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San Antonio Real Estate

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You Passed Your Real Estate Exam – Now What?

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Congratualtions

Once upon a time, we all started at the beginning, with a fresh new real estate license in our hands and a ton of things to learn in front of us…being licensed is one thing, but becoming an incredible agent takes time. Jessica Flores remembers her days at the beginning and in this post, she speaks to those that are just wrapping up their licensing process and entering the world of real estate for the first time. We’ll step aside and let her do the rest…

Congratulations! You just passed your state and national real estate exam and you are ready to go sell houses. But where do you start?

Well, first off, you are now an independent contractor, but you are required to be sponsored by a broker. So how do you choose your brokerage?

This may seem like an easy answer, but in reality your choice can be the difference between making it or giving up.

There are many brokerages that you can choose to interview with. You should take the time to find out which is the right fit for you. Some questions you may want to ask include: Will training and education be offered? What are office fees, if any? What type of support system is included? What are the commission splits? The answers you receive can help you decide where you will thrive.

Once you have decided where you will hang your license it is time to get to work. This is the hardest part. What you learned in real estate school does not fully prepare you for what you will be doing. What you have seen on the cable TV network shows is even further from the reality of the amount of hard work, hours, and dedication that is needed to become a producing agent.
But don’t let that scare you. If it is something that you really want to achieve then it will require work and often anything of worth requires hard work.

Now, don’t fret, get to work. Go help people to sell their homes and help others make new memories by getting them into their dream home.

image courtesy of j.o.h.n. walker

The Holiday Rush – A Real Estate Tradition

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Holiday Rush

The “holiday rush” usually refers to the shopping madness that is known as Black Friday and the last minute crush of people hurrying and scurrying from store to store looking for those last few deals, picking up last minute gifts, and those of us who wait until the last minute for everything. Stores love it because it fills out their bottom line during the waning moments of the year. But in real estate it happens too and for the past few years we’ve seen it even more. There are several reasons why we see a rush to buy heading into the holidays and it keeps us busy and we love seeing it and hope the tradition continues. What creates the holiday rush in real estate? Let’s take a look at some of the factors.

Corporate Relocation

As corporations end their years they make big decisions. Corporate relocations happen all the time, but we see a lot at the end of the year as companies look to the year ahead and shift priorities and personnel. Because the decisions driving the moves are not personal, they can be made without the more emotional ties of things like the holidays or disrupting a school year (often deciding factors for people in their moves).

Tax Considerations

Some people have large tax considerations to take into account and need to offload property or spend cash to help with their taxes. Accountants will recommend different tactics depends on your particular situation, so refer to them for tax advice.

Bargain Shopping

Like shoppers on Black Friday, homebuyers love a good deal. While not a de facto truth, buyers often think that if a seller is on the market during the holidays, they are desperate to unload their property at rock bottom prices. There certainly are some sellers out there in that position, but our experience shows that this is more buyers putting their hopes into their own perception of the end of year. We do find that both buyers and sellers during the holiday season tend to be quite serious about buying/selling and are often quicker to pull the trigger once they find what they want.

New Year, New You

The coming new year provides a big opportunity for change. The familiar phrase “new year, new you” applies to housing as well. Who wouldn’t want to start a fresh new life with a change of setting too? You can start decorating, change your style, have plenty of new DIY projects, and reorganize everything – a new house is a chance to do it all over again and for some people, that’s a dream come true.

Join the Holiday Rush

If you do find yourself looking for a home or need to sell your house during the holidays, let us know. We’d love to help you make the transition, no matter what your reason for doing so. We specialize in making the transitions as easy on you as possible. Happy holidays and happy homeshopping!

image courtesy of B Rosen

What Makes A Neighborhood Great?

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Texas Sunset

We all want to live in a great neighborhood, but what exactly makes a neighborhood great? Like many things in real estate, it’s subjective and you can ask ten people and get ten different answers. “Great” can be defined in so many different ways that it’s next to impossible to provide any one definitive list, but we thought we’d take a moment and compile a list of some of the most common elements we hear about from the buyers we work with.

Criteria for Great Neighborhoods

Location will always make the top of just about every list in real estate. The old phrase “location, location, location” exists for a reason. People want to live in a location that works for them. For many, location is a combination of distances from work, school, shops and restaurants, and other people such as friends and family. For some people any one of these can outweigh the others – we know plenty of people that will live anywhere to make their commute time shorter and others who can’t move far enough away from their family. Like everything, it’s all about personal choices.

Price plays a huge role in decision making too. As you’ll see, there’s a theme building here. Price too is subjective. There are some who feel the price of homes in The Dominion make it a great neighborhood, while we know there are some of you sitting there right now shaking your heads at that thought. What is affordable to you is typically the basis of this point although plenty of people tie the personal value of a neighborhood to the dollar value of the neighborhood.

If you have school age children, the area schools are more than likely going to play a huge role in your thoughts about any neighborhood. (Who says, “boy, I sure do hope the schools here are terrible,” while looking at a house?) “Are the schools good?,” is a question we hear often.

Amenities factor in to decision making too. With the Texas heat, access to a pool can be important, but of course some people would prefer the privacy of a pool in their own backyard over a community pool. Gated and guard gated communities often top the lists of amenities that are highly sought after.

The homes themselves can also factor into the “great” status of a neighborhood. Quality of construction, willingness of the builder to back their homes through warranties and future service, stability of the builder (we saw several builders leave our market after the housing crisis in 2008-2009), actual design and development of the land while building out the neighborhood, and both the use/functionality and aesthetics of the homes being built can affect the general public’s view of whether or not a neighborhood is great. We’ve even seen cases where the neighborhood started out looking like it would be easily be classified as a great neighborhood, only to have opinions change as the build-out of the neighborhood changed.

In the end, what makes a neighborhood great is the people. Neighborhoods are a mix of different people with different ideas, beliefs, dreams, passions, and needs, but when they all come together to create something more than just a handful of streets sprinkled with physical houses, but instead create a community…that makes all the difference in the world. A great neighborhood is a great community, where the people are just important as the factors listed above. We can all be great neighbors and be a part of being a great neighborhood, all we have to do is participate.

image courtesy of Life Lenses

Million Dollar Real Estate in and Around San Antonio

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Million Dollar Real Estate

What would you do if you won the lottery? Fancy cars? Diamonds? Real estate? If you live in and around San Antonio, there is certainly enough million dollar real estate to choose from (over 300 homes as we write this – and that doesn’t include million dollar condos or the often high priced farm and ranch categories). So we thought we’d take a look to see exactly what is out there and available in the million dollar price range. Our criteria is simple – single family homes that are priced at $1,000,000 or up. Some of the homes are quite spectacular – who wants one? We know we could find a few in this list that we would be more than happy to settle down in.

Million Dollar Real Estate

Below you’ll find a quick sampling of what a million dollars (or more) might get you. To see all of the homes priced at $1,000,000 or up, visit our million dollar homes list.

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See all Real estate matching your search.
(all data current as of 9/23/2019)

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

 
 

The Legal Side of Real Estate Contracts

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Legal Side of Real Estate

When it comes to the legal side of real estate, things can seem a little scary. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that you’re involved in a legally binding contract while buying a house. You get swept up in the emotion of it all and it just seems like everyone is doing everything as if it were just a normal sale. But it isn’t. Those contracts and all that paperwork legally binds you to that sale. It’s not like purchasing a soda at the local convenience store where you can just walk away and end the purchase. Termination is serious business in real estate and knowing that you are signing legal documents is a key piece to the process. And when things do go sideways and you’re heading to mediation or the courts to determine the outcome, understanding the contracts, what you’ve signed, and what it all means to you can make all the difference.

CONSULT AN ATTORNEY BEFORE SIGNING: TREC rules prohibit real estate license holders from giving legal advice. READ THIS CONTRACT CAREFULLY.

 

Broker cannot give legal advice. READ THIS LISTING CAREFULLY. If you do not understand the effect of this Listing, consult an attorney BEFORE signing.

 

CONSULT AN ATTORNEY: Broker cannot give legal advice. This is a legally binding agreement. READ IT CAREFULLY. If you do not understand the effect of this agreement, consult your attorney BEFORE signing.

The quotes above are taken directly from some of the forms you may have signed (or will be signing). Each one says the same thing – you’re about to sign a legal document, your broker or agent cannot give you legal advice as they are not attorneys, and if you do not understand what you’re about to sign, you should have a lawyer review it before you sign.

The Legal Side of Real Estate

In the excitement of buying or selling a house (even renting), it’s easy to forget that all those pieces of paper sitting in front of you are a legally binding contract. Sure you know they’re an agreement between you and the parties involved, but we know it doesn’t always sink in that there are legal ramifications to all that paperwork. As we call most of the documents “forms” it gives it a much looser feel – it doesn’t sound quite as scary to sign a form, does it? A form is just something you fill out. A contract is something you need a lawyer to draw up. Our forms are drawn up by lawyers though, so they are carefully worded legal documents. When you read through them, you will see that they contain answers to most of the “what if” questions you might have – they provide guidance and remedies for just about every situation you can think of. They are written and updated by teams of legal experts from the Texas Real Estate Commission, the Texas Association of Realtors, and the San Antonio Board of Realtors (or your local board if you live outside of our area). There may also be some forms that your brokerage or the other brokerage in the transaction requires as well and these are also written by lawyers in order to provide additional safety and protections that have been deemed necessary by the company.

Because you are signing legal documents which become legally binding between you and the other parties, it is important to understand that while your real estate agent deals with these documents day in and day out and knows them intimately, they are not attorneys and as such, can not give you legal advice. When an agent takes their first real estate class and all the way through their careers, this point is hammered into their heads. It’s a delicate line they walk – they deal in legal paperwork all day long, but because they don’t have a license to practice law, they cannot interpret the meaning of the contracts and suggest the outcomes and legal ramifications. They cannot advise you how to proceed, only that you should consult an attorney. Sometimes, clients get a bit frustrated by this, as they know we have seen so much and have a ton of experience with the legal ramifications of these contracts, but for us to give that advice or guidance is against the law in and of itself. Most agents know an attorney or two, so if you have questions, ask them for a referral to a lawyer who specializes in real estate. We even have one that works for Kimberly Howell Properties as an agent – Shann Chaudhry – and we recommend him to many of our clients when they have questions about how the law affects their contractual obligations.

Of course, whenever you sign a legal document, you should know what you’re signing. Ask questions. Read. Pay extra attention to sections in bold and (it goes without saying) always read the fine print. And when in doubt, stop the process and have an attorney review the documents. Never sign something if you don’t know what it means for you. The legal side of real estate can be a bit scary, but it doesn’t have to be. Know what you’re signing and always seek to learn more about the process and what it means to you.

image courtesy of Sam Howzit

Email Tips for Real Estate Professionals Part II

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Email Tips

In our second part of this series of email tips for real estate professionals, we’ll take a look at the items you should avoid at all cost. These items can make life very difficult for the real estate professional and cause confusion and delays in getting things done. Many of these email tips are based in commonly practiced “netiquette” and apply to personal emails just as much as business emails, but when it comes to real estate related email, some of these items can cause serious delays or misunderstandings between agents and potentially derail a transaction. Remember, always be clear and concise. That is probably the number one email tip that we can give you. Without that one, you might as well not even bother to send an email at all.

Email Tips – Avoid These Items

Chatting – While real estate professionals offer a lot of resources through various websites, they are still a business and as such, cannot just give out all of their knowledge and insights for free. Sending endless emails without any regard to that fact can seem innocent enough, but it is not reasonable to expect them to give their time freely for any lengthy period.

Multiple Sources – These days, most of us have multiple email addresses and various devices to send email from. Make sure you’re replying from the right address when corresponding to an email chain. Switching email addresses mid-discussion can cause confusion and delays. Also be sure your devices include “quoting” so that the previous emails are still attached to the chain – getting an email that says “yes, go ahead with that plan” without any reference can be confusing to say the least.

Who Are You? – Forgetting to address your emails to a specific person or not signing them is unacceptable in business emails. Remember to always specify who you’re talking to and include a signature line so that the recipient knows who sent it to them.

Bombardment – Also known as dumping, this is the act of sending excessive amounts of emails and attachments with unnecessary information – remember to be concise and clear about your purpose in your business emails.

Shouting – NO ONE LIKES TO BE YELLED AT! TURN THE CAPS LOCK OFF! THANK YOU! USE A FEW LESS EXCLAMATION POINTS WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!!!!

Slang and Text Talk – In addition to correct grammar and spelling, avoid “text talk” (ie, ur instead of your) and slang. You are a professional, so your business emails should reflect that at all times.

Religion – Avoid references to your personal religious beliefs. Whether it’s direct quotes from religious texts, blessings, or spiritual advice in the form of quotes or other email sign offs, these religious nods imply that the recipient shares your same beliefs, which they may or may not. In addition to potential Fair Housing violations, these can make some people uncomfortable and do not have a place in business transactions.

Politics – Much like religion, political topics can be a hot button for some. Avoid political talk and remain neutral in your emails.

Rambling – Remember how we mentioned you should be clear and concise in your emails? Avoid rambling on and on about a topic – get to the point. Use bullet points and paragraphs. Avoid meandering from one topic to another. If you’re discussing something rather complicated, break it into small bites and use numbers to codify it.

Center of the Universe – You are not the center of the universe. Real estate professionals and those in the industry receive hundreds of emails a day. Without a clear indication of what the email is referring to or who it is coming from, you are making the assumption that you are the only client in the universe. While you should be made to feel that way, truth is, you are not. Help everyone out by (have we said this somewhere before?) being clear and concise, so that there are no questions about your intent with your email.

It’s All About Bob – This one made us laugh, because we’ve seen it before. Email arrives requesting urgent action and is signed simply “Bob.” We work with a lot of Bobs (as it’s a common name) and without some reference to a transaction, property, negotiation, etc. in the email, it is next to impossible to know what the email is about. No one is that psychic – if they were, there would be no need for email – we could all just magically know what to do next without any communication.

More Email Tips for Real Estate Professionals

If you missed the original article, check out “Email Tips for Real Estate Professionals Part I” where we talk about best practices for writing business emails.

image courtesy of gajman

this post is based off of an article by David J. Willis, a Houston real estate attorney

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