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Welcome to San Antonio Real Estate!
Joe Crain
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"Dedicated to Quality Service"
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Copyright © 2007 Realty Times
All Rights Reserved.
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Pricing as Much
Art as Science
 Pricing property can be more art than science in some of today's markets. New home builders probably have the easiest time of it -- at least without shocking the buyers -- because everything is new. There are no bare areas in the carpet, fingerprints on the appliances, nicotine stained ceiling tiles in the rec room -- and definitely no cat and dog odors that are promised to be dealt with by installing new carpet after the buyer moves in.
With resale homes, the first weapon to use in the battle to sell the home is to price it correctly. The challenge for sellers is that they want as much as the last sale, however, in today's market
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that's not as guaranteed as it was a year ago. The seller can still walk away with hundreds of thousands of dollars in gain, but maybe not the absolute highest amount of gain ever in the community.
Thus, pricing is the key. There are only a few ways to price a home for sale
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Could Your Closets Be
Turning Off Buyers?
 Homeowners are always looking to fine-tune the look of their homes before they put their house on the market. But all too often an area that gets forgotten is the closet.
Everyone seems to have more stuff than ever before and a lot of that stuff gets crammed into the closets. Then when you list the home on the market, and Mr. and Mrs. Buyer come to have a look, they reach for a closet door and are greeted with an overstuffed, unorganized mess. The prospective buyers don't see your valuables as prized possessions; instead what they see is too much stuff and too little space. Often buyers can't picture their belongings in a home that's filled with clutter. That's why a lot of agents will recommend organizing, not just the space you see immediately upon entering the home, but also the closets.
"I think that instead of being kind of a luxury, now it's something that everybody thinks they need," says Paula Gallegos, co-owner of Conejo Closet Designs in
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Back To Basic
Home Buying Skills
 Lenders tightening their purse strings are sending a signal to potential home buyers to do the same.
There's really little choice.
Just as lenders make certain mortgage applicants are gainfully employed, are sure they can actually afford to pay the mortgage during it's full term, and carefully document that buyers have the cash to cover additional costs that come with home ownership, potential home buyers need to get their financial house in order as well.
If people were more responsible for their own financial behavior, that would have taken the power away from the people who put them in risky loans. The reason for all the creative financing was because people didn't want to do the work.
This involves hard financial work and sacrifices many households have long avoided.
As a carrot, keep in mind, the benefits of owning your own home, likely to be your most valuable asset, far outweigh any passing pain you may endure to achieve that goal.
Here's how to prepare for what's become a more difficult home buying ordeal.
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Demographic Changes That Will Impact Housing In the Future
 TThe latest 1,200-table 2006 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates key changes in social, economic, and housing characteristics for the nation.
As part of the Census Bureau’s re-engineered 2010 Census, the data collected by the ACS helps federal officials determine where to distribute more than $300 billion to state and local governments each year. The 2006 ACS estimates are based on an annual, nationwide sample of about 250,000 addresses per month. In addition, approximately 20,000 group quarters across the United States were sampled, comprising approximately 200,000 residents. Geographic areas for which data are available are based on total
What is the latest news on the San Antonio area Market?
Daily News and Advice
Read about the events shaping the Real Estate market today, find current interest rates, or browse the extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.
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What's New At CENTURY 21, Smith & Associates
Our offfice is located at 2900 Mossrock, Suite 350 where we have grown with over 200 total agents and customer support. Within our building you can also find First American Title Company and Gold Financial Services to assist you with your real estate needs.
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Rankings for South Texas/South Louisiana |
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Century 21 Real Estate LLC Final 2006 Offices by Units . These rankings reflect all 2006 transactions with a close date of 12/31/2006 and a paid date of 01/03/2007 . Final Year-End 2006 |
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1 |
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CENTURY 21 Smith and Associates |
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San Antonio, TX |
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1830.91 |
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2 |
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CENTURY 21 Beal, Inc. |
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College Station, TX |
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1114.5 |
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3 |
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CENTURY 21 Investment Realty |
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Slidell, LA |
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829.5 |
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4 |
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CENTURY 21 Richard Berry & Associates, Inc. |
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Harvey, LA |
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804.5 |
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5 |
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CENTURY 21 United-Action |
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San Antonio, TX |
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713.5 |
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6 |
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CENTURY 21 First Place |
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Austin, TX |
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710 |
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7 |
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CENTURY 21 Bessette Realty, Inc. |
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Lake Charles, LA |
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709.5 |
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8 |
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CENTURY 21 United-Northside |
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San Antonio, TX |
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691 |
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9 |
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CENTURY 21 Excel Realty |
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Houston, TX |
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645 |
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10 |
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CENTURY 21 United-Davalos |
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San Antonio, TX |
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640.5 |
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11 |
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CENTURY 21 Mike D. Bono & Co.s |
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Lake Charles, LA |
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584 |
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12 |
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CENTURY 21 Ripley Realty |
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Austin, TX |
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542 |
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13 |
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CENTURY 21 Stockwell & Associates |
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Pasadena, TX |
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505 |
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14 |
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CENTURY 21 Shackelford-French |
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West Monroe, LA |
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493 |
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15 |
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CENTURY 21 Hallmark |
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Corpus Christi, TX |
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490.5 |
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Rankings for South Texas/South Louisiana |
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Century 21 Real Estate LLC Final 2006 Offices by AGC . These rankings reflect all 2006 transactions with a close date of 12/31/2006 and a paid date of 01/03/2007 . Final Year-End 2006 |
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1 |
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CENTURY 21 Smith and Associates |
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San Antonio, TX |
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6,064,433 |
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2 |
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CENTURY 21 Beal, Inc. |
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College Station, TX |
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3,809,695 |
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3 |
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CENTURY 21 First Place |
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Austin, TX |
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3,520,855 |
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CENTURY 21 Investment Realty |
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Slidell, LA |
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2,980,955 |
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CENTURY 21 Richard Berry & Associates, Inc. |
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Harvey, LA |
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2,844,978 |
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CENTURY 21 United-Action |
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San Antonio, TX |
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2,340,954 |
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7 |
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CENTURY 21 Bessette Realty, Inc. |
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Lake Charles, LA |
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2,287,207 |
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8 |
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CENTURY 21 Ripley Realty |
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Austin, TX |
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2,228,982 |
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9 |
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CENTURY 21 United-Northside |
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San Antonio, TX |
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2,112,436 |
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10 |
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CENTURY 21 Excel Realty |
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Houston, TX |
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1,967,661 |
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11 |
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CENTURY 21 Stockwell & Associates |
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Pasadena, TX |
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1,954,836 |
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12 |
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CENTURY 21 Realty Solution |
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Houston, TX |
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1,889,184 |
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13 |
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CENTURY 21 Shackelford-French |
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West Monroe, LA |
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1,878,649 |
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14 |
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CENTURY 21 Mike D. Bono & Co.s |
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Lake Charles, LA |
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1,595,972 |
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15 |
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CENTURY 21 United-Davalos |
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San Antonio, TX |
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1,564,283 |
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Rankings for National |
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Century 21 Real Estate LLC Final 2006 Team Producers by Units . These rankings reflect all 2006 transactions with a close date of 12/31/2006 and a paid date of 01/03/2007 . Final Year-End 2006 |
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1 |
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The Jeff Smith Team / CENTURY 21 Smith and Associates |
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San Antonio, TX |
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1376.91 |
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The Pugh Team / CENTURY 21 Award |
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El Cajon, CA |
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1099 |
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Hugh Blackwood and Associates / CENTURY 21 Scheetz Co., Inc. |
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Carmel, IN |
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538.5 |
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Team Southside / CENTURY 21 Smith & Associates |
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San Antonio, TX |
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346 |
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Marty Rodriguez Team / CENTURY 21 Marty Rodriguez |
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Glendora, CA |
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311.5 |
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6 |
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Martin Levy Team / CENTURY 21 Alliance |
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Santa Rosa, CA |
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310.25 |
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Lozanovski & Partners / CENTURY 21 Executive Realty |
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Schererville, IN |
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280.5 |
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Delita's Team / CENTURY 21 Gold Country Realty, Inc. |
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Redmond, OR |
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270 |
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Steve Koffman & Associates / CENTURY 21 Sunbelt Realty |
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Cape Coral, FL |
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246.5 |
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10 |
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The Sold Team / CENTURY 21 Heritage Realty |
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York, PA |
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239.45 |
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11 |
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The Karras Team / CENTURY 21 Golden Spike Realty |
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Sunset, UT |
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237 |
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12 |
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The Lester Team / CENTURY 21 Gold Country Realty, Inc. |
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Redmond, OR |
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211.5 |
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13 |
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Bev Langley Team / CENTURY 21 Finesse |
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Severna Park, MD |
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206 |
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14 |
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Dave Abdallah Team / CENTURY 21 Curran & Christie |
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Dearborn Heights, MI |
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205 |
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Rankings for National |
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Century 21 Real Estate LLC Final 2006 Offices by Units . These rankings reflect all 2006 transactions with a close date of 12/31/2006 and a paid date of 01/03/2007 . Final Year-End 2006 |
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1 |
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CENTURY 21 Mike Bowman, Inc. |
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Grapevine, TX |
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4112 |
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CENTURY 21 Realty Group I |
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Indianapolis, IN |
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1887.5 |
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CENTURY 21 APD Associates |
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El Paso, TX |
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1846 |
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4 |
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CENTURY 21 Smith and Associates |
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San Antonio, TX |
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1830.91 |
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5 |
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CENTURY 21 Richards Realty |
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Margate, FL |
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1804 |
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6 |
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CENTURY 21 Scheetz Co., Inc. |
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Carmel, IN |
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1767.5 |
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CENTURY 21 Beutler & Associates |
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Coeur d Alene, ID |
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1751 |
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8 |
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CENTURY 21 Bradley Realty, Inc. |
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Fort Wayne, IN |
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1744 |
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9 |
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CENTURY 21 Aadvantage Gold |
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Henderson, NV |
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1649 |
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Let Joe Crain provide assistance
Whether you're looking to buy your first home, or simply wanting to inquire about selling your own, I'll be there for you every step of the way. Let my innovative ideas and expertise help you with all your real estate needs! Call me at your convenience so we can discuss options...
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How To
MOLD CONCERNS! If you identify problems with a house you are thinking about buying or renting, make sure the seller or landlord correct them before you move in. Or, you may want to consider starting from square one and revive your search efforts for a different house.
To stay on the safe side, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers these tips when shopping for an existing house.
- Hire a professional to check the heating and cooling system, including humidifiers and vents. Check duct lining and insulation for growth.
- Check for exhaust fans in the bathrooms and kitchen. If there are no vents, the kitchen and bathrooms should each have at least one window. The cooktop should have a hood vented outside. The clothes dryer vent should be outside. All vents should lead outdoors rather than to attics or crawlspaces.
- Look for obvious mold growth in attics, basements, and crawlspaces, and around the foundation. See if there are many plants close to the house, particularly if they are damp and rotting - they are a potential source of biological pollutants. Downspouts from roof gutters should route water away from the building.
- Look for stains on the walls, floor or carpet (including any carpet over concrete floors) as evidence of previous flooding or moisture problems. Is there moisture on windows and surfaces? Are there signs of leaks or seepage in the basement?
- Look for rotted building materials. They may suggest moisture or water damage.
Even if mold hasn't developed, moisture problems can lead to dry rot, which can potentially cause structural damage to your home. And most insurance companies don't cover mold damage, which is considered a home maintenance problem, according to Insure.com.
If you find mold in your home, the Insurance Information Institute says it can be cleaned before heavy damage sets in. The most effective way is to correct the underlying water damage and then clean the affected area.
A solution of household bleach and water (1 part bleach, 10 parts water), combined with a bit of dish soap usually does the trick. Be sure to wear a mask and rubber gloves and open windows. Apply the mix to the moldy area, scrub with a rag and then dispose of the rag. If the mold returns, you'll need to investigate whether you have a leak. If the contamination is extensive, you may need to consult a mold abatement specialist.
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We're Here To Help
Our office is here for you. If you have questions or comments about our services, or want to know how we can help you, please call me at 210-408-1177 or e-mail me at C21JoeCrain@earthlink.net .
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More Great Deals From Century 21, Smith & Associates
Buyer's or Seller's who contact me "Today" thru March 2007, and mention this ad will recieve a free one year residential service contract a $349 Value (Home Owner's Warranty) upon final closing and escrow funding of your home!
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