Today I showed two houses to a client. Both houses had the same floor plan, were in the same neighborhood, and were priced about the same.   The first house was completely updated with granite countertops, new tile in the bathrooms, wood flooring throughout, new roof and a new AC unit. The backyard was nicely landscaped with flowers, a couple of medium-size trees and some shrubs.   The second house had forest green formica countertops, dated wallpaper in the bathrooms, forest green carpet in two bedrooms, laminate wood flooring in the office and hallway, marble tile in the entry, and slate tile in other areas. The AC was original to the house (built in 1985) and the roof was 10 years old. The backyard was nicely landscaped with six huge trees that formed a pretty canopy of shade over th... 06/03/2012

I have talked with countless buyers who call wanting me to show them one of my listings. When I ask them if they are working with a Realtor, many times they will say, “No, we are just looking on our own.”   Big mistake! You should never try to go it alone when buying a home!   When you call the agent whose name is on the “For Sale” sign in the yard, you must remember that this agent represents the seller. It is this agent’s job to sell that house for the highest possible price. The listing agent is not looking out for your best interest, but is protecting the seller.   You should have your own representation! Your buyer’s agent is a valuable source of information about the neighborhood, homes for sale in the area, and the market value of homes you are considering. Your own agent will do... 06/02/2012

I grew up in Southeast Houston in a very working-class neighborhood. None of the families there had much, but we all had enough. In high school, my friends and I would dream about living in big fancy houses with swimming pools and beautiful furnishings.   One of the things we did for fun was drive to Friendswood to look at the “mansions”. They weren’t really mansions, but to us they seemed like it – big houses on one-acre lots with pools and tennis courts and circular, gated driveways. Oh, they seemed so fancy to me at that time!   We used to drive by the large, beautiful homes and imagine who lived in them. I remember someone saying they thought the person who lived in the big house with the tennis courts on Sunset was the person who invented the hula-hoop. Not likely, but we had fun g... 06/01/2012

Lovely Home in Friendswood! Overview Maps Photos Features Description Virtual Tour Market Stats $108,900 Single Family Home Main Features 3 Bedrooms2 Bathrooms1 UnitInterior: 1,224 sqftLot: 6,600 sqft Location 16631 David Glen Dr.Friendswood, TX 77546USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Maggie McFarland RE/MAX Pearland - Maggie McFarland(281) 412-2022PearlandHomeTeam@aol.comhttp://www.thehomesourceonline.com      Listed by: Maggie McFarland Our recent listings Lovely Home in Friendswood!Lakefront home in Pearland!Beautiful Lakefront Home in Pearland!Great home ready for move in TODAY!11327 Sagewillow Lane Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby properties for sale 05/23/2012

A Hispanic tradition is the Pinata. A Pinata is usually bamboo sticks or just some sticks that are tied together to make a close form of an animal or object. This frame is then covered with newspaper / paper mache. After the paper mache has dried it is then ready for more paper mache, this time colored; which is glued onto the frame.   Last summer my great grand son had two and this car is one of them.   Here is Wikipedia’s definition and origins: "A piñata (Spanish pronunciation: [pi'ɲata]) is a papier-mâché or other type of container that is decorated, filled with toys and or candy and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. Piñatas are most commonly associated with Mexico, but its origins are considered to be in China. The idea of breaking a container filled with treats cam... 05/13/2012

When I was driving out of the neighborhood last week, I noticed a very brave worker putting the finishing touches on top of the new Friendswood water tower behind Friendswood High School.       The new water tower replaces the old mushroom tower that was torn down about a year ago. The new tower is larger, and most people in Friendswood think it’s more attractive than the old one. I think it does look better, but I sure wouldn’t want to be that guy up there painting it!   For assistance finding homes for sale in Friendswood, call local Realtor Rose King for excellent service!   05/08/2012

The temperature is warming up and it is a great time to take the family to one of the area Festivals. On May the 5th in Dickinson, the 82nd Annual Strawberry Festival will take place.  From 11am - 5pm you will be able to enjoy Barbeque, Strawberry Shortcake (yummy!) and the fun games.  The admission is FREE! Holy Trinity Episcopal Church www.holytrinitydickinson.org 281-482-1391 On May the 6th, the Mary Queen Catholic Church at Hwy 518 and Stonesthrow in Friendswood will host their Annual Festival from 11am - 6pm.  There will be crafts, bingo, a moonwalk for the kids, dunk tank, raffle and an auction.  These festivals are always so much fun!  281-482-1391 www.maryqueenchurch.org SEE YOU THERE! 05/04/2012

The Lake at San Joaquin subdivision in Friendswood has a beautiful park and gazebo overlooking the lake. It is one of the prettiest neighborhoods in the community of Friendswood.   In fact, when I stopped by there to take this picture, one of the residents pulled up in his car, rolled down his window, and said, “Isn’t our neighborhood beautiful? I just love it here!”   The residents of The Lake at San Joaquin seem to love living in this small gated community in Friendswood. Everyone is friendly, and the homes are beautiful and well-kept.   There is an occasional resale available in The Lake at San Joaquin, but most of the opportunities to own a home there are with new construction. Brighton Homes is currently building in the new section to the west of the lake with prices in the 300,000... 04/30/2012

These beautiful Mallard ducks made a brief stop in Friendswood today in the Friendswood Lakes subdivision. Before I could get closer for a better shot, they took off in flight, in perfect formation, and flew up and away in search of another watering hole.     Friendswood is such a wonderful community! Many of our neighborhoods are built around small lakes that attract beautiful wildlife year-round.     For help finding homes for sale in Friendswood, contact local Realtor Rose King for excellent service!   04/26/2012

A while back I posted about the New PetsMart in Alvin. Well I got word today that it will be officially open for business on May 14, 2012. I plan to be at the opening and see what goodies I can get for Dolly shown below. She is my moms doggie.   The orginal post follows since I could not re-blog it I copied and pasted it. At the last Alvin-Manvel Chamber meeting it was announced that a PetsMart will be constructing a 1,100 square-foot building in the Highland Shopping Center on FM 1462. For those of you who don't know where Highland Shopping Center is, that is where Krogers is currently located in Alvin. This new commercial business will create new jobs for the Alvin area.   Recently there have been many new commercial construction projects in Alvin. This is exciting because commercial ... 04/25/2012

  But not when your roofing contractor is re-roofing your home!   My contact who is a building inspector informed me today that many people have had roofers come re-roof their homes and used a nail gun! Roofing nail guns are great; however, if you live near the coast line they are not allowed to be used by Windstorm Inspectors.    I asked why and he said that any pneumatic nail gun can be used to nail shingles. They are made to be set at different PSI’s.  PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch) is the amount of pressure that is used to drive a nail into an object. If it is not set correctly or forgotten to be set for shingles then problems can arise. If not set strong enough then the nail is not driven far enough into the shingle. If it is set too high then it could be driven so far into the shing... 04/22/2012

1 Active Rain referral + 2 boys fishing = 3-day quick sale!   Last week I received a listing referral from Active Rainer Brian Rugg. On Saturday, I met with the seller and got the listing. On Sunday afternoon, I went back to take pictures, and on Monday, I got an offer, before there was a sign in the yard and before the listing was on the MLS! Now, that was a quick sale!   Here’s what happened:   When I was taking pictures of the pretty pond in the neighborhood, I saw two little boys fishing, and took pictures of them. One of them caught a fish for me and while I was admiring it, his mom came over and asked me if I was a Realtor. She said she had been looking for a home in the neighborhood, and was about to make an offer on one that she didn’t really like that much.   So…I told her abou... 04/20/2012

A couple of weeks ago we had a severe hail storm. We normally don’t have them here. The hail started out the size of large marbles and quickly escalated to the size of baseballs. There was a lot of damage to cars and to roof tops.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike we had massive amounts of roofers willing to climb your roof to see if you had damage. Some of the more shady roofers would rip up your roof, if you didn’t have damage, so that they could claim that you did. When a neighbor across the street saw what a roofer was doing to the roof of his neighbors he called the police and the neighbor. I still don’t know what became of that issue. I can safely say we had roofers in our fair city from every state in America! Everyone was here to make a quick buck. Well our recent hail storm re... 04/19/2012

  This last weekend I attended the annual BBQ Cook Off in Luling Texas. It was a lot of fun and I got to sit around and visit with lots of family and many old friends.   My husband and I were only there for the day and as we were preparing to leave. This is when it happened; someone leaned over and grabbed my arm and said, “Listen, I really do enjoy reading your blogs.” I must have had a senior moment because I looked at her blankly and asked her what blogs was she speaking of. She replied the ones on Active Rain.   She went on about how I had not written much since December and I promised that I would start posting again soon. It is always like that isn’t it? You begin to think no one is reading your stuff when in actuality they are, they are just not commenting on what you write.   I ... 04/17/2012

Yesterday I was taking pictures for a new listing when I saw these two little boys fishing in the neighborhood pond.       When they saw me taking pictures, one of the boys asked, “Do you want me to catch a fish for you so you can take a picture of it?”   I said, “Sure!”   So he cast out his line and caught a fish on the first try!     It’s a keeper!   (Mom was nearby and gave me permission to use the pictures.)   04/16/2012

This week was not the greatest week I have had this year.  My buyer had her buyer back out of the purchase of her home during the option period. It’s a first for me and I didn’t much like the feeling. Neither did my buyer. I treated myself to a mani and a pedi and as I sat there contemplating this week’s complications…. I thought choosing a home can be hard and complicated; especially if you are undecided between two different homes.  It is like going to have your nails done and you can’t decide what color or flower to have drawn on them. So I cannot be mad at the person who opted to move on during the option period. I really think she found another home she liked better. Or, maybe the one she really wanted came back on the market. Who will ever know why these things happen. You can't w... 04/01/2012

There are many different opinions on the most important things a seller can do to help their home sell quickly. Of course, price is of huge importance, and so is de-cluttering and staging. But if a seller is willing to spend a little money on updates to help get their home sold, my suggestion would be to update the kitchen with granite countertops.   Almost every buyer I have worked with wants granite in the kitchen. They can live without granite in the bathrooms, but it’s one of the first things they look for in the kitchen. I don’t think I have ever had a buyer choose a home with formica or tile countertops over a similar house with granite, unless the price was significantly different.   Granite countertops can be installed at a reasonable price, depending on the size of the kitchen ... 03/28/2012

Charming Friendswood Home For Sale! Overview Maps Photos Features Description Virtual Tour Market Stats $84,900 Single Family Home Main Features 3 Bedrooms2 Bathrooms1 UnitInterior: 1,112 sqftLot: 6,050 sqft Location 16914 David Glen DriveFriendswood, TX 77546USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Maggie McFarland RE/MAX Pearland - Maggie McFarland(281) 412-2022PearlandHomeTeam@aol.comhttp://www.thehomesourceonline.com      Listed by: Maggie McFarland Our recent listings Lakefront home in Pearland!Charming Friendswood Home For Sale!Absolutely great starter home for you and your family!Absolutely Charming Home!Attractive, well-maintained home on cul-de-sac In Oakbrook Estates Subdivision! Subscribe to our listing feed Nearb... 03/24/2012

Did you know your Realtor is almost like a jack of all trades? While a real estate agent’s expertise (and legal license) is in the buying, selling and leasing of properties, there are many other areas where your Realtor can be a big asset for you by providing general information.   For example, your Realtor might not be a licensed mortgage loan officer, but he/she will be able to give you some ballpark estimates on mortgage payments and some general mortgage information. Your Realtor will know what documentation is required for the loan application, and can answer general questions about getting a loan. Of course, your Realtor will have a list of several trusted mortgage loan officers or mortgage bankers that you can call for more specific information.   Additionally, your Realtor is pr... 03/24/2012

It’s clean-up time in Friendswood, Texas! The annual city-wide Spring Sparkle Clean-up and Garage Sale will be held April 14 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Centennial Park, 2200 S. Friendswood Drive.   Friendswood residents can bring an assortment of unwanted items to the clean-up for free disposal, including tree limbs, grass clippings, old appliances, old furniture, unwanted wood, metal, plastic, large and small. However, hazardous waste will not be accepted. Hazardous waste would include tires, paint, batteries, oil, or other household hazardous waste.   FREE SHREDDING There will also be FREE SHREDDING at the event! So, clean out those file cabinets and bring your old documents to be shredded for free!   COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE The community garage sale will be hosted by Keep Friendswood Bea... 03/21/2012