Cortiers Luxury Realty » Articles

July 4th – One of Our Clients Might Win $200,000 Towards Their Mortgage!!!

james — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:10:02 +0000

What other real estate company is offering an opportunity like this??? None, just Cortiers and the Cortiers Agents!

College Station Real Estate at its Best

james — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 07:03:06 +0000

Cortiers recently opened our new office in South College Station and have since welcomed many new agents. We would like to excitedly announce the new members of our College Station Real Estate team!

McHayden Dillard
Bill Fallwell
Bill Loden
Carla Henderson
Karen Pollok
Maurey Bell
Bryce Marx
Peggy Rogers
Andrea Peters

And there are probably several more to come…so check back with us soon as we continue to provide the best real estate services in Bryan and College Station with the best agents in the business!

Real Estate Listings

Pantry Purge 101

jenlc10 — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:17:38 +0000

Do the same boxes and bags fall on you every time you open your pantry door? Or do you seem to search fruitlessly for the same items over and over, only creating more disarray in your already chaotic pantry? If this is you, it might be time for a massive little pantry makeover. Though this task may seem daunting, you’d be surprised at how much time you will save in the long run after you buckle down and do it. Making dinner will be easier, finding that quick snack will be a breeze (which may or may not be a good thing), and when you ask your spouse to grab that can of beans out of the pantry “real quick” you won’t need to come over and find it for them anyways. So, let’s do this together.

First, you have to take everything out. It may be tempting to just shift things around, but you’re not doing yourself any favors, I promise. After you’ve emptied your pantry you can begin the sorting. Throw away the questionable looking (or smelling) items, make a pile to donate that you keep saying you “might use some day,” and then make sections of items you use all the time and those that you use less often.

Before you re-load, be sure to take the time to wipe down those dusty shelves. After all, when was the last time you did that? Oh, you can’t remember? I won’t tell anyone. Just be sure it is totally dry before putting anything back inside.

Next, you might need to think about investing in some space (or chaos) saving containers that will actually help keep your ingredients fresher for longer. Get some airtight clear containers so that you can see what is inside, as well as maintain maximum shelf life. It helps if they are stack-able, too. Lazy Susan’s can help with this, as well. I keep my baking ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, cooking spray, etc. on one so that I can see everything in one fell swoop turn. When you put your stuff back, try to organize it by category. Put the baking stuff on one shelf, the snacks on another, canned foods together…you get the idea.

Next time you open the doors to this now happy space, you are sure to ward off that “why can’t I ever find that” frustration.

We can help you find some homes, too! Search on College Station Homes or Dripping Springs Homes.

Jenn, the Cortiers blogger

White is back!

jenlc10 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:41:52 +0000

Home decor style definitely is a bit circular. Things come in and out of style, resurfacing years or sometimes decades later (though let’s hope some things never come back- popcorn ceilings anyone?). One continually changing and circulating trend is wall color. My parent’s house alone gives testimony to that. When they first moved in during the early 90’s, white was the color. All of the walls were starch white, and that’s just what you did. Then, white all of the sudden became a bore, and everyone painted their walls shades of tan. Then the trend of tan with a red/cranberry accent came in. Now, we’re bringin’ back the whites! But this time, not in such a starch way. In what I’ve noticed, there seem to be two kinds of “white” decor techniques. There is the monochromatic route, which is just as it sounds. Everything white (maybe with the exception of some pale pinks, nudes, etc). It has a very crisp, clean, and calming feel to it. The other is the white with pops of a bold accent color. Very fresh and crisp, as well. Easy ways to create these “pops” are with pillows, accessories, flowers and other centerpieces, rugs, etc. If you’re looking for a great clean color to pop with, green seems to be the new trend. It looks very fresh and creates that organic/earthy feel. So this year, cut out the beige and bring on the clean whites and maybe your days will feel more like those laundry detergent commercials where everything smells clean and fresh all the time. (No guarantees or promises on this one). For more fun ideas, take a look at our homes on College Station Houses or Pflugerville Houses. -Jenn, the Cortiers blogger

Living.

jenlc10 — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:41:20 +0000

It’s in the news. In books. On the radio. On TV. It’s with your neighbor. It’s with your family. It’s with your friends. It’s tragedy. It happens every day. That’s the sad truth of it. The sad truth that most of us choose to ignore until it directly affects us. The one common thread that emerges time and time again in those who make it out of the fierce grip of tragedy is a renewed vigor for living. For living life to its fullest. They finally have come to grips with themselves and asked, “What have I been doing? What’s holding me back from living like I want to?”It could have been fear, insecurity, pride, or just getting caught up in the small things, or maybe even large things too. But, when faced with that moment, that life changing moment of tragedy, something clicks. They wonder what they have been waiting for.

If you’ve been watching the Chilean miners coming out at all, you recognize this occurrence in them. They want to really start living now.

I’m not saying that we need to all dwell on tragedy all the time so we can live life to its fullest- that’s not living life at all. What I’m saying is what’s holding you back? What wall have you built or stronghold are you caught in that you just can’t seem to break free of? We shouldn’t need a tragedy to turn our lives around. I encourage you to really “live” today. Give love and grace freely. Don’t hold back.

What are you waiting for?

See our homes at College Station Houses

-Jenn, the Cortiers blogger

get your home ready for fall with pumpkin!

jenlc10 — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:22:55 +0000

As the cool fall breeze blows in, it normally brings with it an urge to cook everything pumpkin, and drops it right at my door step. I don’t know about you, but I’m a pumpkin fanatic. Not so much in any other season, for some reason. But, the pumpkin bug has struck again this fall. Here are some crafty ways to make good use of the urge to cook all things pumpkin.

1. Make pumkin & cream cheese cupcakes! This rich dessert will satisfy your pumpkin craving and make your stomach smile, too.

2. Toasted pumkin seeds! A fun snack, and easy to create. It has an element of unique-ness to it, as well.

3. Of course, the classic pumkin pie can’t be beat. Try mixing it up with some fun graham cracker crusts.

4. Pureed pumkin soup! Mmm…. throw in a few leeks, and you have a soup that could warm up anybody!

5. Pumpkin bread…Oh how I love this snack/dessert/breakfast…..Try putting strawberry cream cheese on it…to die for.

5. Pumpkin & Chocolate chip cookies. These two flavors complement eachother beautifully. You won’t be sorry you tried it!

6. Pumpkin Cornmeal muffins are another crowd pleaser! It’s different and delicious.

I know that there are TONS more recipes out there that use pumpkin, but this can get you started with some ideas. I encourage you to google different recipes for the same things you’ve always made. It can be a fun twist on an old favorite!

For just plain fun, check out our homes on College Station Real Estate or Georgetown Real Estate.

-Happy Fall,

Jenn, the Cortiers blogger

THE DILEMMA – It’s the best time to buy BUT not the best time to sell!

james — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:50:59 +0000

College Station Real Estate has experienced a 34% decline in units sold compared to July 2009.

FOR SELLERS

Cortiers has decided to offer Sellers 2 options to help with the problems of the existing market.

OPTION ONE – If you will price your home to sell in today’s market, we will DRAMATICALLY REDUCE our commissions to help you offset the expenses.

OPTION TWO – The rental market is great, so we can put your home up for lease at the same time it is for sale.

“If Anyone Can Sell Your Home, We Can!”

FOR BUYERS

It is the best time to buy, but you have to find the great deals out there and we can help. We have 2 options for you as well.

THE FORECLOSURE REPORT – Contact us and get signed up on our monthly foreclosure report. This is no ordinary report, we are the only company in town that does the research at the courthouse to let you know about the foreclosures before they get foreclosed on!

THE HOT DEAL REPORT – This one is HOT! You have to sign up to let us represent you to receive this report because we search hard to find the absolute best deals in the market, and we don’t want our buyers competing with other Realtors buyers on these Super Hot Deals!

Contact Me Today For More Information

James Murr – james@cortiers.com – 979-985-5610

It’s The Time To Buy Real Estate- And Buy A Lot

james — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:51:59 +0000

You may be thinking, sure from the guy wanting to sell me real estate of course it’s time to buy. But I can explain!

Our market is cyclical, we have times of great prosperity across the nation which causes prices to go up because people are spending, but the people that really prosper are the ones that have things to sell during those times. For example, the smart or lucky real estate investors had acquired a large pool of assets during the years of 1995 – 2005 and then sold them from 2006 – 2007 when the market was at its peak. To exaggerate the point I use an example of a home in California, one you could have purchased in the year 2000 for $400,000 and sold again in 2007 for $1,400,000. Those same peolpe if they are smart would have sold, held the money in something safe and liquid and started purchasing again now.

From 2010 to 2012 we will be able to buy for the discounted prices again, and no matter how the government performs our economy will finally correct itself and prices will clime back up. In the meantime you can rent those houses to all of the people that can’t get a mortgage right now and most likely cash flow just fine. As always with investments, the money is made in the PURCHASE!

So, yes I would like to help you buy a portfolio of real estate right now. We are experts at finding great deals and after a time of holding those assets when the market corrects itself you will be able to sell those assets for a far better margin than any other investment you can make right now. Real estate will always be the most secure and profitable investment in history because the population is always increasing and our world stays the same size.

If you would like to start receiving our monthly Bryan College Station foreclosure list or would like to begin looking for some great real estate investments, contact me at james@cortiers.com

Cortiers hosts a REVERSE REAL ESTATE AUCTION for a Nice Bryan Home!

james — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:04:32 +0000

Hello Everyone, this is James Murr, Owner-Broker of Cortiers Real Estate. I just got finished completely remodeling a rent home I have owned for 7 years. I have always wanted to do a REVERSE AUCTION and I thought it was a good time to have a little fun!

This is how it works. The home is starting out priced well at $157,488 for a 1,927sf home in a nice neighborhood, but it will be reduced by $500 every single day until we get a full price offer with a pre-qual letter for financing. The home has no known defects and is in great condition, so if you know anyone interested in a great deal on a 4 bedroom home for themselves or as a rental, let them know about this auction.

The auction starts on May 17th!

Here’s a link to the home on the MLS:
RES 8-Photo View (MLX)

If you need more information or want to schedule a showing, give a Cortiers agent a call. 979-985-5610

Thanks,

James Murr
College Station Real Estate

202 Cecilia Court College Station, TX

jenlc10 — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:21:47 +0000

This is a super cute home in a great area of College Station! It is close to campus, but not too close. There are five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, with plenty of space inside and outside- even enough for a pool! I like the large open rooms and the finishes. The family room is quite spacious and is a pretty open floor plan. The moldings are really pretty, especially in the dining room. I think they add a really cool touch! Another thing I really like about this home are the windows that make the rooms really bright and airy! Outside, the home is really pretty. I love how spacious the back yard is! So many possibilities! The listing price of this home is $ 399,999. Find out more about this great home by entering 202 Cecilia Court into the home search on College Station Homes.

Use our home search tools to find Lake Travis Homes or Austin Homes!