Raylene Lewis
Realtor®
Read my blog below
Real Estate News Category
College Station Tree Preservation Ordinance – What Do YOU Think?
March 7th, 2009 Categories: Real Estate News
March 26, 2009 the College Station City Council is having a workshop to review the current draft of the College Station Tree Preservation Ordinance.
Are you ready for the City of College Station to tell you what trees you can cut down?
The City of College Station City’s Tree Preservation Ordinance Purpose states:
- The purpose and intent of this Section is to promote the preservation of trees and tree stands during construction to facilitate site design and construction that contributes to the long-term viability of existing trees and to develop a process to control the removal of trees. It is further the purpose of this ordinance to prevent the untimely and indiscriminate removal or destruction of trees, maintain and enhance a positive image of the City and to protect trees and promote the ecological, environmental and aesthetic values of the City.
Are you ready to have to get a permit to cut a tree? Are you ready to APPLY for a permit to grade your property if there is a tree larger than 8 inches in diameter?
If you are outside the City Limits think you don’t have to worry? Sorry – right now the draft says -
- Tree protection requirements will apply to all property in the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) in conjunction with development and subdivision plats.
Yes, there are some exemptions. Yes this is only a draft. BUT, will this become law for the City of College Station? Do we need more regulation to limit real estate development? Do we need more governmental interference?
Remember in 2009 the College Station City Council has landlords registering their properties if they are renting – with a fee of course. This College Station Tree Ordinance is just ONE MORE…..
Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal
Want to Search the Bryan/College Station Real Estate MLS? CLICK HERE!!!
Selling a home in Bryan or College Station
, Texas or other location in the Brazos Valley is heavily dependant on pricing your home properly and picking an agent that will create an “online market presence” for your home. As a home seller, you need to be aware that the market in Bryan College Station and many other Texas communities has changed over the last three and a half years. We are no longer in a strong seller’s market.
When selling a home in Bryan College Station, Tx, it pays to have a pro in your corner representing you. It pays to hire a well educated, top professional at Century 21 Beal.
** 85% of all buyers are finding their homes on the Internet. Is your Bryan College Station home being advertised on the web?
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Buying A College Station Home: What to Look For When Viewing Homes For Sale
August 8th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Real Estate News
When you begin your home search in College Station for the property that is right for you and your family, the first thing you want to do is compare the home you are looking at to your personal list of minimum requirements. You also want to keep in mind the ”extras” that are included with the home you are looking at.
Typically, “extras” are added features or upgrades to a property. Extras can also be things that are on your “Buyer’s Wish List.” You should ask your Realtor to help you keep track of the extras and point out the upgrades in each property as you are viewing the home.
It is also important to ask your Realtor to help you identify potential problems and maintenance issues. Although your Realtor is NOT an inspector and can not advise you on what is wrong with the property, they can point out the current appearance of things that will require ongoing maintenance; for example: paint, appliances, windows and carpet.
If you are a very detailed and organized person, it can be helpful Read the rest of this entry »
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Thinking of Selling your College Station Home? What to Expect When Interviewing A Realtor
June 16th, 2008 Categories: Castlegate, Community Events, Market Trends, Miramont, Pebble Creek, Real Estate News, Selling Real Estate, Woodcreek
When it is time to sell your home in Bryan College Station, and start interviewing Real Estate Agents, you will want to meet with each agent separately. As you call to set up interview and make appointments, take special note of who you get on the phone right away and how long it takes for your phone call to be returned. The time it takes for you to get through to the Realtor will likely be the roughly the same amount of time as if a prospective buyer had called with questions about your home. When you and the agent communicate with one another, you should expect the Realtor to ask you a few questions.
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Essential Questions to Ask A Bryan College Station Realtor when Interviewing a Listing Agent
June 14th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, Selling Real Estate
When it is time to sell your home, it is imperative to pick the right Brazos Valley listing agent. Your home is one of the most expensive things you will ever purchase and when your are ready to sell that home, you need to make sure that the person selling it for you will correctly guard your equity, your investment, and your best interests.
Although almost any agent you interview will tell you they can market your home effectively, there are several key questions that you need to ask to make sure you are choosing the best agent for the job.
Your Realtor needs to be someone extremely familiar with your neighborhood, who can provide you with a long list of recently satisfied customers, and be a current and regular user of the Internet, email, and a variety of Internet marketing tools and techniques. Clearly, most home buyer’s when beginning their search for a property begin with the Internet.
A Realtor who embraces the Internet as a powerful marketing tool will aggressively market your home online to buyers.
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10 Ways to Make Your Bryan College Station Home Stand Out to Buyers Who View It
June 11th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, Selling Real Estate
A home buyer in the Bryan-College Station area will be provided with a variety of house choices that meet their basic search critera. When a buyer begins looking at homes for sale, it is easy for them to forget what they have seen or to get the interior of homes and their floorplans confused with one another.
When I show property to a prospective buyer, I always tell them to compare the 1st house they see to the second and then do their best to rank the two and, if possible, eliminate one. Thus, when they are finished, they clearly have one or two homes that stand out above the rest.
Below, I have made a list of 10 things you can do to help your home be one that stands out in a postive light in the minds of perspective buyers who view it. If your home remains memorable, and positively appealing, it is likely to sell quicker than its competition.
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Pricing a Bryan College Station Home in Today’s Market
June 9th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Real Estate News, Selling Real Estate
There is a big question going on right now on how to correctly price homes for sale in Bryan, College Station given the current state of the market and the economy in general. Everyone has heard that the local area here has not been hurt nearly as bad as the rest of the nation and that is 100% true.
Largely because of Texas A&M University, and because our home prices have never been grossly inflated from their true value, the market in College Station has remained strong.
The problems that I have seen with getting a home sold are predominately 1) the current buyer can not purchase the home they want because they have to sell their out-of-area home first or 2) the current buyer can no longer get approved for the amount they wanted to spend on a home, thus they are not upgrading to a nicer property, and hence no sale.
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5 Common Misconceptions about Real Estate in Bryan College Station
May 7th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Real Estate News, Selling Real Estate
1) “All Realtors have access to the same things so it doesn’t matter who I list with.”– The truth is that every Realtor is unique. Since we are independent contractors, we choose what marketing tools pay for and incorporate into our business marketing plan for the houses we sell. Realtors also offer a variety of different services. A few examples include: where and how the property will be marketed, what times the Realtor will make themselves available, what additional services for the client’s convenience are provided, what tools are used to capture buyers looking for homes, and what tools are used convert those buyers to a sale. Read the rest of this entry »
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