The listing of the week this week is in Bryan's Austin's Estates; a rural neighborhood inside the Bryan city limits near Messina Hof Winery and Coulter Airfield.
(Click image for live map)
This well-maintained custom home is located in a quiet, rural neighborhood just 19 minutes from the Texas A&M campus.
The kitchen features Kent Moore ash cabinets with sliding drawers and a large pantry. There is a bright breakfast area in the kitchen, as well as a formal dining area and study.
The great, open floor-plan and partially covered back patio make entertaining easy. The home features lots of built-in shelves and storage, as well as a full-masonry fireplace with cedar mantle.
You can stay up to date on the latest College Station real estate market reports at my market report Website, MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com. We also post links relating to College Station & Bryan real estate and economic reports at facebook.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Convinced and ready to buy? Search all College Station and Bryan real homes listed with any broker at Search.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Blue skies,
Sam White SamWhiteRealty.com 979-446-0031 direct office 979-574-0626 cell
All of a sudden its summer time. The Aggies graduated. The first summer session at Texas A&M & Blinn is underway. Bryan & College Station schools are out, and oh, its getting hot.
We've been very busy, and this is the fist time I've had a moment to update my blog and newsletter. I'm going to hit on a few quick things, and write more about each as June progresses.
First, April College Station home statistics are available on my market reports Web page, http://MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com. Truly, the numbers aren't pretty, but fortunately, the arrow on the graph is pointed up. I'll visit more about market conditions later in the month, but let me quickly say that my business is up over the last two years, with active and successful buyers and sellers.
Young buyers should consider the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit being offered by our Federal Government. There is also a new program available to help buyers get that money up front. For details, visit my news page at http://facebook.SamWhiteRealty.com. You don't have to be a member of facebook to view articles and links posted there. You can also find more information about the buying process at http://buyer.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Student housing activity remains good, but don't wait to put your student property on the market. For general tips for sellers, visit http://seller.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Of course, you can search all properties in the Bryan / College Station Multiple Listing service at http://search.SamWhiteRealty.com.
On a lighter note, tomorrow is the first Friday in June and time to head to downtown Bryan for their usual festivities plus Art Step. It's fun, satisfying (food & drink) and really accents our sense of community. We always hit the Village Cafe and Art979, as well as the Frame Gallery, where I think John Flynn will be hawking What's the Buzz Coffee. All of the details are posted on http://facebook.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Locally, don't forget that College Station water rates are up, and you could get doused watering your lawn this summer. Monitor your consumption. Also, there are several more RED LIGHT CAMERAS operating in town. Turning right on red will get you unless you really come to a complete stop. I encourage everyone in our community to be active and vote.
This weekend, June 17-19, is special to Aggies and their parents as they come together for Texas A&M University's 2009 Parents' Weekend. There are many great activities. I'll post a schedule at the end of this blog.
Also, he Dixie Chicken is busy today, as many Texas A&M Seniors (whoop!) received their rings this week, and they are flocking to The Chicken to dunk them.
It's an exciting time for everyone. The spring semester is almost over, Aggie Muster is coming up on April 21st, and graduation is just around the corner.
We are looking forward to meeting the families who have appointments with us this weekend. There is a great selection of homes, town homes and condominiums on the market right now. Many are priced to sell.
We have two Websites set up for students and parents looking for Aggie housing:
With parents' weekend coming up in a few days, I want to spend some time talking about College Station condominiums. I've chosen two examples, Fox Run Condos and Woodsman Condos.
Fox Run is known locally as a safe, relatively new upscale complex, located on Luther Street between Wellborn Rd and Harvey Mitchell Parkway. The complex features 2 bedroom/2 bath units located on the ground floor, priced in the $120k range, as well as 3 bedroom/3 bath units located on the second level which are priced in the $140k-$150k range. There is a pool and volleyball courts. The complex is gated, and each unit has an individual security system. For more information and photos, see FoxRunCondo.com.
Woodsman Condominuims, which were constructed in the early 1980's, are located on Longmire Drive in Southwood Valley. These units, built in a Hill Country style with wood siding and real rock, have two distinct floor plans. Both plans feature 2 bedrooms and two bathrooms, with one being slightly larger with vaulted ceilings in the living area. Although this complex doesn't feature a pool, there is covered parking for each unit, which is valuable in College Station during the warmer months. For more information and photos, see WoodsmanCondo.com.
Looking for something different? We can help! Use these links for further information, or contact me directly at 979.574.0626.
Spring has sprung in our college town and thoughts are already turning to graduation and the coming academic year. One spring event that students and residents look forward to is Texas A&M University's Parents Weekend.
Parent's Weekend festivities will be held April 17-19 this year, with a long list of activities for Aggies and Aggie parents. They include:
Parents' Weekend is also a great time for residents to show off the College Station community, and is a busy time for the local real estate industry. The student housing market has already picked up, and we are looking forward to meeting many Aggies this spring and summer.
Sometimes it makes more since to buy a home for your student, versus throwing money at rent for four years. We've built special Websites for students and parents considering investing in their future. See:
One of the misconceptions that we spend a lot of time talking about refer to local market conditions. College Station market conditions are not like the remainder of the United States. For up-to-date local market conditions visit MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com.
One of my favorite annual reports came out today. In it, Texas A&M attempts to assign numbers to the impact our University has on the local economy. According to the report, released by Texas A&M Univeristy Marketing and Communications, "the in-house study authorized by Texas A&M President Elsa A. Murano shows that the university and other locally headquartered members of the Texas A&M System had a direct $1.3 billion impact on College Station, Bryan and the surrounding area during 2008-a direct increase of about $146.5 million compared to the previous year and the previous record.
Adding the impact of those dollars being reinvested throughout the region, the total impact is about $3.28 billion-nearly $366 million more than the prior record set in 2007."
Other highlights:
Payroll - 20,844 university & system employees = $796.8 million, up $27.8 million
Students - around 48,000 give or take = $378 million, up $96 million
Visitors = $137.9 million, up $22.6 million
Construction = $98.3 million, down $3.5 million
It's no wonder we enjoy such a good life here. Who knew that the little college south of Bryan would turn into a multi-billion dollar economic machine.
You can stay up to date on the latest College Station real estate market reports at my market report Website, MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com. We also post links relating to College Station & Bryan real estate and economic reports at facebook.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Convinced and ready to buy? Search all College Station and Bryan real homes listed with any broker at Search.SamWhiteRealty.com.
This is just a quick note to mention two events occurring today.
First, as every Ag should know, the Texas A&M men's basketball team will tip off its opening-round game in the NCAA Tournament against BYU today at 1130 am, which is one of the earliest starts in the tournament. Local coverage is on KBTX-TV as well as www.CBSsports.com. Several of your favorite bars and restaurants are gearing up for the game. Go Ags!
Locally, the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships run today through Saturday at the Texas A&M Rec Center Natatorium on West Campus. Prelims begin at 11am with finals at 7pm.
Finally, its just a beautiful day in the Brazos Valley. Get out and enjoy our parks and excellent spring weather.
Spring also brings buyers and sellers of student properties to College Station. Things have been picking up on both sides.
If you are considering selling a property valued at less than $150,000, its time to get it on the market, as we have been working with buyers every weekend this month. We have one of the most extensive and effective marketing plans in the business, as well as our own buyer clients. Learn more by contacting me at http://samwhiterealty.com/sellnow.html.
Parents and students, have you considered purchasing a College Station property for your stay at Texas A&M? We specialize in finding the best student housing for Aggies. Sometimes it makes more sense to buy. Find out more at Students.SamWhiteRealty.com or Parents.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Raw numbers regarding the Bryan and College Station market were released this morning, indicating a decline in total monthly sales of almost 30% from February of 2008 and 2007. Total monthly sales in February 2009 were $15,736,430, compared with $22,342,476 in 2008, and $22,937,147 in February 2007.
Remarkably, February 2009 numbers are comparable to February 2006, when total monthly sales were actually lower at $16,286,059.
As always, I'll insert the caveat that these are raw numbers, and they may change slightly over the course of the week as they are studied more carefully.
You can expect the complete, February 2009 College Station Market report on my Website, MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com, on Thursday, along with the Broker's and Lender's Synopsis.
You can also find daily, real estate news updates, as well as timely articles from the Texas Association of Realtors on MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com.
We may be seeing some spillover from the national paranoia caused by the world financial situation, but people will ALWAYS need to buy and sell homes. College Station didn't boom, and we ARE NOT going to bust. The Brazos Valley has a professional, dedicated, RESPONSIBLE group of Realtors and lenders that have been here for years, and will be here for years, to serve buyers and sellers.
It is the first Friday of March, and spring has sprung here in the Brazos Valley. Combine the two, and there should be great turnout at First Friday in Downtown Bryan.
If you have already attended a First Friday event, you know how much fun they are. There is art, music, specials and happy hours. You will run into friends, and see some things that you didn't know existed in the Brazos Valley.
There is a lot happening in downtown Bryan, much of it behind city walls. Watch for another blog coming soon about Fibertown, a visionary company that is making Bryan the high-tech crossroads of disaster recovery.
Interesting in living downtown and becoming part of the urban scene? You can search all Bryan & College Station homes at search.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Today The Eagle, our local newspaper, has two articles of interest regarding Texas, the economy and real estate, both written by members of the Texas State Comptroller's staff.
The first article, written by Bruce Wright, headlines "State's housing market still sound," and is a good read.
"Thus far, Texas' housing market is relatively healthy, and the state has a good chance of avoiding the worst effects of the meltdown. But the landscape of corporate America has been altered in unprecedented ways."
I read The Eagle daily and link to many of their articles. It's the least I can do. I want to support my local newspaper as they try to find an appropriate economic model.
Of course you can get detailed College Station market reports, as well as state and national real estate news at my Website, MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com.
Normally, I'd plug my facebook page, facebook.SamWhiteRealty.com, because it has been a great place to post revelant links and articles. Unfortunately, facebook is going through a major change this week and the page conversions aren't going very well.
Musings about life and real estate in College Station and the Brazos Valley. Subjects include College Station and Aggieland real estate, Brazos Valley and College Station real estate market conditions, College Station and Bryan events, and comments and stories about flying and sailing.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
The spring semester is almost over, Aggie Muster is coming up on April 21st, and graduation is just around the corner.
Dear readers,
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