About Brazos County, TX

Nothing helps kids learn teamwork and good sportsmanship like being involved in sports. Kids ages 3-5 are welcome to join up with the City of Bryan's Parks & Rec Department for their public baseball program. Open registration for Smart Start Baseball in Bryan, TX has begun.

The Smart Start Baseball program is meant to get Bryan kids ready for tee ball...sort of a pre-school for organized baseball programs. They will learn the basic fundamentals of the game without the pressure of competing with other teams. This helps kids foster a healthy attitude and excitement to get involved in the sport of baseball while keeping their bodies active. Franklin Sports and Hasbro have provided age-appropriate equipment for the kids to use. Some of the skills the kids will learn include how to throw, how to catch, batting and how to run from base to base.

The Smart Start Baseball program begins February 23, 2012 and meets every Thursday evening at 6:15pm until March 29, 2012 at the Bryan Regional Athletic Complex (5440 N Texas Ave). Bryan residents only pay $35 per child for the program, while non-residents are welcome but are required to pay $45. Download your child's registration form here. All forms must be turned in to the City of Bryan Parks & Recreation Department office (1309 E MLK Blvd) or the Bryan Aquatic Center (3100 Oakride Dr) before the start of the program. Hurry, though. Spots fill up fast.

Stephanie Hansson, Living the Good Life in Bryan – College Station Real Estate

Originally posted on my Living in Bryan/College Station real estate blog here: http://livinginbryancollegestation.com/smart-start-baseball-registration-begins-bryan-tx/.

The National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (NAHB/IMI) recently released their report showing which areas of the country indicate an improved local economy. Thanks to its positive job growth, increasing home prices and higher housing permits, College Station is one of 11 Texas cities that have made it onto this list. This proves that the College Station real estate market is on the rise.

The NAHB/First American IMI looks at three factors to determine a which metropolitan areas have shown a measurable improvement: employment, home prices and single-family housing. A rise in jobs, home prices and single-family housing indicates that the College Station real estate market is showing its strength. According to this report, employment levels have increased 4.5%, home prices have gone up 7.8% and permits to build single-family homes has risen by 3%.

The index updates its list monthly using the most recent data available. January's index indicates an 85% increase of housing markets across the country that show a marked improvement from the previous month. December's index contained only 41 markets that had improved. November 2011's statistics showed 30 markets, while October 2011 only had 21 markets showing improvement.

What do these numbers mean for you? If you are interested in purchasing a College Station home, there's no time like the present. With home prices beginning to rise, you'd better start looking now. If you are looking for a wonderful place to live that offers good job prospects and a steadily growing economy, College Station is for you! Just let me know when you're interested in looking so I can help you achieve our goal of homeownership.

Stephanie Hansson, Living the Good Life in Bryan – College Station Real Estate

Originally posted on my Living in Bryan-College Station real estate blog here: http://livinginbryancollegestation.com/college-station-real-estate-market-rise/.

December 2011 MLS RESIDENTIAL DATA SURVEY

RealEstateCenter

TexasA&MUniversity

Attn: Mark W. Baumann

College Station,Texas7842-2115

979-845-2031; Fax: 979-845-0460, mlssurvey@tamu.edu

Sales Closed 135 Average sales price $184,146

Sold dollar volume $24,859,758 Average days on market (DOM) 156

Total number of active residential listings 1362

Total number of new listings 203 Pending Listings: 81

Residential

Sales Closed this Month Total Active Listings

Note: Residential data includes single-family, townhouses and condominiums. If you cannot separate single family from condo/THs, then just fill in total sold and total active.

Board web site: www.bcsrealtor.com