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1135 W. Gardner St, Houston TX 77009

Posted on July 20, 2019July 20, 2019 by Ali Palacios - Broker

COMING SOON!

2 bedroom
1 bath
Building 942 SF
Lot 5,000 SF

Welcome Home! This adorable cottage is located in the Historical District in the Houston Heights. The home is appointed with two spacious bedrooms with cedar lined closets. Large living room with amazing windows and lots of natural light. Formal dining room, and large kitchen with plenty of counter and storage space. Beautiful original hardwood floors. This home has a 2 car detached garage and sizable backyard; perfect for outdoor entertaining. Enjoy an evening on this amazing front porch. You will love all the details and charm.

This tree lined streets and the beautiful mature trees makes this a perfect location. It’s minutes from downtown Houston, The Galleria, Memorial Park and the Energy Corridor. Enjoy all the Heights has to offer with nearby shopping, amazing restaurants, and parks.

North Norhill neighborhood is located in houston (77009 zip code) in Harris county. North Norhill has 531 single family properties with a median build year of 1928 and a median size of 1,228 Sqft., these home values range between $308 – $509 K. The sqft. price change data is available through 1998. The median sold price/sqft is $386.09. Source: HAR.com

6007 Oxford Lake Dr, Rosenberg TX 77471

Posted on July 15, 2019July 15, 2019 by Ali Palacios - Broker

COMING SOON!

6007 Oxford Lake Dr, Rosenberg TX 77471

PROPERTY DETAILS

4 bedrooms
2.5 baths
Bldg SF 2,970
Lot SF 8,705
Private pool
Lake views and park side with private gate access.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! You could not ask for a better lot. This beautiful home is located in the Master Planned Community of Kingdom Heights with easy access to the community parks and several lakes where fishing is permitted. This home is lakeside and park side!

This immaculately presented, well-appointed 2 story home has a wonderful floor plan that lends itself to gatherings. Spacious living room with gas fireplace opens up into the kitchen. Prepare a gourmet meal in the ample kitchen with plenty of storage cabinets and counter space, large island, and plentiful pantry. The formal dining room lends itself to entertaining. Private home study with large windows and views of the front yard. Retire into the huge and serene master suite. Check out the master closet!

Enjoy a beverage under your covered porch or splish splash into your own private pool. This specious backyard has no immediate back neighbors and views of a vast green space, one of the many community parks and two lakes.

Zoned to excellent schools. Learn more about Lamar Consolidated ISD

Community Information

Schedule your private tour today!

Welcome home! 6007 Oxford Lake Dr, Rosenberg TX 77471

Splish Splash into your our private pool

Easy access to one of the community parks right from your back yard!

Spend some time fishing in two of the many lakes within walking distance of your backyard. You may fish (catch and release) from the shore or from a canoe.

Enjoy this spectacular view from the spacious second floor game room

Located within minutes Sugar Land, Katy, Richmond and Fulshear.

KINGDOM HEIGHTS

This community will consist of 572 acres with 12 lakes and 39 parks. Kingdom Heights is located within minutes from Sugar Land Towne Centre, Katy La Centerra, and an array of local shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation opportunities.

Kingdom Height will eventually consist of 1,430 homes.

Other amenities include a beautiful Recreation Center, Fitness Center, Party Room, Resort Style Pool, Soccer and Baseball Fields.

Home located in section 1. Source: http://www.kingdomheights.com/about/site-plan/

Baseball and soccer field
Baseball and soccer field

Home Staging Tips, plus more! You’re invited

Posted on March 14, 2019March 14, 2019 by Ali Palacios - Broker

Click here to RSVP

Annual review of your escrow account

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Ali Palacios - Broker

What is escrow?

Your mortgage payment is made up of the following:

Part goes toward your mortgage to pay your principal and interest.
The other part goes into your escrow account for property taxes and insurance premiums (like homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, or flood insurance).

When you purchase a home and put down less than 20%, the lender will requiere that you escrow your taxes and insurance. An account is opened at the time your home is purchased. The funds within the account are used to pay your property taxes and insurance premiums. These are paid by the lender directly using these funds. This typically helps the home owner because you don’t have to save for these funds separately.

In Texas we pay property taxes in arrears. In Jan of the current year, you are paying the past year’s property taxes. By “property taxes” I’m referring to property, School, MUD, LID and/or Drainage Taxes (not all applicable for all). It might look something like the image below.

At the beginning of the year I’d suggest you do two things:

Make sure that your taxes have been paid. Lenders make mistake and sometimes overlook a payment. Taxes are due by Jan 31st so make sure that the payment is applied before that date.
Review your escrow account for errors, shortages and overages.

#1 Confirm Payment

Go into the jurisdiction’s website and make sure your balance is zero. If there is a balance owed make sure to follow up with your lender.

#2 Yearly escrow review

Property taxes and insurance premiums change over time. Most lenders will review your escrow account each year to make sure you’ll have enough to cover your expenses. To help with any unexpected increases, you need to keep a minimum balance in your account at all times. It’s normally calculated to not be more than 2 months of escrow payments (but this will vary by bank).

The lender will add your taxes and insurance and divide this amount by 12. This is the minimum amount you need in your escrow account. Normally the lender will want at least 2 month cushion to cover any potential increases in taxes or insurance. Most lender will send you an analyzes by mail or online.

Shortage

If you have an escrow shortage due to an increase in your taxes or insurance premiums, you are responsible for the difference. The bank will send you a notice stating the amount outstanding. It’ll be your choice how you handle it. You can either pay the entire shortage in one lump sum or you can choose to have the amount spread out over the coming year. This means if your shortage is $500, expect to pay an additional $41.67 each month the following year to make up the shortage. Your payment might also increase more as the lender increases the amount going into escrow to pay the next year’s taxes and insurance. In this example you might see an overall increase of approximately $80-100

Please note that if you choose to pay the total shortage in one lump sum, your payment will still increase to cover next year’s potential shortage.

Surplus

If you have too much money in your escrow account, you might get a refund check from the lender. This usually occurs when taxes go down or payments are overestimated. The lender will pay the appropriate amount to each jurisdiction. Whatever is left goes to you, minus their desired cushion. You should receive notice that you have an escrow surplus and will receive a check not long after that. If this doesn’t happen, contact the lender for further details.

Going Forward

The lender should repeats this process every year but don’t relay on the lender to foresee issues. Be proactive! Before May of every year you will get your proposed assessed value from the tax jurisdiction. Review these statements. Has it increased? decreased? How will this effect your escrow balance?

To avoid unpleasant surprises, pay attention to correspondence from your insurance company or taxing jurisdictions. If you’re aware that your payments will increase, you can put additional money towards your escrow each month to avoid a shortage. If you see that your payments will go down, you can contact your bank to try to decrease your monthly escrow payments.

You can ask your lender to analysis your escrow account at any point. You do not have to wait for them to schedule the review. Increases or decreases in your annual tax or insurance bills may cause your monthly mortgage amount to change.

You can (and should) protest your taxes. The protest deadline is May 31st of each year. The final amount is established by the final quarter of each year.

For more info: Tax Protest

Dumplings, dumplings and more dumplings

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Ali Palacios - Broker

INGREDIENTS

1 pound well-ground, fatty pork
1 pound Napa cabbage, rough slices
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons water
2 scallions, sliced
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or sherry
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon fine salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 package frozen or fresh dumpling wrappers
small bowl of water

DIRECTIONS

Pork filling:

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the cabbage; blanch until just wilted. Using a slotted spoon, remove cabbage to strainer set over a large bowl. Press down on cabbage to squeeze out all liquid. Transfer to cutting board; roughly chop. Combine onions and pork, add ginger, Add the soy sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil, salt, and pepper to the meat mixture. Stir in chopped cabbage until completely incorporated.

Dumplings:

Using a spoon, place one heaping tablespoon of dumpling filling in the center of the dumpling wrapper. Using your fingertip, wet the outer edge of the dumpling wrapper with water. Fold up the sides of the dumpling into a half-moon shape. Pinch the edges of the dough until completely sealed. Do not overfill the dumplings. If any filling comes out, remove some and seal the dumpling completely.

Cook:

Boiled dumplings: To cook the dumplings, gently lower them into a medium pot of boiling water and boil for approximately three to five minutes. They are done when the dumpling skins are translucent and the dumplings have been floating for about three minutes. Remove from pot carefully with a slotted spoon.

Pan fried dumpling: Add 2 tbsp o oil in a pan, add on layer of dumplings, fold side up. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover. Steam the dumplings for about 4 mins. Dumpling wrapper with be translucent. Uncover and continue cooking until all the water evaporates and the dumplings are golden brown on the bottom side.

Fried: Heat oil and fry each dumpling until golden brown.

Serve hot with your favorite dumpling sauce

VARIATION AND TIPS

You can freeze dumplings raw for up to 2 month.
Bacon Cheese Burger dumplings: for filling combine 2 cups medium shredded sharp Cheddar, 1/3 pound thin-cut cooked and chopped bacon, 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt, 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 large red onion, small diced, 8 ounces 80/20 ground beef. Serve with ketchup and mustard
Shrimp and onion dumplings: for filling combine: 1 lb chopped deveined and cleaned shrimp, 3 sliced green onions, 1/4 tsp grated ginger, 1 clove grated garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons sesame oil.
Buffalo Chicken dumplings: for filling combine 1 lb ground chicken, 1 cup of buffalo sauce, 1 cup grated colby cheese, 1/2 cup cream cheese, 1/4 cup blue cheese.
Add 1/2 cup of chopped kimchi into the recipe above for pork and kimchi dumpling
Simple dipping sauce: 4 tbsp Soy sauce, 1/8 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp Sriracha sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil. Combine and serve with dumplings

You can fill these with anything! Share your filling ideas 🙂

Bolognese Sauce

Posted on December 4, 2018December 4, 2018 by Ali Palacios - Broker

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 medium celery rib, finely diced
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal or 1/2 pound ground pork
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 cans of small diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
1lb pasta

DIRECTIONS

Cook onions, celery, carrot, and garlic in oil. Use a 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add Beef and veal/pork and cook over moderately high heat, stirring and breaking up lumps, until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Cook for 4-5 minutes on low heat. Deglaze the pan with wine, water, add diced tomatoes, gently simmer, covered, until sauce is thickened, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Cook the pasta for 1 less minute than stated on package. Toss into sauce and finish cooking. If needed add a little pasta water into the mix. The sauce should evenly cover the pasta. Add grated parmesan cheese to taste and stir.

Serve with more parmesan cheese 🙂

VARIATIONS AND TIPS

Sauce may be made 3 days in advance, cooled before you refrigerate. You can also freeze the sauce (no pasta) for up to 2 months.
This same sauce can be used for lasagna, so yummy!
Add chili spices (2 tbsp chili powder and 1 tbsp cumin) and 1 can of beans to make a great chili. Serve with corn bread or fritos. Top with cheddar cheese and onions

Asian Style Pork Belly

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Ali Palacios - Broker

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs pork belly, cut in 1 in pieces
1/2 cup Chinese rice wine
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic (whole)
2 star anise
1 bunch Green onions (sliced)

Serve with steamed white rice

DIRECTIONS

Brown the pork belly pieces in small batches (do not crowd the pan) until brown. I used an electric pressure cooker, the sauté function. Once all pieces have been browned add them back to the pot and toss in all the rest of the ingredients except the green onions. Add 2/3 cup water. Cover the pressure cooker and set for stew setting.

Once the setting is complete, uncover the pressure cooker and turn the sauté function back on. Cook until the sauce reduces and becomes as thick has honey. Stir several time so that the pork is even coated.

VARIATIONS

I make a cuban style pork belly. Pork is cut into 1in pieces and browned as stated above. Add the pork back into the pan with 1/2 cup orange juice, the juice of 1 lime, 5 cloves of garlic, 3 packages of saloon Goya, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1 small sliced onion, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper. Once the pork is cooked in the pressure cooker you will once again open the pot and set it to sauté. Cook until the pork is dark brown, stir often.

Italian style burgers

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Ali Palacios - Broker

Makes 4 patties

INGREDIENTS

1 lb beef or turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup of Italian style bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tbsp tomato pesto (or sun-dried tomato pesto)
1 cup grated cheese (I’ve used parmesan, provolone, mozzarella or a combination of these)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
4 buns
1 tomato sliced
1 small red onion sliced
Green leaf lettuce or arugula
Pesto or basil leaves (optional)
4 cheese slices – Mozzarella or provolone

DIRECTIONS

Mix ground meat with egg, bread crumbs, garlic salt, tomato pesto, grated cheese and black pepper. Mix well and found 4 patties. Heat a sauce pan with olive oil, place patties in pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until done to taste. Add sliced cheese and cook until melted. Toast buns, add condiments as desired. Enjoy!

VARIATIONS

This same mixture can be turned into a meatloaf. Mix the same ingredients and top with a 1 cup of ketchup or tomato sauce. Place in greased loaf pan. Cook for 30 mins or until done. Serve with parmesan potatoes!
This same mixture makes amazing meatballs. Mix the same ingredients and form 16 small meatballs. Brown the meat balls in olive oil and add your favorite spaghetti sauce.

The Home Equity Playbook

Posted on October 6, 2018October 6, 2018 by Ali Palacios - Broker

What is Home Equity?

Home equity seems to be a very simple calculation — the total amount of mortgages owed subtracted from the current market value of a home. Here is a simple example:

Current Home Market Value $325,000

Existing Mortgage $225,000

Homeowner Equity $100,000

One side of the equation is well defined, and it is found on the monthly mortgage statement, the loan balance. The other side is less obvious — the current market value of the property.

As a homeowner, your down payment purchases your initial equity, and your monthly (or additional) principal payments increase your equity. In strong real estate markets and in-demand locations, equity can increase quite rapidly as the property value increases, but the inverse can also happen — too much available inventory and market down-cycles can lead to falling home values and a reduction in homeowner equity.

It can be difficult to put an accurate value on something that you have emotional and monetary vesting in. It is safe to say that most people think their home is worth more than then it is.

Homeowners can make savvy assessments about their home’s current market value by following the sales of similar properties in the neighborhood, but should stay away from websites such as Zillow and Trulia, which provide inaccurate and outdated estimates. The most accurate measurement requires a comparative market analysis from a real estate professional or having the home professionally appraised. But, the bottom line — your home is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.

Creating Value is in Your Hands

Maintaining the condition of a home is vitally important to retaining and increasing value. Homes are judged against their peers: how they compare to similar homes in the neighborhood. Another way to retain value is to not over upgrade, since it is rare to ever recoup the money spent if you exceed neighborhood value. Keep up the landscaping and do the little things to add curb appeal.

Putting Home Equity to Work

Home equity represents the largest single asset of millions of people, and because it represents so much of an individual’s net worth, it must be treated with respect. Home equity is not a liquid asset until a property is sold, or it is borrowed against.

There are two types of loans that tap into homeowner equity as collateral.

Home Equity Loans

Many home equity plans set a fixed period during which the person can borrow money, such as 10 years. At the end of this “draw period,” the person may be allowed to renew the credit line. If the plan does not allow renewals, the homeowner will not be able to borrow additional money once the period has ended. Some plans may call for payment in full of any outstanding balance at the end of the period. Others may allow repayment over a fixed period, for example, of 10 years.

A home equity loan, sometimes called a second mortgage, usually has a fixed rate and a set time to pay it back, generally with equal monthly payments.

Home Equity Line of Credit

A home equity line of credit is similar to a credit card. The lender sets a maximum amount you can borrow, and you can draw money as you need it, though many home equity lines of credit require an initial draw. The interest rate varies daily, and is usually prime plus a set number, but the required payment is usually interest only. Once the loan has been paid down, the payment is reduced, and it can be paid off and initiated as many times as a homeowner requires.

How Much Equity can be Accessed?

Since the financial institution is lending money and using a home as collateral, they will not lend 100% of the home’s equity. The bank does not want to take the risk that if the house price drops, they would be carrying a loan for more than its market value. Therefore, most banks will allow a qualified homeowner to borrow approximately 80% of their equity.

It’s Important to Use Your Home Equity Wisely

Because it is likely the biggest asset most people have, losing your home equity is hard to overcome. It must be used in prudent ways, and the payments against the loan must be affordable. Using equity money to make the loan payment is only acceptable for a short-term solution.

There are number of good reasons to use money from a home equity loan… and some really bad ones. First, let’s cover smart uses.

Invest in Your Home

The best way to use the money is create more equity in the home. Among the very best returns on your investment (ROI) include kitchen and bathroom remodels, adding square footage or an extra bath, enhancing curb appeal and repairing/keeping the existing structure sound. Making prudent investments in your home is a wonderful win-win: you enjoy the upgrades and the repairs can add value to the home.

Invest in your Children’s Education

Using your home equity to finance a child’s higher education may be the greatest payoff of all. Not only is the rate much lower than a student loan, it is an investment in the child’s future.

Supplement Retirement Needs

Older homeowners spent their working lives paying down their mortgage. At retirement, when monthly income is reduced, a home equity loan could pay for a dream vacation or an unexpected major expense.

Augment the Impending Sale of a Home

If you’re planning to sell soon, a home equity line of credit may be the best way to finance improvements, and you can pay it off entirely when you sell. Investing wisely on upgrades and repairs may even reap a profit on your investment.

Here are some examples of some not very wise choices.

Adding luxury amenities like a swimming pool, a hot spa, lavish landscaping, expensive appliances and exotic countertops and flooring rarely pay off.

Purchasing a car or boat or most any personal luxury items is a poor use of the funds, since these items quickly depreciate in value.

Also stay away from using money on risk-heavy investments. Financing stock purchases, start-up businesses and paying routine bills is not financially smart. If you cannot afford to purchase those items with available funds, using equity from your home means they should not be in your budget.

You should treat a home equity loan as an investment and not as extra cash when making financial decisions. If your intended use of the money doesn’t pay you back in some way, it’s not the best use of your valuable equity.

We Are Happy to Assist You

If you would like an assessment of the market value of your home and the current equity you can access, give us a call for a comparative market analysis.

Don’t Get Burned – Get a Home Inspection to Save Money on Your Next Purchase

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Ali Palacios - Broker

Okay, you made one of the most important decisions in your life: you’re buying a home! You found your ideal home. It’s in your desired neighborhood, close to everything you love, you dig its design and feel, and you’re ready to finalize the deal.

But, whoa … wait a minute! Buying a home isn’t like buying a toaster. If you discover something’s wrong with your new home, you can’t return it for a refund or an even exchange. You’re stuck with your buying decision. Purchasing a home is an important investment and should be treated as such. Therefore, before finalizing anything, your “ideal” home needs an inspection to protect you from throwing your hard-earned money into a money pit.

A home inspection is a professional visual examination of the home’s roof, plumbing, heating and cooling system, electrical systems, and foundation.

There are really two types of home of inspections. There is a general home inspection and a specialized inspection. Most general inspections cost between $267 and $370. The cost of the specialized inspection varies from type to type. If the inspector recommends a specialized inspection, take that advice because buying a home is the single most important investment you’ll make and you want extra assurance that you’re making a wise investment.

By having your prospective new home inspected, you can:

Negotiate with the home seller and get the home sale-ready at no cost to you
Prevent your insurance rates from rising
Opt-out of the purchase before you make a costly mistake
Save money in the short and long run

How Much Money Can a Home Inspection Save You?

A home inspection helps to find potential expenses beyond the sales price, which puts homebuyers in a powerful position for negotiation. If there are any issues discovered during the home inspection, buyers can stipulate that the sellers either repair them before closing or help cover the costs in some other way. If the sellers do not want to front the money to complete the repairs, buyers could negotiate a drop in the overall sales price of the home!

Perhaps even more importantly, a home inspection buys you peace of mind. Your first days and months in a new home will set the tone for your life there, and you don’t want to taint that time with worries about hidden problems and potential money pits.

To help you understand how much money a home inspection can save you, here are some numbers from HomeAdvisor to drive the point home … so to speak.

Roof – Roofing problems are one of the most common issues found by home inspections. Roof repair can range between $316 and $1046, but to replace a roof entirely can cost between $4,660 and $8,950.

Plumbing – Don’t underestimate the plumbing. Small leaks can cause damage that costs between $1,041 and $3,488 to repair. Your home inspector will look for visible problems with the plumbing such as leaky faucets, water stains around sinks and the shower, and noisy pipes. Stains on walls, ceilings, and warped floors show plumbing problems.

Heating and Cooling – Ensuring the home’s heating and cooling system is working properly is very important. Your home inspector will make you aware of any problems with the existing system and let know you whether the system is past its prime and needs replacing. You don’t want to throw down $3,919 to replace an aged furnace. Nor do you want to spend $5,238 replacing an ill-working air conditioner. Replacing and repairing a water heater gets pricey too. Wouldn’t you rather use your savings for a vacation?

Electrical Systems – When thinking of the electrical system, no problem is better than even a small problem. Electrical problems might seem small, but they can blossom into thousand-dollar catastrophes. Make sure your home inspector examines the electric meter, wires, circuit breaker, switches, and the GCFI outlets and electrical outlets.

Foundation – If your home inspector sees that the house is sinking, that means water is seeping into the foundation; cracks in walls, sticking windows, and sagging floor also indicate foundational problems. The foundation is so important that if the general inspection report shows foundation problems, lenders will not lend money on the home until those issues are solved. Foundation repairs can reach as high as $5,880 to repair.

As you can see, a small investment of a few hundred dollars for a general home inspection can save you tons of money and future headaches. To save even more money, you might consider investing in a specialized home inspection as well. A specialized inspection gets down to the nitty-gritty of all the trouble spots the general home inspection might have located.

How Much Money Can a Specialized Inspection Save You?

A general home inspection can trigger a need for a specialized inspection because the general home inspector spotted something off about the roof, sewer system, the heating and cooling system, and the foundation. If humidity is high where you’re buying your home, a pest inspection is recommended. Usually, a pest inspection will check for mold as well as pests. Most homebuyers have a Radon test done to ensure air quality.

Roof – Roof specialists examine the chimney and the flashing surrounding it. They also look at the level of wear and tear of the roof. They can tell you how long the roof will last before a new one is needed. They’ll inspect the downspouts and gutters. The average cost of a roof inspection is about $223. Most roof inspections will cost between $121 and $324.

Sewer System – Making sure your sewer system has no problems should happen before the closing because what might look like a small problem can turn into a large problem in the future. If any issues pop up, you can negotiate with the seller about needed repairs or replacements before closing. Cost of inspection will vary; on the low side, it might cost you around $95, and on the high side, it might cost you $790. Compare these numbers to repairing a septic tank, which can cost, on average, $1,435 (though it could reach as high as $4,459), and you can see that the cost of an inspection is worth it when you catch the problem before you buy.

Heating and Cooling System – A HVAC specialist will check the ducts for blockage and for consistent maintenance of the unit. The repairs needed might be small or they might be big, but this small investment will save you headaches and lots of money down the road.

Foundation – A foundation specialist will pinpoint the exact problem with the foundation. The specialist will look at the grade or slope of the home. The ground should slope away from the home in all directions a half inch per foot. Most homeowners have spent between $1,763 and $5,880 to repair their foundation. And the average cost to re-slope a lawn is at $1,705. Most homeowners paid between $933 and $2,558 to re-slope their lawn.

Pest Inspection – Termites eat a home’s wood structure from inside out and can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home. Other pests can turn your dream home into a nightmare. Depending on the humidity of where you live, you should a pest/termite inspection every two years or so. You can start with your potential new home. Most inspections are extensive and cost between $109 and $281. The good news is that most pest management company will guarantee the past inspection if bugs show up.

Radon Test – Radon is a naturally occurring invisible odorless gas that is the second leading cause of cancer. A radon test is a good test to have done as a good habit. The cost of radon test is low and its cost varies from state to state. Here’smore information about Radon.

Steps You Can Take to Save Money Using a Home Inspection

To help yourself save with a home inspection, you will need to:

Attend the inspection – Attending the inspection is important because it’s an opportunity for you to ask questions.

Check utilities – Checking utilities let’s know the energy efficiency of your potential home.

Hire a Qualified Home Inspector – We can recommend bona-fide home inspectors to you. You can compare our recommendation with all inspectors who belong to the American Society of Home Inspectors. While the decision of who you work with is always yours, we can educate you so that you make a wise homebuying decision.