El Paso has 13 million in bond money for low- to moderate-income homebuyers looking to borrow for their first property purchase. Every year the city has tried to put aside money for a bond to help in the growth of home ownership. People who haven't owned property in more than three years can qualify to receive as much as $200,000 in low-interest, 30-year mortgages through the Homebuyer Assistance Program. Interest rates range from 6.125 percent to 6.25 percent. Homebuyers can also receive grant assistance to cover closing costs and down payments. The median home values in El Paso have increased by 17 percent, from $69,900 in 2000 to $81,800 in 2005 according to the Census Bureau. I got this information from the Greater El Paso Association of Realtors and the El Paso Times. The additiona... 11/25/2006

Hello everyone, I have some good new for you reader in El Paso. The city has opened up a 21,500-square-foot library the East Side at 12480 Pebble Hills. There has been a ton of growth on the east side so it was really needed. There is also going to be work on a new hospital to serve the area. The east side has the most available land to build on in El Paso so that is where most of our growth is going to come from. There are two libraries on the east side, but if you spend any time at a library in El Paso you know how crowded it gets. Most people wind up leaving because of the long waits. There is also a computer lab with 44 computers. The library hour will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, 1 to 5:30 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sat... 11/25/2006

     Operation Santa Claus gave approximately 66,000 toys to area children last year. It is a non-profit group run by soldiers' stationed at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas. With a little over a month left they have collected only about 37,000 toys. They present these toys to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of El Paso and Salvation Army. If you find it in your heart to donate to there cause you can take your toys to any El Paso fire station, 24 hours a day or to the Fort Bliss Operation Santa warehouse, Building 1123, on weekdays. To make a monetary donation: make your check payable to Operation Santa Claus, and mail it to: Op Santa Inc., P.O. Box 16270, Fort Bliss, TX 79916. A fellow soldier I once served with told me about this. I also saw a story in the El Paso Times newspaper... 11/24/2006

ERA Priority One Real Estate Services Professional can now "arbitrate" your property taxes El Paso Texas September 21 2006 - Local real estate professional Cynthia Morris of ERA Priority One Real Estate Services in El Paso, Texas just completed the mandatory  30 hour property tax arbitration course and is in the Texas registry of approved property tax arbitrators.The state of Texas recently passed legislation that allows the tax payer one more remedy after the Appraisal Review board being arbitration.  The non biased and professional hearing is final and binding and may offer one more avenue to tax payers managing their property values and taxes.  "How wonderful that the disgruntled tax payer can present their side of the property tax and valuation in a location outside of the Appraisal... 11/14/2006

El Paso Texas October 25, 2006 - Local real estate professional Cynthia Morris of ERA Priority One Real Estate Services in El Paso, Texas has just been awarded the GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) designation.  Cynthia joins an elite group of top producers in the residential real estate industry who hold the designation across the nation. The Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation indicates to buyers, sellers and other real estate industry professionals that they have made the commitment to provide a high level of professional service to her clients by securing a strong educational foundation. She earned the "Graduate REALTOR® Institute" (GRI) designation by attending a specific, intensive series of a minimum of 90 hours of classroom instruction, covering a variety of subjects in... 11/14/2006