I love this photo and immediately thought it would be a great analogy for the recovering real estate market. Steadily and most assuredly the Katy real estate market is making great strides.

Certain areas of Katy, especially those houses south of I-10, are experiencing a very competitive market. In most sections of Cinco Ranch, it is not a buyers market.

Public perception seems to lag behind the current market movement. Sometimes a buyer has to lose several houses when they make low-ball offers before they enter into competitive negotiations.

To tour Katy homes and work with a Realtor who can assist you in selecting a home, navigate repairs and negotiations, call me at 713-818-2404. I have sold Katy real estate for over 21 years. Experience does count!

Katy’s reputation as the nation’s number one “most notable high-growth area” has attracted a major national homebuilder, Columbus, Ohio-based M/I Homes. This top national builder is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (MHO).

M/I Homes now has a model home under construction in Cinco Ranch. It plans to open the model in early April to showcase all-new floor plans and architectural designs created especially for the Houston market after extensive research with local homebuyers.

M/I Homes will offer new homes priced from the $450,000s to $550,000s in Cinco Ranch, with plans ranging from 3,200 to 5,200 square feet. M/I Homes will build on 80-foot-wide homesites in the Cedar Grove Village neighborhood in Cinco Ranch.

Founded in 1976, M/I Homes is one of the nation’s leading homebuilders, currently operating in 10 additional markets outside of Houston, mostly located in the Midwest and Eastern United States.

“With its strong employment base, Houston has one of the most vibrant economies in the United States, and it was a good fit for expansion outside of our current template in the Midwest and Southeast region,” said Dennis Bailey, region president for M/I Homes.

Bailey noted that Katy’s growth was particularly impressive within the Houston region, with the Gadberry Group naming it as the nation’s top high-growth area for 2010.

With its high customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power Associates and features such as a 30-year structural warranty on all new homes, M/I Homes is the type of homebuilder that Cinco Ranch developer Newland Communities looks for when expanding the community’s new-home offerings, said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities.

M/I Homes’ new plans for Cinco Ranch emphasize traditionally styled exteriors with lots of stately curb appeal. With steeply pitched roof lines, these one- and two-story plans blend timeless materials such as stone, brick and stucco. Inside, the plans emphasize dramatic volume spaces such as soaring foyers and wide-open family rooms. The plans combine high-design details with functionality and flexibility.

A rotunda-shaped foyer in one plan, for example, creates a memorable first impression while also providing easy access to several different rooms off the foyer. One plan has a master suite closet with a secret door to the laundry room, providing for convenience while preserving the suite’s privacy!

I’d like to share a very interesting announcement with you.

Keller Williams Premier has been named by the Houston Association of Realtors as the #1 Katy real estate office for closed units sold in 2010.

Keller Williams Premier has also been recognized as #1 in Katy for closed dollar volume in 2010.

Keller Williams Premier is located in Cinco Ranch in the Villagio Shopping Center at the intersection of Peek and Westheimer Parkway. The address is 22762 Westheimer Parkway, Suite 430.

If you are considering a career in real estate, Keller Williams Premier is where you want to be! We are known for exemplary education and we even have profit sharing! For more details and an introduction to our Team Leaders, contact me at 713-818-2404.

Foreclosed and foreclosing properties dominate many of today’s U.S. real estate markets–more than four years after the sharpest observers saw the market shift coming, and more than two years after the reality hit home for millions of American home owners.

While Katy is not suffering like other areas of the country, the number of foreclosures in our hometown has grown substantially. (Pictured above are two foreclosures  currently on the market.)

First-time home buyers make up almost half of all buyers of bank-owned foreclosures and soon-to-be foreclosed short sale properties. They’re followed closely by investors seeking rental properties, and a third important group—homeowners who find they can move up to a bigger or better home they previously could not afford.

The truth is: These markets demand most of the same things an ordinary market demands of buyers–only more intensely and pointedly:

So, bottom line—if you think you want to buy, have a talk with yourself first, check your financial readiness, and get with a foreclosure expert and learn everything you need to know, in order to get what you want in this market.

I am Certified by the National Association of Realtors as a Foreclosure/Short Sale Specialist, a designation held only by an elite group of agents. Please contact me to pursue this lucrative market at 713-818-2404 or via email at juliefuelling@sbcglobal.net.

This coming Saturday, November 20th, from 5:30 to 7:30, LaCenterra and the Katy Chamber of Commerce will present the Seventh Annual “Home for the Holidays” festival and tree lighting ceremony.

Fun for the entire family, “Home for the Holidays” features Alexander and Stanley Elementary School student performances and the Members Choice Credit Union holiday express train. There will be children’s activities, huggable holiday characters and a visit from the Big Guy himself!

The celebration also includes “Bears and Blankets”, a drive benefiting the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program. Guests are encouraged to bring new teddy bears and stuffed animals along with new blankets and cold-weather clothing. Items collected during the event will be donated and distributed to area children and seniors.

“Home for the Holidays” will be held at LaCenterra’s Heritage Square, the center courtyard. LaCenterra is located at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd.

The secret is out: Pumpkin is the secret ingredient for the first annual Westside Chef’s Throwdown, set for Sat., Nov. 13, from 2-5 p.m. at Katy’s LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd.

More than 20 restaurants and food trucks will participate in this family event featuring live music, cooking demonstrations and activities for the little ones.

In a twist inspired by TV’s “Iron Chef”, the chefs will compete for top honors by inventing new dishes featuring pumpkin, while they will also serve up many dishes they are known for.

Event-goers will be able to taste dishes by purchasing a wristband with all proceeds benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Houston are summer camps program.

Wristbands can be purchased at the event or online at www.westsidechefsthrowdown.com. Wristbands purchased online are $20 for adults, $10 for children (free under 2), and $50 for a family pack for two adults and two children. Adult tickets will be $25 if purchased at the event, with other prices the same as the online price.

Celebrity judges for the secret ingredient challenge will include High-Tech Texan and radio host Michael Garfield and Houston food writer/radio host Cleverley Stone.

Sponsors include Chesmar Homes; Schwartz, Page & Harding; Perry Homes; Costello, Inc.; CIA Services and Spark Energy. Presenters include Newland Communities, Land Tejas Companies and Trendmaker Development Co.

Restaurants sending their top chefs include:

• H-Town StrEATs Food Truck
• Georgia’s Farm to Market
• Panera Bread
• Rain Forest Cafe
• Polo’s
• Post Oak Grill
• Mia Bella Tatoritta
• Fish City Grill
• Mission Burrito
• Baker Street Pub
• Hasta La Pasta
• Ooh La La Sweets
• The Union Kitchen
• Sweet Tomatoes
• 3 Olives Italian
• Babaloo International Cafe and Bar
• Antonia’s Cucina Italiana

Japan’s largest homebuilder, Sekisui House, Ltd. and Cinco Ranch’s developer, Newland Real Estate Group, have announced a 500-acre expansion of Cinco Ranch. The land was acquired as a joint venture.

Cinco Ranch is Newland’s top selling, master-planned community. This expansion will add 1,200 new homes. This new section will be delivered in approximately three years as the community’s final southwest neighborhoods are completed.

The expansion is located on the east side of FM 1463 at Corbitt Road in northwest Fort Bend County. With the addition of the land, Cinco Ranch will total 8,092 acres with an expected 14,000 homes at build-out.
 
Located 32 miles west of downtown Houston, Cinco Ranch first opened with new homes for sale in 1991. Over the past 10 years, the community has consistently been rated among the top five best-selling communities in the Houston area. In 2009, Cinco Ranch was the #1 best-selling planned community in the U.S.

I received the following letter from LaCenterra in Cinco Ranch:

“We’re currently working on an in-depth market research project that will help us answer the question, “What is best for LaCenterra’s Phase II?” More importantly, it will help us determine what residents want and what the greater Katy area needs.

Please let us know what you think by taking our survey. Your input will help guide us in the pursuit of additional retail, restaurant and entertainment components for Phase II. It will also give us hard data to present to national retailers to let them know that Katy is ready to support an entrance into the market.”

Saturday, August 21, 2 to 4 p.m. at 23211 Fallmist Court: Fantastic location in beloved Greenway Village. Lowest priced 4/3.5/3 in Cinco Ranch! Greenbelt culdesac location! Open back gate to 10 acres of contiguous play area including school playground, gazebo park, greenbelt! Walk to school, pool, park out front door OR back! Recent roof, double pane windows, covered back patio, garden deck area, wood laminate floors, study w/French doors & private access to master! All Cinco amenities, low tax rate, highly acclaimed exemplary Fielder El/Cinco HS! $244,000.

Sunday, August 22, 12:30 to 3:30 at 23203 Winding Knoll Drive: Charming traditional in tranquil parklike setting on quiet culdesac street in beloved Greenway Village Cinco Ranch. Walk to school/pool/park, nature trails, lakes! 2nd BR down option w/full bath, 20 inch porcelain tile floors all wet areas! H2O htr, roof, upstairs HVAC all replaced! New fence 06/10! Stunning 2 story brick FP & 18 ft ceiling in gorgeous den, usable 3-car detached gar! Peaceful private backyard w/small pond, flagstone, garden. Low tax rate & zoned to triple exemplary school track! $219,000.

2030 Crystal Downs in Cinco Ranch North Lake Village, Saturday, July 24, 2-4. $390,000. Very tastefully updated with new paint inside and outside. Granite counter top, Jennaire cook top, stainless steel kitchen sink, kitchen faucet. Wood flooring in living room, dining room and family room. The house has rich marble in entry. Two story foyer, plus carpet and other amenities suitable for Cinco Ranch Golf Course community life style. Five bedrooms, large library and game room.

Directions: I-10 West. Exit Mason Rd. Left on Mason. Right on Highland Knolls. Left on S. Peek. Left on North Lake Village. Right on Tryburn Trail. Left on t-junction onto Crystal Downs. House on left.

Pictures below of beautiful 2030 Crystal Downs in Cinco Ranch North Lake Village:

3226 Markstone Court in Cinco Ranch Town Center, Sunday, July 25, 2-4. $215,000. Beautiful on a quiet culdesac with huge pie-shaped lot in the heart of Cinco Ranch. Walk to everything including Beach Club, Lakes, Tennis, Fishing, Park, YMCA and exemplary Williams Elementary! Recent flooring and fixtures. Low tax rate. Save energy $ with double pane windows. A++ curb appeal, elegant two-story appeal with popular diagonal tile entry, recent paint and updates. One of the best houses currently on the market for premium lot, location, amenities and triple exemplary school track.

Directions: I-10 Katy Freeway, south on 99 Grand Parkway, exit and left on Cinco Ranch Blvd., right on Peek, right on Centerton, at stop sign turn left and go to the end of the culdesac.

Enjoy the photos below of gorgeous 3226 Markstone Court:

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