All About the HGTV 2019 Smart Home

Do You Really Need a New Construction Inspection??

Hi, this is Gina Mullen with Gina Mullen Realty and I'm here to answer all your questions on real estate and give you some tips and tricks. Today we're going to talk about new construction and specifically, "Do I need an inspection on a new construction home?"

The answer is YES. So although the builder has every intention of building everything to code and building everything properly, he or she is also human as well and so things end up not always the way they should be. So having a home inspector come in and putting a second set of eyes on your home is a great idea and he can flag up any items that we could then use as a punch list, and those are the items that we'll want the builder to finish before we actually close on the home. This is also a great way to point out to the builder that a third party has flagged up these items, someone who's familiar with housing code and the way things need to be in a home. We recently had some clients who the air conditioning, the HVAC unit, in their house was zoned improperly.  It was picked up by the house inspector and the builder gladly fixed it as he was unaware there was even an issue.

So until you start turning things on and you start trying to see if they work, a lot of times we don't know if they will. It's better to have this done before you move in, we don't want to find this stuff out after you move in. So we always do an inspection right before we have our punch list meeting with the new builder. And then we use that inspection report as the punch list to go over with the builder of things that we want finished before closing. This is something that is very important and is an additional cost, of course, but it also gives you some peace of mind when you're moving into a brand new home. This is Gina Mullen with Gina Mullen Realty. Thank you.

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Handling Relocation

 Hi, this is Gina Mullen with Gina Mullen Realty and I'm here to answer all your questions regarding real estate and give you some tips and tricks. So today we're going to talk about relocation.

I have relocated many times myself so I'm very familiar with the process from both sides. We are here to help you find where you're going to settle yourself and or your family when you get down here to Texas. We've worked with many companies and many relocation companies. Each relocation company has it's own relocation addendum, which is what they will help you do and cover for you. And each company that is moving a client also has their own policies as to what they will help you with. And it is our job to help you navigate that. It's also our job to help you find out where you want to settle.

So if you have a child who is very sports minded and involved in sports, we can help you figure out where that is that you want to be. If you have a child who is into fine arts, we can help you figure out where that is the best place to be. And if you have a child who's great in academic decathlons, we can point you in the right direction for that as well. We have access to a lot of homes that aren't even on the market yet. So yes, you can find homes all throughout the internet, but the "coming soon" properties and or properties that are not even listed yet, we have access to a lot of those and can sometimes get you into those homes before they even hit the market. We would love to be able to help you and your family find where you want to go.

If your children have specific interests such as horse riding lessons or tennis, we can help you figure out where those activities will be so that we can find a home that works well for you as far as your distance to work and your distance to your children's activities. A Google map may tell you that, you know, you're 28 minutes from the office and 24 miles, but we're familiar enough with the area that we know traffic patterns and we know that that may actually take you an hour if you live there, but if you live here, then yes, you actually will be within that 30 minute timeframe. There's a lot of navigation that needs to be done, not just with your home purchase, but you have to find school districts, you have to find doctors and dentists, and activities, and all kinds of things for yourself and your family. But we can definitely help you with the real estate relocation. We've been doing this for many years. We know exactly how to help you figure out what exactly your company will cover and help you find the best property that will be covered under your relocation addendum and that will meet all your family's needs. 

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The Truth About The Market Shift

So there has been a shift. No, we're not saying that the market is getting ready to go bust, but what we are saying is that we're seeing some differences in the market. So no longer are we seeing houses on a regular basis selling in just a few days on the market. That seems to have gone by the wayside unless it's just a spectacular house because it has a fabulous lot or it has a fabulous finish out and is different from the other homes around it. So what we're seeing a lot of is that buyers are taking their time finding homes. No longer are they grabbing at the first thing that goes on the market and they're getting picky about what they want in a house. And houses without any updates in line with today's current trends are seeming to sit on the market longer because buyers at this point are not even wanting to do paint, which used to be just a simple change to a house.

Buyers are really wanting to walk in and have a home turnkey. So some of the things that we can do that will help a buyer get most of the way there in seeing how great your home is, is put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and the trim. Try and find something that's in line with today's current trends. Most of the people out there are still looking for gray on the walls. And then of course the trim to be white. That is what most buyers are looking for.

We can change out the backsplash in the kitchen pretty inexpensively. Usually most real estate agents have tile vendors in their lists that can do that for approximately $750 for most backsplashes and a current back splash, even if the granted hasn't been changed out, makes a huge difference as well. And the flooring, if that's in your budget, most of the buyers are looking for all of the flooring on the first floor to be the same type of flooring. Now that may or may not be in your budget, but if you're looking to do something for flooring, that should be what you would do. I would not replace carpet at this point. Most buyers are coming in and taking up carpet and putting down the same floor that's in the rest of the house if they can match it, and if not, they're putting in all new floor all throughout the bottom of the house.

Painted cabinets is another one, if you paint the kitchen cabinets. I know that's really hard for some people with all wood cabinets, but that is what buyers are looking for is painted kitchen cabinets.

So if you're looking to put your house on the market, we do a pre listing consultation, and if you do have a budget to do some things in the house, then we would love to meet with you to do a pre listing consultation and let you know where to put that money, where you're going to get the most bang for your buck and get the most return with the changes you make in the house.

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Navigating the Repair Amendment

Hi, this is Gina Mullen with Gina Mullen Realty and I'm here to answer all of your real estate questions and give you some tips and tricks. So today we're going to talk about a repair amendment.

So this is a document that the buyer gives to the seller during the option period. They are usually items that are found on an inspection report that the buyer has done and they are requesting the sellers to either do the repairs or offer a monetary credit to be given at closing. Some of the items that we see frequently on our inspection reports and repair amendments are items and issues with the roof, with the pool, with the HVAC system, water heaters, and electrical.

So if you haven't had your roof checked in a while, now would be a good time to have someone check a roof. We have a roof vendor who will come out and we'll do a roof inspection for us at no charge. That lets us know if there's any problems with the roof. It is always better to handle that before the house goes on the market than during the repair amendment. It may require something as simple as a couple of shingles need to be replaced or it might be recommended that an insurance claim be placed before the house is put on the market. But again, it's always better to have this checked out before we go on to the market.

Next would be the pool. We see a lot of issues with the pool. Usually the pool heater, which isn't used very frequently down here in Texas, but just like anything mechanical, if you don't use it, it's less likely to work when you try to get to use it. We would want to make sure that we knew that before the house went on the market. Any cracks or leaks in the pool, we are usually better off if we find those out before we go to repair amendment.

The HVAC system, the HVAC system needs to be operating within temperature differentials. If it's a resale home, no one is expecting that a new air conditioner be placed in the home unless it's not functioning. But as long as it's tuned up and it's functioning properly, then that would not be considered an item that would be eligible for a repair amendment because the spirit of the repair amendment is for items that are not functioning properly to be repaired or replaced. If an air conditioning unit has been tuned up and it is functioning within temperature differentials than it is considered functioning.

Next would be water heaters. We get a lot of questions about water heaters. "How old are the water heaters?" We see a lot of the emergency valves that at inspection don't pass, so it would be a good idea to get the hot water heater checked out too to make sure that it's functioning, that there's no rust in the pan, or anything else that needs to be addressed before you list your home.

Last but not least is electrical. We want to make sure that we don't have any double tapping, that the amperage that's in the circuit panel matches what it needs to. Sometimes it's too big, sometimes it's too small, sometimes we have wires that are not grounded properly and these would all be items that we would want to get checked out beforehand that way we don't have to deal with it when the buyer puts in a repair amendment. And if it is requested during the repair amendment, we already have the documentation to show that we've had it taken care of.

So this is Gina Mullen with Gina Mullen Realty, giving you tips and tricks on what to get checked out before you list your home.

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5 Misconceptions About Adding Value to Your Home

So one of the biggies is a pool. Everybody loves a pool, especially here in Texas. A pool's a great way to cool off in the summertime, but make sure you put a pool in because you want a pool because you will not see really any of that money on return on the sale side. Houses with pools do not necessarily comp out at a higher price per square foot than homes without pools. Some people, as a matter of fact, don't want pools and they will steer away from homes with pools. So there's a market range for every area, sometimes every neighborhood, and regardless of what upgrades you may have in that house, you will not exceed that range for that market area. A lot of people think that because they put a pool in that makes their house more valuable and it doesn't, it may make it more desirable to those people who want to pool, but it doesn't necessarily make it more valuable.

Another item is water softener and water filtration systems. They are great to have, people love them, but they don't necessarily increase a listing price on a home.

A roof is another item. Some people have a level four impact roof or slate roof or special type of roof. And although that roof may be pretty or it may be expensive or high end luxury roof, it will not add more value to your home in comparison to the other homes in the neighborhood. So if you're putting on an extra special roof and that's not a standard in your neighborhood, just know that you might not get that on return.

Extra insulation or green items, those are great too. They appeal to a lot of buyers, especially those who are conscious of the environment. However, they too will not necessarily bring more value to your home.

And last but not least, is an outdoor living area. A great outdoor living area is a great place to entertain. People love outdoor entertainment areas, and it may make your house stand out against another house in your neighborhood that does not have one, but sadly enough, again, this will not necessarily bring any more value to your home.

So when you're thinking about things to add to your home, these are just a list of a few of the items that you really want to make sure that you want to have and that you're going to use them because they may not bring you any more money when it comes time to sell your home, but definitely may make it more attractive in comparison to some of the other houses. This is Gina Mullen with Gina Mullen Realty. 

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