Highland Shores, Highland Village, TX | Moving Up to Your Dream Home? Don’t Wait!

Moving Up to Your Dream Home? Don’t Wait!

Moving Up to Your Dream Home? Don’t Wait! | Simplifying The Market

Mortgage rates are just one important aspect of buying a home. The interest rates are an important component when considering the purchase of a home if you are going to finance it.  They can affect buyers buying power. The majority of people finance and that means interest rates, so if interest rates increase… your buying power decreases. Now is the time to move up since you are considering a move.

At a local level in Highland Village,TX, buyer confidence remains strong with beautiful homes in a lakeside setting.     

Particularly in and around Highland Shores 75077 zip code. The addition of new stores and business entities in the area makes Highland Village one of the greatest areas of Highland Shores, Highland Village, TX.         

Today we would like to talk to you about  Moving Up to Your Dream Home? Don’t Wait!

Mortgage interest rates have risen by more than half of a point since the beginning of the year, and many assume that if mortgage rates rise, home values will fall. History, however, has shown this not to be true.

Where are home values today compared to the beginning of the year?

While rates have been rising, so have home values. Here are the most recent monthly price increases reported in the Home Price Insights Report from CoreLogic:

  • January: Prices were up 0.5% over the month before.
  • February: Prices were up 1% over the month before.
  • March: Prices were up 1.4% over the month before.

Not only did prices continue to appreciate, the level of appreciation accelerated over the first quarter. CoreLogic believes that home prices will increase by 5.2% over the next twelve months.

How can prices rise while mortgage rates increase?

Freddie Mac explained in a recent Insight Report:

“In the current housing market, the driving force behind the increase in prices is a low supply of both new and existing homes combined with historically low rates. As mortgage rates increase, the demand for home purchases will likely remain strong relative to the constrained supply and continue to put upward pressure on home prices.”

Bottom Line

If you are thinking about moving up to your dream home, waiting until later this year and hoping for prices to fall may not be a good strategy.

FREE Consumer Credit Score. Is it Correct?

Are those FREE consumer credit scores the “real” credit score when buying a home?

CLICK HERE and learn what those FREE consumer credit scores are really about

Credit scores are an area of personal finance that seems a lot more mysterious than they actually are. Many people believe that improving them is a matter of trial and error and, as a result, there’s a lot of “credit score advice” floating around that can end up doing more harm than good.

What Does a Home Inspection Check?

A home inspector will look at everything.  Home inspectors have a 1,600-item checklist, according to the National Association of Home Inspectors and the average home inspection can take three to four hours – or even more if you have additional inspections, such as termite inspections, included.
Here are just some of the areas checked during a home inspection:
  • Grounds: Standing water, faulty grading, sick or dying trees and shrubs, crumbling paths and walls
  • Structure: Foundation integrity, rotting or out-of-plumb window and door frames
  • Roof: Defects in shingles, flashing, and fascia; loose and hanging gutters; defects in chimneys and skylights
  • Exterior: Cracks or rot; dents or bowing in vinyl; blistering or flaking paint; adequate clearing between siding and earth
  • Window, doors, trim: Rotting frames, peeling caulk, damaged glass
  • Interior rooms: Water-stained ceilings, adequate insulation, and sufficient heating vents
  • Kitchen: Proper venting, no leaks under the sink, and cabinet doors and drawers operate properly
  • Bathrooms: Toilets flush properly, showers spray, and tubs are securely fastened
  • Plumbing: Drains flow properly; water has proper temperature and pressure
  • Electrical: Proper electrical panels and working light switches and outlets
Home inspections are non-invasive, meaning your home inspector will not be breaking into walls or under tile floors, for example, to be able to inspect what lies beneath or within.
We believe you need a trusted and highly skilled inspector when purchasing a home and we have an inspector list that we recommend for our clients.

Should I Switch Real Estate Brokers?

You’re Invited

To learn more about eXp Realty. There are meetings Mon-Fri and Saturday that you can attend in the privacy of your own home. The meetings are about 35-45 minutes and at the following times:

Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday – Thursday – Friday – Saturday

  • 7:30am
  • 8:30am
  • 10am
  • 12pm
  • 2pm
  • 4pm
  • 6pm
  • 8pm
  • 10pm

Register Your Online MEETING HERE – https://goo.gl/wiY1T

Residence Homestead Tax Exemption…and others

CLICK HERE Info on How To File For Homestead Tax Exemption + Other Exemptions

First… What is A Homestead?

A homestead is a person’s or family’s primary residence, in which the person’s or family resides in and not considered a second home. A second home is a rental/investment property or a vacation home but not the primary residence.

A homestead can be a separate structure, condominium or a manufactured home located on owned or leased land, as long as the individual living in the home owns it. A homestead can include up to 20 acres if the land is owned by the homeowner and used for a purpose related to the residential use of the homestead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it cost to file for a homestead exemption? 

No it is FREE. You may receive some very official looking mail after you have closed on a home saying they will file for you – for a FEE, however it is very easy for the homeowner to file and it is FREE.

Do I, as a homeowner, get a tax break from property taxes?

You may apply for homestead exemptions on your principal residence. Homestead exemptions remove part of your home’s value from taxation, so they lower your taxes.

For example, your home is appraised at $100,000, and you qualify for a $15,000 exemption (this is the amount mandated for school districts), you will pay school taxes on the home as if it was worth only $85,000. Taxing units have the option to offer a separate exemption of up to 20 percent of the total value.

Do all homes qualify for homestead exemptions?

No, only a homeowner’s principal residence qualifies. To qualify, a home must meet the definition of a residence homestead: The home’s owner must be an individual (for example not a corporation or other business entity) and use the home as his or her principal residence on January 1 of the tax year. If you are age 65 or older, or disabled, the January 1 ownership and residency are not required for the age 65 or disabled homestead exemption.

What homestead exemptions are available?

There are several types of exemptions you may receive.

• School taxes: All residence homestead owners are allowed a $15,000 homestead exemption from their home’s value for school taxes.

• County taxes: If a county collects a special tax for farm-to-market roads or flood control, a residence homestead is allowed to receive a $3,000 exemption for this tax. If the county grants an optional exemption for homeowners age 65 or older or disabled, the owners will receive only the local-option exemption.

• Age 65 or older and disabled exemptions: Individuals age 65 or older or disabled residence homestead owners qualify for a $10,000 homestead exemption for school taxes, in addition to the $15,000 exemption for all homeowners. If the owner qualifies for both the $10,000 exemption for age 65 or older homeowners and the $10,000 exemption for disabled homeowners, the owner must choose one or the other for school taxes. The owner cannot receive both exemptions.

• Optional percentage exemptions: Any taxing unit, including a city, county, school, or special district, may offer an exemption of up to 20 percent of a home’s value. But, no matter what the percentage is, the amount of an optional exemption cannot be less than $5,000. Each taxing unit decides if it will offer the exemption and at what percentage. This percentage exemption is added to any other home exemption for which an owner qualifies. The taxing unit must decide before July 1 of the tax year to offer this exemption.

• Optional age 65 or older or disabled exemptions: Any taxing unit may offer an additional exemption amount of at least $3,000 for taxpayers age 65 or older and/or disabled.

How do I get a general $15,000 homestead exemption?

You may file an Application for Residential Homestead Exemption with your appraisal district for the $15,000 homestead exemption up to one year after the taxes on the homestead are due. Once you receive the exemption, you do not need to reapply unless the chief appraiser sends you a new application. In that case, you must file the new application. If you should move or your qualification ends, you must inform the appraisal district in writing before the next May 1st. A list of appraisal district addresses and phone numbers is available online.

What is the deadline for filing for a homestead exemption?

APPLICATION DEADLINES: You must file the completed application with all required documentation beginning Jan. 1 and no later than April 30 of the year for which you are requesting an exemption. If you qualify for the age 65 or older or disabled persons exemption, you must apply for the exemption no later than the first anniversary of the date you qualify for the exemption.

May I continue to receive the residence homestead exemption on my home if I move away temporarily?

If you temporarily move away from your home, you may continue to receive the exemption if you do not establish a principal residence elsewhere, you intend to return to the home, and you are away less than two years. You may continue to receive the exemption if you do not occupy the residence for more than two years only if you are in military service serving outside of the United States or live in a facility providing services related to health, infirmity or aging.

If I own only 50 percent of the home I live in, do I qualify for the residence homestead exemption on the home?

Yes. However, if you qualify for a homestead exemption and are not the sole owner of the property to which the homestead exemption applies, the exemption you receive is based on the interest you own. For example, you own a 50 percent interest in a homestead and will receive one half, or $7,500, of a $15,000 homestead offered by a school district.

My APPRAISAL Is TOO HIGH….PROTESTS AND APPEALS

Many homeowners protest and appeal their appraised home values yearly. Find out more here.

WEBSITE LINK:

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/exemptions/residence_faq.html

Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts