BCS Real Estate News

College Station Luxury Home

Chris — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:10:46 +0000

Castlegate GardensWant a house that’s in a gated community with a beautiful view of a fountain? Come home to this gorgeous home listed in Castlegate Gardens. This four bedroom home has a fabulous, quality finish out throughout. Viking appliances and sub-zero refridgerator are just some of the wonderful amenities. Priced at $435,000, for 3083 square feet of luxury, you will want to make this your new home!

Call today for your private tour at (979)574-1084

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College Station Realtor adds New Buyer’s Agent!

Chris — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:41:21 +0000

March 24th, 2008 marks the date that our office adds a new Buyer’s Agent, Coti Freeman. Coti has had her real estate license for about a year, but has worked in a real estate office before that as well. She worked, for the past year, in a high volume real estte office with administration and Buyer’s Agent duties.

Coti brings to the table a determination to work hard for her clients and ensure that they get the best property possible for the best price and terms available.

Coti originally comes from Caldwell, Texas and has extensive area knowledge.

Welcome Coti!

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8 Great Reasons to Have a Buyer’s Agent

Chris — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:07:43 +0000

I get many people calling off signs for my listings and asking questions. Many clients choose their Realtor based on whoever they spoke to first. This is not necessarily a good way to buy a home. You want someone working in your court, playing on your team. You need an excellent negotiator and someone who is tireless in finding you the right property. You need a Buyer’s Agent. Here are some great reasons to use a Buyer’s Agent.

1). Helping You With Financing

If you have a good lender you’ve been working with a good agent will sometimes ask you terms, but not get too involved. If you need help determining a good, low cost lender, a Buyer’s Agent can really help. Lenders will give Good Faith Estimates, sometimes with varying costs that they don’t control. For instance Lender A may show the inspections to cost $300, Lender B might show the inspections to cost $100. Lender A & B could have the same costs, but Lender B would appear to have lower costs. A good agent can help you decipher the estimate, sometimes saving you hundreds of dollars.

2). Identifying the best properties.

Calling off the signs is going to give you many, many properties that have already been under contract. You may be exploring neighborhoods, but not really getting good value. With gas at over $3 a gallon this can be frustrating and annoying.

Looking in real estate books? The homes listed may very well be sold. We determine which home to place in the Homes & Real Estate Magazine up to one month before it gets published. Great homes don’t last for long!

Looking on the internet? This is one of the best ways to find great homes, however, if you are outside the area you won’t know what areas the homes are in. This often leads to confusion when you see great looking homes at lower prices than homes that are in fix-up condition for more. In our area the closer the home is to the University, the higher the price and, sometimes, the worse the condition.

3). Deciding on the Best Home For You

When determining the best home for your needs a good exit plan should be made as well. As much as you would like to believe that you’ll be in your home a long time there is a good chance that you’ll be like most people in the area and move in 3-5 years. Looking specifically at resale value is VERY important in determining the right house for your needs. Will a good agent stop you from buying a home that you like? No, a well informed client is always free to make their own choices. I, as a Buyer’s Agent point out resale issues but always follow my clients directions.

4). Determining a Good Offer.

Once the right house has been found the real work starts. Pulling up comparables (homes like the one that you like that have sold recently) and determining the value of the house is next. Even with new builder homes it can be helpful to find out which builders will accept a lower offer on inventory than others. Most builders will say that they won’t accept a lower offer, the MLS sometimes tells us differently.

Sometimes just the structure of an offer can save you money. You might not offer the best price, but the rest of the terms are so good that the seller feels a sense of relief. The closing date fits their needs, the option period (time for you to get your inspections done and determine if the house is for you) is short and the offer comes with a pre-approval from a great lender. Many times you get a better price in these circumstances. A good Buyer’s Agent helps structure the offer to fit your needs and get the lowest price.

5). Negotiating the Repairs

Unless you end up buying a new home it is likely not to be in excellent condition. There will be things that come up on inspection reports that will need to be addressed. Determining which is important and which isn’t and and structuring the amendment to reflect the right issues is important. Helping you find a great inspector (or inspectors) and helping you figure out which inspections you need is the first step. Arranging those inspections for your convenience is the next step. Getting the amendment agreed upon by the end of the option period is one of the most stressful (for the agent) parts of the negotiations.

6). Ensuring a Great Closing

Many things happen behind the scenes once everything has been negotiated. The title commitment needs to be issued and reviewed, the survey must be accepted, or ordered, the walk through needs to be arranged, the lender must be kept up to date and checked on to determine dates for appraisals and coordinating closing. Everyone needs to be kept in the loop. A great Buyer’s Agent will keep everyone on the same page and, with the cooperation of all the other players, have the closing come off seamlessly.

7). A Great Agent Will Be There for You After Closing.

Need a house cleaner? Need two years from now to determine how much your house is worth so that you can refinance? A great Agent will be there to help.

8). The Best Thing About Buyer’s Agency? No Cost To You!

As a Buyer’s Agent we get paid at closing, at no cost to the Buyer. Once we have helped you find the right home, written and negotiated the contract, helped coordinate it all and closed we will get paid by the seller. We work hard for you because we want to stay in business for the long run. This one sale will not make or break a good agent. It’s repeat business that really does the trick.

Things You Need to Know About Buyer’s Agency

Agent’s aren’t paid by the brokerages. It’s not until a closing happens that we get paid, and it’s strictly on a commission basis. If you use an agent to look at homes and write an offer with another agent, the agent that wrote the offer will get paid.

Agent’s typically pay to be at their brokerages, expenses can be high and good agent’s must stay busy in order to keep their businesses successful.

Many times our schedules get booked up. Call early for an appointment. Don’t drive in without plans on meeting a great agent. At that point you’ll have the luck of the draw. Will the agent you’ve been communicating with be available? If not, will you get the newest agent on the roster?

The best thing to happen when you sell your home is determined when you buy it! Great planning and an awesome agent will balance the scales in your direction!

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River Oaks Townhomes, Another “premier” College Station Student Community

Chris — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:39:54 +0000

River Oaks Townhomes is trying to position themselves as a “premier student community” amongst the other luxury student condos out there. Granted, there is room for some new contenders. I frequently tell my student parents that there are positives and negatives for each community, but I look forward to the day when I can tell them “here is the perfect student investment. Let’s look at what River Oaks literature tells us.

It will be a gated community (like Waterwood and Fox Run) and will offer 2,3 & 4 bedroom units. Amenities include granite kitchen counters (Waterwood and Gateway Villas have some granite countertops) and individual thermostats for each bedroom. The clubhouse will offer a coffee bar, Wi-Fi hotspot, pool and two hot tubs.

They will be in an excellent location only 1 mile from campus and on shuttle. One of the best selling points to me is the excellent Wolf Pen Park within walking distance. For those that haven’t seen it, it is truly one impressive park! Summertime brings a series of concerts to the ampitheatre in the park and the mall is just up the road.

The bedroom sizes are good, the literature states that they have the largest bedrooms anywhere, though the bedroom sizes they are showing on floorplans are comparable, in many cases, with Fox Run with some bedrooms being slightly larger. Fox Run’s three bedroom units have reported bedroom sizes of 16′3″ X 10′ll”, 11′4″ X 14′3″ and 17.1′ X 14′2″. River Oaks has reported sizes in their 3 bedroom units of 15′6″ X 12′11″, and two bedroom at 17′3″ X 11′4″.

My thoughts? Looks to be a great layout, though of course it’s too early to tell and a superb location. Unfortunately the prices are a bit higher than my experience dictates that parents are willing to spend. The 3 bedroom (3.5 bath…smart!) is showing an estimated purchase price of 177,990. Compare this to the current listings in Waterwood (147,900-149,900) and the current listings in Fox Run (158-162,900) and it seems a bit too steep. Now, if we compare to The Woodlands the prices seem quaintly low. Word to the wise though…we have had other complexes come in and the initial prices bemuch higher than resale for the next few years with most people losing money on their investment. That’s why I tend to prefer the complexes that have a history.

For more information on great College Station Condos go to my other web site www.ChrisTesch.com or call me to schedule a personal consultation. I do work most weekends with notice. Please call early in advance as weekends tend to get booked up quickly.

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College Station Prepares for Influx of Seniors

Chris — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:39:22 +0000

A much needed change is in the air in Bryan and College Station. Finally both are considering resources to draw retirees to the Brazos Valley. Aggieland has long been an area that retirees are interested in. The university here provides city amenities with small town convenience and we have St. Josephs Hospital, well ranked as far as heart concerns, one of the leading issues with seniors. Many are well acquainted with the area, they either were students themselves or sent their kids here (many did both) and are anxious to come back to our beautiful area. Another major draw is the proximity to the major Texas cities of Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

Despite the draws many are hesitating in moving here. I, myself, have counseled seniors many times. They come in wanting to know what the area offers. Other areas offer senior citizen centers, lifestyle consultants and retirement friendly communities. When they hear our current senior programs they fail to be impressed.

College Station is proposing a Senior Center (voted on in the November 2007 bond election) that would be an excellent draw to the area. The proposed center offers a pool, excercize rooms, banquet room, class rooms and a library. A full time staff as well as volunteers will be available.

Both cities are looking for developments for over 55 residences. The current Briar Meadows has gone to Phase Two development and is filling up fast. This has made many developers and builders take notice.

Bryan already, in addition to Briar Meadows, has a plan for Gartenheim Ranch, an age-restricted community close to Miramont Golf Course. This two hundred acre area is aiming for a community where walking and other healthy activities are the norm, and will be looking towards building a privately owned and optional senior center within the community.

It’s a great time for development in Bryan and College Station.

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College Station First Time Buyers

Chris — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:44:12 +0000

College Station First Time Buyer Opportunities

College Station Budget Neighborhoods

College Station offers a variety of different neighborhoods to suit your needs. Single family housing can be found in price ranges from the low 100K’s up to over a million dollars. Your housing dollars stretch far here and you will enjoy a low cost of living. Condominiums and townhomes can be an excellent option for both students and older adults. We have neighborhoods that fits their varying needs.College Station Entry Level Plus Neighborhoods (single family)

College Hills smaller homes can be had inexpensively in this trendy neighborhood off Texas Avenue and across from Texas A&M University. These homes were built in the 50’s and 60’s and some are beautifully restored. Clapboard homes, many with stylistic features such as front porches, can be had, but the pickings are slim. Expect to wait a few weeks to months for the right house to be available.

Southwood Valley close in to the University you will find Southwood Valley. This is a neighborhood that features mature trees and wide streets. Southwood Valley is in the area of Deacon and Texas Avenue and stretches to Wellborn. The homes range in size from around 1,200 square feet on up to over 3,000 square feet with an average size of somewhere around 1,500 square feet. These homes, for the most part, were built in the late 70’s and 80’s with a few areas being added in the 90’s. Close to shopping, Wings N’ More (and other restaurants) and shuttle route this neighborhood remains very popular with it’s great housing values. Houses here tend to start at around 120K and go on up, with an average home being somewhere around 140K.

Raintree is a wonderful neighborhood located off Southwest Parkway and Highway 6. This neighborhood features it’s own park and is heavily wooded. Homes can be had from the 130’s and are large with generous lot sizes. This neighborhood is right off Highway 6 and is easily accessible for those with long commutes. The homes tend to have been built in the mid to later 80’s.

Westfield is a newer area located off Graham Road and close to Victoria in South College Station. Close to schools and shopping this neighborhood is situated very near Rock Prairie Road, widely considered the center of College Station. Homes here range from being built in the late 90’s to current and offer a wide variety of styles. Housing prices tend to be at around the 120’s and up, and most of the building has been done by Stylecraft and Main Street Homes.

Shenandoah, nested deep in College Station is this subdivision off Barron Road and Highway 6. This subdivision features a pool, a park, tennis courts and a small clubhouse. Despite the amenities homeowner dues is a low $120 year. This subdivision feaures Froehling homes built anywhere from the 80’s to currently. Prices start in the low 130’s and this subdivision is zoned to the newest elementary school, Forest Ridge.

Alexandria, a subdivison virtually connected with Shenandoah, this newer area is right down the street off Barron Road. It doesn’t have the benefit of the pool, and the homes tend to be larger, and priced accordingly. Prices here begin in the high 130’s.

Springbrook-Cypress is a wonderful neighborhood off Highway 6 and Barron across from Shenandoah. This is a rental restricted neighborhood and gives you a chance to have pride of ownership show everywhere, while keeping the prices down to a minimum as well. Houses here start in the 140’s with some going up to the 200’s.

Camelot the area near South Knoll Elementary off Southwest Parkway features older homes with mature landscaping. Housing here starts at the 130’s and is very affordable.

Westfield Village, off Barron Road and Victoria Stylecraft is building it’s signature Neo-Traditional style homes. These homes feature Hardiplank siding and trim reminiscenct of the 50’s and 60’s in these newly built homes. Excellent floorplans meld with front porches and granite countertops in many homes. These homes start in the high 120’s.

For more information, or to set up a search, call or email me today!

Chris Tesch (979)574-1084

Sonya Johnson (979)575-4565

For more information go to Texas Home Answers or to my website.

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College Station home on Acreage!

Chris — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:37:48 +0000

Bryan and College Station are filled with both city lots and wide open spaces. Moving here you will need to make a decision about how you want to live. Is a small city lot for you? Would an acre or more be right? What about a property you can have horses on? Easily found in certain price ranges here (typically 250K and up, but sometimes lower, pricing will go up to over 1 million). Things to consider are land upkeep, and costs associated as well as garbage pickup, septic system costs (a contract with a reputable maintenance company is required by Brazos County). Some of the pleasures are wide open spaces and the ability to see the stars brilliantly at night!

If you’re in the category of the acreage lover, are you looking for the perfect spot to call home? Consider this gorgeous 3 bedroom/2 bath on five rolling acres near the Brazos River! Zoned to the newest College Station elementary school, Forest Ridge, this fantastic property is sure to please! A three stall barn and tack room, fenced corral and beautiful stone firepit are all designed to make your outdoor living more enjoyable! Remodeled interior features new granite tile countertops, a more open floorplan and beautiful new tile and carpet. Call for your private showing!

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Wood Brook Condos-Affordable college living

Chris — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:13:42 +0000

College Station has anything from almost extreme luxury in it’s condo market, down to sheer simplicity. Each has it’s own beauty. Afraid of not being able to get an affordable College Station Condo? Fear not! We have them in almost all price categories.

Some of the best condominiums for the budget minded are on Dartmouth and Harvey Road. These awesome condos are on the shuttle route and convenient to a coffee shop (a must have college staple!) as well as laundrymats for those times that your own washer and dryer can’t quite cope with the backlog!

These College Station condos are 2 bedroom typically with one and one half baths.

This complex offers a pool and great landscaping in the manicured yards. Prices begin in the upper 60’s for condos that have escaped updating, but a nicely updated condo will cost almost 100K. One condo had been outfitted beautifully with a tile walk in shower and many amenities not typically found in this price range. This two bedroom 1 and a half bath condo sold for 97K.

Wood Brook Condos offer affordable condo living and a convenient location. Call now for available sales in this great complex (979)574-1084.

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Waterwood Condos College Station

Chris — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:54:33 +0000

Waterwood is an excellent condo complex in College Station, Texas. Focusing on a safe, pleasing, student enviroment, Waterwood features a gated community with small swimming pool and common areas with ponds and water features. Located directly across from Central Park, these condos have easy access to walking trails, fishing, bus route, Highway 6 and Texas Avenue. Located about 2 miles from Texas A&M University, Waterwood is set off the beaten path and is close to College Station Police Department.

Three bedroom, three baths (1490 square feet) and four bedroom, four baths (2 plans, one at 1590 square feet and the other at 1654 square feet) are available currently running $150,000 to $165,000. Homeowners association dues are reasonable, at $120 per month. As of today we have two three bedroom units and one four bedroom unit (1590 square feet with three showers and one tub) available. One of the three bedrooms is available now and the other one is for a late May occupancy. The four bedroom is available for immediate occupancy as well.

Call today for more information, or your private showing! (979)574-1084

Chris Tesch, RE/MAX Bryan-College Station

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Fox Run Condos, Luxury and Convenience

Chris — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:49:57 +0000

Choosing a College Station condo can be tough. Each complex has it’s benefits and drawbacks it seems. One of the condo complexes that melds great benefits with excellent prices is Fox Run Condos. This gated community holds sixteen buildings each with a mix of four-two bedroom and four-three bedroom condos.

The two bedroom condos comprise the ground floor and are typically around 1200 square feet featuring large bedrooms of approximately 11′X17′ and 12′X14′ with walk in closets and a private bath, a kitchen complete with refrigerator, washer, dryer and microwave and a outside patio and storage closet. Currently there are two on the market one selling for $127,900 and a poolsideunit for $128,900 and can be a great choice for students with only one roommate. Assuming 20% down and a 6.25% interest rate (payment information courtesy of Jennifer Wolf at First Alliance) the payments would look like this:

$634.93 Principle and Interest

$180.00 Home Owner Association Fees

$196.72 Taxes

$40.00 Insurance on interior of unit

Monthly Payment Total = $1,051.65

Click here for a real estate show.

The three bedrooms consist of the second and third floors with the landing and stairs being at ground level. The second floor accomodates two spacious bedrooms, the kitchen, living room and two bathrooms along with the utility closet and the outdoor deck and storage closet. The third floor is the largest bedroom complete with a huge walk-in closet and it’s own private bath plus a entrance into a attic access that provides more storage. At the time of this writing there are three listings active for three bedroom units in Fox Run. Two are listed for $162,000 and one is listed for $159,000. Making the above assumptions (20% down and 6.25% interest rate on a 30 year note on the $162,000 with no price reductions) your payments would look like this:

$800.43 Principle and Interest

$180.00 Home Owners Association Fees

$251.50 Real Estate Taxes

$60.00 Insurance on interior of structure

Total = $1,291.93 per month.

For up to date information on currently listed condos and to find out more call me at (979)574-1084 or email me at Chris@ChrisTesch.com!

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