Today the Federal Reserve Announced the beginning of the end for their Quanatative Easing or QE program  This Coupled with the increase of the G-Fee (Guarantee fee) increase of last week will definitely lead to some erosion in buying power. Now I've got your Attenion and before you want to go jump off a bridge Hold on a Minute!  All of this is good for the market and the economy.  Lets Tackle these one at a time: The Tapering means that the Government and namely the Federal Reserve will be reducing their influence on the Mortgage market which they didn't participate in until 2008 see chart. By buying into the Mortgage Market it's like printing money which is not good for the economy because it makes your dollars worth less.   G-Fee is being increased in 2014.  The G-Fee or Guarantee Fee... 12/18/2013

Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 4.625% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR: 4.9% FHA 30 year:4.25% Credit Score:640 LTV:96.5% loan amount:$200k APR:5.37% Conventional 15 year:3.625% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR:3.87%   Rates are Subject to Change Call me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible.   12/18/2013

Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 4.625% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR: 4.9% FHA 30 year:4.25% Credit Score:640 LTV:96.5% loan amount:$200k APR:5.37% Conventional 15 year:3.625% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR:3.87%   Rates are Subject to Change Call me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible.   12/04/2013

Recently unveiled, The Woodlands Area Chamber of commerce plans to move its offices to 9320 Lakeside Blvd. Building 2, a new high rise on the waterfront of Lake Woodlands Drive, from its current location off of the I-45 on The Woodlands Parkway.  The move is a necessity with the present lease up in 2014.  Moving requirements included ample parking, room for member tenants, and a scenic locale that conveyed "the beauty and amenities" of The Woodlands to visiting corporations looking to The Woodlands for their operations. Karen Hoylman, President and CEO of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce (since 1996), is happy with the new location.  “It’s really good for our community to have us in a central location where there is lots of activity,” she stated.  The new location also provides a... 12/03/2013

If you're driving around The Woodlands as of late, you've probably noticed the traffic cropping up around various construction sites.  Although the San Jacinto River Authority's Groundwater Reduction Plan (GRP) Waterline Project title is pretty long, there is an end in sight for the construction.  The projected timeline contains a multiphase plan that will be completed in stages starting around the intersection of FM 2978 and Research Forest Dr. and Research Forest heading east (both due May 2014), and the last phase Pruitt Road to Rayford Road to be finished in May 2015. The necessity for this project stems from the Montgomery County's public demand for water.  Previously, the water demand exceeded the sustainable recharge rate by about thirty percent, but the changes brought on by th... 11/21/2013

          As we approach Thanksgiving, the Holidays, the end of 2013 and ringing in 2014, we reflect on all we are grateful for…….       It’s been an amazing year! Our community continues to enjoy an extremely healthy real estate market. With little available inventory of homes, and a flood of homebuyers on the market, buyers were often being forced to take what they can get at higher prices than are typical in a market with fewer available homes. Often our experience this year was as soon as we listed a home, we received multiple offers on it!       In addition to keeping up with the pace of the real estate market, we are so thankful to be able to give back to a community that has been so good to us! In April, Michelle Garza represented The Kennedy Team for Keller Williams and particip... 11/20/2013

Even the most renowned, experienced real estate agent will tell you that it is impossibly rare to find a home that was perfectly easy to buy AND sell.  Typically, no home sale is perfectly easy, for either the  buyer or the seller.  There are always ups and downs during the process. It's especially hard when your offering price is rejected for a much lower one.  You've put all this hard work into the home that you've personally owned and after determining what value you think your house deserves, it almost seems like a personal affront that buyers would scoff at it!  But take a deep breath and give yourself a quick massage.  I've got four tips listed here on how to keep your price at a range that both you and your buyer agree with: Be preventative: Don't overprice! Find some help!  Som... 11/17/2013

The Woodlands residential market continues to be strong and from everyone we hear from, it will remain so for sometime.  In The Woodlands all price points continue in a sellers market except for homes over the 2 million price range.  Homes with pools in the higher price ranges are also seeing slower sales.  What we hear from buyers is that when the homes are higher priced, they expect a pool already built for those homes. Now is the time to buy if you are considering it. We are hearing about higher price interest rates around the corner. Although it has been a slow and steady growth for our area, we do not expect it to slow down any time soon.  We will be posting an article that the economists are showing for our area and it shows continued growth in the Houston and surrounding communit... 11/15/2013

How to Hire the Right Contractor… You’ve found the right house, and now it’s time to put your own spin on your new place to make it just right for you. So finding the right contractor to finish out the attic or make improvement to the kitchen or laundry room is a big deal. It’s a huge financial commitment and at times it will probably feel somewhat like a marriage, be it good or bad.  I recently read a survey that claims that 53% of buyers under took a home improvement within three months of their purchase.   So how do you go about finding Mr. Right to handle your home improvement?  These tips can get you started.    Know What You Want   Do your homework and have a general idea of what you really want to do and what it will take to complete your project. Research enough to feel comforta... 11/06/2013

Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 4.25% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR: 4.57% FHA 30 year:3.875% Credit Score:640 LTV:96.5% loan amount:$200k APR:5.07% Conventional 15 year:3.375% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR:3.67%   Rates are Subject to Change Call me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible.     11/05/2013

The search continues for the "Luxury in Lights" holiday bonanza's special guest to light up the shopping, dining and entertainment areas of The Woodlands Market Street.  The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 21st at 6 p.m. Currently, nominations are being made and accepted; applicants may range from a child to an entire family that has special merit.  Examples may include: overcoming incredible odds, making a significant contribution to the community, or helping others in need.  The chosen lucky "Lighting Luminary" will be presented onstage to light the 70 foot tree and initiate its three minute light show, synchronized to classic seasonal music. You can also expect some good old Woodlands fun- Market Street's Luxury in Lights event will include musical entertainme... 11/03/2013

You might think that houses closer to cemeteries may be harder to sell, but surprisingly, it looks like they might actually sell for a better price than homes farther away from cemeteries.  According to Redfin, a national brokerage, these "scary" houses may take a bit longer to sell, but with no backlash to their prices. On the contrary, the online housing marketplace offers statistics showing that these haunting homes sell for higher prices.  Looking at the comparison of houses less than 50 feet from a cemetery to those 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 yards away, Redfin states: "The numbers indicate that on average, homes near cemeteries are slightly smaller, but sell for more per square foot.  On average, homes closest to cemeteries sold for $162 per square foot, whereas the homes located m... 10/31/2013

You want to sell a home.  You know there are  certain practices and processes that you'll have to do, but you have no idea where to start.  You've shopped around, looked at the pricing of other homes in other areas, checked your finances, and started to make a list of priorities.  However, as a first time home buyer, you're not quite sure what's most important or what to expect.  Here are ten things that will help get your new adventure off to the right start. 1.  S.O.S. Our number one piece of advice at The Brownstone Group (which you'll find in almost every blog of ours) is this: the best decision you'll ever make in the home buying/selling process is including your local real estate agent.  What might be a new experience for you is old hat to them.  They act as negotiator, confidant... 10/26/2013

October 26, 2013 1:35pm CST The Woodlands real estate market sales are continuing at a good pace; higher than last year's sales by 12%. Two of the higher price ranges, the $800's and homes over $1 million are especially strong; sales 45-68% higher than a year ago! Buyer confidence is strong! Inventory remains low, with 322 homes in The Woodlands currently on the market, 21% lower than a year ago at this time. Our average months of inventory is now at 1.9 months, with less than 3 months of inventory for all price ranges under $600k. We simply do not have any price range that indicates a buyer's market any longer!   10/26/2013

Throughout The Woodlands, older homes are being upgraded in villages such as Grogan's Mill.  Since new single-family residential areas are not being as commonly built, Realtors and developers are better off building new homes in the place of older ones.  This isn't easy to do in The Woodlands, however.  The Woodlands Township and The Woodlands Development Company have restrictions in place that make it difficult for builders to tear down older homes and replace them with newer, bigger ones.  Despite this, clients are calling for newer options.  “In Grogan’s Mill the lots are a little bit bigger than the lots that current builders are building on [in other areas],” said Amy Smythe Harris, broker and owner of Urban Provision Realtors. “Grogan’s Mill looks more established and developed. ... 10/24/2013

Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 4.125% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR: 4.47% FHA 30 year:3.75% Credit Score:640 LTV:96.5% loan amount:$200k APR:4.97% Conventional 15 year:3.25% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR:3.57%   Rates are Subject to Change Call me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible.   10/23/2013

Buying a home can be a complicated project, and one that carries multiple costs, both obvious and hidden.  It's important to know what to expect when deciding on purchasing real estate.  Some expected costs include down payments, interest rates on mortgage loans, and even monthly living expenses.  But shoppers may forget those closing costs that come with owning a new house. These closing costs within the home sale may be owed by the buyer, the seller, or both factions.  Not every sale comes with the same closing costs, so here are a few examples to be aware of: Brokerage commissions Paid by: Seller Commissions are typically paid to the real estate agent for his or her services, such as: marketing a home, locating a buyer, and helping to negotiate the sale. Title exam and insurance Pai... 10/21/2013

No secret to anyone that the real estate market in The Woodlands and surrounding areas continue to be very hot!  The numbers below represent The Woodlands housing market overall. The numbers remain strong with double digit increases over last year and double digit decreases for number of days on the market from last year.  The document showing months of inventory by price band in The Woodlands shows that all price ranges show it is a seller's market (except for homes over $2M).  Magnolia is also in a seller's market in the average to lower price bands.  This is still a great time to sell a home as many buyers like to relocate for the second half of the school year.  Also, the inventory is low which makes it less competitive.  Call me if you know of someone interested in either buying or... 10/17/2013

A new building project has begun in The Woodlands between Grogan's Mill and Lake Woodlands, a 66-acre mixed-use development called Hughes Landing.  Alex Sutton, co-president of The Woodlands Development Company, says that "Plans for Hughes Landing include 1.5 million to 2 million square feet of office space, 800–1,000 apartment units, 175,000–200,000 square feet of retail, 200,000 square feet for a hotel and a fitness center to serve workers."  The project is estimated to take around two years and will also include a grocery store, parking garage, restaurants, more luxury apartments, and potentially eleven office buildings (although the office buildings may take up to ten years to complete).     Construction on the first building, One Hughes Landing, begun around ten months ago.  Offic... 10/15/2013

  Last month in August, home prices rose to the highest peak that we've seen since 2007 despite a projected decrease caused by rising interest rates.  In fact, the actual impact of the rising interest rates from May to June has only just become clear.  The National Association of Realtors' home sales report basis statistics off of closed transactions, typically contracts that were signed two months prior to the posted statistic.  Therefore, previous reports did not show the actual impact of increasing rates until recently creating a surprised stir in the market.  The expected adjusted annual rate had been approximately 5.25 million, but the actual rate was clocked at 5.39 million.  Home sales have also been higher than last year's levels for a continuous 26 months. The chief economist ... 10/14/2013