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Change Is Good

January 2, 2023 by chorton Leave a Comment

New Year. New Possibilities. New Start.

If your thinking of making a move this new year, it would be our pleasure to be your real estate resource.

We would love to connect with you and talk more about your options.

Call Preferred Properties of Texas today to schedule a walkthrough.

Filed Under: Blog, Buying a home, Selling Your Home Tagged With: Blog, buying a home, buying homes, erath county, first time home buyer, holidays, Homes for sale Stephenville TX, investing, new year, Preferred Properties of Texas, real estate, selling, selling a home, selling homes, stephenville tx

Things You Can Do To Help Winterize Your Vacant Home

December 22, 2022 by chorton Leave a Comment

There are several things you can do to winterize your home if you’re a snowbird heading south for winter. You can protect your home against theft and water damage while you’re away.

Winterization is the preparation of a property for winter. These preventative measures should be taken in the fall to avoid winter weather. Preventing damage from bursting pipes or other property and home issues can help you avoid them.

Protect Your Home from Appearing Empty:

  • Forward your mail and stop newspaper delivery. Ask a friend to come pick up any items left at your house.
  • Arrange to have snow removed after storms.
  • To discourage prowlers, set timers for motion-sensitive interior and exterior lights. They will come on at different times.

Protect your home from thieves by taking steps:

  • Verify that alarm systems have been activated and are in good working order.
  • Security-type hinges and deadbolt locks can be used to secure external doors and windows. Slide locks, or equivalent security locks, can be installed on sliding glass doors.
  • You can store valuables you don’t want with you in a safe box or another secure location.
  • Avoid sharing your travel plans or vacation photos on social media. Then potential thieves could use this information to find out when your house is vacant.

You can help prevent water damage by turning off your water supply:

  • It could be very dangerous if a pipe bursts, or leaks while you’re away. If you are going to be away for a long time, it is worth completely shutting off the water supply. Your heating professional can help you determine whether it is safe to shut off your water supply if your home is heated with an older steam heating system. If your home is protected from a fire sprinkler system you should not shut off the water supply.
  • After you have shut off your water supply, drain the pipes and open the faucets to drain the water. Flush your toilet to remove any remaining water from the tank or bowl. To prevent water from freezing, you can pour antifreeze into the bowls and tanks of your toilets.
  • To complete these steps, you may want to hire a licensed plumber. A plumber can confirm that the pipes are fully drain by blowing compressed air through them.

Keep your home and plumbing warm:

  • You can keep your pipes warm by running the furnace if you don’t want to drain them.
  • To keep the interior of your floor and walls, which are likely to contain the water pipes, above freezing, set the temperature at 55 degrees F or higher. The ability to keep cabinet doors and rooms open can help heat circulate and warm pipes.
  • To avoid water leaks and broken hoses, turn off washing machines and dishwashers when you’re not using them.
  • If your boiler is not connected to the heat source, turn off the water supply and heat supply to hot water heaters.
  • To prevent freezing water damage, shut off outdoor faucets and drain them.
  • Install a low temperature and water flow sensor on your main water supply line. This sensor can be connected to your alarm system or smart phone.
  • Wrap water piping with UL-Listed heat tap and insulate if it is exposed to unheated areas like garages, crawl spaces, or attics. Use only thermostatically-controlled heat tape if your water piping is plastic and follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

Do routine winter maintenance before you leave:

  • Heating system maintenance
  • Preventive maintenance is a good idea before you heat your home this winter. This will help prolong the life of your heating system and detect potential problems.
  • Before the cold weather hits, have your heating system checked and serviced by licensed professionals. Before you leave, make sure to fill your fuel tanks and set up periodic fuel deliveries if necessary. While you’re gone, have someone monitor your fuel and heat levels.
  • Keep the electrical supply on if you need it to run your heating system. A licensed electrician can inspect the main electrical panel, wiring, and outlets of your home to ensure that electrical service is not interrupted while you are away. Replace or repair any defect.
  • A licensed contractor should inspect and service your boiler or furnace at least once per year, preferably before heating season starts.
  • For forced hot air systems, clean or replace the furnace filter.
  • At least once per year, have your chimney inspected and serviced annually by a licensed contractor. Make sure to have creosote buildup from chimneys that serve woodstoves or fireplaces removed.
  • Keep your fuel tanks topped up and watch for low levels during winter.
  • Your heat should not be lower than 55 degrees because the temperature in the walls where the water pipes are located is cooler than the living areas. To maintain an even temperature, open doors to unoccupied rooms and keep the temperature at the same level throughout the house.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for maintaining your pellet or wood-burning stoves.

Insulation maintenance:

  • Are you sure your insulation is ready to protect you against the cold? It is important to inspect your insulation as it provides protection against winter’s cold winds and freezing temperatures. Do not forget to have your insulation and weather stripping updated before the cold season begins.
  • Insulate the attic with additional insulation to prevent ice damming. Heat can heat the roof if it escapes too much. It can also cause ice dams that can lead to water damage and roof collapse.
  • Weather stripping can be added around doors and windows to protect against heat loss and drafts.
  • If necessary, remove screens from windows and replace them with storm windows.

Winter Safety Measures:

  • These are additional safety precautions that you can take to prepare for winter.
  • Remove dead branches and trim trees so that they don’t damage your home or injure anyone if they fall due to ice, snow, or wind.
  • To ensure melting snow drains properly, keep gutters clean of leaves, sticks, and other debris. Make sure that the downspouts drain water away from your foundation.
  • To make them more safe in the snow and ice, repair steps and handrails.
  • To ensure that they work properly, check smoke detectors, fire alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Before you leave, unplug any unnecessary appliances such as your microwave and stove.

Equipment and Supplies Key:

  • You might be more prepared for the first snowstorm of the year than you realize. Make sure to stock up on key equipment such as snow blowers or generators before they are needed.
  • You should always have snow shovels, a roof rake and snow plows on hand. Make sure you have ice melting compound on hand to melt the ice on walkways.
  • Get your snow blower or generator serviced.
  • Fuel for snow blowers or generators should be kept in approved safety containers. Keep away from flame-producing devices and heat. Fuel should not be stored in the basement.

Reduce the attraction of pests to your home:

  • To discourage potential new residents from moving in, make sure you clean your house thoroughly.
  • To prevent mildew, clean, defrost, and unplug fridges and freezers. Wipe them dry, and leave doors propped open. Clean the oven.
  • Check your home for any openings that could be used by animals to get in. You should also make sure that your fireplace flue is sealed, as squirrels, birds, and bats can get in through this opening.
  • To ensure that there are no serious deficiencies, check weather stripping, insulation, and exterior doors and Windows. These openings can be accessed by water and insects.
  • A chimney service should inspect your chimneys and clean them if needed. To prevent infestation, install chimney guard screen-caps.

Prepare for Emergencies:

  • Notify the police about the vacant property and give emergency numbers.
  • Smoke detectors should be installed on every floor. They should be connected to a continuously monitored fire alarm system, so that emergency personnel can be notified immediately.
  • Storm shutters can be installed in coastal or higher wind-exposed areas to secure windows. You may also consider other mitigation measures such as marine plywood 5/8 inch.
  • You can ask a friend, relative or neighbor to watch your home and be there in an emergency. Allow them to inspect your home and monitor the electrical, water, and heating systems.
  • When it is cold, ask them to inspect the roof’s edge for ice dams. Also look for any leaks. If repairs or service are needed, make sure they have your contact information.

Get the insurance coverage you need. Protect your home while you are away from it, no matter how long or short. To ensure you are covered for any unexpected events while you’re away, contact your Travelers agent or independent agent.

Original Blog: https://www.travelers.com/resources/home/safety/snowbirds-winterize-your-vacant-home

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, erath county, holidays, home improvement, home safety, homeowner tips, Preferred Properties of Texas, tips, vacation, winter

Holiday Real Estate For Buyers

November 28, 2022 by chorton Leave a Comment

It’s believed that the holiday season is when the real estate market closes. This myth makes it a bad time to purchase a home. Did you see the “myth”?

You can get a great deal on a home by buying it over the holidays, while also minimizing competition. If you are looking to buy a home, here’s some information.

There will be many lights and inflatable Santas. You might find 20 years worth of holiday decorations in a home. Although these sellers were smart to keep holiday decor lightened and decluttered, you can see beyond that. How does the house’s bones look? What floorplan do you want? How big are the rooms? What kind of updating will you need to do? No matter what the sellers have done to their homes, it is important to ask your key questions while you tour.

It’s easy to get sucked into a low-priced home and become blinded by its affordability. This can lead to you overlooking a floorplan that doesn’t work for you, or a neighborhood that isn’t in your top tier. It can be helpful to have a list of “must-haves” before you start house hunting.

A home that is on the market during the holidays may not have been staged and updated to your liking. It’s possible that there is a reason why the home is being sold at this time of the year. Maybe there was a job change or transfer. You might find a great deal if you are willing to overlook the small things.

Fortune Builders stated that “if there is one undisputed truth about holidays, it is that real estate inventory tends to be lower during holiday months.” “There is simply less realty activity during holidays — less people selling homes. This is compounded by the fact that there are fewer realtors, mortgage lenders, and inspectors than usual. This can be a great advantage for home buyers in the holiday season, as there is less competition. You’ll find less buyers if you are able to find the property you want. This will increase your chances of getting a fair price, which can help you save even more.

However, there are limitations to what low you can go. Your agent can help you make sure that your offer is strong. It’s not a good idea to offend the seller or lose the house.

You don’t have to wait if there’s less competition during the holidays. There are many smart buyers out there who are looking for homes right now, so if you’re smart enough to do that, others will be doing the same. Don’t let the house go if you don’t love it.

According to The Mortgage Reports, only a few real estate agents can sell most houses in many areas. They often work at the largest agencies and communicate with each other about the latest market trends. This is crucial because fewer properties are available between Halloween and New Year’s Day. A connected, successful agent can help you gain early access to as many houses possible.

Today’s real estate agents won’t take clients to view homes if they don’t know what their budget is. Perhaps a family member or friend who is an agent might let it slide for the sake seeing what’s available. You don’t want to fall in love and then lose the home because you had to talk to a loan officer when another buyer was ready, prequalified and ready to make an offering.

You should ensure that your house is in good condition if you are selling it at the same time as you buy a new one. Your purchase could be delayed or stalled if your house isn’t available for sale when you make an offer.

 

Original Blog: https://realtytimes.com/archives/item/1034640-holiday-real-estate-a-buyer-s-guide?rtmpage=

Filed Under: Blog, Buying a home, Homes for Sale Tagged With: Blog, buying a home, buying homes, erath county, holidays, home for sale, Homes for sale Stephenville TX, Preferred Properties of Texas, real estate

Holiday Real Estate For Sellers

November 21, 2022 by chorton Leave a Comment

Are you looking to sell your house during the holiday season? Perhaps you have had to move quickly or your job has changed. You can do it. These are some tips that will make it easy to sell.

This time of year there are fewer buyers, so an overcrowded open house or panic that leads to multiple offers is unlikely. Although no agent can predict when or how much a property will sell, they are able to provide market information. You should be able to anticipate what you can expect from an agent who has done extensive research. You will be able to set realistic expectations.

While the listing price is important in any season, there is more flexibility during spring and summer. A reduced buyer pool means that pricing your home for sale is more important than ever. This could mean that the home might sell for less than you expected. Your agent will know more about the market than you do, regardless of how you feel about it or how much you have invested in it. Listen to them. They are only interested in selling your house so that you can move on.

To appeal to buyers, you don’t need to spend a lot of money or make a huge home. The best staging tips don’t have to cost anything. Depersonalizing and decluttering are at the top of this list. These activities will allow buyers to see themselves in their home, rather than get caught up in all the stuff.

It is important to focus your efforts only on the most important spaces. Moving.com stated that not all rooms can be considered equal in home staging. com. The living room, master bedroom and kitchen are the most important rooms for buyers. You don’t need to worry about rooms with less importance, like guest bedrooms, bedrooms for children, and bathrooms.

This time of year, it might be harder to sell to families because many are already settled and the kids are in school. However, you do not need a lot of buyers. You only need one. It’s possible to relocate, so it’s not uncommon.

If you live in a family-oriented neighborhood, and are trying to appeal to families with children, it’s a good idea to highlight the family aspects of the area. Perhaps you could create a flyer that can be left behind with information about the school district, local parks and even babysitters in your neighborhood.

It’s not the right time to allow leaves to accumulate on your lawn. It can be difficult to keep your front yard tidy in fall and winter. However, it is a must-do for selling. You should be prepared for unexpected showings. Make it a habit of looking at your home from the street every day so that you can see the inside and help buyers clean up any clutter.

Tastefully decorated homes will be noticed for all the right reasons. Your home shouldn’t be remembered just for its Christmas decorations. The Balance advised that you should reduce the number of decorations. Too many decorations can become overwhelming and distracting. Do not assume buyers will see past it. Agents often say that the eye buys.

Selling your home during the holidays can be difficult because you have to be available to show it to potential buyers. This means you will have to limit holiday gatherings at your home and make sure that the house is spotless and clean. It is even more difficult when the kids are not in school. Flexibility is important because you never know when you might get a call asking for a showing. Ask your agent to schedule a virtual open house.

 

Original Blog: https://realtytimes.com/archives/item/1034639-holiday-real-estate-a-seller-s-guide?rtmpage=

Filed Under: Blog, Selling Your Home Tagged With: Blog, erath county, holidays, home for sale, Homes for sale Stephenville TX, Preferred Properties of Texas, preparation to selling, real estate, realtor, selling, selling a home, selling homes, stephenville tx

How to Protect Your Home While You’re Away

December 8, 2021 by chorton Leave a Comment

It’s holiday season which means many people travel and vacation. Traveling can make your home more vulnerable to burglaries. These are some tips to help protect your home when you’re away.

Securely lock everything

While you know to lock your doors, it is also important to secure windows, sheds, garages, and other structures. This simple step will help protect your home from burglary.

Ask your neighbors

A trusted neighbor can also pick up mail and packages for you while you are away. They can also check the inside and out the trash bins. You will feel like your family is at home, or at least someone is watching.

Take out the spare key

It is convenient to keep a spare key or garage opener outside. Fake rocks and other hiding places will not fool criminals. Install a garage door opener or exterior lock with a keypad entry.

Do not post

You may want to capture your vacation on social media but it is better to wait until you return to home before posting. Posting photos of your vacation alerts potential thieves that your home is vacant and makes it a prime target for a robbery.

Install smart home devices

You can control everything remotely, from HVAC systems to lights and music. You can control everything remotely, whether it’s according to a schedule or through your phone. It will look and sound just like you are at home. It doesn’t take a lot of money to achieve similar results.

Original Post : https://www.texasrealestate.com/members/posts/how-to-protect-your-home-while-youre-away/

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, holidays, home security, real estate tips, tips, vacation

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