Home Buyer Concerns

When buying a home, it is a good idea to seek out issues before getting into a contract. Here are a few items to look for when considering a home.

Foundation: If a home has foundation issues, it may have cracks going up the brick or mortar, as well as an uneven feeling when walking through it. However, if these issues have been addressed by the former owner having the foundation stabilized with piers, typically the foundation company offers a transferable warranty which can be switched into the buyer's name at closing. Many buyer's are nervous buying a home that has had foundation piering, however, usually those fears are unfounded. Most reputable foundation companies like Allied Foundation, for instance, have good reputations for quality work and stand behind it.

However, if the foundation issues haven't been addressed, you need to contact a foundation company for an estimate (usually free of charge) to assess damage. Sometimes it can be a minimal amount to fix the problem, however, there are instances where it affects the plumbing underneath the home and that can be quite costly.

Termites: Another item of concern is termite infestation. Now, part of the inspection process is a termite inspection. If the home has or had termites, not only does the inspector check for infestation, he also checks for damage. Termites can do thousands of dollars of damage to a home in a relatively short time span.

Other issues such as electrical and plumbing concerns can be addressed by simply asking for a home warranty. These are commonplace and are fairly inexpensive. A home warranty can give the buyer peace of mind to know that most unexpected issues that may arise can be addressed by the warranty for the first year, with the ability to extend indefinitely if the buyer so chooses.

The bottom line is, when looking for a home, always be on the lookout for problem areas. While most homes do not have the issues mentioned, or if they have been addressed, you can still feel secure in your decision to purchase. Remember, always get a home inspection as that is usually your best defense against problems.

Have questions, I am always available to help. Call or email anytime.

Market Conditions

As a 12+ year veteran of the real estate industry I have seen many peaks and valleys in the market. We are lucky in this part of the country as our market hasn't endured the full brunt of the market volatility. Houston and surrounding areas have held up pretty well. Days on market has increased of late due to more rigid FHA guidelines. Homes are still selling here and buyer's are buying. Interest rates have held strong averaging 5.5% which means more home for the dollar.

If you are thinking of selling, give me a call. I am the Pearland specialist and with my years of experience, can help negotiate to get you more for your home than you might think. I will run a customized market analysis of your home and guide you on decorating tips and techniques to make your home spectacular. In addition, I do a personalized video tour that is posted on YouTube as well as HAR.com, TopMike.com, etc. Unlike many agents who use "Teams" where you probably don't even work with the agent you hire, my team members support me in the background but I work directly with my clients from start to finish.

Give me a call today, 713-256-1297.
Mike Gonzales
www.TopMike.com

Open House This Weekend

I am doing another open house this Sunday 8/15/2010 from 2:00 until 4:00pm in Shadow Creek Ranch. Take a quick preview of this home now.

I do regular open houses as I feel that they are vital to maximizing the exposure of your home. You will hear some Realtors saying the don't do them, however, it is my opinion they are doing their seller an injustice. My team and I consistently hold open houses on all of our listings. My commitment to my client is to do eveything I can to help facilitate a sale; this includes maximizing it's exposure.

I am also including a free Video Tour posted on YouTube and linked with the Houston Multiple Listing Service. Check out the above virtual tour for an example.

iPhone 4 Review

Like many folks, I am a big fan of technology. Most Realtors nowadays stay up with technology or they fall behind. Today, I am reviewing the new iPhone 4. This is my second iPhone as I bought the first one when they first came out a few years ago. Although I loved the original phone, at my home here in Pearland, my service...how do I put it politely...sucked. This is the main reason I got rid of it after a year or so.

The other day, I bought the new iPhone 4 as it does several things I wanted in a phone. One of the main reasons is it shoots High Def video. This is useful in my field as I am implementing it on all my listing as part of my service. Now, it is pretty easy to post a video of each home on youtube. This along with a new feature call "Facetime" that allows you to see the person you are speaking to, influenced my decision. Now, Facetime only works within a broadband wireless connection but is still really cool.

That solved all of my issues with the exception of the service. So, I have now found another AT&T product called MicroCell which will set you back about $160 bucks. Some naysayers will say it should be free as I am having to fix AT&T's bad service. Well, this is true, but it also fixed my problem. My phone already worked well everywhere but my home and now that I have spent more money, it works well there too.

Now, on to the review. I find the phone very sleek looking with a very good, clear screen. The phone surfs the net with blazing speeds with your wireless service and is not too shabby when using it's own 4G network. Of course, the best apps are made for the iPhone so real estate apps like Zillow are of particular interest to me. There are hundreds of apps to choose from many that are free as well as many more you pay a few dollars for.

All in all, despite the $199 price tag for the phone (with a 2 year contract) and an additional $169 for the Microcell, I find the phone well worth the money. So far, I haven't noticed any dropped calls from the antenna being on the side of the phone, but AT&T is now giving iPhone customers a free case. I took mine, but probably won't use it. It would be a shame to spend this much money and then cover it up.

I hope you find this useful and feel free to comment.

Open House Today

I am having another open house today from 2pm until 4pm. Come out and take a look at this beautiful 2300 square foot home built by Lennar. This home has a great price point at only $164,900. It is a 3/2.5/2 with an upstairs gameroom. This home is located at 3326 Southdown Pearland, TX...just minutes from downtown and the medical center.