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        <title>Tyler Homes Group Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/</link>
        <description>Tyler Homes Group articles about Home Buying and Selling in the Tyler Texas Real Estate Market.</description>
<item>
    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/the-market-in-tyler-and-east-texas-today.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/the-market-in-tyler-and-east-texas-today.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>The Market in Tyler and East Texas Today</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Everywhere I go the people who know I am a real estate Broker ask me about the current real estate market. It is still crazy but I think it is in the process of changing again.


It has slowed down some because we are still dealing with a super low inventory of homes. We currently have under 700 active residential listing in a 15 county – or more- area. Sellers are hesitant to put their homes on the market for fear they will not be able to get another home if they are staying in this area.





Meantime, Buyers are trying to buy something, making endless offers on properties, only to lose out in multi-offer situations.


Cash is still king because it eliminates so many issues in the escrow process. No financing contingency and most importantly no appraisal issues.


If a buyer is using VA financing, it is extremely difficult to get an offer accepted due to the appraisal contingency. If the house does not appraise for what the Buyer offered, they can terminate the contract or the Seller can agree to sell at the lower appraised price. Sellers do not like doing that.


My observations this week as I am dealing with a listing with multiple offers and two buyers making offers on properties are first; the sellers are super nervous negotiating or accepting an offer for fear they are leaving money on the table. Second, Buyers are super nervous in that prices seem artificially high on the properties they are making offers on and second guessing themselves on if they are paying too much


What do I think is going to happen? I think the market is going to slow, especially if inventory remains low. I think our national economy is going to start affecting us locally. I think rising interest rates and growing inflation is going to slow down the number of buyers jumping into the market for the next several months. Until consumer confidence returns I think the real estate market will slow down a bit and home value appreciation will slow down as well.
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    <pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2022 15:17:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/getting-your-home-ready-for-the-market-post-covid-19.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/getting-your-home-ready-for-the-market-post-covid-19.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>Getting Your Home Ready for the Market Post COVID-19</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Now that we have all been “Sheltering in Place” for the last several weeks, you might have discovered you really need a little more space in your home and you might be considering getting a larger place – maybe one with 2 living areas or a home office


You can use these last couple of weeks of sheltering to prepare your home for the market.


 


First, start with a deep clean – baseboards, windows, moving furniture out of the way and cleaning under it, the whole bit. Spray touchable surfaces with a disinfectant product if you have it on hand. In doing a deep clean you will discover flaws or items in need of repair – keep a list. You will also be making your home more inviting to any prospective Buyer who may have residual fears about the virus. Another little-known fact I learned over my years of real estate experience is that a spotlessly clean house is interpreted by the Buyer as a well-maintained house. Well maintained means highest possible offers – maybe even a bidding war with over asking sales price


Go through the house, room by room, pretend you are a picky buyer (because they all are) and do your best to be objective about each room. Where would a prospective buyer find fault. Feel small? Declutter and remove smaller pieces of furniture. Your youngsters color choice off-putting? You may need to repaint the entire room. Dated design choices? You may have to replace the dark green or wine-colored carpeting with wood or vinyl plank flooring. And contrary to popular thought – not everyone is a big fan of shiplap siding or gray and white color scheme.


If in doubt as to how to proceed or how much to invest, contact me at 903-570-6226 (yes, I’m officing from home as well) to come help you prioritize the best projects to take on that will give you the greatest return on your investment.
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    <pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:11:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/housing-trends-for-2019.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/housing-trends-for-2019.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>Housing Trends for 2019</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
I love this time of year because the industry folks start predicting what the trends for next year are going to be The coming year’s hot housing trend is predicted to be kitchens Even small kitchen renovations can decrease your homes market time should you sell, and a blue kitchen brings $5000 in value more than any other color How interesting is that?


 


I love kitchens because I love to cook and especially bake, and I get to spend extra time in my kitchen cleaning up after my husband’s cooking A little insight into the Carroll household there


 From what they are saying, you are just not going to believe what passes for “neutral” these days First, the all-white kitchen is now pretty much a thing of the past. I’ve been seeing the trend that the island is often painted a contrasting color and that trend is going to continue. The island is often painted dark blue, dark gray or even a pale aqua that was in a listing I had that was stunning Now they are saying not to be surprised if we see the whole kitchen painted those colors. And get this, blue and green (especially a muted emerald green) are now considered neutral colors because of the soothing feelings they invoke. Before you run out and start painting your kitchen, let me remind you that these stronger and bolder colors are used in large, open kitchens. If you live in a home with a galley kitchen, you may be better off going with much lighter versions of these colors such as a pale blue or pale gray because they will make the room look larger


 Another trend has to do with Americans finally getting more health conscious. Move over coffee makers, we are now wanting spaces to keep easy access for our steamers and juicers. Another nod kitchen designers are making toward the wellness movement to help us prepare healthier meals at home is having a drawer with a built-in food vacuum system because we are using them more and more.


 To go with the food vacuum system and juicer is the use of column refrigerators and freezers – in other words, having separate appliances that you can keep side by side or split to another part of the kitchen. This allows you to design your kitchen with a large column freezer if you work with a lot of frozen foods (using that vacuum system) or go with a larger refrigerator if you keep lots of fresh veggies and greens on hand for your juicing You customize to your specific needs How cool is that?


 The use of sliding glass doors to connect outside entertainment space to the kitchen is also showing up more and more though that may be more popular than here in Texas where our seasons are hot and hotter.


 Finally, technology also infiltrates the kitchen with voice activated appliances and gadgets. You have probably seen the commercial where the actor says, “turn the oven on to 350 degrees”. This always reminds me of “Space Odyssey” (yes, I’m showing my age) and the computer taking over. When I am in the kitchen it might be easier to say “Remind me I want the jar of chicken base when I open the refrigerator door” rather than standing there staring blankly at the contents of the fridge trying to remember why I opened the door


 After considering all these trends, to me it boils down to the fact that the kitchen is one of the rooms we get to show off our personality and lifestyle. Do what makes you feel good about spending time in there and helps you entertain and enjoy family and friends the best – after all, that is what is most important
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    <pubDate>Fri, 19 Oct 2018 18:41:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/5-things-inspections-sometimes-miss.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/5-things-inspections-sometimes-miss.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>5 Things Inspections Sometimes Miss</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Inspections can certainly help you decide what items you need to negotiate for repairs or if you just need to run screaming away from the money pit as fast as you can. The State of Texas has Inspector Guidelines that are often not the adopted Building Code in the areas where the property is located and then the Inspectors must inspect them like they were built yesterday. Good Inspectors take the age of the house into consideration and advise you accordingly. We always insist our Buyers get home inspections on their future home, but inspections are not fool-proof and the inspectors themselves can only do so much







Electrical Problems – The inspector checks the breaker box for open slots and overheating breakers. They also check for grounding. They check the outlets and GFCI’s that they can get to – and hence lies the problem. They are not allowed to move furniture, boxes, or anything out of their way, so items can be missed.


HVAC System Issues – They test temperatures for the day they are inspecting the system and it must blow hot air in heat mode and must blow cool air (with a 13-20 degree differential from the ambient room air) in the summer time. What they can’t tell is if there is a leak in the system, if there is a cracked heat exchanger or the expected life expectancy of the unit. It’s usually best to ask the Seller to have the system cleaned and serviced at the very least.


Structural Issues – Due to furnishings and access issues, Inspectors can’t often see all the cracks that might be present to indicate there might be a structural problem with the home. If they see multiple cracks, or even one large crack, in sheetrock or brick exterior, they may well advise you to have a structural engineer look at the property. A Structural Engineer often writes a report indicating the size of the cracks, the age of the home, whether they think it is more about routine settling, and then will tell you they can’t assess whether it will move more in the future or not


Leaks – While they are there, the inspector runs a lot of water through the plumbing system but that is often not enough to point out some leaks. Also, things get jostled when the homeowner is packing and moving that could lead to a leak. And let’s not forget, if the house is sitting empty, leaks may have dried up with utilities turned off and may not be evident until after you move in


Sewer Line Stoppages – Inspectors rarely catch stoppages or if there is an issue with the sewer lines. In our house we only have a problem in one area every couple of years that requires the line to be cleared. Many homes have similar eccentric issues. The older the home the more likely tree roots, winter freezes or inappropriate items being flushed will cause problems – plan on it


 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jul 2018 12:20:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/do-gimmicks-work-to-sell-your-home.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/do-gimmicks-work-to-sell-your-home.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>Do Gimmicks Work To Sell Your Home?</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
GIMMICKS - GIMMICKS - GIMMICKS





In Tyler, Texas real estate there are several real estate companies and agents that are endorsed by television or financial celebrities or they offer to buy your home or enroll it in a special program to encourage a quick sale. Do these gimmicks work? If you are asking if the gimmicks work to get them listings – the answer is yes. If you are asking if the gimmicks work to get your home sold the quickest and at the highest price – that answer may surprise you – because it is a resounding NO


As far as celebrity endorsements, those agents pay a lot of money for that celebrity to endorse them. Those agents may have to promise to do business a certain way, or provide testimonials, but they basically pay for the privilege of that endorsement and get a link from the celebrity’s web page or mentioned in radio shows.


Will they buy your home if they don’t sell it? Sure they will. But not at full market value. All of those programs have various ways of calculating what they will buy it for, but it averages between 75 and 85 of fair market value and then they might share a percentage of the profit when they eventually sell it.


Does enrolling it in a special program for a drawing at some point for the agents who sold the homes work? NO. Agents are going to help their client buy the house their client wants and the fact they will get invited to a party has nothing to do with the buying decision.


I can tell you horror stories of Sellers who paid a premium to list their homes with some of these agents and found out too late just what it all added up to - or were so frustrated with their “systems” they wanted out but had signed a 6 month or 1 year listing contract so were stuck.


Before you sign a listing agreement ask the question - If I am unhappy with the process can I terminate the listing before it expires?


Choose an agent based upon their reputation in the Tyler real estate market. Choose an agent who will answer your calls or text back quickly. Choose an agent who will remember you are a client because they don’t have 30 or more listings and no idea who their clients are. Choose substance, not gimmicks.
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    <pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2018 16:02:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/how-much-is-your-tyler-texas-property-worth.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/how-much-is-your-tyler-texas-property-worth.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>How Much is Your Tyler Texas Property Worth?</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
LOCATION, AMENITIES AND AGE…OH MY





Last week I went on a listing appointment with a past client. She had done her homework. She had been on a popular website to check her “estimate”, had researched to see what the median price per square foot was for our city, what the average price of homes were running the last several months and reading articles about how there was a shortage of inventory and prices were going up. Based upon this information, she had a price in mind for what she was going to ask for her home because she knew she had an above average home.


I did my research on home sales for the last 6 months in her specific neighborhood, knew the ages of the houses that had sold and what updates and amenities they had and how long they had taken to sell.


Needless to say; our numbers were not the same. In fact, they were about 15 apart Mine was lower than hers and she was heartbroken. I explained that when she was looking at the median price for the city, that was raw data and included a lot of newer, high-end homes. There was no adjustment for location or age.


I am listing it for a little higher than I suggested due to inventory shortage, but she is now happy with the price and understands the process. See, it doesn’t matter about estimates or zestimates or anything else. It is almost like those sites should have a disclaimer that says any values they propose are for entertainment value only Without context, those numbers mean nothing It takes an experienced agent to put those numbers in context and develop a realistic list price for your home.


It boils down to the fact that real estate is local. What is happening nationwide may not be happening in Tyler, Texas real estate What is happening in Dallas or Austin may not be happening in Tyler, Texas home sales. You have to have someone who knows Tyler, Texas and the surrounding area to provide the context for the information to price your home right
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    <pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2018 12:18:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/tylers-azalea-trails-in-full-color.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/tylers-azalea-trails-in-full-color.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>Tyler's Azalea Trails in Full Color</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Tyler’s annual Azalea Trails are in full color right now With the tulips, Japanese maples, dogwoods and wisteria adding to the glorious azaleas, it is a spectacular show of colors you don’t want to miss


Click here to view the azalea district homes for sale


Tyler’s Historic Azalea District is in the heart of the City, anchored by Tyler’s first shopping strip – Bergfeld Center, and popular Bergfeld Park. The brick streets are an additional charm to the area though not all the Azalea District has brick streets. North of the Azalea District lays the Brick Street Historic District, full of quaint 1910’s – 1920’s homes on a smaller scale.


If you catch yourself with an hour or two to spare, drive the trails and take in the beauty and have your windows rolled down – the wisteria smells fabulous
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:27:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/do-you-have-the-will-or-dont-you.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/do-you-have-the-will-or-dont-you.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>Do You Have the Will or Don't You</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Do You Have the Will or Don't You?





First let me say I am NOT an attorney. I am a Real Estate Broker with well over a thousand transactions of experience. The most heartbreaking thing I deal with is selling a home after a death in the family.


Somewhere in the past there became a misconception about the evils of probating wills. This led a great number of people to believe that the best way to keep the government out of their business was to not have a will at all - or the legal term, to die intestate. That is all well and good if you just have personal property. But a huge problem arises if you have real property - a home or land. Without a will stipulating who it is to go to, it will be divided among your heirs. This is where it gets tricky.


I practice real estate in Texas and Texas is a community property State. So if someone dies without a will there are a couple of things that can happen. If they are married and their only children are from that marriage, then the entire estate goes to the surviving spouse. If there are children from outside that marriage and they are married then half of the estate automatically goes to the surviving spouse. The other half of the estate is divided equally among the children of the deceased. If there was a previous marriage and there were children from that previous marriage, they get to split the half of the estate designated for the descendants as well. This can get real sticky if there are bad feelings between the families.


I recently had some clients (second marriage for him with children from the previous marriage) who had bought a home and acreage with a mortgage, then wisely decided to make a will to make sure the surviving spouse got the entire property should one of them die. They went on line, downloaded a will and filled it out. Several months later the husband died unexpectedly leaving the bereaved wife to settle his estate. She no longer wanted to keep their house because of the memories and expense of the mortgage payment so she contacted me to list the home. We had just helped her mother buy a home they were going to share after the farm sold. I asked to see the will since she had not probated it yet and I was going to need to get it to the title company. My heart dropped when I looked at it. He had named her as his beneficiary with her mother as the secondary beneficiary BUT her mother was the only witness to the will. I then had to tell my client that I wasn't an attorney but I didn't think the will was valid because there was only one witness, not two as required (the form did have blanks for two witnesses) and the mother had signed and I didn't think a beneficiary could sign as a witness. I recommended she get the document to the County Judge's office as quickly as she could to have them take a look at it. I got the phone call from my devastated client three days later after she had been to the County Judge and had consulted an attorney confirming my suspicion. Her husband's children from his previous marriage now owned half the house. She ended up abandoning the property and letting it go back to the mortgage company because the children from the previous marriage were not helping her make the mortgage payment.


THE LESSON TO LEARN FROM THIS REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE:


If you own real property GET A WILL You can guarantee leaving it to exactly who you want and avoid a lot of hurt feelings, confusion and added expense to your estate. And while you are at it, be sure to give your executor or executrix the power to sell your real property to settle the estate, a point often left out. This prevents ALL the heirs from having to sign the listing agreement, contract and finally the deed.


Spending a few hundred dollars now, can prevent thousands of dollars of added expense and untold confusion for your estate. So make it a point to have the will to get your will 
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    <pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2015 10:58:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/10-tips-to-buying-a-home-in-todays-market.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/10-tips-to-buying-a-home-in-todays-market.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>10 Tips to Buying a Home in Today’s Market</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Though not the housing boom many other parts of the country are experiencing or as reported in the national media, the Tyler market has picked up in 2015 over 2014 but is not experiencing tons of multi-offer situations.  It is currently very advantageous to be a buyer in the Tyler market today.  Inventory is lower but the number of qualified buyers is lower too, sales rates have picked up a bit and interest rates are still at near historical lows.  The pool of qualified buyers is smaller making for less competition to purchase a home – the days of multiple offers and bidding wars are rarer though do exist for homes in great condition in the under $175,000 price range.  Needless to say, it is making it a bit harder for buyers to find the right home and negotiate the right deal. Here are 10 quick tips if you are looking to buy a home:


Get pre-qualified for a loan – Mortgage programs and rates have been changing rapidly. Find a reputable lender who can help you find the right loan programs that fit with your budget, income and housing needs. Interview lenders and understand how they are paid. Don’t be afraid to negotiate. If you don’t know a lender, ask your real estate agent to refer you to one that they trust. 


Hire a real estate agent – An experienced real estate agent can be an invaluable resource when shopping for a home. They know the local market and can gain access to many listings that you cannot see on your own. Interview prospective agents, understand how they are paid and ask about the services that they will provide. 


Do your research – A home search is far easier if you know where you want to live. Do your research on schools, neighborhoods and commutes. Also examine real estate trends for the neighborhoods you are interested in.


Know what you can afford – Put together your family budget, planning for the new mortgage payment. Don’t forget to add in the ongoing maintenance costs of owning a home.


Make an offer – You can’t buy a home if you don’t make an offer, and in real estate that means placing a written offer. In today’s market, you may have to consider making a full asking price offer – especially if you are asking for closing cost assistance. Don’t be shy about making a lower offer but know that the sellers don’t always notify buyers of a multi-offer situation and you might never stand a chance. Many sellers will be willing to negotiate, especially if their home has been on the market for a while. However, you should also be reasonable. Understand the seller’s mindset and pay attention to what recent homes nearby have sold for.


Act quickly if you find your dream house – If you find that perfect house, take action and make an offer. The market is slower, but well-priced homes in good locations will still sell quickly. It only takes one other buyer to lose the home you have been dreaming about.


Pay attention to resale – Buying a home is an exciting and emotional process. Don’t ignore problems with the home that will make it difficult to sell later. If you are looking at homes with an ugly view, noisy location, messy neighbors or a strange floor plan, remember that it may be challenging for you to sell in the future.


Leverage your agent – Agents negotiate home purchases every day. They can help you understand the psychology of the seller to help you craft a more compelling offer. They can also help you uncover details about the property history and underlying seller motivations.


Inspect the property – Take advantage of the inspection or Option period. Hire professional inspectors and check out all the major systems to avoid unwanted surprises in the future.


Look at the big picture – Remember the major reasons why you are buying a new home, and don’t let small problems and cosmetic details get in the way. Generally those issues are easily fixed.
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    <pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2015 09:52:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/attention-buyers-we-know-a-lot-of-stuff.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.tylerhomes.com/blog/attention-buyers-we-know-a-lot-of-stuff.html</link>
        <author>claudia@tylerhomes.com (Claudia Carroll)</author>
        <title>Attention Buyers We Know a lot of Stuff</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
We have just had another instance of showing a client a bunch of houses and showing them their final 2 choices 3 different times. They then turned around and bought a For Sale by Owner (FSBO) without us to “save” on commission. There are no words to describe how defeated we feel when this happens.





No, we don’t force our buyers to sign a Buyer’s Representation Agreement with us before we show them houses, so some of you out there reading this might say we deserve this. But we don’t – and here is why.


&gt;We are more than perky key holders who open doors to show you houses We happen to have personal files (in our memory banks)  with the history of quite a few houses and certainly know a ton of the neighborhoods – their history, the trends, whether it’s known for foundation issues, quality of builders, a lot of renters, a lot of foreclosures, etc. We know a lot of stuff


We oftentimes have access to the last sales price of the home through our Realtor records because Texas is a non-disclosure State for sales price.  We certainly know the neighborhoods and if prices are going up or down.  We also know whether this is the eighth time the house has been on the market in the last 5 years.  We know a lot of stuff


With FSBOs, if they refuse to pay the commission for your representative, that should be a red flag to you, the consumer. We know the law and all about disclosures, the accuracy of the data the Sellers are presenting, trusted inspectors, negotiating repairs, reliable contractors for the repairs, the appraisal process, and the escrow process. We know a lot of stuff


We also know our fellow agents and have a good working relationship with them. We have the reputation of writing clean contracts for pre-approved buyers so the listing agent knows we should make it to the closing table. We know the perils and pitfalls of the escrow process so we can be pro-active in problem solving. We know who to go to for information or solutions. We know a lot of stuff


So whether you use Claudia Carroll and Tyler Homes Group of Keller Williams Realty as your Buyer Representative (and no, we still won’t make you sign an agreement) or you use another Realtor, don’t try to “save” on commission by buying a FSBO without us Your “savings” could be eaten up by a bad decision based on bad information. Call us – WE KNOW A LOT OF STUFF
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    <pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2013 11:59:00 -0500</pubDate>
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