iTexas Realty Co. Blog

We see the strangest things as we drive through San Antonio neighborhoods.  I always notice this home as their neatly trimmed and shady yard and the brick of the home juxtaposed against the black shutters always looks so appealing, but this time there was something new in the yard...

A Porta Potty, and next to it a man opening what looks like a bathroom window of the house. 

Do you suppose there's no paper in the plastic convenience???

--Sara

Chronicling the continuing progress on a home built from the ground up. 

After the Builder has completed setting the forms for the foundation, then completing the foundation infrastructure and the rough plumbing for water and sewer, they are finally ready to pour the slab. 

We go from this:

To this view from the back to the front of the lot.  Notice that the form boards haven't yet been removed.

Here is the view from the front of the lot, once those form boards have been removed:

Next up: The framing panels will be delivered and the walls will start going up.  Keep watching for more of the progress and call us for assistance with getting your San Antonio dream home built!

--Sara and Steve

Today, as I was posting a listing as "sold", I cruised through the new listings on the San Antonio MLS as is my daily habit.  They had the usual amusing turns of a phrase, overused hyperbole, unusual sentence structure and typos: 

PERFECTLY BALANCED ARCHITECTURE MAKING QUITE A STATEMENT.  (I can't diagram this to save my life)

HARDWOOD FLOORS TO DIE FOR,  (Trees may have...)

HUGE WALLS OF CLASSES (Classic typo)

But this one is my favorite of the day!

KITCHEN IS A CHIEFS DELIGHT, 

It made me wonder: Is the Agent specifically advertising to tribal chieftains? If so, is this a Fair Housing Violation?

Now that I think about it, what is IN that kitchen that would specifically appeal to chieftains?

--Sara

It has been such an unusually hot day here in San Antonio and I felt a little cooler when I happened across this photo of one of our new Buyer's backyard. 

The shade will make it a cool summer spot for entertaining - especially after the cedar is cleared from the lot. Unfortunately, the landscaping is not yet in.  

If you look closely, you can see see the beautiful blue pool set in the clearing and the patio area around it, the neatly trimmed boxwood and yellow Lantana set in pots in the foreground, and plantings of yellow and white butterfly iris, pink Muskegee Crape Myrtle, Texas Mountain Laurel and Texas Redbud set amongst the tall oaks that shade the rear of the lot.

It's going to be beautiful, isn't it!

--Sara

Chronicling the continuing progress on a home built from the ground up. 

After, the home is "sited" (positioned(, on lot, the the lot is cleared and initial grading takes place.

The Builder begins setting the forms for the foundation.  San Antonio Buyers are sometimes surprised to find that there is a technology to foundation building.  A slab of concrete is not simply poured into the form.

We go from looking like this:

To seeing the foundation completely formed and "bagged" (filled with rock which forms the base of the foundation. 

The areas between the bags form the beams of the home's foundation.  After this stage is completed,  it is ready for the Plumbers to come in and do the roughplumbing and sewer lines, within the foundation.

The red lines that you see are actually cables and are used after the foundation is poured to "tension" the concrete of the foundation to strengthen it.

One of the most exciting things about seeing the foundation coming together is that you can finally view just where the landscaping can go in the front and rear of the home (unfortunately, the tree above is in the middle of the driveway and on this size lot, it couldn't be helped), and a tentative landscape plan can begin.

Below you can see some of the remaining trees in the backyard.  The one on the left  proivides "high shade" all day and creates a lot of different garden options!

--Sara

We receive some interesting comments to this series of posts that explore little known facts for Home Sellers in San Antonio, Texas (and other great towns), so here's another scintillating fact or two:

Unless your Toilet is cold (or sensitive about balding), it's time to remove the fuzzy lid cover (don't even tell me that it's PINK!).

While we're at it, let's really consider your bathroom's size...

Palatial isn't it?

NO?

Then let's stop making this dinky space look even smaller by covering up your nice flooring with a bathmat - or worse, 3 or 4  tiny, old, colorful  "nice" bathmats.

Now that we've finally established that your Toilet isn't cold, you tell me that your feet are? Well then, for showings only, roll up those bathmats and stash them in the back corner of your closet or some other hidden space until your showing is over.

Besides,
who wants some stranger's shoes where you put your clean feet?


EEEWWWW !

#4 Tip for Sellers,

#3 Tip for Sellers

#2 Tip for Sellers

#1 Tip for Sellers

I just received an e-mail from a former client who writes for a newspaper in another city.  Periodically, this individual writes articles about San Antonio, Texas;, so they sent me a note inquiring about our "insider knowledge of the city" and the "secret, special places" that we take clients.  The Riverwalk restaurants were of particular interest.

The writer was so disappointed when I told her that with our work schedule in the current market; dining out (especially at 10pm when we have finished negotiating deals, searching properties and producing ad copy), with our clients isn't always possible - especially when they lead very busy lives as well.  We're all lucky to find an hour or so for an occasional lunch with them!

At the end of a 12-14 hour day, I don't often feel like going out and when I do, it's generally not to an exciting spot on the Riverwalk - 40 minutes away!  All those steps in my heels?

Maybe I can get Steve to carry me?  But...

What about our poor Buyers who have been hoofing it for hours - from house to house?

Instead, my new endeavor is to gain such control of my early evening time that Steve and I are able to scout out the best "Happy Hours" for our people (a truly fun-loving group), and getting those "secret special places" in a map format so that they may be geographically located!

Let's face it, whether you're Buying or Selling, some extra Happiness is truly necessary at times.

I know that this is the type of "insider knowledge of the city"  that our people can really use!!!

--Sara

Caulk is it's Name!

A much overlooked and easy-as-pie 'fix' is caulking or re-caulking in areas where the old caulk is missing or discolored, usually in baths and kitchens.  I know, it sounds like work and not much fun, but in a short while your bath or kitchen can go from "Ick" to "Wow"

What do you want for a buck? 

No matter how much you scrub tile or solid surfaces, and no matter how sparkling those surfaces are, the potential Buyer will be turned off by missing or discolored caulk--- might even turn you in to Good Housekeeping for failing the picky-buyer test. Trust me, home buyers in San Antonio are REALLY picky!

Just remember to use the right type- silicone in wet areas, 'regular' anywhere the caulk could be painted (silicone will not hold paint). We're mostly talking about interior jobs, but if your home needs caulking on the outside, consider having a painter do the job- unless you ARE handy!  Most Handymen or Small-job painters will do a quick job for a quick buck.

If old caulk has to be removed, there are simple tools for that at the local "box store".  If you're not 'handy', read the instructions to a 12 year-old and toss him a few bucks! 

-Steve

#3 Tip for Sellers

#2 Tip for Sellers

#1 Tip for Sellers

Today was a busy day of showing San Antonio homes, but as is typical, there was a little local wild-life to give up as moment to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. 

Here is a bit of serenity for those who spent more time in the car than anticipated!

--Sara

Every day, I am inundated with ideas that inspire me to write a new post for this blog. 

Really, these ideas can come from anywhere: something that a client asks or mentions about buying or selling a home in San Antonio, an animated discussion with Steve (after 23 years, all of our discussions are animated - one way or another...), a photo that I see or a story that I read.  Sometimes it's an offshoot of something that I've read.

There should be a new post here everyday!

Alas, by the time the day is done and all of the Buyers and Sellers are taken care of, I can usually only remember what I have to do tomorrow, not what I could have written about today...

--Sara