Brooks' Central Texas Real Estate Blog

Important update regarding Homestead Exemptions in Texas

Important update regarding Homestead Exemptions in Texas

On April 12, 2023 the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 1801, which became effective September 1, 2023, which now requires the chief appraiser of an appraisal district to verify the eligibility of homeowners for the homestead exemption at least once every five years. New Year Brings Changes to Property

Protesting Property Taxes

Appraisal Featured

Protesting Property Taxes

It's that time again! Property values are being assessed by your local county! Let's talk about how to get those values down: Types of Value Let's start by establishing a few key terms in this discussion: Market Value: The amount a ready, willing, and

Why I Ignore "Price Per Square Foot"

Why I Ignore "Price Per Square Foot"

Bear with me here, I know this one is a bit of a hot take, but hear me out and hopefully it will make sense to you: Many times you'll hear people talk about price/sq.ft. when comparing different homes. It's very easy to explain

What to do first after moving into your new home

What to do first after moving into your new home

Deep Cleaning It's a whole lot easier to clean the home when it's not full of furniture and other stuff. Sometimes you can ask the seller to pay for this prior to closing, if it's important to you. Forward your mail from USPS Official

How to assess, repair, and prevent foundation issues

How to assess, repair, and prevent foundation issues

Foundation issues0:00/271.8721× If you've ever owned or shopped for a home East of Mopac, you're probably familiar with the structural issues some homes in the area experience. Let's dive in: Assessment It's important to note that some home settlement

How The Balcones Fault Molds Our City

Austin Featured

How The Balcones Fault Molds Our City

Many Austinites do not realize that Austin actually sits smack dab in the middle of a fault line. This geological feature really shapes so much of the way Austin is.

Modular Housing

Modular Housing

There exists a new type of housing that is changing the way homes are created. It's efficient, safe, cost-effective, and fast. What is modular housing? Modular homes are dwellings that are built ~80% off-site, in a factory, then shipped onsite and dropped into place. How is it distinctly

11 types of real estate investing strategies

11 types of real estate investing strategies

Real estate investment offers a variety of strategies, each with its own set of risks, rewards, and capital requirements. Here’s a list of some different real estate investment strategies: Buy and Hold This one is pretty self-explanatory and one of the most common. Purchase a rental property, rent it

"House Hacking"

"House Hacking"

One really great way to get your foot into the real estate market is utilizing a strategy known as "house hacking". The premise is very simple: You purchase a home, and then rent out the extra rooms to friends/family/whoever looking for a place to stay. These

What should I do to prepare my home for sale?

home renovation

What should I do to prepare my home for sale?

The Pre-inspection The first thing you should consider is the fact that any potential buyer is more than likely going to want a home inspection. Any major warts that your home may have, they're going to find. That's why I will go ahead and recommend getting

Date The Rate, Marry The House

Date The Rate, Marry The House

You probably don't need me to tell you this, but right now, interest rates are higher than they have been in recent history, and in particular, higher than they were over the last 10 years or so. What a lot of people may not tell you is that

The full story on real estate agent commissions.

The full story on real estate agent commissions.

There has been a lot of confusion in recent months regarding a recent class-action real estate lawsuit commonly-known known as Sitzer-Burnett vs. NAR (the full name is Joshua Sitzer and Amy Winger, Scott and Rhonda Burnett, and Ryan Hendrickson v. The National Association of Realtors, Realogy Holdings Corp., Homeservices of

Why you should probably not install solar panels on your home

Why you should probably not install solar panels on your home

There are many reasons you may be thinking about installing solar panels on your home. Is it right for you? Probably not. But it depends, and if you want to know why and learn more, do continue reading. Also please note this post is about installing solar panels on your

How to get a "good deal" on your home purchase

How to get a "good deal" on your home purchase

What does "a good deal" mean to you? "Good" is a very subjective word. Context is needed. Generally I can consider a good deal to be purchasing a home at most in the thousands below market value, and it takes kind of a unicorn situation for

How much should I use as a down payment on my home?

How much should I use as a down payment on my home?

Federal incentives have helped, yet still the down payment remains one of the biggest hurdles to potential new homeowners.

My home isn't selling, what should I do?

My home isn't selling, what should I do?

Many sellers list their home for sale, and then shortly thereafter begin to stress out about how and why it hasn't sold yet. How quickly this happens depends on the seller, and often how motivated they are to sell.

The 3 defining characteristics of a "bedroom"

The 3 defining characteristics of a "bedroom"

One question that I encounter often is whether or not a specific room can be listed as a "bedroom". Buyers are often disappointed when they walk into a home and find that one of the bedrooms is actually a "flex room", gym or office. But what

The 4 "phase inspections" of new construction

The 4 "phase inspections" of new construction

One of the benefits of purchasing a new construction home is being able to oversee the construction and head off major issues during construction that could be extremely expensive to repair retroactively. Often times the builders' representatives will tell you that they have their own inspectors, and that you

New Construction Home or Resale?

New Construction Home or Resale?

Are you considering a new construction? Wondering what are the pros and cons vs. resale? Well then you're in the right place! Let's explore: Pro: It's a new home! Everything is new! Con: Probably the largest con is the contract used. For resale homes,

What's the deal with mini splits?

What's the deal with mini splits?

We're seeing a lot more properties utilizing ductless mini splits, what's the deal with them? Mini splits are ductless air conditioners/heaters that are installed on an exterior wall of the home. They require a small hole to be cut into the exterior wall to run

What does a buyer's agent actually do?

Real Estate Featured

What does a buyer's agent actually do?

People don't usually ask me this question directly. They're probably worried it's uncouth. I respect and appreciate it. It's a fair question. So let's talk about it. Let's start with some things people may think we do, that

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