jimolenbush's Blog: General Real Estate

When you own property in Texas, you will have to pay property taxes on that property.  The tax money the State of Texas collects is used to pay for a number of public services throughout the state.  These include paying for city streets, public schools, police protection, county roads, fire protection and more. Although you may understand why you have to pay property taxes, it is still helpful to understand how these taxes are determined how they affect you.

Determining the Value of Your Home

In order to determine your property taxes, the value of your home must first be assessed.  The amount of property taxes you have to pay for your home is based on the assessed value of your home.  As such, property valued at $200,000 will generally owe twice the…

When you decide to sell your home, you need to do everything possible to make the home as attractive as popular to potential buyers.  After all, if your home is not in good shape, you will be less likely to find a buyer.  And, if you do find someone that is interested in purchasing your home, you might have to accept a lower price than what the house is really worth. 

In order to make sure you get the best price possible for your home, you should take several simple steps that will make it look much better and be more attractive to potential buyers. 

To start with, take a look at the way the outside of your home looks.  Just completing a few basic maintenance chores will go a long way toward making your house look great.  For example, clear out the…

When looking for a new home, there are many things that you need to consider.  After all, you want to make sure the home you purchase is one that you can enjoy for years to come.  By keeping these five things in mind, you will be certain to find a great home that you can be proud of that will also make for a great investment for the future.

Consider the Neighborhood

Everyone knows that the first rule of real estate is location.  Although it may seem cliché, it is certainly true.  One of the key aspects when considering the location is the neighborhood in which the home is located.  In order to get a good idea of the type of neighborhood you will be moving into, take a drive past the house on several occasions and at different times of the day and…

Building the perfect home requires more than creating a home that you will love.  If you want to build a home that you will be able to resell later for a great profit, there are many different things that you should keep in mind.

Location, Location, Location

Everyone knows that the first three rules to real estate are location, location, location.  Although this may sound cliché, it still remains quite true.  When selecting the property on which you will build your dream home, be certain to look for property that is in a great location.  The better the location of the property, the larger the profit you can expect to receive when you sell the home later.

One of the factors you should consider when choosing the location is the neighborhood.  Obviously,…

Gone are the days when home sellers could list their houses for sale at a high price and be assured buyers would fight for the privilege of getting a home.  In most areas now it is rare to hear of anyone paying more than the asking price.

Gone, too, are the days when banks and lending institutions would approve a mortgage for almost any individual who asked for one.  Many sub-prime lenders were available to provide loans to borrowers that were rejected by other lending institutions.  Now many of those sub-prime lenders have gone out of business due to the bad loans they made.

Based upon the current market, buyers can now afford to take their time choosing a home without being concerned that it will be snatched away from them by another more eager… Read Full Post