There have probably been studies done about the fact that when you feel like you look your best, you perform better than usual. If not, we have just done our own study on us and that is the case. We find that when we are driving a spotlessly clean vehicle, the same principal applies. Add freshener to the mix and it gets even better. Shiny wheels? Wahoo!   On a day when there is not a cloud in the sky it seems appropriate to add some shine to the day. So, we did! The car had not been spiffed in a few weeks and the interior had taken on some dust elements. We do after all spend almost all out waking hours in the car.   Given the opportunity for a discounted hand waxing, we decided to invest the few extra bucks and minutes in what we have come to know will be a beautiful experience.   So... 10/06/2010

  How handy are you really? Many prospective home buyers start out looking for a bargain. There are a lot of homes in the market that are good values. There are also some that have had significant deferred maintenance over many years. These homes are usually priced below what they would sell for if they were in good condition.   If the location of the bargain priced home is good and all that is needed is cosmetic repairs such as new paint and carpet, prospective home buyers can get a head start on building equity in their home purchase.   The real key is knowing for sure what you are buying. Unless you are an expert in construction, it is a good idea to get an inspection of the proposed purchase. Inspectors are trained to look at homes in great detail. The inspection reports are designe... 10/02/2010

Cheeburger Cheeburger in Vintage Park shopping center off of State Farm 249 and Louetta Road.  If you watched Saturday Night Live years ago (vintage John Belushi), you will remember the Cheeburger Cheeburger sketch. Here are the glasses they use at Cheeburger Cheeburger.  It references the 1 pound burger. A reference to Saturday Night Live. If you remember the sketch, you will remember the phrase, "pepsi, no coke". Who doesn't love route 66?  I want to do a sojurn of the remaining bits of route 66 someday. This young man has eaten the 1 pounder 4 times!  Wow! Here is the one of the entrances to Vintage Park.  To get to Cheeburger Cheeburger from here, go through the Vintage Park gates then turn left. Go until you see the Cheeburger Cheeburger bright yellow building on the right.  By the... 10/02/2010

Are You Late in paying your mortgage and residing in the Houston, Tomball, Magnolia, Spring or Stagecoach area?  And are you getting those envelopes from your mortgage company and attorneys and not opening them, hoping they will just forget about you?  Well, the truth is it is a natural reaction to not open the envelopes, but the mortgage company and attorneys won't forget about you.  The good news it that I can help you. If you are overwhelmed by financial hardship and unable to pay your mortgage, call me so I can start the Short Sale process, and save your home from foreclosure.   I will talk to the mortgage company or attorneys on your behalf. Call me or email me today so we can start the process. If you know of anyone interested in buying a home like this beautiful one in the Housto... 10/02/2010

October 8th, 2010 Is Family Night at Lone Star College -- Tomball.   Don't Miss It!    Family Night -- October 8th, 2010 Here is a list of some of the events: Family Night Barbecue (with entertainment) Ice Cream Social College-school activities Caricature Artists Photos with Trevor, the Star college-Tomball Timberwolf A free screening of The Sorcerer's Apprentice in Room E-100 (Theater) Tickets can be purchased from the Bursar's Office at LSC-Tomball campus through Tuesday, October 5th or visit www.lonestar.edu/15799 for additional information.  The fun starts at 5:30pm in the Beckendorf Conference Center.  Hope to see you there. 09/29/2010

  When is it a question, and when is it YOUR BUSINESS? Of all the lessons learned from a career in Real Estate, the ones about communication are without question, the best.   In the late 1970s, I was given a referral who was moving from Chicago to Houston. After our first weekend looking at homes we had determined one important thing. This client was going to need a short term lease. Perfect! A class in Creative finance the previous week had taught me the techniques to do a Lease Purchase. This eliminated the need for the people to move two times, and it made things much more efficient in terms of time and money. They needed a house now to comply with the terms of the relocation for the company, but his down payment money would not be available for three months. O.K. No problem.   I wen... 09/27/2010

  One of our blogs last week expressed the frustration with the “demise of courtesy' at the hands of a large national mortgage company. Said company had put our clients through incredible hurdles supposedly in search of a loan on their dream house. Seven weeks of hurdles and then came the email to the title company from the mortgage company that the loan was dead. No one had the courtesy to tell the buyers their loan had been rejected or why... To date that still has not been done.   What has been done since that first blog, was the back up contract negotiated weeks earlier was placed in title the next day, papers for the refund of earnest money were circulated, and, oh yes, the survey had to be paid for. The survey for the house they could not have because the mortgage company had stal... 09/26/2010

Construction update at Lone Star College -- Tomball!  These pictures were taken during the week of September 20th, 2010.   This picture was taken from the second floor of the Tomball College Community Library. This is a close up of the same picture.  Can somebody tell me what the little box shaped pieces of steel are?  Maybe to support large mechanical pieces? Here is a view from my real estate office which is across state highway 249 from the college.  The view is obscured by the trees, but you can still see the left side of the building.  Behind the little Lone Star sign I noticed what looks like the begining of another building.  To see the mock ups of the three buildings, go to my original blog about the construction. 09/22/2010

Good Morning!  Yesterday on my way to work I noticed some beautiful light purple morning glories blooming.  Even at 65-70 miles per hour I knew they were morning glories because they were on the ground right next to the freeway, and also climbing on the trees and bushes that were planted along the overpass on state highway 249.   It is amazing that the delicate flowers could tolerate such a large amount of exhaust from motor vehicles, but they seem to be thriving.  Later in the day an open house I happened to notice the same color of morning glory, so I snapped a picture.   Hope you have a great day.  09/22/2010

The American, a movie review.  I must start off this post by saying that the person beside me in the ticket line said he went to see this movie and ended up leaving the movie early and asking for his money back.  That said, my expectations were low for the movie before it started. I have liked George Clooney since he was on ER back in the 90's.  He has always exuded sensuality.  The movie itself was calm, no screaming or shouting, but lots of bloodshed.  If you are anti-gun, don't go see this movie.  It is like James Bond with intense paranoia.  He does shoot people, and is always on alert so he doesn't get shot.   Clooney's character also has a love of butterflies. All of the movie has wonderful outdoor shots of Italy.  The scenery is beautiful.  The leading ladies are also very pretty... 09/17/2010

    The very first customers I worked with were a delightful couple.  They had stable income and realistic expectations.  I was not the agent I now.   Due to my inexperience, we looked at a myriad of homes and these people, who we will call “Bob and Naomi” for the story, came to me right after I had gotten my license.  Real Estate licenses, I soon learned, were licenses to get into trouble. The classes I took did not equip me to serve the needs of anyone.  I knew the basics of how to open houses via lock boxes, to research for the wants of clients and to write contracts.  That was about all I knew.  As a result after a few weeks these first clients had seen forty homes.  They were totally worn out, but had not seen a home that made them beg me to write an offer.  Luckily one of the titl... 09/16/2010

The first company I worked with had a policy of having an agent from our company accompany on each showing of one of the company listings.  The theory was that the listing companies agents should know every property we represented and be prepared to present the best features and answer any questions that the showing agent might have. On one such accompanying adventure there was a cat involved.  The instructions had been that the kitty would be secured in the half bath downstairs.  We were not to show that bathroom until the second showing when the homeowner would remove the cat for the day. The cat, named “Kitty Pooh,” did not approve of the program.  She started complaining loudly as soon as the front door was opened.  By the time the agent who was bringing her clients showed up, the c... 09/14/2010

  When IS IT TIME TO BUY a home? There are a lot of reasons to consider it right now! The selection is good, the interest rates are inching up but still a lot lower than they have been in the past. And, some sellers are very anxious to sell.   If you have a stable income and fairly good credit, it may be that now is a good time to buy. It s a way to let the place you are living in also provide you with a potential investment. Think about it. You are paying to live somewhere. There is some responsibility in owning the roof over your head, but there are advantages too.   We have written several blogs about the process of home purchase. We hope they will help you make decisions about whether home ownership is for you, You can find these articles on our website. www.come2NWHouston.com Go th... 09/11/2010

In our rapidly changing world, choosing a REALTOR whom you like and trust to represent you in the buying or selling of a property is a difficult decision. In our combined 54+ combined years of Real Estate practice mostly around the Tomball area in Northwest Houston, we have heard many horror stories about experiences people have had when buying or selling. We know that there are many lovely people in this profession.  There are also as many different personalities, and ways of doing business as there are people.  So, when it is time for you to choose a REALTOR to work with, here is a suggested list of interview questions you may wish to ask those you are considering.  Interview? Why yes,  When you choose an agent,   you become an employer.  You have the right to know the credentials and... 09/10/2010

  If you have decided that you wish to make a move soon, we would like to help!   To that end, we offer 10 tips for being successful Home-sellers.  These are gleaned from having sold properties for a combined 54 years between the two of us.  Most of those years have been in the greater Tomball area of Northwest Houston.    Of course we recommend the services of a Realtor (preferably us if your home is in our area) but if you feel that you can do the job, and save the commission $$$ we will give you some tried and true tips.  Certainly at first glance this idea to sell by yourself might seem reasonable.  But after a few weeks you just may decide to change your mind on that one.  It's OK we understand.   1.  Determine the why of the sale.  Do you need to sell or are you simply testing the... 09/09/2010

Are you looking for good food for lunch and perhaps some inexpensive entertainment?  At the corner of Stuebner Airline and FM 2920 is a small but very efficient airport. DAVID WAYNEHOOKS AIRPORT is just about 27 miles Northwest of Houston, and just east of downtown Tomball Texas.  We believe this will be for many a flight fanciers joy. The airport comes complete with hangars, a FAA Control Tower, runways, airplane related businesses and the airport building itself.  Housed within the airport building is a well kept Tomball secret.  It is an eatery called “The Aviators Grill.”  They serve lunch to the public and the menu is varied and always dependably good.     Not only is the food good, but the lunchroom offers views of runways, coming and going flights, the tower, a lake, and a pletho... 09/08/2010

Yesterday while we were out driving the heavily wooded areas north of Tomball TX, I had an ah-ha  moment.  You know, those moments when a revelation hits you squarely between the eyes. The thought involved the possible roots of MASTER PLANNED AREAS.The wide open spaces where people can do more of what they please and less of what is required are becoming fewer and fewer. There are several connecting roads that bridge the country between Tomball and Rosehill, Pinehurst, Decker Prairie and Rosehill, and Decker Prairie and the Woodlands. As you drive down these roads you will become aware that there are a variety of kinds of houses, styles, sizes and these are on assorted sized pieces of land.  Intermingled arechurches, convenience stores, small office buildings, assorted businesses and tr... 09/07/2010

Last year about this time,  we were blessed with an informative seminar which was just the best way TO END THE SUMMER. But we had to brave the big city of Houston all they way from our quiet little city of Tomball TX.   The teacher was a young man from Chicago, Ill.  named Terry Watson.  He was entertaining, (read; HYSTERICALLY FUNNY)  encouraging and insightful all in one extremely energetic package.   If you ever get an opportunity to see this man in person, DO it!  In fact look him up on the internet and find out where he's going to be and then get there to hear him!  It will be worth your effort.  You will come away with some seriously fun ideas.  This was better than any comedy routine we have ever seen!  Although we have been in the Real Estate business for over 54 collective year... 09/04/2010

                                                                                                   In our first blog about Tomball TX you were told about how TOMBALL AND IT'S ADVANTAGES became a vital part of my life. I also told you that my introduction to the area was in relocating some professional horse trainers (Goslin-Nix Training Facility) from the Memorial Area of West Houston to Tomball TX. These fine folks (who are known Nationwide) taught me many indeliblelessons. I can honestly say that they enriched my life. Being close to them was one of the advantages of living in the Tomball area for us. Because my children were active at the barn, it was always possible to know who they were with and what they were doing. School activities were important, but the other hours, if idle, c... 09/03/2010

Happy Anniversary Karen Sturdivent.  These perfect red roses were from her husband.  I think she said she has been married for 25 or 26 years.   She brought these flowers into the office because it was Friday  and she did came to attend a "sell your gold party" and didn't want to leave the flowers in the car where they might have gotten hot in the blazing Texas afternoon.  I think the first picture is one of the most perfect roses I have seen.  The florist who put this bouquet together did a very nice job. See, another perfect looking rose.  What more could you ask for in a rose? I actually went to a Japanese Garden and a Rose Garden today.  I'll have to do a blog on that in the near future.  Happy Anniversary Karen!! Wishing you many more happy years with your great husband. 09/02/2010