Numerous stores are running Memorial Day Weekend sales and if you buy an Energy Star qualified product there is no state of Texas sales tax.  The majority of stores run their Memorial Day Sales from May 24th through May 28th but the sales tax exemption only applies for products purchased between 12:01 am on Saturday, May 26th and 11:59 pm on Monday, May 28th.

The Energy Star products qualifying for the tax free holiday are:

• Air conditioners priced at $6,000 or less
• Refrigerators priced at $2,000 or less
• Ceiling fans
• Incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs
• Clothes washers
• Dishwashers
• Dehumidifiers
• Programmable thermostats

Save yourself some green and go green by purchasing Energy Star appliances / products.

According to the Neals’, they are experiencing a  bumper crop of blackberries.  In the just first 10 days of picking, 2,250 lbs of blackberries have been picked. The berries continue to ripen every day and should be available for about another month.

The best days to pick blackberries are on Wednesdays and Thursdays before the weekend crowds.

If you are a lover of blackberries head on over to Neal’s Berry Farm & Farmer’s Market to pick your own bucket full. Neal’s Berry Farm is located at 24527 ½ Gosling Road Spring Texas 77389.  Their hours of operation are Monday – Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and on Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm.

Neal’s Berry Farm also has a Farmer’s Market so you can pick out some fresh produce after you have snagged the plumpiest berries.

Here’s a list of other  … Farmer Markets and Produce stands in Spring Texas.  One of the best things about Summer is fresh from the farm produce.

How much a seller paid for his house or how much he owes on his mortgage has absolutely no bearing on the value of the house or what the seller would be willing to sell his house for.  It is “good to know” information and that’s all.

What if the seller paid $200,000 for his Spring Texas house in July of 2010 and now he has it listed for $180,000.  Knowing he paid $200,000 tells you he’s losing money on the sale of the house. It doesn’t tell you if $180,000 is a good price or if he will take less than $180,000. It’s “good to know” information and that’s all.

What if the seller paid cash for the house and he doesn’t have a mortgage. Since the seller doesn’t owe anything on the house, does that mean you want the house for ”FREE”?  Knowing whether the seller has a mortgage on the house is “good to know” information and that’s all.

What you really want to know is what have other similiar Spring Texas homes located in the same subdivision or in the same area recently sold for. Your Realtor can provide you with recent sold data. It is this information that is better than “good to know” information. Recent sold data is what your offer price and the eventual agreed upon sales price should be based upon.

Read also:

• What’s the difference between a tax assessed and an appraised value?
• How accurate are the Zestimates?

On our way to the front door, we chatted about all how wonderful the neighborhood was and how convenient it is to I-45.  I accessed the box with my Supra Key and grabbed the key to the front door. For the next 15 minutes I tried to open the front door. I tired the top lock. I tried the bottom lock. I turned it to the right. I turned it to the left. I put the key all the way in. I put the key 7/8 of the way in. I jiggled the key.

No luck. The key was not going to open the door. In one last attempt to gain access to the house, I went around to the back of the house looking for another door that the key just might work in. No such luck. The back door was a sliding patio door.

I returned to the front of the house where my buyers were peeking in the window. I told them we could reschedule the showing for another day and hopefully by then the sellers will have the key working. Their response was “No, let’s just move on”.

What one thing can you do to increase showings on your Spring Texas house?  Get a key that easily unlocks your front door.

Read also:

• How to increase your home’s list price and attract more buyers
• 7 tips on showing your house

List Price of $185,000

JUST LISTED!!  MOVE-IN CONDITION 2-story home on a quiet street at the back of the guard gated community of Canyon Gate at Northpointe. PREMIUM LOCATION – GREENBELT and CULDESAC. Fabulous Decorator Paint. 2-story den with tile floors, firelplace, and expansive wall for entertainment center or big screen television. Private master bedroom with wood floors, large, walk-in closet, separate shower, garden tub, and double vanities. Spacious dining room overlooking landscaped front lawn has tile floors and double crown molding. Large kitchen with stainless steel appliances, island, recessed lighting, walk-in pantry, and a massive amount of 42″ cabinets. Open floor plan. High ceilings. Archways. Wrought iron balusters. You will LOVE the amount of available storage in this home. Floored attic space. All secondary bedrooms have walk-in closets. 4 bedrooms with master bedroom on 1st floor, 2.5 baths, game room, 2 car garage, built in 2001, 2,725 sqft, and 6,229 sqft lot. Zoned to highly acclaimed and “Recognized Rated” Tomball School Distict.

Additional  information – photos and room sizes

For a private viewing of this home or other homes for sale Spring TX

contact

Jill Wente, Realtor

Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors at   281.804.8626

Square footage measurements are per appraisal or appraisal district

In real estate all items are negotiable which includes curtains, shelves, fireplace screens, television brackets, and garage hooks. It’s the timing of the negotiations that dictates whether the negotiations will go smoothly or will be a challenge.

Negotiating items to be retained by the sellers goes smoothly before the house is in contract. Negotiating items after the house is in contract now that’s challenging.

Before you put your house on the Spring Texas real estate market, you need to plan for the end otherwise known as closing day. To do this slowly walk from room to room in your house and make a list of all items that would be considered permanently installed, built-in, or a related accessory that you want to retain possession of after closing day.

Provide your list to your Realtor so the items may be identified as exclusions in your listing. Better yet, remove all items you want excluded from the sale of your Spring Texas house before you even put it on the market.

Read also:

• What stays and what goes when you buy a Spring Texas house
• Who repairs the nail holes?  Sellers or Buyers?
• What is a sellers temporary lease back and do you need one?

Powered by health care and energy, Houston captured the number 4 spot on the list of the fastest growing cities in America.  Houston’s population is projected to continue growing as Moody’s estimates another 484,000 people will call themselves “Houstonians” by 2016.

Located approximately 25 miles north of downtown Houston and often referred to as Northwest Houston, Spring Texas is poised to benefit from future growth. Due to its manageable commute, many residents of Spring Texas work in the Medical Center and in downtown Houston.  In the last ten years (2010 U.S. Census), Spring Texas experienced a 49% growth in population to over 54,000 residents.

Did you know Houston has more residents than 32 states?  Want to learn more about Houston?  Watch the Texaplex Video to Discover Houston Texas.

If you are ready to call Northwest Houston, Spring or the Woodlands Texas “Home”, give us a call at 281.804.8626.  We are Realtors who specialize in Northwest Houston.

Read also:

• How Houston Ranks – See which lists Houston made it onto in 2011.

But with the 3.84% being an average rate, it makes you wonder if any home buyer / borrower is ever able to get the low average rate?  The answer is YES!

I’m currently representing a buyer on the purchase of a new construction home in the Woodlands and the terms of their mortgage are 0.8% origination fee with a 30-year fixed interest rate of 3.8%.  These are FABULOUS interest rates which makes for a great time to either refinance or buy a Spring Texas home.

If you can get pre-approved for a home loan but don’t want to deplete your entire savings, you do have options.  You can negotiate with the sellers to pay some or all of your closing costs and prepaids reducing your out of pocket expenses.  If you need help with the down payment, you can ask your parents for the money.

Purchasing a Spring Texas home can still be within your reach. Rumors of 20% down payment requirements are just that rumors. They are NOT true.  Behind a VA loan which has a 0% down payment, a FHA loan has the next smallest minimum down payment requirement of 3.5%.

If you are ready to take advantage of these ridiculously low interest rates, call us at 281.300.3141 or 281.804.8626.  We are ready to help you find the ideal place for you and your family to call “Home” in Spring Texas or the Woodlands.

What I am permitted to do is to provide a source where you can check out the crime rates yourself. You can then form your own opinion about the crime in the Spring Texas area.

The best source I have found for information on crime is www.crimereports.com.  The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is the source of information and the site is extremely user friendly.  Type in an address and the crime reports are quickly generated. The date range is defaulted to the last 14 days but you can change it to show you the last 30 days or you can select a custom date range.

You can also specify the type of crime report / incident you would like to view such as breaking & entering, robbery, theft of vehicle, family offense, or missing person.  In addition, you have the ability to overlay the location of registered sex offenders.

And yes, there is an APP for it too. You can download CrimeReports for the iPhone from the iTunes App Store.

When you are ready to go view homes for sale in Spring Texas, give us a call at 281.804.8626 or 281.300.3141.

Thank you to all the buyers and sellers our brokerage had the opportunity and the pleasure to service in 2011.  When you are ready to sell your Spring Texas house, give us a call at 281.804.8626.

List with the local leader.