Understanding Property Taxes in Texas
Property taxes can be a significant part of homeownership, especially in the Lone Star State. Texas is known for having one of the highest property tax rates in the U.S., ranking seventh nationwide. However, it's essential to note that Texas does not have a state...
Sustainable Homes: Why Green Features Are in High Demand
In today’s real estate market, energy-efficient homes are more than just a trend—they are becoming a must-have. As buyers become more environmentally conscious, the demand for green features is growing. The rise of energy-efficient homes Energy-efficient homes...
May’s Events and Festivals in Houston
Houston Dragon Boat Festival – May 6 - Free For the 17th year, the Houston Dragon Boat Festival will fill Buffalo Bayou with more than 30 corporate and community teams participating in races, while festivities celebrate Asian and Asian-American culture. Come...
First Impressions When Selling Your Home
Psychologists say that we make up our minds about a person within the first fifteen seconds of meeting them. And the same is true when viewing a house. It’s likely a prospective buyer will have made up their mind before they’ve even walked through your front door. So...
Harris County Set to Become the Nation’s Second Largest County
Harris County is on track to becoming the nation's second-largest county, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. By the numbers: As of July 1, 2024, Harris County's population reached 5 million — just 173,000 shy of the 5.2...
What Stays And What Goes When Selling Your Home?
Before putting your home on the market, it’s important to know what items you should leave behind for the buyer and what you can take with you. Real estate professionals often use the term “convey” to describe items that remain with the property after a sale. Items...
The Best Places to Enjoy the Magic of the Texas Wildflowers
Texas’s sprawling size isn’t just for longhorn cattle and their drivers—it’s also one of the US’s best places to watch wildflower blooms in spring. And with so many scenic highways, byways, and roadside attractions crisscrossing the state, it’s not hard to...
Is Staging My Home Necessary to Make it Sell Quicker?
Sell quickly and make more money. That is what all sellers want! Those are two very important benefits that outweigh the initial investment of home staging, but those are not the only benefits when preparing a home for sale. Let’s take a deeper look into why so many...
The History of Saint Patrick’s Day in America
St. Patrick’s Day, feast day (March 17) of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned about 432 ce to convert the Irish...
What is Title Insurance and Do I Need It?
Title insurance is a policy that covers third-party claims on a property that don’t show up in the initial title search and arise after a real estate closing. A third party is someone other than the property’s owner, such as a construction company that didn’t get paid...