Happier Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors make for a beautiful, stunning addition to your home. However, they can bring new cleaning and maintenance challenges that aren’t present with carpet. Here are some tips for simple, efficient, and thorough hardwood floor cleaning.

Make the job easier Place mats on either side of your exterior doors and always remove your shoes before entering your home—and make sure your guests do the same. Protect the floors by placing felt (or similar) protectors on the feet of your furniture, and use area rugs to designate play areas for the kids. This will reduce extra dirt, dust, and floor scratches.

Weekly cleaning Sweeping with a standard broom will remove some dirt and dust, but not as much as a mop, wipe, or broom that’s been treated with a dusting agent such as a Swiffer. You could also invest in a vacuum that is designed for hardwood floors. Just be sure that the vacuum won’t leave scratches!

Deeper cleaning Regular sweeping will remove most dirt and dust, but occasionally you’ll need to give the floors a deeper cleaning to remove the dirt and grime that builds up in your floors’ seams. Use a wood-cleaning soap to thoroughly mop your floors, but make sure the mop isn’t sopping wet—you don’t want to leave standing water.

Spots and scuffs Most of the marks that occasionally show up on your floors, such as scuffs from rubber soles on boots and shoes—can be wiped away with a rag or very fine steel wool.

Deborah Bevers, Realtor, ASP

Walzel Properties, LLC

9595 Six Pines #8210

The Woodlands, TX 77380

DeborahMBevers@gmail.com

Serving Montgomery County and North Harris County, TX
To receive a FREE market analysis of your home click here.

To view current homes on the market click here.

Instant Home Makeovers

Not every home makeover has to be a major project that lasts days, weeks, or even months. There are a ton of quick touch-ups and fixes that can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your home, even though you can finish the project in less than an hour.

A new mailbox: Chances are you’re still using the same mailbox that came with your home. But giving your mailbox a fresh coat of paint—or even replacing it entirely—is pretty painless, and it instantly upgrades your home’s curb appeal.

Declutter: Less is usually more. Go through your home and consider all the stuff that you haven’t used in years. If it’s no longer serving a purpose, sell it, donate it, or throw it away.

New hardware for your drawers: Painting kitchen and bathroom cabinets can be a big undertaking—drop cloths, tape, washing brushes and rollers, etc. But you can change out your drawer hardware in just a few minutes—all you have to do is pick out the new fixtures.

Come to our FREE:

HOME SELLERS CLASS

Where: Montgomery County Library

2101 Lake Robbins Dr

Spring, TX

Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Time: 5:30 pm

Deborah Bevers, Realtor, ASP

Walzel Properties, LLC

9595 Six Pines #8210

The Woodlands, TX 77380

DeborahMBevers@gmail.com

Serving Montgomery County and North Harris County, TX

To view current homes on the market click here.

To receive a FREE market analysis of your home, click here.

Don’t forget about homeowner tax breaks!

One of the many perks of home-ownership is big tax breaks. So whether you’re doing your taxes yourself or getting help from a professional, it’s important to take advantage of those breaks!

Mortgage Interest Deduction: Before buying a home, a standard deduction may have made the most sense when you prepared your taxes. But homeowners can deduct the interest portion of their mortgage payments, and the earlier you are in your mortgage, the greater the percentage of each payment that goes toward interest, so take advantage right away!

Home Office: There are specific criteria that have to be met in order to deduct home office expenses, but it can lead to a very large deduction. In general, your home office has to be used specifically for business purposes. 

Check with a tax professional to see if your home office qualifies for a deduction—it’s a little extra work, but can make a big difference in your tax responsibility.

Deborah Bevers, Realtor, ASP

Walzel Properties, LLC

9595 Six Pines #8210

The Woodlands, TX 77380

DeborahMBevers@gmail.com

Serving Montgomery County and North Harris County, TX

To view current homes on the market click here.

To receive a FREE market analysis of your home, click here.

Harvest Green agrihood, Cane Island to open in March - Houston Business Journal

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4 things every seller should do before putting their house on the market

You only get one chance to make a good first impression in real estate. Once your home’s listing goes live, the days on market start ticking.
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Would you love to have this elegant bar in your new home?

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Grand Central Park - Montgomery County

Check out one of the newest communities in Conroe. Let's look at it together. http://ift.tt/1LJI2HR
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The 5 Real Estate Trends That Will Shape 2016

It’s almost the new year. Get ready to break out the Cristal: We had a great 2015—the best year for housing since 2007. And our forecast here at realtor.com® projects an even better year in 2016.
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Take the GUESS MY HOME VALUE Challenge and Win Big!

Take the GUESS MY HOME VALUE Challenge and Win Big!
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Wow, look at this gorgeous pond! Is this your dream home?

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Housing Starts in U.S. Drop to Lowest Level in Three Months

Housing starts dropped 3.8 percent to a 1.1 million annualized rate, the weakest in three months, from a 1.14 million pace the prior month, a Commerce Department report showed Wednesday in Washington. The median forecast of 76 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was 1.17 million. Permits, a proxy for future construction, were little changed.
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Is this ultra-organized laundry room perfect for you?

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Refinancing: The Right Move?

The federal reserve recently raised interest rates, and if you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM), it may be a good time to consider refinancing your home. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether your should refinance, so here are a few of the main considerations.

How long does your introductory rate last? Most ARMs have a fixed rate for the beginning of the mortgage. This is an introductory period (usually 3-10 years) when your rate will remain constant before it can be adjusted. If you have several years left in your introductory period, you can monitor interest rates for a while before making a decision. But if the intro rate is ending soon, it’s a great time to explore refinancing at a fixed rate.

How long are you staying? If you plan to sell your home soon—especially if you’re still on a fixed introductory rate—there’s not much motivation to refinance. But if you’ll be at your home indefinitely, you should consider your refinancing options. You could eliminate the stress of not knowing what your future mortgage rate and payments will be.

What’s your loan balance? The change in your mortgage payment will of course be determined in part by your remaining balance. If you owe $100,000-$200,000, a new interest rate may not greatly affect your monthly payment. On the other hand, if you owe $500,000, a change in interest rate could lead to a much higher payment.

Other factors The previous items are just a few of the factors that should go into a decision about refinancing. Changes in income and your current credit score should also be considered, so be sure to weigh your options and make an educated decision.


Deborah Bevers, Realtor, ASP

Walzel Properties, LLC

9595 Six Pines #8210

The Woodlands, TX 77380

DeborahMBevers@gmail.com

Serving Montgomery County and North Harris County, TX

To view current homes on the market click here.

To receive a FREE market analysis of your home, click here.

THE HOUSTON REAL ESTATE MARKET ENDS 2015 WITH THE SECOND-HIGHEST SALES VOLUME OF ALL TIME

Slumping oil prices and limited inventory slow home buying for a third straight month in December

HOUSTON — (January  2016) — Houston real estate faced a stiff challenge in 2015. It followed the best year on record for home sales. Add plunging oil prices and the resulting layoffs into the mix along with persistently low levels of housing inventory, and the result was the drop in sales that economists had forecast. While there were single-digit declines in sales volume at different times throughout the year, more substantial ones struck during the fourth quarter, including December. Nonetheless, the total number of 2015 single-family home sales as well as sales of all property types achieved the second-highest levels of all time, behind 2014.

December single-family home sales slid 9.7 percent versus December 2014 while total property sales dropped 9.9 percent. The latest monthly report prepared by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) shows a total of 5,879 single-family home sales compared to 6,507 a year earlier. The sales slowdown did allow inventory to grow from a 2.5-months supply, the lowest level of all time, to 3.2 months. Homes priced between $150,000 and $500,000 saw flat year-over-year sales, while homes below $150,000 and above $500,000 experienced declines.

"With oil dropping to levels around $30 a barrel, I think it’s fair to say that the Houston housing market is going to remain cooler for at least a little while,” said HAR Chairman Mario Arriaga with First Group. “The good news is the local economy is vastly more diversified than it was during the oil bust of the 80s and other industries are continuing to hire, so it really is going to come down to consumer confidence."

A year ago, Houstonians were hailing a surge in employment that drew home buyers and renters from across the U.S. and around the world. By contrast, the latest Texas Workforce Commission report states that the Houston metro area added just 4,800 jobs in November, making it the third weakest November in 25 years, according to the Greater Houston Partnership, which notes that the region typically adds 10,000 to 12,000 jobs in the month.

In December, the single-family home average price dipped a fractional 0.6 percent year-over-year to $280,201 while the median price—the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less—rose 2.9 percent to $216,000. The median figure represents an all-time high for a December in Houston.

Deborah Bevers, Realtor, ASP

Walzel Properties, LLC

9595 Six Pines #8210

The Woodlands, TX 77380

DeborahMBevers@gmail.com

Serving Montgomery County and North Harris County, TX

To view current homes on the market click here.

To receive a FREE market analysis of your home, click here.

Houston Association of REALTORS® www.har.com

Tips For First Time Home Buyers

The Ten Commandments When Applying for a Home Loan

1. Thou shall not change jobs, become self-employed or quit your job.
2. Thou shall not buy any vehicle.
3. Thou shall not use charge cards excessively or let your accounts fall      behind.
4. Thou shall not spend money you have set aside for closing.
5. Thou shall not omit debts or liabilities from your loan application.
6. Thou shall not buy furniture or appliances.
7. Thou shall not originate any inquiries into your credit.
8. Thou shall not make large deposits without first checking with you loan officer.
9. Thou shall not change bank accounts.
10. Thou shall not co-sign a loan for anyone!

Deborah Bevers, Realtor, ASP

Walzel Properties, LLC

9595 Six Pines #8210

The Woodlands, TX 77380

DeborahMBevers@gmail.com

Serving Montgomery County and North Harris County, TX

To view current homes on the market click here.

To receive a FREE market analysis of your home, click here.