The Latest from the Shine Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central Texas? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (254) 690-4321 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, I just wanted to reach out to say thanks to all of those who came out and helped us with the laying of the wreaths at the Central Texas Veteran State Cemetery.

It was a very beautiful day. It may have been in the 30s, blowing rain, and cold as could be, but we were successful, with the help of 2,000 to 3,000 friends. We laid wreaths for 6,500 veterans and their family members who are interred there. Whether you were there in person giving us a hand, or sent in money to help us purchase the wreaths, your help is hugely appreciated!

We couldn't make this event happen without you. It's based 100% on generous volunteers and donation -- no paid staff at all. We're proud to have that cemetery in our community, so we want to do all we can to take care of it! If you haven't been out there to see it, please go! It is absolutely beautiful!

Now, on a different note, we want to tell you a bit about how great his year has been! The Shine Team has nearly reached our goal of serving over 400 families in Central Texas. If you bought, sold, or referred someone to us, we can't thank you enough! Your support means the world to us and allows us to provide better services to our clients.

If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell a home, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here working during the holidays, so don't hesitate to get in contact with us whenever works best for you! Have a very Merry Christmas! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Three Things to Prepare Your Central Texas Home for the Market

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central Texas? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (254) 690-4321 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Earlier this week, someone came up to me and asked, "What do I need to do to get my home ready for sale? I'm not ready to go on the market right now, but a few months down the line I will be. What do I need to do?" These are the three things I told her.

1. Maintain curb appeal. Work on that ahead of time. Make sure everything is trimmed up and looking good each season of the year since you don't know exactly what month you're going to put your house on the market. Think about the seasons. Get those plants ready. Get the paint taken care of and make that house shine. Take pictures now! In early fall, the yard should still be green and pretty. Even fall foliage photographs well.

2. Staging is critical. I am certified by two national programs in staging. It makes a difference. You will make so much more money on your home when it is staged correctly. Start today with painting. Ensure the lampshades will show the home in a flattering light.

3. Get an inspection before listing. You don't want to negotiate to your lowest dollar only to have the inspection come back with major repairs you didn't know about. If you knew about them, you might not have negotiated to the lowest dollar in your contract.

If you have any questions about this or anything else regarding real estate, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

You’re Invited to a Special Star Wars Screening

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central Texas? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (254) 690-4321 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today we are excited to talk to you about a very special event we have coming up in the next month or so. Most of you may not know this, but I am a huge Star Wars mom. My sons were obsessed with Star Wars growing up and I love thinking back to all the fun we had those years scouring the city and the countryside for each little figure to add to their toy collections.

In just a little over a month, Star Wars returns to theaters with a brand new adventure. Star Wars Episode 7, The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18, and we wanted to take this great opportunity to give back to all of our wonderful clients.

So, on December 19, I have reserved us a theater for a private screening of the movie! The movie will start at 8:45 a.m, but come early to get some popcorn and a coke. We will be at the Harker Heights Cinema, where you can head out after the movie to get some last-minute holiday shopping done.

The theater holds 250, so we will honor sign-ups on a first come, first serve basis. We will also have a waiting list, because we all know plans change. One more thing we’d like to mention is that this event is for you and your immediate family only. We want to personally say thanks to you for being a great client and allowing us to help you buy or sell your home.

So get signed up, and we will see you on Saturday, December 19 at 8:15 am at the Harker Heights Cinema. We can’t wait to see you but until then, may the force be with you!

How Can a Simple Vote Put More Money in Your Pocket?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central Texas? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (254) 690-4321 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

In the state of Texas, we are now in early voting and will be voting until October 30. So, we need you to run to the polls and vote YES to Proposition 1!

Proposition 1 will almost double your homestead exemption. It currently at sits at $15,000, but with a YES vote will be doubled to $25,000! That goes right into your pocket book!

If you're a homeowner today, or if you want to become a homeowner in the future, you need to get out and vote on this issue! Even if you're renting, voting YES on Proposition 1 will net more money in your landlord's pocket, and could prevent them from raising your rates as a result!

Texas has one of the highest property taxes in the nation. While this isn't anything to be excited about, it's worth noting that Proposition 1 will effectively stop anyone from ever putting a sales tax on your property. Additionally, it will protect elderly and disabled Texans!

So go out and vote for Proposition 1! Don't stop there - call five people, tell them to vote, and have them call five people as well! We can all work together to prevent high taxes on our property and add more savings in our pocket!

We'll see you at the polls!

How to Organize Your Home Before a Showing

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central Texas? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (254) 690-4321 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

I recently found a good video on HGTV that I thought would be helpful to you if you're preparing to sell your home. It's essential that when you show your home to buyers, it's clean, organized, and decluttered. You'll want to empty out your closets, or at the very least, get them organized.

One thing you can do to get organized is to put up shoe hangers in your doors, and store everyday items inside them such as cleaning supplies, utensils, or anything else that you can fit in them.

Another way to cut down on clutter is to get organized. Use labels, or pick up storage bins to keep items like cords or wires in.

A tip for organizing your closet is to divide your clothes into four different sections: hang, sell, donate, keep, and fold. Once you have something marked out for every category, you can then organize your closet in any way you see fit. Here's an extra tip: you can use belt hangers to hang your necklaces and other jewelry.

I just thought this video would be useful for organizing your home whether you're selling or if you just want to tidy up a bit.

If you need any assistance with staging, decluttering, or selling, please don't hesitate to contact me!

How Can You Stage on a Budget?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central Texas? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (254) 690-4321 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

If you are looking to sell your home, your goal is to get the most money possible in the shortest amount of time. One of the best ways to add value and appeal to your home is through home staging. You have a lot of options for how you want to go about it. You could hire a professional staging company, but that comes with a hefty price tag. Most of the time, a few simple fixes is all it takes to transform a living room. 

Today we are going to go through some of our most favorite, inexpensive home staging tips or you. We hope these will help you save both time and money when it comes time to sell your home.

A fresh coat of paint is always a good idea. Neutral, warm colors work best for highlighting the natural light in your home. This will make it easier to punch up the room with some colorful accessories and pull everything together.

A common design problem facing many homeowners is that they have no real entry way, as their front door opens up to the living room. To fix this, you can add a table, some lighting, and a rug to "fake a foyer" and make it feel like the living room and entryway are two different spaces.

A patterned rug, some pillows, or bright curtains add a ton of texture and an eclectic layer to the space, which is essential to a well-designed room.

In some cases, a "make-under" is just what you need. In the case of most fireplaces, taking some accessories and clutter away enhances the look and feel of the room greatly.

You could spend well over a few thousand dollars with a staging company, or you could do these fixes yourself for around $500. That's a small investment considering the value that you add to your home by adding those pieces.

If you have any questions for us about staging your home or anything else real estate related, give us a call or send over a quick email. We are always here to help, and would love to hear from you!