San Antonio Living - The Botanical Garden

San Antonio is a great place to work and live.  A favorite recreation spot is the wonderful San Antonio Botanical Garden.  It's very conveniently located close to center city, sponsors a farmer's market, and has activities that appeal to adults and children. 

Here are the remaining special events for 2010:

Playhouses and Forts Exhibit.  June 26 through October 24  This activity is a kiddie must.

Gardens by Moonlight.  September 25

Art in the Garden.  October 14 - George Schroeder opening

BOOtanica - October 24  Not to be missed by the kids.  It's a Halloween happening.

For classes, tours, and more information click here.

If you looking to buy or sell a San Antonio home or just want to chat about the wonderful Alamo City, contact us.

We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors® of Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions, need San Antonio realty or mortgage loan advice or assistance, or just want to chat a bit about the wonderful Alamo City, please call us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com. Our SanAntonioHomeQuest.com Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs.

First Rule For San Antonio Home Buying

At SanAntonioHomeQuest.com, we believe an informed home buyer is a wise buyer. That’s why our Realty Solutions Team has compiled a series of easy to remember hints and rules for our home buyer guests.

First and foremost, here's the “Cardinal Rule” that home buyers should always keep in mind.

DON’T START YOUR SEARCH WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD.

Sounds logical, doesn’t it, but a surprising number of buyers waste time and effort looking at houses they can’t afford. Now, if you’re wealthy enough to make a cash purchase, just make sure your money is liquid enough to bring to the closing table. But, if you’ll need a mortgage loan to seal the deal, don’t hesitate to consult with one or more lenders before starting your home quest. Mortgage loan officers want your business and, usually without charge, will happily help you determine your purchasing power based on your available assets, income to debt ratio, and credit history. So, don’t be afraid to talk with at least one lender before seriously shopping for a home.

There are lenders with more reliable experience than others. If you want names and contact information for those lenders, please contact us.

We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors® of Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions, need San Antonio realty or mortgage loan advice or assistance, or just want to chat a bit about the wonderful Alamo City, please call us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com. Our SanAntonioHomeQuest.com Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs.

Buying A New Construction San Antonio Home

It’s always worthwhile to look at the new home builders’ products. A newly built home’s appeal is great. It’s easy to see why. Each year, the builders seem to have more and more enticing features built into their products. The homes are new and unspoiled. They don’t have the expected wear and tear found in every resale home, no matter its age. The builders’ lending programs are very competitive and the builders offer additional incentives to encourage the buyer to use their affiliate lenders.

That said, be cautious if you decide to buy a new construction product . It’s not in your best interest to rely on the sales representative and construction staff to adequately represent your interests. Take along someone who knows the hooks and pitfalls of every new home buyer incentive and mortgage loan program. Use someone who knows how to monitor the process from contract writing to closing and who’s ready to step in on your behalf is something goes awry.

If you decide to buy a new construction home - or a resale - we'll be happy to help.

We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors® of Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions, need San Antonio realty or mortgage loan advice or assistance, or just want to chat a bit about the wonderful Alamo City, please call us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com. Our SanAntonioHomeQuest.com Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs.

San Antonio Area Taxes, Auto Registration, Insurance Information

If you're moving to the San Antonio area, you’ll want to know about local taxes and the cost of registering your automobile and insuring your home. Here are the facts.

The area’s sales tax rate averages 8.125% but may vary a little between the various incorporated jurisdictions in and around San Antonio and Bexar County.

The real estate property tax varies between jurisdictions and is influenced mostly by the school tax component. Count on paying approximately 3% of your home's tax appraised value for the more costly school districts to as low as 2% or less for rural areas.

What about homeowner’s insurance? The cost will vary between insurers. As a rule of thumb, count on paying approximately .005 times your home’s value.

And now, what about the cost of bringing a non-Texas registered auto into the area? You’ll pay a registration fee of $60 to $90, a title application fee of $28 to $33 - depending on the county - and a new resident auto tax of $90. You’ll required to have the auto inspected. That will cost approximately $18.00.

That's the facts.

We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors® of Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions, need San Antonio realty or mortgage loan advice or assistance, or just want to chat a bit about the wonderful Alamo City, please call us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com. Our SanAntonioHomeQuest.com Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs.