Steve Castaneda's Blog: All Categories

By Steve Castaneda, Realtor - The MyHomeHouston Team

When we meet someone looking to put their home on the market without the help of a real estate professional, we seek to help by offering advice in hopes of building a great relationship. This is simply because we believe in the laws of reciprocity: if we help them sell their homes themselves, somewhere down the line they may meet someone that doesn't want to sell their home without representation, and our name may come to mind. It's a win for the seller since they get free advice in selling their home themselves, plus we may get a referral some day in the future.

In this article you will learn about the property disclosures you must take into account, how to get your home exposed online, and security…

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After finding that perfect home for you and your family, undoubtedly you will have to seek to acquire a homeowner's insurance policy on your home. Just like any other financed asset, your lender will require you to have insurance on your home to protect their investment. Getting insurance on your home is usually a simple task; one must contact their local insurance agent and request a formal quote. However, what happens if your home is situated in a floodplain? Did you know that your lender may require you to get flood insurance on your home, even if this home wasn't in the floodplain 5 years ago?

What Are Floodplains?

Floodplains are established by determining the areas that flood when creeks, bayous, and river waters exceed their banks. In most…

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Today, the Houston Association of Realtor's site came down today, with no reports of exactly what happened.  Since late on the 2nd of May, the consumer site for HAR began having technical difficulties, along with the agent sites, neighborhood reports, and even IDX feeds agents frame on their sites.

After calling HAR technical support, there is on estimated completion time for this outage to be repaired, but they are aware of the problem and working to resolve it as quickly as possible. I will be sure to keep you abreast of any news that transpires. 

 - Who spilled their coffee on the servers?-

On a side note, has your associations site ever had long technical difficulties and how did that effect your business?  Most consumers will visit a real estate…

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One of the most stable investments anyone can make is in residential real estate. Investing can be your chosen path to that nest egg you've always wanted to have for your family to retire on, or it can be a side hobby for extra income when you need it. Whatever the purpose, real estate investing is one of the best shelters for your capital should you choose to start making strategic moves to increasing your net worth.

Make Your Money Going In

If you've read many of the books currently available on real estate investing, you'll hear that a sound approach when constructing your offer on a piece of offer is to make your money going in. I agree with this approach, and would also like to add that this is the most vital concept for you to grasp as a real…

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Have you ever contemplated purchasing a home without stepping foot through the front door? Your first assumption may be that this is a irresponsible strategy to take with investing in real estate. You may be interested to learn that many investors in the Houston real estate market are taking this very approach; and succeeding.

Investors Only

I would never advise for anyone looking to purchase a home as their homestead to attempt this technique. This strategy should be only for investors that are serious about investing in residential real estate. My definition of a true investor is someone who has 20% down to put down on their next investment property, and fully pre-approved with a mortgage loan.

How It Works

It is first adviseable to have a…

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Selling a piece of real estate can be a very eye-opening experience for most homeowners; you begin to get non-emotional feedback about the pros and cons of your home from prospective buyers. You are putting an asset to your family for the public to see, and in doing so, are exposing visitors to your personal lifestyle. Since most homeowners are not home during home showing tours, prospective buyers are left to speculate and assume details about the maintenance and condition of your home that may or may not be true. In my experience, there are five key items to ensure these initial impressions are as positive as possible. It is important to visit these items during the initial preparation before putting your home on the market.

Show 12 Inches of…

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Today, I read an interesting post at the National Association of Realtors Technology Blog.  Chris McKeever was pointing how how he loves the opportunities that emails, being accessible from practically anywhere, provide for him in his business.

As a REALTOR, you are in the service industry. If you were your own client, which of the above two would you appreciate more? A single, delayed, response with the information, or two emails, one acknowledging that you got their request and the other returned in a timely manner with the relevant information? I know which I would rather have.

I find myself to be very tech-savvy compared to others around my office, and find that I attract clients that are the same way.

In no way am I saying that customer service is…

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Katy is located in West Houston, and has become one of the fastest growing upscale suburbs in Houston. Katy's Country charm mixed with its posh master planned communities, acclaimed Katy ISD, current and future shopping centers, and upper class residents has made it one of the most sought after suburbs in the Houston area.

Katy Texas Real Estate

Katy TX Real Estate features a wide variety of communities to create a home and family with a large complex subdivisions with numerous sections and additions with a splash of country living. There are master planned communities located in Katy, with the most popular being Cinco Ranch.

There are many communities for you to tour if you are looking for a home builder or home for sale in Katy, TX. You will surely…

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