You imagine yourself relaxing by the pool with a cold drink in your hand without a care in the world.

What you imagine might look a little like this:

Or like this:

This hidden oasis is located at 5121 Congressional in Pebble Creek.  Just listed earlier this month, this beautiful home has it all!  Not only does it have one of the best, if not best, pools in all of the Brazos Valley, it is just as great on the inside.  Featuring cathedral ceilings in the living room, top of the line amenities in the kitchen, luxurious finishes in the Master Suite, you have to view it in person to appreciate all the details.

Find out more at ClayRealtor.com, or give me a call at 979.255.1839 to schedule a private showing.

Clay Lee – Realtor

Century 21 Beal, Inc.

Homeowners generally are aware of the essential maintenance points to address on the interior and exterior of a home.  But some items are relatively unknown to the average homeowner I’ve spoken with.  I’ve compiled a list of the less obvious, but equally crucial tasks to address, and how often to take care of them.

• Chance your furnace filters monthly.  Clogged filters decrease efficiency and can cause breakdowns.
• Drain your water heater at least once a year.  Sediment will drain out along with the water, prolonging the heater’s useful life.
• Check under sinks for dripping leaks or water stains.  Catching a small problem early can save you from major damage in the future.
• Exterior paint should be refreshed every 5-10 years, depending upon the quality used.
• A roof should be repaired/replaced every 13-15 years.
• Wood decking staining should be refreshed approximately 4-7 years.

In addition to presenting a well-maintained home, you also want to present a clean and perfectly staged home that will be a most welcoming sight to the potential home buyer.  The elements of good design and staging include four fundamentals: balance, harmony, emphasis, and functionality.

Balance means using furniture and other objects to make each side of a room exactly match the other.  The balancing of a room makes it more appealing to buyers on the whole.  An easy way to create harmony is through repetition in color, texture, or shape.  For example, a blue sofa may replicate itself in the shade of blue in the draperies.  But be careful that you don’t go overboard!  Next is emphasis.   Every room needs a focal point; yours could be a fireplace, a framed powerful picture, or a piano.  A focal point is a great way to make a room more interesting.  Finally, a good room needs functionality.  Everything in a given room should support the functionality of that room.  If you are trying to show off a great office, display solid furniture, a clean workspace, and soothing art.

Some additional tips:

• Fresh paint always gives the ‘new home’ look.  It is one of the best, most cost-effective ways to change the look and feel of a room.
• Remove at least one-third of all books and accesories from bookcases and built-in cabinets so they look more spacious.
• Remove 25% of clothing from rods in the closet to give it a more spacious look.
• Accessorize and decorate using the “cantaloupe rule”: remove all items around the home that are smaller than a cantaloupe.
• Place animals in kennels or arrange for offsite petcare during any showing times.  Also, put away any water and food bowls.

For more tips on home maintenance and home staging, keep checking back for my daily updates.  If you are interested in a consultation to discuss selling your home or staging your home, please feel free to call me anytime!

Clay Lee – Realtor  

Century 21 Beal, Inc.

(979) 255-1839

clay@century21bcs.com

Timeless Service, Quality, and Experience Guaranteed

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It is an industry fact that staged homes sell faster.  When your home has been properly staged, you will have true confidence that the first impression will be a positive and lasting one.  The main point of staging is to showcase the benefits of the house in the best possible light.  It will make your home appear like a model home so that potential buyers can envision themselves living there.  Additionally, a properly staged house appears to be in move in-ready condition.  This means that potential buyers will be able to visualize their belongings and themselves in your home much more easily, which is exactly what you want.  

 Another benefit of a staged home is that it projects an image of being well-maintained and cared for.  The underlying psychological message that is sent to the potential buyer is that it is worth more, and that they will not have to worry about inheriting costly problems to which they will have to attend and repair.

The key points to staging a home are: de-cluttering, de-personalizing, updating old/unattractive fixtures, painting, furniture arrangement, and accessorizing - so that you display your home in its best possible shape.

Generally, the following are always on the list for seller reminders of what the buying public wants to see when previewing the home. First and foremost, the exterior should be repainted or power washed as it is the first impression. (While you’re focusing on the exterior, remember to power wash the driveway, sidewalk, etc.) Paint is equally important on the interior; rooms that are painted light, neutral colors show the best as they make a room appear airier, larger, and more inviting.

Some smaller, but very important tasks to complete before showing your home are:

• Replace old door knobs with shining new ones (especially on the front door).
• Make floors shine and windows shine even more. This cleanliness shows care of ownership and gives the impression that appliances and equipment associated with the home have the same pride of ownership.
• If your mailbox is looking old or worn, install a new one.
• Decrease clutter and de-personalize. This includes removing  toys, excess books, exercise equipment, etc.
• Always remove bad odors, clean carpets, and neutralize.
• Always let the light in by opening drapes and turning on lights in the house.

Additionally, I’ve listed below some common flaws in a home that I look out for:

• Gutters that are in need of repair or filled with debris.
• Untended yards, driveways, and gardens
• Poor shower and tub caulking where grout is missing or dirty. (Replace!)
• Damaged bathroom tiles. (Fix and replace!)
• Put fresh towels in the bathroom on towel bars that are stable.
• Make sure pet litter boxes are out of sight and garbage cans are empty.

These are the main tips I offer to my Bryan/College Station clients when we are working together on selling their home.  If you are interested in detailed staging or design tips, I am always happy to help; just give me a call! Continue to visit my blog daily for the best local, expert real estate advice!

Clay Lee – Realtor

Century 21 Beal, Inc.

(979) 255-1839

clay@century21bcs.com

Timeless Service, Quality, and Experience Guaranteed

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Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a third-party certification program for high-performance buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.  This organization includes members from a wide range of vocations including architects, engineers, developers and Realtors, just to name a few.  Certification is based on how these buildings or homes address:

1. Sustainable sites
2. Water efficiency
3. Energy and atmosphere
4. Materials and resources
5. Indoor environment quality
6. Innovation and design process

This green building project not only cuts down on your home energy costs in the long run, but is much better for our environment.  When building your new home, consider consulting with a local LEED Accredited Professional.  We have 61 of these professionals in College Station alone and 24 in Bryan.  To find one, visit the LEED professional directory: https://ssl27.cyzap.net/gbcicertonline/onlinedirectory/

Clay Lee – Realtor 

Century 21 Beal, Inc.

(979) 255-1839

clay@century21bcs.com

Timeless Service, Quality, and Experience Guaranteed

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• Vinyl Windows and Low E2 Glass: Windows with Vinyl framed Low E2 reject much more of that hot Texas sun.
• Radiant Barrier Decking: Radiant barriers reject solar radiation, making attics cooler.  (A hot attic means less efficient HVAC system.)
• R-Value Ceiling Installation: Higher the number = less outside heat coming into your home.
• R-Value Wall System: Higher the number = less outside heat coming into your home.
• Air conditioning filters: Higher number indicates more efficient filtering of the air.
• Mold Resistant Shower and Tub Walls: Cement Hardibacker and Anti Fracture Coatings are being used for this.
• Fresh Air Systems: Allows fresh air to filtrate your home for a healthier environment.
• Draft Elimination: The amount of air that leaks through your walls, doors, and ceilings should be reduced as much as possible.
• Formaldehyde Free Insulation: Difficult to find, but much healthier.

These are just a few of the ways you can make your College Station home and community more Green. Spread the word to your neighbors!

Clay Lee – Realtor 

Century 21 Beal, Inc.

(979) 255-1839

clay@century21bcs.com

Timeless Service, Quality, and Experience Guaranteed

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For those with extra space in your homes, consider your needs. The Catering kitchen is a second kitchen on the property where the “messy, real work” is accomplished.  That leaves the elegant entertaining kitchen which never gets messy and is great for hosting guests.  The Management room is a new concept where families can keep track of schedules, school papers, and assignments while mom and dad are able to organize library books, hobbies, and have more storage.  Often a utility room can be expanded to serve this purpose.

For those who want to make use of their limited available space, consider the Pocket library.  Pocket libraries utilize space in hallways, nooks that otherwise might see a potted plant.  Trendy homeowners are simply utilizing a cozy place to curl up with a book in just a comfy chair and lamp.  (The landing area on a stairway is often a perfect location.)  Additionally, the garage can be segemented into rooms such as a hobby area, sporting area, etc.  This can be accomplished by separating the rooms for privacy.

Any of these specialty rooms would make an excellent addition to your College Station home.  Be the trendsetter in Pebble Creek, Indian Lakes, or your neighborhood.

Clay Lee – Realtor 

Century 21 Beal, Inc.

(979) 255-1839

clay@century21bcs.com

Timeless Service, Quality, and Experience Guaranteed

________________________________________________________

Of all the surfaces inside of the house, counter tops usually have to endure all the wear and tear. Anything you don’t want laying around on the floor usually ends up on counter tops, and accidents like to happen when given enough time. Even worse, scratches and gouges can be eye magnets, but even so, remodeling can be difficult to think about sometimes.

Home owners are sometimes daunted with the issue of remodeling: it can be painstaking to decide upon and it’s usually tough work. Beyond that, there is no formula to figuring out if the cost exceeds the benefit when part of the benefit is happiness

Research is very important, and there are a fair number of options with types of counter tops and manufacturers. After any amount of research, it’s clear that many consumer reports and magazines praise granite as a very cost-effective option for new counter tops.

Granite is dense and durable, most anything around the house is not strong enough to damage it. Granite is not a rare material but it’s one of the hardest rocks available, just weaker than gems and diamonds. You could actually destroy a knife before ever scratching the counter with it, although a piece of glass would be just hard enough scratch it.

While granite is an extremely durable stone, it’s not too difficult to find– making it pretty affordable. Enough new, 3 cm thick, counter tops to cover 70 sq. feet of space would cost about $3,000-$3-500. A bathroom counter would be significantly cheaper, and this type of counter top improvement would raise the value of your home significantly. This is great for several reasons, but most importantly it would end up in you receiving most of your money back if you were ever to sell or lease the house.

Not only is it cost-effective, it’s easy to manage. Granite is not very porous at all. Most if not all liquids laying on the surface of the counter will stay there; that means you can’t easily stain the counter top. Anything that would dry up wouldn’t stain it; you’d have to spill something like oil and leave it there.

Granite counter tops are also very attractive; they can contrast with almost any type of wood counter top perfectly. They also sit very well next to painted counter tops can look amazing; for example a light pastel orange or yellow color for the cabinets or walls would look great in the kitchen if it caught a lot of sun in the summer.

Besides its upfront cost, there is no real down side to a granite counter top. A simple laminate counter top would be about half the cost, but the difference can be so apparent when there are kool-aid stains and knife gouge farms around the cutting board and when you are ready to sell. All things considered it would be well worth your time to consider an improvement in your College Station home!

Susan

Susan Hilton

Century 21 Beal, Inc.

979-764-2100

Search College Station Homes and Real Estate!

Green Lawn Mower

BRYAN, TX — The Texas Municipal Power Agency encourages homeowners to use electric lawn mowers rather than gas to promote cleaner air.  They are offering vouchers worth $150 toward the purchase of an electric-powered machine, corded or cordless.

You’re thinking, I gotta push this reel mower or work my way around power cords?  That’s a big sacrifice for clean air.  Well, Black and Decker does have a handy 24V battery mower but it will only cut up to 1/3 of an acre at a time.  Then there’s a solar powered cordless from Solaris – that sounds neat.

Either way, you only have until August to pick up a voucher, or until they run out.  Sears associates will hand them out to customers with a current driver’s license or your BTU bill.  For more information on these and other rebate programs offered by the local utility company, call or email…

Happy Gardening,

Cindy Seaton, REALTOR

P.S.  Check back next week for my commentary on community chickens!

Home Equity and PMI

PMI has been a large money-maker for the mortgage lenders. The amount of the insurance (usually $40/month for a $100k home) is commonly rolled into the mortgage payment. Given the size of the overall note payment, this additional fee is often overlooked. Homeowners continue to pay the PMI even after their loan balance has dropped below the original 80% threshold. This occurs naturally, of course, as the home owner pays down the principal on the loan. On a typical 30-year loan, however, it can take many years to reach that point.

Lenders were under no obligation to tell home owners when they had reached a point where the PMI can be dropped. That all changed back in 1999 when the Homeowners Protection Act took effect. In most cases, this law now obligates lenders to terminate the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78% of the original loan amount. Savvy homeowners can get off the hook a little sooner. Upon request of the owner, the PMI must be dropped when the principal balance amount reaches 80%.

Here are the disclaimers: this only works for homes purchased after 1999 and wwners must be current on their loan payments. For buyers prior to 1999, they must initiate the process to have it removed. Lenders are under no obligation to remove it, but most will.

There is another way that your home equity can reach beyond the 80/20% ration. Raise your hand if you know the answer…actually leave your ideas below in our comments section.

Here’s tricking you,

Cindy Seaton, REALTOR

Thursday, September 25, a benefit was held at 5203 Whistling Straits in support of the Hurricane Ike relief efforts. Many local firms were willing to donate items to the silent auction, and all proceeds from the auction went to the Brazos Valley Food Bank, who helped to get the money into the right hands.

Some of the items donated were: An area rug from Aggieland Carpets, several pieces of artwork by Aggie artist Benjamin Knox, a bottle of wine from JJ Ruffino, a $100 gift card to The Republic from Wade Barkman, Kohler bath hardware, a prep sink and a lavatory sink all from Moore Supply, a lamp from Susan Tremont, an under-counter refrigerator from Factory Building Stores, a framed picture from Myra’s Gallery and Custom Framing, a painting kit from Monarch, and French doors from Grand Door Co. to be stained by Rob Crowley.

Hors d’oeuvres were provided by The Republic and prepared on location by chef Brian Light. There was also a bar set up in the outdoor kitchen serving drinks all night. Procedes from the bar also went to the Hurricane Ike Relief fund.

Benjamin Knox, who designed the house, and builder Rob Crowley were available to answer any questions about the house which finished construction recently. Guests came and went from early evening until around 10:00 at night. Overall, everyone who came had fun enjoying the food, drinks, and touring this beautiful, one of a kind house. All of the guests were also very generous and giving, raising over $3000 dollars in the auction to go to the relief fund.

Thanks to everyone who attended this event as well as all of the companies who donated towards the auction and the relief fund. It was truly a showing of the spirit of Aggieland, and our willingness to come together and help when there is a need.

If you have any question, feel free to contact me anytime at rclaylee@yahoo.com or 979-255-1839

Clay Lee

College Station’s #1 Luxury Lifestyle & Real Estate Expert for over a Decade!