Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate

As I ocassionally cruise around the rain, I see many posts regarding Going Green.  Suggestions about how to Go Green, Information about Building Green..

This is actually good news.  It seems as though people are realizing the Benefits of Going Green, especially in Real Estate.

Although we have to be careful not to Greenwash products, people, etc. - It is great news to be spreading the word.

The Green Active Rain community is very active.  If you are wanting to know a little more about Going Green, feel free to join us in the Eco All Star Group!

janeAnne posted a January Challenge about 3 things you are doing in YOUR home to Green it up a little.  If you are just wanting to share what your Local Community is doing to Go Green, we would LOVE to hear about it!

Have you written a post recently about what how Your Area is Going Green?  Feel free to share the link here:

Here is one I did recently.

Taste of Town in The Woodlands is an Annual Tradition held every year around the end of January.  I'm sure many residents in the area remember when this event was small enough to be held in a Tent at the Pavilion, where now it brings such a large crowd that it has to be held at Marriott on The Waterway in the Conference Rooms.

I have attended this event many times and I have to say I look forward to it every year.  Once you have purchased a ticket to get in, it is the one time a year that you can walk around for hours tasting food from some of the BEST Restaurants in The Woodlands.  Get some dessert, a Beer or glass of wine if you wish, all that you would like for free once you go in. 

Be sure not to miss out on this years Taste of Town!  Here are the Details:

Venue:  Marriott on The Waterway

Date:  January 31st, 2008

Time:  4-9 p.m.

Cost:  $20 in advance, $25 at the door

For more information they also have a website at www.tasteoftown.org

If you are going,  I'll see you there!

Well, it's a crummy, wet, cold day in Houston today but when I saw this driving down the street today I said Woah Horsies!    I had a better picture lined up until a Cop showed up and made me move my car.  :(  (oops)

Ok, so this is just a teaser.  Sorry.  Hints for now....Nah. 

Ok, normally I would vent on a Member's Only post because I am mostly a firm believer of "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all." 

However, today I have changed my mind.  I am making this public in hopes that WHOEVER writes these insane Sales/Training Manuals for Search Engine Placement Companies runs across this and maybe learns something.

First, I will start with a disclaimer that I am not the techiest person in the world by far.  To be honest, I just learned a couple of days ago what the difference was between a Video Podcast and a general Video Tour.  BUT, I do understand basic SEO.  It's not rocket science.  I also used to do Sales Training.  You know, how to talk to people.

Now,  I really don't care for getting these phone calls from Google and Yahoo people trying to sell me Search Engine Placement.  Houston is the largest city in the Western Hemisphere Land Wise, I do not work the entire Houston area.  That has got to be 80 mile Radius or something with Several Million Homes.

I usually, POLITELY tell these people I'm not interested.  Yesterday I had a call from someone trying to sell me "Houston TX Real Estate For Sale".  She had a great line and I POLITELY told her:

"I understand, but that is not my TARGET Market online.  I am ALREADY on the first page of GOOGLE for my DESIRED keywords"  I then explained that Green is what I was targeting online and then had to get the other line.  I told her that I was not interested in their services.

One would think that was ok, right?

WELL, today I get a voicemail and low and behold.  Who is it?  It is Mrs. Search Engine Placement lady.   I was APPALLED AT HER MESSAGE!!!!  It went like this:

"Hi, Mrs. Edwards.  This is Mrs. Annoying Pants and we spoke yesterday about getting you on the First Page of Google.  Well,  I have been doing some research on your desired market and NOWHERE  (this was stressed)  did I find you on the first page of Google. Please give me a call at 1-800-Im Annoying so we can talk about your placement"

Um, NO!!!  I would never in my wildest dreams leave ANYONE a message like that, let alone a POTENTIAL CLIENT!  What is she thinking?!?!?

For the Telemarketing Trainers, here is my advice:

• Get your OWN placement on Google for searches like "How to be on the first page of Google" or "Houston TX Real Estate" with 'If you would like this search term please contact 1-800-Im Annoying'
• Explain to your sales people that the ABOVE VOICEMAIL is not acceptable.  Accusing the person on the other end of the phone of lying IS NOT A GOOD SALES TACTIC!  Neither is being condescending, hateful and RUDE.
• The Do Not Call List was created for a reason. 

Now, for Mrs. Annoying...Here is just a little of my search engine placement:

Green Houston Homes  #2

Solar Houston Homes  #'s 4,5 and 8

Green Building in Houston, TX on Yahoo #3,8,9 and 10

My other Target:

Imperial Oaks Realtor #1

Spring Woodlands Real Estate #1,2 and 7

Homes for sale Auburn Lakes  #5 and 6

How did you miss me?  These are just a few!  They are not all number one, but that's ok.  I will get them there...without the Google/Yahoo account.

Rest assured, I would never treat a Client, Potential Client, Past Client, any client there of, Co-Broking Agent, and yes...even Telemarketers like that.  It's just UNCALLED FOR.

Thank you for listening and have a Good Day.

I ran across an interesting Conference that will actually be held in Houston tomorrow  (Yeah, I know...I was surprised too).    It is called Got Social Media and they will have a variety of different speakers on internet marketing and Social Networks. 

Since this is all along the lines of what I would like to know more about, I signed up!  It appears to be hosted by Peanut Butter Media and will have a variety of what appears to be excellent speakers.

Has anyone heard of this?  I would love to hear input on what I will learn tomorrow.  Here is a list of what they will be covering, the list is from their site:

Any input?

Here on Active Rain and just about Every other Real Estate Related Network across the Nation, Real Estate Professionals- Including myself- Have written FACTS about our LOCAL Market.  We have stated time and time again how the Media is Simply incorrect in, Well, almost all of their coverage.

Houston TX, has decided to do something about it.  Our Market was #1 in 2006 for Residential Permits issued, and in 2007 our overall market was actually Really Good!  As of 2 Months ago there were only 2 Cities in the Nation with Inventory lower than us.

What did Houston do to Fight Back? 

Check out www.HoustonFacts.org  and find out.   :) Let's just say that you will find REAL and TRUE local statistics there.  Are there any other cities across the Nation doing this?

Being a homeowner brings a lot of Responsibility when it comes to home Maintenance.  We get in the Daily Rut of rush, rush, rush and take things for granted like Caulking in Bathrooms, Paint on walls...

Then comes time that we need to sell our home.  You invite a Real Estate Professional over to the home and one of the first questions asked is "Have you done any updates?"

Often times Homeowners think that Updating a home is expensive, quite the contrary.  Updating your home does not have to Break the Bank.

Let's take for example your Bathrooms.  You may have a Fiberglass Shower Enclosure.  Many people like to have Ceramic Tile, or Cultured Marble; but what REALLY makes the shower look Dated?  It's the Caulking and Fixtures.  Here is how you can Update your Bathroom the Cheapskate way:

• Tube of Caulk-  $5
• New Shower Faucet-  $24  (just the faucet itself, not inside)
• New Bathtub Spout-  $8
• New China Sink-  $34
• New Valves and Hoses under the Sink- $16
• Gallon of Low Voc Paint-  $30
• New Light Fixture- $20
• New Towel Bar-  $20
• New Sink Faucet- $30

All for a Grand Total of $187.00

Now let's look at your Bedrooms.  If you visit some of the Big Box stores on a regular basis, you can find some great deals on the Clearance shelves.  I recently found a Hunter Ceiling Fan WITH Light Kit for $39.97 !!!

So, if you Bargain Hunt- Here is how you can Update Your Bedroom for Cheap.

• Ceiling Fan- $50
• Low Voc Paint-  $30
• Updated Lamps-  $25
• New Curtain Rod-  $10

All for a Grand Total of $115

As a homeowner, if you maintain your home and do updates to it off an on throughout the year, Updating can be a BREEZE and NOT break the bank. 

Home Buyers are not Generally looking for a home with 10's of Thousands Dollars in Upgrades; They are just wanting a home that they can move in to with very little maintenance and not a whole lot to do.  A new coat of paint, caulking, light fixtures and Faucets can make an home look Brand Spankin' New.

Year after Year I hear from Sellers in The Woodlands and Spring area just North of Downtown Houston "I will wait until Springtime to list my home. We are thinking towards the end of April."

The Popular Belief for many years is that homes just DO NOT sell as well during the Winter and before May. 

Many Buyers and Sellers alike think that the time to sell is when School is out.  Parents do not want to take their kids out of school and so on.  The truth is, if you wait until the end of April or beginning of May to list your home, you may be missing out on MANY Prospective Buyers.

We have noticed in the past several years the 'Selling Season' start much earlier than usual.  In 2004 we noticed a Drastic pick up in sales in March, even earlier in the following 2 years, and last year...Well, here I have a chart to explain it.  The following chart is the 2007 Year at a Glance for a neighborhood in the area; Imperial Oaks.

This chart is broken down in to Average Days on Market, Average Price per Square Foot and Number of Homes Sold.  Every Dot on the Chart represents a different month; left to right starting with January 2007. 

This Chart tells us several things:

• From January to February, the number of homes sold jumped by nearly 10-A list month of November
• As we met April, the Days on Market dropped to well below 50- A list month of February
• Jump to May, when many believe homes start to sell it still shows an Avg. list month at the end of Feb.
• Homes listed in June averaged selling at the end of August and in September with little change in Price per square foot.

When Competing against many other homes in your neighborhood, it is imperative to stay ahead of the market and not chase it.  This comes in to play with Timing, Price, Marketing and so on.  Although we do not know that 2008 will follow the same trend as '07, with this chart in mind it is a good idea to List prior to April or May.

If you are considering Selling your Home within the next 6 months and would like some Information specific to Your Home and Your Neighborhood, please feel free to contact me for a Market Report to help you. 

***All Statistics were gathered through HAR MLS.

©All charts and content Copyright to Stephanie Edwards-Musa, The Woodlands TX Real Estate 2007

Stephanie Edwards-Musa
Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors (R)
9000 Forest Crossing
The Woodlands, TX 77381
Direct Line:  281-635-9444

Auburn Lakes is a Golf Course Community in Spring TX; one that I like to call one of the area's best kept secrets.  With a Community Center, Golf Course and Country Club, and Gorgeous Landscaped Lakes with Fountains you drive in to a breathtaking Community.

There are several sections still being built-One of those is the Estates section with many of the same Custom Builders as Carlton Woods starting about $500K all the way up to $1 Million.  In other sections you will find Lennar and Imperial for example that are building below $300,000. 

The Courts at Auburn Lakes is a section of Custom Patio Homes built by Cannon Custom Homes.

November and December were not too active in Auburn Lakes.  Many of the homes availabe are currently under construction in all price ranges. 

If you would like more information about Comparable pricing for your specific home, a current list of homes available or to view homes available in and around the Auburn Lakes Community, please feel free to contact me at any time by phone or email.  Happy New Year!

For more posts on Auburn Lakes, view the following links:

• Welcome Home to Auburn Lakes
• Previous Auburn Lakes Market Reports

***All Statistics were gathered through HAR MLS. Active and Pending Properties were compiled as of 1/3/08.

©All charts and content Copyright to Stephanie Edwards-Musa, The Woodlands TX Real Estate 2007

     Stephanie Edwards-Musa
     Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors (R)
     9000 Forest Crossing
     The Woodlands, TX 77381
     Direct Line:  281-635-9444

Well, we have approached our Second Season of the year in Houston which also means that it is a New Year!  It's January 2008!

Houston and its' Suburbs have maintained quite well this year in comparison to many parts of the Nation.  More specifically, Imperial Oaks continues to attract many buyers and keep several Move Up Sellers.

Imperial Oaks opened their new section, The Falls, this year.  A Beautiful setting around Nature where you will find Ponds, Walking Trails, a Dog Park, Fitness Center and anything else you can imagine.

 As usual, I will start out with a couple of properties currently available in the Community.

This first one, although you may never know by looking at it, is a Foreclosure.  It has New Paint, New Carpet, and some amazing Curb Appeal.  With 4 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 Bathrooms, 2 Car Garage and Both Formals there is plenty of room here.

This home on Nanton was built in 1992 and totals 2868 sq. ft. according to the appraisal district.  A Breathtaking Stairway invites you inside, the Master Bath invites you to relax with either the Separate Tub and Shower, and the backyard is an excellent size for a picnic!

This home is currently listed for $174,900.

This next home is an immaculate David Weekley only 3 years young.  It has over 3000 sq. ft. and all of the rooms one could ask for including a Game Room and Media Room. 

A other few items you will find here are a HUGE Master Closet, Separate Tub and Shower and a TRUE Greenbelt Behind the home...after the large backyard of course.

Nestled in Imperial Oaks Park 7 near the new Elementary School, this home is currently listed for $209,900.

Now for the Market Update for November and December.  As usual for this time of year, there were less sale but a couple of handfuls none the less!  There were definitely folks moving before Christmas!  All of the Active and Pending Properties are current as on 1/3/2008.

If you would like to see the Year at a Glance, use the chart below.  It tracks the numbers of homes sold, average Days on Market and Average Price per Square Foot by month for 2007.

If you would like more information about Comparable pricing for your specific home, a current list of homes available or to view homes available in and around the Imperial Oaks Community, please feel free to contact me at any time by phone or email.  Happy New Year!

For more posts on Imperial Oaks, view the following links:

•·         The Falls at Imperial Oaks

•·         Previous Imperial Oaks Market Reports

***All data compiled through HAR MLS.  Both listings shown are not listed by me and are posted with permission by the listing agents and broker.

©All charts and content Copyright to Stephanie Edwards-Musa, The Woodlands TX Real Estate 2007

     Stephanie Edwards-Musa
     Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors (R)
     9000 Forest Crossing
     The Woodlands, TX 77381
     Direct Line:  281-635-9444