriously unavailable sales counselors when buyers have questions after signing the contract to others who have told outright lies about included features and basic terms of the contracts. Realtors are regulated by a state licensing board and held to the higher standard of the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics while on-site salespeople are not.
Contracts. Purchase agreements are legally binding contracts on both parties. While agents are not attorneys, they do see contracts every day and can help give advice on what elements to be aware of and which to lookout for. Just today I heard the story of an unrepresented buyer who signed a purchase agreement with a new home builder and didn’t pay attention to the fact that there was no clause making the purchase contingent on the sale of their other home. If this buyer’s home does not close by the time the new one is built, this buyer could be out a lot of money.

As you can see, it just makes sense to have a real estate agent on your side when purchasing a new home. The builder will pay the commission to your agent and you get someone who will take care of the details and make sure you get the best from the deal.

image courtesy of antony_mayfield

New Construction – Is a Home Inspection Really Necessary?

February 19, 2013 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Heed this advice – it could save you a lot of money.

This question comes up time and time again in talking with clients thinking of buying a new home. Because it’s new construction, it’s brand new and nothing is wrong with it…right? One thing we notice is that many buyers of newly constructed homes are looking to save a little money as they are spending a large sum today, for a house they can live in tomorrow.

Which costs more: A stage-by-stage inspection or finding out the foundation guys didn’t let your foundation cure properly? An electrician who had a “few too many” the night before that forgot to cap a wire and it didn’t get caught by the building inspector (who inspects thousands of these exact same homes and sometimes doesn’t do much more than a quick walk-through)…sheetrock goes up and that loose wire burns your home down one night while you’re out? Or (and this happens often enough that it shocks me), while insulating the exterior walls of your home, someone “forgets” to do one of the walls? Years later while you’re replacing the siding you realize why your electric bills were so high.

These little missteps can cost you big dollars down the road. Even the best builders make mistakes. Having a stage-by-stage inspection done by a qualified inspector who works for you (and not the builder) is crucial to having the best home you can have.

Builders do inspections in stages too, but remember those inspectors (although meant to be impartial) do these all day for the builder – they are on the builder’s payroll. They are not looking for the long term business, because they already have that with the builder. Much like a real estate agent, a good inspector wants your business today and tomorrow, so they should be doing an amazing job today, so you’ll think of them in the future when you buy another home.

Let me sum it up for everyone:

Do not rely on a builder’s inspections. Hire an inspector and tell them you want a stage-by-stage inspection of your new home as it is being built.

If you’re a home buyer in San Antonio and are thinking about new construction, contact us and we will be happy to give you the names of several qualified inspectors to choose from.

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