Explore, Learn, Buy, Sell Fort Hood, TX Real Estate
Updated 5/29/17, Originally published 8/7/15 Takeaways Budget off your mortgage payment, not purchase price Don’t assume you can or should spend everything your lender preapproves you for Spend as little as possible to meet your needs What does it mean to be house poor? It’s actually the opposite of having a poor house. Rather, it […]
A list of the apps and desktop programs that I use almost every day as a real estate agent in Fort Hood, TX. DocuSign, Realvolve, RealtyZam, Google Voice, ToDoist and more!
Data for each communities and area around Fort Hood, TX, and the median year homes were built / median age.
Originally published 1/17/16, Updated 5/23/17 Everything is Bigger in Texas Fort Hood is one of America’s largest military bases in the world by both population and area. The post features big tanks, big guns and big helicopters. Everything is bigger in Texas. The area’s homes are no exception. The median home size in the Fort […]
Tips on how to get your property tax lowered in the Fort Hood area, as well as what to expect!
Tips and best practices to make sure your home is accessible to would-be home buyers, part of the PACE strategy of home marketing and selling.
Updated 3/6/17; Originally published 8/26/15 Takeaways Budget based on your monthly mortgage payment, not your purchase price Plan on that mortgage going up Your lender is your #1 resource for planning your budget Considering buying a home? Don’t know how much home you can afford? Look no further! Starting a Home Budget The very first […]
There are successful flippers and wholesalers in the Killeen, TX area. Here are some tips on how to become one and what to expect.
Find the best horse-friendly ranches and homes for sale in the Fort Hood area, including the areas west in Lampasas, Briggs, Gatesville and beyond.
Not “dual agency” but “intermediary”, know who your real estate broker/agent represents. You might be surprised – it’s the seller.
Takeaways Communicate with the seller, change up your offer, and try again. Just because it’s a “low ball” doesn’t mean it’s a bad offer. Maybe the seller is the one with unreasonable expectations. It’s not always the price – find out what other terms the seller may be looking for. I’m not talking about losing […]
Understand that you as the seller don’t have complete control over the buyer and cannot guarantee that an executed contract closes. But if you take these risk mitigation steps, hopefully you will be well on your way to avoiding problems or dealing with them as painlessly as possible should they arise.
Nearly 80% of Fort Hood area homes have 2 car garages. No more, no less. But that’s no fun! Let’s take a look at some of the area’s best garages, including those with at least space for 4. As of this writing, only 7 listings on the entire Fort Hood area MLS had 4+ garage […]
Takeaways If you would like to sell a property and reinvest your profits into another property, you should be using the 1031 exchange to avoid paying taxes between transactions. Keep doing the 1031 exchange until you die, and you’ll never have to pay taxes on your profits. Safeguarding your capital from Uncle Sam means that you’re […]
MLS consolidation is the future – and a better future for agents and their clients. The Fort Hood Area Association of Realtors is living in the past.
The median price point for Fort Hood and most areas rose modestly in 2016. But beneath that ho-hum uptick are some very favorable trend lines for area homeowners. Meanwhile, multi-family prices have most plateaued, for now.
Fort Hood is an affordable housing market, even for Texas. You can get a lot for your money, and even our nicest neighborhoods are at attainable price points.
Here are some of our nicest neighborhoods, in no particular order!
Especially for military families coming from distant posts or overseas, travelling to Fort Hood just to house hunt may just be impractical. Here’s how to do it the right way.
Takeaways If an offer is unacceptable, always counter it Don’t get offended when you get a low ball offer. There’s probably an innocent reason for it Be sure the offer is actually a low ball offer, and not the case that you are overpriced What is a low ball offer? 10% below your asking price […]
For resale homes (e.g. not multi-family, resale, land, commercial, or builder sales), 2016 saw a lot of growth in the Fort Hood area. There were 4960 “sides” in 2016 (side = half a transaction – either buyer’s or seller’s agent), a massive 25% increase over the 3965 sides in 2015. That is a lot more business to be spread around the local brokerages (and some not so local brokerages).
It’s not enough to be treading water in 2017! 25% growth is the standard if you want to keep up.
Foreclosures are cheap, right! Generally, yes. The median foreclosure price in the Fort Hood area is nearly $40,000 under the median home sale price. However the cheapest homes on the market are not foreclosures. Why? Foreclosed homes are only those that had a mortgage on it. Most lenders will only lend above a certain amount […]
Takeaways Buying a foreclosure in the Fort Hood area? You’re probably buying a VA foreclosure. Yes, you CAN buy a foreclosure with a VA loan Getting the VA the contract is a pain, but otherwise the process is very similar to a normal deal Unique to the Fort Hood market is the tremendous number of […]
Zestimates and AVMs are lousy right now compared to the due diligence of a real estate agent. But that is quickly changing, and industry disruption coming.
Moving to Fort Hood? Start getting acquainted fast by joining these must-follow local Facebook pages in the Killeen, Harker Heights and Copperas Cove area.
Updated 2/4/18; Originally published 12/11/16 Copperas Cove, TX is not the priciest housing market. Of the homes that sold in the last year (2017), the median price point was an affordable $117,000. The most expensive Copperas Cove property to sell in 2017 sold for $489,900, a newly built 3111 square foot home by Tom Lancaster […]
Even as a full time agent I have to work overtime to keep up on our market trends, industry news and learning from new experiences. The learning curve is steep in real estate, and it is not surprising that buyers have a lot of misconceptions about the process and what to expect.
Here are a few myths – some true, some not – about buying a home in the Fort Hood area.
Takeaways Start your property manager hunt early – before you even buy a home. They can advise you on whether it would make a good rental or not. Interview multiple property managers when selecting Don’t manage it yourself. That is active income, not passive income. Budget for a manager now. Companies Okay – so I am […]
Should you price your home higher so you have room to negotiate with a buyer? How about just to take a shot on a buyer who is willing to pay more?
Fort Hood has an affordable real estate market, and that includes its rental market. But there are still some luxury living available for the buying-averse.
The Pros and Cons to living in Fort Hood on post housing versus buying or renting off-post in Killeen, Harker Heights or Copperas Cove, TX.
Takeaways There’s a strategy for every home seller’s situation, some using a Realtor and some not! Talk first with a Realtor so you know all your options, and the pros and cons for your situation With a Realtor All the below strategies have everything in common with a normal listing – putting them on the […]
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Have you been before? Know more recommendations? Please comment and share!
Updated 11/20/16, originally published 8/8/15 Takeaways List your home as close to the fair market value as possible Tax assessments, appraisals and even the listing price is not the same as your home’s value Your agent will provide you neighborhood sales data to demonstrate your home’s value What the Price is NOT There are many different […]
Updated 2/22/18; Originally published 10/27/16 Takeaways Budget from monthly payment, not home price. Don’t forget to also budget for utilities, and maintenance costs when buying. A local recommended lender is your best point of contact for current rates, preapproval and more. Not interested in the hit or miss on post housing? Curious about buying instead […]
Takeaways Are you eligible for the VA loan? Use it! Advantages / Pros The VA loan boasts numerous advantages to those who are eligible. The main advantages are the 0% down payments and lower interest rates compared to alternatives. VA loans also don’t require mortgage insurance, which can add $100 or so to a monthly […]
The Texas Realtor Convention is an annual four day get together for the Realtor crowd and people who work with Realtors. The convention usually features a who’s who of the State’s top agents and brokers, and is a chance for the Texas Association of Realtors (TAR) to get some official business done. For the agents, it’s a chance to get learn about other markets, discover new techniques and technologies, earn annual education credits, and spend time on the beach!
