The Katy office of Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors recently held their 2nd Annual Katy Sunshine Fest to benefit The Sunshine Kids on Thursday March 27, 2008. Over 600 Guests and our many local sponsors were astounded as they arrived at our office parking lot and were greeted by a 5,000 steel erected tent. This certainly set the tone for the evening and will be talked about for years to come.

The event kicked off with a 4:00 p.m. style show highlighting fashions and commentary from J. Barton Clothiers. Many of the models were agents from our office as well as from our sponsors. The fashion show set up was very "Fifth Avenue" and all guests were greeted by white gloved bartenders bearing a bit of bubbly.

Immediately following the fashion show, the main event kicked off at 5:00 p.m. with an introduction from our manager, Tracy Bogiel. We were very pleased to hear comments from our very own Mark and Marilyn, as well as a special visit from GW Bailey, TV's "The Closer" MASH, Police Academy and more, who is a national spokesperson for The Sunshine Kids. GW took time out of his very busy schedule to speak to our guests about the mission and goals of The Sunshine Kids and not a dry eye was to be had in the crowd.

The evening's entertainment focused around live music as well as that of a terrific DJ. Our live music was presented by special surprise guests: Kady Malloy and Colton Berry - past contestants of a nationally recognized television talent show. This wowed the crowd and will be a hard act to follow next year.

Our guests were treated to delicious food provided by four area restaurants, as well as wine, beer and margaritas. Funds for the event were raised from our fabulous live auction, silent auction and raffle prizes. In fact, the bidding was quite fierce at the end for the top items: Tiger Woods' signed Master's jacket and Hannah Montana signed guitar. Several silent auction items were: JK Rowlings' signed Harry Potter book, 2005 NCAA National Football Champs Team Autographed Helmet, Houston Astro's Legends Home Plate signed by Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell, Andy Pettit and Lance Berkman and so much more! Our raffle tickets offered three great prizes: a Colorado Condo escape package for 6 nights including airfare for 2, a four night Carnival cruise to Mexico from Galveston and a Golf and Spa week-end getaway for two to the Fairmont Scottsdale in Arizona.

We are proud to announce that the event raised $ 20,000 - which was double last years' effort! In May, we will hold  a special event to thank our wonderful sponsors and will use this opportunity to present a check for $ 17,000.00 directly to the Sunshine Kids with the remaining funds to go toward kicking off next years' event to be held in early Spring of 2009 - exact date to be announced.

If you are interesting in sponsoring this fabulous Katy event, please contact me at christi@christiborden.com.

HAR - Houston Association of Realtors has a great tool for Realtors throughout the US who wish to fully market their international listings.

We have a special section on our www.HAR.com web site devoted entirely to the practice of International Real Estate. This web page offers many items: hundreds of listings, consumer information, agent information, educational updates, consular information and more to help the consumer and real estate practitioner better understand the special components involved in a foreign property transaction.

HAR is recognized nationally for its user-friendly web site and high volume of visitors, and the International page is certainly leading the way not only on a State level but for the entire US as well. In fact, both NAR and TAR (Texas Association of Realtors) are not only impressed by our site but looking at us in an effort to improve their own international presence.

While there are obligations for listing on HAR (two of which: you must become a member of HAR and have an exclusive listing agreement), just imagine the exposure your client will gain from advertising in the Gateway City of the South. HAR is no longer a "local" site but receives thousands of visits daily from all over the world.

If you would like more information, contact me as I serve on the International Committees for HAR and TAR and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.

www.ChristiBorden.com

christi@christiborden.com

Having worked with many aspiring "flippers", I felt I should share the agent's view of the process.

First let me say, nothing is like is it on TV. The garden variety show on flipping only highlights the highs and rarely tells the lows of this venture.

As an agent, the first thing I would advise is to get your real estate license. Now, I am not a proponent of losing business by telling folks to get licensed and do it on their own, but for flipping purposes, this is truly a cost saving matter. You will need to spend a lot of time analyzing the various neighborhoods, the market value of improved properties, days on the market, etc. Asking an experienced Realtor to give the tremendous amount of time necessary to help you find the right investment vehicle is a tall order. In fact, the savvy Realtor experienced in this type of investment property most likely would start investing them-self if they found a true "diamond in the rough".

Second, you will need to align yourself with terrific and trustworthy tradesmen: carpenters, flooring specialist, roofers, foundation repairmen, electricians, plumbers, etc who can view the property prior to your purchase to give you a true estimate of the costs involved in bringing the property up to current market standards. This is where many would-be flippers fail. They always underestimate the money and time needed for the rehabilitation of the property.

Third, please, please get the home inspected before you purchase. Read that sentence again and again as there are so many hidden items that can cost you a future sale and break the bank.

Last, you need to have very deep pockets to absorb the "mistakes" such as underestimating repair needs, overestimating market value of the property when finished, underestimating time on the market before you are able to sell, etc.  This is not a venture for the faint of heart.

One more thing to consider, the most successful flips are occurring in neighborhoods that have unique architecture as opposed to the cookie cutter homes that have been built for the last 20 years.

Good Luck to you and Happy Flipping.

I had the privilege of attending my monthly FIABCI-Houston luncheon this past Wednesday, March 19th with special guest speakers: The Honorable Geert C. Visser, Houston Consul General of The Netherlands, as well as Mr. Frans Gilebaard, Developer.

The Hon. Geert C. Visser began the presentation with the many accomplishments of his country in the fields of transportation, engineering, banking and more. The discussion then focused on the tremendous amount of Dutch foreign investment in the US as well as the remainder of the Americas. What was surprising is that in the past, the Dutch were the # 1 foreign investor in the States. This number is now believed to the #3, which astounded the FIABCI members and guests in attendance.

His Honor stated, "Holland is the doorway to Europe" and went on to explain how any US investor would be wise to consider a partnership with The Netherlands when seeking entry into the EU, as well as Asia, Russia and Africa. As The Netherlands has been a trading country for over 900 years, he explained that businessmen and women in his country are well educated, multi-lingual and very savvy as to the customs and nuances of doing business throughout the world and would be a great asset to educate a US investor so as to avoid costly and perhaps deadly mistakes when trying to go it alone. An example of such a mistake was the Tandy Corporation, who brought in Radio Shack stores into England and Europe. In doing business as they had in the States, they started advertising pre-Christmas sales way in advance of the accepted norm to do so in the area. This caused such a furor that it basically denied this company any chance at establishing a good business base over what was simply a timing error. Naivete can be very costly when dealing with foreign customs and cultures and is even more reason that an investor should consider partnering with an entity able to bridge the gap between the two.

Our second speaker was Mr. Frans Gilebaard, a local developer who was born and raised in The Netherlands and brought to us his first hand knowledge of both inbound and outbound investments. He highlighted the various contributions to the world, including the engineering feat of keeping afloat The Palm Island development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dutch engineers were also consulted with regard to design and correction of the levies in New Orleans, La.

Mr. Gilebaard also stated, "Whatever country you go to, you have to have an understanding of the nuances of business that affect you". He highlighted the incredible history of KLM, the national airlines of The Netherlands based out of Amsterdam's Schiphol International airport, located 20 minutes (17.5 km) southwest of the city. KLM first came to Houston in 1957 when they recognized the potential for investment for their countrymen in the oil industry. In fact, one would be wise to watch where KLM establishes routes as an indicator of potential investment opportunities around the world.

Speaking of Dutch investors, it was highlighted that most foreign residential investment (holiday homes) are purchased in warm, sunny climates but commercial investments span the globe.

In closing, it was reiterated that a smart US investor would be very wise, indeed, to make a business plan that includes proceeding through "The Gateway to Europe".

Mr. Frans Gilebaard, Ms. Judith Snively, Esq., President of FIABCI-Houston Chapter, and The Hon. Geert C. Visser, Consul General of The Netherlands