Time to Replace Your Roof?   It’s almost spring and time to do some house repairs. One of the things a homeowner will need to this spring do this check is the condition of their roof. One of the first things to do is to hire a licensed and insured/bonded roof contractor. Make sure they pull a permit from the city in which you live. To forgo this step can be costly to the homeowner. It may even more costly to the home owner who has a mortgage who require a windstorm inspection certificate.   Once upon a time you could hire an engineer who would literally count the nails in the roof make some calculations and issue a certificate. In some areas you may you may still be able to do this. What we have seen in our area is engineers who don’t want to take the responsiblility to do this after th... 02/09/2014

My friends over at Southern Elegance posted the following on their Face Book Page... I love to read what they post which is usually something so tasty to eat. They were wonderful when they catered the meal after my fathers funeral. Everyone was so impressed with the spread. I love salad and they had such a wonderful fresh lettuce salad with many different lettuce leaves in it! Today is Lox & Bagels Day!!! Today is Lox & Bagels Day!!! What a wonderful way to start a day...a fresh toasted NY Bagel, cream cheese, a few slivers of red onion, smokes salmon and topped with a few capers. Enjoy!   If you are in the Alvin, Friendswood, Pearland, Southern Houston area consider this caterer for your next event! 02/09/2014

NEW TO PEARLAND ! Avalon Terrace is building a new section. Plantation Homes just set up camp in their trailer and are just beginning to sell homes. Two model homes are currently under construction right now.    I was just out there this weekend, representing a client. We were able to write a contact on the #2 home being built in Avalon Terrace. My clients received a really good deal for any new home in the Pearland area. The actual construction will begin in April 2014 with completion being around August 2014.  The actual location of the new section is behind the current Avalon Terrace subdivision.  Their advertised home prices range from $220,000 up to $286,990, base price, with home sizes from 1759 to 3312 sqft.  Avalon Terrace is in the Pearland School District and the community tax... 01/27/2014

Thinking about getting a pet? Millions of companion animals in shelters across America are just waiting for a special home like yours! On February 6th, you can adopt your next pet through the City of Pearland for only $25!  Whether you want a puppy or a more mature dog, a purebred or a one-of-a-kind mixed breed, even a rabbit or hamster, your shelter has the best selection of animals anywhere—all screened for good health and behavior.The Pearland Adoption Center is your top source for a new pet, and our pet-care experts have compiled all the information you'll need to select a pet who matches your lifestyle, and more. Click here for a list of pets at at the Adoption Center.   01/23/2014

We've got a GREAT way you can give back to the community! The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center has scheduled a blood-donation event in the Pearland area on Sunday, January 26th at St. Helen Catholic Church located at 2209 Old Alvin Road, Pearland, TX. The  blood drive will run from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. How do I know if I can give blood? Donors must meet the following criteria: Bring a photo ID Be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent - Donors who are 16 years old donors must weigh at least 122 pounds.) Weigh at least 110 pounds Be free of any cold or flu-like symptom, and generally feel well and healthy. This is a great opportunity to help those in need! Call 713-791-6670 for more information or to schedule an appointment.  01/20/2014

Don't miss the Pearland Art League's monthly presentation of "Corks & Canvas" highlighting local artists the first Saturday of every month! Each month features a series of art exhibitions with different themes along with water color paints, juried shows, realistic works, theatrical ensembles and more! The next "Corks & Canvas" will be held Saturday, February 1st at the RCN (4141 Bailey Road). Hope to see you there! 01/19/2014

Pearland Winterfest will be held next Saturday, January 25th from 10:00am-5:00pm. You really need to check out this fun local event. It is family-oriented and has activities and entertainment for all ages. The main attraction of this event is snow!!! In prior years they have had snow play areas, petting zoos and snow sledding hills as well as carnival games and entertainment. There are not many details available at this time, but you can check on Pearland's park web-site here for any updated information. The event will be held at the Pearland Recreation Center and Natatorium located at 4141 Bailey Road in Pearland.  Organizers will be collecting canned goods to help re-stock the pantry of the Pearland Neighborhood Center. Bring your donation and receive a discount on your ticket! Publi... 01/16/2014

Mistakes a Seller Makes 2014   One of the mistakes that I see Sellers make is refusing to leave with their pets while buyers are looking at their home. Sellers! This makes buyers very nervous and they will not feel comfortable.   Buyers need to be able to picture their furnishings in your home. They need to be able to open all cupboards and closets. If they are opening your medicine cabinet while you stand directly behind them and they can see you in the medicine cabinet mirror...it's an automatically a deal killer.   I took buyers to a home this summer where the owner was taking care of his toddler and two great big dogs! They were friendly animals but the buyers were very cautious keeping an eye on the animals just in case. This means they are not concentrating on your home which YOU ... 01/14/2014

Need more proof that the Houston area housing market is HOT right now? Here you go: The Houston area has made Forbes top five list of the "Best Buy Cities 2014" in the nation! Forbes bases this list on cities where prices are still low but offer the potential for large growth in 2014. Forbes states that they complied this list from information from Local Market Monitor and tracked local economic factors for over 300 cities such as population, home prices, local jobs and the economy.  The Houston area was predicted to have a 24% cumulative rise in home prices for the next three years! Of course, we can already see this growth in the Pearland area. Homes are staying on the market for shorter periods and the economy is growing at a strong pace.  Take a look at the other cities that made t... 01/05/2014

What's for Lease In Friendswood There are currently twenty-seven homes in Friendswood for lease. They are priced from $650.00 to $6,000; the numbers of bedrooms vary from two to 5 bedrooms. Square footage in homes for lease in Friendswood starts at 628 with the largest one at 5,860-square feet. These homes all have at least one full bathroom, but some have up to five! Lease homes located in and throughout Friendswood are located in new and established subdivisions. Friendswood has many rental homes and there is always something to consider leasing in Friendswood. So if you are looking for a lease in Friendswood be sure to call me today! We have a lot to look at!     01/04/2014

  Pearland Homes for Lease January 2014   Pearland has 80 homes for lease this January. They are priced from $1,150.00 to $4,500; the numbers of bedrooms vary from two to 6 bedrooms. The square footage starts at 1,158 with the largest one at 4,647-square feet. These homes all have at least one full bathroom, but some have up to four! These homes are located in throughout Pearland, in new and established subdivisions.   Pearland has 58 homes that are for lease where the owner will consider leasing to pet owners. If you have pet and need to lease it may be a little harder to lease a home. Many of the owners will not lease to pet owners, especially if your pet is a dangerous breed or a very large animal.   Pearland has many lease homes and there is always something to consider to lease. So... 01/03/2014

Breakout the confetti and blow the trumpets - I've got another reason to celebrate this week and no, it doesn't involve ringing in the new year...   95.8% of Houston Area Mortgages are in POSITIVE Equity!!   WOW! If that isn't cause to celebrate, I don't know what is! To put this in perspective on why this is such a big accomplishment, according to CoreLogic, the least healthy market is Orlando, FL, listing only 67.7% of mortgages in the postive range.  This is great news that further solidifies why the Houston area - and particularly Pearland, TX, is a great place to live! The Houston area economy is strong and companies are moving to Houston and creating new jobs every month. If you are interested in looking for a home, give the Pearland HomeTeam a call today - (281) 412-2022 or visi... 12/30/2013

You are Sussie and I Follow You on Face Book.   These were the words from the new Barista at one of the StarBucks places I stop to get my daily coffee. I smiled really big. It felt great knowing that my Active Rain Blog which I post to my open to the public Face Book Page is being read by those in my marketing area. The great thing is that I am always marketing myself and was in a great conversation with another person who was standing in line with me. That is when Debbie said, "You are Sussie and I follow you on Face Book". This statement valadated me right there on the spot. Then she told me that she was related to one of my FB friends. It was her sister-in-law who is also one of my current clients. I have to admit I did not recognize her as I have never been formally introduced to he... 12/28/2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MY ACTIVE RAIN BROTHERS AND SISTERS!   This year I am baking lots of home made cookies. I am remembering John's granny who made cookies of many varieties each week. We could always count on going to her little red brick house and have a hot cup of coffee with a freshly baked cookie.   This year I wanted to enjoy my Christmas Tree so I had it put up early... before Thanks Giving! I was reminded that cousin Steve so loved the Christmas season. He was a special child and was told he would not live past five years of age. He fooled the doctors and lived well into his thirties even thou he had a mentality of a nine year old. He was fun!   My blood nephew Felipe loved Christmas too! He has been gone since 2009. He had a rate blood disorder and passed at the age of 21 just a... 12/24/2013

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies   This evening I was craving something sweet. I never use to crave sweets before my gastric bypass surgery. However, now I seem to crave sweets all the time. Tonight it was chocolate cookies so I got up and made some. They were good. I was good and ate only a small one. If I eat too many sweets I will get sick with what is called a dumping syndrome.   If you like to cook these cookies in you new home be sure to call me so that we can get started looking for that home! 12/18/2013

There's no doubt about it! We have had some cold weather lately and in South Texas, it's definitely something we are not used to! The weather is predicting to be cold the week of Christmas with a chance that it may drop below freezing. But don't panic! There are some things we can learn from our neighbors to the north of us about how to protect our home during freezing weather! Here are a few tips to make sure your home is prepared: Drip outside faucets. This is not necessary unless temperatures are expected to be 28 degrees or below for at least 4 hours. Make sure you turn off the faucets after the threat of freezing weather. Open cabinet doors under sinks adjacent to outside walls. If your washing  machine is in your garage, make sure you shut off water to washing machines. If you ar... 12/17/2013

NATIONAL CUP CAKE DAY!   Cup cakes are the hottest thing these days. Instead of birthday cakes you get assorted fancied up cup cakes. People now bring cup cake and cake balls.... makes you wonder where all the 8-inch cakes have gone to.     I think cup cakes are a good thing because you have an individual serving and you don't have to slice up cake and get crumb and icing everywhere. Still like cake... though.   My friends over at Southern Elegance wrote up a cup cake post with a recipe...so here goes.   Check out their Face Book Page and the recipe follows below. Chocolate Cupcakes Ingredients: 1 (18.25-oz.) package German chocolate cake mix ... 1 (16-oz.) container sour cream 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Vegetable cooking spray Preparation: Beat first... 12/15/2013

Tamale Day!   Today was tamale day at my moms home. We ladies got together and made about 30 dozens of tamales. These tamales are for dinner on Christmas Eve.   Yesterday, I and Dominique ground into hamburger two huge pork butts that my mom had cooked earlier in the morning. I was determine to start at 8 a.m. this morning since it is a time consuming process making them. Of course someone with veto power said, no we are starting at ten. So I slept in as I have been sleep deprived and needed some extra sleep. I did not intend on sleeping in till 9:15! By the time I got to my moms it was 11 a.m.   My granddaughter Jesika, niece Dominique, Nanny who is my mom, sister Rebecca, daughter Tommie (not pictured), from left to right...got started and we killed it. We had such a great time laughi... 12/14/2013

It makes a huge difference between you and the next buyer or renter. It is usually not very difficult at all. The key to having credit is HAVING CREDIT. I met many people who were cash driven on every purchase. Well in order for companies to know your credit worthiness, they must see it. You want to keep 2-3 open accounts ( cars, student loans, credit cards, department store cards etc)  and keep the balances below 20% of your credit limit. Pay them on time each month. It does not matter at this point the number of bad accounts you have in the past but what you are going to do moving forward. Some good ways to start are secured credit cards or loans. Did you know you can also negotiate the payment of your student loans in many cases as well. Get these payments negotiated to your advantag... 12/12/2013

HUD has announced the 2014 FHA loan limits in the following counties will increase from $272,550 to $295,550 effective for case numbers assigned on or after Jan 1 2014.   - Austin county -Brazoria County -Chambers County -Ft. Bend County -Galveston County -Harris County -Liberty County -Montgomery County -Waller County 12/12/2013