No matter what City or State you are currently living in, you may have noticed your social media newsfeeds with posts about #KWRedDay.  San Antonio Texas was no exception.

RED Day (Renew, Energize and Donate) is a day that Keller Williams Realty celebrates annually, as a commitment to improving our local communities.  Tens of thousands participate in a wide variety of projects, depending on where they are most needed.

Our Keller Williams Heritage office volunteered our time at the San Antonio Food Bank for “Fighting Hunger Feeding Hope.”  We had a great time supporting the Food Bank and sorting a ton of food.  They were so thankful.  If you want to check out a ton of pictures online, just follow the hashtag #KWRedDay and see what a difference ONE company, with a vision, can make in a community near you.

I spend several hours daily searching for properties.  I search for properties for my clients, I search new listings to know what is going on in the marketplace and I search properties for myself to add to my dream board.

What I don’t understand, is why there are so many BAD photos on some of these listings.  I’m by no means a professional photographer, but I do have a great camera and take a lot of pride when listing a property for sale.  I’ll move things around to get the perfect shot and when needed, I’ll hire a professional photographer that can capture what I can’t.

I love looking at homes with great photos.  I cringe at the bad ones.  Some look like they were taken from the car (the side mirror in the corner of the picture gave that away), others take pictures of items that won’t even stay with the home (That picture of the close up flowers on the table doesn’t add any value to the home).  No one wants to see the inside of a toilet in a bathroom picture and a cell phone that takes grainy pictures should NEVER be your method of photography!

According to the National Association of REALTORS® PROFILE OF HOME BUYERS AND SELLERS 2015, for 42% of recent buyers, the first step that they took in the home buying process was to look online at properties for sale.  Among buyers who used the internet during their home search, 87% of buyers found photos and 84% found detailed information about properties for sale very useful.

With that kind of a percentage, wouldn’t you expect to have a high standard for the way your home is being presented?  I’d think so.  I always send my listing to the seller to review.  If there is anything they’d like added or changed, I appreciate the constructive criticism.  I want them to be more than satisfied with my work.  Most of the time I’ll get silly comments like “Patricia, our home looks so great, we may not want to sell afterall!”   That’s what I strive for.

As a seller, I’d expect nothing less, so why would I not want that for my clients?  If your home is currently for sale, take a look at how it is being presented online.  If you’re not satisfied; say something.  The objection is to get is Sold.  Listing Agent’s don’t get paid until the job is done, so maybe they will thank you.

Considering selling in the future?  I’d love to talk.

Patricia Chavez, CCIM, ABR, MRP
Keller Williams Heritage
Residential, Commercial & Military Relocation Professional REALTOR®
(210) 504-9920

Our office is AMAZING! Check out these incredible numbers for the month of April 2016! It’s no wonder that our brokerage has 1 in every 5 properties in the city of San Antonio! Red signs EVERYWHERE! If you’ve considered a career in Real Estate, or would like to buy or sell a home; Let’s talk.

KW April 2016

Patricia Chavez, CCIM, ABR, MRP
Keller Williams Heritage
Commercial, Residential & Military Relocation REALTOR®
(210) 504-9920

NEED: I have a client in search of approximately 80-120 +/- acres in the New Braunfels, Texas area. If you know of anyone wanting to sell their property, please let me know. We will be touring the area next Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016.

Patricia Chavez, CCIM, ABR, MRP
Commercial, Residential and Military Relocation REALTOR®
Keller Williams Heritage
(210) 504-9920

Any time I show a home that has Saltillo tile in it, I begin my hunt for the special tiles that have animal prints in them.

If they are authentic tiles from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, you’re sure to find a treat! I’ve yet to find any tiles with peacock prints in them, other than online, but I know there are some out there.

As the clay is drying in the yards, animals that are roaming will occasionally step on the wet tiles and they dry this way in the sun. I’ve heard that they have been commercially made to replicate this technique, but that’s no fun.

Do you have saltillo tile? Do you have any prints in them? If so, I’d love to see your pics! Post them! 🙂

Paw Print

Home in Spring Branch TX

Patricia Chavez, CCIM, ABR, MRP
Keller Williams Heritage
Commercial, Residential and Military Relocation Professional
(210) 504-9920

The San Antonio area was pounded with golf ball to baseball size hail last night. The pictures covering my social media pages of damage were crazy! Broken windows, shattered windshields, dented cars, holes in vinyl siding and damaged roofs.

This post is for those of you that are currently under contract to purchase a home anywhere in Texas.

Our in-house legal attorney, Jack Hawthorne at Keller Williams Heritage, has given us some great advice I’ll be sharing here. Your REALTOR® will be able to do this for you, permitting you used one to purchase the home.

STEP 1: Read Paragraph 14 of the One to Four Family Contract!
Snapshot of Paragraph 14 of the Texas Real Estate Commission One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale)

STEP 2: Determine whether Seller can fix the issue.

STEP 3(A): Seller can fix by closing. Great! Detail that it will be done in an amendment.

STEP 3(B): Seller cannot fix by closing.
Your buyer can:
1)Terminate the contract and get earnest money back.
2) Unilaterally extend closing by up to 15 days to give Seller time to fix the issue. (You will need to document this in an amendment).
3) Accept the Property in its damaged condition with an assignment of insurance proceeds, if permitted by Seller’s insurance carrier, and receive credit from Seller at closing in the amount of the deductible under the insurance policy. (You will need to document this in an amendment).

EDIT* 3) is not a likely solution as insurance companies do not like to do this.

This type of advice is just another reason why I love working for such a great company like Keller Williams Realty. We strive daily to be the best REALTORS® we can be, and want to service our clients at the highest level possible. The support that our Broker gives us on a daily basis can’t be matched.

Know that when you’re ready to buy or sell, you’ll be in great hands.

Patricia Chavez, CCIM, ABR, MRP, e-Pro
Residential, Commercial and Military Relocation REALTOR®
Keller Williams Heritage
(210) 504-9920

Excited to have made the list for 2016! Congratulations to all of the other great agents listed.  I share this honor with all of my awesome clients that have given me the opportunity to serve them. #pt50 #topSArealtors

Full list of Platinum Top 50 Early Qualifiers

2016 Top 50 San Antonio Realtors Early Qualifiers announced

So excited that our office has won this award for the SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR in a row! We are proud of this recognition from the Texas Veterans Land Board!

Click link below for news release

Keller Williams Heritage named #1by Texas Land Board