Katy, TX Real Estate Podcast with Joe Rothchild

Are Home Inspections Stressful for Buyers?

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Mon, 3 Aug 2015 08:39:00 -0700

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Once you have signed a contract and agreed to purchase a home, the next step is the home inspection. To find a good inspector, you could ask for a referral from a family member or friend. You could also get the recommendation of a good agent. You want to have an inspector out at your new home within 48 hours of you signing the contract, so you have enough time to get the inspection done and negotiate repairs after the fact.

When choosing a home inspector, it’s not a bad idea to ask them for a referral list or past inspection report, to kind of get an idea about their work. After the inspection is done, the inspector will go over the deficiencies with you. It usually takes a day or two and the report can run anywhere from 10-30 pages.

Usually, we like to go over the report with our clients to discuss the deficiencies in the home and what we should do about them. Then we go back to the listing agent to ask for repairs, or cash in lieu of repairs. I always recommend taking the cash. This way you can do the repairs yourself, hiring your own contractor to get things done the way you want.

Finally, don’t get too alarmed by the report when you see it. It’s the job of the inspector to find any small detail, so there will always be some. However, the only things you really need to look at are the major issues. The minor ones will sort themselves out.

An inspection makes the process so much smoother. If you need any assistance or would like a referral for a great home inspector or engineer, give us a call or send us an email. We can’t wait to hear from you!

How Can You Avoid These Common Mistakes After Getting Approved?

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Wed, 3 Jun 2015 12:27:00 -0700

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Today, we discuss mistakes homeowners make after getting their mortgage approved. Here are some things you want to avoid once you've been approved for a loan:

Opening a new line of credit before closing: Whether it's cosigning for a family member or opening up a new account for yourself, this is not a smart move until the home purchase has been finalized.
Making large deposits of cash into account: Whether this comes from your 401(k) or a family member, you cannot drop these deposits into your account without an explanation.
Showing signs of unsteady employment: Losing or changing your job after getting your mortgage approved could cost you! If the mortgage company can't do a verification of employment before closing, the mortgage isn't going to go through.
Pulling credit too often: You want to limit how often your credit is pulled. This will lower your credit rating and could negatively affect whether the mortgage goes through.
Misrepresenting overtime: Your lender wants an average of your overtime earnings, not the peak amount. This could delay the closing or even bring the proceedings to a screeching halt.

The number one thing to do is always stay in communication with your Realtor or your lender about changes in credit, income, and employment! If you fail to communicate, there is a good chance you'll lose the house, so there's no reason not to communicate. Be open about your financials and keep them steady while applying for a mortgage and everything will go smoothly.

If you have any questions about the mortgage process, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to give you a hand!

How To Win a Multiple Offer Situation

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 12:59:00 -0700

Looking to purchase a Houston home? Get a full home search,

Looking to sell your Houston Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report

The Houston market is awfully crowded with buyers right now and the best homes are going fast. To give you a hand in your home search, I want to share advice on how you can submit a winning offer in a multiple offer situation!

Many people are having trouble getting their offers accepted in our current market. One reason for this is the influx of investors buying homes with cash. With no inspections, no surveys, and a 10-14 day close, the offers submitted by these investors are very hard to top; those offers are incredibly appealing to sellers looking for a quick and stress-free sale.

As a buyer, you need to work with an experienced agent if you want any chance at winning a multiple offer home. You need to make an offer immediately when a desirable home comes on the market. You need to have a contract ready within days - you can't waste time thinking it over. Accommodating the seller is also huge; if they need to live in the home momentarily after close or if they have other special requests, you need to be willing to compromise.

Cash and price aren't always king when buying a home. Working with an experienced buyer's agent is the best way to figure out what strategies are necessary to win a multiple offer situation. We've helped many submit winning offers on their dream homes, and would love to help you too.

Give us a call or shoot us an email for help with your real estate needs. We would love to hear from you!

How Can You Help Cure MS?

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 12:53:00 -0700

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I used to ride my bike simply to stay healthy and keep in shape. Now, I ride for the MS150 to help raise awareness and find a cure for people suffering from MS. I've met many people who have MS and are so very thankful that so many people are out there riding for a cure.

I plan to ride 160-170 miles to raise money for this great cause, and you should too! My dream is to help cure MS in my lifetime, so I have started a team to make it a reality. You can either join our team or support our team to help us reach our goal! We would really appreciate the help!

You can sign up to join our team or support us with a donation by clicking here!

Together, we can make a difference!

What Type of Home Is Right for You?

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Mon, 2 Mar 2015 08:41:00 -0800

Looking to purchase a Houston home? Get a full home search,

Looking to sell your Houston Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report

A question we get asked A LOT by first-time home buyers is, "What type of home should I be buying?" This isn't an easy question to answer, but we're going to give it our best shot today.

The first thing we say is sit down and write out your top priorities. What's important to you? Do you want to live in a stellar school district? Is there a particular type of neighborhood you're interested in? Do you want a ranch or a two-story home? What size do you want it to be? Do you want to be near a park? Is a pool something you would be interested in? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before you start looking for homes!

Once the top five priorities are discussed, the search can be narrowed significantly. Doing this simple exercise will make the buying process a whole lot easier!

As always, the Rothchild Team is always here to make deciding what type of home to buy as stress-free and simple as possible. Give us a call or shoot us a quick email with any questions you have. We would love to hear from you!

The Rothchild Team's Been Challenged - and We Accept!

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Wed, 3 Sep 2014 07:07:00 -0700

There are many great Houston area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (281) 599-6500 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The Rothchild Team has been challenged to do the Ice Bucket Challenge and in today's video blog, we accept! We understand how lucky we are to be healthy, so we are happy to give back to those who need it most. If you want to help fight the good fight, you can donate to the ALS Association here.

As always, if you have any questions about real estate in the Houston area, don't hesitate to call. We would love to hear from you!

How we helped Eric by being helpful in the sale of his home

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:06:00 -0700

Our transaction with the Rothchild Team was effortless. They handled things professionally and they were very quick. We couldn’t sell our home for the longest time and then the Rothchild Team came along and took over, they redid the backyard, put mulch down, and thought that it would be best to have the house empty so they moved everything out at no cost. They were incredibly helpful!

-Eric Sutherland, Home Seller

Don't Wait any Longer to Sell Your Home

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Mon, 2 Jun 2014 07:23:00 -0700

There are many great Houston area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (281) 599-6500 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The real estate market in Houston is always changing. It's important to stay on top of the latest trends. We would like to help you navigate through these changes and assist you with your real estate needs.

As of now, our inventory is at an all time low, but there is a very high demand for homes.

Overall, the market remains very strong and I predict a red hot resurgence in inventory any time now.

Until then we find ourselves in a sellers market.

If you are thinking about selling your home, now is the time to act.

If you wait too long, you will not get the best offer for your home.

Finally, I would like to personally thank all those who came out this weekend for the MS 150 ride. We had over 35 riders participate and raised over 25,000 dollars for charity!

As always, if you need any assistance buying, selling, or investing in Houston real estate, then please do not hesitate to call me. I can be reached at (281) 599-6500 or email me at Joe@joerothchild.com.

Joe Rothchild Team Reviewed by Brenda Morse

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Wed, 7 May 2014 11:58:00 -0700

(The Rothchild Team did a really great job for us. They handled everything well and we really appreciated everything they did for us. We enjoy working with Keller Williams to begin with and the Rothchild Team was very convenient for us. We’ve worked with some other Realtors in the past but there was no comparison, the Rothchild Team did was super job. I don’t have anything negative to say about them. I’ve already referred them to others and will continue to do so!)

Joe Rothchild
Keller Williams Realty
Katy, TX
Phone: (866) 639-6500
Mobile: (281)599-6500
Joe@JoeRothchild.Com

Raising Money for Victims of Multiple Sclerosis

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 12:55:00 -0700

3 Reasons Why I Ride for Multiple Sclerosis
People ask me why I take part in the BP MS 150 Race from Houston to Austin. It is a 2-day, 150 mile bike race that raises money for Multiple Sclerosis research. Last year the event raised $18 million dollars, and we're hoping to beat that number this year. With this being said, I am going to share three reasons why I enjoy riding for Multiple Sclerosis.

I Love to Ride: I just enjoy riding my bicycle. Four years ago I helped start the Keller Williams Cycling Team, and so this is just one way that my hobby has expanded into something much larger than myself.

I like Raising Money for MS Research: This is my 10th year riding from Houston to Austin to raise money for those afflicted with multiple sclerosis. Last year we raised $23,000 dollars as a team, and I think this year we might be able to blow that number away.

Comradery: I always have a great time with the all of the people involved. The atmosphere is always upbeat, and I always appreciate anyone who is helping raise money for this cause.

So, hopefully you can help out for this wonderful cause either this year or sometime in the future. Any and all of your contributions, no matter how great or small, will always be appreciated and accepted.

Visit here for more information on this race: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=7605024&pg=personal&fr_id=22598

As always, if you need any assistance buying, selling, or investing in Houston real estate, then please do not hesitate to call me. I can be reached at (281) 599-6500 or email me at Joe@joerothchild.com.

Should You Sell Your Home Now?

Joe@JoeRothchild.Com (Joe Rothchild) — Mon, 9 Dec 2013 07:26:00 -0800

Should You Sell Your Home Now?

People have been asking me lately if they should sell their home now or wait until the end of the holidays. I am seeing an amazing market right now that is so short of supply and pent up with demand. This combination is giving sellers multiple offers, bidding wars and receiving more than their asking price. I have never seen a market like this in my 30+ years in the business. If I was a seller right now, I would list my home immediately. The worst thing that could happen is that we could remove your home from the market at no charge. The best thing that could happen is that you could sell your home for over asking price in days.

Interest rates have been at phenomenally low rates and the market is red hot right. I can’t predict the future and neither can you, but signs are pointing that interest rates will be on the rise. Put your home on the market now and take advantage of low inventory, high demand, and low interest rates. Houston is one of the most affordable metropolitan areas in the country with no state income tax, great economic environment and people relocating from all over the world.

If you are interested in buying or selling, call us because the market is great for both buyers and sellers now. Thanks and have a great day!