Bexar County, TX Real Estate News

By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
Have you been considering taking the next step toward home ownership? If so, check out these 4 things first time homebuyers need to know before going into the process. 1.    Know Your BudgetOne of the first things you will need to know when going into the home buying process is how much you can afford to spend. Save yourself the heartbreak and don’t look at homes that are out of your price range, know your spending limit before going in. To figure out what you can afford, go to your preferred bank or mortgage lender and find out what you can be pre-approved for. This pre-approval will help guide you to the homes you can afford and will be crucial when it comes time to making an offer on a home. Your mortgage lender will also be able to tell you more about loan programs you may qualify f...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
Many people find themselves buying and selling a home at the same time but knowing that it is a common occurrence doesn’t make it any easier. While buying and selling at the same time can be stressful, avoiding these mistakes can ease the process.Don’t wait too long to get your home ready to sell. As a seller you don’t want to wait until you’ve submitted an offer on a new home to get yours market ready. Waiting too long can put you in the financial bind of winding up with two mortgages. Work with your REALTOR® to prep your home for sale, so that when the timing is right you can buy and sell seamlessly. Contingency to sell another home is often best when you have your home already under contract. Don’t assume your closing timelines will align perfectly. When buying and selling at the sam...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
One of the main things brokers or agents need to do prior to putting a listing on the market is to verify the loan balance of the sellers. On one occasion early in my real estate career, I failed to do just that. Being relatively new in the business 20 years ago, I was just excited to have picked up a listing off phone duty. I guess the red light should have clicked on me when the seller told me that other agents had turned her down and were not willing to take on that listing and place her home on the market. First, the lady was not easy to get along with and often used profanity in her conversations with me. Consequently, I dealt mostly with her husband to obtain information about their property. Shortly after placing their home on the market, and spending time marketing their propert...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
There can be many things that can get a real estate broker or agent in trouble while working with buyers. On several occasions while out showing homes to potential buyer clients, many will ask you to show them properties or homes that you have not been given permission to show. They seem to think that brokers or agents can just open any lockbox to let them in to see properties, especially vacant homes. They have to be reminded that appointments need to be made in order to see any properties, whether they are empty or occupied.  What buyers fail to remember is that agents normally only show clients houses that met their criteria for a particular neighborhood. If that property was not on the list, most likely it was not in the price range or didn’t meet other criteria that was given. Just...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
Home inspectors perform a complete inspection on all houses from top to bottom and everything in between, but there are 5 top things that they all look for.  Foundation. Inspectors will normally walk the perimeter of the home looking for settlement problems, cracks, and sloping. If there’s  a crawl space, it will get a good once-over for moisture, mold and warping that could affect the integrity of the wood supports. The foundation needs to be able to support the home’s structure(frame,drywall, and everything up to the roof), furnishings, and most importantly, its occupants. Any foundation issues are often deal-breakers since these repairs can be quite costly. Electrical Systems. Assessing a home’s safety is top of mind for any home inspector, and electrical issues can pose a serious ri...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
It's easy to fall in love with San Antonio, Texas since this city has a lot to offer all residents and tourists that take time to explore all events, activities, and popular places to visit. Let's begin with one of the oldest Spanish missions in Texas, and actually where the fight for Texans' Independence started.  "Remember the Alamo" was a shout out by General Sam Houston's soldiers at the Battle of Jacinto as they fought and defeated General Santa Anna from Mexico to honor all those brave men who gave their lives fighting at the Alamo, which is located downtown.  To celebrate this victory and final independence from Mexico, the largest party in Texas is held every year in April which is known as Fiesta San Antonio. Thousands attend these events and activities which last for 10 days. ...
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By Cathy Criado, Making Real Estate Profitable
(Criado Realty )
I have had to step away from blogging for a few weeks to manage my own STR, prepare for taxes for my container home business, and work with several real estate projects. What I felt like sharing today is that I am having to learn by trial and error to really launch my STR business, which has struggled by not being sufficiently involved.  It seems every time that I try to do something with this property it goes sideways including hiring "professionals." A real stressor in my life. I was able to find a quality coach that is helping me for free for now, to determine if he is willing to coach me, or not, based on the actions that I take, aka coachability.  I think it's pretty cool that my coach has enough respect for himself and his time to not just take any client. He reviewed my listing ...
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By Wayne Johnson, San Antonio REALTOR, San Antonio Homes For Sale
(Coldwell Banker D'Ann Harper REALTORS®)
Although the video is titled "San Antonio: The Don'ts of Visiting San Antonio", there are lots of things to do. Guess I'm feeling nostalgic as we moved to San Antonio twenty-five years ago. I've lived here longer than any other city and it's still my favorite place to live. It would be nice to have professional football here considering the size of population here but it's still a great place to me.So if you would like information about San Antonio or the nearby area, call me. If I don't know the answer, I can probably help you find an answer.;
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By Wayne Johnson, San Antonio REALTOR, San Antonio Homes For Sale
(Coldwell Banker D'Ann Harper REALTORS®)
Weston Oaks Home for SaleExplain the Floor Plan#12606mitrepeakAll bedrooms, four, on the first floor and three full bathrooms. Also has an office, formal dining room, butler's pantry, kitchen, and family room. There is a bonus room upstairs. Total living space is over 3,500 square feet. Kitchen FeaturesGranite counters, large island, electric range, dishwasher, and disposal. It is very open and has an eat in area. A large walk-in pantry provides lots of storage area.Bonus Room and GarageThe upstairs bonus room contains a hanging apparatus used to help with physical therapy exercise for a family member. The system can be removed if Buyers do not want it to remain. The home has a three car garage.Neighborhood AmenitiesCommunity pool, playground, basketball court and clubhouse.Public Schoo...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
San Antonio Texas Market Statistics for November 2022 are as follows: New Listings 2,978  Active Listings 10,304 Pending Sales 1,827 Average Price per Sq. Ft $178(7% increase) Average Sales Price $372,126(4% increase) Median Sales Price $314,625(5% increase) Total Sales for November 2,295 Average Residential Rental Price $1,772 Average Days on the market was 52 days Months of inventory is now at 3.3 months Percentage of homes sold for $199,000 or below was 12.6% Percentage of those selling for $200,000 to $499,000 was 56% Percentage of those selling for $500,000 and up was 29.4% All information is provided by the San Antonio Board of REALTORS®. If you are thinking about buying or selling in the San Antonio area, contact your REALTOR® for more information and assistance. 
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By Cathy Criado, Making Real Estate Profitable
(Criado Realty )
The Week over Week comparison for Week # 50 over #49 compares Average Sales Price, Number of Homes Sold, and Median Sales Price for homes sold in San Antonio, TX Dec 5 to Dec 11 compared to Nov 27 to Dec 4, 2022. Please first read "Know What Average Means" notice. It makes the information more understandable.  WEEK OVER WEEK COMPARISONMean Sales Price$392,109 compared to last week's Mean Average of $399,109 tells you that lower priced homes sold better compared to last week, but only a small difference. That is all it really tells you unless this ocurred for 60-90 days it isn't a trend. It is just information. We shall see.Number of Homes SoldLooking at Number of Homes Sold, 337 compared to last week's 509, about 2/3 as many homes closed (sold) compared to last week, Thanksgiving.  That...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
The truth about Christmas Spirit is showing love and generosity with a giving heart. But it’s more than that. It can be tied to feeling joyful, kind, or forgiving as well. It’s really anything that counters the natural stress felt around the holidays. Having a positive happy feeling, and avoiding all negativity is what one needs. One can also say that the Christmas Spirit is God since he gave us the greatest gift of all by sending his son in the flesh to redeem all mankind from their sinful nature that kept them separated from God. So, what does the Christmas Spirit mean to you? Is it worshiping a savior whom God sent to us? Is it about buying and giving gifts to family or friends? Is it about restoring broken relationships? Shouldn't it be about adoration, praise, and blessings to the ...
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By Cathy Criado, Making Real Estate Profitable
(Criado Realty )
The Week over Week comparison for Week # 49 over #48 compares Average Sales Price, Number of Homes Sold, and Median Sales Price for homes sold in San Antonio, TX Nov 28-Dec 4 compared to Nov 21 to Nov 27, 2022. Please first read "Know What Average Means" notice. It makes the information more understandable.  WEEK OVER WEEK COMPARISONMean Sales Price$399,405 compared to last week's Mean Average of $408,509 tells you that lower priced homes sold better compared to last week. That is all it really tells you unless this ocurred for 60-90 days it isn't a trend. It is just information. We shall see.Number of Homes SoldLooking at Number of Homes Sold, 509 compared to last week's 257, about twice as many homes closed (sold) compared to last week, Thanksgiving.  That is not surprising. Median Sa...
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By Cathy Criado, Making Real Estate Profitable
(Criado Realty )
The week over week comparison for Week # 48 over #47 compares Average Sales Price, Number of Homes Sold, and Median Sales Price for homes sold in San Antonio, TX Nov 21-27 compared to Nov 14 to Nov 20, 2022. Please first read "Know What Average Means" notice. It makes the information more understandable.  WEEK OVER WEEK COMPARISONMean Sales Price$408,509 compared to last week's Mean Average of $389,463 tells you that lower priced homes did not sell as much compared to last week. That is all it really tells you unless this ocurred for 60-90 days it isn't a trend. It is just information. We shall see.Number of Homes SoldLooking at Number of Homes Sold, 257 compared to last week's 408, 58.75% fewer homes actually sold comparatively speaking over the last two weeks. That's to be expected ov...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
You’ve most likely heard the rule: Save for a 20-percent down payment before you buy a home. The logic behind saving 20 percent is solid, as it shows that you have the financial discipline and stability to save for a long-term goal. It also helps you get favorable rates from lenders.But there can actually be financial benefits to putting down a small down payment—as low as three percent—rather than parting with so much cash up front, even if you have the money available. Many first-time home buyers are only able to qualify for the government's FHA loan that required 3.5 percent down. Some lenders do offer a 3 percent down payment for a conventional loan, but higher credit scores are required. THE DOWNSIDEThe downsides of a small down payment are pretty well known. You’ll have to pay Pri...
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By Cathy Criado, Making Real Estate Profitable
(Criado Realty )
Are you looking for a warm, comfortable, fun place to stay? Whether you need a place for your family to sleep when visiting San Antonio or you need a hub for family gatherings, you should book Tiki Taco Casa. This lovely 4 bedroom 2.5 bathroom home is my former residence. I just launched this business and have had my first guest. They were excellent guests who came to visit family who lived in the area. They wrote a fabulous 5 Star Review: It was so spacious for our family Thanksgiving gathering. Cathy was so thoughtful when preparing her home with the essentials. The neighborhood was quiet, peacful, and wonderful to walk around with the family for a stroll. The backyard is great for entertaining and just hanging out. Everything was clean and tidy. i love the uniqueness of this house. T...
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By Jerry Newman, Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation
(Brown Realty, 210-789-4216,)
Things that I loved the most about Thanksgiving are the times spent with my family and friends. I am truly grateful for my immediate and extended family. It gave me the opportunity to enjoy some quality time and great conversations, and even shared memories from times past. Family has always been very dear to my heart, and I was taught as a young child that families support each other. I used to always look forward to our family reunions every summer, as there was always some new cousins and family members whom I had not previously met. Yes, I am truly grateful for all my family members.  After joining Active Rain in 2011, I am truly grateful for all the friendships and experiences that I gained blogging in this professional community. I never imagined or dreamed that these relationship...
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By Cathy Criado, Making Real Estate Profitable
(Criado Realty )
I am not a huge fan of statistics because having taken several courses in my business studies, I know that they can be manipulated in many ways, suiting someone's needs. I also don't like that so many terms are thrown out without knowing what they mean.  But it is important to understand market trends as investors and as real estate agents to help advise our clients.  From a consumer standpoint, we should try to understand, to avoid buying blindly.This report is from the San Antonio Board of Realtors. What you are looking at is a three year analysis of new and existing home sales by year and month, and includes data. I boxed the October data. But what does this all mean, really?Over the 3 years shown, the number of homes that sold (closed listings) dropped from 3,444 to 2,656 for a diff...
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By Potranco Realty, "Sold with Potranco Realty"
(Potranco Realty)
Happy Veterans Day November 11, 2022 Why do Americans celebrate Veterans Day on November 11th? The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, marking the official end of World War I. Nonetheless, the armistice date of November 11, 1918, remained in the public imagination as the date that marked the end of the conflict. Veterans Day is a U.S. legal holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars, and Veterans Day 2022 occurs on Friday, November 11. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I, then known as “the Great War.”Information was gathered from https://www.history.com/author/history We here at Potranco Realty San Antonio TX honor our US...
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By Wayne Johnson, San Antonio REALTOR, San Antonio Homes For Sale
(Coldwell Banker D'Ann Harper REALTORS®)
87 Round Up Drive-Castle Hills TX for saleTake advantage of this rare opportunity! Owned by the same family since 1969, this two-story traditional home is ready for you to add personal touches! Within the home, you will find a lovely large living area with a fabulous brick fireplace, perfect for cozying up during the holidays.This home has a spacious kitchen that features exquisite countertops, a gas range stove, and stainless-steel appliances.The primary bedroom with an en suite bath is located downstairs and is a zone of relaxation.This home has tastefully converted the garage space for more living area. Can you say Game Room?This large room off the foyer could be used as a formal dining room.The house has received extensive care and landscaping; flagstone footpaths are featured in th...
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