How to Keep Your Home Cool Without Cranking Up the A/C

  How to Keep Your Home Cool Without Cranking Up the A/C Want to keep your home cool this summer without having to pay an arm and a leg in utility costs? Here are three alternative ways to cool your home. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Temperatures are rising and so are your utility bills, courtesy of that big power hog: your air conditioner. If you want to cut down your cooling costs without having to crank up the A/C, here are three tricks you can try instead: 1. Fans and ice. You can easily make a DIY air conditioner, with nothing more than a box fan and some ice. Simply put the ice into a bowl and place it in front of the running fan. As the ice melts, it cools the air around it. The fan will then disperse that wonderfully cool air all around your home. Fans can do more than that, though. Another cooling trick is to run your ceiling fans counterclockwise—this will pull up the hot air, leaving you sitting in a cooler space. And installing a whole-house fan can literally pull out all the hot air from your home and siphon it up and out at minimal cost. 2. Green cooling. Plants do a wonderful job absorbing sunshine and reducing the summer heat. If you’re planning to stay in your home for a while, it might make sense to plant several deciduous trees on the south side of your home.  Another option is several potted sunflowers, which grow quickly but have large leaves. Climbing vines or foliage on a trellis can keep the front of your home cool, while a green roof will both increase your comfort and reduce your energy bills year-round. Some of these will actually boost your home’s value. 3. A summertime schedule. For this natural trick, simply open up the windows in the early morning and shut them before you go to work. This will allow you to suck in some cool air and to keep out the hot air later in the day. For even better results, draw the shades during the day and consider getting a heat-blocking blackout curtain These kinds of simple heat-busting tricks can be effective at reducing the heat during the summer months and lowering your energy bills by 30% to 50%. Plus, small investments like planting a tree or installing a whole-house fan can also boost the value of your home. I bring this up because the summer is also when the real estate market gets hot. If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home any time in the near future, don’t hesitate to reach out and give me a call or send me an email today. I look forward to hearing from you soon.   Written by Ruby Miranda on September 24, 2018. Posted in Buyer Tips, Home Maintenance, Seller TipsTags: Home Maintenance, Ruby Miranda   Trackback from your site. Leave a Reply

View more

How to Figure Out How Much House You Can Buy

  How to Figure Out How Much House You Can Buy If you’re looking to buy a home but are unsure of how much house you can afford, here are five steps you can use to figure it out. Looking to buy in the Greater Houston Area?  Get a full MLS accessLooking to Sell in the Greater Houston Area?  Get a free home market analysis One of the questions I get asked a lot as a Realtor is, “How much house can I buy?” In other words, how can you determine what your housing budget is when purchasing a house? There are five steps you must follow: Figure out your household’s income after taxes. What do you and other income earners who will be contributing to the household bills bring home each month after taxes? Look at your last paycheck stub, ask your HR department, or use an online paycheck calculator to calculate this amount. Make a list of your household’s recurring monthly expenses. This should include bills you pay every month and bills you only pay some months—like car insurance. If you don’t already have a way you’ve been tracking your budget, look at your checkbook, your bank statements, and your credit card statements to help figure out what you’ve been spending. Note which expenses are optional and which are necessary. Make a list of expenses that you will add to when you become a homeowner. Expenses you’ll have that you didn’t have as a renter include water, trash, and home maintenance. You’ll also pay property taxes and hazard insurance. If you’re moving further from your job, your transportation costs may increase as well. If you’re going to make a downpayment of less than 20%, you’ll have to factor in the monthly cost of private mortgage insurance (PMI). Remember, it’s best to estimate high when planning your budget just to be on the safe side. I can refer you to a local lender who can help you with these steps. Determine how much you will have left after expenses to spend on housing. A lender can help you determine your maximum monthly payment by calculating what they call a debt-to-income ratio. Basically, this is what gets paid into the home versus what gets paid out on a monthly basis. Once you’ve determined your household budget, you should have an idea of what you’re comfortable paying on a monthly basis for a house. Don’t forget to leave room for emergencies, retirement, or whatever else you want to save for. In other words, count savings as a non-negotiable expense. Figure out how much house you can buy. The No. 1 way to truly know what your budget will allow for on a house note is to sit with a mortgage lender and have them look at your credit score and finances. A great lender will be able to help you figure out what your ‘no-more-than’ amount should be, which will determine which price points you should shop in. As a Realtor, I can help guide you to a local lender who will be an expert in these areas. If you have any other questions about this topic or you have a topic in mind you would like to see me discuss in a future video, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. I’d love to hear from you! Contact Us   Written by Ruby Miranda on September 23, 2018. Posted in Buy A Home, Buyer Tips, Financing A Home, First Time Home Buyers, Home Loan ProcessTags: Buy Your Home, Buyer Tips, Clifton Saunders, Financing A Home, First Time Buyer, Ruby Miranda Trackback from your site. Leave a Reply    

View more

Is It Really Worth It to Sell Your Home Without an Agent?

Is It Really Worth It to Sell Your Home Without an Agent? Thinking of selling your home on your own to dodge the cost of a real estate agent? These home sale facts will make you think twice about that. Looking to buy in the Greater Houston Area?  Get a full MLS accessLooking to Sell in the Greater Houston Area?  Get a free home market analysis If you’re thinking of selling your Houston home, there are five reasons you absolutely should not sell without a real estate agent: There are too many people to negotiate with: If you sell ‘For Sale by Owner’ (or FSBO), you’ll have to negotiate with a myriad of people on your own, including the buyer who wants the best deal possible, their agent, the home inspector (who works for the buyer), and the appraiser, especially if the home’s value comes into question. Exposure to potential buyers: Studies have shown that 89% of homebuyers look for homes online compared to just 20% who look at printed newspaper ads. Most agents already have an Internet marketing strategy in place to sell your home; simply putting your own house on Zillow doesn’t mean you know how to market a property online! 89% of homebuyers look for homes online compared to just 20% who look at printed newspaper ads. Selling FSBO online has become increasingly more difficult: The amount and intensity of paperwork involved with selling a home has increased dramatically as industry disclosures and regulations become mandatory. The is why—according to the National Association of Realtors—the number of people selling their home FSBO has dropped from 19% to an 20-year low of just 8%. You net more money when using an agent: Many sellers believe they’ll save the cost of a real estate agent’s commission by selling on their own, but fail to realize that people looking at FSBO homes are also people who believe they can save the cost of a commission. The buyer and the seller can’t both save the commission. Studies have shown that the median sales price for FSBO homes is $210,000 while the median home sold by an agent sells for $249,000. That doesn’t mean the agent can always get $39,000 more for your home, but that the people who sell FSBO are more likely to put themselves in a lower price point. If you have any questions about selling your home or about the market here in the greater Houston area, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email soon. I’d love to help! Contact Us   Written by Ruby Miranda on September 23, 2018. Posted in First Time Home Sellers, For Sale By Owner / FSBO, Market Snapshot, Sell Your Home, Seller TipsTags: First Time Seller, For Sale By Owner, For Sale By Owner / FSBO, Market Snapshot, Ruby Miranda, Sell Your Home, Seller Tips   Trackback from your site. Leave a Reply

View more