Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate

Thought I would ReBlog Mary's post here so I could share with my readers, and not forget about all of these cool sites myself!  :)

Somethin' HOT is cookin' in Houston!  If you are in Texas, or feel like visiting, we would love to have you with us!

My most recent post on Active Rain was pretty much a rant about how it seems the media will do about anything to get readers, even if it means writing something that is only half true or only one side of the story.

I actually wrote a Letter to the Editor about the article that I was referring to.  It did not get published, probably because I found out later that submissions could not be over 250 words.  Mine was considerably more.  :)

However today, I was reading the Business section and one of my favorite Houston Chronicle writers had an article regarding Real Estate sales from Buyers overseas because of the weak dollar.

Yeah!  Again, she saved the Positive day.  It seems that she always pulls through with a Positive Spin on just about anything.

It then hit me.  I would imagine that writers Rarely get a Thank You.  The negative spin on anything gets the emails rolling in while the Positive and Accurate articles get a grin and high five, but don't attract the attention.  Sort of like writing a blog, we don't really know what others think if there are no comments.

I immediately opened up my email and sent a Thank You over to the writer.  Think I'll also hop on and comment online. 

I have no idea if I will get a response, that doesn't really matter.  What matters is getting your voice heard whether it is positive or negative.  If more people Thanked the Media when they get it right, maybe they would do it more often.

Do you remember watching Ghostbusters 2? The whole concept behind these movies were really interesting if you think about it.

For example, as I read an article in the Houston Chronicle this morning it made me think about the 2nd movie. As I remember the movie, it all revolved around this substance that reacted to Human Emotion. If the Human Vibes around it were happy, the substance was happy. If there was anger around, it was Evil. Towards the end, the entire City was in an uproar and led to the uprising again of Vigo. Then our Heroes hopped in and saved the day with the Statue of Liberty by getting the City going again with a Positive Aura.

The article this morning was talking about not buying in to all of the Positive Media about Houston. ??? I was amazed. We finally start to convince the City and the rest of the Nation that it is not all Gloom and Doom down here, we get Kiplinger's Best City to Live and Work in Award and it trickles down to POSITIVE attitudes about the City from TV, Radio, Newspaper and Conversation at Starbucks.

Then, the LOCAL newspaper comes out and says BEWARE? I can't wait to see the how many spin offs will come out off of that one article on the Front Page that is noted as Commentary.

Like the sludge in Ghostbusters 2 that is so easily swayed by Emotion, the Media has the ability to affect and get some Economic aspects in a choke hold. And for the record, I'm not calling Media 'Sludge' :) We need the media.

Speaking as a Consumer here, and not as a Real Estate Professional, I would like to see the whole picture. Not what has happened in the last 3 months or 12 months but what is the outlook for the Future also? Yes, we get that Gas Prices are affecting everyone, we get the there are still parts of the Nation with Huge housing and Economic Problems, but what about these items:

• If jobs in Retail are down, what jobs have gone up? Houston has created almost 54,000 jobs in the last 12 months. In what sectors? This is also good information for those looking for a job...maybe to consider Trade Education?
• Construction Jobs are down, but where? The City is Huge!
  
• Our population has grown, could it be relevant information to add here that our population is expected to Double over the next 15 years?
• Gas Prices are High?!? Yep. But, what about that our gas prices are considerably lower than other parts of the Nation.
  
• There is 1/2 a quote from the Greater Houston Partnership, what was the other half? I would bet that it was positive. AND THEY are the ones that attract Business to come to this City.

The title of this Headline was "Better not buy into the economic hype". So, what are we supposed to do? What are we supposed to believe?

I understand, atleast I think, what the article was trying to say. But, would it hurt to look at all sides?

All of this is just thoughts. I appreciate the News that the Chronicle gets out there, and they do a Phenomenal Job of it, but I think Consumers are confused.

Houston is a Huge City in size.  By that, I mean land.  Suburbs make up a large portion of the City and many commute to work for 30 minutes or more.

With Gas Prices being high, everyone is feeling the pain at the pump.  No news there.  But how about other options to get to work?  We actually have quite a few options available to folks that have not been used as much until recent times.

Whether you live smack in the middle of the City, or out in the Suburbs like The Woodlands, I thought you may like to have a list of all of your Transportation options to help relieve your stress when you wait in traffic, or to help if you are considering Relocating here and need ideas of location.

Not only may these services save you money, they may also save time sitting in traffic on the way to and from work.  If you would rather Bike or Walk, the City has made it considerably easier for Inner Loop Residents to do that as well.

• I'll start with The District otherwise known as The Woodlands Express on the North side of town.  The Woodlands Express is equivalent to a Metro service for Residents in and around with Three Park and Ride locations in the Community and one in Conroe.  They offer rides to various areas through town from Monday-Friday.  Click here for the website

• VanPool has been around for many years.  This is a program where Residents in different areas 'share' the van and pool money to pay for the gas.  It has now merged with the Metro Program.  The advantage here is being able to find a group of people that work in the same location or nearby and at the same hours.  (This could be your neighbors if you like)  There are opportunities from Galveston to Conroe.  Click here for the website

• Trek is one that is getting really popular now a days.  They specialize in taking folks to Greenway Plaza, Galleria area and Medical Center.  Each location is near another point of Transportation if you need to get Downtown by Light Rail or Metro.  The only restriction here is that there are minimal places to get on.  Check out the website to see if it is near you.

• Metro Light Rail is a snazzy train that shoots down Main from just on the other side of 610 South near Reliant Park through Downtown near the University of Houston.  This could be a good opportunity to cut off Half of your Commute or more depending on where you live.  Click here for the website

• The Metro Bus Program has become larger AND they are switching the buses over to Hybrid's next year!  There are numerous Park and Ride locations through out town and run until rather late at night if you work odd hours.  Click here for the website

• I mentioned that you may be one that wants to bike to work.  There are over 345 miles of Bike Paths that connect in the City.  Want to exercise and commute at the same time?  Check out this website

This is only 6 options to help get your Bills off the Clothesline but there are many other options available for Residents and Homeowners in and around the City.  The Absolute BEST website that I have found to date with all of the options available is called Commute Solutions.  It's Fantastic!

So what are you doing?  Get those Bills back in your pocket!  Besides, it's also the GREEN thing to do.  If I missed a great service that you know of, please share in the comments.  Inquiring minds want to know.  :)

By the way, this post was inspired through a great discussion with @LaurieManny and @ChrisShouse.

Last Saturday I hosted a Tour of the Discovery Center at Discovery at Spring Trails and it was a Blast!  We had a great time and learned so much about the Technology and Construction Style that will be available out there.

Now, by popular demand, I am continuing the Tour Inside the Loop!

To the right is a Townhome by Shadehouse in the Heights.  Matt and Tina Ford have done a phenomenal job putting together units in Phase 1 and are about to Break Ground on some more!  Starting under $300K there will be the option to add some of those Sexy Green Options that everyone is asking for.  Here is a teaser list:

• High Efficiency Variable Speed A/C with Humidistat
• Rain Water Capture
• Spray Foam insulation
• 700W Grid Tied Solar Panels
• Tankless Water Heater

This list is just a start and the Details should be ready by next week.  Let me know if you would like to be on the list for the Pre Breaking Ground Party!

The next home that is lining up is also a Townhome Inside the Loop that has been Constructed with Insulated Concrete Forms.  I will be putting up a post soon about this style of Construction, but for now I'll say that with these guys in your walls it would give the equivalent of up to an R-40 Insualtion Value!  Extremely High Performing for Low Utility Bills.

The Builder (Phil Ogburn with Key Fortress Homes) has agreed to offer an educational session to my Readers about what ICF is all about.

The home is near completion and although this unit is not For Sale, I'll let you in on a little secret.  ;)  There will probably be some available next door in the near future.  Wait until you see this Skyline View!

If you are interested in being at either one of these, just send me an email and I will let you know as soon as the Dates and Times are set.  Hopefully I will know within the next couple of weeks. 

The fact that gas prices are high is not news.  They just keep going up. 

However, the fact that more Homebuyers are now taking more than Granite Countertops in to consideration before committing to a home is still growing news.  I have read many posts on and off of Active Rain about people looking more in to Urban Areas to reduce the amount of Gas they are using and maybe even be able to walk or bike to places around the area.

Well, I ran across a Neat Tool for Agents AND Homebuyers to find out exactly how 'Walkable' a Community is.  The Website is called Walk Score.  If you put in an address, it calculates the Walkability on a Google Map of all of the Amenities in the area, it shows everything from Parks to Grocery Stores to Movie Theatres. Cool!  'The Score' is from 1-100.

I put in 2 addresses to share here.  One is smack in the middle of what is Happening near The Galleria which is on the West side of Houston.  You can find just about anything there.  The other address is one in the Suburbs which has all of the necessities near by but not a whole lot of shopping or movie theatres within a few miles.  You can see the difference in the score.

Just thought you all may want to see how it could help with that question that has so many different  "So, how's this location?".

This one here is for the Suburbs:

This one is for The Galleria area, Urban Style:

What I like about Walk Score is that it not only gives 'The Score' but it also shows what all is nearby.  If the Home Buyer is not interested in having Malls or Movie Theatres nearby, they can take that in to consideration and only look at Restaurants, Parks or whatever they want.

Feel free to share your WalkScore below.  :)  Especially, PLEASE, if you know of an address in a New Urbanism Type Community. 

Just a Friendly Reminder that tomorrow I will be out at the Discovery Center with my Turning Houston Green readers from 9:30 am TO 11:30 am to give you all a tour!

You will be able to see the technology, solar panels, example of Energy Efficient Appliance packages and the EcoMagination program in general.

There will also be builders out there to visit with.  I know of 3 for sure and probably 2 others that will be out in the Community by about 10.

I look forward to meeting all of you!

The State Of Texas just made it a little bit easier for Homeowner's to start going GREEN and saving money on utility bills.

This weekend, Memorial Day, will be TAX FREE on appliances and other items that carry the Energy Star Logo!!  Sweet!

A few of the items included are:

• Thermostats
• A/C Units under $6000
• Dishwashers
• Refrigerators
• CFL Light Bulbs
• Ceiling Fans

I don't know about you guys, but I know where I'll be this weekend!  :)

To Read the Houston Chronicle Article about it, Click Here.

What is Green?  It means something different to everyone.  In fact, I have found it to be an extremely emotional term that can lead to a conversation worst than that of politics or religion. Everywhere you go, every publication you look at, many advertisements..they talk about GREEN. 

Theresa Boardman wrote an amazing post this morning on Inman about 'not buying into the green movement' that brought up great conversation on how green has become a marketing tagline companies, builders, Realtors..and points out many hypocrisies along the way.  I was all set to have a comeback about 'green' Realtors but as I thought about it, she was right.

Somewhere in mass of advertising the meaning and term has been lost.  What is GREEN anyway?  This is so frustrating.  We have no idea if what are looking at with a 'Green' label is really green or not anymore.  Greenwashing is everywhere these days.

As far as Real Estate is concerned I think it is important to remember that the 'Green Movement' and 'Green Building Movement' are not the same thing.  They are totally different.  The 'Green Movement' is solely about Conservation, Preservation, a Lower Environmental Impact and the 3 R's.  'Green Building' is for the homeowner.  A solar panel or a little bit more insulation does not make a Green home.

So, as Real Estate Agents we are kind of sitting back with eveyrone and everything going Green thinking homes are the same way, but it's not.  Even if you could care less about cutting down a tree or littering, we should all pay attention to Green Building.

Real Estate is a HUGE investment, slightly more than buying locally grown produce let's say.  As a Real Estate Professional we help to guide our clients to make the 'best investment' possible.  What if the home they are buying 'Green' is just a marketing gimmick? 

A Resale on the market that is 'Green' may only have new windows or A/C Unit and squiggly light bulbs.  The New Construction home may just have a little more insulation and radiant barrier.  Is it in our clients best interest to have no idea of what 'Green Building' is all about?  It's about the home as a living being, a whole unit.  Everything that goes into the home is affected by another component, yet the home will have a lower carbon footprint in the end.

If you make the home too tight with poor products, the Indoor Air could be toxic.  If you have a perfect HVAC system but the house as a whole is poorly constructed, it will not help your Utility Bills.  How is ignoring this side of the 'Green Movement' helping our clients?  Shouldn't we all be able to notice Non-Green items the way we would a water leak or wood rot?

As we sit back and giggle about 'Green' Realtors driving gas guzzlers or sit in line for 15 minutes with our cars running at a drive through to get a Recycled Paper Cup and Hamburger where the meat was transported from the opposite side of the Nation, let's also consider how our Homebuyers can also get sucked into the 'Green' scheme of things.

Green Building is here.  It is being mandated in a different city nearly everyday and not likely going away this time.  Very few of us could be 'Green Realtors' but we could all pass along knowledge as to how our clients can buy or sell without being taken for a ride.  Would that be a bad thing?