FEATURED PROPERTY 6320 Laura Koppe Rd Houston, Texas

 

Welcome to your stunning all white modern living home! 6320 Laura Koppe Rd is located just minutes from downtown Houston. With 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, this residence offers modern elegance and spacious living. The bright, open-concept kitchen features quartz countertops, a center island, and a walk in pantry providing plenty of storage. The primary suite boasts a generous size, complete with two walk in closets, a spa-like bathroom featuring a dual sink vanity. Enjoy added privacy and security as well as endless landscaping opportunities with a gated entry and side yard. Coupled with the convenience of being so close to all the excitement Houston has to offer, don't miss your opportunity to call this place home.

Toya Smith | Houston Realtor

First Time Home Buyer Fridays

Home ownership is the essential american dream! It's so important to understand the most basic steps required when deciding to make your first home purchase. Once you are serious about embarking on your journey to home ownership you should take note of the necessary steps to get you started.  It is my hope that the first time home buyer steps listed below help better prepare you for your first home buying experience. 

Pre - Approval -

Before beginning the process of seriously looking at houses, as a first time home buyer you should get pre-qualified for a mortgage. Doing so takes away the "can I afford this" and gives a vivid idea of what you should be shopping for. The last thing you want is for you or your spouse to fall in love with a home that you never qualified for in the first place. Getting pre - qualified may cause a little anxiety if you began shopping prior to approval. I say this because you've now emotionally invested yourself into all of those gorgeous homes that you looked at and you cannot imagine yourself in anything less. Avoid setting yourself up for disappointment before you even get started. 

Realistic Budget - 

Be honest with yourself. I'll be honest with you as I've said before I want all of the shiny things but I also prefer to live with minimal stress. In other words I know my lifestyle and I am well aware of what will and will not financially fit into it. In my humble opinion, budgeting should never be perceived as anything negative. It should be perceived as necessary. Your college buddies budget isn't necessarily your budget. However, it is  great to be inspired! Home ownership is one of the best investments decisions that you can make. With that being said you know your current expenses, your take home salary and lifestyle so be real with yourself about it.

Representation -

It's no secret, knowledge is accessible. We live in the era of DIY, Google & Siri. All are great resources but every situation isn't the same. Also choosing the DIY approach will likely require searching many places to get the information needed. Our current era of accessible information sometimes presents us with the facade that we can be a jack of all trades. If life has taught me anything, no one is the jack of ALL trades. Trust your expertise but you should also allow a trained professional to assist you along the way of completing your first home purchase. You can start by looking through HAR (Houston Association of Realtors). Find my profile HERE.

Communication -

The home buying process can be very unnerving. It is totally okay to express your true feelings every step of the way. If you begin to feel anxious, overwhelmed, skeptical or just overall unsure you should keep your agent posted. It is so much easier for your agent to gauge and meet your needs when the lines of communication are consistently open. You shouldn't ever feel like you are bugging your agent.

Location-

Have a general idea of what it is about your preferred location that matters most to you. Is it the school district, neighborhood amenities,  highway access, etc. Consider the area and places you frequent most in regard to your lifestyle. Utilize your time well by having a general idea of your location vicinity

Thank you for reading my very first "First Time Home Buyer Fridays" post here. I hope that you found some insight regarding what to consider and where to start. If you would like further information or have more questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me. 


Toya Smith | Houston Realtor

New Construction Home Representation

New construction homes are a beautiful thing! Most likely you've started or intend to start your search by determining which builders are better. You might ask around, you may receive mixed reviews. You may look for reviews online. You are familiar with the area that you would like to live in. So now it's time to get out and look at all the beautiful model homes.

Well congrats to you for embarking on your new journey. New construction homes are low maintenance and energy efficiencient. Seriously, who isn't inspired when stepping into a new construction model?  Personally, I want it all. I want every feature, every detail, every option!


So, you've done your research, why use a Realtor?

1. A Realtor works for you

Keep in mind that the sales professional in the model home works for the builder first. A Realtor is there to represent your interest and guide you through the new home construction process. In addition to that he or she will likely have insightful knowledge of current neighborhood trends such as future planning. 

2. Time Saved

A Realtor who is familiar with new home construction is likely aware of different builders, the neighborhoods they build in and the amenities they offer. Closeout communities, startup communities, and the spec inventory within those communities are a realtors homework. 

3. Realtors build relationships with sales professionals

Shopping new construction will expose you to an abundance of builders depending on the side of town you are considering. Realtors typically know the deals offered by different builders and have a relationships with the sales professional.

4. Insightful guidance on your investment

 Realtors have an idea of future price increases, aging spec inventory homes, current incentives being offered, and how the current pricing of your future home may affect your ability to build equity. 

5. Hiring a Realtor will not cost you more

Whether you use a realtor or not, builders are aware that Realtors exist and plan their budgets accordingly. Hiring a Realtor will not add additional cost to the listed price of the new construction home that you are considering. 

Lastly, consider the fact that the new construction home sales professional sees and speaks with quite a few people per day. You along with every other customer purchasing a home from your builder of interest has the same point of contact. While it's likely that you are not your realtors sole client it is highly unlikely that your realtor is exposed to the daily volume as the sales professional. Your realtor has the ability to stay ahead of things by maintaining proactive and consistent communication with the sales professional. Keep in mind that you still maintain the ability to contact the sales professional directly at anytime. The more you know, the better prepared you are.  

Toya Smith | Houston Realtor