There are many benefits to a VA home loan. It’s important to know how these loans can help you. First, thank you for your service to our country. According to the Mortgage reports, VA loans stand apart for its combination of low rates, lenient underwriting, and secondary benefits. These are 10 Kerrville TX VA loan benefits in 2020. These are:        No down payment on a VA loan        No mortgage insurance        VA loans have a government guarantee        Your ability to shop and compare VA loans        VA loans don’t allow a prepayment penalty        They come in many varieties        It’s easier to qualify for a VA loan        VA loan closing costs are lower        The VA loan offers funding fee flexibility    VA loans are assumable Backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, ... 04/10/2020

VA Loans in Kerrville TX - the best loan program in Texas!  VA Mortgage Loans are one of the best mortgage loan programs available today for both honorably discharged Vets and active duty military personnel.  Here are some of the great features of this fantastic program:  - Zero Down Payment, 100% financing.  - Monthly mortgage insurance is not tacked on to your payment.  - Easier credit qualifying compared to other types of mortgage loans.- VA Mortgage Rates are low compared to other types of home loans.   How do you know if you qualify for VA Loans in Kerrville TX.  You must first verify your eligibility. Eligibility is verified by ordering your Certificate of Eligibility or COE. A Texas VA loan lender can order your COE quickly for you, or you can go directly to the VA to obtain a co... 06/07/2019

Do you like meatloaf?  Most people do, I think.  I do not make it very often as the recipe will feed quite a few people, so I make it when I have company.  Which was the case tonight and we feasted.  It was very good.  A great comfort food when you are not counting calories and you really want that Full Feeling.   I start with 1-2 lbs of good hamburger.                                         "wish I had a photo but it's all gone :)" Then add 1 lb of ground turkey. Mix together and add 2 eggs.  Then add one can of tomato sauce. Stir well.  It will be very wet. Add 1/2 cup chopped celery and 1/2 cup chopped onions. ( You may add more if you like.) Add 2/3 can of sliced carrots that have been quartered. Now crush Club crackers and add to meat mixture.  I used almost a whole stack of crack... 08/20/2014

First, it was Active Rain being bought out by Trulia.  Now, it is Zillow buying Trulia.  It has been announced that 3.5 billion in stock is the price of this company and the ink will soon be dry. How will this affect us?  As Rainers, and as agents and brokers, nobody really knows. It is the talk of the industry right now.  Things are changing.  It seems the big guys get bigger and the small guys disappear.  The old familiar saying, the rich get richer, poor get poorer. The problem I have with this, is Zillow always seems to have so many errors.  I have clients mention properties to me often that sold years ago and they think it is still for sale because they saw it on Zillow.  Or old photos of a home before it was renovated years before still showing up.  Zillow is rarely accurate in ou... 07/28/2014

Maybe it is because they waste so much that they have the least. I am talking specifically about wasting money on electricity.  We all want to be comfortable.  With central heat and air conditioning, it is not hard but paying the electric bill can be. There are many things you can do to save money.  One is to keep your thermostat at a reasonable rate. The electric company suggests not going below 78 degrees in the summer or above 72 degrees in the winter.  I try this but sometimes I just have to fudge myself.  I put it back after a little while. I also keep my drapes and blinds pulled closed when it is the hottest part of the day in summer or the coldest in the winter.  I make the sun work for me. Make sure the weather stripping around doors and windows is in place.  You can save lots o... 06/29/2014

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers.   Happy Father's Day to my Dad that passed away a long time ago. He was a great Daddy to me.  He had a great smile and an easy going personality.  He never met a stranger and everyone loved seeing him and visiting with him.  He was a good listener and a good storyteller too.  I could listen to all his old stories about the past for hours at a time.  He knew how to hold your attention.  His stories were sometimes long.  You never wanted to walk away for a moment, even as a child,  because you might miss a very important part of the story.  I remember folks listening to him intently, hanging on his every word. That was pretty good for an old fella that did not have much education. Storytelling was a form of entertainment lots of people participated i... 06/15/2014

This morning we had a call and a visit from a young man with a family looking for a home to rent in the Kerrville area.  He had come from one of our listings located in the country.  This listing is for sale only! It is not for rent! Why did he think it was? He says he found it on TRULIA, he believes.  Looking at the emails it looks like the scammer got his info from a lead service.  He contacted the people advertising it and it was someone in Nigeria! Not me, not our office. He produced 4 different emails from the party he was talking to and the story sounded so good.  This home was a bargain and he was about to send the rental money and deposit to this out of the country address.  Before he did so, we went out to walk around the house and realized it was occupied.  Our client was not ... 06/04/2014

  This weekend could not have been any better.  Visiting with family and friends and getting to watch my wonderful San Antonio Spurs play one of the best games ever! Way to go Spurs! They defeated the Dallas Mavericks by 119-96 in a fast paced, well played game.  Our Spurs defense did an excellent job holding the Mavs back and keeping the ball on our side.  Tony Parker shined as well as I knew he would. :)  My favorite player got hit in the face and his eye will be sore tomorrow as Blair seemed to try to hurt him. Manu Ginobili took some pounding too as he was knocked to the floor and held there for what seemed an eternity.  Sometimes, I don't know how those guys keep playing.  They must be hurting.  Thanks for taking the pounding guys!  You did a great job! Tim Duncan was looking good ... 05/04/2014

               Benjamin Franklin always said "A penny saved is a penny earned." How did I do this?  It was so simple.  I cut my electric usage by opening the windows in the Spring and Fall and enjoying fresh air instead of recycled stale air. I stopped using my dishwasher and found out I can wash the dishes by hand in just a few minutes time and they actually come out a lot cleaner.  I just air dry them, so I am off on my way to doing other things faster than if I were still loading the dishwasher. When I can, I hang my sheets on the line to dry instead of using the dryer.  I love that sunshine smell on my pillow cases.   I watch TV only a little now.  I have found treasures in books and lots of them were on my own bookshelf.  I had trouble finding time to read.  Now the TV is off and v... 04/27/2014

Ever have a situation where you feel like the more you give, the less you get? This can be true in all kinds of situations in life. Whether it is the family or a friendship; relationships are difficult at times.  The same is true about real estate negotiations.  Real estate is all about relationships.  We hear this all the time. How often have you really thought this through, however.  As agents and brokers working many deals over a career, we encounter times when a seller will take a low offer because they like the buyer.  OR, the opposite can be true as well.  A buyer will give more than what a home is worth because they like the seller.  It is about relationships. When negotiating in a deal where neither of these scenarios is true, we have to try to understand the mindset of the oth... 04/19/2014

No, no, and no!!!!!                                                  Under what table?  There was no table.  The client wanted to give my agent $500.00 cash in an envelope.  Nobody would know, just my agent and a client of another REALTOR(R). He wanted my agent to sell his home quickly.  My agent had shown this man's house several times and I suppose he thought if he gave my agent money "under the table", my agent would be persuaded to give his home more attention.  Maybe he thought my agent would try to talk his clients into this man's home instead of letting them choose the home they wanted. I don't know what this man was thinking but offering my agent money "under the table" is not acceptable.  He has made showing his home a little less comfortable for our office now that everyone kn... 04/12/2014

    I talk to sellers everyday about their homes and one of the most asked questions is, "What will make my house sell?" There are many things involved in the sale of a home but there are three major ones. 1.  Price your home right.       Not too high thinking you can always come down.  Many buyers will walk away and never let their agent know they were interested if the house had been priced right. 2.  Condition of the home.        Is the home staged, everything in its place, not cluttered?  Is there too much furniture and belongings for the space?  Pack it up and store it now.  Is it clean, does it smell good?  Have pets and their things been removed?  Is everything in working order? 3. Exposure to buyers.         Your home cannot sell if it is not being exposed to buyers.  Is it on t... 02/22/2014

You can accomplish whatever you can imagine.  Your creativity is only limited by yourself.  But you may say, "I don't limit myself."  Truth is, we all limit ourselves. Some of us, have actually come to live every day in a limiting way.  We are so used to doing things one way or the other, we never allow ourselves the freedom to ask," why are we doing it this way?" OR we simply don't have the time to stop and try something a different way.  By continuing in this manner, we limit ourselves. I believe we have vast resources within our minds that we seldom ever tap into.  The hurriedness and the busyness in our lives keeps us from really enjoying all there is.  Getting off to yourself occasionally and spending some quiet time alone can create an environment that allows the mind to imagine. ... 02/15/2014

There is no secret to personal success.  It comes down to Hard Work and Focus.  There are many people in the the personal development industry that will tell you the same thing! I like to strategize and Make a goal, Make a Plan and Follow the Steps to achieve my goals.  It is as simple as 1-2-3. Ask me how to become a successful real estate agent and I can give you countless methods, tips, things you can do to improve your performance but it literally will come down to these 3 things. Goal. Plan. Action. If you are not willing to do this, forget about all the other things.  Simplify your life. Simplify your tasks and start with the basics.  Rookie agents need to understand this first and it will start them out right in their career. I am so proud of my new agent, Steven Paul.  He has do... 02/02/2014

It's that time again in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.  Time for pollination of Ashe Juniper trees, that is. Every year during January and February, many Texas Hill Country residents experience unpleasant side effects of the juniper trees.  These trees are lovely, covering the rocky hills and bringing valuable resources to animals and people alike but they do produce upper respiratory distress in many people who suffer allergies from them. What to do if you have alleriges?  Wash your hands often.  In fact, if you are working or playing outside around these trees that are covered with an orange dust, be sure and wash your clothes, bathe and shampoo as soon as possible after exposure.  This will help more than anything else. Saline nasal sprays are good to cleanse the tissues inside th... 01/24/2014

Are you a dreamer?  Do you have untapped talents?  Do you daydream about being something or someone you are not yet?  Is there something you have always wanted to do but never had time to do?  Is it true, there has not been time or is it that you are afraid to step out in faith and attempt the elusive dream? Today, we stand at the end of the year.  It is a time for new beginnings.  A time to make a New Year's resolution.  Will your resolution be one that will bring happiness and contentment to your life or will it end disastrously?  Will you have the courage to go for it!  Or will you fall victim to mediocrity one more year? Now is the time to decide.  I love this weekend of every year.  It is a few days before New Year's.  Time has slowed down.  Christmas rush is over.  A few days to r... 12/28/2013

There is a special place located just a short drive from New Smyrna Beach, Florida.  It is Blue Spring Park and the there is a huge spring located here with water flowing out a warm 72 degrees even in winter.  Manatees love it here and come from the rivers and bays to winter here in the warm clear water.                                                  There is also an abundance of fish.  Lots of different kinds and too numerous to count.  It is a beautiful place with large trees covered in Spanish moss.  It is a tropical garden paradise.         Many of the manatees come here when they have been injured by boat propellers.  They are kin to the elephant family and can weigh a ton or more.  There are hundreds of them in this little space.  Just a few yards away is the St Johns River wher... 12/07/2013

Welcome, welcome, Charmaine Ottinger to our office and to Active Rain.           Charmaine Ottinger is a long time resident of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.  She has been in the real estate business previously and left but has come back to doing what she finds most satisfying.  Meeting new people and helping them find their dream homes in the Texas Hill Country.     Charmaine is a bubbly, happy person with a fantastic personality.  I am sure you will become friends quickly after meeting her.  She joins our company and is ready and anxious to get started helping buyers with their real estate transactions.  Charmaine carried the ABR designation when she was previously in real estate.  That means she is qualified to serve buyers in a greater capacity than some other agents.            ... 10/05/2013

Everyone should know they need to probate a will.  If you are the executor to a will, please probate it.  In Texas, you have 4 years to probate a will.  If you have not probated it by then, you will need to file an affidavit of heirship instead. Either way, you must hire an attorney.  The longer you wait the more complicated it can become.  People move, people die and circumstances change over time.  All this means problems for you. Understand this!  A will shows the intentions of the deceased.  It does not, I repeat, DOES NOT CONVEY REAL PROPERTY. I've run into this situation several times over my career but never before this last time were the consequences so severe.  Many people think all they need is to have a will in hand to transfer ownership of property but that is simply not the... 09/08/2013

If you ever have the opportunity to go to Glacier Bay in Alaska, I highly recommend the trip.  It is so incredibly beautiful.  I like the history of the glaciers and find it most interesting how the glaciers have receded in the past 200-300 years.      Glacier Bay was a solid sheet of ice only a couple centuries ago but the glaciers started melting and the bay was formed.  To see the valleys where the ice flows down into the sea is amazing.  I found it quite breathtaking.  I loved hearing the loud, thundering sound as the ice breaks off and falls into the water.  Ice breaks and falls every day and is pushed into the water.  More forms and it is a constant process.  Such a wonderful sight to see when you consider the power and the size of the glaciers.   We are so small and know so littl... 07/18/2013