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I love being able to share great information like this. Thank you Randy for your Blog Post!
Please note that this is not my content but a reblog. Please refer to original post for commenting. Thanks for dropping by! Via Randy Schulenburg - Mortgage 1st Realty, Inc.: Thanks to the great home inspection company, HouseMaster, there are a number of great FREE Downloads available through their easy to navigate website, www.HouseMaster.com. Several guides I thought were pretty interesting may be downloaded at the following links:
For many other great brochures log onto the HouseMaster website. You will find many more guides as well as useful, up-to-date information on other relevant topics to the real estate industry.
As always, contact me directly when you're ready to buy, sell or finance your next home.
Coming soon to our area. Thank you Trey for this awesome photo and information.
Via Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates): Today, I took a chance to observe the 1.7 million pound ( 850 tons) power generator that is moving through the Bryan-College Station area on Hwy 6. They say it moves about a mile an hour! The trailer it rides on is 100 yards long and 38 feet wide! Yes, I took a chance and did get caught in a traffic jamb of rubber neckers in the opposite lane of the machine , but it was worth it to get a look at this modern marvel! The generator is headed to be installed in a power plant in Riesel Texas. There are 4 large trucks and more than 100 wheels involved in the pulling and pushing operation.
Good tips for dog owners that are trying to sell a home. This is not my original content. This is a reblog. Please comment on the original post. Via Kate Case ~ Kate's Home Staging ~ RESA ~ ASHSR ~ NJ NAR Affiliate (Kates Home Staging and Redesign): It all depends on which statistics you read, Home Staging for Dummies claims claims that about half of the potential buyers that tour your home will be pet lovers. Some other home staging books, have said up to 60% of home buyers have an aversion to pets due to simple dislike or a health reason.
In other words, your beloved pet(s) could be turning off up to 50%-60% of the potential home buyer traffic that is filtering through your home. In my opinion, these numbers are pretty high and really need to be considered BEFORE you place your home on the market for sale. To make this post easier, I will only focus on dogs (my favorite pet) but the advice is also good for cat owners.
Here are some tips for pet owners who are selling their homes:
1. Go out and purchase (2) large plastic containers with a lid. It should be large enough to fit all the dogs food and food bowls inside one of them. When there is an open house, one plastic container needs to go into the trunk of your car with the dog items mentioned here. Please do not leave your dog's food bowls out during an open house, a half eaten dog food bowl does not scream sparkling clean home.
2. Replace the dog beds. Throw out the old beds and buy new ones at Walmart for $20. These beds also need to be placed away during the open house inside the second plastic container. This container needs to be stored out of the way. Dog beds need to be washed every week when your home is on the market, this item is a real source of pet odor.
3. The outside yard needs to be cleared of dog toys and leashes. If you have an external dog house, please make sure it is in excellent shape. If it looks horrible and is falling down, please get rid of it. You do not want to send a message to a potential buyer that you did not care enough for your beloved pet, they may start to think about what else is not done or attended to in your home.
4. Use PureAyre Odor Eliminator. This is an all natural odor eliminator that can be purchased at Petco and will not harm your pets or children. This product should be sprayed on any cloth fabric or carpets to remove the pet odors prior to the open house.
5. Invest in an Air Purifier. This will also keep the inside air in your home smelling clean while your home is on the market.
6. Bath your dog more often (if possible). This may also cut down on the pet smell in your home.
7. Invest is a good vacuum with a hepaa filter that is able to pick up all the dog hair. Please make sure you vacuum before every open house. It is especially important that there is no pet hair on furniture, flooring, stairs, or carpets.
8. If the weather permits, air out your home before an open house. Fresh air blowing through a home always makes a home smell fantastic.
9. Have a friend or neighbor perform a house check for pet odor and pet identification items after you complete this list. Another set of eyes is always an excellent idea.
Good Luck with your home sale.
-Kate
Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and redesign. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room. We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey and Rockland County and Orange County of New York, basically the lower Hudson Valley. We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors, a member of RESA, ASHSR.
Important FHA information. This is a reblog, I am not the original author. Please comment on original post. Thanks! Via David H Stevens (United States Dept. of HUD): Today I will be announcing a series of changes to FHA that will affect some of you. As you read about them, please note a few key points.
FHA fell below is legislated requirement to have 2% in excess capital for reserves above and beyond forcasted losses. Being below this 2% requires me, by law, to make changes to get the funds reserves back over 2%. Virtually all of the losses are from 2006, 2007, and 2008 book years. These are the worst years in the housing crisis from an origination standpoint and they contained programs like the SFDPA (seller funded downpayment assistance) that have extremely high default rates.
The changes announced today will get the reserves up and put in place some controls to protect the fund and FHA for the long term, while making sure not to overly, adversely, impact this housing market at a critical time.
You can read about these in any major newpaper today or perhaps tomorrow, but please understand that these are necessary to keep FHA functioning. Without some tightening, we would be under extreme scrutiny and the lack of fiscal soundness could threaten FHA for the long term.
The housing market is slowly coming back to life in many markets across the country. Let's keep working at making this american dream of homeownership be part of a safe and responsible system for the long term.
Thanks for listening and for being a professional in this industry - it's why I post here in active rain - this place is filled with real pros.
Have a geat day.
A fellow Real Estate and Active Rain Friend needs our help. Thank you to Marchel for posting this. Via Marchel Peterson Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro ABR (Results Realty): We have a fellow rainer who needs our help. Liz Carter with Liz Carter and Team Realty is in desperate need of a double lung and liver transplant. This extensive surgery will require blood at very short notice so her firm is having a blood drive for both Liz and others. Please see the details below for the blood drive being conducted by the mobile unit of St. Luke's Blood Center.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Liz Carter and Team Realty
Mason Village Shopping Center
21949-D Katy Freeway
Katy, Texas 77450
For more information, you may contact Sandra Parker at 281-391-7653 ext.225.
 I met Liz when she asked me to moderate the Texas real estate group. We had fun moderating the group together and had some fun contest; all centered around our great state Texas. I have to be honest I have not done a very good job of moderating the group without my cohort to help.
Liz was also at our first ever Active Rain Texas get together. You can see her in the picture with her dog Rhett. She is no longer able to travel as she has to stay within an hour from the hospital at all times.
I spoke to Liz yesterday and she is feeling okay but gets winded very quick. She got tired just in the short conversation that we had. She has no idea when the surgery will take place. It could be tomorrow and it might be a year from now. She told me that if you can't attend the blood drive you can donate at any blood bank and just ask that the blood be banked in her name.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you are buying or relocating to Spring Texas and need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.
If you would like information about Spring TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com. The AgentwithResults site is rich in Content about Spring and the surrounding areas of Tomball, The Woodlands and Magnolia. If you prefer pictures with your content then visit my ResultsRealtyTX site.
Want to find out about new Spring TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.
 Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.
 Subcribe in a reader
Copyright © 2010 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Fellow Active Rainer in Need; Blood Drive Being Held in Katy TX for Liz Carter!
I'm attending, are you? Via Real Estate Tomato (Real Estate Tomato):
 Our goal is to reach 3000 registered attendees to VirtualReBarcamp.com!
The event is free being presented by 28 of the top minds in RE technology and social networking. Currently we have 1500+ registered attendee. To reach our goal we need your help. Fortunately, we have a ringer in our pocket: The generosity of ListingMoves.com. ListingMoves.com is going to be running a contest for everyone that helps us attain our goal.
Anyone that writes/re-blogs this post on ActiveRain about VirtualReBarCamp.com being held January 4th will be entered in a drawing to win one of the following prizes:
1. 1 year free subscription to ListingMoves.com premium package ($720 value)
2. HP Netbook Computer
3. Platinum RainCamp Access Pass (If you don't know what that is go to RainCamp.com or ask one of the guys here on ActiveRain they'll fill you in :-) )
4. One year free NetFlix subscription (3DVD's out at a time)
 The rules:
Comment below with the link to your post or re-blog so we can enter you in the drawing.
You can also tweet about this for a 2nd entry in the drawing and it can say anything to promote VirtualBarCamp but it must include #VREBC & #ListingMoves as hashtags for tracking purposes such as the following:
28Top real estate tech speakers present@ #VREBC Jan4 Register now by going to http://bit.ly/8BBZYu & qualify 4 $25 StarBucks GiveAway #ListingMoves
(ListingMoves.com will also be giving away 25$ starbucks gift cards to the 2000th, 2001st, 2500th, 2501st, 3000th, 3001st registered attendees and donate the same amount to the Warmath Children College Fund Charity)
Wow! Fingers crossed... come on 3000!
 Well it never ceases to amaze me. Texas weather. Past 2 days have been sunny and warm. I mean really warm for winter time. Today, now...SNOW! And in the 30s.
On Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas to Waco and to ALL!
May you, and your loved ones have the best Christmas ever.
Now that the snow is here, hope we get a little more that covers the ground. In the mean time, I am starting a fire and staying warm. It's cold and windy outside!
First of all, this isn't about Waco homes that have really gone to the dogs per say. I mean this is about dogs and homes for sale, but not bad homes.
Moving on to the actual subject of this post. Dogs in homes that are for sale. There have been numerous occasions that I have come across dogs when showing homes, so this comes directly from real experiences.
Situation 1: Out showing beautiful homes in the upper 100s to 200 range. Gorgeous home, lovely decor. Open door number 3 and got knocked out with the smell of dog. The good news was that the buyer was a dog lover and understanding of certain odors. Other good news was that the dog was actually in a crate so it felt safe and so did we. Of course you know the bad news already, the odor. Bad smells can turn off anyone, even in a gorgeous home. Did my buyer buy that home? Nope. Never know how that situation reacted on the mind.
Situation 2: This has actually happened numerous times. Home may be good or OK. May have great yard. But we will never know. Dog is out back, just dying to get in the house or dying to attack us. We don't know which, but know we don't want to confront him/her.
Situation 3: Out with a friend showing mid to upper range priced homes. Another very nice home, open door, barking dog (scared). Dog seems harmless. Just a little bitty thing. Hides under blanket and continues to bark. Well it was good that none of us were frightened of dogs. I made friends with the little thing while my friend showed the home. Kept her occupied so she wouldn't bark or bother the buyer. The little doggy wants to go outside. Well being paranoid, I wouldn't let it go outside for fear I would lose the little thing. So while the buyer and my friend are out back, the little dog decides to pee and poo. Guess what I spent the next few minutes frantically doing?
Here is my point. Dogs should not be in a home, or out back, or in a garage, or in a closet, or something of the sort when it is being shown. And if they are in a home, they should be in a crate where they feel safe and where we agents and buyers feel safe. They should not be enclosed in a small space where their odor permeates the room. They should be bathed as often as possible and rooms cleaned continuously of hair and odors.
I know this is tough. I have 3 house dogs that I adore, and I know if I were selling this would be very difficult for me. My dogs are part of my family. But I would have to make certain that they were bathed often, and taken out of my home when it was shown. I would crate them if had to and try not to enclose them in small space where they would stink up a room.
There is no perfect solution for our furry loved ones, but sellers must be careful about this if they are serious about selling their homes.
Waco Shopping--The Shops of River Square Center
Forget Walmart, Target, Kohls, Dillards, etc.
Well maybe not totally forget. These are great Waco shopping spots too. But try taking yourself somewhere different. Somewhere that overwhelms you in the best of ways.
The Shops of River Square Center
Waco, TX
I will tell you why this is my favorite, but the owner, Jennifer Wilson, explains it better than I could ever. Read her description here:
"The Shops of River Square Center Story"
MY TAKE.
I've been visiting this little collection of shops for a few years now and have loved it from my first visit. The style, the class, the variety, the smell, the ambiance. Well, you get the picture. It's just a feel good place. And it changes constantly, always offering new things. It's so much fun just to see what is new from time to time.
 The other day I was there and ran into a shoemaker. A wonderfully talented and kind lady that hand crafts beautiful shoes and handbags.
This is the place I bring my visitors to shop. This is the place I look to find a special gift. This is the place where I just love to visit. I know I will never be dissapointed in what I find.
From trendy clothing, to lavish baby items, to funky jewelry, to fabulous furnishings and more in many different price ranges...You will find something you love at The Shops of River Square Center. It's not just shopping, it's an experience.
 
The Shops are located in Downtown Waco with easy access from I-35.
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Waco/Texas
Housing
Market Reports
I’ve
written about this before, but think it is worth repeating a
very useful and reputable resource for finding out about
Housing Market
Reports in Waco
and all of Texas. Not only
that, there are other great
pieces
of Texas Real Estate related information and data given on this site.
 The
Real Estate Center Website
has extensive monthly data
posted that dates back multiple years including sales numbers, median
prices
and months inventory. If you are looking to compare year to year or
just month
to month, a quick glance can give you a very powerful education as to
what is
happening in the Waco
or other Texas
markets.
Of
course, these statistics are market wide and do not
single out specific neighborhoods. But for a general outlook, they are
valuable
bits of information.
If
you need to know more about a particular neighborhood or
home, it’s best to consult with a real estate
professional that is
knowledgeable
in your area. As with any profession, those that work on a day to day
basis in
their field are typically the most knowledgeable.
WACO HOUSING MARKET REPORTS
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Wendy Montoya, Broker Associate REALTOR® Waco Homes, 254-315-4906
Waco,
TX
More about me…
Century 21® Towne Adams
Address: 525 N 43rd, Waco, TX, 76710
Office Phone: (254) 755-0021
Cell Phone: (254) 315-4906
Email Me
Waco Real Estate Needs? Call Wendy! (254) 315-4906.
A proud Century 21® Towne Adams Real Estate Professional!
2007 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. CENTURY 21 and the CENTURY 21 Logo are registered service marks used under license from Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.
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