Claudia Hargrove Thoughts

Buying a new house isn’t an easy process, it can be full of stress and scary for some people. The days may be getting shorter, but the list of home-shopping benefits is getting long. For a long time, spring and summer were considered the best seasons to buy a brand new house, but surprise! Fall is actually not only a great time, it might also be the best season to find your dream house. Here are the top 5 reasons:

1. Old Inventory could mean better deals: Sellers tend to put their homes on the market during spring and the beginning of summer, often listing their homes too high right out of the gate. This could result in price reductions throughout the spring and summer months.

2.Less Competition:  Families who want to be in a new home by the beginning of the school season are no longer shopping at this point. That translates into less competition and more opportunities for buyers.

3.Sellers are looking to close all deals by the end of the year: Buying a home is an investment with tax consequences, and home seller may want to take advantage of a gain or loss during this tax year, so you might find homeowners looking to make deals, so they can close before December 31.

4.The holidays around the corner motivates sellers to offer better deals. As the Holidays approach, sellers are motivated to close and move as many properties as possible. if a home has not sold by November, the seller is likely motivated to be done with the disruptions caused by listing a home for sale.

5.Home Improvement bargains: Once you close on that home you found in the fall, you may want to upgrade your appliances. Luckily, December is when major appliances, refrigerators, stoves, washers, and dryers are at their very cheapest, according to Consumer Reports. It’s also the best time of year to buy cookware and TVs.

Buying your first home shouldn’t be a chore. Sure, it can be a challenge and sometimes test your temper. But, at the end of the day, you’ll have a place to call all your own! So, if you are thinking about buying a new home, let me be your partner and help you find your dream house.

Why you should contact me?

My extensive knowledge of El Paso’s residential real estate market is unparalleled. Clients choose to work with me for my full-service approach, ethics, experience and expertise. Despite this highly competitive real estate environment in El Paso, I’ve had a stellar performance year after year for over 32 years. My roster of repeat buyers and valued clients are some of El Paso’s most influential individuals, developers and institutions.  

Phone: 915-630-3166
Email: claudia.hargrove@cbelpaso.com
Website: www.claudiaep.com

Claudia Hargrove Thoughts

There’s a new trend happening in the Sun City, a trend of seeing retirees migrate to this beautiful city! A new analysis comparing the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States as a potential retirement location, based on facts like: affordability, desirability, happiness, taxes, job market and access to top-quality hospitals, has named several cities in Texas in the top 10 places to retire. El Paso comes into the ranking because of our great affordable housing, low taxes, and above average levels of happiness. With a 7.1 Overall Score and 8.0 Housing Affordably El Paso is number #5 on the U.S News Best Places to Retire Analysis.

Nowadays, El Paso is attracting a wide variety of residents with its array of musical, cultural and sports events like Neon Desert Music Festival, Mariachi Loco Music Festival, Texas Country Music Fest, Sun City Craft Beer Festival, UTEP Sports Teams, The Chihuahuas and a Broadway Season are among the events that are bringing our community together.

Thinking about moving to El Paso? Here are some stats about our city:

• Metro Population: 837,073
• Median Age: 31.6
• Unemployment rate: 4.7%
• Average Annual Salary: $37,440
• Median Home Price: $137,842
• Median Monthly Rent: $765
• AVG High/Low Temps: 77.4° / 51.6°
• AVG Annual Rainfall: 9.7 Inches

AVG Commute Time: 23.3 minutes

Let’s analyze and compare our city stats against San Diego, CA a city famous for its sunny weather and beautiful beaches, but of course there is much more than that, with a metropolitan population of 3,253,356, an average annual salary of $55,480 and a $521,067 median home price, we can conclude that living in this city is not particularly affordable, San Diegans are willing to pay these elevated prices though, often referring to the cost of living differences as the “sunshine tax,” or the price of enjoying a year-round temperate climate.

As you can see, El Paso remains more affordable with lower costs of living and housing than most markets in the United States, including metropolitan areas in Texas like Austin and Houston.

Nestled in the heart of El Paso are beautiful desert properties and communities. Here is list of the most popular neighborhoods in El Paso for investors:

Rental Properties:

1. Central El Paso
2. Cielo Vista Mall Area
3. Mesa hills

Neighborhoods

1. Bear Ridge
2. High Ridge
3. Upper Mesa Hills
4. Ranchos Del Sol
5. East El Paso
6. Northwestern El Paso

El Paso is called the Sun City for a reason and that reason is the 300 days of sunshine we have every year and that’s why if you love outdoors Sun City is a great place to live. El Paso proximity to the Rio Grande and the Franklin Mountains State Park provides great opportunities for outdoor activities. The El Paso International Airport is less than a 15-minute drive from downtown and is serviced by American Airlines, Delta, United, Frontier Airlines, Southwest and Allegiant.  

Finding the right city that meets all your criteria for a retirement spot can be a difficult challenge, as a retiree you will have the opportunity to choose and move to a place that costs less a provides a high quality of life, but you definitely won’t have to thru this process by yourself. My extensive knowledge of El Paso’s residential real estate market is unparalleled. Clients choose to work with me for my full-service approach, ethics, experience and expertise.

Contact me today and let me help you find your perfect house in El Paso, Texas
Phone: 915-630-3166
Email: claudia.hargrove@cbelpaso.com
Website: www.claudiaep.com

 

Claudia Hargrove Thoughts

It’s starting to warm up In El Paso, the sun is high and hot and so is the competition for buying a home. If you are thinking about buying a home this summer, you just need to find your perfect agent. With over 32 years of experience, my extensive knowledge of El Paso’s residential real estate market is unparalleled, despite this highly competitive real estate market I’ve shown the ability to satisfy my clients needs in the buying and selling process.

But before you start any serious consideration about buying a home, let me share with you some tips and market facts to help you get the most out of this summer housing market.



Facts:

1. We are expecting that the housing market will be strong this summer, existing home sales and list prices have risen in 2018, and starter home inventory has drop by 14 %.
2. Summers is not the craziest season to buy a home but it’s definitely a busy home-buying season, one of the advantages of buying during summer is that prices normally drop from May through October. So, there is a huge possibility that you could find a great deal.
3. In real estate markets like El Paso there is are a lot of inventory available for sale that can give you more leverage for a negotiation and peace of mind knowing that another home will be just around the corner waiting for you.

Tips:

1. You should try to get to know the neighborhood, take the proper time to do some research about the community and neighborhood before making any offer. If a home that fits your needs and expectations is available, it’s really tempting to make an offer but if it’s not the right community or neighborhood, you may never end up feeling at home in your house.
2. Once you finally find your dream house, make the strongest offer you can make even if it’s not the highest. The strongest offer might not always the highest one but is the best you can do.
3. Buying and selling at the same time can be easier, if you need to sell your home before buying another, you will likely have an easier time with the balancing act during the summer. Rather than getting trapped with two mortgages, you could have a more seamless transition in a busier market.
4. Kids are out of school buying a house and moving in the summer is a much easier transition if you have a family you can minimize disruption to your kids live.

Now, you know that if you can stand the heat of a little competition plus my expertise we will make our way into the marketplace during housing’s hottest season. I realize what an important decision it is when choosing a real estate professional. After all, this is likely the biggest purchase or sale you will make in your entire life. I take that responsibility very seriously. Beyond the significant financial issues, the rest is about your happiness and quality of life. If you choose me to represent you in your real estate aspirations, you can count on my dedication to serve your best interests each and every day through the process.



Contact me and Let me help you find your dream house in El Paso, Texas.
915-630-3166
claudia.hargrove@cbelpaso.com
www.claudiaep.com

Claudia Hargrove Thoughts

The process of buying a new house can be really scary, full of stress and frustration for some people. That’s the way it should be when you are about to make the most important financial decision of your life. But you definitely don’t have to go thru this by yourself. Let me share with you a few tips that would make this process a fun experience.

• • Check your credit: Paying your bills on time every month doesn’t mean you have excellent credit. The credit utilization ratio is the amount of credit you’re using compared with your available credit and it can hurt or help your overall credit score. Ideally, homebuyers should have a lot of credit available, with a less than a third of it used.

• Hire a Realtor: Having the right realtor for you involved since the very beginning will save you time, energy and the best part is that you as a home buyer does not pay the agents commission, the agent earns the commission from the seller side of the transaction.

• Get pre-approved for mortgage: one of the most common mistake that people often make is focusing on the total price of the home they can afford instead of the monthly payment they will be making. It is crucial that you work with your advisor to understand how your down payment amount, credit, and the current mortgage rate affect your monthly payment. Many sellers require a prequalification letter before submitting an offer on a home and you don’t want to find the perfect home and then be stuck running around trying to qualify while someone else gets your dream home.

• Decide to buy: When selecting a home, make sure it’s a home that YOU really want. There are many options on the market, so you owe it to yourself to ask yourself the question, “Do I love this home??” if you feel comfortable with the payment, love the location and will feel proud to make this house a home, then take the leap and don’t look back. When you find a house that truly interests you, don’t wait to make an offer. Buying in a tight housing market presents a unique set of challenges. Regardless of how long a house has been on the market, it is one offer away from going under contract.
Buying your first home shouldn’t be a chore. Sure, it can be a challenge and sometimes test your temper. But, at the end of the day, you’ll have a place to call all your own! So, if you are thinking about buying a new home, let me be your partner and help you find your dream house.

Why you should contact me?
My extensive knowledge of El Paso’s residential real estate market is unparalleled. Clients choose to work with me for my full-service approach, ethics, experience and expertise.
Despite this highly competitive real estate environment in El Paso, I’ve had a stellar performance year after year for over 32 years. My roster of repeat buyers and valued clients are some of El Paso’s most influential individuals, developers and institutions. 

Claudia Hargrove Thoughts

Recently, El Paso was named No. 4 in the hottest real estate markets to watch in 2018 just behind Grand Rapids, Nashville and Raleigh. This is why I Claudia Hargrove wants to tell you why buying a house in El Paso could be your best decision ever.

According to Trulia El Paso Ranked No. 4 for the following reasons:

• Our incredible Tex-Mex Cuisine
• A wealth of locations for outdoors lovers to explore
• A rich downtown artist community
• Farmers Markets

Major employers in El Paso area range from the US military to the University of Texas at El Paso, healthcare corporations to major retailers. The average price of a home here is just $186,611, and it’s a hot market for the social young and single set, the median age is 33, and 24 percent of residents are single.

Compared to the rest of Texas, El Paso real estate market has improved since the housing crash, home prices are up modestly, here are the highlights about how much equity has been gained relative to the year of the homes purchase:

• Homes purchased in the El Paso housing market one year ago have appreciated, on average, by $2,192. The national average was $14,170 over the same period.
• Homes purchased in the El Paso housing market three years ago have appreciated, on average, by $13,935. The national average was $53,857 over the same period.
• Homes purchased in the El Paso housing market five years ago have appreciated, on average, by $20,777. The national average was $48,036 over the same period.

El Paso remains more affordable than most markets in the United States. Trulia has identified the following neighborhoods like the most popular in El Paso for investors:
• Bear Ridge
• High Ridge
• Upper Mesa Hills
• Ranchos Del Sol
• Kohlberg

Let me help you find your dream house, with 32 years of experience and over $98 million sold, I’m sure I am your best option, schedule an appointment with me today!