Surf's Up - Cable Wakeboard Coming to Allen Texas!   Who says you can't enjoy the waves living in a land-locked community 4 hours from the nearest beach?  That's right folks!  The entertainment options in Allen just got SPLASHED!       Scheduled to open mid-summer (July?) Hydrous @ Allen Station Park, the new private-public venture between the City of Allen and America’s Cable Park Group is expected to be popular not only among residents but also visitors who will travel distances, hundreds of miles even, to visit the park and its many amenities. The park will feature a full-service pro-shop, restaurant, outdoor beach and viewing areas, and three lakes for riding — two smaller ones and one approximately five acres in size. Here you can see the holes have been dug, the cable supports are... 06/28/2011

A closet can actually be one of the most important "rooms" in a home. A home for sale that has closets that are jammed packed with belongings is not going to sell as fast as the same home that has a well organized closet. Messy closets simply make the area look too small. No one wants to have to deal with small closets. Closet space is directly related to overall cleanliness and tidiness of a home. Most buyers are looking for a reasonably sized closet.   Start by emptying out the entire closet. Yes, the whole thing. You do not want a lot of stuff in the closet so in order to effectively decide what will go in the closet and what will be stored elsewhere you need to empty it out from top to bottom. Choose some season appropriate clothing to keep in the closet. Do not jam all that you can... 06/26/2011

  Organic pest control is a much better option than chemically based products that can ultimately be damaging to everyone in the house. Kids, domestic companions, and even adults can have adverse reactions to chemically based pest control products. In many cases these products do little more than kill what comes in contact with it versus actually deterring the pests from being there in the first place.   There are a lot of ways to go about embracing organic pest control. You can purchase products that are organic and safe to use around most domestic companions. You can also concoct your own pest control remedies. One of the simplest ways to keep rodents from entering your home is to use a mason jar with one moth ball placed inside. Poke two holes in the lid and then place jars where eve... 06/22/2011

Every single day each of us uses energy. We all use water. We all create a certain amount of waste. There are many simple things that each and every one of us can do in order to cut down on the waste, use less energy, and have a smaller impact on the environment. Whether you live a conservative lifestyle or you tend to live without thinking much about your impact on the environment, you can cut down on your footprint.   Some of the steps toward a cleaner life are very easy. Using a thermostat that allows you to program the temperature setting for day time and night time helps to keep your energy use down. Heating and cooling temperatures don't need to be as prevalent at night. Turning the heat cooler at night and the air conditioning warmer at night helps to conserve a great deal of ene... 06/22/2011

  Cow Appreciation Day - Not Just a Texas Thing! Holy Cow!  It’s time to break out your cow-spotted apparel and leave your wallet out to pasture. On Friday, July 8, Chick-fil-A® restaurants nationwide will celebrate the chain’s annual Cow Appreciation Day® event by offering a FREE Meal to any customer who visits one of its Mall or stand-alone Restaurants fully dressed as a cow. My sister has a cow outfit from a past Halloween....wouldn't that be a blast?! Customers dressed “head to hoof” in cow attire will be rewarded with a free Chick-fil-A Meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner), which includes an Entrée of choice, a side item and a Dr Pepper® (or other beverage choice). For those “too chicken” to wear full cow costumes, Chick-fil-A will award a complimentary Entrée to customers dressed in ... 06/22/2011

  With Independence Day coming up, many people are planning a 4th of July get-together. What a wonderful way to welcome summer, meet new friends, meet up with people you haven't seen in a while, or even promote a home that's for sale. Unique patriotic ideas  for your 4th of July party can sometimes be difficult to develop, but are well worth the trouble. Flag it! United States flags are fairly inexpensive, and can be a wonderful way to decorate for a party. Hang them from fence posts, attach them to decks and "plant" them with posts in the ground. Flags can be very versatile. Use them as place settings. Miniature flags can be used for name cards, and flags can even be used as directional signs. Streaming decor! Use streamers in red, white, and blue to decorate light posts, fences, decks... 06/21/2011

Keep an Eye on your Pets as Temperatures Rise If you're expecting higher than usual temperatures, just moved to a warmer region or have a new pet here are basic pet care guidelines for hot weather.    Protect Skin and Use Sunscreen Just like humans, pets have different sensitivities to the sun. Thick coated, dark haired pets don’t need to worry about skin cancer, but light haired, short coated pets do. Search your dog or cat for patches of pink skin, usually around the nose, and apply waterproof sunscreen. If you opt for a cool puppy cut for summer, inspect your now short-haired dog for exposed pink skin and treat with sunscreen. As with humans, try to avoid long exposures to direct sunlight.   The Dog Days of Summer Black asphalt gets extraordinarily hot in the summer. Avoid asphalt a... 06/20/2011

Container gardening is a great way to enjoy herbs in a patio space. Containers allow the plants to be closer to the house making it easy to pick herbs as needed. Containers also have the advantage being taken inside, especially useful for Idaho real estate owners during winters, as they can be placed on a windowsill. Container gardening is only a little different than a usual garden. Because of the smaller size it's important to use good potting soil and a little fertilizer to keep the plants healthy. It is also important to make sure that the pot has good drainage, otherwise the plant may become waterlogged. What Herbs Work Best for Containers? Mint is a great herb for containers, in fact left in a garden it can easily take over. Mint comes in a host of varieties from regular mint to ... 06/20/2011

Looking for new functionalities on your iPad? Today, this new technology has uses both inside and outside of the home. eWhole home automation is an emerging technology aspect that many homeowners are beginning to seek out.  They are doing this for a variety of reasons, including energy savings, convenience and added value to the home.  There are a wide variety of objects within a home that can be controlled in some shape or form with an iPad; appliances, lighting, the pool or spa, and even your home entertainment systems.  A popular system for controlling many of these is called X-10 and can be found at most home retailers.  This system works through the electrical system to turn on and off with a remote.  They also now have integrated controllers that allow an iPad to communicate and ... 06/20/2011

 This year, as more and people embrace the joys of advanced technology, the home entertainment industry is striving to not only meet the wants and needs of consumers, but to offer innovative ideas as well. Home entertainment is no longer confined to the living room or office. With all of the options available on the market this year, it appears that there are really no confinements at all. Trends in home entertainment include new ideas and applications most people never imagined possible. Inside out: enjoying the great outdoors just got more creative. Many manufacturers are introducing new ways to watch TV; outside. Manufacturers have designed televisions that have the ability to be placed in outdoor living-areas. These televisions are designed to hold up to sun, wind, and even rain. T... 06/20/2011

As people move away from having a single family desktop computer toward having multiple computers, laptops and web-enabled entertainment devices (like the Wii, Xbox, and many new Blu-Ray players), having a wireless network in their home becomes a necessity. Thankfully, it is easy to set up a wireless network, even for people who don’t have an IT background.   In order to set up a wireless network, some basic equipment is required: A broadband internet connection (usually via a cable or satellite provider) A wireless router, a DSL modem, or a cable modem with built-in wireless networking support A computer or other device with built-in wireless connectivity (or a wireless modem that can be installed on the computer)   Once the equipment is ready, the process is simple: Ensure that the b... 06/20/2011

  The best time to buy a home can be analyzed, scrutinized, and compounded with market analysis and property tax assessments. You can find a host of scientifically formulated methods for determining the likelihood of dropping interest rates in the near future. Yet none of this means that it's the best time to buy a home. It's great when the market is doing well for buyers. If you don't have a down payment ready to go the market isn't going to impress you in the least.   The best time to buy a home is when you can afford to buy a home. With the cost of even a modest home today and the average salary of the college graduate buying a home is certainly not something that can be done on a whim because the market is good. In a year when you start running out of funds the lender is not going t... 06/20/2011

Frontier Communications Inc is setting up a nearly 84,000 square-foot Regional Operations Center at the Allen Office Center. According to the Dallas Business Journal, the rural communications company will take more than 300 jobs to Allen and create an additional 300 jobs within 24 months. The northern suburbs of Plano, Allen, Frisco, and McKinney continue to see commercial growth and businesses moving into the area. This is not only good economic news but good news for our housing market as well. Search for Homes For Sale in Allen Texas. Source: http://www.thebranchteam.com/wordpress/2011/06/20/frontier-communications-moving-300-jobs-to-allen/ 06/20/2011

I received an email from a past client asking me why the soil is pulling away from his foundation. The short answer is, “The soil is drying out and shrinking. You need to water.” For those of you interested in a more detailed explanation, read on. North Texas is known for its clay soil. Clay soil expands and contracts substantially based upon the moisture in the soil. If the soil dries out, it contracts. If it gets wet, it expands. While this seems simple enough, that shrinkage and expansion can have a dramatic impact on a slab foundation. A slab foundation sits directly on the soil. Since clay soil expands and contracts, the slab is actually “floating” on the soil. Keeping the moisture level in the soil around the foundation stable is critical to the long-term stability of the foundat... 06/17/2011

      Summer is here, and with it comes heat, birds, and most importantly, sunshine. Enjoy a backyard oasis with the hottest ideas for your backyard this summer.  Outdoor Deck or Patio Add a deck or patio in a nontraditional area of the yard space. People love to spend time in outdoor living areas, and this summer, one of the hottest trends in backyard design is the addition of a deck or patio. A patio or deck doesn't need to be located in the traditional area (next to an entrance or against the house). Placing the living space under trees or in a favorite part of the yard and then adding a natural path that leads directly to it can be a very unique approach, and individuality is "in". The addition of an outdoor living space in a more private location of the yard also often gives the pe... 06/15/2011

          When a home is broken into and robbed homeowners lose more than just belongings.  They lose a sense of security that can’t be easily replaced.  However, there are simple but effective ways one can boost his sense of security by investing in home security devices which aren’t too difficult to find.  There are three types available - alarms, flood lights and security cameras – to help keep eyes on home security when a homeowner is unable to.   The most basic in home security is the standard alarm system.  There are two types to choose from:   Hardwired Systems:  In hardwired security systems the motion detectors, and the window and door contacts are all wired directly to a central control panel usually operated by a keypad.   Wireless Systems:  A wireless system is operated thro... 06/14/2011

    Technological advances have not only improved the safety and security of millions of people, they have also opened the door for criminals to invade your identity. Today, theives can steal your name, your credit, and your employment history with the touch of a few buttons. When a person's identity is stolen, it can take months or even years to straighten out. In the mean time, the victim can lose important employment opportunities, possessions, be sued for unpaid bills, lose their good credit rating, and in severe cases, even end up in jail.  With the cure for identity theft being such a long, complicated, and tedious process, prevention seems to be the smarter bet. Protecting your identity can be one of the most important choices you'll ever make. As complicated and time consuming ... 06/14/2011

  Leaving your home alone while you're away is not always a comforting feeling. Vacationers, sellers, and realtors alike often worry about the safety of valuable items in the home, damage or vandalism to property, and even trespassing. Some wonderful tips that assist in making sure that your home is safe and secure are extremely important, especially in high crime areas.Home Safety Tips for Vacationers Leave the lights on. Many people even set up timer systems or somebody devices that turn lights on and off in different rooms or even outside. This can give curious observers the impression that somebody is home. Be discreet. Only notify those necessary that you will be away from home. People you notify should be people you trust that have your well-being in mind. Notify a trusted neighb... 06/13/2011

                                        If you are considering a tankless water heater, you have probably heard the claims for big savings on energy costs, as well as instant and endless hot water. So, is a tankless water heater the right choice for you and your family? Maybe – or maybe not! Manufacturers of many tankless water heaters advertise their products will save as much as half of your energy costs when compared to standard storage hot water tanks. Recent extensive tests, conducted by a national consumer agency, indicated systems utilizing high-powered gas burners were more efficient than gas-fired storage tanks, but these energy savings compared to the initial cost of a tankless water heater would require as many as 22 years to pay for itself. And the life expectancy of most ta... 06/13/2011

    How many anti-bacterial products can be found within your household? One, two, or more? As society becomes increasingly concerned about the spread of illnesses through day-to-day human contact, anti-bacterial products have begun to fly off the retail shelves. But, are we causing ourselves more harm than good? Many researchers are beginning to believe so.   Recent studies suggest that two common ingredients of anti-bacterial products, triclosan and triclocarbon, may in fact be harmful, causing products to become increasingly scrutinized by the EPA and FDA. The largest problem associated with these products is that the basic compounds used to create them are not biodegradable. In fact, trace amounts have been discovered through research performed recently by the ASU Biodesign Institu... 06/12/2011