Posted by Chris Tesch on Mon, Oct 26, 2009
Thinking of selling your Bryan or College Station home? Choose your College Station real estate agent carefully. Don't simply rely on word of mouth (though that can be a good beginning point) but check out the agent that you're thinking about dealing with. There are many myths about homesales that carry a bit of truth but a create a lot of hype. Let's look at a few of them.
1) Hire a Realtor who's been in the market for years.
Sounds like a winner...doesn't it? Just hire a real estate agent that's been around in Bryan or College Station for years and you'll have made the right choice. However what you have to look at is not necessarily length of career, but achievements within their career. Someone who's been a College Station real estate agent for 30 years but only sells 3-4 homes a year is probably a worse bet than someone who's been in real estate for 5 years and sells 50 homes a year. Their knowledge is more up to date, so they can price your home more accurately and they have a ready pool of potential buyers.
2) The agent with the lowest days on the market is the right one to choose.
There are many reasons to dispute this myth. In general days on the market might show you something about the agent, but not necessarily that their marketing skills are spectacular. Some agents artificially keep their days on the market low. How do they do this, you ask....Well there are several ways to make it possible.
The first is that the agent may take only listings that will sell quickly (I know a real estate agent that is part of a husband and wife team, somehow one of them always gets the easy listing and the other one the tough listings).
The agent may price their listings too low, making everything they sell an absolute bargain. You don't want to get less for your home even if it has less days on the market unless you really need to move it immediately.
These are just two of a long line of other reasons why days on the market may not be the indication of a good agent.
3) The Realtor is with brand X, a nationally known company so they've got to be good.
This is a very common myth. The fact is that real estate companies don't hire people, they recruit them. There are good and bad agents at just about any company. Yes, the national exposure will definately help but don't assume that the agent has been screened carefully. Real estate agents are self employed and pay franchising fees to work with a company. There are many companies out there who are agent mills. They will take anyone who can fog a mirror into their firm. If they prosper then the company has made money. If they don't do well the company hasn't lost much.
4) The Realtor is going to advertise in the paper so we'll get lots of exposure.
As an agent I use all of those tools, absolutely. However, in the years I've been selling College Station real estate I've found them to be less and less effective. There was a time when Sunday and Monday the phones would ring off the hook for the latest property listings in the newspaper. No more! The buyers we get now are going to the internet to look. Over 94% of buyers start their search on the web. It's increasingly important to have a large web presence, not necessarily for the company, but for the agent themselves. Which leads us to Myth #5.
5) My agent has a great looking website so I'm getting exposure.
Early in my career when I established my website I heard a saying that's always stuck with me. A website that isn't advertised and optimized is like a sign on a road with no traffic. Web traffic is essential to getting exposure for your home. Not just any web traffic either, but targeted traffic with buyers that are actively looking for homes. Many agents put up their website and forget about it. They then pull it out during the listing presentation like it's a huge benefit. Check your agent out on the web before hiring them. Google their names. If they can't even rank as one of the highest results with their own names they certainly won't rank highly in competitive key words. Then put your "buyer hat" on and search for what a potential home buyer would look for. Some popular terms are College Station real estate or Bryan Texas real estate. See how they rank. There will be national company websites that come up first that they simply cannot compete with, but in which your home will be one of thousands. Look for the actual agents and how they rank.
Ask the prospective agent how much they spend on their website per month. Good websites and excellent exposure don't come cheaply. My website runs around $2500 a month between advertising and administration with the lions share going to advertising.
Join me for more College Station buyer and seller myths in the near future. In the meantime choose wisely! Your home is one of the largest investments you'll ever make!
Posted by Chris Tesch on Sat, Oct 10, 2009
An excellent article from the AP news service about home ownership. Overall real estate remains a good investment with price appreciation that typically overcomes the slumps. Owning a home for at least ten years means that you have typically gotten at least 4% appreciation per year, significant tax advantages, and a place to live. Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33243863/ns/business-real_estate/
College Station real estate is still a strong investment call today for your own assessment based on your circumstances.
Posted by Chris Tesch on Thu, Sep 11, 2008
Both Bryan and College Station School Districts have called school off for 9/12/08 because of Hurricane Ike. Reports are out that the City of College Station is also offering the employees extra time off today to prepare for the storm. Here in Bryan and College Station we will be relatively immune to the devestation of the storm, expected to make landfall somewhere between Galveston and Corpus Cristi. High winds, however, will be likely if the storm moves right through, along with flash floods. The roadways will be clogged with evacuuees and gas will be difficult at best to buy. All residents should prepare by filling gas tanks, picking up debris in their yard and securing loose outdoor items. Stock up on water, non-pershible items such as canned foods (make sure you have a manual can opener!) and ready to eat items that require no refrigeration. Please make sure you prepare and BE SAFE!!!
Posted by Chris Tesch on Thu, Sep 11, 2008
Want to know the latest about Hurricane Ike, or any major storm that might roll into town? Go
for all the latest information.
Looking for information on what to stock up on for a storm?
Here is the place you need to be!
Information currently coming in states that
Due to inclement weather predicted in the wake of Hurricane Ike, the following closures and cancellations have been announced from the City of Bryan:
· Bryan and College Station independent school districts will be closed Friday.
· Texas A&M University and Blinn College will be closed Friday.
· All branches of the Bryan and College Station public library system will be closed Saturday and Sunday. The due dates on library materials are extended to Monday so patrons won't have late charges. Patrons are asked to not use book drops.
· The Bryan Aquatic Center and Neal Recreation Center will be closed Friday through Sunday.
· College Night in Downtown Bryan on Friday night is canceled. It will be up to the discretion of individual restaurants and entertainment venues whether they stay open, but city-sponsored giveaways will not be effective. The event will be postponed to a later date.
· The Patriot Day 9/11 event originally planned for Veterans Park at 6 p.m. Thursday night has been moved to Southwood Park, 1600 Rock Prairie Road.
Other pertinent information:
· Evacuees are being asked to go directly to Veterans Park on Harvey Road. They should call 211 for more information.
· The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is extending free admission to all hurricane evacuees. Visitors simply need to identify themselves to staff as evacuees.
· 507 evacuees are currently being sheltered locally. Twenty-eight small animals and 46 large animals are being sheltered locally.
The local shelter capacity is about 2,500.
For the latest about Hurricane Ike go to the
City of Bryan hurricane center website.
The weather is fine currently, with the sun up and just a few clouds in the sky. Probably will be changing rapidly tomorrow.
Keep Safe!
Posted by Chris Tesch on Wed, Jul 18, 2007
College Station's Texas A and M is a school rich with traditions. One of the newest, but best, in my opinion, is
First Yell. First Yell is for the new students, returning students and the community to get acquainted. It's the start of football season with the promise of fall right around the corner. We lack the crisp apple weather, but not the crisp apple mentality!
Yell is by no means new. According to custom in 1907 when
A and M was a military college restricted to males only, a little company from the ladies was welcome.
Aggies would invite ladies from Texas Women's University to take the train ride to College Station for football games. Games are not an automatic admit! A certain amount of tickets are set aside for guest and these are doled out according to rank, with Freshman rarely getting the opportunity to bring guests. At one game, according to local lore, the
Aggies were being trampled and the lady guests were none to happy. The boredom of a losing game was to much for the ladies and they threatened to leave. Upperclassmen ordered the "
fish" to entertain the ladies. They stormed a janitors closet and out they trooped in white coveralls and, in grand tradition led the crowd with their cheers. This was the last time the underclassmen got to perform. After all, too much attention from the ladies isn't good for fish!
To find out more about the tradition of Yell go to
http://yell.tamu.edu/.
Today's
First Yell is an event! It has evolved from being an exciting prelude to the first game of the season to a stunning display of Aggie spirit and some great entertainment!
9th Annual First Yell is about to come out of the box!!!!! OK, in the past we've had some awesome headliners here; Bill Cosby, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Wayne Brady have graced our city with their presence
.
This year...drum-roll please...we are graced with the likes of
Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, from the hilarious ABC show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", these stars have began touring together in a critically acclaimed 2 man improv show "An Evening With Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood".
This
College Station extravangza starts out with Aggie performers. The
Singing Cadets and
Aggie Wranglers perform! What a treat!!! These skilled groups are world class (and travel around the globe to show it!) then the headliner begins. Afterwards the talented performance at the Midnight Yell is enjoyed by all!
Tickets go on sale July 28th and can be picked up at Reed Arena, by calling 888-99-Aggie, or by visiting
http://www.12thmanfoundation.com/.
Posted by Chris Tesch on Fri, Jul 13, 2007
On a beautiful day last week in my bright and sunny office in my favorite area of the world a prospective client and I were talking and she mentioned that moving here from Atlanta she would be giving up cultural events and all the excitement of a large town and didn't know if she could do it.
I was immediately shocked at her suggestion and rose to the defense of my city!
To give you some background, Bryan and College Station, Texas are twin cities smack in the center of most of the larger cities in Texas. Dallas is around 3 hours away, Austin around 2, Houston about 1.5 hours and San Antonio around 4. The combined population is approximately 130,000. Small right? Yes....but for Texas A&M, one of the largest colleges in the United States, this is home. Having a large university in your backyard certainly changes things! Cultural events and drawn by the university crowd, who enthusiastically respond! Beyond that we are the home of the George Bush Museum, and this brings even more speakers and fun to the area!
This post would get way too long if I mentioned all the performances in town. We have many peformers and speakers along the way and some awesome community theatre. I'll focus on OPAS for this write up, come back often for information about other events and venues. Come back often to find more entertainment in Bryan and College Station.
Texas A&M is proud to have MSC OPAS, whose mission is "Bringing World-Class Entertainment to the Brazos Valley". This year (2007 Season) is it's 35th year in operation!
Past performances have include Yo-Yo Ma, Van Cliburn, Itzhak Perlman, Stomp, Les Miserables, Rent, Hairspray and the world premier of the Bolshoi Ballet Brigorovich Ballet. This caused extra attention from international media here for OPA, including a write up in the New York Times.
This year for the 35th Anniversary they have quite the lineup for us!
September 24, 2007
The Ten Tenors. An Australian group performing jazz, opera, modern and classical pop all in the same venue. For more information go to
http://www.thetentenors.com/.
February 1-2, 2008
A Ride With Bob: The Bob Will Musical featuring Ray Benson and Ashllep at the Wheel. Bob Wills, the father of Texas Swing and renowned for such songs as "Route 66", "San Antonio Rose" and "Faded Love" is lovingly portrayed by this beautiful show. For more information go to
http://www.aridewithbob.com/.
February 21, 2008,
Movin' Out. (I ventured to New York to see this one, and can personally give it glowing reviews!). Billy Joel's musical tribute to two decades of Viet Nam, it is a powerful performance!
March 4-5, 2008
The Producers. What more can be said than...A Mel Brooks Comedy! Visit
http://www.producersontour.com/ for more information.
March 26-27, 2008
Blast Winner of the 2001 (created specifically for it) Best Theatrical Event Tony!!! More information can be found at
http://www.blasttheshow.com/.
April 1-2, 2008
Chicago. Decade old winner of 6 Tony Awards and 6 Academy Awards. Watch it right here and find more information in the meantime at
http://www.chicagothemusical.com/.
What do you think? A small city with a lack of culture and fun...? Didn't think so!!!!
Posted by Chris Tesch on Mon, Jul 02, 2007
Backyard BBQ's and family gatherings aside, there are lots of things to do in Bryan and College Station for the 4th of July. Two of the events are fairly longstanding, and either would provide enough entertainment for the family to talk about for ages!
Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site (If you don't know about this fantastic park stay tuned because I will be blogging later on it). The park is located between Brenham and Navasota off Texas State Highway 105 on FM 1155. The day starts early in Washington on the Brazos. Food vendors will be on the site 10 am to 9 pm.
The Barrington Living History Farm shows just exactly what kind of chores were in a typical late 1800's farm. The farm includes the original home of Anson Jones, the last president of Texas.
After the farm demonstrations meander over to the Star of the Republic Museum that chronicles Texas history during the period of independance. This site is administered by Blinn College and a testimant to their innovation.
Tour the site where the Texas Declaration of Independance was drafted and signed on March 2, 1836. The building is only a replica, but rests on the cornerstones of the original Independance Hall.
Activities really start cranking at 6:30 pm with FREE 1850's period children's games.
7:00 pm brings FREE Blue Bell ice cream and FREE Coca-Cola.
8:00 pm FREE "Back at the Ranch" Western Swing Concert and patriotic video.
9:00 pm H-E-B presents Firewords on the Brazos.
For more information call 936-878-2214 or visit
http://www.birthplaceoftexas.com/.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum located off George Bush Drive in College Station will be hosting it's eighth annual 4th of July celebration. In conjuncion with Texas A&M and the Lion's Club International a great fireworks display will be enjoyed by all. Come early as the library will have FREE admission all day.
Entertainment begins at 5:30 pm with games and fun for the kids. An Elvis Impersonator will be performing (Jason Adams) and the TUB (Texas Unlimited Band) will perform as well. The fireworks will be accompanied by a concert by the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra.
For more information call (979)691-4068.