Old Town Spring Pet Fest 2008 - October 18th and 19th!!

For two days in October Old Town Spring goes to the dogs, cats, ferrets, horses, bunnies, birds (you get the idea). 

Old Town Spring Pet Fest 2008 will take place October 18th and 19th 2008 at Old Town Spring.

The event will be Saturday from 10:00 Am to 5:00 PM and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

The event is dedicated to finding homes for the many wonderful animals in shelters and rescue groups across the Houston and surrounding areas.  Grab your furry friends and join in for the fun filled festival of entertainment and eduction.  This event helps to raise money, volunteers and foster homes for our many furry friends.  Mark your calendar now; there will be all kinds of events and fun.

Yappy hour Saturday from 4pm to 7pm to keep you and your pets entertained.

 Come see the latest in pet fashions, shop with all the vendors and the pet friendly stores in Old Town Spring, and find out what your pet is thinking with Houston's favorite Pet Psychic, Lisa Greene!

They have some great RAFFLE PRIZES for 2008!From a Sony flat screen, Garmin NUVI, Toshiba laptop and a couple more.  The raffle tickets are $5.00 each or 5 for $20. They can be purchased now at Different Strokes Pet Boutique or by calling 281.528.7070 or email PetAttire@aol.comand they will mail them to you. They can also be purchased at PetFest. All proceeds go to the PetFest Rescue Group/Shelter drawing on Sunday of PetFest.

Click here to view all the raffle items.

Your furry friends do need to obey a few rules.

1. They must be on a lease, crated or in an x-pen at all times.
2. You are responsible for the actions of your pet.  You must keep them in control at all times.
3. They must be current on their vaccinations.
4. They must be sociable with other animals, adults and children.
5. Comfortable in a loud and festive environment. 
6. At least 4 months of age.

*The sponsors reserve the right to ask you to leave if your pet is not obeying the rules.

The models are of course our pets. Abby is our chocolate lab, the middle cat is actually our grandkitty who lives with us while our daughter is seeing the world.  The bottom cat is Calvin who I adopted from one of my daughters prior roommates who could no longer keep him.  He is the only rescue pet of the three. 

For all your Spring TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

Gleannloch Farms Market Report - March 2008 to September 2008!

Gleannloch Farms is a 2,100 acre premier master planned community located in Spring TX .  It is conviently located off of Spring Cypress with easy access to State Highway 249. Home prices range from $140,000 to estate homes priced in the millions. 

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Gleannloch Farms, please contact me today.

The present builders include David Weekly, Trendmaker, Darling Homes, Newmark, Ryland and Village Builders. There are also custom lots available.  Communities exist for every lifestyle.  Starter homes star at about 1700 square feet and luxury custom homes go up to 5500 square feet with everything in between.  The custom homes are on larger lots of 1/2 acre or more

Residents can enjoy the outdoors in many way.   There are  41 acres of lakees, streams and open spaces.  Canoes are available to residents at the boathouse.   With the numerous walking and bike trails it is common to see the neighbors walking, riding bikes and just enjoying the beautiful surroundings.  Other outdoor amenities include an exciting water park and an athletic complex.  Take your pick; you can just drift across the lake or perhaps do some catch and release fishing. 

Gleannloch Farms 27-hole golf course was voted one of the top 10 Houston area golf courses by the Houston Chronicle.  With towering pines, lakes and rolling greens it makes for a breathtaking view.  The clubhouse has a pro shop and a full staff of PGA professionals

 For a complimentary Gleannloch Farms Home Evaluation  contact me today. 

Gleannloch Farm Resources

• Gleannloch Farms Community Highlights
• Klein Independent School District
• Harris County Appraisal District

For all your Spring TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

These statistics were compiled from the Houston Association of REALTORS® data on 9/9/2008 at 3:00 p.m. This data is reflective of homes which were listed on the MLS; private sales are not included. Information was obtained from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This information should not be used to determine the value of any property. Photos are for illustration purposes only and do not necessarily represent current or past listings.

Let's face it.  Home Maintenance is NOT fun, especially down here in Texas where it is Hot, Humid...then to put work on top of it.  Maintenance just slips our mind sometimes.  Hurricane Ike was a small reminder that we should not forget about these things.

When Ike rolled through, it pointed out all of the weak areas of our homes.  For some homes it was siding- Others it was fencing and trees.  How about roof damage?

One thing that I think would be good for us to consider is maybe once a year, the Spring in Coastal areas, to take a look around the exterior of our homes to see if there is anything that needs to be done.  Once Hurricane season rolls through, it could be too late.  So, here is a list that I recommend us to check out ATLEAST once a year.

• Fences-  So, they may look a little old.  How about those posts?  With our rainy weather, ants and termites they tend rot quickly.  Fences are often times the first thing to go in Hurricanes and Tropical Storms.  If the fence is ok but the posts are questionable, just change out the posts while you can.
• Roof-  Yes, they can sometimes last 20-25 years, but with our hot and humid climate sometimes they will only last 10 or maybe 12.  If it has been a while since you checked out the roof, climb up or call someone out.  The shingles are what keeps the weather from finding its way inside.
• Trees-  They are so beautiful!  But when it comes to storms they can be projectiles, flying objects, falling objects...all of the above?  None of which are good.  Maybe have a tree person come out once a year like you would for a termite inspection? 
  
• General siding and exterior maintenance-  Ugh. No fun at all and can be costly.  But if the siding or trim gets ripped off, it will cost even more to fix when you have water running inside the home.
• Windows-  Besides making your home more energy efficient, caulking them can help keep rain and wind OUT of your home.  Spring is a great time to check this also.
• Weather Stripping around Doors-  Another one that can help your light bill, but keep water out.  Again, Spring time will help your summertime utility bill and help during Hurricane season.
  
• Pools-  Make sure those drains work!
• Yard Drainage-  Nuff said.  If you think you need some help with drainage in your yard during light storms, don't wait until a big one rolls through.
• Sheds or Storage areas-  Don't forget about those.  They can get weak over time.

This is not even everything, but most of the exterior items that are open to the wrath of mother nature.  Below is a video that I took about 7 hours before the storm hit.  The oak tree on the left?  I was quite worried about it.  The winds were going to atleast double in speed and it was really swaying.  Below that are the pictures of the Oak Tree now.  It's not my home, but the amount that insurance is wanting to pay to help cover the damage?  Not even close, and it is the child's bedroom where it landed.  Everyone was ok, but it was a REAL reminder that we need to keep our homes in check in case a storm rolls through again.

Finally got power on Day 8 after Hurrican Ike. It has been crazy. Neighbors starting to put fences back up, debris starting to get taken away, Insurance Adjusters coming out and making some people happy, others not so much. Overall, most of us were lucky and walked away alive and well.

Up here in the Suburbs on the North side of Houston called Spring- Just south of The Woodlands, North of Downtown. Something I often hear from folks relocating in to Houston is "Do we need to be concerned with Hurricanes this Far North?" Well, the answer depends on what you are worried about. Flooding? Winds? Tornadoes? Although not often, we can get some damage up here atleast 75 miles from the coast. Typically there is not a whole lot to worry about. The storm will come through, we have a little mess to clean up with tree limbs, power will go out for not even a day....not too bad or worse that you would find with a normal bad storm anywhere in the world.

Hurricane Ike was one of those that took us by surprise and is kind of rare.

Granted, not anywhere near as bad as Crystal Beach or Bolivar Peninsula along the coast- But we did get some. Homeowner's Insuance in my opinion is a MUST even if you owe nothing on the property and are not required to have it. Although most areas do not Flood, for about $300 a year you can get full flood insurance (when it is NOT required) and that seems to be worth it to me, especially if you think that a torrential rainstorm may not drain quickly in your yard. Any rising water is considered 'flooding'.

Survey when buying the property? Yes! Mine will come in handy when rebuilding my own fence.

All of these tools really come in handy when that once every so often big storm rolls through- Even if it is not for another 25 years, you never know.

I thought I would share a few of the pictures that I have taken over the past week so that you could see what 75 miles away from the coast looks like from Hurricane Ike. Many of these were taken within 2 days of the storm and the streets are mostly clear now. Just FYI.

The Aftermath of Hurricane Ike in Spring TX!!

The last time I wrote a post I was getting prepared for Hurricane Ike.  That was a week ago and a week later these are scenes from the aftermath in my little part of the world in Spring TX.  In my last post I was concerned about being on the bad side of the hurricane which actually didn't happen; these are scenes from being on the good side of Hurricane Ike.  We missed the eye by about 15 miles from what I hear but that was quite okay with me.  We are really blessed that we didn't have fatalities in Harris County from the actual hurricane.  From what I understand we really didn't have that many deaths in all of Texas from the actual hurricane. 

I'm glad that we prepared the way we did because at this point we still don't have power and we heard an estimate of September 25^th.  We live at one of the most northern parts of the county and we have lots of trees in our area.   At the moment there are still lots of downed electric lines or lines with trees hanging over them.  A few of them you have to drive under which is a bit scary. There are pockets of people who have electricity and it seems I hear of more friends getting power every day.  They are getting electricity to many of our main shopping areas so we are able to get food and gas but many are still not open so there are long lines.  In our area it has been very orderly and most people are being very understanding. 

We heard Mayor Bill White talking about driving through Magnolia shortly after the storm and seeing subdivision after subdivision where people were out with their chain saws clearing the road and helping their neighbors.  I can only talk from our subdivision but as you can see from the pictures that is just what happened. 

What has been amazing to me is that there were no fatalities from trees falling during the storm.  It has also been amazing that more houses were not hit by the falling trees.  I was supposed to have a closing on Monday which of course did not happen since no one had power.  I drove over to make sure the house was okay; as I have an out of state buyer.  I was amazed that with all the trees I saw down I didn't see that many houses that had been hit.  In our small subdivision of 300 houses there were only a handful of houses that were hit but trees were down all over the place.  My husband told me of a guy he works with who decided to sleep downstairs that night and a tree came through his house and landed on the bed where he would have been sleeping.  He made a wise decision.

The truck in the slide show pictures is our truck. That huge pine tree missed it by about a foot. The car parked in front of it is our son's G 35. It is parked in our driveway as our son is in Iraq with the Army. That tree could have just has easily have taken out my son's and husband's car so we are feeling very thankful that it hit the way it did. The way the tree came down it did not even put a scratch on our old truck. One of the neighbors told my husband he should go buy a lottery ticket.

The children in our cul-de-sac are having a ball. They are out of school for the week and we all prepared a nice little fort for them in the middle of our cul-de-sac. I can tell you that my tomboy daughter would have been right in the middle of that a few years argo. We are all enjoying unseasonably good weather. I heard on the news that this is normal weather for October; what a God sent! God is good; we have been so blessed!!!

The good news for me right now is that I'm now in New York City visiting my daughter as I am writing this.  We have had a girl's trip planned for a few months and I'm thrilled that I was able to get here today.  It is wonderful to have electricity.  My sister gets in tomorrow and on Friday evening we will be going to see Wicked on Broadway. 

I was also out with my new flip video taking pictures but I have to learn how to put them on U tube so I will have some additional videos to post as soon as I figure out how. 

For all your Spring TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332