The first day of spring is six weeks away whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not. If you are thinking about putting your home on the market or have been on the market, you have 30-days to get ready for the Real Estate Spring Selling Season.
Begin your spring cleaning outside before moving indoors. Stand back or stand across the street and give your home a critical eye. First impressions occur in home selling just like they do in meeting people. The first outward appearance can make or lose a sale.
Since you are working outside, work from top to bottom, first checking the roof for any needed repairs, get leaves out of valleys and gutters. Check the outside walls for grime and consider power washing the walls and paint where needed.
Clean windows inside and out and make them shine. If you have double panes that have broken seams that are fogged, replace them now. Get leaves out of the yard, trim limbs where needed and top off any hedges. To complete the yard, pull weeds, power wash sidewalks, porches, or decks, and mow if necessary. Check the fence for boards that need replacing, repairing or painting. A white board fence can easily be washed to make it appear almost new. Last of all, don’t forget your garage. Clean, organize, or donate excess to give the appearance of a lot of space. Many garages are used as storage areas instead of parking for vehicles. Hang shelves if necessary, bring in a small storage building, or rent a storage unit in your neighborhood to empty the garage of clutter.
The first showing may be your only chance to make a good first impression. Hope this helps! Sherman D. Durst
Filed under: Local Events — EasyMoneyNeverWorks @ 2:17 pm
Fischer & Wieser Specialty Foods, Inc. is one of the many great success stories to come out of Fredericksburg over the years. The company was founded in 1969 by Mark Wieser as a peach stand to sell the peaches grown in the family orchard, and peach preserves made by Estella Wieser, Mark’s mother. Case D. Fischer joined the company in 1979. Come along as we speak to Mark Wieser, Founder and Chairman of the Board, and Case D. Fischer, CEO and President about their award winning products, and why they choose to live and work in beautiful Fredericksburg, Texas.
Filed under: Local Events — EasyMoneyNeverWorks @ 9:01 am
The WW2 Pacific Combat Zone located in Fredericksburg Texas, is the only Pacific theatre combat reenactment of it’s kind in the nation. Six times a year local volunteers put on a truly impressive reenactment striving to educate and honor the soldiers that fought in WW2. After catching a glimpse of this truly unique reenactment experience, you’ll want to plan your visit today!
The National Museum of the Pacific War is dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the Pacific Theater of WWII. It is the only institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the Pacific and Asiatic Theaters in World War II. It’s grand reopening on December 7 2009, unveiled the amazing new “George H. W. Bush Gallery”, complete with thousands of one of a kind artifacts and state of the art multimedia exhibits. It is a must see for any history buff, or for those interested in honoring the memory of the men and women that served their country so bravely.
I began earnestly searching for a home for my daughter and me in December. You would think being a real-estate agent would have given me the upper-hand. But it seems that I was only drawn to the “troubled” properties. With each home I was interested in, something invariably came up. I tried buying a “short sale”, but decided the process was too long and arduous. I considered a couple of other properties, but was concerned about the cost of converting them into the home I envisioned. More important than the home itself was location. Don’t get me wrong. There are no bad areas in Fredericksburg. Every neighborhood has it’s own charm. But I knew exactly what I wanted, a quiet, kid-friendly, single-mom friendly place.
And guess what? Out of all of the available properties for sale, there wasn’t a single one that I felt in my gut was the right one. I thought perhaps I was making excuses for not buying out of trepidation of being a single home-buyer for the first time. But I had faith the right home would come along – and I would know it immediately.
One of the biggest mistakes I made was in representing myself. Again, as a real-estate agent, you would think I would have the upper hand. But emotions got in the way of common sense – and I wasn’t doing my daughter or myself justice doing this house-hunting on my own.
One of the agents I work with told me of a For Sale By Owner in his neighborhood – an area that was exactly what I had envisioned for my daughter and I. I immediately called the owner and went and saw the house within the hour. When I walked in the door, I knew “This is it. This is our new home.”
Fortunately, I work with a great group of agents, and this same one volunteered to represent me and be my Buyer’s Representative. We filled out the paperwork and made it a formal agreement. Almost immediately after entering into this agreement, my Buyer’s Representative had an offer ready to present to the seller.
Needless to say, it was not an easy process by any means. I removed my real-estate agent cap entirely for this transaction and allowed my agent to take charge. And it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I wanted the house and knew I would do whatever it took – within reason – to get the house. My agent knew this, but the seller didn’t. Had I been representing myself, the seller would have known in a heartbeat how much I wanted his home, and I would have lost all negotiating power.
In the end, with much assistance and guidance from my agent, it all worked out. My daughter and I are now happily ensconced into our long-term home, the seller walked away happy and the buyer (me) is elated. (Any my agent now has a new neighbor!)
Kudos to my Buyer’s Representative. He had a challenging deal: representing an agent he works with in a For Sale By Owner transaction – without any compensation! (The seller refused to pay any commission, and my agent refused payment from me.) And he did an excellent, A+ job.
Filed under: Local Events — Jeanne Zenner @ 11:16 am
Hallelujah!Finally, after several months of dry, parched weather - we have been blessed to receive rain - and lots of it! It’s been at least 9 months since our beautiful Texas Hill Country received a significant amount of rain. With the high winds we’ve been having, the entire area has been under high fire alert. Several hundred acres of land have been lost to fire. (A reminder to NEVER toss a cigarette butt out of the car window!) Gillespie and surrounding counties have been placed in Severe Drought Stage. As a matter-of-fact, Governor Rick Perry has asked that every county in the state be considered for drought assistance.To put it simply:
Texas has been bone-dry.But thankfully, the clouds opened up and the
Gillespie
County area received a good, soaking rain. I’ve heard reports of 3 1/2 inches of rain in the city of Fredericksburg, 4 inches in the outlying areas, 3 plus inches in
Mason
County.Records from the last 21 months show the Hill Country area to be 28″ behind normal rainfall. While this blessed 3″ rainfall we’ve received is only a small portion of that, we appreciate every last drop of it.Before long, the bluebonnets will be sprouting, the fields will be greening up, and springtime will look like springtime in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Come on out and take a look!
With all of the numbers and programs being bounced around Washington these days, The First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit seems to be the most well-thought out, easiest to comprehend - and most beneficial to working-class Americans.
A few of the highlights of the 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit:
Who is eligible:
The $8,000 tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only OR those who have not owned a PRINCIPAL residence in the past three years prior to purchase.
If you own/ed a vacation home or a rental property, but not your principal residence, you still qualify for this credit.
All U.S. citizens who file taxes are eligible to participate.
Payback provisions:
This is a true credit that does not have to be repaid UNLESS the home owner sells the home within three years after purchase.
Income Limits:
Single or head-of-household:
the full $8000 credit can be taken if their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is less than $75,000.
a partial credit can be taken if MAGI is between $75,000 and $95,000.
the credit is not available if MAGI is over $95,000.
Married filing jointly:
the full $8000 credit can be taken if their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is less than $150,000.
a partial credit can be taken if MAGI is between $150,000 and $170,000.
the credit is not available if MAGI is over $170,000.
Effective Dates for the Tax Credit:
Closing on the home must take place between January 1 and December 31, 2009.
Additional Information:
The tax credit is refundable.
Examples:
If you qualify for the full $8000 credit:
If you owe $6000 in income taxes, you will receive a $2000 refund from the IRS. ($8000 tax credit - $6000 taxes due.
If you are due a $2000 refund, you will receive a total refund of $10,000 refund. ($8000 tax credit + $2000 refund due.)
2. All homes are eligible, provided they will serve as the home buyers primary residence. This includes single-family residential, townhomes, and condominimums.
3. The tax credit can be taken on either the 2008 or 2009 income tax return.
Did you know you can bring your horse trailer/RV to Fredericksburg and have a place to hook-up and ride your horse? Yes, at Oxbow stables there are Hookups and stalls available to riders out on the road. Stay a night or as long as you want:-) Ask me for details!!!
If you haven’t been to Fredericksburg Texas at Christmas time you are really missing out!!! The lights are amazing, it truly brings out your Christmas spirit. We have a parade to celebrate the Holidays that will definitly put a lump in your throat. People decorate their floats and cars/trucks with lights and decor and the parade takes off right at dark. Fredericksburg is a perfect town to celebrate the Holidays.
Having recently become a single homeowner for the first time in my life, I am slightly overwhelmed with all that must be done. My home is on the market (a great family home with a pool, hot-tub, and large yard (more info). Having to keep it in show ready condition is a full-time job in itself!
Yard work? I get to pay someone to do that. Since the yard equipment went to live at another address, I don’t have a lot of options here. An added expense in an already stretched too-thin budget - but cheaper than buying more lawn equipment.
Pool care? Again, I get to pay someone to do that. If the house wasn’t on the market, I would attempt this myself. But I feel it is best to have it professionaly done to ensure it stays in top working order……again an added expense to a stretched too-thin budget - but cheaper than replacing the pump, etc.
Water softener? Now this one I can handle….although it’s taken waaay longer than it should have to get to the Culligan store for salt……I finally made it there today, so when I get home I get to haul 50 pound bags of salt from my car to the water softener, lift them up, and attempt to dump the salt in without making a gigantic mess or injuring my back. Woo-hoo!
Air-conditioner filters? You would think this would be a no-brainer. There are two electrostatic ones that need taken out and rinsed off with the water hose every 45 days. Simple enough. Except that one of the filters is about 20 feet high - and the tall ladder went to live at another address. So I am left with a six-foot wooden rickety ladder that would best serve as kindling. But I’ve become adept at hauling it in, wedging it tight between the refrigerator and the wall, climbing up to the top step (that warns of impending doom and death should I step on it), taking the extra-long spatula used for grilling, reaching up to release the clips for the filter, releasing them, opening the door, and taking out said filter. Did I mention I’m afraid of heights? By this time, I am alternating sweating bullets and cursing a blue streak - all while looking at the dust that is visible from 20 feet in the air.
The filters (the other is at ground level, thank God) are taken outside, rinsed well, left to dry - and then - guess what happens next? I get to replace said filters. Which means I get to do the rickety ladder, spatula clip switching, sweating, cursing routine all over again, just in reverse. Double woo-hoo!
My biggest accomplishment thus far is reprogramming the sprinkler system. Now that may sound simple, but having never looked at the thing before, it was a daunting task. It took awhile, but I finally got it programmed to water twice a week. As fate would have it, the city has assigned days to water based on addresses, so…..I get to reprogram the thing again. Which I did last night, while cooking dinner……bad mistake. At least the smoke alarms didn’t go off - and I ate two meals at Sonic yesterday.
Having the wonderful home I do (did I mention it’s for sale?), it is equipped with all the bells and whistles I would ever need, and several I don’t.
There’s an alarm system (which I still don’t understand why the previous owners had installed. Who uses an alarm system in Fredericksburg? No one!). I never learned to program the system, don’t know how to arm it or disarm it. Never felt the need. (EXCEPT, when the darn thing went haywire during the middle of the night a couple of months ago. I quickly learned where the back-up battery was and how to disengage it.) So alarm company came out, charged me for repairing a system I don’t use anyway and showed me the basics of turning the thing on and off. Great info to pass on to the new owner (did I mention it’s for sale?).
What’s next? The daily routine of life still has to go on. Taking care of kids, taking care of pets, trying to earn a living, paying bills, watering plants, and keeping it all spic and span, spiffy and shiny for any prospective buyers.
Home-ownership is the American dream, but I think I need to rent for awhile to recover from this current dream!
Rain at last. My gauge show nearly an inch and half. With this rain we can expect the hills to come alive with bluebonnets on a blankets of green grass. Little creeks and the Pederanales River are refreshed. Swiming and fishing holes will be ready when the warmer weather arrives. Time to get out and clean the dusk off the bikes to tour the many county roads. Now is the time to come and enjoy Fredericksburg and the surrounding hill country. Make it a day or week..rest in one of the quaint bed and breakfasts or many motels. Visit the many shops and restraunts and don’t miss Enchanted Rock. You won’t run out of things to do!
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