Steve Castaneda's Blog: Consumer Articles

A home will sell for two reasons: price and exposure. In the real estate market for the 21st century, exposure has taken a new turn with the advancement of many Internet technologies for real estate. Be it as it may, the real estate industry's new exposure tools will not help a home sell if the home is not priced correctly. When considering putting your home up for sale, it is very important to first analyze your real estate market on a subdivision level, not a metro-area level, to derive the features and amenities that are driving the value in your neighborhood. You must then establish a pricing strategy in accordance with your financial and timing needs.

Identifying Selling Needs

No two real estate transactions in today's world are identical. As a…

Beginning your search for your next piece of Houston real estate is a very exciting time of your life. Many families begin this process shortly after graduating a college degree program, having their first child, or getting a much needed raise in income from their employer. The home buying process can be a smooth one as long as you are prepared to make informed and intelligent decisions when you finally find that perfect home. Finding the perfect home isn't easy; being prepared to make a decision with your financial pre-approval in hand will help you make the right decision.

Pre-Qualification and Pre-Approval

There are two types of loan approvals when seeking financing for your home; pre-qualified and pre-approved. Pre-qualified simply means that you…

In our opinion when buying Houston real estate, there is some major confusion surrounding the term, "No Money Down", that I feel needs to be explained.  Using the services of one of our consultants to buy a Houston home is absolutely free for you, yet there are four sets of necessary expenses that one must consider before choosing to walk down the path to owning a home.

In regards to owning such a large Houston real estate investment, the necessary costs appear to be minimal.  However, I still have clients that are caught by surprise when I explain to them the necessary costs that are associated to submitting a contract on their chosen home.  Have you ever been confused by terms such as closing costs, prepaids, down payment, or earnest money?

If so,…

It is a common belief that new homes are fault free. The truth is that all types of new construction should have third party inspections performed to ensure that your home is being built with quality standards.

Most major cities in the United States enforce a required number of inspections at different stages of the process. Many builders of residential real estate will cite these inspections as being the reason why inspections aren't necessary.

Time and time again, regardless of the number of city inspections, real estate consumers purchasing new construction commonly find problems after moving into their homes with 5 years. Many times, these problems can be attributed to a defect during the build process of their home. Unfortunately, consumers are…