Episodes
To Sell or to Rent: That Is the Question
August 03, 2017 16:39 VideoShould you rent your home out or sell it? Both can be good options, depending on your situation. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale I recently met with a former client who asked me if they are better off renting their home out as an investment property or simply selling it. It really depends on your individual circumstances and goals, but there are advantages to each method. If you’re looking to build wealth, you can use on...
Summer 2017 Houston Market Update
July 25, 2017 16:24 VideoToday I wanted to give you a bit of an update on the Houston real estate market. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale It is hot, and we’re not just talking about the weather. The Houston real estate market is on fire. We had some wonderful gains these past few months. The highest gains took place among homes priced $750,000 and above where we saw 8,500 homes sell. This is an almost 10% increase from this time last year. The a...
4 Tips for Buying a Home Inside the 610 Loop
May 26, 2017 19:34 VideoIf you want to buy a home inside the 610 loop this summer during the busy buying season, follow these four tips. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale If you want to buy a home inside the 610 loop during the spring and summer buying season, follow these four tips: 1. Drive around the area to really discover what works best for you: Since there are so many different neighborhoods within the loop, drive through to get an idea of...
What Happens to a Home and Mortgage During a Divorce?
April 27, 2017 16:32 VideoHandling homeownership and mortgage obligations during a divorce can be difficult. I'm joined by divorce attorney Candace Demary to help me explain how to make this process go as smoothly as possible. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale It's an unfortunate fact that 50% of marriages end in divorce. If that happens, what happens to your home and mortgage? To help me explain, I'm joined by Candace Demary, a family law attorney ...
4 Tips for a Successful Home Sale
April 14, 2017 20:21 VideoHow can you successfully sell your home this spring or summer? For starters, avoid these four major selling mistakes. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Now is a great time to sell your home, so we have four tips to help you have a successful sale this spring and summer. 1. Price your home correctly. A lot of sellers think that they can price their home high and just negotiate with the buyer down the road. However, homes th...
How We Helped Molly By Going Above and Beyond!
April 14, 2017 14:42“Some friends of ours had used them and recommended them. So, we got in touch with them. We had just decided to sell our house so they came over and walked us through the process since this was the first time we had ever sold a home. They made us feel like it wouldn’t be a big deal, that it would be easier than we were thinking. It went super quick! And then they helped us find the house that we purchased. It was all pretty swift. When we had to close on the house that we were selling, t...
We’re Sending You on a Vacation
February 28, 2017 18:37 VideoWe want to thank you for your business, so we are giving away a free vacation to one lucky client. Find out how to enter today. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Thank you for making 2016 such a great year! We appreciate your business and your referrals. To fully express our appreciation, we will send one of you on vacation. In December of 2017, we will have a drawing and a lucky winner will get a free vacation. All yo...
What Will the Market Look Like in 2017?
January 09, 2017 17:54 VideoNow that 2016 is over, we wanted to give you a quick rundown on what to expect from our 2017 market. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale The end of 2016 brought on a lot of uncertainty in the real estate market. There are some positive things that happened in our area, like home sales being up 3%, the luxury market starting to surge, and inventory starting to rise. However, 2017 is going to be the year of the millennial ge...
Stephen reviews the Carratala group!
December 15, 2016 16:54“The results I got were actually really great. We gave him a list of houses, he picked what we wanted from each house, and ended up showing us a house that wasn’t even on our radar. We were buying an inventory home and we weren’t getting a good response from the builder or the builder’s lender. Sam actually went out of his way and drove to the location to get an answer from them in person so that we could move forward. Getting that answer was absolutely critical to making the closing d...
4 Tips for Growing Your Business Via Social Media
November 30, 2016 20:33 VideoJoining me today is Brenda Boral, a social media marketing expert who has four tips on how to grow your business via social media. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Today I’m joined by Brenda Boral, the owner of Boral Branders, an online marketing firm specializing in social media and search engine optimization. The reason I brought Brenda in today is that a lot of people, including our friends, family, and some past client...
Answering Common Questions Home Buyers Have About Credit
November 15, 2016 18:21 VideoAs a home buyer, there a few simple things to remember when it comes to keeping your credit in good shape and avoiding any setbacks. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Today I’m joined by Joe Mahlow of ASAP Credit Repair to answer some common questions we get from first-time home buyers about maintaining a good credit score and how credit impacts their ability to buy a home. What can you do to make sure your credit is in ...
Why Is Fall a Great Time to Sell?
October 13, 2016 16:12 VideoMost people think spring and summer are the best times to sell a home. In reality, selling in the fall comes with many advantages. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Sometimes it pays to go against the crowd. That sentiment is very true if you are looking at selling your home in the fall. When most people think about selling, they think about the springtime, which is usually when they put their homes on the market. Summer is...
How We Helped Jane by Going the Extra Mile
October 07, 2016 17:56“He did an amazing job in helping us negotiate a better price on a house that we purchased and in helping us find a rental home. We were transferred from New Jersey to Texas with nine days notice and he and Trisha got all of the utilities hooked up, did everything for us. We arrived in Houston around 5 pm and the movers called and told us they wanted to move us in at 9 the next morning. So, they did outstanding things. I don’t even know how they did it all but, they did a great job. I d...
How We Helped Grapeson by Taking Care of What He Needed
October 07, 2016 17:56“I listed a home that was on the market for about six months. Once I heard about Sam and had him list my property, it was sold within about three weeks. He was able to sell it at the price that we had listed it for. There were things we needed to take care of after closing. He took care of everything and gave me the advice that I needed.” - Grapeson Wilson, Home Seller
A Conversation With WoodCreek Elementary Principal Mr. Mosher
September 23, 2016 15:58 VideoWant to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale I am excited to be joined today by Mr. Mosher, principal of WoodCreek elementary here in the Katy ISD. He is the leader of a school full of passionate educators, and we help lots of families move from the city into places like Katy and we have been impressed by what Mr. Mosher and his school have to offer. We wanted to talk to him a little bit about what makes Katy ISD such a great district ...
Tips to Protect Homeowners from Break-Ins and Robberies
September 15, 2016 16:35 VideoHouston is one of the top cities in America for break-ins, but there are some things you can do to keep you and your family safe. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Today I have a strange guest who requested to be here himself — Rob claims to be the president of the Houston Burglary Association, and he wants to share a few tips about his recent success in our area. Houston is one of the top cities in America for break-ins ...
3 Cost-Effective Home Security Tips
September 12, 2016 16:02 VideoFor those of us with families, home security is of the utmost importance. Today I’m joined by Sean Collins of ADT to discuss some easy ways to keep your home safe. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Today I’m joined by Sean Collins with ADT Home Security to discuss a few tips and tricks for keeping your home safe and secure. Security is of the utmost importance when it comes to our families, so here are three tips to keep ...
The Difference Between Pre-Approval and Pre-Qualification
August 16, 2016 15:32 VideoSometimes when people are in the process of buying a property, they send us a pre-qualification letter instead of a pre-approval letter because they don’t know the difference between the two. Today, we’re joined by Ty Smith from Envoy Mortgage to help clear the air regarding these two terms. The basic difference is that a pre-qualification involves you filling out an application and the lender looking at a credit report. Whatever information you give the mortgage lender over the phone or...
What Do MI and PMI Mean for You as a Buyer?
August 16, 2016 15:16 VideoWhat is MI? What is PMI? What’s the difference? What does it mean for you as a buyer? Ty Smith from Envoy Mortgage joins us today to answer those questions. MI simply stands for mortgage insurance. MI is government-funded for FHA loans and insures the loan against defaulting for the lender. You’re basically paying for insurance to pay the lender back in case you default on the loan. A lot of folks don’t want to pay mortgage insurance, and we understand that. Like any insurance, it’s not f...
What’s Happening in the Houston Market this Summer?
July 18, 2016 15:25 VideoWant to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale The steady growth of inventory during May and June has definitely helped the current Houston market. We’re seeing normal conditions for this time of year, and that is a direct result of more inventory for the buyers. The last couple of years, the supply of homes has been at a historic low. With the buyer demand, that has actually pushed home prices up. Now with more inventory and freedom o...
8 Ways to Prepare for Hurricanes and Floods in Houston
July 14, 2016 15:08 VideoWant to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Hurricane season is upon us, so we wanted to offer some reminders to keep you ready for anything Mother Nature might throw at us. Stay tuned to the local weather station. They will keep you updated on critical info from the National Weather Service. Check your disaster supply. Your supply kit should be ready to go with a gallon of water per person, non-perishable food for three days, flash...
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Buying in Texas
May 16, 2016 17:21 VideoWant to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale There are plenty of reasons why sellers in Texas reject offers, but three stand out among the rest. We wanted to share them with you so you don’t ever make these mistakes when searching for a home you love. 1. Price is too low. If a property just hit the market, it’s important to submit an offer at a realistic price, especially if it’s a hot listing in a hot price range where there will be ...
How We Helped Nate Shrag by Being Available at All Times
May 03, 2016 17:22"He helped us purchase a house. He walked us through step by step. He let us know what was going on with the process. He found us the house that we wanted and got us a good deal on it. Sam was willing to do whatever it took to make the deal happen. He was available all the time and always there to answer calls and we noticed not everyone is willing to do that." Nate Shrag, Home Buyer
How we helped Lance DeGeorge by protecting his interests as a buyer.
April 26, 2016 21:46"Well the best result is no hitches. Everything went well while using him, excellent. His due diligence, making sure my interests were protected as a buyer. He was a few steps ahead of things that were going to have to be done. He was good at heading off any problems that came up. As well as keeping tempers calm when things get a little dicey in these transactions." Lance DeGeorge, Home Buyer
4 Quick Tips for Houston Sellers
April 26, 2016 20:35 VideoWant to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Today, we’ll cover four important tips to prepare your home for the Houston real estate market. With the buying season upon us, it’s important for your property to stand out from the rest of the competition. Here’s how you do that. Seek a pre-inspection. Sellers usually wait for buyers to obtain an inspection. However, if a seller pursues one first, you’ll know what repairs and issues to ad...