Kopa Real Estate Blog - kopa real estate

Be Kind, Not Nice: The Hard Truths Every Home Seller Needs to Hear

In real estate, there's a difference between being nice and being kind. “Nice” is telling you what you want to hear. “Kind” is telling you what you need to hear—even if it stings a little. If you’re thinking of selling your home, let me offer you something better than politeness: honesty, grounded in years of experience.

1. Your Home Is Not Special (To Buyers)

I say this with deep respect: your home holds sentimental value—for you. To buyers, it’s just one of many options. That wallpaper you love? The shelf where your kid took their first steps? The quirky vintage tiles you insisted on keeping? They’re not selling points. In fact, they might be the reason a buyer passes.

Being kind means telling you upfront: depersonalize and neutralize. Your…

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Realtor Commission Settlement One Year Later

It’s been a year since the Realtor commission settlement was announced and 7 months since it went into effect. So, what’s changed?

From a buyer standpoint, buyers and their agent should have some type of written agreement prior to viewing homes. It’s important to note that buyers can always visit our Open Houses or contact us about any of our listings without signing any agreement.

One intention of the settlement was for buyers and their agent to have a compensation agreement regardless of who is going to pay for that compensation. In my opinion that makes sense. From there the only question is who is going to pay, buyer or seller.

From a seller or listing agent side things get more complicated because in Texas we still have two ways to handle…

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Success Story - Avoiding Mickey Mouse Buyers

My girls love Mickey Mouse. But most of my clients are no-nonsense people and they don’t want to deal with Mickey Mouse buyers. 

In this area the number of homes that go under contract and then have the contract cancelled is at an all-time high. Last year we closed every home that went under contract. Only one cancelled but those buyers came back to buy the house so it was like getting divorced and marrying your ex again. 

One of the reasons our track record is so good is we don’t push our clients into bad deals. What you as a seller has to be careful about is 74% of real estate agents didn’t sell a home last year. You don’t want to hire an agent who needs you to sell your home more than you do. You’re likely to get pushed into accepting a…

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5 Things To Think About Before Renting Your Home In 2024

When it’s time to move you might think about renting your home Because we sell so many homes that were turned into rental properties, we’ve gathered insight into some of the things homeowners don’t think about before converting an owner occupied home into a rental property.

Do You Want To Be A Landlord?

I’m always willing to help anyone I’m always willing to help anyone look at the rent vs sell figures so you can make the best decision for yourself. But before we get that far I will ask you if you really want to be a landlord and if you didn’t own the home would you buy it as an investment property.

I will also ask “Do you like working with people? What will you do when the rent is late? Would you be willing to evict someone? How will you…

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Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

I’m not talking about the classic 80’s song from the London band The Clash.

Instead, this is a question I get asked by homeowners 2-3 times per week. For the most part it’s not a real estate question, but I thought I would share some of the things I would think about if I were asking that question myself.

The Part That Is A Real Estate Question

If you ask me if you should stay or go, I think what you’re really asking is if you decide to move today and sell your home will you miss out on a huge home price appreciation that’s coming right around the corner.

It’s understandable to have some anxiety about that because who would want to miss out on you home being worth 20% more next year?

Nobody would like to…

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HOW’S THE MARKET SO FAR?

By Eric Peterson

Since real estate is really a 10 month a year business, we are halfway through the year and I thought it would be good to give you a quick update. 

As I write this, we have 7 homes listed for sale that are under contract. I’m optimistic, but things are not easy. More than ever when someone asks me “How’s the market?” My answer is DOTS…Depends On The Situation. 

There are some neighborhoods and homes that are selling quickly while others don’t seem to have much activity at all. 

There are also two types of buyers in the market right now. Buyers who want to buy and can buy and buyers who want to buy but can’t buy. This is why we are still seeing large turnouts at our open houses and a high number of online views for our…

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Design Choices Sellers Might Want to Rethink

When it comes to selling a home, it’s crucial to present it in a way that appeals to a broad range of potential buyers. Although personal preferences and social media trends can play a role in home decor, it’s important to remember that what’s fashionable today might not be as popular tomorrow. If you’re working with sellers, our expert stagers, Joyce and Linda, here at Kopa Real Estate, recommend focusing on timeless design choices that can significantly boost the resale value of their property.

Key Points to Consider

• Avoid Personal Decor: While you might be fond of pastel-colored sofas or scalloped furniture, these styles can turn off buyers. Recommend storing such items during showings.
• Stick to Classic Design: Opt for neutral color…

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Quick Tips For Protesting Your Property Taxes

If you are protesting your property taxes here are a few quick tips that may help you be more successful this year. 

They Give You Their Comps

Within your notice of value you should have received a Comparable Sales Report giving you the specific properties the tax office used to determine the value of your home. I often hear of homeowners going to for their appointment without this information. They are showing you their hand and you should be able to use that information to help your argument. 

Removing A Comp May Be More Important

The reason why it’s important to know in advance their evidence is in my own experience demonstrating to the appraiser why a comp shouldn’t have been used gets me more bang for my buck than providing additional…

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NAR Commission Settlement

What It Means And What It Doesn’t Mean

By now I’m sure you’ve heard that the National Association of Realtors announced a proposed settlement to address the broker compensation lawsuits that have popped up across the country. The settlement has generated a lot of media attention and unfortunately a lot of what has been reported is misleading so I wanted to give an explanation of what has happened.

Before I even start, this is a proposed settlement that still needs court approval and none of the changes will go into effect until July at the earliest. However, I do expect it will be approved whether in this format or something similar and we are already putting systems into place to guide our clients through any possible changes and give you the…

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3 Things Seniors Misunderstand About Taxes

It’s always our goal to provide you with the best information so you can make the best decisions. There are 3 things I’ve noticed seniors are misunderstanding about taxes.

You Don’t Need To Buy Another Home To Avoid Capital Gains Tax

In the old days to avoid paying Capital Gains tax when you sold a home you needed to use your profit to buy another home. That’s no longer true.

The IRS code allows you to avoid paying tax on up to $500,000 per couple ($250,000 per person) if you have lived in the home for 2 of the previous 5 years. That means if a couple bought a home for $400,000 and sell it for $900,000 you wouldn’t owe any tax.

The best part is you don’t need to buy another home to take advantage of this loophole. For more information…

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