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San Antonio Texas Real Estate Agent Releases Top Ten Tips for Buying a Home in a Weekend

July 23rd, 2010 No comments

San Antonio, TX – Texas real estate agent Kurt Hudspeth, who specializes in new homes in San Antonio, Austin and New Braunfels, releases a free report for home buyers entitled Top Ten Tips for Buying a Home in a Weekend.

Hudspeth, who works with all types of buyers from military families to custom home buyers, says that fluctuations in the real estate and job markets nationwide have led many families to relocate to San Antonio for job or cost of living purposes.

He says that when there is a timetable to adhere to for buyers to start a new job, often the most efficient way to purchase a home is to fly in and do it in a weekend.

“It takes some preparation and a good deal of communication to make this happen, but it actually makes the home buying process easier on buyers when it can be compressed to a shorter time period.”

Hudspeth says the benefits of committing to a shortened time frame for decision making is that it focuses the mind and encourages decisiveness.

“A common misconception is that making a quick offer means you are sacrificing finding your dream home or not getting a very good deal. The opposite is actually true.”

He says that finding a dream home is simply a matter of preparation, and in his experience, buyers get the best deal when they can show they are serious. Whether a buyer is dealing with custom San Antonio builders or a private homeowner, Hudspeth says sellers know the most serious buyer is one who is preapproved and will only be in town for two days.

“The limited time frame helps both buyer and seller focus on what’s really important.”

Top Ten Tips for Buying a Home in a Weekend

1. Establish a relationship with a local agent
2. Focus on a specific area
3. Clearly communicate with your agent
4. Pick a weekend when you can have your agent’s full attention
5. If you’re married, come with your spouse
6. Get preapproved for a loan
7. Don’t make contingency offers
8. Don’t waste time looking at properties you won’t buy
9. Use technology to speed the process where possible
10. Be decisive

“My full report is called Top Ten Tips for Buying a Home in a Weekend, and you can get it for free on my website www.newsanantoniohomes.net. It will explain exactly how to prepare ahead of time to make sure you have a great experience flying into town to make an offer.”

For more information, please contact:

Kurt Hudspeth
Texas Real Estate Agent
1141 N. Loop, 1604E
San Antonio, TX 78232
210-254-2485
http://www.newsanantoniohomes.net/
http://www.sanantoniobuilders.org/
http://www.newbraunfelshomes.org/

Categories: Texas Tags: , , ,

Intro to the New San Antonio Home Market

April 6th, 2010 No comments

Many people aren’t aware that San Antonio has a strong market for new homes. In fact, many real estate agents would say there is a shortage of San Antonio new homes available on the market becaus of decreasing numbers of new housing starts and building industry consolidiation.

There are a large number of San Antonio builders to select from when shopping for a new home in this healthy market, driven by both private sector business relocations plus a strong military housing market. With Lackland Air Force Base nearby in addition to several other military installations, Air Force families who want to buy buy a home near their base will find a nice inventory of new homes that fit within the Basic Allowance for Housing.

Most builders, such as Fieldstone and Pulte Homes have had a presence in the San Antonio market for many years, providing high quality houses and highly innovative floor plans for home buyers. Real estate agents who frequently with with the top builders in this TX real estate market are frequently able to negotiate better builder incentives for their clients.

One agent whose area of expertise is San Antonio new homes says that buyer incentives from builders can be substantial, sometimes adding up to thousands of dollars in valuable services, gift certificates with local furniture stores, all expense paid vacations, and other goodies.

In short, San Antonio new homes are a viable alternative to the used home market because of reduced prices in recent years since the 2005 peak in the real estate market. Builders are in stiff competition to reduce their overhead and inventory. That, coupled with rising demand for remaining inventory, makes for a strong new home market in San Antonio.

Take a second look at the new San Antonio home market

February 23rd, 2010 No comments

If you’re interested in getting your hands on a bargain in this market, there are some great deals on new San Antonio homes out there from the home builders. Many San Antonio custom home builders are interested in making deals with buyers, especially if the buyer has a buyer’s agent who knows the various buyer’s incentives and can use them to vigorously represent the buyer’s best interests.

Buying a home when it’s newly built makes a lot of sense for many people in the market. Of course, they always have the option of buying older homes and fixing them up, but that has the potential for draining their budget with costly repairs and a long list of things to do after closing. When buyers purchase a new home, they generally have a much higher level of satisfaction with their decision to buy the house than those who opt for older houses. Why? There are some good reasons.

Cut the hassle, you don’t need it

If you don’t want to have to deal with hassles like replacing old carpet, repainting ceilings, and waiting for a contingency clause to pan out (believe me, that can take awhile and is a major deal-killer), then you need to consider purchasing a new home rather than a pre-existing home. Since the home builder has done this process many times before, chances are pretty good it will go easily and quickly. However, with private party transactions, you are much more likely to run into painful delays and costly missteps along the way to your closing.

Buying a new home caries less risk than buying from a private party

When you invest in a new home, there is often less risk of getting burned by unforeseen expenses or repairs because you are negotiating with a reputable company with many other homes and communities in most cases. In fact, you really just need to walk down the street and get feedback from other buyers. You’ll instantly uncover the quality of the home, the builder’s reputation, and hopefully, the amount of confidence you can have that you’re getting a quality home. If you don’t want to have to worry about a hidden repair you might be forced to deal with later, then buy a new home.

If you’re smart, you can avoid all these negatives if you consider investing in a new San Antonio home.

Categories: Texas Tags: , ,

New San Antonio Homes Site Goes Live

February 15th, 2010 No comments

A new site covering the new home market of San Antonio, Texas has launched with a directory of San Antonio home builders and information about available builder incentives. Many home buyers aren’t aware that builders are offering discounts and incentives for purchasing new San Antonio homes from their communities.

Kurt Hudspeth, a San Antonio real estate agent specializing in San Antonio’s vibrant new home market, makes a career out of following the local and national home builders with communities in the area. The niche specialty allows him to gather a great deal of information about San Antonio builder incentives and give his clients the advantage of choosing from available deals being offered.

As a buyer’s agent, Hudspeth vigorously represents the interests of his clients, often negotiating deals that would be unavailable through normal sales channels. As a results, his clients enjoy access to a greater variety of potential homes to meet their family’s needs than they might find elsewhere, and they are more likely to find new homes that fit their budget.

Scenic Ranch Land in Texas

September 16th, 2009 No comments

Texas Ranch LandTexas hill country real estate has been proven to be a wise investment over past years, in spite of all the constantly fluctuating investment prices we see in the news. In fact, because of the wild swings in commodities and stocks, the Texas hill country in particular has provided relative stability and shelter, with some of the best investment quality Texas ranch land that is suitable for passing down to your children and grandchildren.

Scenic Texas Ranch Land

With everything the area has to offer, it is no surprise that considerable amounts of older hill country ranches have already been developed into high-quality Texas ranch property, subdivisions, and commercial properties. Nevertheless, you can still find excellent opportunities to acquire prime Texas ranch real estate and enjoy the financial and personal benefits of owning your own piece of Texas.

Texas Hill Country Amenities

There are highly rated universities, medical centers, shops and restaurants in the Texas hill country. You’ll also find some great amusement parks, wonderful golf developments in the scenic rolling hills, and plenty of river and lake access for water sports. Sportsmen have plenty of big and small game to hunt, and there is great fishing in the lakes and rivers.

The Bandera County and Kendall County region has an established high-tech and manufacturing base, which has allowed for steady population and job growth. This growth has continued to fuel demand for Texas hill country ranch property, whether for estates or commercial development.

Just where is TX hill country?

The area known as TX hill country is located outside the San Antonia and Austin area in Bandera County and Kendall County, TX. Texas hill country is known for incredible natural scenery, with lots of ranch property with river frontage amid scenic rolling hills. The Texas ranch properties and farms in the area have a variety of residence types, including luxury estates and comfortable family properties. You’ll find excellent beauty, climate, and location, with nearby amenities that have proven to be a worthwhile investment.

Texas live water hunting ranches

August 12th, 2009 No comments

So what is a live water ranch, anyway? That’s a good question, and if you’re new to searching for recreational fishing and hunting property in Texas, it’s an important one to read up on. In a nutshell, a live water ranch is recreational property that has a river, stream, or lake on it.

Big game hunting on a live water ranch

For hunters, a live water ranch provides the ultimate outdoor experience for a couple of reasons. First, big game like deer and elk don’t travel too far from water. If there is a water feature in the form of a major river, quiet hill country stream, or placid lake, you are almost certain to find a significant population of big game nearby.

Second, there is no better outdoor experience than hunting near water features. A river running through your property is something that will bring a great deal of pride and enjoyment for years to come. The scenery, sounds, and wildlife that go along with live water features is an irreplaceable benefit to the land owner.

Fishing on a live water ranch

It goes without saying that a live water ranch can also provide a lifetime of enjoyment for fishing enthusiasts. Whether retreating to the seclusion and beauty of a fly fishing trip on a Texas live water ranch, or teaching your kids to put night crawlers on the hook for a big channel cat, many enjoyable memories are in store.

Investing in live water ranches

A live water ranch also provides a much better investment opportunity than recreational land without a river, stream, or lake on it. Two similar properties, one with water and one without, can be valued differently by 20% or more. There is always greater demand for live water property, which means your ranch will hold its value better and be easier to find a buyer for when it comes time to sell.

Other issues to look at

When searching for live water properties, your real estate agent, who ought to be specialist in selling and buying live water ranches, should provide information about easements that may exist to protect natural or man-made features such as wetlands, wildlife habitats, or historical structures. Your agent should also provide information on water and mineral rights and other legal restrictions as part of an intensive due diligence period.

Why contract with a buyer’s agent?

July 16th, 2009 No comments

Many home buyers have no clue why they should contract with a buyer’s agent prior to looking for a home, but it should be obvious when you ask a simple question: Who’s working for you? Whether you’re buying Illinois real estate or Texas ranch land, if you don’t have a buyer’s agent under contract, the answer is a resounding “No one!”

You see, in every real estate transaction, there are two sides to the deal. There is the buyer’s side and the sellers side of the exchange, and the two have sometimes opposing interests. It’s in the buyer’s interest to get as low a price as the market will bear, and it’s in the seller’s interest to get as high a price as the market will bear.

Few agents will turn down a chance to “double end” a deal and work both sides of the transaction, and there is nothing unethical about it as long as the proper legal disclosures are made. This arrangement does have one big benefit when either the buyer or seller is extremely motivated: So is the agent. Since he won’t get paid unless the deal goes through, you can count on a double-ending agent to work extra hard to smooth out disagreements and keep the transaction on the table.

On the other hand, when disagreements come, an agent in a double-ended deal is put in an awkward position of being able to side with no one. He sites squarely in the middle, unable to advocate forcefully for either side.

By contrast, when the buyer and seller each have separate agents, they act as counterparties in the deal, and can advocate forcefully for the best interests of their respective clients. When it comes to price negotiation for that Texas ranch, the buyer’s agent should give honest and frank advice about property values to keep her client from overpaying. The seller’s agent should naturally seek to protect his client by attempting to negotiate the best price and terms possible.

Protect your investment. It is usually best to contract with an experienced buyer’s agent who can negotiation vigorously for you.