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HOA Reform Means Changes for Houston Texas Homeowners
Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 4:14pm. 1793 Views, 0 Comments.
When I was shopping for my first house, my dad pulled me aside for a bit of fatherly wisdom. "Find a place with a strong Homeowners' Association and plenty of deed restrictions. Trust me, you want a lot of deed restrictions." And to a point, he was right. It's those HOA rules which ensure that the neighbors all maintain their homes at a consistent level. HOAs can help ensure the neighbors don't let the yard get full of weeds, park junked-out cars in the driveway and generally let their homes get run-down, taking our property values with them.
But as many homeowners can attest, being part of an HOA isn't aways an easy experience. A quick survey of the Internet reveals story after story of ordeals and horrors homeowner's have endured at the hands of…
New Ways Houston Home Builders are Selling Houses
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011 at 5:21pm. 881 Views, 0 Comments.
No one can dispute the buying power of the Internet. All we have to do is enter a credit card number and boom, we're the proud owner of shoes, books, music, clothes, toys and … houses?
"The latest trend," says one of the 567 million Google hits I found on this very topic, "is to buy a house online."
You can't really buy a house online. But you can look at photos, watch video, print listings – or simply scan a QR barcode while out and about – to help narrow down the choices.
"Baby boomers want a lot of information and it's up to us to get it to them in a way they want it," said Rosemary Bickford, vice president of sales and marketing at Brickland Homes. "Buyers want to know almost everything before they even pick up the phone."
And hopefully from there, they…
Mortgages Underwater, Housing Recovery Stalled: Bring Out the Bulldozer
Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 1:46am. 7809 Views, 0 Comments.
In recent months, discussions on the economy have been dominated by two topics: the national deficit and jobs. And rightly so. Mushrooming debt casts a pall on our long-term financial outlook and unemployment is a singular focus for anyone looking for a job. As the economy continues to sputter, though, many economists and analysts are reaching the conclusion that, just as the housing market was at the core of the economic crisis, it is also the key to recovery.
Currently, 1 in 5 mortgages is underwater; with these homeowners often pouring all of their resources into just keeping their homes, they often have little money left to put back into the economy. Foreclosed homes, which in some areas sit in limbo for months or even years, often fall into…
Making Your Houston Home Energy-Efficient can be Easy Peasy Money Squeezy
Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 1:03am. 1734 Views, 0 Comments.
This is the time of year that makes even seasoned Houstonians want to hide from the heat in an air conditioned cocoon; and as temperatures soar, our electric bills do, too. In fact, thanks to our sultry summers, Houstonians have among the highest utility bills in the country.
Luckily, there are things you can do to ease the pain - and that doesn't mean packing up to move north. (You don't want to live there come winter anyway.) With changes to your home big and small, you can slash your energy bills, help the environment - and use local and federal rebates to help pick up the tab.
Fix Those Leaks and Insulate
Regardless of what new, energy-saving technology might be out there, much of our home's energy efficiency comes down to simple and low-tech - how…
Glenbrook Valley In Houston Texas Gets Groundbreaking Historic Designation
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 at 10:59am. 5033 Views, 0 Comments.
In 1956 Glenbrook Valley was just hitting its stride. The Parade of Homes had singled out the residential area, exclusively featuring Glenbrook Valley for all 30 homes on their annual tour. The development had previously been included in a citywide Parade of Homes in 1954, but not for the entire event.
Nestled along Sims Bayou between I45 and Telephone Rd., Glenbrook Valley originally opened in 1953 with a lot of fanfare. It was designed by the renowned Kansas City landscape architecture firm Hare and Hare, which was known for many Houston layouts, including River Oaks. The subdivision also received a lot of interest when Better Homes and Gardens featured 7923 Glenview on the September 1954 cover for an article titled “The Home for All America” and was the…
Montrose - One Funky Neighborhood in Houston Texas
Sunday, August 7th, 2011 at 1:42pm. 2716 Views, 0 Comments.
Look at an early picture of Montrose Blvd., circa 1911, and you'll see a grand avenue complete with wide, treed esplanade and sidewalks, freshly carved out of Houston dairy farmland. You'll also see echoes, however faint, of the Montrose we know and (mostly) love today.
When the area we now call Montrose was still being grazed by cows, in the late 19th century, suburbs were starting to come into favor in other cities around the country. New York City, in fact, had had commuters traveling to and from Brooklyn by ferry since the 1850s. But for a young, inland city like Houston - bayous and ship channels notwithstanding - it would take an entirely different mode of transportation to make the suburbs take off. And that happened in 1891, when the electric…
The Montrose Area Whole Foods in Houston Texas - Built to Suit
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at 11:06pm. 2657 Views, 0 Comments.
Judging by all the press the new Whole Foods at 701 Waugh has received, you’d think that the natural and organic foods store has revolutionized grocery shopping. The store not only offers its standard wholesome selections of foods, but its building design and functionality sets it apart from all of its utilitarian carbon-copy counterparts.
Whole Foods broke ground April 2010. After three years of various construction and placement changes, the Austin-based company celebrated with the grand opening of its sixth Houston location on June 22, 2011.
Stone Soup 6 Architecture, which has partnered with Whole Foods on many projects, was the architect. Cleveland Construction, headquartered in Ohio, was the general contractor for the project.
Many green features have…
Keep Your Emotions Out of the Real Estate Selling Process
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at 10:21pm. 1942 Views, 0 Comments.
If there’s one thing that will always get in the way of selling your home, it’s your emotions. So, how do you remain objective when selling something in which you have an emotional investment? Below are several important tips to aid you in this process.
- Hire a Realtor to help you set an objective price – The truth is that, most of the time, you will think your is worth more than it really is. And rightfully so; after all, you’ve likely invested a good deal of time, money and energy into making your house a home. However, buyers simply are not interested in your emotional investment. So, instead of pricing your home according to what you think it is worth, call in the advice of a qualified real estate agent who can give you an accurate price at which to…
A Lean, Mean, Environmentally Green Home
Friday, July 29th, 2011 at 4:53pm. 2377 Views, 0 Comments.
Environmentally friendly, "green" & more eco-conscious are sizzling hot topics in homes and businesses across the U.S. Families and people all over seem to more aware and concerned with the beautiful Earth we live on. Most folks want to conserve energy in their homes, and the subject is often a major topic of discussion as home buyers start looking for their dream home. Not only does energy conservation save homeowners money and make their home more appealing, but it also has a significant positive impact on the environment. In the real estate market today- fewer home features attract as much attention as a home's ability to conserve energy. So, let's get down to business and help you make your home a "green" energy conserving machine!
1. Tame that…
Texas Cyclone, Greased Lightning, Snow, and Fresh-Baked Bread: Astroworld USA in Houston Texas
Sunday, June 26th, 2011 at 10:48am. 2672 Views, 0 Comments.
For almost 40 years, summer in Houston meant two things: air conditioning and Astroworld. Our own private Disneyland, the Astroworld theme park was a requisite childhood destination, someplace everybody went at least once and a repeat trip for many. And like so many Houston landmarks, it was the brainchild of an exceptional person.
That person was Roy Hofheinz, a Rice University-educated lawyer, who served as Harris County judge (thus securing his most enduring title, "Judge Roy") and later as Houston mayor. After presiding over two contentious terms, during which he was impeached and had four city council members arrested for boycotting a special meeting he'd called, he returned to private law practice and business ventures.
Part of that business was the…
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