The House Company, Realtors

09/25/2026

Yesterday I learned a lot about the HERS classification for energy efficiency in homes. What I learned was that the score of "100" meant that the home met the 2006 standard for energy efficiency.

That standard is 20 years old. Basically any new home built to today's code blows that away and should easily score a 70 or less.

The Off The Charts Pinnacle is to get to "NET ZERO" which is defined as a home that produces 100% percent of its energy needs from renewable sources.

However, Net Zero can be obtained by purchasing enough solar panels that during the day your home produces an excess that is sold back to the utility company at less than wholesale (long story) and then you buy back the electricity that you sold as less than wholesale for retail.

BUT, if you have a battery backup that your solar panels charge during the day, it will provide you with electricity during the night . . . . to a point due to the costs of the battery backup being so prohibitive that most consumers only have enough for a few hours and then the system switches back to the grid or a generator.

Again, BUT what if the consumer just doesn't want to buy any electricity or next to zero year-round?

Enter my client who just installed a system on his property and started it up a couple of weeks ago and even though he has a fantastic large luxury home, a huge air conditioned workshop, charger for his EV and lots of goodies, the system barely utilizes its capacity to produce electricity once the huge battery backup has been charged.

And this place can be yours for a fraction of what it would cost to put together today.

Here it is:

$1,589,000, 4 beds, 4 baths, 3800 sq ft - Contact Scott H Billingsley, The House Company Realty Advisors, 210.573.6106 for more information.

07/22/2026

To Anyone Posting Things For Sale or Lease

If they can only communicate by video chat and don't have a phone number, they are scammers trying to get you to click on a link that is not for video.

12/31/2024

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year but January 1 is also an important date for property taxation.

Your home value and exemptions are based on the status of January 1.

So, if your home is in bad shape, has some kind of situation that is detrimental to its market value, etc., then take note, document it, take photos and possibly a video to support this as you will need that if you are going to dispute the 2025 property tax assessment in May - July.

Right now we have a massive construction project underway by a recognized commercial/industrial contractor that is going on next to us.

What do you think that does to the market value?

2025 is a year of adjustment for this property's value.

Call us for free information about the market value of your property.

10/24/2024

EXISTING HOME SALES (not new home sales) are waaaaay off! I've been saying this for months now.

If you have a home that is competing with new homes, you are in a very tough market. In our area, the $350k-$500K market is owned by new home builders.

10/23/2024

Why are contractors so expensive now? At least 2 things. Out of control inflation but also we, as a nation are spending just under
$2,000,000,000.00 PER YEAR Remodeling our homes.

10/10/2024

Here's another one. It went on the market and was Prepared (thank you Lisa & Andy), Priced According Market, & Presented in its best light and had multiple offers, went under contract and closed in about 30 days (at slightly above asking price).

3 beds, 3 baths - Contact Scott Billingsley, The-House-Co.Com, 210.573.6106 for more information.

10/10/2024

The market is better than the numbers show.
Prepared listings, Priced Right listings, Presented well listings Sell.

This one had a lot of showings, multiple offers and was under contract within 48-hours of hitting the market.

$324,500, 3 beds, 2 baths - Contact Scott Billingsley, The-House-Co.Com, 210.573.6106 for more information.

10/02/2024

It looks like what I spotted weeks ago is happening across the country.

Quote from Altos Research & Housing Wire:

"Housing demand is very seasonal, so the fact that our pending contract data is firming up lately just shows that lower mortgage rates have stabilized and firmed up demand recently.

It will likely take mortgage rates to go under 6% and stay there for an extended period to get real sustained demand growth from record-low sales levels. However, considering the affordability challenges with the housing market, it’s good to see a flip in the housing data without rates getting under 6%.

Weekly pending sales
Below is the Altos Research weekly pending contract data to show real-time demand. Now, this data line is very seasonal, as we can see in the chart below, and we all know that mortgage rates were heading toward 8% a year ago, so we need to be mindful of the positive year-over-year data. However, the weekly pending contract data has firmed up recently, even during the recent seasonal decline period. I will be curious to see if it continues because, due to seasonality factors, it shouldn’t, but for now, here we are.

2024: 362,620
2023: 340,526
2022: 380,823"