Central Texas Real Estate Podcast with Jean Shine

Let’s take a tour of another fantastic, local business: The Pixie Depot. Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report  Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale Today we’re at The Pixie Depot, another fantastic local business in Salado. We’re taking you through the store today to show you the fantastic furniture, clothing, and more that they have to offer. Tanya Clifton, the owner of The Pixie Depot, joined us to talk about her journey, her business, and all the fantastic products they have to offer. If you have any real estate-related questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Here are the market trends that today’s homebuyers need to know. Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report  Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale As we move through this busy summer selling season, there are a few things you should know if you’re in the market to buy a home. We’ve noticed a trend with out-of-town lenders having issues finding appraisers to complete appraisal reports promptly. Many use appraisal management companies, which are charging a crazy rush fee on the appraisal. For them, a rush means you might get the appraisal in three instead of four weeks.   Our local lenders can typically get appraisals done within two weeks. Our local lenders can typically get appraisals done within two weeks. That’s one of the many reasons you should try to use a local lender for your home purchase if you can. New construction has been seeing some delays because of a shortage of lumber and labor. Homes are taking a little longer to be built, so prepare for delays if you have plans of buying a new construction home. If you have any real estate-related questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Here’s why you need to follow our reorganized Facebook page right away! Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report  Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale We’ve endured the snow and ice, and now the sun is shining through; spring has arrived in Central Texas. We don’t know whether people have been more active on Facebook due to COVID-19 or the ice storms, but we know they’ve been leaving a ton of comments on our page recently. They’re thanking us for sharing information about different things going on in the community and the latest trends in our marketplace. Considering how much value our Facebook posts provide to folks, we figured we’d organize them to make things a bit easier. We’re excited to announce that we’ve created a general schedule for our posts! Now, don’t worry; those of you who know me know that I won’t sit around and wait to post important information if something happens. Assuming things are relatively normal, though, here’s what to expect every week:Market Update Monday: the latest news and notes from our Central Texas marketAround Town Tuesday: local history or current eventsMidweek Makeover (Wednesday): decorating, staging, curb appeal, and buyer trendsGreen Thumb Thursday: landscaping, gardening, and treesFoodie Friday: recipes and restaurants   You are the community, and we want to hear from you! What’s the best tree to plant in Central Texas? What features are buyers paying a premium for in today’s market? Where’s the best tucked-away spot in town to grab a burger? All these things and more will be addressed in our coming posts. We need your input. If you know of any hidden gems in the community, want to raise awareness about a great local cause, or know some landscaping or design tips, please reach out to us via email. We’re proud to be a resource for the community, but this is a two-way street; you are the community, and we want to hear from you! If you missed our latest Market Monday Update (March 1), then here’s the gist: We shared some pretty powerful numbers that show our spring market is heating up. If you want to sell your home for more money, call the Shine Team—we’re here to help guide you through the craziness. Don’t miss out on any more of our Facebook updates. Join our page today! As always, please reach out by phone or email if you have any specific market questions. It’s our pleasure to make the selling and buying processes as quick and easy as possible.

Due to COVID-19, closing procedures may be different right now. Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report  Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale Like many of you, I look forward to getting a haircut, eating out, seeing friends, and getting my kids back into school when this health crisis abates. Though we’re not quite there yet, we want you to know that our offices remain open, staffed, and ready to assist you with all your real estate needs. We continue to list, show, sell, and close properties for our clients. Today I’m discussing how closing procedures happen during this unusual time. Most title companies are only allowing the signers to enter their buildings. When you reach the closing stage and are ready to sign the closing documents, the process right now is generally the same, but some of the procedures may be different due to social distancing guidelines. Most title companies are only allowing the signers to enter their buildings, meaning we real estate agents can’t attend closings with our clients. We hope this changes soon, as we enjoy being there to help celebrate your closing, but until then, we’re only a phone call away should you need us. Some title companies are utilizing other methods and taking all safety precautions such as gloves, plexiglass dividers on the closing tables, extended distancing between the closer and signer, and sanitization between closings. Other options may be possible due to a client’s circumstances, such as a mobile notary to meet the client or online notaries for certain documents. Regardless of the method of closing, you will need a valid, government-issued picture ID, and if you owe $1,500 or more at closing, you need to have the funds presented via cashier’s check, or you can wire the funds to the title company. If you have any further questions about closings or real estate in general, please feel free to contact us via phone or email. We would love to help you.

Although the pandemic has caused things to slow down in our real estate market, there are still plenty of properties being bought and sold. Here are the latest numbers. Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report  Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale Today we have a real estate market report for the first quarter of 2020. Like you, our lives have been inundated by the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic and the resulting business and school closures, as well as the stay-at-home order. Our hearts go out to all who have been impacted and we pray that our leaders and families make it through this crisis with as little long-term stress as possible. Even though it’s a hazardous time out there, we’re taking every precaution to ensure our agents can continue to serve while remaining safe. They’re using gloves, masks, and antibacterial wipes at every turn. Our agents are using gloves, masks, and antibacterial wipes at every turn. Based on what I’m hearing from around the nation, our local market is doing surprisingly well. So far, we’ve closed 96 homes and have another 64 pending, for a total of 160 homes sold this year. In the broader local market, the supply has remained constant and demand has remained strong. How’s your market doing right now? It all depends on your price, location, and condition. To get a better idea, take a look one of the following reports, which has city-specific information about how each area of the market is doing. Copperas Cove Temple, Belton Harker Heights Killeen We’re going to continue to monitor all developments to ensure that we can help you with anything you need during this time. If you have any other questions or would like us to walk you through the data for your neck of the woods, don't hesitate to reach out via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Whether you’re in the mood for some delicious food or you want to know how to make it, Let’s Cook Texas and Let’s Eat Texas are both places that you need to check out. Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report  Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale For our very first post of 2020, we’re here at one of my latest and greatest food finds. I heard about this place initially in the newspaper, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with you as well. Josie is a chef and cooking instructor who came to Killeen from Alaska and has renovated an old downtown facility into Let’s Eat Texas and Let’s Cook Texas. Josie needed some sunshine in her life and decided to move from Alaska, where she owned a cooking school and a bed and breakfast. She loves the community and what she has built here. The before and after pictures of the restaurant and cooking school are incredible! In addition to having some delicious, fresh, homemade food, they also host private groups and solo cooking events. They’re a lot of fun as well. To learn more about Let’s Eat Texas and Let’s Cook Texas, give them a call at 254 768-0106 or check them out online. If you have any real estate questions for me, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Years ago, we started the Wreaths For Vets foundation in an effort to honor all veterans who serve our country. The foundation operates solely on donations, so we would be ecstatic if you could donate to the cause. Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale This is a very special season for us at the Shine Team; back in 2006, our community opened up our very first veteran state cemetery here outside the Killeen area—the Central Texas Veterans State Cemetery. Though it took a long time, we were so excited to complete the project. The very first Christmas after we’d finished, the national organization Wreaths Across America announced they were coming here to lay wreaths for our veteran cemetery. I was so excited to hear it that I rearranged my schedule so I could be there. It was a lovely ceremony with lots of speeches and pomp and circumstance, but they only brought six wreaths. I looked out on the field and saw many graves without decorations. At that moment, I thought to myself, “This cannot be.” This was December 15, and by that time, there were no more wreaths to be bought; they’d all been purchased for people’s homes or sent off to Iraq and Afghanistan to the troops overseas. However, I ran down to Austin and found a warehouse that still had them. After countless phone calls and research, I acquired almost 400 of them. The next year, I called again and found out they had almost 900. I couldn’t personally afford that many, which was why I started a tax-deductible foundation called Wreaths For Vets. It’s a wonderful way for our community to participate in the effort to lay wreaths on every gravesite ever, forever.Wreaths For Vets is a wonderful way for our community to participate in the effort to lay wreaths on every gravesite ever, forever.There are around 8,300 military service members and their families buried at the cemetery, and we’ll be continuing that tradition this year, as well. We’ll be preparing the wreaths on Saturday, November 17, the weekend before Thanksgiving. The weekend after Thanksgiving (November 24), we’ll go out and lay wreaths on every grave. It’ll take a lot of volunteers, so we need your help. Wreaths For Vets is 100% comprised of volunteers, and all proceeds are garnered through donations—there are no paid staff members in the organization. If you’re a supporter of the military and want to help us honor and remember our fallen heroes, we encourage you to make a donation, which you can do on our website, www.WreathsForVets.org, or by sending your donation marked “Wreaths For Vets” to the Shine Team at 100 East Central Texas Expressway, Suite 302, Harker Heights, TX, 76548. That money will be used to buy all the materials needed for the wreath-laying. One of the ways the Shine Team Realtors have chosen to participate in the program is we’ve started making donations for anyone who buys or sells a home with us. I’m proud to say that as of this month, we’ve had 400 buyers and sellers work with us, and we’ve made a donation in each of their honors. Also, every year, friends of the Central Texas Veterans State Cemetery design a new T-shirt for the cause, and this year’s is fabulous. You can purchase one of your own on Saturday, November 17 during the wreath preparation, and we’d be happy to put one on hold for you if you can’t make it out this year. Thank you for your continued support of the Shine Team, members of our armed forces, and our veterans all over the world. If you have any questions for us, you’re always encouraged to reach out to us. We’d be happy to hear from you.

Take a tour of one of White Rock’s beautiful homes with me—I’ll show you all its wonderful special features that make it a truly outstanding home. Looking to sell your Central Texas area home? Get a free home value report Looking to buy a Central Texas area home? Click here to browse Central Texas Homes for sale I was wandering over to the great little neighborhood of White Rock when I thought it would be a good idea to show off some of the special features homes in this area have. I have two friends who just moved in down the street, so I’ve gotten to see the homes up close and personal. Beginning at 0:30 in the video above, scroll through the video to check out this home’s amazing features, including: Monterey drag wall textureA stacked rock fireplaceTwo-inch, custom faux blindsLight plugs under the soffitsAn automatic, preset, full sprinkler systemThe fall is a great time to make a move up.Turntable shelving (aka Lazy Susan)Kitchen island (with electrical outlets on either end and lots of storage)Spacious kitchen drawersMaster bathroom (complete with privacy window and walk-in shower)Two master closetsWhoever gets this gorgeous home will enjoy lots of space and utility! If you have any questions about these homes or real estate in general, please feel free to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.