realtors

Confused About The Housing Market? Lean On Your Realtor

January 16, 2023 by khproperties Leave a Comment

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, you probably want to know what’s really happening with home prices, mortgage rates, housing supply, and more. That’s not an easy task considering how sensationalized headlines are today. Jay Thompson, a real estate industry consultant, explains:

“Housing market headlines are everywhere. Many are quite sensational, ending with exclamation points or predicting impending doom for the industry. Clickbait, the sensationalizing of headlines and content, has been an issue since the dawn of the internet, and housing news is not immune to it.”

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Unfortunately, when information in the media isn’t clear, it can generate a lot of fear and uncertainty in the market. As Jason Lewris, Cofounder and Chief Data Officer at Parcl, says:

“In the absence of trustworthy, up-to-date information, real estate decisions are increasingly being driven by fear, uncertainty, and doubt.”

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Buying or selling a home is a big decision, and it should be one you feel confident making. To help you separate fact from fiction and get the answers you need, lean on a local real estate advisor.

A trusted expert is your best resource to understand what’s happening at the national and local levels. They’ll be able to debunk the headlines using data you can trust. And using their in-depth knowledge of the industry, they’ll provide context so you know how current trends compare to the normal ebbs and flows in the industry, historical data and more.

Then, to make sure you have the full picture, they’ll tell you if your local area is following the national trend or if they’re seeing something different in your market. Together, you’ll use all of that information to make the best possible decision for you.

After all, making a move is a potentially life-changing milestone. It should be something you feel ready for and excited about. And that’s where an agent comes in.

Military Specialists: Realtors That Understand Military Life

November 14, 2016 by khproperties Leave a Comment

When you’ve spent time in the military or as part of a military family, you know that things don’t work quite the same as they do in the civilian world. This is why many homebuyers and sellers look for Realtors that understand military life – whether they have served themselves, were so-called Army brats, or married to the men and women who have served in the military. The military has a language all its own and for those of us that have never served, the lingo alone can be a bit confusing (try telling a civilian what time it is by the 24 hour clock – that one is always funny to watch as they try and count the hours!). Living in a city like San Antonio, you learn a lot about the military as it is everywhere you look, but not everyone understands the highly specialized needs of the men and women who serve and the stresses that can be associated with the frequent moves to new cities (sometimes even to foreign countries). There’s a lot to learn in order to get acclimated and sometimes the stress and strain can take a lot out of you. While the military itself provides a host of services to veterans to assist them, when it comes to housing, your local real estate agents are always a great resource, especially when they are Realtors that understand military life and the needs of both the veteran and their loved ones.

With that in mind, we have curated a list of our agents with military experience – whether they have served themselves or are closely tied to the military community through their family and their involvement in military life. While most agents in the San Antonio area are familiar with military life, these agents have shown their expertise and dedication to the men and women of the military. If you’re moving in or out of the area, give one of these Realtors that understand military life a call and you’ll be able to relax and rest assured that your housing needs will be met, whether renting, buying, or selling – here or anywhere across the country (we have a vast referral network to help you find an agent on the other end of your move as well!).

image courtesy of The U.S. Army

Welcome to All of Our New Real Estate Agents

July 15, 2016 by khproperties Leave a Comment

We’ve welcomed several new real estate agents over the past month or so and we wanted to take a moment to welcome them to the Kimberly Howell Properties family and hope you will too. Agents have many choices of where to call home when they’re looking for a brokerage to work with and having them choose us is an honor. We work hard to provide our agents with the tools they need to grow and be successful and the support that is important to both them and their clients. We’re proud of our agents and the countless hours they pour into their work as Realtors, helping clients all over the San Antonio area and beyond. We hope you’ll get to know them as we do as well – their stories, their experiences, their knowledge, and their work ethic – all of these go into making a real estate agent and driving our company forward so that we can serve you, our clients, in all of your real estate transactions. Take a moment to get to know your real estate agent and you’ll have both a trusted advocate and a friend for years to come. It takes a lot of dedication to be a Realtor and these agents are excellent examples of the passion and drive necessary to assist clients throughout their lives and become much more than just a real estate agent to the people they’ve helped along the way.

Looking for a new brokerage? Give us a call and see what happens when a company stops worrying about sheer volume and starts caring about the people they surround themselves with.

image courtesy of Realtor Action Center

6 Questions You’ll Be Asked At an Open House and Why

February 1, 2016 by khproperties Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever attended an open house, you’ll know that the Realtor hosting it will often ask you quite a few questions. While some people will prefer to not be bothered, there is a reason for these questions and even if you’re already represented by an agent or are just window shopping, you can assist the agent by answering those questions. They’re there to help you if you have questions as well – they can tell you about the house, the neighborhood, local inventory of homes, and prices. So come on in, say hello, and grab yourself a cookie or two – the open house is a great way for you to see the home and ask some questions, just remember, we might have a few for you as well.

What brought you in today? Other than a friendly greeting, this is a question that agents use to gauge the effectiveness of their marketing. If the home was advertised online or in a newspaper, this is a great way to see what results these sources are getting for the agents so they can fine tune their marketing. It also helps the host agent determine your level of interest – are you just window shopping or are you on an active house hunt? The agent wants to get a better understanding of their marketing and what’s effective, so let them know what your interest level is so that can better focus it in the future.

Will you sign in? The sign in sheet or registration card serves many purposes for an agent. First and foremost, it helps them to remember you and reach out to you for follow up after the fact. If you had questions about the property, they can follow up after the open house with more detailed answers. If you didn’t quite fall in love with that home, the agent can still reach out and offer to show you other homes that might be a better match. Second, the registry helps the seller to know how many people have come through their home. As you can imagine, it can be a bit intimidating to have strangers walking through your personal spaces, criticizing or fawning over your home and many sellers are granted a bit of peace of mind when they know there is a log or registry. And last, but certainly highly important, it’s about safety. There have been numerous stories in the news about agents who are attacked at open houses. Think about it – a lone person (often female) sitting alone in a property waiting for the strangers they’ve invited to arrive. If someone hesitates to sign in to the event, this can signal warning bells to the agent and heighten their alertness from the personal safety standpoint.

Are you working with an agent? Many times buyers begin their home search processes by perusing homes on their own, much like they’re doing right now at this open house. Not having an agent could be an indicator that you are early in the home search process. And, let’s face it, real estate is a business. If you don’t already have an agent, the host agent might look to find a way to help you and become your agent. If you do already have an agent, it is important to be up front and clear about this fact as there are special rules about what information can be shared or advice given to a client of another agent and agents look to respect those pre-existing relationships – it’s not just common courtesy, but it’s the law and part of the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics. Every consumer, no matter if they are a client of another broker or not, is to be treated honestly, fairly, and told material facts and details about a home, but advice, guidance, and confidentiality are all tenements of a more official relationship. If you fall in love with the home you see without your agent present, the hosting agent will likely reach out to your agent to better facilitate an offer.

Have you been prequalified for a loan? Financing is a huge component of a home sale and agents ask this question to gauge a visitors level of seriousness about the home buying process. Someone who has already taken the time to meet with a lender is likely someone who is ready to pull the trigger when they find the right home, whereas someone who hasn’t taken that step yet may be a bit farther out in their search or just starting and not familiar with the process. These clues help an agent provide the best level of service to you.

What stands out to you about this house? This question works in two ways. The first – selling the house. If there is a feature you absolutely love, agents will want to make sure to provide you with all of the details and make it shine. Something you don’t love so much? They are also great at pointing out ways to overcome or improve that feature to be more to your liking. The second purpose is that they are looking for feedback to present to the sellers. How is it priced? Is there something about the home that is really distracting to buyers? Is there a feature that buyers are in love with? They gather this feedback and work with the owner to come up with a plan to adjust their marketing strategy and hopefully generate an offer and sale sooner for the owner.

Where are you living now? You can tell a lot about a person by where they live. It is likely close to work or schools or family. The type of neighborhood a person lives in now can determine what they want for the future. For example, if it is in a gated community with tons of amenities, they may be looking for those same features in their next area. And often family dynamics impact the desire to move. If someone is living in a starter home but now has three kids, chances are they are looking to go bigger. According to lawyers in Long Beach, CA, if an elderly family member needs to move in for better care, chances are they may be looking to get rid of the stairs. Or living with in-laws can create a sense of urgency like you wouldn’t believe. This question actually opens the door for a lot of other conversations that help an agent start to build a relationship with you and better understand your needs in the home buying process.