Guest Author Mary Anne Piacentini Executive Director of Katy Prairie Conservancy (KPC)
The sights on the Katy Prairie are getting better all the time. Visitors this December saw three Bald Eagles flying over Warren Lake and then touching down in a field nearby. Fortunately, one of the eagle-eyed visitors had a camera in hand and managed to shoot some incredible photos, which will be posted on our website soon.
After the event, KPC staff started fielding calls asking how others might visit the lake while the eagles were still soaring overhead. For the time being, the answer is: you can park on the side of Warren Ranch Road at Site 99 on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail and set up your scope/binocular/eyes approximately 600 feet from the lake, but you can’t get closer to the water without making special arrangements, as our eagle “scouts” did. But we hope Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
By Janine Godwin, CPO®, Guest Author
You signed the contract with your Realtor, the ‘For Sale’ sign is in the yard and it’s been weeks since you’ve had any action on selling your home. Could it be due to excessive clutter? If you have taken a look around your home, and the answer is ‘yes’, it’s time to get serious about making an investment in making your home more appealing. This investment could be the time that you put into cleaning it up yourself, or financial by hiring a professional to assist you. In either case, if clutter exists in your home and you want to sell it, that For Sale sign may sit in your yard longer than necessary.
Buyers consider many things when looking for a home – location, neighborhood, amenities, etc, but they are also looking at how a home is presented. Think about it. No one wants to walk in to a home that is messy. People are attracted to cleanliness and order. For example, when buyers walk into a new model home, they are wowed not only by the decorative scheme that the model presents, but they don’t see clutter. It’s attractive. It’s welcoming and they can see all the details the builder wants to showcase. Granted, it may be a bit sterile, but it still looks inviting. Buyers can easily Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
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Houston Association of Realtors January 2009 Sales Statistics
Rarely do I report on the overall statistics of Houston real estate—those provided by the Houston Association of Realtors and released monthly to the press as they were this week.
These facts and figures don’t reflect our Katy real estate market. Recently, HAR reports have cast a dark and dire shadow over home sales in general. I don’t doubt that HAR uses accurate averages but Katy real estate is not in an “average” part of town. There is nothing “average” about the place we call home!
Each Katy neighborhood is different and produces its own statistics. This is why I strongly encourage my readers to contact me personally to receive accurate data for their individual residences or other Katy real estate. Whether or not Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Recently, the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce visited the David Weekley “Hansboro” model in Firethorne and enjoyed a “Business After Hours” event. A large group of members, approximately 90 people, attended the reception. It was quite the honor for David Weekley as it was the very first time that a Firethorne homebuilder has hosted such a Katy Chamber event.
The 1,400-acre Firethorne master-planned community, where the vibrancy of West Houston meets the small-town charm of Fulshear, is located in the acclaimed Katy Independent School District. It features 150-acres devoted to parks and recreational amenities including a 12-acre lake with surrounding greenbelt. There is also a sports field, hike-and-bike trails, parks and playgrounds. One of the nicest features is a wildlife observation area and a natural bird habitat–unique features for a Katy Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
The youth at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Katy are fast approaching the time for their annual youth-sponsored Chili Cook Off and Auction. It will be held this coming Sunday, February 22, at 11:30 a.m. St. Peter’s United Methodist Church is located directly across the street from Taylor High School.
All money earned goes to help the youth seniors travel to Jamaica for a week of fellowship and mission work. Katy neighbors are invited to participate in this fund raising effort by providing the teens with a gift card, themed basket donation or a delicious dessert for this year’s auction.
The Cook Off and Auction will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Katy friends and Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Please excuse the wordiness of the following post but this is the very best explanation I’ve read of how the new Stimulus Bill will affect the residential housing market, including here in Katy. It is a letter, published in full, sent to my profession from the President of the National Association of Realtors:
Dear Fellow REALTOR®,
Here’s our take on the Stimulus Bill and Treasury announcements made this week. We look at the Stimulus package AND the Treasury’s package holistically, in compliment with each other – mostly because that’s how the Obama team is looking at it. Your representatives, the NAR Board of Directors, asked us in November to do 4 things (with an unspoken but clearly understood mandate to PRESERVE what we already have). Here they are: 1) get loan limits raised for high cost areas, 2) make the $7,500 tax credit NOT a loan, 3) try to find ways to push interest rates down (which are higher than they should be due to systemic risk right now) by 200 basis points, and 4) help provide solutions to the foreclosure/short sale problem.
So here’s what we have achieved: 1) the loan limits will be raised to $727,000 in high cost areas, 2) the tax credit will be raised to $8,000 with NO payback [a Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
For the second year in a row, Realtor Magazine reports that exterior remodeling projects, i.e., maintenance that enhances the value of your property not things like a sunroom, return the most money, as a percentage of cost. This is detailed in the annual Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report-2008. Texas was a region that consistently returned a higher percentage of remodeling costs upon resale.
“Because today’s buyers have much more to choose from in the way of inventory, any home for sale must make a positive first impression,” said National Association of Realtors President Charles McMillan. He continued, Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Don’t believe everything you read or hear. Yes, the national economy seems to be in the toilet but, happily, Katy continues to defy dire predictions!
Although many Houston commercial developments have been canceled, Katy will soon be home to a major real estate project, Katy Main Street. The mixed-use project will occupy 86-acres located at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and Pin Oak Road in Katy. Plans for Katy Main Street were unveiled by Katy’s Economic Development Council.
Occupants will include entertainment, retail and office space. Specifically, Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Confessions from a New Orleans Girl:
Last night, I left the hose running full force in the backyard. (I can hardly wait to see the water bill!) I woke up this morning to a flooded yard. It looks like you could inter-crop rice and crawfish out there. Did anybody say etouffee?
Following is a recipe from Emeril Lagasse for the much-loved Louisiana dish. And, even though Emeril is not from Louisiana, we accept him as our adopted son. Never forget: First you make a roux! Next comes the Louisiana Holy Trinity: onions, celery and bell pepper.
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped yellow onions
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
“The beauty of Meadowbrook Farms Golf Course is in the details,” says “The Shark” Greg Norman, designer of Meadow Brook Farms. As one of the most anticipated (transitioning into ) private clubs in Houston, Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club offers the serious golfer a private and unrivaled golf experience. The level of service is highly touted.
Meadowbrook Farms Golf Course winds throughout the gorgeous master-planned community of Seven Meadows in the heart of Katy. Its design is unlike any other in the Houston area. This Greg Norman Signature Course can be played from 5,000 to 7,100 yards with multiple tees and sod-wall bunkers. White sand and greens are generous, subtle and approachable. The par-72 course is nestled among a multitude of hardwood trees, creeks, lakes, and wetlands terrain. It is framed by true native prairie grasses and wildflowers all of which promote creative shot strategy.
Among the facility’s most notable features are its GN-1 (hybrid Bermudagrass) tees, fairways, and roughs all created by Greg Norman Turf Company. The putting greens are Floradwarf and the perimeter roughs are native grasses and wildflowers providing beautiful vistas. Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
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