San Antonio, Texas Real Estate Blog & Market News - Blog Archive: February, 2010

 There seems to be a trend in today’s luxury homes that simply keeps getting better: the outdoor kitchen. In fact, many of today’s luxury homes are sure to feature the finest outdoor living spaces, complete with a fantastic outdoor kitchen.

Going Back Home: Entertaining at Home

There has been a shift in living over the last few years that has highlighted the popularity of outdoor kitchens. In short, many individuals are not heading out to find entertainment; they are finding it in their own backyard. Gathering with friends and family has taken on an all-new importance, and the home is the place to be. Today’s affluent homeowners realize that an outdoor kitchen is simply an extension of home entertaining and, as such, many of today’s Alamo Heights’…

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Are you considering purchasing your first San Antonio home? If so, congratulations! You are making an excellent financial move. There are, however, a number of factors that you must remember when obtaining a home loan and purchasing your first Bexar County home:

 

  1. Don’t make any large purchases before closing – Don’t make the mistake of spending money on a big-ticket item before you close on your home. Taking out additional loans in the midst of asking a lender to approve you for a mortgage could be a huge mistake, as it could raise your debt-to-income ratio into the “danger zone.” In other words, it can raise a red flag with your lender that you are simply under the thumb of too many debts and not enough income.
  2. Don’t change jobs before closing –…

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Selling your home is a bit of an art these days. Gone are the days of the real estate boom when all we needed to do to sell a home was to slap a “for sale” sign up in the front yard. Instead, buyers are more particular, mainly because there is an influx of homes on the market. In other words, if your home isn’t well kept and updated, the house next door probably is.

The bottom line is that homebuyers these days want turn-key homes; homes that they can settle into without much repair or updating. Aside from the obvious rule of performing all home repairs before listing your Helotes’ homefor sale, there are a number of things you can tackle in a weekend to make your home more desirable to homebuyers. So, what are you waiting for, weekend warrior? Roll up…

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Are you hunting for San Antonio commercial lease space, but you’re not sure where to start? The San Antonio commercial lease spacemarket is the place to be for renters because there is a high vacancy rate and the lease rates are quite reasonable. There are a slew of major differences between commercial leases and residential leases, so it pays to understand the ins and outs of a commercial real estate lease before signing on the dotted line. Questions to ask when seeking commercial lease space:

  • What is the rent price, and what increases are expected?
  • What is the security deposit and what are the conditions for the return of the deposit?
  • What is the length of the lease? Is this negotiable?
  • What does my rent cover? Does it cover utilities, taxes…

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The courthouse steps of Bexar Country have seen a lot of activity over the past year. Foreclosure auctions, unfortunately, have become an all-too-common occurrence, not only in Bexar County, but throughout most of the country.  Looking ahead, it is expected that mortgage lenders will be coming in to take back 1,652 properties throughout Bexar County in January alone. This will likely be the highest total on record and also a clear indication that Bexar County may not be out of the woods just yet when it comes to foreclosures.

Foreclosures at Record High

This hard news is even harder to take, considering that 2009 was a quite the dismal year for real estate in Bexar County.  In fact, the total numbers of properties that fell into foreclosure in Bexar…

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The real estate catastrophe of 2009 has given way to a bit of a hangover syndrome, with everyone from buyers and lenders to home builders dusting themselves off and looking forward to 2010 to begin posting gains. 

Returning to Normalcy

The real estate market in San Antonio, including the luxury real estate market, seems to be returning to a bit of normalcy, much to the relief of sellers and home builders everywhere. The signs of recovery really took off in November, when sales jumped 52 percent from a year earlier. In fact, more than 1,500 San Antonio homes were sold in November, compared to just 1,000 in November 2008. This recent spike in sales has left the market on the same playing field as before the market began to peak.

Reasonably Priced…

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San Antonio commercial real estate is still struggling, make no doubt about it. The number of San Antonio commercial properties that fell into foreclosure in 2009 is a clear indication that this sector of the real estate market in San Antonio has a long way to go.  Commercial foreclosures for San Antonio commercial real estate rose nearly 55 percent during 2009; in other words, there were 863 commercial property foreclosures in San Antonio in 2009, compared with 557 in 2008. Throughout all of the trouble that the San Antonio commercial real estate market is experiencing – and is likely to experience in the months ahead – economists note that the trends of the past year can’t even hold a candle to the real estate collapse of the 1980s.

Commercial…

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