Claudia Van Harn, The Woodlands, TX (2026)

11/21/2023

This Thanksgiving and Holiday Guide it’s designed to help you treasure the ordinary yet magical moments this season has to offer, right here in The Woodlands Texas.

I only covered events happening during Thanksgiving week and the first 2 weeks of December here as I didn’t want to overwhelm you all with too much information. After all, most of us haven’t even started decorating yet! 🤪
It is my hope that this will get you started so you can have a Merry Little Christmas with your loved ones ❤️

What are y’all doing for Thanksgiving?

11/13/2023

I know, y'all. I KNOW.

Everyone wants a good deal.

Black Friday and even Small Business Saturday sometimes get us thinking we need EVERYTHING, just because it's on sale.

But how do we know if something is REALLY a good deal? How do we know if we REALLY should spend our hard earned money on it ?

Lucky for you, I actually help clients answer this very question when it comes to purchasing a home all year long.

First, I have my clients make a list of what's important to them in a home. As we house hunt, we refer back to that list often. Of course, our list of must-haves can change with time, but I keep my clients focused on what's truly important to them so they don't end up with a home they regret.

I also look at comps for each home they're considering putting an offer in on. This let's us see what other similar homes in the neighborhood have sold for so we can see what the market value should be.

Lastly, I tell my clients to think about how long they're planning on living in this house. I want to make sure that it’s going to have what they need for longer than just “right now.”

Truth is, no seller is going to mark down their home significantly with doorbuster deals to boot. Only YOU can decide if a home is a good deal for you or not. But if you stay true to what you need (and want!) for the time you're planning on living there and you are educated on the market value, you'll feel like you got the best deal out there.

11/02/2023

Going to the beach, having dinner with family and friends or simply spending time with the people I love are some of my favorite things, but do you know what else I love?

Connecting with YOU! I never want this account to feel like I'm talking AT you...I want it to be a conversation so we can really get to know each other!

So, tell me in the comments below, what are your answers?

11/01/2023

Welcome NOVEMBER! 🍁🦃

Here is the list of all the National Days for November! Not sure who came up with some of these days ( I read that it takes an Act of Congress! Literally! 😉) but one thing I know is that Thanksgiving is by far my favorite!!!

I didn’t grow up celebrating Thanksgiving and when I came to the States for the first time, I remembered learning about and absolutely falling in love with this amazing tradition and festivity!

Looking at this list I would say that after Thanksgiving some of my favorites are Happy Hour day, International Girls Day, and of course Women Entrepreneurs Day!💃🏻

Let’s celebrate life this month, let’s be thankful for what we have and all the blessings around us big or small 🥰

Today, November 1st it’s All Saints Day and it’s also National Stress Awareness Day so take a deep breath and take some time to decompress before all the busy days ahead (especially if you’re hosting Thanksgiving and/or going shopping on Black Friday). Fun times but let’s face it, it can all be stressful.☺️

What’s your favorite day on this list?

10/31/2023

BEHIND THE SOLD SIGN 🏡🥂

I am not gonna lie...Closing days are the happiest days because is the celebration of the hard work both clients and myself have done but living a life of balance in between work and family is the key to success and what I am very INTENSIONAL about! Having that balance is what makes me happy! That's why I wanted to share with you what goes behind the SOLD sign!…

When I'm not working, you'll probably find me at one of our local restaurants with my hubby, having happy hour with friends, networking with the best business owners in town at NIA or The Woodlands Chamber (DM me if you want to know more about networking in The Woodlands), at the gym (before my broken foot), and of course taking the kids to golf, sleepovers, playdates, robotics, dance, Kumon or just grabbing a healthy snack at Main Squeeze (yummy).

One thing most people don't know about me is that I love math and anything numbers (excel spreadsheets, business data, real estate data, you name it! If it has numbers I'll read it!)

My friends always tag me in personal development posts and of course Latin Moms Vs American Moms memes 😜

I can't live without going to the beach and getting a GOOD suntan at least once a year!

Do we have anything in common? Tell me in the comments!

10/28/2023

I know it's Halloween time but I don't have any kind of magic to help me tell the future!

I may not be able to look ahead but I can look back at history and use that to help me predict what will likely happen with these rising interest rates.

Side note: If you know me some, you'll know I'm a numbers Gal! Math was always my fav subject at school, I have an Engineer degree and Masters In Business... anyway I don't know it all but economics is something I enjoy. Here is what I see and how I understand it.

Inflation is high (I mean, have you been to the grocery store!?) And when inflation is high, interest rates are also high.

The Federal Reserve has a goal to bring inflation back down. They want it to be around just a 2% increase each year instead of the upwards of 8.9% we've been seeing the last several months.

Historically the direction of inflation leads the way and interest rates have followed suit. So when inflation is high, interest rates are high. But when inflation goes down, interest rates have always gone down, too.

If the Feds can bring inflation back down to 2%, it could lead to lower interest rates, making it much more affordable for you to buy a home.

This is SUCH GOOD NEWS, right? Mostly! It's nice to know we are headed in the right direction and there's a good chance of lower interest rates again (although let's not forget that a 7% interest rate is not bad considering 20% interest rates have been a thing before - ask your parents ☺️).

However, with lower rates comes...more buyers! Which means more housing competition.

This doesn't scare me as I help buyers compete over other offers all the time, but this is why I'll tell you the same thing I tell my clients: if you CAN afford your payment at a higher rate, now is the time to buy.

Get locked in to a house you love and simply refinance when rates drop again so you don't have to compete with as many offers as you will if you wait.

Whew, that was a lot, wasn't it? The good thing is, you don't have to totally understand all of that. You just need an agent in your corner who does! If you have more questions, reach out today before the rush of the holidays and let's make a plan for you!

10/27/2023

When it comes to the Real Estate market, here is what I've heard people say regardless of their careers and their cultural background: Home prices are so high, interest rates maybe getting to double digits, inflation and "how terrible" everything is right now.

Have you heard this too?

It's not nearly as doom and gloom as some people are making it. BUT there are some things you need to seriously consider if you are buying Real Estate today ...like how all of this effects your bottom line.

How much house can you afford anyway?

To get to the bottom of this, you first need to talk to your local lender. (Don't have one? No big deal, I have some great recommendations!)

Talking to a lender is not necessarily a formal sit down meeting, by the way. Most of the time there's a simple form to fill out online and they give you a quick call when they're done running your numbers to let you know where you're at and what a good action plan would be for you! SO SIMPLE.

A good lender will answer most of your questions but it's also so important to know YOUR numbers. A lender looks at your debt and income and gives you your max number of what they're comfortable loaning you. But that doesn't mean you're comfortable spending that much each month!

Lenders are so helpful, but YOU have to know what you're comfortable putting towards your home. So get to know your numbers and let your lender know them too, and that will help you determine not only how much you CAN afford, but how much you're willing to spend!

Bottom line: there’s no one answer to how much you’re allowed to spend on a house…you just have to know your lender’s limitations and what you are comfortable with!

10/26/2023

...and Google says the best time to sell a house is...HA! Just kidding.

It's time to stop relying on random internet searches to make decisions about your future. Let's look at the FACTS together.

So, what is your home worth? To find out, I'll look at recent sales in your area and compare those homes to yours. Do you have similar square footage, lot size, updates, and features like a pool or an outdoor kitchen or a covered patio?

Other things I consider is how long the homes were on the market, if they sold for over asking price, was the home sold as is or were there other terms and conditions that factored in the price, etc.

Then let's look at what you owe on your home. You'll either find this number on your monthly statement or you can pull it up online.

We will deduct that number from what we think your home is worth (we can come up with 2 or three different numbers based off of how conservative or aggressive we want to be).

But remember, this isn't your final number. If you decide to sell your home, you'll have costs you need to consider.

You will have realtor fees as well as fees from the title company and lender, plus the cost of any staging or updates you may need to make before you list your home...but this will give you a good idea to see what you could net on your home.

The best way to know for sure what's possible is to schedule a meeting with your agent (if you're reading this, there's a good chance that's me!) so they can go over your specific home selling plan. This is the only way to make this decision with confidence and I am here to help!

So stop googling and start DM'ing your favorite agent 🙋🏻‍♀️

10/25/2023

Hey Ghoul! I saw your Google Search...😳

You've been wondering:

-How much you could make on your home

-How much home you could afford

-Will housing prices go down?

And of course....

-When are interest rates going down?

Trust me, you're not alone! Everywhere I go, people are asking me the same questions on repeat *which is amazing because I love sharing my best real estate advice with family, friends, neighbors and past clients! 😊

So this week, I'm laying it all out there for you too!

Every day for the next 4 days I will address one of these questions and give you my best advice so you can make decisions with confidence.

By the way, never hesitate to reach out and ask me your questions instead of relying on Google or real estate websites! I'm always a DM away!

10/14/2023

You don’t have to google where the best Pumpkin Patches near the Woodlands are…Here are my favorite places to check out! 🎃🍁☕️
Grab your favorite fall drink .. mine is pumpkin space latte… and head to your favorite local pumpkin patch!

10/12/2023

Fall and Everything Fall! Here are some of my favorite activities …
1. Prepping for Into The Woods big fundraising dress up party! Ask me for details on this year’s party!
2. Pumpkin Patches
3. The Kink Team Fall Featival and Keller Williams Trunk-o-Trick Event!
4. Little getaway weekends to enjoy the nice weather
5. Pumpkin Spice Latte’s and everything Pumpkin Spice 🎃

Claudia Van Harn

11/21/2023

11/13/2023

11/02/2023

11/01/2023

10/31/2023

10/28/2023

10/27/2023

10/26/2023

10/25/2023

10/14/2023

10/12/2023

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