iTexas Realty Co. Blog: iTexas Realty Co.

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

Steve and I were driving along today and suddenly I said "Stop! Go back to that last intersection!"  For some reason, I had never seen it before. 

We joked about how people would tease, if they found that we lived on this street...

Of course, we had to see what else the neighborhood would bring and here is the next cross-street

I am NOT making this up!

At this point we were intrigued.  What other streets or intersections would we run across? 

A little further in the neighborhood, we came across the finale!

I love the idea that you can yield to Temptation, but it may still be a dead end!

--Sara

This Stone Oak home backs to the 13 Acre Hornbeak Preserve and has just been reduced!

Sara Woolford & Steve Golson | iTexas Realty | (210) 492-MOVE (6683) 806 Midway Crest, San Antonio, TX CANYON VIEW PROPERTY- PRIVACY- GATED COMMUNITY- WALK TO NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- BIG COVERED PATIO. 5BR/2+1BA Single Family House offered at $225,000 Year Built 2004 Sq Footage 2,448 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors Unspecified Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 6,738 sqft HOA/Maint $55.42 per month DESCRIPTION Very lightly lived in; no pets-ever. Non smoking, one-owner sellers - home is move-in ready- like new! New paint inside. Kitchen with Granite counters and glazed cabinetry. Huge covered patio with views to canyon behind property. Extended tile and hardwood. Fans everywhere! see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central A/C - Central heat - Fireplace - High/Vaulted ceiling - Walk-in closet - Hardwood floor - Tile floor - Family room - Bonus/Rec room - Dining room - Breakfast nook - Dishwasher - Stove/Oven - Microwave - Granite countertop - Laundry area - inside - Balcony, Deck, or Patio - Yard COMMUNITY FEATURES - Clubhouse - Swimming pool(s) - Gated property - Secured entry   OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES  -GRANITE KITCHEN - VIEWS AND PRIVACY - MOVE-IN READY- SPOTLESS - INSPECTIONS COMPLETED   ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Photo 1 Photo 1 Granite kitchen Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Contact info: Sara Woolford & Steve Golson iTexas Realty (210) 492-MOVE (6683) For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Jul 1, 2010, 7:23am PDT

We have some little girls coming to town soon. 

3 year-old triplets to be exact.  They arrive in San Antonio next weekend with their parents to move into the new  house that they have had built over the past few months.  I thought of the girls today while we were out checking on their new home and spied these tiny fawns out walking with their mom.

These fawns are so little that it took 12 shots with a 10 mega-pixel camera to get even this wide shot.

Why do they never pose when I am just trying to photograph them?

--Sara

Today I was calculating the difference in a payment for a Buyer on a  5 bedroom 3.5 bath home in a gated community.  The home cost with NO down is $245k (VA loan) but the buyer's dream is a $230k loan.  The house is WORTH the $245k.

At 4.5% interest rate (today's Texas Vet rate),

the PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance) on a $245k loan is $1925 a month.

The PITI on a $230k loan is $1843 a month.

That's $82 a month- or $2.73 per day, about the cost of one gallon of gas. 

Can you drive less per month to "afford" a home selling for $15,000 more? 

Or, if you're still smoking, (not around the gallon of gas), how about giving up less than one pack?

Need to lose weight?  Give up a cheese burger!

In San Antonio, Texas your money goes farther.  You'd be surprised what $15,000 more will buy you!  Or, think of it this way:

When you find the 'perfect' home for your family, why are your chiseling away at the seller for that last $15k?  Do you want to keep shopping for a 'steal' for the difference of $82 per month?

(Comparison of how much more home you can buy in San Antonio, for not much more money)

Sometimes the home is RIGHT PRICED- or the Seller's COUNTER OFFER is a GOOD PRICE!

BUY A HOME!  SUPPORT THE ECONOMY, SAVE GAS, LOSE WEIGHT- AND BE HEALTHY!

-Steve