Thursday, April 25, 2013

How Many Bedrooms Do You Need?

Right now in the Schertz-Cibolo real estate market, there are around 400 homes on the market. When you break down the number of bedrooms, it looks something like this:


With the majority of homes on the market falling into the four-bedroom slice of the pie, buyers looking strictly for three- or five- bedroom homes might discover that their search is a bit more competitive. T

When it comes to purchasing a new home, there are lots of things to take into consideration. Price and location might be the two biggest factors, but one of the things almost every buyer thinks about is how many bedrooms he or she needs. his Spring, we've spent a lot of time helping our buyers determine what the TRUE "right" number of bedrooms is for their family. Here are some of the things we've suggested our clients take into consideration when determining their search criteria:

No. 1 - Family Size. Sounds pretty obvious, right? Not entirely. For a family with two kids, a three-bedroom home might sound perfect. But maybe not. Would the flexibility of a fourth bedroom (office, guest room, playroom, space for a "surprise" baby) be something that would make your new home work longer for your family? Or are your children getting ready to leave the nest and allow a two-bedroom, two-living area home to work for you? When deciding number of bedrooms, planning for the future is almost as important as taking your present circumstances.

No. 2 - Size of the Rooms. An 1,800 sq. ft. home with three bedrooms will have an average bedroom size of about 125 sq. ft., while a 2,100 sq. ft. home with three bedrooms will have an average bedroom size closer to 150 sq. ft. If you're deciding whether or not to put two children in a room, this is an important factor to take into consideration. Rather than asking how many rooms you need, consider thinking about how much actual space you need.

No. 3 - Selling the Home in the Future. Because number of bedrooms is such a large factor in YOUR home selection, it makes sense that it's a statics that would matter to whoever eventually buys the home when you're ready to move on from it. Does choosing a three- or five-bedroom mean you'll have an edge in a more limited market when you're ready to sell, or does going up or down one room mean that your potential buying audience will be bigger?

How many bedrooms do you currently have? If you were buying today, what number of rooms would you include in your search criteria? Let's talk about it in the comments section below!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Four ways you can help West, Texas explosion victims

By now news of the explosion in West, Texas on April 17 has spread across the state and the country. In addition to our thoughts and prayers, the Claus Team wanted to share information on a few ways people outside the West area can help families affected by the tragedy.

1. American Red Cross - Waco Chapter. Coordinating relief efforts for multiple assistance organizations, the Waco Chapter of the American Red Cross is available online at http://www.redcross.org/tx/waco. Donations of money, time, or materials can be made directly through the site.

2. Prayers for West Facebook Page and In Memory of West, TX Firefighters Facebook Page- With more than 62,000 "Likes," the Prayers for West Facebook Page is a one stop resource to offer support and find resource needs requests and the In Memory of West, TX Firefighters Facebook Page is an outlet for supporting the families of firefighters killed in the blast.

3. The Salvation Army of Texas - With a huge number of residents displaced, the Salvation Army of Texas will lead efforts to aid in replenishing the loss of physical possessions  To contribute to the Salvation Army of Texas' relief efforts in West, visit them online at www.salvationarmytexas.org.

4. Donate Blood - The South Texas Blood Center is currently taking appointments for blood donations for victims of West. If you live in the San Antonio area and would like to donate blood, call 210.731.5590 to schedule an appointment.

If you know of other ways to help, the Claus Team would love to share them with our network. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below or call us at 210.566.6355, and we'll add them to this post.

Our prayers and support are with the people of West today.