houston: Good Advice? Good Money after Bad?
- 02/12/13 08:18 PM
We always advise potential sellers to take a good look at the house they plan to put on the market. Look with Complete objectivity is what we tell them. Not possible when the house is where you live! So..... We always help them with our famous "Yellow Pad." We decided to take a slice of our advise on our personal home and recently we started at the curb with that same yellow pad we use with our customers. We tried to sell this place last year but we weren't honest enough with ourselves. Soooooooooo....... One of the things that stuck out was … (8 comments)
houston: 50 Garlic Soup!
- 02/11/13 10:44 AM
There is never a good time to feel less than totally healthy. This time of the year seems to offer challenges. Having been a chicken soup fan for many years, last week I found a new favorite way to break the grip of sniffles. My sinus system ran completely amuck. I took antihistamines and drank more water than usual. We even went to get my favorite chicken soup in hopes of stopping my nose from running. Then as if by magic, a recipe for the above named soup came across my email. I read it with interest and decided that no self respecting germ or … (12 comments)
This year we spent nine months with our personal home on the market. It was a very stressful experience keeping the house in constant show shape. It also taught us some of the frustrations experienced by home sellers. The experience will make us much more empathetic in the future. A week after we decided to let the listing expire, we received two "we can sell your house" solicitations. Another opportunity for personal growth! The first letter was a very smooth approach simply suggesting that our agents had not done their job and that this agent had superior experience that … (52 comments)
It is no secret that Starbucks has perfected marketing of their beverages.The forty years of progressively clever and tasty products has been fun to watch. The evolution continues to prove there is a lot of creativity in addition to business ability involved in the steady market share owned by this coffee giant.As we stopped through today for a holiday treat, peppermint mocha latte, we noticed the addition of a new product being offered for Christmas.What a delightful thought to have carolers coming by and being prepared to treat them with a warm beverage! That would help them retain their … (9 comments)
Years ago I taught arts and crafts. Along the way I came up with a creative use for pine cones..
The Christmas seasons are often filled with inspirations and the following will help you to create lasting ornaments as well as memories with whoever you share this craft activity with.
As you can see, the base of this is a pine cone. Finding some which are in good condition is half the fun of the project.
Gather other craft supplies.
You will need some yarn, buttons or sequins, small pieces of felt in red … (0 comments)
houston: Home for the Holidays
- 12/23/12 04:40 AM
Courtesy of our usually faithful vehicle, we will be home for the holidays.As we finished our last appointment late yesterday afternoon we swooped through the grocery to pick up the last ingredients for our Christmas Eve family feast.When we started the car to go home, the vehicle made some unsettling sounds and engaged in not so good vibrations. The service engine soon light was also on... (Ralph suspects the Oxygen Sensor)We drove a few blocks out of our way to find that our favorite mechanic was closed. It is the holidays so we should not be surprised. The timing is not … (0 comments)
There has been a Mexican restaurant on FM 1960 for eons .
We were once frequent diners there. The atmosphere was pleasant and the food was good.
Then one evening Ralph's dinner contained a cooked jalapeño of horrendous heat! He eats them often but this one was beyond edible. Ralph began to gasp and his eyes began to water. He was clearly in distress.
The waiter finally responded to my signals and I asked for some sour cream to help put out the fire. The waiter responded but not very quickly. He found the situation … (1 comments)
houston: Designated??
- 12/09/12 12:33 PM
The Cypress part of our market area has many fun discoveries . It seems that we make new discoveries daily.This finding involves a truism we had suspected but never really had proof of. The sign, which is located on Cypresswood Dr. says "designated Bird Sanctuary." Really?Although we live in the general area and have known for some time that our yard was in a migratory path, we did not know about this sanctuary . What makes it a sanctuary? Who makes the designation? Can the designation be earned, or is available only to select feathered friends.What I am most … (0 comments)
We have driven past this newer restaurant for months assuming that it was another attempt at a sushi buffet. The two previous food establishments in this exact location have been Chinese oriented and were sushi buffets.
Today since the establishment was not looking crowded , and was on the way to our latest project, we stopped in!
Imagine our surprise "after being seated" to find that it was Indian food. Nothing in the name "Red Dot "gave us that clue.
Indian food is very healthy in addition to being incredibly flavorful. The ingredients and … (1 comments)
Hidden in plain sight is the Texas Repertory Theatre. Right off FM 1960 on Stuebner Airline, this small store front theatre offers seasonal events such as the Christmas Classic "Its a Wonderful Life".Starting tonight, November 29th thru the 23rd of December, five actors create a radio program on stage. It will be an attempt to recreate a much simpler day and time. The five actors will provide 40 different voices during the presentation. Consider the possibilities!This true theatre boasts a 7500 sq ft facility complete with a stage and lobby. It has been entertaining people in North West … (0 comments)
houston: A Lost Art
- 11/29/12 07:36 AM
When my Real estate career was starting out, I was gifted with a seminar on showing homes.The speaker was Cabot Roberts. His presentation was in regard to the importance of previewing the homes you planned to show to a prospective buyer.When a buyer tells you what they are looking for, does it really make any sense to run them through a lot of homes that do not fit their specs?Do you think they want to just see a lot of houses? Or would it make sense that since you asked them what they were looking for, you would only show them … (2 comments)
It has been said that "variety is the spice of life..."It certainly works in this well established Houston eatery.They are known primarily for their barbecue, however they serve a variety of other tasty dishes.Today's offerings are illustrated .Ralph has a need for a regular barbecue fix and this place supplies it well. He also loves Goode Co. But that was not convenient today and this was on the way to one of our listings where the flyers supply needed to be refreshed.The fish portion resembled Moby Dick but was battered and fried so exquisitely that it disappeared after … (2 comments)
We now have a new flower bed. The space was previously occupied by two pines, one of which was at least 80 years old. (Based upon the number of rings in the trunk.)How many of us get to live in one place for that long? This entire area used to be forested. The drought of 2011 took care of what the area subdivision developers had left. Boy is the forest thin now.Creating the new bed was ,exhausting. The tree trunks were ground out and the dirt was fine and blew easily all around. The … (3 comments)
Last Saturday the garbage truck either ignored the trash bag full of yard clippings and leaves or they overlooked it. It had been deposited at the curb by our yard man last Tuesday as usual.
Since it is a clear plastic bag , it is possible that they just looked right through it on their drive around the culdesac. It's also quite possible that they were in a hurry due to the holiday weekend. One more yard trash pickup was just one too many.
We called the board member in charge of t rash pick ups. … (5 comments)
After searching out events this week in Cypress, Tomball, Spring, Magnolia, Woodlands, Montgomery and other parts Houston Northwest to blog about, we came to the sad reality that nothing really compared with the activities surrounding the shopping opportunities known as "Black Friday."As we previously stated, we did not venture outside our house on Friday. Saturday however was different. We had errands to do and decided to begn the yearly shopping event for Christmas.None of our shopping errands compared with the Black Friday event at our favorite Teachers supply.Indulging in shopping for the Grandchildren coupled with the special prices … (3 comments)
houston: Black Friday
- 11/24/12 11:48 AM
All the marketing around "Black Friday" fails to recognize one thing. There are consumers who hate and detest crowds of any kind.
We are among that group.
If you tell me that everything of material value is on sale for half price, I will studiously plan to stay home.
Malls and large stores lack a certain allure regularly. They almost always have things on sale if you care to search for them. Finding extraordinary values is always fun. It has the same appeal that treasure hunts do.
Being crushed by a crowd or having to fight … (6 comments)
While lunching at our favorite Subway, I looked up from my sandwich to see this specimen exiting the establishment."What on earth is that", I asked Ralph. He had missed it completely! How one can overlook anything this bright and loud, I cannot understand.When we left however, he managed to get the photo. Guess that proved I was not hallucinating. My first question is: How uncomfortable is that costume? How long does one have to wear it without a break? How much are they paying for this not so traditional job? How effective is this in bringing customers in?With … (6 comments)
houston: Thankfulness is a state of mind!
- 11/22/12 09:56 AM
Have you noticed that when you exercise your thankful muscle, things go better overall?When we concentrate on the good and what is going right , there is an overall improvement in many if not all of the areas in our lives.Today is a national reminder of the importance of remembering our blessings.We live in the best country in the world and still enjoy freedoms that many other countries only dream of. We are allowed to pursue making a living in the sales realm. People are still allowed to own properties. We are allowed to worship as we please and spend time … (5 comments)
Lumps come with some questions. The most basic is: "what caused that?In our house, the lump appears intermittently. Although the location changes, the cause is always the same.It is our alpha cat in stealth mode. She literally spends hours tucked under one bedspread or rug or another.I wonder what it would feel like to spend hours resting during daylight hours. Not only would it be totally unproductive, it would have no rewards.Lucky for the cat, she does not have to be productive. For those of us who do need to produce income and results, we also enjoy … (0 comments)
houston: Lupe Tortilla
- 11/21/12 10:43 AM
Perhaps it is the constant exposure to good Mexican food that creates the need to have it at least once a week.This week we traveled outside of our usual places to a restaurant called Lupe Tortilla on State Hwy 249 at Spring Cypress in northwest Houston. It startled out in the Memorial area with one extremely crowded place.Now the chain is expansive and easy to find. Today we stopped .Illustrated is what is named "Tex Mex.". A large cheese enchilada , tamale and a beef Taco. All this is serve d with beans and rice. Just right!
Author Bio: Ralph and Jeanne are long time Real Estate BROKERS dedicated to helping good folks buy homes and land in Durango Colorado and the Surrounding area.
We always advise potential sellers to take a good look at the house they plan to put on the market. Look with Complete objectivity is what we tell them. Not possible when the house is where you live! So..... We always help them with our famous "Yellow Pad."
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