Texas

Excited about Our Upcoming Conversation with Chris Brogan on Social Media Edge!

11-22-09

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653)

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Office: (512) 796-7653

Mobile: (512) 796-7653
Secondary: (512) 796-7653

Ken Cook and I are very pleased to announce that Chris Brogan will be joining us for our next show. We've had a string of terrific guests, but Chris is arguably our most well-known guest to date. I have a feeling that this show will probably break our previous listener records, but time will tell. I would like to publicly thank our friend, Cathy Browne, PR pro, for booking Chris. Cathy has been in charge of booking talent for a few months now.

Chris' blog at ChrisBrogan.com has over 30,000 subscribers, and he's the co-author of "Trust Agents", which became a New York Times best seller earlier this year. He is a highly-sought-after speaker these days, and I highly recommend both his book and subscribing to his blog.

Here's a quick review of "Trust Agents" that I wrote previously:

"Trust Agents" - Chris Brogan & Julien Smith - Quick Book Review

Clearly, the guy knows a bit about social media.

Join us on Tuesday, November 24th at noon Eastern (11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific) right here LIVE to hear Chris (and us, too!):

http://blogtalkradio.com/jckc

I think the segment with Chris will start around 25-30 minutes into the show. It promises to be an hour of fun and learning.

On another note, if you have any questions that you would like for me to ask Chris during our time together, feel free to leave them in the comments below and I'll do my best to work them in, depending on how many I get.

If, for some odd reason, you are simply unable to listen live, you can always listen via the archive recording. All of our previous shows can be found on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/socialmediaedge thanks to Mike Mueller!

So, here's the list again in case you missed anything above:

1. Tune in to listen to us and Chris LIVE Tuesday morning.

2. Post any questions you might have for Chris below.

3. If you miss it, listen to the archive recording.

Thanks for listening!

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Care and Training of a Search & Rescue Dog - Meet Stryker

11-22-09

Carol Pease, ABR, CRS, CRB, (512) 721-6320

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Office: (512) 616-4036

Mobile: (512) 721-6320

I've mentioned from time to time that my husband and I are active in Travis County Search and Rescue. You can read more about them at tcsar.org We are called out when there is a need for specially trained individuals to search for missing people whether it is on land, or in water. Many of the members have trained dogs that deploy as air scent dogs or in sad situations, cadaver dogs.

We decided to search for a dog of our own and we think we have her. Her name is Stryker and she is a one year old Dutch Shepherd. That is an offshoot of the German Shepherd Breed. Stryker's primary function will be to train for search and rescue operations, and her secondary function will be as our pet. She is a very strong little lady and she has chewed through 6 indestructible toys and one tennis shoe of mine. Meet Stryker, Isn't she beautiful?

. Dutch Shepherd

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Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home

11-22-09

Bryan Fagan

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Office: (281) 318-1455

As a seller in the Kingwood Texas area, it can be tough to make all the right choices when selling your home. In this article, we'll go over five common mistakes sellers make so you can ensure that you avoid these mistakes. By the end of this article, you'll have a good idea of what to do and what not to do when you're selling your home.
Mistake #1 - Bad Pricing Strategy
Most sellers are aware they shouldn't price their house too low. However, it's all too common that sellers overestimate what their house can sell for and price too high.
The logic they often go by is that they can always "accept a lower offer" if the price they're suggesting doesn't work. However, what usually happens is buyers are just scared off by the higher price and don't even come to look at your property.
Mistake #2 - House is Cluttered
This may seem like common sense, but it's an all too common mistake. The buyer comes to look at the house and it's still cluttered with belongings from the seller's family.
A cluttered house is unappealing to buyers. Make sure you move all your stuff out of your house, even if it means renting a storage unit for a few months.
Mistake #3 - Garden is not well kept
The front and back yards are often the first impression your buyer gets of your house. Beyond just physical looks, this tells the buyer how well your house is kept. Make sure your front yard and back yard are in tip top condition.
Mistake #4 - House is not Staged
Staging is the process of making your house as appealing as it can possibly get.
Clean the house thoroughly inside and out. Make sure the lighting is great and that there's either fresh air or a light scent throughout the house. Make any repairs that are necessary.
Have furniture that showcases the house and have empty rooms when appropriate.
Mistake #5 - Not Hiring a Real Estate Agent
Hiring a real estate agent will almost always save you time and money. Statistics have repeatedly shown that working with a real estate agent results in higher sale prices and faster sales. Many owners who list FSBOs end up wishing they had listed with a real estate agent instead.
A real estate agent can help you sell your house quickly and for the best price. They've spent hundreds of hours training to do so and a great real estate agent will already have tons of experience selling homes just like yours.
To speak with an experienced real estate agent who can help you sell your home, please give me a call at 281-318-1455 or send me an email at info@bryanfagan.biz

For More information about Kingwood Real Estate in Texas or Humble Real Estate in Texas feel free to contact me or check out my website at http://www.bryanfagan.biz/mls-search2.html

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History of Conservation in Texas: Part 1: A timeline to 1900

11-21-09

Mike Michaud

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Office: (903) 640-0888

Are you into conservation? Like to see the history of conservatation awareness and activities in the US and particularly Texas?

Here they are, courtesy of the Texas Legacy Project. They are collecting videos and documents that capture the history and development of Texas and its relationship to conservation:

http://www.texaslegacy.org/m/index.html

If you're into conservation, then you'll be interested in our various green building technologies and methods. Check it out at www.preferredbuilders.org/home or www.solarcertifiedhomes.com

Some key Events in Conservation History in Texas:

1681	International	Wildlife	Extinction of the Dodo, a flightless bird native to Mauritius, lost to meat hunting and destruction of its eggs by introduced rats, pigs and monkeys
1729	Texas	Water, Irrigation	San Antonio River first diverted for irrigation at Spanish missions
1739	United States	Pollution	In one of the first American environmental protests, Benjamin Franklin and other Philadelphia tradesmen petition the Assembly against slaughterhouse waste in Dock Creek
1768	International	Wildlife	Extinction of the Steller's Sea Cow, a marine mammal once found along the Pacific Rim, from Japan to California, lost to hunting for meat and hides
1800	International	Population	World human population rises to 1 billion
1814	United States of America	Science, Information	Completion of Alexander Wilson's work, American Ornithology
1820	Texas	Population	Texas population estimated to be 20,000
1832	United States of America	Parks	Arkansas Hot Springs established as a national reservation, serving as a precedent for the protection of Yellowstone and the later creation of a national park system
1835	United States of America	Information, Literature	Ralph Waldo Emerson writes the essay, Nature, beginning an American tradition of Transcendentalism
1836	Texas	Population	Texas population gauged at roughly 50,000
1839	International	Technology	Sir William Robert Grove invents the fuel cell, giving the promise of a relatively clean energy source
1839	United States of America	Science, Information, Art, Wildlife	John James Audubon's Birds of America is published
1840	Texas	Water, Legislation	The Republic of Texas turns from the Spanish and Mexican system of water appropriation, based on the concept of first-in-time, first-in-right for beneficial water uses, and adopts the English rule of riparian right where all owners of land adjacent to a s
1846	International	Technology	John Deere has a Pittsburgh company roll the country's first cast steel plow, leading to the efficient breaking of prairie sod
1846	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Ferdinand von Roemer notes it was punishable by fine to kill vultures in Texas, the first mention of wildlife protection in the state, possibly a county or common law provision
1850	United States of America	Wildlife	Introduction of the English Sparrow into Brooklynn, one of the first exotic species to be brought into the United States
1852	Texas	Water, Legislation	The State of Texas passes the Irrigation Act of 1852 which grants counties the authority to regulate dams and ditches, starting a Texas tradition of delegating water decisions to local governments
1854	International	Water, Public Health	Dr. John Snow identifies water from a contaminated London well as the cause of a local cholera outbreak
1854	United States of America	Information	Henry David Thoreau's Walden published
1854	United States of America	Information, Science	Completion of plates and text for the Vivipaous Quadrupeds of North America, by John James Audubon and John Bachman
1854	United States of America	Technology, Water	Daniel Halladay introduces the mechanical windmill, allowing the settling of the arid sections of the Midwest
1855	United States of America	Technology, Water Pollution	Chicago develops first comprehensive sewer plan in a major American city
1856	Texas	Water	Supreme Court of Texas recognizes a riparian system of water rights, allowing landowners adjacent to rivers to divert water
1859	United States of America	Energy, Technology	Edwin Drake strikes oil at Titusville, Pennsylvania ushering in the era of petroleum as a major energy source
1860	Texas	Population	Texas state population estimated to be 600,000
1860	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas enacts its first formal game law, a local ordinance protecting quail and partridge for 2 years on Galveston Island
1861	Texas	Parks	Texas acquires ten acres of public property at San Jacinto to commemorate the Texas revolution's decisive battle, designated in 1897 as a park
1864	United States of America	Information	Publication of Man and Nature: the Earth as Modified by Human Action, by George Perkins Marsh
1864	United States of America	Parks	President Lincoln signs a bill granting Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove to the State of California as an inalienable public trust, the first protection of lands for scenic value
1866	International	Information, Science	German biologist Ernst Haeckel coins the term, ecology
1866	United States of America	Legislation	Passage of the Mining Act in the U.S., subsidizing resource extraction
1866	United States of America	Non-Profit Groups	American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals founded
1868	International	Technology, Forests	John Casson introduces the continuous feed circular saw, greatly accelerating the ability to process logs into planks
1870	United States of America	Non-Profit Groups, Wildlife, Science	Organization of the American Fisheries Society
1871	United States of America	Information	John Burroughs' Wake Robin is published
1872	International	Information	Global research voyage of the HMS Challenger
1872	United States of America	Parks	Setting aside of Yellowstone as the first official US national park
1873	International	Technology	Joseph Glidden invents barbed wire, enabling continuous high-stocking-rate grazing
1874	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas enacts its first trespass statute, protecting enclosed lands from trespass by "shooting, hunting, fishing or fowling"
1874	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas enacts regulations restricting coastal seining and netting
1876	Texas	Water	Irrigation for farming in the Lower Rio Grande Valley begins on a small scale
1876	United States of America	Non-Profit Groups	Organization of the Appalachian Mountain Club
1879	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	First state-wide Texas game law is passed, protecting songbirds and established a season for dove and quail hunting
1879	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas creates the Office of Fish Commissioner, charging it with the duties of preserving fish and building fish ladders
1879	United States of America	Science, Legislation, Agencies	US Geological Survey formed
1880	Texas	Population	Texas population estimated to be 1,500,000
1881	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas creates a 5-month closed season for prairie chickens and a 3 1/2 month closed season for turkey
1881	United States of America	Air Pollution, Legislation	Chicago becomes the first American City to enact an ordinance controlling smoke discharges
1882	United States of America	Agriculture	Massachusetts passes first pure food laws
1882	United States of America	Technology, Energy	Construction of world's first hydroelectric power plant, sited in Appleton, Wisconsin
1883	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas Legislature exempts over half the state (130 counties) from all fish and game laws
1883	United States of America	Wildlife, Non-Profit Groups, Science	Formation of the American Ornithology Union
1885	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas Legislature abolishes Office of Fish Commissioner in climate of falling farm commodity prices, and conservation apathy
1888	United States of America	Wildlife, Non-Profit Groups	Society for the Introduction of European Songbirds of Portland, Oregon introduces 35 pair of Starlings
1889	Texas	Water, Legislation	Texas passes the Irrigation Act, replacing riparian rights with the prior appropriation system ("first in time, first in right") when diverting water from rivers
1889	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Frio County citizens petition Texas Legislature to place it under protection of state game laws, due in part to insect and rodent crop damage
1890	Texas	Forests, Non-Profit Groups	Texas Arbor Day and Forestry Association has initial meeting, seeking renewal of forests and diffusion of knowledge regarding woodlands
1891	Texas	Water	Rice production begins on a commercial scale in Jefferson County with delivery of irrigation water from pumps on Taylor's Bayou
1891	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Responding to millinery threat, Texas enacts protection for seagulls, egrets, herons and pelicans
1891	United States of America	Forests, Legislation	Congress passes the Forest Reserve Act, authorizing the President to create forest preserves, leading to the formation of the National Forest system
1892	International	Technology	Rudolf Diesel invents the internal combustion engine
1892	United States of America	Non-Profit Groups	Sierra Club founded
1893	Texas	Parks	Texas authorizes funds for purchase of land at the Alamo site, Goliad, Refugio, and San Jacinto to commemorate critical battles in the Texas Revolution
1893	Texas	Water, Dams	Austin Dam, the first major dam on the Colorado River, is completed (destroyed in 1900 by floodwaters)
1895	Texas	Agencies	Texas Fish and Oyster Commission created to regulate fishing in the state
1895	United States of America	Information	Field & Stream magazine first published
1896	United States of America	Agencies	Initial funding of the Division of Biological Survey, the precursor of the US Fish and Wildlife Service
1897	Texas	Non-Profit Groups	Organization of the Texas Game Protective Association
1897	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	Texas Legislature declares that some avian species are public property
1897	Texas	Wildlife, Legislation	77 Texas counties claim exemption from state game laws, declining from 130 in 1883
1897	United States of America	Agencies	Creation of the United States Forest Service
1898	Texas	Water, Navigation, Dredging, Canal	Railroad magnate Arthur Stilwell organizes dredging of a ship canal from Sabine Lake to Gulf Pass, providing ocean access for Port Arthur
1899	Texas	Non-Profit Groups	First Audubon group created in Texas, in Galveston
1900	Texas	Natural Hazards	A hurricane strikes Galveston, inundating the Island and killing 6000 to 12,000
1900	United States of America	Wildlife	Wild bison population falls to less than 40 from an estimated 30-50 million a century earlier

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Helping out a new agent! San Antonio, Texas

11-21-09

TONY MARTINEZ

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Office: (210) 333-3331

Mobile: (210) 325-8560

If your an experienced agent it is in your best interest to help someone who is new to your office or new to the business. I make it a point in out office to joke around and help a new agent. One, it lightens up an already awkward situation. It's like the new kid in school. Two, somewhere down the line that person will do the same.

Today was a training day for me. I took out a new agent and learned a lot from him. He played Football for the North Carolina Tar Heels! WOW! He had a full scholarship and was injured. We talked about High School and College football. We talked about his career in the military after college. Oh, yes we did talk about real estate, but that was more of an after thought.

See when you take the new person in the office out on an appointment or training time to share what you know, you might be surprised by what they teach you!

Have a great week all!

http://www.tmartsellshomes.com