Jason Gracey, Re/Max Vintage

Great Houston Properties Trade Vendor List – HOME INSPECTION
Greater NW Houston Area

Looking for a home inspector? These are companies our past clients were satisfied with and that work in the NW Houston area.

This list of inspectors is provided as a service to Buyers and Sellers. This list is only a partial list. Clients are encouraged to look in the phone book, on the internet, or ask friends for references for additional options. You should interview several and then make an independent decision on which contractor to use. By receiving and/or using this list, Buyer or Seller acknowledges that neither Re/Max Realty nor The GreatHoustonProperties.com Team nor Jason Gracey are responsible for the actions or performance of these contractors.

1. Eagle Star Inspections – Dave Boratyn

http://www.eaglestarinspections.com

281-389-3644

2. Langston Home Inspection - Zenos Langston

http://www.langstonhomeinspection.com

281-797-4226

3. Fox Inspection Group

http://www.foxinspectiongroup.com

713-723-3330

4. Cypress Inspections – Greg Gessner

http://www.cypressinspections.com/

281-373-1018

5. Buyer’s Advocate Home Inspection Services

http://www.myhoustonhomeinspection.com

832-687-2794

6. Katy Property Inspection

http://www.homeinspectionhouston.com

832-573-0771

Sure it's still February, but hurricane season starts at the beginning of June, and being ready means you need to budget so you can be fully prepared for any storm event situation. Preparedness lowers stress on you and can save lives.

Typical situations during a hurricane and after a hurricane include flooding, wind damage, trees down, loss of power, loss of water, structural damage, and numerous traffic situations.

Hurricane Readiness On the Gulf Coast

Top 15 List:

1. WATER - every person in your home needs at least one gallon per day plus you can expect to need additional water for washing and food preparation.

2. Food. Keep ready to eat foods that have high energy content, are things you're familiar with, and can be eaten without heating as well as plenty of canned goods, dry goods, and things that can be combined for simple camp-style eating. Kids and elderly may feel stressed, so comfort foods are important too. The goal is to keep your family as comfortable as possible and avoid stomach problems.

3. First aid kit and medications. Pharmacies may be closed so keep extra prescription drugs on hand in advance of a storm. Make sure your first aid kit is stocked and OTC meds are not expired.

4. Don't forget about your pets. Pets will need extra food and water too. Be sure and have enough available.

5. Clean bedding and clothes. The good thing about hurricanes is that you usually have plenty of warning so get your laundry done ahead of time in case of a loss of water and power. You may all be sleeping in the same room, so you'll need fresh camping gear.

6. Flashlights and Batteries. If and when the power goes out, you'll need to have light and a power source. Prior to a storm, stores will sell out of these items in record time. Buy early!

7. Emergency radio. Consider a hand-crank radio that comes with adapters to charge your mobile devices. A source of news will be invaluable to you. News channels will give road closures, traffic info, and locations for shelters and food and water drops.

8. Land line phone. Mobile service is often interrupted and signals disappear so have a hard line phone you can plug in to call for help or check on loved ones. No hand-held devices. Your phone will need a cord on the handset.

9. Cash. Keep cash on hand in case you need to evacuate to a hotel or purchase supplies. Banks and ATMs may be closed or inoperable.

10. Valuables and Important Papers. Whether you go or stay in your home, keep your valuables and important papers in one waterproof container that can be taken with you. Insurance policies and family photos are the most common items, but don't forget passports, investment records, bank cards, social security cards, and marriage and birth certificates.

10. Chainsaw. Many times a chainsaw can come in handy to clear trees and debris from the neighborhood. You can be a help to yourself and your neighbors while you wait for state emergency services to reach you.

11. AC Window Unit. Hurricanes happen during the hot summer months. A loss of power means a loss of air conditioning. If you're sheltering in place during the aftermath of a hurricane, you can use a small window unit and a generator to cool one room of your home. This is especially comforting at night, when you need sleep.

12. Generator. A generator is a great buy if you plan ahead. Prices go way up in the days before a storm, so don't wait on this one. With a generator, you can keep your fridge operational and run a small window AC unit and a few lights or the TV. Sometimes the generator can be shared with neighbors to help more than one household. Be careful with the generator and read the instructions. You can die of carbon monoxide poisoning if not properly ventilated so keeping the generator outside is the best bet.

13. Gas and Propane. In order to use the generator or your camp stove, you'll need gasoline and propane canisters. Stock up beforehand since gas pumps need power to operate and they may not be accessible after a storm.

14. Auto emergency kit. If you end up having to evacuate and get caught in traffic you need all of these things in smaller quantities for your vehicle. You may be stuck in traffic in high temperature situations. A portable potty for the car is also a good idea in case you need to travel. Be prepared to be patient, thoughtful of others, and in for the long haul.

15. Common Sense. This should probably be number 1. If the city advises your area to evacuate, then please evacuate and do it in the order they advise. This will alleviate traffic situations. If you are advised not to leave, then plan to stay put to prevent traffic build-up. If you feel you must leave, then leave early and carry a map to utilize alternative routes if necessary.

When you move to a gulf coast area, you suddenly learn that you need to become an expert on hurricanes. There are many types of storms we see in Texas. In fact we’re pretty much subject to all major disasters except (rarely) earthquakes. We have fires and floods, droughts and pestilence, tornadoes and of course….hurricanes. In fact, with the high humidity, constant mosquitoes, flooding issues and of course….hurricanes! It’s a wonder so many people have decided to call the gulf coast home!

But this post is not about the reasons people flock to Houston and the surrounding coastal areas. There are many factors that outweigh a little bad weather when it comes to finding a great place to live, work and play. That being said, new residents to the greater Houston area need to know more about Hurricanes.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 until November 30. I’ll post separately about what common items Houstonians keep on hand to ensure readiness for any storm event. In this post, I’ll provide you with 4 myths about hurricanes and a list of Houston’s top hurricanes in the last 100 years.

4 Hurricane Myths:

1. The size and area of a hurricane determine its impact/damage probability.

No! Some of the smallest hurricane storms in history have caused the greatest damage. Take Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Allison caused flooding and damage in areas of Houston that had never flooded before. Thousands of Houstonians were affected.

2. If you don’t live on the coast, you don’t need to worry about hurricanes.

Wrong. Although hurricanes lose their strength as they move inland, they can often dump excessive rain and cause flash flooding, tornado activity, and wind damage while moving through inland areas.

3. The stronger the storm, the bigger the storm surge. Storm surges are the most deadly part of the hurricane.

Nope. Not so. A storm surge is a dome of water pushed ashore as the hurricane makes landfall. The size of the hurricane, air flow, angle of approach, and land shape all affect the size of the storm surge so a weaker storm can still produce a large storm surge. The surge is deadly, but there are more recorded deaths from inland flooding and wind damage. Probably because most people evacuate the immediate storm surge area before it hits, thus avoiding the danger.

4. You don’t need to evacuate under evacuation order until the weather begins to get bad.

This is probably the biggest myth. If evacuation orders are issued it is to the benefit of all residents that these orders are followed. When people follow evacuation orders it cuts down on extreme traffic situations and prevents last minute chaos. When people delay, lives are lost. Typically in a hurricane the weather doesn’t get bad until the storm hits, at which point it is then too late to evacuate.

Houston Hurricane History:

· In 2008, Hurricane Ike devastated the Bolivar peninsula and Galveston Island. Damage in the gulf coast region was extensive.

· In 2001, Tropical Storm Allison — not even a hurricane — stalled out and dumped nearly 37 inches of rain on the Port of Houston over a five-day period, according to the National Weather Service. It killed 22 people and was the costliest natural disaster in Houston's history.

· In 1983, Hurricane Alicia killed 21 Texans. Wind gusts of hurricane force in downtown Houston littered the streets with broken glass as windows broke in tall buildings.

· In 1961, massive Hurricane Carla whipped up peak winds of 175 mph. Only 46 Texas residents died, largely because about 250,000 people had evacuated.

· A 1919 hurricane came ashore south of Corpus Christi as a Category 3 on Sept. 14. The death toll is estimated at between 600 and 900 people, including more than 500 lost on ten ships that sunk or were reported missing.

· The Great Storm of 1900 is memorialized in a Galveston storm history museum. This storm killed between 8,000-12,000 residents and was the reason that Galveston built its sea wall.

Now that Christmas has died down and family members are leaving town to go home, it's a great time before New Years to go out and visit the Johnson's home at Johnson's Christmas Corner. The Johnsons live in Fairwood subdivision in Cypress, Texas and have been putting on a MAJOR lights display (think National Lampoon's Christmas) since 2007. Their display is set to music and is certainly a memorable experience. If you can't make the drive over to their home, then check out their website at www.johnsonschristmascorner.com. You can watch past year's light displays and read about how and why they do it all on their frequently asked questions page. I think it's a great sharing experience to witness someone who goes out in such a way to have fun with the season and make young and old alike so happy with the experience. So before you pack up your holiday decorations and polish off the last of the eggnog, get everyone in the car and head over to The Johnson Christmas Corner located at 14811 Cypress Meadow Drive, Cypress, TX 77429.

Cypress, Texas is one of the fastest growing areas of Texas because it's a beautiful suburban area just outside Houston featuring a variety of jobs, home prices, neighborhood amenities and excellent schools. I found this short video about Cypress on Qwiki and thought it worth sharing. If you're interested in learning more about housing options or school information in the Cypress Texas area, please visit my website at http://www.GreatHoustonProperties.com.

http://www.qwiki.com/embed/Cypress,_Texas