Local Real Estate News – Lubbock Association of Realtors
Know what stays and what goes; check the contract BY Joe L. Murfee, III, President Lubbock Association of REALTORS®
When a property changes hands, what goes with it? Unless otherwise stated in the sales contract, you won’t find a comfy couch and huge flat-panel TV waiting for you when you move in. But how about curtains, carpets, or mirrors? The question of what conveys, or is included, with a property can be more complicated than you think. It’s important that by the time you, whether a buyer or seller, reach the closing table, you know exactly which items go on the moving truck and which ones stay behind. Here’s how to know what’s included or excluded in a sale. Start with the contract A property includes anything permanently attached to the house or anything that would cause significant damage to remove. That definition leaves some room for interpretation, so the Texas Real Estate Commission’s “One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale),” used in most transactions involving the resale of residential property, dedicates
a section to this topic. Paragraph 2 of this contract covers the improvements, attachments and accessories that stay with the property. It also deals specifically with exclusions – items usually included with the sale that are excluded from a particular transaction.
include the refrigerator. There’s a long list of items in the contract that usually convey with the house, but everything is negotiable – that’s why there’s a section for exclusions.
Find out before you close If you’re selling, be certain you know what you’re responsible for leaving behind and what you can take with you. Don’t believe everything you see online Your Texas Realtor can make sure your Some online listings mention specific contract reflects your wishes. improvements like “Gorgeous kitchen upgrades with stainless steel appliances.” That doesn’t necessarily mean those stainless steel appliances come with the house. Certain built-in appliances may convey, but don’t assume anything – and don’t trust the information online. The final word on what stays or goes is the sales contract. It’s all negotiable So what’s attached to the home and what isn’t? The contract language says that the brackets for wall-mounted flatscreen TVs stay with the house, but the TV does not. Any permanently installed or built-in appliance stays; that usually includes the oven or stove but may not
And if you’re a potential buyer, ask what comes with a house before you make an offer. You can always have your Lubbock Realtor negotiate for something to be included in the sale, like the TV in the bedroom or the washer and dryer. Just be sure you’re not derailing the purchase of your $250,000 dream home over a $500 set of drapes. For more advice about buying and selling in Lubbock, visit LubbockRealtors.com.
Featured Floorplan – Abbe Custom Homes; Mel Abbe, Builder
4404 101st Street – Lakeridge Estates Please drop by and see this exquisitely built Mel Abbe home, located in prestigious Lakeridge Estates, on Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. This Featured Home has it all for the most discriminate house shopper – approximately 4,610 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, and 3-car garage. In addition there is a formal dining, study, a large family room that flows into the breakfast and gourmet kitchen area, powder room, and theatre basement. A large game room or bonus room is located on the second floor. A unique feature that Mel incorporates in many of his own designed homes, a large “drop zone” is located off the garage entry for backpacks and charging stations for cell phones. Another feature is the “hidden pantry” in the kitchen. You will also be impressed with the large veranda and outdoor living area framed with cedar columns and beams. With all Mel Abbe Homes, amenities and quality construction are second nature. This home includes double 8-foot steel entry doors; a high definition composite roof; low E Thermal double-pane windows; 14 SEER H/AC; and insulated garage and garage doors. The home is pre-wired for an alarm system and a
speaker system on first floor; the basement is ready for overhead projector with 122-inch screen, as well as a recirculating hot water system. You will love the special designer finishes in this home, along with the hardwood flooring and beautiful tile. Granite can be found in the kitchen with KitchenAid appliances that include a double convection oven, gas stove top, large depth built-in refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and commercial exhaust fan. All four bathrooms are complete with intricate tile work, granite and framed mirrors. Mel Abbe has the credentials that assure you that you have placed one of your largest financial investments in a builder you can trust. Mel’s background includes: • a degree in construction engineering from Texas Tech • 30 years of construction experience • Membership in the West Texas Home Builder Association • Licensed Texas Residential Builder and
• Trained CAD home designer. Mel started building homes in Lubbock in 1996. He believes in “hands on” construction which lends itself to this builder being on the job site overseeing every detail. This Featured Home by Abbe Custom Homes, priced at $499,000, is sponsored by the West Texas Home Builders Asso-
ciation in cooperation with The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Please come by and see this incredible home Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For further information about the Featured Home or a custom home, you can contact Mel at 441-1708 or Linda at 577-5383. Visit www.abbehomes.com.
Make your home a dream in 2011 Take inspiration from the HGTV Dream Home 2011 Whether you’re thinking of building a vacation home or just want a year-round house that makes every day feel like a vacation, take inspiration from the HGTV Dream Home 2011, located in the vacation wonderland of Stowe, Vermont. The newest custom-designed home at Spruce Peak in Stowe Mountain Resort blends rustic mountain appeal with modern architecture. It’s nestled amid emerald-green rolling hills, winding roads and exhilarating ski slopes. Linda Woodrum, who designed 14 of the 15 HGTV Dream Homes, offers these tips to help you create the home of your dreams: 1. Take inspiration from your surroundings. HGTV chose a color palette pulled from the Stowe countryside to complement the contemporary-style furniture in the home. There are so many great op-
tions today, you can find virtually any color or texture you want. 2. When designing a home that will be a great gathering place for all your family and friends, use beautiful upholstery fabrics that are durable. You want to create a home where everyone can relax and feel comfortable without worrying about damaging the furniture. 3. Think about using outdoor fabrics as coverlets on beds in rooms like the sleep dorm in the HGTV Dream Home 2011. They’re easy to maintain, don’t stain and look great wash after wash, even if you sleep eight to a room! 4. If your home has a mudroom, provide lots of storage to help manage the space. Closets and pegs can hold all your outer- wear, while cubbies and drawers are perfect for gloves and scarves. Don’t
forget to choose a tough floor that can stand up to shoes and boots. 5. Arrange each room to maximize the visibility of the great outdoors. Accomplish this by arranging the furniture in various ways so you don’t block the views and by utilizing earth-tone colors and selective fabrics. 6. In your kitchen, contemporary glass shelves framed by antique barn boards can make for easy storage and a unique design element.
Three secrets to creating a 3-D home theater
(ARA) – High gas prices, have a dedicated home rising movie theater ticket theater room, paint the costs and advances in walls in dark colors. Use 3-D technology just might carpeting to eliminate make this your year to reflection off floors, and invest your money in a 3-D room-darkening blinds home theater, rather than or drapes to cover wina summer vacation. dows. Three-dimensional enBe aware of items in tertainment is the hottest the room that might trend, both at home and create reflections such as in theaters, and it doesn’t glass or lights near the show signs of abating any screen. Move items away time soon. If you’ve alfrom the screen that ready decided to make the might distract your vicommitment to a 3-D TV, sion. For example, if you it probably makes sense to choose to wall mount create an optimum viewyour 3-D TV above a fireing environment so you place, remove everything can get the most enjoyfrom the mantel beneath ment out of your investit and cover the glass ment. fireplace screen with Whether you’re creating something nonreflective. a 3-D home theater from Functional furnishscratch or upgrading an ings – After spending existing home theater to the money on a 3-D TV, 3-D, you should keep a few it would really drag considerations in mind. down your home theater FOR THE BEST 3-D HOME THEATER, choose the largest screen you can afford and experience to have comThe home entertainment furnishing and accessories have space for. You’ll need to arrange seating to allow more distance between the 3-D TV ponents like your 3-D and your eyes for maximum viewing enjoyment. experts at Sanus offer Blu-ray player sitting some advice for your 3-D on the floor. Furnishings home theater: made to house compoBigger is better – nents not only create a A wall mount that provides a full range of moWhile advances in high-definition viewing mean neat, orderly environment, they can help protect tion, like the VLF311 Super Slim, will make it you can now get a great image on virtually any and preserve expensive electronic equipment. easier to achieve the proper distance and viewsize set, when it comes to 3-D viewing a larger You can find a wide variety of home theater furing angle for your 3-D TV. Plus, wall mounting a screen will provide optimum enjoyment. Choose niture, from speaker stands to devices that mount flat screen more closely evokes the movie theater the largest screen you can afford and that you components on the wall, at www.sanus.com. Finalhave space for. You’ll also need to arrange seating experience. ly, don’t forget to include a dedicated place to store Dark is desirable – Minimizing light is imto allow more distance between the larger 3-D and charge your 3-D glasses. These costly, delicate portant for any home theater, but even more so TV and your eyes, to help minimize eye strain. devices are essential for 3-D viewing, and it will be for 3-D viewing. No matter how good your 3-D set Sanus recommends positioning a TV so your eyes more cost-effective in the long run to spend a little is, if the room is too bright your enjoyment of the are level with the middle of the screen. For most bit of money creating a safe spot in which to house images will suffer; 3-D images are significantly people, this is between 40 and 60 inches off the them, than it will be to keep replacing lost or damless bright than 2-D ones. If you’re lucky enough to aged ones. ground.