DAILY NEWS HOMES - Sand `N Sea GDN... · remodeling an outdated kitchen or landscaping the front...
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DAILY NEWS HOMES Contact 409 683-5301 | Your new home is waiting for you ... Saturday, December 24, 2016 | e Daily News | C1 GALVESTON COUNTY’S FEATURED HOME Wendell Odorizzi Wendell Odorizzi is president of the Galveston Associ- ation of Realtors and is a Realtor with Sand ‘N Sea proper- ties. He can be reached at 409-771-2649 or wendell@ sandnsea.com. Jenifer Duguay Jenifer Duguay is a Realtor with RE/ MAX Pearland and serves as the 2016 Southeast region representative for the Houston Association of Realtors/HAR.com. T his beautiful three-bedroom, 2.5-bath home boasts stunning views of Laffites Cove Nature Preserve. Coastal colors throughout the home, a large deck, lovely tropical landscaping and in- credible views make this home island living at its best! e main level features an open living concept, and the kitchen, dining, and living areas blend together seamlessly. Architectural accents include high ceilings, walls of windows, recessed lighting, tile flooring, custom built-ins, and a gas fireplace. e kitchen is a chef’s dream with crisp white cabi- netry, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a gas range, tray ceiling and a large island. e spacious master suite is located on the second floor and accesses a balcony overlooking the nature preserve and pond. e en suite master bath boasts a double vanity and large glass shower. ere are two more bedrooms and another full bath; the third bed- room includes a loſt which can be used as a playroom or sleeping area. Lush tropical landscaping surrounds the home and several seating areas are ideal for entertaining. Other features include an attached two-car garage and an exterior cargo liſt that goes from the ground level to all floors. is property is listed at $425,000. For more infor- mation, call Becky McClain, Realtor at Sand `N Sea Properties, at 832-455-9454. Coastal charm on a nature preserve 13514 Windlass Circle, Laffite’s Cove • $425,000 C hances are, if you’ve lived in Galveston you’ve heard the saying, “I wasn’t born in Galveston, but I got here as fast as I could.” Over the past decade, that spirit has come to life like never before, with unprecedented population growth in the Lone Star State. at has created strong demand for homes in Texas, while new housing development has struggled to keep pace, meaning real estate prices for existing homes have risen steadily, especially in the last five years. at’s great news for homeowners, who are seeing their property values rise, but it can also make the Texas real estate market difficult to navigate, espe- cially for first-time home- buyers. Fortunately, Texas Realtors help their clients through these challenges every day, and a recent poll of all members of the Texas Association of Realtors revealed some of the most expensive mistakes buyers should avoid in Texas’s competitive real estate market. Mistake #1: Skipping the home inspection, Most home inspections cost a few hundred dollars, and as one among several expenses along the path to homeownership, it can be tempting to skip it. Don’t! While everything might look good around the prop- erty, you won’t see things like foundation problems, plumbing issues or termite damage that could cost thousands of dollars to fix. Not only will a home inspection ensure you avoid any major expenses down the road, it also identifies minor things that may need to be fixed, replaced or re- The most expensive mistakes that texas homebuyers make Is buying a fixer- upper right for you? T hinking about the possibility of home-shopping in the new year? Many people are intrigued by the idea of buying a rundown home, moving in, fixing it up and reselling for a profit. Fixer-uppers can be a lucrative investment, but they’re not a sure thing. A home that seems like a great bargain now can become a money pit if you don’t do your homework. How do you know if buy- ing a fixer-upper is for you? • Begin your search by checking out both www.HAR.com and the real estate section of the Galveston County Daily News. Enlist the services of a Realtor who knows the fixer-upper market in your area. at person will be an ally in your search. Have your Realtor take you in- side for a closer look. Many of these fixer-uppers look quaint and immaculate on the outside. e inside, however, is sometimes very different. You’ll soon learn to distinguish between homes that are worth your time to investigate and homes that probably aren’t. • Routine remodel- ing jobs like painting or installing new light fixtures are a far cry from add- ing a second bathroom, remodeling an outdated kitchen or landscaping the front yard. Tackling these improvements without the necessary experience and expertise can lead to costly mistakes. And if the home really only needs easy, inex- pensive or purely cosmetic repairs, your efforts proba- bly won’t add enough value to be profitable anyway. • As a general rule of thumb, improvements that are invisible to buyers or merely bring the home in line with expected min- imum standards don’t add much resale value. And you don’t want to over-improve the home relative to other homes in the neighborhood. Taking your time and finding a reputable lender, Realtor and home inspector — and maybe even taking a home remodeling course — can help you make the right decision. Also, check with your accountant for the most current IRS rulings and laws governing investment properties, as these change frequently. For more information about all things real estate, visit www.HAR.com. See ODORIZZI on page C3
Transcript of DAILY NEWS HOMES - Sand `N Sea GDN... · remodeling an outdated kitchen or landscaping the front...
DAILY NEWS HOMESContact 409 683-5301 | Your new home is waiting for you ... Saturday, December 24, 2016 | The Daily News | C1
GALVESTON COUNTY’S FEATURED HOME
Wendell OdorizziWendell Odorizzi is president of the Galveston Associ-ation of Realtors and is a Realtor with Sand ‘N Sea proper-ties. He can be reached at 409-771-2649 or [email protected].
Jenifer DuguayJenifer Duguay is a Realtor with RE/MAX Pearland and serves as the 2016 Southeast region representative for the Houston Association of Realtors/HAR.com.
T his beautiful three-bedroom, 2.5-bath home boasts stunning views of Laffites Cove Nature Preserve. Coastal colors throughout the
home, a large deck, lovely tropical landscaping and in-credible views make this home island living at its best!
The main level features an open living concept, and the kitchen, dining, and living areas blend together seamlessly. Architectural accents include high ceilings, walls of windows, recessed lighting, tile flooring, custom built-ins, and a gas fireplace.
The kitchen is a chef ’s dream with crisp white cabi-netry, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a gas range, tray ceiling and a large island.
The spacious master suite is located on the second
floor and accesses a balcony overlooking the nature preserve and pond. The en suite master bath boasts a double vanity and large glass shower. There are two more bedrooms and another full bath; the third bed-room includes a loft which can be used as a playroom or sleeping area.
Lush tropical landscaping surrounds the home and several seating areas are ideal for entertaining. Other features include an attached two-car garage and an exterior cargo lift that goes from the ground level to all floors.
This property is listed at $425,000. For more infor-mation, call Becky McClain, Realtor at Sand `N Sea Properties, at 832-455-9454.
Coastal charm on a nature preserve
13514 Windlass Circle, Laffite’s Cove • $425,000
C hances are, if you’ve lived in Galveston you’ve
heard the saying, “I wasn’t born in Galveston, but I got here as fast as I could.” Over the past decade, that spirit has come to life like never before, with unprecedented population growth in the Lone Star State. That has created strong demand for homes in Texas, while new housing development has struggled to keep pace, meaning real estate prices for existing homes have risen steadily, especially in the last five years.
That’s great news for homeowners, who are seeing their property values rise, but it can also make the Texas real estate market difficult to navigate, espe-cially for first-time home-buyers. Fortunately, Texas Realtors help their clients through these challenges every day, and a recent poll of all members of the Texas Association of Realtors revealed some of the most expensive mistakes buyers should avoid in Texas’s competitive real estate market.
Mistake #1: Skipping
the home inspection, Most home inspections cost a few hundred dollars, and as one among several expenses along the path to homeownership, it can be tempting to skip it. Don’t! While everything might look good around the prop-erty, you won’t see things like foundation problems, plumbing issues or termite damage that could cost thousands of dollars to fix. Not only will a home inspection ensure you avoid any major expenses down the road, it also identifies minor things that may need to be fixed, replaced or re-
The most expensive mistakes that texas homebuyers make
Is buying a fixer-upper right for you?T hinking about
the possibility of home-shopping in
the new year?Many people are
intrigued by the idea of buying a rundown home, moving in, fixing it up and reselling for a profit.
Fixer-uppers can be a lucrative investment, but they’re not a sure thing. A home that seems like a great bargain now can become a money pit if you don’t do your homework.
How do you know if buy-ing a fixer-upper is for you?
• Begin your search by checking out both www.HAR.com and the real estate section of the Galveston County Daily News. Enlist the services of a Realtor who knows the fixer-upper market in your area. That person will be an ally in your search. Have your Realtor take you in-side for a closer look. Many of these fixer-uppers look quaint and immaculate on the outside. The inside, however, is sometimes very different. You’ll soon learn to distinguish between homes that are worth your time to investigate and homes that probably aren’t.
• Routine remodel-ing jobs like painting or installing new light fixtures are a far cry from add-ing a second bathroom, remodeling an outdated kitchen or landscaping the front yard. Tackling these improvements without the necessary experience and
expertise can lead to costly mistakes. And if the home really only needs easy, inex-pensive or purely cosmetic repairs, your efforts proba-bly won’t add enough value to be profitable anyway.
• As a general rule of thumb, improvements that are invisible to buyers or merely bring the home in line with expected min-imum standards don’t add much resale value. And you don’t want to over-improve the home relative to other homes in the neighborhood. Taking your time and finding a reputable lender, Realtor and home inspector — and maybe even taking a home remodeling course — can help you make the right decision. Also, check with your accountant for the most current IRS rulings and laws governing investment properties, as these change frequently.
For more information about all things real estate, visit www.HAR.com.
See ODORIZZI on page C3
GALVESTON COUNTY, TEXAS SATUrDAY, DECEmbEr 24, 2016 ★ THE DAILY NEWS ★C3
ON THE REALTOR SCENE
modeled to make the home livable, which your Texas Realtor can help you consid-er when negotiating the final purchase price.
Mistake #2: Offering too much. In a market like this one, it’s not uncommon for buyers to find themselves one among many making an offer on a home (called a “multiple offer” situation). That can inspire buyers to offer more than they intended for a property because they want to nab their dream home. In these situations, Texas Real-tors® urge careful consider-ation. Buyers financing a ma-jority of their home purchase can face issues, since the bank may not appraise the property at the price that was offered and decline a loan. Longer term, Texas Realtors have found that clients who purchase properties above market value may find them-selves owing more than the home is worth and regretting their decision.
Mistake #3: Ignoring assistance programs. When prices are rising, every opportunity to make a home
purchase more affordable is important, and Texas Realtors® find that buyers are often unaware of programs available to help alleviate the cost of homeownership. They encourage clients to con-sider these programs and to participate in the wide range of home buying-education courses available through entities such as the Texas State Affordable Housing Corpo-ration.
Every market has its unique challenges, and the competitive Texas real estate market is no different. Equipped with this knowl-edge and the informed coun-sel of a Texas Realtors®, buy-ers and sellers can sidestep costly mistakes and navigate the market with confidence. Soon you might find yourself tweaking that adage to say, “I wasn’t born in Galveston, but I bought a home here with a smile on my face.”
For more information on how to buy or sell a home, contact The Galveston Association of Realtors or visit TheGalvestonMLS to find a Galveston area Realtor to assist you with your home purchase.
Living the Dream on Gal-veston Island ...
CourtesyWyatt Real Estate LLC joined Salvation Army’s Christmas Campaign by provid-ing books this year for chil-dren to enhance their read-ing skills. Pictured is Kristi Rambin of Wyatt Real Es-tate LLC, Captain Jennifer Jones accept-ing the donated books and David Wyatt, broker/owner of Wyatt Real Es-tate, LLC.
ODORIZZIContinued from page C3
