New Listing in Terravista – 4 bedroom, 2 bath

Watch the virtual tour for this property: 220 TerraVista Trail MLS #215164

220Terravista

Beautiful 4 bedroom, 2 bath Steve Klein home in TerraVista. Kitchen has island, eating bar, stainless appliances, custom dark wood cabinets and granite with tile backsplash. The master bathroom offers a large garden tub and separate tiled shower, double vanity and spacious walk-in closet. The guest bedrooms share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom and the indoor utility room has plenty of storage. The home also has custom light fixtures, ceiling fans, ceramic tile floors, and it’s wired for security. The covered patio and large yard are perfect for your family BBQ’s.

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com. Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search to find houses with up-to-date information. Like us on Facebook!

In and Around Victoria #27 – 2013 Home Product Show

home show

The 2013 Home Product Show is this next weekend March 23 and 24 at the Victoria Community Center. The show starts Saturday, March 23 and runs from 10 AM-5 Pm and again on Sunday from 12 PM-5 PM. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for students. Check out the list of vendors. You’ll find more information at the Builder Association of Victoria website.

In and Around Victoria highlights places to go, things to see, and local area restaurants. The posts are in no particular order or ranking. Let us know if you have a local area attraction that you’d like to see highlighted in the blog. Post a comment or give us a call 361-433-0520.

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com. Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search to find houses with up-to-date information. Like us on Facebook!

Appy Days – SnapShop Showroom

snapshopSnapShop Showroom allows you to visualize furniture in any room of your house. You can place furniture where needed and then share with a friend. Select a picture from your camera roll or take a picture, drag and drop furniture or accessories from the app’s catalog, rotate, scale, and drop into your room! It’s a little tricky to scale and move the pieces but it does give you an idea of how a piece of furniture, artwork, or accessory would look in the space. Snapshop Showroom is a free app. If you are out looking at houses you could take pictures of rooms and later open the picture in the app and place your furniture. Of course a house staged with furniture wouldn’t work as well but I was able to place items over existing pieces just to get an idea.

Appy Days – We will share useful apps on a regular basis so please visit often for the next new app. If you have one you really like please let us know so we can share out to everyone. Email sharon@gcrtx.com or give us a call 361-433-0520.

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com. Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search to find houses with up-to-date information. Like us on Facebook!

Appy Days – ColorSchemer

colorschemersmColorSchemer is a free app that puts a million color palettes in your pocket! You can browse the already created palettes and get social and interact with other users. Create palettes from photos, using your smartphone camera or your photo library. Let ColorSchemer help you with picking colors for your new house!

Appy Days – We will share useful apps on a regular basis so please visit often for the next new app. If you have one you really like please let us know so we can share out to everyone. Email sharon@gcrtx.com or give us a call 361-433-0520.

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com. Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search to find houses with up-to-date information. Like us on Facebook!

Ready to List Your House?

You’ve decided you are ready to sell your home. Before you put it on the market there are a few things you can do to create the best first impression for buyers.

  • Organize your closets and kitchen cabinets – crowded closets and cabinets mean not enough storage for buyers
  • Make your floors shine – replace broken tiles, get the carpets cleaned if needed
  • Clean your windows
  • Clean out your refrigerator (yes, buyers look in the fridge and cabinets and closets)
  • Dust and polish everything!
  • Make sure your home smells fresh - buyers are turned off by a smelly house

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com. Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search to find houses with up-to-date information. Like us on Facebook!

Staging Your Home

It’s best to get your property ready for showing before you open your home for buyers to view. First impressions are so important!

Some tips on staging your home:

  • Take the ‘you’ out of your home. Remove personal items and pictures.
  • Pack up the extra ‘stuff’. De-clutter your house as much as possible. Removing any extra furniture will make your home appear more spacious. Clean the counters in the kitchen and the bathrooms.
  • Clean up your closets and cabinets. If they appear full to over-flowing it will look like there’s not enough storage in your house. If you don’t need it, pack it away until you move.
  • Clean, clean, clean. If you notice the dust and marks on the walls so will the buyers.
  • Think curb appeal too. Clean up the lawn and add a few plants for a pop of color. It won’t cost you much and it will make such a difference.

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com. Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search to find houses with up-to-date information.

Add Value to Your Home

Whether you are getting ready to put your house on the market or just want to spruce it up a bit check out these ideas for your kitchen and bath that won’t cost you tons of money but will add value to your home. The actual added value will vary depending on the overall condition of your home and market values in your area.

Spruce up your kitchen – the kitchen is one of the first rooms a buyer wants to see and can many times make or break a sale. To add value and to enjoy your kitchen more try these inexpensive ideas: replace the kitchen faucet set, add modern pulls to cabinets and drawers, replace light fixtures with brighter and energy efficient ones, and consider re-facing or painting your cabinets.

Bring your bath up to date – besides the kitchen, bathrooms are the next best thing to update to bring added value to your home. Try these inexpensive ideas: add a new toilet seat, replace your old sink and cabinet with a modern pedestal sink, and replace the old bathroom floor with easy to install vinyl tiles. If your tub and shower look dingy you can dig out the old grout and re-grout to add a fresh look. Cleaning every corner will also make a huge difference!

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com. Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search to find houses with up-to-date information.

Selling Your Home – Smells and Cleanliness

Upon entering your home a buyer will first notice the smell. If the house smells bad then it makes the buyer feel like it’s not clean and not well maintained. Pets can be the biggest contributor to the odor of your home. Ask a good friend or family member to ‘smell’ your house to see if offensive odors are present.

The second thing buyers will notice is cleanliness. If your home is clean then buyers feel like you are taking good care of the property. If it’s dirty and cluttered buyers will feel like it’s not well maintained. It really does make a huge difference.

You wouldn’t want to buy a pre-owned car if it smelled bad and was really dirty. If you did buy a smelly, dirty car then you would want to get it at a real bargain. Start cleaning and ‘smelling’ your home to get it ready for showings!

If you would like Rick and Sharon to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home please call 361-433-0520. Or email rick@gcrtx.com or sharon@gcrtx.com.  Ask about our Educator Incentive Program. Try our Property Search with up-to-date information.