But, surprisingly, people buy homes without “test driving” the prospective neighborhood.  I’m not talking about just walking around the block, although that’s a good start.  I’m talking about pretending you’re a resident for a couple of hours.  Here are some ideas:

-Have your kids play in the neighborhood park

-Go for a bike ride and explore the surrounding streets and trails

-Drop by a local school

-Visit the shops on a nearby street

-Visit the local community center, fitness club, sports center or library

Investing some serious time in a neighborhood will give you a much better idea of what it’s like to live there on a day-to-day basis.

How much have other homes in my neighborhood sold for recently?  The key word here is “recently”.  We all know that prices have adjusted downward in the last couple of years, so it’s not really relevant what Mr. Smith sold his house for five years ago.  You need up to date information from current (usually the last 60-90 days) sales in your neighborhood.  In addition to knowing what homes have sold for, you should also take a look at what homes are currently listed for.  That will help you have a good idea where you should place yourself in the market as far as pricing goes.

What desirable special features and upgrades does your home have to offer?  With this consideration, keep in mind that we’re talking about upgrades, not maintenance issues.  If your home is 15 years old and you’ve recently put in new carpet, that is not an upgrade, that is a maintenance item.  If all the homes in your neighborhood have granite counter tops, that’s not really an upgrade, that’s a standard feature.  Everyone loves their home, but it’s best to be realistic about this consideration, because buyers certainly will.

A final consideration is does your home have any undesirable features?  Some examples could be that it backs up to a very busy highway, has just one bathroom, or has a strange floor plan.  You need to be brutally honest with yourself and understand that you might have to make some concessions in your price to make up for some of the things you just can’t control.

You might be surprised to find out what you could get for your home in today’s market.  To find out more, give me a call.

This is the busiest time of the year in the real estate world, which is wonderful, but it also means that there is a ton of competition out there.  Many times I may show 10-20 homes in one day to one client, and sometimes they drive around and preview homes before we even go inside.  Many times a home gets passed up if the home doesn’t have great curb appeal.  It doesn’t  matter how adorable it is on the inside because my clients never make it inside.

When it comes time to list your home, you must separate yourself from your home and look at it as you were a buyer!  I have a few tips for you to make it a little easier for you!
Step 1…walk out on to the street and look at your home from the street level.  Look at it through the eyes of a buyer.  Is wooden garage door in dire need of new stain, is the paint chipping, how does the front door look?  Is the home warm and welcoming or does it look like it hasn’t been maintained in years?  If they think the outside is bad, they will assume that the inside is worse!  Paint is one of the easiest fixes.  Nothing makes a home look more inviting than freshly painted trim and doors,  newly stained shutters or garage door.

Step 2…look at the landscaping.  Is the grass green, are the hedges trimmed, is the lawn edged, and are there fresh flowers?  Nothing looks worse than a dead yard, over grown landscaping, or dead plants/flowers in the yard.  You can make the home look great with just a few minor adjustments.  Pull any weeds, trim the bushes, edge the yard, throw out some mulch, and grab a few new flowers for the flower beds.  You might even get some adorable pots and plant some flowers in them for the front entry!  You have no idea how different the same home can look with some easy landscaping touches.

Step 3…have an agent or an inspector look for things that might be potential problems in an inspection so you nip them in the bud before you ever have a buyer.  I am not saying that I am an inspector; however, I have been on enough inspections to know what things could show up on a report.  A few of these things are rotten wood, limbs touching the roof, broken window seals, and drainage issues.  Many of these things are easy fixes but can alarm potential buyers.  Have a realtor walk around and show you potential problems, or hire an inspector to do a pre-listing inspection to find anything that could be wrong with the home!  This may cost you a little money on the front end, but it could potentially save  a sale(and quite a bit of money) on the back end!!

Step 4…Look at the drive way and walkway.  Again, it’s all about first impressions.  If you have a low spot in your sidewalk that holds water, it can turn a little green and is just gross looking!  That is an easy fix with just a little bleach, and it makes a huge difference!  If the sidewalk or driveway is badly damaged, you might replace or repair it as this is the path that leads to your home!

Step 5…De-clutter and clean!  Wash all the windows inside and out, pick up any toys or old patio furniture that might be sitting in the front yard, and change all the light bulbs.  Make sure your walk way is clean and inviting, and even look at your home during the night to see how it appears at night.

The bottom line is that no matter how beautiful your home is inside, many may not have the chance to see that if they drive by and it looks as if someone may not even live there or doesn’t care!  The most important thing you can do is hire a professional to help you get your home ready to list and sell in the time you want for the money you want!

For this and other tips, give me, Farrah Spears, a call at 979-229-0919

If you haven’t seen Farrah Spears, Realtor with Century 21 Beal, with her boots on checkout this video!!!

Farrah has helped bring awareness and support to the Boot Campaign in Bryan College Station. The campaign was started by the Boot Girls! Check out the campaign and thank Farrah for her support of the troops!

Aggieland Boot Campaign

Get Your Boots On & Support Our Troops

It all began back in April when Mr. Landmann was surprised at Forest Ridge with balloons and a cake from 10 HEB employees letting him know he was a finalist! He received a $1,000 check for himself and a $1,000 check for the school. He was just one of four teachers in the Lifetime Achievement award category, and if he won, could walk away with $25,000 for himself and another $25,000 for the school.

Well guess what, he did it! Our very own teacher was named the 2011 winner of the Lifetime Achievement teacher award by HEB! This is an amazing honor bestowed on a teacher who has spent over 20 years in the classroom and is seen as outstanding in teaching styles and leadership! Anyone who has been lucky enough to have had a child in Mr. Landmann’s class knows that the lessons the children learn in his classroom go far beyond the classroom! His teaching style and “museums” put the students right in the middle of the period they are studying which makes memorizing the information a breeze! One of his students even took over a tour guide in Rome because he knew more about the area than the guide did all because of Mr. Landmann’s class! He treats every child like they are special, and they absolutely love learning the material and acting out the day to day activies of the people they are studying!

We are very lucky to have a teacher like that right here in College Station! Congrats to Mr. Landmann and all the teachers, faculty, staff, and most importantly the present and future students at Forest Ridge Elementary in College Station who will benefit from the $25,000 grant money the school will recieve for Mr. Landmann’s amazing honor! Thank you Mr. Landmann for going above and beyond the term educator! You are a teacher, mentor, example, and inspiration to us all!

For more information or any real estate questions, call Farrah Spears at 979-220-0919!

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One of my favorite things about being a realtor in B/CS is getting to meet new people constantly.  Since I am a local business person, I really try to support our locally owned businesses. 

One such business is Flowers by JADE owned by Jeff and Donna Gore.  This cozy little shop is located behind Wal-Mart at 1904 Brothers Blvd. Suite C.  The thing that strikes you the most is the friendly atmosphere the moment you walk in the door!  Donna has been in the floral business for years, so she knows what she is doing, but the thing that sets her apart is her listening ability!  Donna doesn’t just take orders, rather she listens to the story behind the order so that she can really personalize each arrangement she creates.

In a time where service sometimes slacks, Donna is a breath of fresh air.  She truly cares about each and every customer that walks through the door, calls, or emails her about an arrangement.  She says every person is unique and thusly every arrangement should be unique to that person.  She says no order is too big or too small, and she specializes in everything from a simple arrangement to brighten your day to a huge wedding reception.  If you are looking for a floral shop who puts thought into each and every arrangement they create, then give Flowers by JADE a call at 979-693-1777 or find them on facebook for weekly specials! 

For all your real estate needs, call me, Farrah Spears, at 979-229-0919

We are so lucky to live in a town like College Station where the educators and principals go the extra mile to pump up the student body.

Every year, the PTO at Forest Ridge Elementary in College Station puts on the annual Fall Festival fundraiser. The fesitval is full of games, activities, food, and amazing live and silent auction items. This year, the theme of the festival was “Truckin’ to the County Fair”. The Country fair theme created some buzz with old fashion activities such as a pie contest, pig races, and a kiss a pig contest between Principal, Terresa Katt, and Assistant Principal, Jason Hawkins. For weeks, the students filled the jars with money to see which principal would have to kiss Herman the pig!

Little did the children know what they were in for when they voted Mrs. Katt as the champion and the one to kiss Herman! Terresa was an amazing sport and really excited the kids after their fall sing along when she laid one on Herman. By the way, she doesn’t normally dress that way…the theme of the sing along was Rock N Roll over the years 50′s-80′s, and she was obviously dressed 80′s!

Education is so important, and nothing makes children get more pumped up about learning, than teachers and Principals who go above and beyond their duties to make learning fun! Mrs. Katt is one in a million when it comes to putting her students first. Whether it is judging the pie contest, dressing up like an 80′s gal, reading at Barnes and Noble, or kissing a PIG, she’s up for the challenge. College Station ISD and Forest Ridge Elementary are very lucky to have such a dedicated Principal!

For all community and real estate information in and around the Bryan/College Station area, give Farrah a call at 979-229-0919

Farrah B Spears

979-229-0919

Last night I was privileged to attend a PTO fundraiser at Barnes and Noble Book Store for Forest Ridge Elementary where my daughter attends school! It was a wonderful fundraiser for our school with Barnes and Noble donating a portion of the night’s sales to Forest Ridge.

There were activities for the children and we enjoyed story time with our principal, Terresa Katt, who read a story about a llama. College Station ISD is so fortunate to have principals and teachers who will take time out of their very busy lives to spend time with our children and help raise money for our wonderful schools!

Mrs. Katt is known all around our community as being one of the most giving and caring principals around. She puts her students first and will do anything for them. Whether it is reading to the students at a fundraiser, judging a pie contest at our fall festival, or kissing a pig(which she will do Friday), Mrs. Katt is always ready to do anything for the wonderful students of Forest Ridge and College Station ISD! Stay tuned for my next entry and video of the kissing of the pig on Friday!!

Thank you Mrs. Katt and Barnes and Noble for a wonderful evening for the Forest Ridge students!

For all your real estate needs, call Farrah Spears at 979-229-0919

What a wondeful day we had last Saturday at the Castlegate Fall Festival. There were fun activities like train rides, a bounce house, face painting and great food!

The College Station fire department came out and let the children climb into the fire engine which was a favorite for a lot of kids! Unfortunately the petting zoo and pony rides did not happen as the company took a wrong turn(to say the least) and ended up in Sugarland!

It was a great event for all, and the evening was capped off by a movie after dark in the park with a showing of the popular movie, “How to Train Your Dragon”.

I am so lucky to sell homes and live in a neighborhood that has events for families to get to meet one another and spend time together!

For all your real estate needs, call Farrah Spears at 979-229-0919