Yesterday my kindergartner announced that it was the last day of Summer.  She did a spinning movement with arms stretched high and announced "goodbye summer, see you next year". 

This morning she announced that today it was Fall.  She opened the window shade and started explaining how things were changing because it was now fall.  We walk outside to get into the minivan for school and she says "dad, doesn't it just feel like fall?  So different than yesterday."  

She is heading into her 5th fall and vividly remembers last years pumpkin patch adventures. Such joy and excitement. At 5 she is able to grasp the "feeling" of changing seasons . 

I, on the other hand, had not bothered to reflect on the seasonal changes.  Not until my kindergartner reminded me.

So take some time today to reflect on the changing of seasons - not from a realty perspective but from life's perspective.

Do you avoid discussing Sex Offenders with buyers? 

There is a free Registered Sex Offenders Map Application I downloaded onto my Droid called Safe Neighborhood which made me think about how registered sex offenders may affect home buyers.  The name implies that if there are no sex offenders living there, it is a safe neighborhood.  The App opens up a map google of were you are and shows map dots of all the registered sex offenders.  

Of course this info is available on many internet sites as well.  It just made me think that I avoid any discussion about sex offenders in area neighborhoods.  It's not my job to condemn neighborhood because a teenager was busted for having sex with someone a couple years younger.

Just curious how y'all feel about this topic.  Do you avoid it? 

Here are 3 quick bathroom cleaning tips because home buyers want to see clean bathrooms.  These are all tips provided to me by past clients. 

1. Keep rolls of basic white paper towels handy.  Wiping everything with a disposable paper towel is quick and easy from mirror toothpaste splatter to soap scum on the sink.
2. Use Scott's Liquid Gold (spray can) to remove slight water stains on bathroom wood cabinet faces.  Spray the Scott's on a paper towel and wipe.  A little goes a long way.  Spray the paper towel not the cabinets to avoid overspray on the floor tile. Also works great on kitchen cabinets.
3. Keep a Magic Eraser Sponge in the shower. No cleaning chemicals - just use water with the Magic Eraser.  See how quickly it removes soap scum. 

Keeping the bathroom in Show Condition can be challenging but these tips will minimize stress.   

Yes.  I discovered that a new Stainless Steel Energy Star Refrigerator will pay for itself in electricity savings.  My 1989 Almond Fridge works perfectly but after 21 maintenance free years I just want a Stainless Steel Fridge. 

I need a good reason to dump the almond fridge since we are in a recession.  Here's the answer: an energy star fridge will save me $880 in electricity savings over the next 5 years.   Hopefully Stainless will still be in style.

If you go to the Energy Star Website they have a Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator.  You simply plug in the model number and the website gives you specific results like mine below:

No Big Old Garage Beer Fridge!  I always wanted a Garage Beverage Refrigerator and was thinking of using the almond one.  At $241 per year in electricity, it's cheaper to buy a new 3.3 compact for $159 with annual electricity cost of only $29.

Before you think you are getting a "deal" buying a big old used fridge for your garage beverages, I suggest you check out this Energy Star site and learn the true cost of a cold beer.  

I hope you found this post helpful ~ Mark Hitz

The Colony TX Homes For Sale ~ Local Real Estate Market

If you want to loose 92 Active Rain points then my advice is to simply go to sleep.  The big red box on my Home Page said 25,001 Points just before I logged off last night (I was thinking it would have been fun to see 25,000 exactly).  This morning I log in and the big red box says 25,009 points.  Now if you get 100 points for just logging in, then 25,001 + 100 = 25,101 not 25,009. 

Somehow overnight I lost 92 Points.  I'm sipping my coffee thinking "if only I could loose Pounds as easily.  I should post about this - the AR Point Diet".  I quickly created a one line draft post.

It made me wonder "If someone DELETES my comment, do I loose 25 points?"  Can anyone answer this? Still 92 points don't divide into 25. 

Then I was thinking perhaps my 100 log in points hadn't been credited yet.  If this was the case, how did I gain 8 points while sleeping?  (which is much more like the diets I have tried) 

Time to look at other people's new posts.  Paula Hathaway wrote an excellent post.  I commented and reblogged it. 25 points and 25 points.  Then I got the kids to school & did my morning routine.

I come back to AR a couple hours later and my point total is 25,159.  25,001 (last night) + 100 log in + 25 comment + 25 re-blog =25,151 points.  So now I have gained 8 unexplained points -  That's why I HATE Diets.    

If anyone is missing 8 points;  I have them over here.

I bet the AR points software monitors more data sets than the Apollo 9 Command Center.

Has anyone else had an unusual point change for no apparent reason? 

Enjoy the day -

Mark Hitz, Realtor The Colony Texas Real Estate and Homes For Sale Report

The Texas No Cell Phone Use in School Zones Law  went into effect over a year ago so the police are no longer giving out warnings.  They simply write a ticket for a $200 fine.

So put the cell phone down before you get to the school zone. "Sorry, I need to go, there's a school zone ahead."

In addition, individual Texas cities are adopting stricter laws as technology changes and attorneys look for loop holes. This includes No Motorist Handheld Devices in School Zones.  So yes, driving in a school zone while using an I Pad is going to cost you $200.

Others cities simply expand the No Cell Phone Use to include No Texting and No Apps. So you can't use the excuse "Honest Officer, I wasn't using my cell phone while driving, I was only surfing Facebook".

Others provide exemptions: If you are parked in a school car line or in a parking space.  

Handsfree devices seem to be excluded but don't take my word for it. 

Texas cell phone rules for school zones will continue to change.  The best way to avoid the $200 fine is to just put down the cell phone.

Related Speeding Issue: I recently learned that an Allstate Insurance survey says the average Texas fine for speeding in a school zone is $211.

If you speed through a school zone with a phone stuck to your ear expect to pay an average of $211 + $200 fine = "ouch".

$411 each ticket is a great way for cities to put money into their tight budget.

Of course the reasoning behind the rules make perfect sense.  Studies show that people on cell phones are distracted.  

We don't want distracted drivers hitting our children.  Stiff fines help protect our kids and save lives. 

Can you imagine the ongoing mental anguish of both the driver and family of a school zone fatality?

What if the driver was you? 

Let's be safe out there.

Mark Hitz, Realtor

The Colony TX Real Estate and Homes For Sale Report

PS - I got the idea to write this blog post this morning as I was driving the kids to school. I drive through 3 other school zones.  Some woman in an Escalade blew past me in a school zone.  I pull up next to her at a stoplight and she has a cell phone stuck to her ear and she is doing hand gestures with her "free hand".  The light turns green and away she goes.  Where's a cop when you want one? 

The Fire Investigator determined the cause of the fire was a faulty lawn sprinkler system control panel in the garage.  The home was monitored for burglary & fire but the smoke detectors were located in the bedrooms and halllways.  The fire had to burn through the garage & utility room before smoke finally reached the smoke detector outside the master bedroom.  Half of the home was in flames before the fire department arrived.

I sold this 5 year old home to some good friends after the home was rebuilt / repaired from the fire. 

Here's what I want you to think about. You pay ADT to send help quickly in an emergency.  Yet so many fire detection systems only conver half the house.   Fires that occur in the garage, laundry room, utility room and attic are not being monitored by smoke detectors.  Rarely do I see Heat Detectors monitoring the other areas.  This doesn't make sense to me.

Smoke detectors are used in the bedrooms and adjacent hallways.  Smoke detectors save lives.

Heat Detectors are used in the other areas like the attic, garage and utility room.  Heat detectors sense the heat generated from a fire and alert the monitoring company to send help.

You wouldn't have half of your windows and doors monitored for burglary so why do you want only half of your home monitored for fire?   Fire detectors are not expensive and require NO batteries.  So have your monitoring company install heat detectors.

 I had my home upgraded with Heat Detectors for $200 and no additional costs to monitor or maintain. 

I hope you found this blog post motivating.

Mark Hitz, Realtor.

The Colony TX Real Estate and Homes For Sale

On Friday my laptop died and I didn't have a back up plan.  I learned that backing up data from my computer is really simple.  If you don't currently back up your computer then hopefully this may motivate you to get off your backside and get backed up.

I procrastinated because it sounded complicated and expensive.  I learned that it is more complicated and expensive if you procrastinate.

There are two basic ways: 1. using an online data storage site like Carbonite or 2. buying an External Hard Drive. 

I decided to get an External Hard Drive because my failing laptop wouldn't connect to the Internet. The Best Buy store was empty at 2 pm on Friday.  So I quizzed the 3 spiky haired 20 yr old sales people about which external hard drive was the best.

As they explained pros and cons, I created my criteria: Simplicity, Speed, Cost, Encryption, Storage Space.

I chose a 2TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Hard Drive for $119.00 on sale.

Simplicity- all software is installed just plug it in to the USB.  

USB 2.0 Speed- it matters.  Remember how fast the first AOL Dial Up was and the difference wihen you first used a really fast T-1 or DSL connection?  Files keep getting bigger so how fast will it copy files?  It is USB 2.0 but is upgradable to USB 3.0 for $29.  USB 3.0 will be hitting the shelves soon. Who cares about speed?   If you are just copying 1 file then speed doesn't matter.  If you are copying 200,000 files then speed matters.  Remember the original USB 1.1?  It moved data at 12 MBits per second.  When USB 2 came out I thought it would be twice as fast but it was 40 times faster than 1.1 at 480 MBits per second.  3.0 is 10 times faster than 2.0 and moves data at 4.8Gbits per second (4,800 MBits per second).  

Secure Data Encryption.  I want the data on this external hard drive secure in case someone steals it from my home. It has internal software built in with data encryption. Micorsoft 7 also has encryption.

2 TB Storage Space.  I don't want to worry about running out of storage space.  They had: 500 Gig for $79; 1TB (1,000 Gig) for $99 and 2 TB (2,000 Gig) for $119.    

Cost.  It was on sale for $119.  Price always drops over time.  Remember when 256M flash drives were $30 and now a 4Gig flash drive is now $11.

Is there a better external hard drive out there? Probably but I don't want to spend days researching.   The one place I do research technology at is called cnet.com.  Here is their review.

 If you need a good External Hard Drive go to Best Buy during an off time and ask the geeky kids some questions. 

Since I bought this hard drive I didn't even explore Carbonite but people on this forum use and recommend it.

I hope you found this post helpful.

Regards, Mark Hitz 

Dan Rosenberger from Harvest Realty in Westfield Indiana wrote a great blog below on how current interest rates make homes more affordable. 

The chart Dan uses to illustrate a $1,000 monthly mortgage payment with differing loan amounts really helps home buyersunderstand what a 4% interest rate means.   

No matter if you are in the Far North Suburbs of Indianapolis or the Far North Suburbs of Dallas, this information rings true.

Co-Serv homeowners in The Colony Texas can have a free home energy audit.  Co-Serv has an Energy Management team who conducts free energy audits on Co-Serv members' homes.

Every Colony TX Homeowner wants lower utility bills. Everybody likes free.  Get a free home energy audit and lower your utility bills. There is only one "catch". This is only for Co-Serv members.

Many homes in The Colony Texas are serviced by Co-Serv.  If Co-Serv provides electricity to your home, send their energy mgmt team an e-mail energyaudits@coserv.com requesting a free home energy audit.

The auditor will inspect your home's windows, doors, attics, appliances, heating and cooling units.  They want to pinpoint where energy dollars are being wasted. They use a variety of monitors and tools, including infrared cameras.  

You get a detailed report.  What you do with that knowledge is up to you.  

Ok - It might not be free.  If you schedule an audit, they show up and you are not there, they will charge you $50 on your next electric bill. If you are there, it's free.  If you want them do an additional Door Blower test, they charge $75.  Plus you only get one free audit every 12 months.  If you want more, they will charge you $100.  Basically they have created some costs to keep people from abusing the system.  

So send them an e-mail and get your energy audit scheduled.  I would like to hear from you afterwards to know how it turned out.   

Mark Hitz, Local Colony TX Realtor 

The Colony TX Real Estate and Homes For Sale