Today I wanted to give you an update on the progress we’ve been making on the Port Aransas beachfront property. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. Today I’m headed down to the Port Aransas property with some new appliances that I’ve loaded up in my truck. I’ve been away from the property for the last few weeks coordinating everything from afar, and now I’m ready to head back down there to check out the progress and get the appliances installed. We’ve been working on getting the plumbing and electrical components set up on the underside of the house, and I’ve cleared the bushes out from the side of the house to reduce the number of mosquitos that have become quite a nuisance. We’ve cleared out much of the old decking and plan to replace it with new boards before painting the entire deck with DeckOver paint so that everything matches. We also plan to replace the doors and screen on the rest of the porch. We’ve gotten our shipment of waterproof, scratch-resistant vinyl flooring that we plan to put down in the house. This durable flooring is made to mimic wood planks and will look great once it’s installed in the house.  This house is incredibly hurricane-proof. We’ve finished rebuilding the ceiling rafters and they’re ready to get some finishing touches with paint. We’ve also rewired the ceiling fan so it’s no longer plugged into the wall, but instead operates on a switch, giving the living room a cleaner, more put-together look. Because the home is so hurricane-proof, we had to get creative with the wiring because we couldn’t get through the upper walls. Any wiring that’s not set into the walls will be painted to match the color of the room. We had a big hang-up with the shower, as we were hoping to move the drain to fit a smaller platform. One of the main joists for the home sits near the shower, so we couldn’t move the drain like we thought we would. We’ll be able to build a small footwall in the corner of the shower and use some great mosaic tile for the backsplash. We’ve finally gotten the refrigerator in place and should be finishing the countertops within a couple of days. We’ve also almost finished the laundry room, after running the electrical for the A/C window unit and the lighting for both the inside and outside of it. We’ve also finished installing a custom-sized door in the laundry room that takes you out to the patio. So that concludes my progress update for the Port Aransas beach house. If you have any questions or would like some ideas on your own project, please reach out to me. I’d be happy to help!

Right now my team and I are working on a property where space, aesthetic, and function are all key. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. Demolition has begun on this Port Aransas house. Today, I’d like to give you a look into the progress we’ve been making.   Where the stairway once was, we’ve now opened up a great space for the living room with beautiful high ceilings. This has involved some restructuring for support, but everyone involved in the demolition is concerned with both practicality as well as aesthetics.  Certain things throughout the home have needed customization. For example, the laundry room we’re putting in will need a door that is only typically available through special order. To make sure the door is the best fit possible, though, we’ve decided to make our own. In addition to the door, the laundry room will have four windows and its own air conditioning system. We’ve also installed a new HVAC system. For convenience, a long walkway wrapping around the home, stretching from the patio to laundry room, makes it easy to carry wet items from the beach to be washed without ever having to go through the main house.  Everyone involved in the demolition is concerned with both practicality as well as aesthetics. We’ve created a lot of space throughout the home to make sure we’re accommodating all needs. For example, in addition to tearing out the stairs, we’ve also torn out a closet to make room for bunk beds in one of the bedrooms.  Also, a step we’ll be taking in the near future will be shifting the counters and appliances in the kitchen over about 12 inches to make more room near the entrance. But we haven’t just created larger spaces, we’ve created more functional spaces, too. In the garage, we hired an electrician to replace all of the breakers. We wanted to make sure everything on the property is working properly.  Personally, I’ve been making a lot of trips to and from Home Depot to facilitate all these changes. I myself am about to leave for Austin, but my team is fully equipped and fully capable of keeping up the great work we’ve done on this project, so far.  Materials are ordered and an RV is set up on-site so that the team can truly focus on getting the job done.  If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to me. Give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Our latest plans for our beach house renovation in Port Aransas will open up space inside the home and add value to it. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. We’re back at our Port Aransas beach house renovation project to give you an update on how things are going. We’ve figured a lot of things out, so feel free to follow along with my wife and I in the video above to see our plan in action. Starting with the staircase in the middle of the living room, this is something that’s been troubling me and I’ve drawn up all kinds of things to try and figure it out. We’ve decided to replace the staircase with a smaller, ladder-style staircase and eliminate half of the upper loft but leave enough space for two twin beds and enough room to get out onto the balcony. This will be a great open space once the staircase is gone. Removing the staircase will open up space in the living room. In the kitchen, we’re moving the refrigerator and the washer and dryer unit. Where the washer and dryer unit stands now will be the entrance to the house’s main bathroom and a pantry storage area. In the closet area where the new A/C unit will go, we’re sealing up the door on the back end of the square and adding a door with venting attached to it. Since we still need a place for the laundry to go, we’re converting the back patio into a utility room that will also add some easy square footage and bump up the home’s value. It’s great to be able to do some real estate investing and work with my family on projects like this. If you have any real estate questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I’d be glad to help.

For my latest renovation, I’m working on a beach house in Port Aransas. This is an interesting project that I’m excited to start. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. Welcome to the beginning of another exciting project. Sometimes, you can’t predict where these opportunities will come from. This time, I’m in Port Aransas getting ready to renovate a beach house. The inspections are done, but we still have to get the flood elevation certificates to see what the flood insurance will be like. There’s some stuff we have to work on, and this will definitely be an interesting project. Follow along with me in the video above to see what I plan on doing.  Starting in the covered porch entryway, there’s an empty hot tub whose pump looks like it might’ve burnt out. We’ll have to either replace it or abandon the hot tub altogether and use the entryway space for something else.  I love the little windows and ceiling architecture further inside this house. The floors, however, aren’t my favorite. I haven’t decided yet whether I want to completely remove the staircase on the main story or move it somewhere else—that will depend on how the budget shapes up.  I love the little windows and ceiling architecture further inside this house. I’m not a huge fan of this house’s kitchen. There’s an entry to a kid’s room on one side of it which I plan on walling up. Then, by moving the refrigerator there, it will open up more counter space. I also plan on relocating the washer and dryer so I can use that space to punch a door into the nearest bathroom. This will be a short-term rental house, so we don’t need a master bathroom—just for both of its bathrooms to be fully accessible.  In one of the bathrooms, access to the shower is slightly impeded by the toilet; so, I’m moving the shower to the other side, closing up one of the doors connecting to the adjacent bedroom, and moving the sink to where that walled up area will be.   From an exterior standpoint, this house isn’t too bad. Though, we’ll need to handle the property’s lack of a driveway. The roof was replaced on this house some time ago, so it’s pretty decent despite its wood-rot damage and some missing shingles.  I think I have everything I need to plan my attack on this beach house. If everything falls into place, it’ll be pretty cool. If you have any questions about doing renovations, feel free to give me a shout. 

Are you unhappy with your property tax valuation? You might stand to gain a lot by protesting it. Here's your best hope to get that value lowered. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. I've worked with a lot of people lately who had a lot of luck protesting their property tax value. Recently, I went to the Williamson Central Appraisal District to try three more home value protests and there were a few key takeaways I wanted to share from this visit that could help you. First, make sure you bring documentation to support the lower valuation for your home, especially if it pertains to the home's condition.  Bring any documentation to support the lower valuation for you home. For example, bring a contractor bid for a needed repair. Assessors are shying away from just photos because they force them to make a judgment call on how it would affect value. For example, I took a bid for termite damage repair and a new roof for one of my rental properties, which really helped.  Always keep a friendly face on as well, because they're people too. Be nice and chit chat with them and just have a good time with them. If you're nice and reasonable, they will be all the more likely to understand your situation.  I managed to successfully protest all three of these properties' values down to somewhere I'm happy with. It took a lot of work and several hours of discussion, but it worked out and it was worth it. You could also reward yourself with some chocolate pie from Monument Cafe like we did, too. If you have any questions about protesting your property taxes, just give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to help you out.

Pools and rental properties don’t normally mix, and here’s why. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. If you’re thinking about buying a rental property with a pool, you better think twice. If you look at the video above which follows the progress of a renovation we did on a rental property, you’ll see what I mean. Keeping a pool on a rental property requires a lot of maintenance, and if you’re not careful, that pool can turn into a swamp real fast.  Why pools and rentals don’t mix For this renovation I brought in my friend Danny, the owner of Pool Authority, to drain it and then power wash the inside before starting the filling process. After much work, it started to look like a pool again. The yard around the pool was about two feet high when we started, so we brought in a landscaper to give it a makeover. On the inside of the house, we put up ceiling fans and gave the front door a fresh coat of paint.  Eventually, the backyard went from swamp to paradise, and this property is ready for a new owner to christen it by breaking out the margarita machine. Investing a little bit of money will net this homeowner a lot more money now that it’s turnkey and beautiful.  If you have any questions about this property or about anything else related to real estate, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help. 

A lot of homeowners in Austin are gearing up to sell. Here’s what you should know if you’re considering it too. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. It’s springtime here in Austin, one of my favorite times of year. It’s also the time when most people are out there getting their homes ready for sale. The selling season is in full swing as we speak. If you’re thinking about selling, now is the time to really get your curb appeal looking good. Freshen up your landscaping, your pool (if you have one), and your front porch. You will likely have to deal with multiple offers. It’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a stressful situation. The market is starting to heat up now. One thing to really keep in mind when you start getting offers is that your position of power will shift quickly once you accept one. You want to make sure all the terms in the contract are to your liking. A good price is important, but so are the closing date, contingency period, and more. As a seller, you have that position of power all the way until you sign the contract. Once the contract is signed, your power position diminishes because it takes the home into pending, and it has you committed to one buyer. If you have any questions for us about the spring market or what you should be doing right now to get your home ready, give me a call or send me an email. I would love to hear from you soon.

Protesting your property taxes is a pretty common practice. It’s an easy thing to do that could really pay off. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. One question I’ve been getting from a lot of homeowners is, “How can I protest my property taxes?” Here in the Austin area, it’s really a quite simple process. The first thing you need to do if you believe your home has been overvalued is to go out and find comparable homes that have recently sold that justify what you value your home at. You can and should protest your property taxes every year. If you don’t do it one year, that might be the year you see your bill go up a lot higher than in other years. If you’re still not quite sure if you should protest or not, I would be happy to look at your assessment and let you know if you’ve got a fighting chance at getting that value lowered and if there is any data that I can contribute toward that goal. If you’re really adamant, hire a property tax attorney. Once you submit your protest, the county will likely come back at you with a number. Most people take this deal. However, if you feel the number is still too high, you can schedule an informal hearing with an appraiser to present your evidence as to why you think your property’s value is what it is.  At that point, they will likely offer a settlement. If you're really adamant, you can then schedule a formal hearing to determine your home’s value once and for all. If you need to take it to that level, I highly recommend contacting a property tax attorney.  However, protesting your property taxes should be a simple process, more or less. You can even find services out there that will handle everything for you. If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’m always here to help.

I’m back to take you on a tour of our finished flip! Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. Welcome back! Today I’m taking you on a tour of our finished flip. Last time, we went through the home when it was mid-way through and I can’t wait to show you how it turned out.  Take a look at the video above to see a tour of the finished product!  We put in some great new landscaping out front and added a new door and light fixtures. Inside, the kitchen turned out great! We added some great tile flooring and fantastic cabinets with lots of storage. We also successfully moved the location of the fridge and put in level three granite countertops that we got for a great price. The sliding glass door that led to the outside was replaced with space for the fridge and a nice, new door that easily opens onto the patio area in the backyard. We also decided to put a great sliding barn door feature in the kitchen, which turned out fantastic.  This is going to make a perfect home for someone. I was originally planning to use the same tile for the kitchen backsplash and for the fireplace, but we had some leftover flooring tile from the kitchen and bathrooms that we used instead. I think it turned out beautifully, and the custom mantle helps pull the whole look together.  Upstairs we added new, plush carpet and ceiling fans to every room. We also added functional switches for the fans and lights, which the home didn’t have before.  In the bathrooms you’ll see that great tile we used for the center of the fireplace, along with new vanities, backsplash, and mirrors.  We also painted all the rooms for a nice, cohesive look.  We had to completely redo the backyard area. We took out that terrible deck, added new siding, put down new soil, and seeded. The grass is growing in and I think the whole yard turned out pretty great. This is going to make a perfect home for someone. If you're interested in this home or you have any questions about the Austin market, you can always give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Today I’m taking you through a home we just finished flipping. In this video we were about mid-way through and I wanted to show you the process. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.  Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale. Today I’m coming to you from a home that we just finished flipping. In this video it’s about mid-way through and I wanted to show you what we had going on. Take a look at the video above to see what the rooms looked like before we started the process.  On the main floor, we completely gutted the kitchen, taking out the cabinets and light fixtures. We also moved the location of the refrigerator. In the living room, we ramped up the fireplace to make it look really nice. Upstairs, we put light gray tile in both of the bathrooms and finished up electrical work in the bedrooms. Stay tuned to see the final result! The whole house got a fresh coat of paint, with the interior walls sporting a gray color accompanied by a white trim. Outside, we got rid of a horrific deck that was made out of plywood and completely rotted out. We also put in a new door that leads outside. Stay tuned for more updates on this project! If you know anyone that is looking to make a move, or if you have any questions about real estate, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!