real estate: Frequently Asked Questions about the Dangers of Mold
- 06/28/11 03:17 PM
OK everyone! You hear about Mold all the time but maybe you don't know much about it or the dangers it poses. Listen up, tune in and read up to educate yourself. Some of this mold stuff is DEADLY TOXIC.
If we have learned anything from our 3 part series on mold exposure we know that it's dangerous. Mold Exposure Part One we talked about the root of some health issues and how they are grounded in the air we breathe, the home we live in and the environment we are used to. Mold Exposure Part Two talked about … (0 comments)
real estate: What is your job in the Home Buying Process?
- 06/25/11 04:14 PM
Have you ever noticed that there are many jobs associated with the home buying process? There sure are! The seller has a job. It is to put the house they are selling into top notch condition, to pack things up, to remain calm through the process and to move out when the transaction is finished. Appraisers have a job. It is to arrive at the fair market value of the house that is going through the other processes on the way to closing. Inspectors go over the prospective purchase to be sure that it is what it appears to be, or … (0 comments)
real estate: Cut and Shoot!
- 06/14/11 03:06 PM
Have you heard of Cut and Shoot Texas? What colorful images that name brings to mind. Not exactly accurate, but certainly colorful. Basically a well kept secret unless you frequent the Conroe area, Cut and Shoot is a woodsy community about 4 miles from Conroe.
The legend behind the name is also different from what you might imagine. There was an angry confrontation between the townsfolk about what was going on with the only church in town. What is it about church politics? Anyway, when arguing got to a heated state, one child was heard to say, I'm going … (4 comments)
Even though Ralph used to build houses, it has been many years and many things have changed.
The thing that impressed me most today was the appreciable difference between outside and inside in a house which does not have the air conditioning system working yet. It was about 106 outside, but inside in the entry was about 20 degrees cooler.
As I looked around, I noticed workmen placing huge bats of insulation in the ceiling and in the walls. One of the bats was … (2 comments)
Middle Eastern dishes have proven to be a delightful addition to our eating habits. We are learning to cook some of these dishes because of the health benefits. They are also just plain delicious.
One new restaurant is located in the Hobby Lobby shopping center at the corner of Jones Road and FM 1960 near Cypress and Tomball. It was a serendipitous find. The place is Bundu Kahn and the menu there features an array of Pakistani treats.
Both of us … (0 comments)
real estate: Divorce And Real Estate
- 06/07/11 06:44 AM
Wise counsel for people unfortunate enough to be caught up in divorce. Hey.... Not condemning anyone. Many of us have been there and done that. But, when it comes to financial resources if you don't strip the emotion from your decisions everyone loses. You, your spouse, your children..... everyone. Is one or both of you upset....? Probably. Grow up. Get over it. Make a good decision, not a vindictive one.
It's a subject we don't like to address often, but divorce happens. In fact, nearly half of all marriages end in a parting of the ways. And when those … (3 comments)
In the early ages the 28 mile trip to the Tomball area was a pleasant journey out from Houston. The pretty forested areas were interspersed with pastures and horse properties. The daily trips were via two lane mostly blacktopped roads. As people began to discover the well kept secrets of the country, the area grew and expanded into the Pinehurst and Magnolia townships.
Today Magnolia has grown from one elementary, Jr, and High school to … (1 comments)
In looking back over journals from years past, today I found the story of how to be sure you do not have serious problems in the sale of land.
We had listed an acre of land close to Decker Prairie. It was specially beautiful and offers literally poured in within a few days of the listing. One full price offer was placed in title with the earnest money and then the fun began.
The sellers had worked with us before and were kind enough to … (1 comments)
real estate: Open House Refreshments!
- 10/09/10 04:06 PM
Open houses have been around forever and everyone does them differently. One thing they almost all have in common is refreshments.
What do you think is the perfect open house refreshment? It needs to be appealing, convenient, easy to prepare and serve, neat and tidy. Inexpensive is also a plus, but clearly we cannot have everything.
Weekend opens require different fare than an open house during the week. The target audience is different for those two times. During the week you are most likely trying to attract fellow Realtors. The time of the day is also usually around … (14 comments)
real estate: Adapting to the Country Life on a Well and Septic
- 10/07/10 04:29 PM
Since much of our Real Estate careers has been centered around predominantly country properties, we periodically find that many city dwellers would like the country life, but are fearful about the unknown things such as septic systems and wells.
Most everyone is a creature of habit, and we have a tendency to feel more comfortable with things we are familiar with. The good news is that you can have the serenity and beauty of the country and still have comforts. The inside plumbing that you have grown to know and love can be teamed up with outside extras that … (4 comments)
real estate: How about a nice Clean and Wax? I think so!
- 10/06/10 02:32 AM
There have probably been studies done about the fact that when you feel like you look your best, you perform better than usual. If not, we have just done our own study on us and that is the case. We find that when we are driving a spotlessly clean vehicle, the same principal applies. Add freshener to the mix and it gets even better. Shiny wheels? Wahoo!
On a day when there is not a cloud in the sky it seems appropriate to add some shine to the day. So, we did! The car had not been spiffed in … (1 comments)
real estate: Fall is a good time to think about a future move in your future.
- 10/01/10 09:38 AM
While the temperatures are beginning to come down, this may be a great time for you to think about the fact that while you want to decorate and celebrate holidays you may also want to get your house ready to place on the market. Even if moving is not a definite, having things ready just in case you find something or something like a transfer comes up is a way to cut down on stress factors.
One thing that works well is to look at your house as if you were just visiting. Get a pad of paper to … (1 comments)
real estate: Shoes are an important part of the Real Estate Wardrobe!
- 09/28/10 03:36 PM
Have you ever noticed how life tends to make us revisit parts of our past? Such was the case a couple of weeks ago when we volunteered to help a friend by picking up his son at the airport. There are two commercial airports in Houston and one is WAYYYYYY across town accessible only by an antique freeway and many questionable streets. That was of course the one this young man was flying into. Because we wanted to be sure to be there on time and the aforementioned freeway is almost always fraught with delays, we left from Tomball about … (4 comments)
real estate: How Many Uses Can You Think of for a Used Survey?
- 09/26/10 09:58 AM
One of our blogs last week expressed the frustration with the “demise of courtesy' at the hands of a large national mortgage company. Said company had put our clients through incredible hurdles supposedly in search of a loan on their dream house. Seven weeks of hurdles and then came the email to the title company from the mortgage company that the loan was dead. No one had the courtesy to tell the buyers their loan had been rejected or why... To date that still has not been done.
What has been done since that first blog, was the back … (3 comments)
real estate: Children, horses, and real estate networking!
- 09/25/10 11:24 AM
Although I did not know it at the time,my introduction into Real Estate in the late 1970s opened doors that I never would have found on my own. One blessing in particular came in the form of eye surgery for my middle son. He had an eye that traveled as he attempted to focus on any one thing. This created a vision problem that was not getting any better as he aged. With the vision problems also came anger. He did not know that he was angry, or why, but his behavior showed that he WAS angry. Not being able … (2 comments)
real estate: Grand Lakes Community, Montgomery Texas
- 09/24/10 10:51 AM
Have you ever thought you might like to live in a gated community out from the hustle and bustle of city life? How does the idea of driving country roads to get to an area where the roads pitch and roll, and beautiful vistas explode at the crest of each new hill sound to you? Roads come with gentle ditches on each side in a natural green hue dusted with occasional wild flowers. Lush forests appear as patchwork in the landscape with everything from spreading Oaks to ground hugging palmettos competing for your attention.
Add to all this natural beauty … (6 comments)
real estate: The death of common courtesy!
- 09/23/10 03:58 PM
The Demise of Courtesy.... One more nail in the coffin. Is this any way to do business??? Never in our combined 54 years of real estate have we seen anything so bizarre as the treatment this buyer got. The lender communicated very poorly if at all. Plus this is one example of why you should always try to get your clients to use a lender you know can get the job done rather than letting them pick one themselves. Of course we know that some clients have to do it their way. We have lamented the demise of common courtesy … (6 comments)
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.
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