Raylene Lewis

Realtor®

Raylene Lewis is a happily married Realtor. Her family is comprised of a loving husband, two children, a 5 year old boy and a 3 year old girl, 2 dogs, and a Parrot. Raylene has been selling realestate for the last 8 years with Century 21 and sold 123 property units in 2008. Raylene loves being a Realtor and a Mommy, and as such, she is constantly on a mission to get things done!

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Call: 979-218-2235

Raylene Lewis

Realtor®

Read my blog below

Buying Real Estate Category

Pebble Creek Subdivision in College Station Texas — About the Neighborhood

November 5th, 2010 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Pebble Creek, Real Estate News

Have you decided to move to College Station, Texas but are unsure of what neighborhood you want? Do you want to live in a subdivision that is nice, highly sought after, and has great parks and schools in close proximity? If so, Pebble Creek might be the perfect fit for you. Located in South College Station, Pebble Creek is a 1,348 acre master planned community with Country Club.

The Development of Pebble Creek features many desirable attributes that make it a top notch subdivision many home buyers are looking for. Prices for the homes in Pebble Creek start around $250,000.00, but the average home in the neighborhood is between $350,ooo.00 - $450,000.00. The subdivision is highly deed restricted to help ensure that the homes provide a clean and pretty exterior appearance and to make sure Pebble Creek stays subdivision that retains its value. There are also minimum requirements — usually starting with at least 2500 sqft.

The HOA (Home Owner’s Association) in Pebble Creek is very active and excels at taking care of the community areas at a reasonable price. They also make sure every home owner is following the deed restrictions that come with living in a golf-course community. Their objective is to provide the highest quality of life for the families that live in the subdivision.

Two of my favorite things about Pebble Creek are the well maintained park and highly recognized Elementary school — both of which are located in the subdivision. Pebble Creek is also known for its pool, 7 well-lit tennis courts and of course 18 hole championship golf course. The pool is open from Mid May through labor day, has a lifeguard and wadding area for little ones.

If you are interested in learning more about the Pebble Creek subdivision in College Station, just give me a call! 979-218-2235

Raylene Lewis — College Station Expert and Professional Real Estate Agent!

www.buyincollegestation.com

979-218-2235

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Questions to Think About when Buying a College Station Home

November 4th, 2010 Categories: 1, Buying Real Estate

Purchasing a home is one of the biggest expenses you will invest in. If you have decided to move, finding a home the meets your needs and desires may seem a bit over whelming. This is totally normal! After all, where do you start? Luckily, this is not something you have to do alone; as Century 21 Beal’s top agent I am here to help!

There is currently a growing trend today of people looking for a house in College Station, TX because our town does not have the high traffic or huge crime rate that other big cities have. Life here is just a lot less chaotic!

What is the first step when buying a College Station house? If you want to start on your own, and you are not quite ready for talking to a lender or Century 21 Realtor just yet, there are stands outside of many local convenience and grocery stores that contain “Homes Magazines,” these give you a list of homes for sale in the area; and are a great way to get a feel for the market. Reviewing the homes will give you a good idea of what you can expect to get for your dollar.

When you are ready, you should find a Century 21 Realtor that understands your goals and is someone you can trust. A good Century 21 Realtor will be able to show you any home for sale listed with any company. Many people start their search for a home or agent by looking on the Internet.

The internet provides you the most up to date data on homes for sale as well as personality, credentials and ratings of local licensed Century 21 Real Estate professionals.

Once you have chosen a real estate agent; discuss with them specifically what type of home you are looking for. Here is a list of very helpful questions that can direct you to finding your dream home:

1. Will my family grow larger?

2. What needs does my family have for the home?

3. Of what value are the school districts in the area?

4. What size of yard or land will fit your needs?

5. Will you have livestock or several small animals on your land?

6. How close do you need to be to your place of business, schools, or city?

7. Would you prefer a property that needs work or is move in ready?

8. Are you going to live in the home or use it as an investment property?

9. Is this going to be your primary residence…and if so, for how long?

10. What is of most value about the way of life you aim to achieve?

11. What is within your budget? How much has you mortgage lender agreed to lend to you?

12. What items are most important to you when looking for your new home?

When you are ready to submit an offer, your Realtor® is the go between with you and the seller. The duties of the agent will be to negotiate any and all terms of the contract including but not limited to, the down payment, price, closing date, contingencies, and whatever else needs to be accomplished to bring the deal to a fulfilling finale.

Be sure to elect a Realtor® who will educate you on what to look for, be your ambassador, and will work hard to find the residence that meets your distinctive desires.

Good Luck and Happy House Hunting!

Raylene Lewis — College Station Expert and Century 21 Professional Realtor

979-218-2235

www.buyincollegestation.com

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Is Your Home Really Ready For Fall??

November 4th, 2009 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Selling Real Estate

Is Your Home Ready for the Holidays?
November 2009 is finally here, and that means it’s a count down until the guests arrive. Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year, and the infamous game between Texas A&M University and TU are just around the corner. So much to do, so little time! Dealing with the pressure of knowing that people are coming for dinner in a matter of days is similar to the feeling you get when you are just about ready to put your home on the market for sale. Where do you start? It is time to clean, finish the minor house repairs and stage for the holidays!
I’ll never forget my clients that wanted to list their home on Thanksgiving weekend. As I walked up to the front door the husband greeted me on the porch. “Thanks for coming to talk to us about selling our home,” he said. “Please don’t step on the yellow mat. It is covering up a hole in the floor and we don’t want you to fall through!”
The first question, when it comes to home cleaning, is deciding if the best use of your time includes grabbing the mop and bucket or simply picking up the phone and calling someone else to do it for you. There are many great and highly reputable cleaning companies in town, and if you need a Ritz Carlton clean at a Wal-Mart price, another option is for you to call your Realtor. No, we don’t clean houses, but with all the sales we do, with clients moving out and not having anytime to make the home ready for the new buyer, we always have a good house cleaner that is on call in a pinch, knows how to clean from top to bottom and is extremely reasonably priced. The key to a good clean for the best price is to make sure you have supplies ready and that the home is picked up and free of toys, counter top clutter, and pets that can prevent access to the entire home.
I got a call once from a service provider that told me “Raylene, the rest of the home is fine, but we couldn’t go into to the master bedroom closet, because there is a large live boa constrictor hanging from the ceiling.”
When getting the home ready for visitors, be sure to remember to clean where it will be most noticeable to guests: ceiling fans and return air vents are the areas most commonly overlooked. And when cleaning that return air vent, might as well change the air filter while you are at it. If you are one of those folks who dust and dust yet seem to be getting no where, an item to add to the Honey Do list before the guests arrive is to buy a tube of clear caulk, climb in the attic, and seal your return air vent on both sides. Often, little bits of insulation dust can be brought into the home from the attic. Sealing the return air vent on both sides with eliminate the problem and result in more free time between house hold dusting. Just remember to wait for the caulk to dry before placing the air filter back in place. And of course, when you are in the attic, watch your step!
“Yes, Raylene…um this is the Heating and A/C Company. We completed the repair you requested on the furnace for the closing this afternoon and the return air duct is all sealed up. Unfortunately, our guy fell through the ceiling on his way out.”
When the home is ready, it’s time for the fun part! Shopping and staging for the holidays. Guests love walking into a home and getting the nice, warm fuzzy feeling of Holiday Spirit. A good starting place is to find a holiday scent you like and sticking with it throughout the home. Evergreen and Peppermint are popular ones, as long as they are not overwhelming. My mother always told me “the way to a man’s heart is though his stomach,” and I don’t think you can go wrong with a scent of pumpkin spice, sugar cookie or ginger bread. The key is to not mix scents and to try and stay away from smells that are fruity or overpowering. Scents that smell like fresh sweet cooking also complement the holiday, and guests might even think the great smells came from your kitchen!
Many of the stores in Bryan-College Station are great with providing holiday accent pieces for home decor. Always check the paper for the latest deals of the day. If you are like me, and want your home staged and looking it’s best for guests, confusion erupts when walking into a store and deciding what to buy. (Personally, I want it all!) A great option to eliminate the buying confusion is to hire a holiday stager. This is very different from having an interior decorator or designer come in, and is just a fraction of the price. For roughly $200.00 - $400.00 depending on what you want done, you can have a stager go with you to pick out floral, art, and accent decor. These folks are also great at finding the best deals in town and are highly creative at getting you the look you want in-budget. You can also hire your stager to dress up the home with items you provide and / or rearrange furniture to make the home look its best. For more information on Staging, you can go to www.stagingbcs.com
As always, don’t forget the point of the November holiday season is to be thankful and enjoy time you have with your close friends and family. This can easily be accomplished, no matter what state your home is in.
“Mrs. Smith, I am so glad you are thankful to your husband for surprising you with this Master Garden Jacuzzi tub as an early Christmas present! I know you are going to enjoy it. Now, if you don’t mind, can you please get out of the tub so we can finish the final walkthrough of the home? I’m afraid we may be late to the closing.”
Raylene Lewis, Realtor
Century21 Beal, Inc.
979-218-2235 Cell
979-764-2100 Office
979-764-0421 Fax
www.BuyInCollegeStation.com
www.raylenelewis.thecenturytreereader.com

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College Station Water - Where Does It Come From?

July 3rd, 2009 Categories: Buying Real Estate

Do you ever wonder where the College Station water you drink comes from?

College Station’s water is ground water from deep wells in Simsboro Sand about 3,000 feet down. The water is pumped from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.

Is the water hot or cold when it comes up? Would you believe that the temperature for the water is 118 degrees Fahrenheit? The cooling towers at the Sandy Point Pump Station help reduce the temperature down to 85 degrees.

From the Sandy Point Pump Station the water travels about 13 miles to the Dowling Road Pump Station. At this Pump Station chlorine is added to disinfect and have fluoride added. The storage tanks at Dowling Road hold about 8 million Read the rest of this entry »

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Hear About Any College Station Home on Your Phone NOW!!!

June 26th, 2009 Categories: Buying Real Estate

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Inquiring Minds Want to Know…

Have you ever been driving around a Bryan or College Station neighborhood and wanted to know how much a house is selling for but you didn’t want to “bother” the agent or they weren’t there when you called?

WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!!

Call 979-764-2121 and enter the street number and you can HEAR information about that house. ANY PHONE - ANY TIME!

If a Bryan College Station home is available for sale in the MLS YOU CAN HEAR IT! It doesn’t matter if Century 21 has it listed for sale or Coldwell Banker or Remax or ANYONE!

Questions? Ideas?

Call me!

Susan Hilton

979-764-2100

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Ready to File for You First Time Home Buyer $8,000 Credit in College Station?

February 27th, 2009 Categories: Buying Real Estate

Ready to file for your First-time Home Buyer credit? Ready for your $8,000 for buying a house in Bryan or College Station in 2009? You’ll need a special form from the IRS for the tax credit. You’ll need to find a house first - Lets get started. Call me!

Susan Hilton

Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

Want to Search the Bryan/College Station Real Estate MLS? CLICK HERE!!!

View Susan Hilton's LinkedIn profileView Susan Hilton’s profile

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Buying A College Station Home: What to Look For When Viewing Homes For Sale

August 8th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Real Estate News

When you begin your home search in College Station for the property that is right for you and your family, the first thing you want to do is compare the home you are looking at to your personal list of minimum requirements. You also want to keep in mind the ”extras” that are included with the home you are looking at.

Typically, “extras” are added features or upgrades to a property. Extras can also be things that are on your “Buyer’s Wish List.” You should ask your Realtor to help you keep track of the extras and point out the upgrades in each property as you are viewing the home.

It is also important to ask your Realtor to help you identify potential problems and maintenance issues. Although your Realtor is NOT an inspector and can not advise you on what is wrong with the property, they can point out the current appearance of things that will require ongoing maintenance; for example: paint, appliances, windows and carpet.

If you are a very detailed and organized person, it can be helpful Read the rest of this entry »

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Buying a Home In College Station: Deciding on a Neighborhood

August 7th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate

College Station Texas is filled with many wonderful neighborhoods. When you start your house hunting adventure, you will want to pick a home in a location that is most convenient to you and allows you to best live your daily life. There are several things you should consider when choosing a neighborhood:

When you find neighborhoods that you like, it is important to talk to the people Read the rest of this entry »

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Buying a Home In College Station: What to Look For in a Realtor

August 6th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate

When you are ready to go out and start viewing homes for sale in Bryan, College Station, and the surrounding area, there are several things you will need to help you get started with your search. The first thing you will want to look for is a Realtor who listens to you and understands your needs.

It is important to pick an agent who you feel comfortable with and whose judgement you trust. A good Realtor will know our local area and the Bryan College Station market well, and they will have all the resources you need to aid you in your search and make sure you find the property that is right for you.

You want someone who will make sure you see all the homes for sale that meet your search criteria; regardless of what company they are listed with. The home buying process should be enjoyable and fun. If you have a good Realtor, you will feel confident that you are being well cared for and well informed. This will greatly Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Raylene Lewis | Discussion: 3 Comments »

Buying Real Estate In Bryan College Station: Determining What You Need

August 5th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate

Whether you are a first time home buyer, upgrading to a larger home, or downsizing to a smaller one, when you know it’s time to buy a property it is easy to wonder where to begin. Since you will be living in your home for typically at least 3 years, you want to find a place that will fit the way you live.

The first step is to obtain loan pre-approval so that you know what price range to be looking in. For the next step, I recommend making 2 lists. The first list should contain Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Raylene Lewis | Discussion: 1 Comment »

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