Ruby Miranda Real Estate Video Blog

The 5 Most Common Fees Associated With Purchasing a Home

How to Get Your Home Ready for a Home Inspection

Check Out My Latest Blog Post: The 4 Things Every Seller Should Do to Prepare Their Home for Sale

Check Out My Latest Blog Post-What Do Homebuyers Need to Know Before They Get Started?

Areas of Focus For Home Sellers When Preparing for Photographers

Your home needs to look its best for photographs when it comes time to sell. Here’s where you need to focus your attention when preparing. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% of homebuyers start their search online. This is why it’s so important that when you get your house ready to take pictures, you make sure that it is top-notch, primed, and ...

Why Should You Hire a Realtor to Sell Your Home?

Selling your home is a complex process and nearly impossible to do on your own. Here are five advantages of hiring a Realtor to assist you. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access There are many benefits of using a Realtor when it comes to listing your home. Here are five of the most important ones: 1. Pricing. It’s important to work with a Realtor because they are the expert on what your home can sell...

How to Keep Your Home Cool Without Cranking Up the A/C

Want to keep your home cool this summer without having to pay an arm and a leg in utility costs? Here are three alternative ways to cool your home. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Temperatures are rising and so are your utility bills, courtesy of that big power hog: your air conditioner. If you want to cut down your cooling costs without having to crank up the A/C, here are three tricks you can ...

Why Your Pre-Approval Should Not Determine Your Home Buying Budget

Just because you’re pre-approved for a certain amount doesn’t mean that you can afford it. Here’s what I mean. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Today I wanted to talk to you about a very common question I am asked, “Why am I shopping for less than my pre-approval amount?” When you are looking to purchase a home, there are a few different things you need to realize. The first one is that the amou...

Being a Seller in a Multiple Offer Situation

If you want to generate multiple offers for your home sale and pick the best one possible, listen to your Realtor when pricing your home and look at each offer carefully. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access As a seller, there is a way to be smart about handling a multiple offer situation.  When you start the process of selling your home, you have to make a shift in your perception. This is business...

How to Deal With Multiple Offers as a Buyer

How can you compete in multiple offer situations? Here are a few of our top tips. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Today we’re going to talk about being a buyer in a multiple offer situation. Unless you really play your cards right, this place could easily slip through your fingers. That’s why it’s critical to put the best offer forward from the start. Here are a few tips for how to win: 1. More...

6 Tips for Buying a New Construction Home

How is buying a new construction home different than buying a resale home? I’ll go over six important points today. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access There are a few things that every homebuyer needs to know about new construction. I’ll go over six of them today. 1. New homes may not be listed in your local MLS. Unlike regular sellers who list their homes with local real estate agents, home bui...

4 Unexpected Things That Increase Your Houston Home’s Value

There are four unexpected things that can increase your home value that I want to share with you today. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access There are four surprising things that may increase how much your home is worth. 1. How close your home is to Starbucks. Who doesn’t love coffee? A 2015 Zillow report found that between 1997 and 2014, homes within a quarter mile of Starbucks increased in value b...

A Few More Buyer and Seller Questions Answered

I have five more common buyer and seller questions I want to answer with detailed explanations. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Here are a few more common questions I get from buyers and sellers ad my answers to them. I accepted an offer, but now I’m wondering if I could have sold for more. Can I keep looking at other offers? Sellers never know how long a particular buyer has been on the marke...

How Your Mortgage Can Be a Surefire Investment

Paying down your mortgage is a great investment. Find out how to do it fast right here. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Today, we’re going to talk about how your mortgage can be a surefire investment. Paying down a mortgage has long been viewed as a reliable investment. It reduces debt, helps home equity grow faster, and provides a guaranteed return equal to the mortgage rate—usually more than ...

5 Energy Efficient Tips for Winter

Today, I have five tips to help your home be more energy efficient this winter. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Here are a few tips to help your home be more energy efficient during the winter:  1. Use earth’s natural heater—the sun. In the summer, it’s all about drawing the blinds and curtains to keep the sun out. In the cooler months, you can use the power of the sun to warm your home and kee...

4 Costs Homebuyers Often Forget About

Today, I’d like to go over four costs you may have forgotten about when making your home buying budget. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access It isn’t cheap to buy a home these days, and I’m not just talking about the price of the home itself. Unexpected out-of-pocket costs can pop up during the process. It isn’t cheap to buy a home. Today, I’d like to go over four costs you may have forgotten abou...

Why Do Some Agents Ask for Exclusivity?

Why do some agents demand a buyer’s exclusivity? Well, most agents don’t want to put in their time and effort without being certain of a buyer’s loyalty. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access When are you committed to a real estate agent, why do agents demand exclusivity? Well, unlike most professionals who receive a steady paycheck, agents usually work on a commission. Buyer agents who are showin...

Staging Tips for Selling Your Home During the Holidays

If you plan on selling your home during the holidays, I have four tips to help you stage and decorate your home without overwhelming potential buyers. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access This time of year, the calendar is packed with holiday parties and budgets are strained by gift giving. A lot of people think that now is not the season for real estate. The good news is that there are still plent...

Why Consider Buying in a Seller’s Market?

Even though we are in a seller’s market, it’s a great time to buy. Here’s why. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access If we’re in a seller’s market, why would you consider buying a home in 2017? Well, according to Forbes, home prices appreciated beyond expectations in 2016 and mortgage rates were flirting with record lows before inevitably passing 4% for the first time in two years. Home prices rose i...

What You Need to Know Before Selling in 2017

If you have been thinking of selling this year, I have some information you may want to consider. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Since home values have been on a climb in the recent past, many people assume this trend will continue. However, the general consensus among housing analysts and economists is that the local real estate market will slow down in 2017. According to Forbes, the apprec...

Which Renovations Will Give You the Most Bang for Your Buck?

Today I want to share with you some home renovations you should consider and some you should avoid if you want a high return on your investment. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access If you’re thinking of making some renovations to your home, how do you know which ones will be a solid investment and which won’t? It’s key to consider mass appeal for the sake of resale value. Throughout any renovatio...

Is It Really Worth It to Sell Your Home Without an Agent?

Thinking of selling your home on your own to dodge the cost of a real estate agent? These home sale facts will make you think twice about that. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access If you're thinking of selling your Houston home, there are five reasons you absolutely should not sell without a real estate agent: There are too many people to negotiate with: If you sell 'For Sale by Owner' (or FSBO), y...

How to Figure Out How Much House You Can Buy

If you’re looking to buy a home but are unsure of how much house you can afford, here are five steps you can use to figure it out. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access One of the questions I get asked a lot as a Realtor is, “How much house can I buy?” In other words, how can you determine what your housing budget is when purchasing a house? There are five steps you must follow: 1. Figure out your ho...

What Happens After You Get Approved for a Home Loan?

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What Is the First Step to Owning a Home?

The very first step you should take when buying a home is getting your financing in order. I’ll explain why today. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access The most common question I get asked when someone is looking to buy a home is “What is the first step?”   When you’re getting ready to buy a house, the very first thing you’ll want to do is secure your financing. You’ll want to make sure that your b...