Ask a realtor:
Sarah McDaniel, owner and operator of Greenbelt Realty, shared some of her recommendations for buyers and sellers in the current New Braunfels housing market.
What are some of your top recommendations for homebuyers right now?
"Have high trust in the [real estate agent] that you’re working with. Two, I think something that’s practical is don’t necessarily shy away from some of these lending programs like homeward.com. ... This time last year 65% of every deal that most mortgage brokers did was refinances. And obviously with interest rates going up that’s not the case. So lenders are hurting, too. ... Now’s not the time to mess around with part-time agents, and don’t shy away from nontraditional methods for financing."
What are your top recommendations for home sellers right now?
“Because inventory continues to climb during this time of year, one big deal is always making your house the best it can possibly look. ... Our strategy is always list it within sight of where the home could reasonably appraise ... it gives your agent a better shot at negotiating better appraisal language. ... Even though the market is so hot, still list your house within a reasonable amount that it could actually appraise for, like, don’t go crazy.”
Sarah McDaniel, Owner and broker, Greenbelt Realty
147 S. Academy Ave., New Braunfels • 979-308-1385 • www.sarah.greenbeltrealty.com
Ask a roofer:
Ami Feller, owner of Roofer Chicks, shared some tips to keep in mind about the condition of a roof when purchasing a home.
What are your top recommendations to homebuyers, both new builds and older homes, to look for?
"I usually tell people it would behoove them to have a roofing contractor actually look at the roof; a lot of home inspectors, they’re not specialists; they’re generalists. So a lot of times when they’re looking at the roof, they don’t really know what they’re looking at. Honestly, 50% of them don’t even get on the roof. They just kind of either take pictures from the ground or put their ladder up and take pictures from a ladder. So I would get a roofing contractor [to] come out and take a look at the roof; like we charge $185 for a real estate inspection, and it’s well worth it for the peace of mind. The big thing is to make sure that it doesn’t have hail damage, because if it has hail damage it needs to be replaced, and the seller’s insurance would more than likely cover most of the costs of replacement. So that’s a real good thing to figure out before you buy the house."
If somebody was looking into new roofing or buying a newly built home, what are some recommendations you might have?
“For most builders the roof is one place where they save money. We don’t do new construction because the prices are so low. The quality of the roof is easily pretty low. Even on million-dollar houses. They go out and they look for crews, and the crews aren’t necessarily roofers. They know how to nail shingles but they’re not real good at all the details. And so again, I would encourage people to have the roof inspected at least before you sign off and accept that.”
Ami Feller, owner, Roofer Chicks
808 W. County Line Road, New Braunfels • 830-783-1328 • www.rooferchicks.com
