Elkins Lake Snapshot:  Market Snapshot 3rd Quarter 2009: Avg Sales Price per square foot: $84.58 Average square feet: 2210 Newer Properties;  Built 2000-2009 Avg Sales Price per square foot: $101.35 Average square feet: 2178 Here's the most important part.  1 Homeowners Association Fee:  ALL THE GOLF YOU CAN PLAY--no green fees You read this right.  So, say you live in Houston (about an hour away)--buy a weekend place in Elkins Lake--great home values--play golf until you drop.  I'd say that makes a pretty good weekend get-away. Check out www.ElkinsLakePropertySearch.com  Call Mari at ET Property Search--and you'll be teeing off in no time.  BTW, I love it so much, I live here! 11/08/2009

Ah...the wonders of working in a home office.  Coffee, made at home, tea with fresh rosemary and mint and the view from my porch just outside my office.  It sure is pretty! There are so many "perks" to working from a home office.  This, along with the commute time, is one of the best perks. Have you taken time to appreciate beauty today?  It feeds my soul.  I was reminded this past weekend that it is so important to take the time for yourself every now and then.  Sometimes we just need to "breathe."  Ahhhhhh.....Real Estate is alright! 10/19/2009

Okay, say you LOVE golf, but you wish with all your heart it were FREE.  So, let me ask you:  If you could find a great house in a great neighborhood in a great little town a little over an hour from Houston and could play all the golf you wanted--I mean every day and then some--for free, would you be interested? Okay, I'll tell you more.  The place is Elkins Lake in Huntsville TX.  If you have ever driven on I-45 and gotten to a bend in the road about 60 miles from downtown Houston and have seen a giant statue of Sam Houston--That's Huntsville.  You have found us. Elkins Lake Golfing Snapshot: The Elkins Lake Golf Courses THE ELKINS LAKE GOLF COURSES THE HILLS This 3147 yard championship course was renovated in 2005 and opened for play in September 2005.  The renovation was designed by... 10/16/2009

Well my friends, This has been a week of challenges. On top of everything life throws at us I showed you a clip of "Dallas" my newly acquired family member. We are getting along famously. Including Jill although she still gets a little perturbed that her quiet world of "Old dog rest" is being disrupted. Dallas came home with me on Tuesday afternoon after a semi-traumatic neuter session and was still groggy from his anesthesia. He recognized "home" after having to stay at the animal shelter for three days while all was being prepared at home....or so I thought. I am trying to be a good master and make the right decisions and to acclimate him properly. To Date the expenses have been occurring quite rapidly and my head is spinning!!! ACTUAL ADOPTION: no biggie....$85.00 New chain link dog ... 10/09/2009

I love, love, love my porch.  It is where my husband and I watch the world go by.  It's where we take our laptops and work, and where I play a lot of sudoku and maybe a glass of wine.  When we moved to Huntsville TX from west of Fort Worth, I told my husband, "what I want in Huntsville TX Real estate is a porch."  I want to sit out when it rains and not get wet.  (Moving from west of Fort Worth, I just wanted it to rain!)  I sure did get my wish.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world--4 covered porches!  Colonial homes rock! Where is it that you like to sit and relax?  Is it outdoors in indoors?  Do you have wildlife in your neighborhood?  We have deer.  Some people hate them because they eat the plants.  I think they are SO cute.  We live in a subdivision called Elkins Lake in Hu... 10/06/2009

The title itself is the root of the problem.  It's a different world than Cary Grant's.  See--half of you don't even know who he is.  For the first time in my life (well, maybe not the first), I'm not the young one with the new ideas, taking the newest risks, trying the newest things. That's it--it's a generation gap.  This is the point where I suspiciously start sounding like my parents.  I Facebook--But I can't be a part of the "Under 40 Social Networking Club" in my MLS Area-seriously, I can't.  For the first time in my life---really this time---I feel older. So, where does Facebook come in.  As far as Real Estate, I think it probably serves more of a "business" role for agents who are serving an area where they have been for a very long time or grew up there.  Kind of to remind ever... 10/05/2009

This was so much fun.  Yesterday as my husband and I were coming home from our new Target--that's right, Huntsville TX NOW has a Target!!  We are officially BIG time.  I saw some of my clients that I helped find a home in Elkins Lake-- a gorgeous golf community in Huntsville TX.  All the golf you can play--One Homeowners fee--NO green fees!  How cool is that--Wanna know more--Call me! Okay, back to the story.  Anyway, they were tooling down the road from the clubhouse in their cool golfcart.  Well, I didn't have their new e-mail address, so I decided we would flag them down.  So we did--in a "No Parking Anytime Zone."  That is cool in itself.  Kind of as renegade as I get.  So, we start talking.  I got their e-mail address, then I realized I didn't have their picture on my website.  Wel... 10/04/2009

909 Sam Houston Avenue is a great investment property! 1 block from the square in huntsville. all wood floors, granite in kitchen, covered porch, & more. the builder has been featured on the discovery channel & texas country reporter. foreclosure. sold as-is. This property is listed at $66,250. For more information click on the Address/Picture or contact Matt West. 05/20/2009

Lake Livingston Real Estate awaits! Phenomenal one of a kind Waterfront Home in the Coveted Carolina Cove subdivision is ready for move-in. I can thank Active Rain for the opportunity to be in the MakeOver to TakeOver contest last summer that pushed many of us beyond our normal scope of production! A little amazed I put this together myself...see who has to pay for production? Hang out here long enough and you can learn anything. Now send me your buyers! lol Thank you Active Rain, and all the people that put up with me during the contest... For more information on this listing please contact Debra A Brooks, Brooks Prime Properties, Huntsville, TX, 77320. Ofc: 936-661-2624 Later in the rain~Deb 04/29/2009

OMG, MY CAT WAS IN A TREE AND CHIVALRY IS NOT DEAD. Here I am. It's almost 1:00 am on what is now Wednesday, March 25, 2009. It's been a long night. About three hours ago I was in a panic. A life or death panic. It was 10:30 pm and I found Desi, my long loved 11 year old cat about 45 feet in the air and stuck in an Oak tree. Yes, I had noticed he was no where for a few hours and began to call for him and worry about him. Off in the distance I heard this MeowYeowWow...he's verbally gifted. He speaks in syllables. This was a cry of help. With a little craning of my neck I sighted him in an Oak Tree of about 80 feet tall. He was more than half way up and screaming for help. Yikes. What does one do now? Well, I watched the old movies and they always called the fire department. It was pourin... 03/25/2009

I'm so glad I have my Active Rain friends and co-workers surrounding me. These times they are a hurtin'. I believe that a rose displays as much beauty on a cloudy day as it does on a sunny day. It is all in how you look at the rose. Of course, there's the famous saying, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" and Shakespeare knew his writing. That's about all he knew but hey...we are not all good at everything. I flashed back to one of the stories that meant so many giggles when my mom use to tell it to me and I decided to share it with you today. THE GREAT DEPRESSION (and just what was so great about it)?  The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the lo... 02/20/2009

Today, even with all the dreary news of the lack of judgment of our government and our denial of the tax credit and other challenging enigmas in my life, I just couldn't help but notice our signs of spring. Buds about to burst with the color of our world to remind us there is hope. Tiny yet strong signs that all will be okay if we just let it be that way. Even the tiniest of flowers can survive the freezes and lawnmower and storms and so much that life throws at it. And because it has been such a struggle to "arrive" they do so with the grandeur of the bell of the ball. They pop with their true colors to show the world they are good, strong and simply meant to be. This is the way I choose to be. I may fail many times but I will fight my way to the sun. I will show my true colors, smile ... 02/12/2009

Lake Livingston is located within the Piney Woods of Texas and borders the Sam Houston National Forest. Our beautiful "protected" lands were purchased by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the year 1936 and were reserved with the multi-use philosophy for timbering, cattle grazing, farming and protecting our wildlife. The World Wide Fund for Nature considers the Piney Woods to be one of the critically endangered eco-regions of the United States.[1] The Flora and Fauna of the region is diminishing at a rapid pace due to oil production, timbering and over population. Builders have utilized much of our timber land to provide homes within subdivisions. A select few of our builders are donating a percent of proceeds to preserve our wildlife. What better reason is there to move our way? The Sam Houston... 02/05/2009

Power of Gratitude--Is it Bull Hockey, Real or like Hockey the sport--irrelevant??  What do you think? This is all about you....the realtors who encourage, help, survive to be a role model another day.  Thanks for reading this post.  We can't survive without each other.  Danke schön! to ActiveRain.  There with information.  I looked up topics like the best cell phone for Realtors even before I was licensed so that I would be ready to rock. I have heard that "gratitude" is the most powerful sentiment, even more powerful than love.  I believe it, because without gratitude, there can exist no love, because love cannot be recognized without gratitude.   Doesn't that sound pretty?  Too pretty to be true?! So--Power of Gratitude--Is it Bull Hockey, Real or like Hockey the sport--irrelevant??... 01/06/2009

What does a Realtor and an Ostrich Have in Common? Huntsville Texas can answer that!  Texas rural roads are an interesting drive. Here in Walker County we have wildlife on the ground like we have birds in the air! Lots of wildlife...did I mention lots and lots? Yes, bunches. I was returning from a home tour out by the lake and had the pleasure of driving back from the Lake Livingston area on Hwy 980. Our National Forest and highly protected area is thousands of acres along this road. It's a very beautiful drive.  I was coming around the corner when I saw something that made my mouth drop. Right there in the middle of 980 was an Ostrich!  A very big one! The best I could tell he was quite lost and displaced (duh). This is the Ostrich I saw. I panicked! I attempted to pull to the side of ... 08/26/2008

                 LAKE LIVINGSTON REAL ESTATE:                                       THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY...                                                                                 BY: DEBRA A BROOKS       THE GOOD:        Lake Livingston Real Estate stands alone. The beauty is that our market is ever changing yet  consistently remaining the same. What changes? The seasons, the faces and the availability of  Lake Livingston Real Estate! Older folks that have had the pleasure of enjoying the Lake and its'    natural beauty are beginning to think of moving on. Their children and grandchildren are grown and  building their adult lives and aren't finding the time they use to have. Many are ready to settle in                        to facilities or are just looking to move c... 08/16/2008

I have been writing now for Active Rain and Localism for over a year. Many things have changed since I began. My changes include but are not limited to:   huntsvillecurves@sbcglobal.net •1.       I put on 10 lbs. •2.       My blogging chair is looking worn. •3.       My fingers have become nimble and quick. •4.       I'm getting terrific Google Juice. •5.       I've made many friends. •6.       I've lost a great deal of sleep. •7.       I've learned a lot. •8.       My camera has become more important to me. •9.       I have a new respect for blogging.  •10.   I saw Dark Knight and I may never be the same... Today, I made a big step. I should own stock in our local CURVES FOR WOMEN. Or, at least that's what my husband tells me. When I first joined CURVES  in 2001 I was happy with my wei... 08/06/2008

Okay, I don't really know what these things are but I do have a slight understanding. I believe that Kharma is the bad stuff and Dharma is the good stuff. Stuff meaning luck or a power of attraction. So if you go putting out bad vibes to the world, the world sends you back bad stuff called Kharma. If you send out the good vibes then the world sends you Dharma. (I'm not talking about Dharma and Greg although I just figured out why that was her name) So, I have a property that has been on the market for nine months now. I couldn't give it away. I showed it no less than an average of four times a week for the nine month period. It was a beauty but it had an unusual floor plan and it would take the right buyer. It looked over big beautiful Lake Livingston Texas and was in an elite neighborh... 06/09/2008

What do you get when you combine a quaint little town amongst hills, tall trees, tailored streets and an Active square? Then you mix in a little...okay, a lot of History, President Sam Houston of the Republic of Texas, a few prisons, massive expanse of State Owned land with grazing horses, cattle, crops and black and white striped workers herded by Prison Guards on horses? Then add up to 17,000 youth at any given time walking Sam Houston State Universities beautiful campus, winning football games, featuring Arts and Academics and is one of the fasted growing schools in Texas? You get the one and only...   The city began about 1836, when Pleasant and Ephraim Gray opened a trading post on the site. Our land was hilly virgin land with wildlife, tall pines and natural streams galore! Ephrai... 04/06/2008

YUP, that's right here in the Houston area the rodeo is in full swing. It really is a something to see. The actual rodeo itself last for about three weeks, but the whole thing is over a month long from start to finish. So if you want to make it this year you have about a week left as it ends the 22nd of March. Do not worry though if you do not make it this year. Come on down next year. Here is a link to the official site.  I will try and walk you through all of the major events in the order they occur. But first a little history, the actual rodeo started back in 1931 and was held downtown. Then about 1957 some people got together and decided to help promote the rodeo they would have trail ride before the rodeo. Now it is the precursor to the rodeo. Once the trail riders are all gathered... 03/15/2008