John A. Daugherty, Jr., Vintage Boats and "No"

My broker, John Daugherty, was featured on PBS Thursday night. Here are a few clips from the show, where he talks about how he got into the residential real estate business in Houston, his passion for vintage boats and ink wells and how he deals with the word "no."

Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick

Well the day that many first-time homebuyers have been waiting for is here: April 30, 2010. If you fit the bill for the first-time homebuyer's tax credit, you must have a property under contract my midnight tonight to qualify.

Separately, if you live in Houston and purchased a home in 2009, today is also the last day for you to file your homestead exemption for 2010. You may only have one homestead and you must have lived in the property on January 1. It's easy to fill out this form online.

And while homeowners still have through June 1 to file a protest on their property taxes, you might as well do it while you are on the Harris County Appraisal District website. It's simple to use the district's online iFile and iSettle systems. Here's a video to show you how. According to the district, 70% of homes were worth the same on January 1 of this year that they were last year, 30% declined and only 1% increased in value. Because not as many homeowners will protest this year, my guess is that those who do are more likely to be called in for a formal hearing, even if using iSettle. That's what has happened with my protest, but let me know how it goes for you!

Spring Squeaky Clean

We've been experiencing some glorious days here in Houston this spring, including today. I don't even have to set my alarm clock this time of year because there is a bird's nest positioned just outside my bedroom window, and the little chicks alert me with their tweets each morning to the new day. This gentle reminder of spring also reminds me of the things that need to be attended to around the house aside from switching out my winter coats and boots for tank tops and sandals. Below are 5 simple steps to take around your home this spring:

1. Have your A/C coils cleaned and your freon levels checked by a certified HVAC technician.

2. Clean out your gutters so they will flow during those spring and summer showers.

3. Check for wood rot and repair it so it doesn't get worse with rain.

4. Remove firewood stored near your home.

5. Powerwash your sidewalk and driveway.

My driveway getting a good spring cleaning from Jarrin's Pressure Washing Service.

Most importantly, don't forget to stop and smell the honeysuckle!

To Stage or Not to Stage?

In December of last year, I earned my first designation: Certified Home Marketing Specialist (CHMS) created by Martha Webb. This designation means that I now have the tools of knowledge to stage a home and get it ready to sell. I am more prepared to advise sellers on how to de-clutter and de-personalize their homes. I can tell them about sight lines and the rule of three. The designation doesn't, however, make me a professional home stager with an inventory of furniture and props.

One of my listings, 6017 Riverview Way in Tanglewood, which is vacant, needed more than my designation to get it staged. My client called on Staged Right, and I think they did a great job making the home more appealing to the masses. Having been vacant for a while, it was lacking the warmth of home. Below are the Before and After shots. Truly transforming!

The Family Room before...

and after...

 

The Dining Room before...

and after...

 

The Master Bedroom before...

 and after...

One of the secondary Bedrooms before...

and after...

Last but not least, the Kitchen before...

 

 and after...

The difference is amazing both in pictures and in person. I invite anyone who has seen this listing before to come back and take a look at it again. With the furniture in place, and the palette neutralized, it is much easier to picture oneself living here. And that is the point of staging. Plus, it has just been reduced $25K!

6017 Riverview Way will be held open during John Daugherty, Realtors' annual Spring Celebration of Homes (March 7, 2-5PM), held simultaneously with the Azalea Trail, a home and garden tour put on by the River Oaks Garden Club when the azaleas in Houston are at their very best. Hope to see you then!

["After" photos by Jaron Hall]

This Old House: Leveling Out

When we bought our house, it was evidenced in our inspection report that the foundation needed to be shimmed. The listing agent said the sellers did not ever do this because they didn't want to deal with the aesthetic damage that might result (namely cracks in the sheetrock). So, I negotiated the needed repair into our sales price, but we did not take care of it until we had to: today, just more than a year after we took possession of our home.

Our front door was sticking ever so slightly when we moved in, so my carpenter sanded the bottom of it. But it progressively worsened. A crack appeared in the corner of the door frame toward the ceiling and worsened every time we had to forcefully open or close the door. By the end of the summer, our door was inoperable.

Per a contractor's suggestion, we had a "door pro" help us to get it functioning again. He shaved the bottom of the door at an angle, realigned the hinges and added some pretty serious weather stripping. As he shaved it, I fearfully watched every millimeter of that original 1920 door come off. He almost quit due to my micromanagement, but he completed the job thanks to my begging.

I added gutter to the front of the house where water pooled in heavy rains. It could be argued that this water was causing some of the front door issues. This should, in fact, help us going forward.

Well, about a month after the "door pro" fixed the door, it was sticking again. And soon after that, it was inoperable...basically all winter long. Theories existed that the wood was expanding and contracting with the weather. Perhaps some, but the root of the issue--I finally found out--was the foundation. 

I had three foundation companies who specialize in pier and beam foundations come out, all highly recommended by other agents in my office. I ended up going with the quickest to respond, Golden Construction, a family-run business where all in the fam seem to know a lot about foundation, old houses, construction and even politics.

Lois Golden and son, JJ, of Golden Construction Company stand at our storied front door with their level.

 

I learned a lot from them, including the fact that a pier and beam house needs to be adjusted every once in a while, whereas a house on a slab shouldn't. The warranty on foundation adjustment for pier and beam is only good for a few years, whereas the slab warranties are usually transferable and sometimes good for life. In fact, Golden had a whole file on my house--records of times they had come out to give a bid and records of the work they'd actually done. They knew more about my house than I did! They explained that Houston experienced a major drought last summer, causing movement in most all pier and beam homes.

I am glad to report that we are back on level ground. Granted there are a couple cracks that need patching and touch-up paint, but our furniture is no longer shaking and the front door works. The groundhog will tell us for sure tomorrow, but my guess is we will soon be able to enjoy the Troutman rocking chairs we received for Christmas. If business this past week is any indication, I'd say the promise of spring is just around the corner because the spring selling season has definitely sprung!

The Taxman Cometh

[Disclaimer: While you might be tempted to quit reading mid-post, you'll get the most bang for your buck if you read through to the end.]

This morning I attended a class at First American Title Company called Tax Strategies for the Self-Employed. As a Realtor, I am an independent contractor in the eyes of the IRS. On top of the income taxes that everyone pays, we self-employed pay an additional 15.3%, meaning our income taxes can add up to almost half of what we earn! So it behooves me to take such a class and learn as much as I can about the tax laws and how to deduct expenses related to my business. I found it useful, yet still daunting, even though the instructor said the laws were written to be understood by 4th-8th grade readers.

So with taxes on the brain, and the impending deadline of April 15 to file on time, I bring you this post, which I'm excited to report is being posted from the River Oaks Coffee House, a local coffee shop I've been supporting with a cup of coffee or Chai every two weeks or so since it opened. (I realize that's not much, but it is more support than I give the 7 Starbucks located within a mile or so of my house.)

Back to taxes, if you purchased a home between January 1 and November 6, 2009 for the first time (or haven't owned a home in the last three years and purchased one during that time), you may be eligible for the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, which could help lower your income taxes for 2009. (If you purchased it after November 6, click here for information on the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, which is in effect until April 30, 2010.)

Here's a video from the IRS:

Another important thing to remember as you prepare your income taxes this year is that the interest on your mortgage is tax-deductible. IRS Publication 936 goes into detail about the what's and how's of home mortgage interest deduction. My broker, John A. Daugherty, Jr., stands by the idea that you cannot get a better deal renting than you can buying after deducting the interest on a mortgage. (For a more detailed look at Renting vs. Buying, click here.)

We're not done talking taxes. If you bought a home last year in the great state of Texas, it is time to apply for your Homestead Exemption. Taking advantage of this exemption will save you 20% in property taxes annually. There are a few requirements: You must own your home on January 1 of the tax year. You must have occupied it as your principal residence on January 1. You or your spouse must not have claimed this exemption on any other property for the tax year. Click here for a link to the form and don't forget to get it turned in by April 30.

Well that about sums it up. I hope that this post was not too taxing. Here's to a prosperous 2010!

Home for the Holidays

While people may think that home sales slow down during the holidays, it is not the truth. Many homes sell (or go sale pending) between Thanksgiving and Christmas. John Daugherty, Realtors sold some $60 million in December two years ago. (Last year sales were down due to Hurricane Ike.)

Riding on the tails of a successful October and November this year, where we [JDR] have sold well over our monthly goals set at this time last year, we are expecting another active December to close out 2009. So 'tis the season for home shopping, and Bah, humbug, to the naysayers!

To anyone thinking of relocating to Houston from a snowy city like Syracuse, New York, know this: While Houston does not often enjoy white Christmases, we do get snow on occasion (roughly every four years). Below are some photos that I took last Friday at home and in the neighborhood, when Houston's earliest snowfall on record made national news. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Bottlebrush under the snow

Roof collecting snow

Backyard bench

 
Snow in motion

A car parked at Cherryhurst Park covered in snow

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...