How we helped Jules Breaux by exceeding expectations.

"It was outstanding! They work very hard. The first time I reached out to him was on the Sunday after Christmas, within 20 minutes he was calling. The whole entire experience was really great, very professional. They sold our house after 14 days on the market. The effort they put in and the passion they have for what they do speaks volumes. They really exceeded all my expectations."
      Jules Breaux, Home Seller

Determining What You Can Afford in Lafayette

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report
Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Do you know how much you can afford to spend on a home? When you’re looking to balance the budget on a home payment, you need to look at four things:

1. How much can you afford?
2. How much is a bank willing to lend monthly?
3. What does that translate to in sales price?
4. How much are you comfortable spending monthly?

Typically, banks will lend $6 to $7 a month for every thousand dollars you spend. On a $150,000 house, that translates to $800 to $900 a month, depending on the tax area you’re in and the monthly insurance premiums. How does the bank determine what your payment is? They’ll take your total income and divide it by the total debt that you have, like house payment, car payment, student loans, revolving debt like credit cards. On a $5,000 income, the banks would take approximately $2,000 a month in total monthly debt to be what they approve you for.

Just because a bank is willing to lend you $2,000 a month for you monthly payment doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what you need to spend. You need to do what’s right for your family. List out all the debts and outgoing payments you have like food, utilities, entertainment, and others, and write it down to see what your monthly income looks like, and how much you have left coming in.

If you have any other questions, please let us know via email or a phone call. We’d love to hear from you.

How we helped Chase Hardy by working fast to resolve issues.

"They worked really fast and found what I wanted!  There was a flood issue and he told me exactly what to expect.  That was the only issue we had.  I would definitely recommend them to others.  I have already given out my agents number."
      Chris Hardy, Home Buyer

Lafayette Real Estate Market 1st Quarter Wrap-Up

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report
Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Today, we’ll go over how the Lafayette housing market has done in the first quarter of this year.

In March, we had 262 closed residential transactions. That’s a slight decrease from March of 2015, which had 266 units sold. Dollar volume is also down by about 8.5%. 

The $260,000 and under price range sees the most traffic in our market, which is why the average sales price is $215,000. That’s a 2.9% drop from March of 2015, when the average sales price was $221,000. 

The good news is that the list-to-sales price ratio is 97%. That means when you list your home, you are likely to get 97% of the asking price. That is happening market-wide, from Lafayette Parish all the way down to the Youngsville area. 

Pending sales typically indicate what the market will look like. Last year, March was the biggest month we had, and there were 359 pending sales. This March, we had 312 pending sales. That’s a 4% difference. We are still on par with the three biggest months in real estate in 2015. Things are still moving at a brisk pace. 

The good news for buyers is that listings are up by 2.25%. We now have a 6.3 month supply of listings. Inventory is starting to climb and there are tons of options for buyers looking for houses priced $300,000 or up. 

Interest rates are incredibly low. You can get a 3.6% interest rate for a 30-year fixed loan, a 3.5% rate for an FHA loan, and 3% or less for a 15-year loan. The right lender can get you 2.9% on a 15-year loan, and I can connect you with a great lender. 


If you have any questions, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Lafayette Market Update for February 2016

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report
Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Today we’ve got a quick market update for you for January 2016. Last year, we eked out a .64% increase in sales compared to 2014. We did see a drop in sales at certain points throughout the year, but ended the year with an overall increase.

Many of the numbers we saw this January were very comparable to the numbers we saw last January. For example, we sold 196 homes in January of 2015, and sold 195 in January of 2016. 

Our average sales price has dropped a bit, and now sits at $216,000, but that’s likely due to the lower price ranges moving at a quicker pace than the rest of the market. We are also seeing an increase in new construction, and that shows in the year-over-year drop in the number of homes listed in Lafayette.

As for the amount of inventory we have on the market right now, it’s sitting at about an 8.5, 9-month supply, where most of our action is coming in the $300,000 and below range. 

If you have any questions for us about the market, or want to know what your home could sell for, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Where Can You Find the Best Home Inspector in Lafayette?

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report
Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Home inspections are crucial for buyers and sellers. We recommend that everyone get an inspection done on their home or their potential home. This is a proactive move that can eliminate issues down the road.

A home inspector is a trained professional that comes out to inspect the major systems in your home such as your electrical wiring, your furnace, and your plumbing. They will check for much more than this, and they’ll report potential problems to you. This way you can make the repairs or negotiate with the seller to have repairs made. An inspection can cost anywhere from $500 to $600, but it’s all well-worth the money. 

If you need a home inspector, we have a few that we like to refer to our clients. Don’t hesitate to ask us about this!

Home Decor and Lafayette Listings

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report
Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

An easy way to grasp a buyer’s interest is through gorgeous home decor. This might be drapes, paintings, or other trinkets.

However, as a buyer, you need to be especially conscious of this. Stay focused on your needs. Keep an eye on room dimension, and don’t fall for the details. Avoid falling for the small details inside a home. 

There’s a flipside to this, though. As a seller, you’re going to want to tap into the buyer’s perspective. This presents an awesome opportunity. Set up an attractive offer with our stager and make your home pop to get the best results when selling! 

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in Lafayette, give me a call or send me an email today! I look forward to hearing from you soon.

How we helped Nick Perron by using our resources

"Great results! Very satisfied with the house I purchased through them and their services. Anytime I have any questions about my house Robbie said I could call him at any time. Since it's my first home, he'd be able to help me - I actually called him today and he helped me find an electrician and how to do home repairs."

- Nick Perron, Buyer

How We Helped Jim Find the Perfect Place

"Laurie Kraemer was our agent. She did an outstanding job! She stayed on the search and was patience with us. We ended up bailing out of a house that we had made an offer on, and started the process all over again - her pleasant attitude of working with us never wavered. She did a wonderful job. I'd highly recommend anyone to use them. We were very pleased!"

- Jim, Home Buyer

What Do 3D Tours Add to the Table?

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report
Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Today I want to talk about the next step when it comes to home photography. Here at the Robbie Breaux Team, we are always looking to push the needle when it comes to technology. That is why we have invested in offering 3D Virtual Home Tours for our clients, and they are going to be great. 

Here is an example of a 3D Tour. With these tours, potential buyers have the ability to look in, around, above, and throughout the house. These tours offer many different ways to look at the home, including a dollhouse view, a blueprint view, and a first person virtual walk-through. By being able to do all of this virtually and remotely, you can increase the traffic your home gets without even having to open the door.

We’ve seen some great benefits already from using this technology. Most of our sellers are getting a higher number of qualified buyers looking at their home, instead of the looky-loos that are really just browsing with no intention to buy. 


If you’re interested in checking this out some more or want to see what a 3D tour could do for your home sale, give us a call or send us a quick email. We would be glad to help out!