Jill Wente - Spring TX Real Estate

Retirement .... the first place that pops into my mind is Florida and the next would be Arizona. It would not be Spring Texas. Why? Maybe because over the years Florida and Arizona have received a lot of exposure from the press. And until lately I don't think the reporters knew where Spring Texas was yet alone if it would be a good place to retire to. Well they must have discovered our area because lately I am receiving more calls from people living in Florida inquiring about life in Spring Texas.

What makes an area a good place to retire to anyway?

CLIMATE - Are you tired of shoveling SNOW? In the seven years that I have lived in Spring TX it has only snowed once. And even then the snow was gone by mid-afternoon the same day. The average high / low temperatures during the Winter months is 63 / 42 F, during Spring its 78 / 57 F, during Summer its 92 / 72 F, and during the Fall its 80 / 58 F.

MEDICAL FACILITIES - A short 45 minute drive away is the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the WORLD. Its employs over 10,000 M.D.s, Ph.D.s and other doctorates. In addition to over 26,000 registered nurses and medical support staff.

In and around the Spring area we have access to five regional hospitals ranging in size from 190 to 550 beds.

GOLF COURSES-There are numerous golf courses in the area. Including the public courses of Gleannloch Pines and Windrose and the private courses of Champions, Raveneaux, and Northgate Forest. Our climate allows you to enjoy golf almost year round.

PERFORMING ARTS - One of the little known facts about Houston is that it has the second largest quantity of theater seats. It also is one of the few cities in the country with resident companies for all four major performing arts: ballet, drama, opera, and symphony. If you don't want to drive into downtown Houston, we have numerous performing art venues in Spring.

COST OF LIVING- Compared to the rest of the country, Spring's cost of living is almost 24% lower than the U.S. average. Our median home priceis $150,000 which is 30% lower than the national median home price.

REAL ESTATE- We have numerous housing options designed to meet various lifestyles. Including patio homes with zero lot lines, assisted living communities, master planned communities, homes on golf courses, single story townhomes, and active adult communities.

INCOME TAXES - Texas is one of only seven states that have NO state income tax. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming are the other states with no state income tax.

PROPERTY TAXES - Its true that property taxes in Texas are higher than other states. But there are a couple of things that you have to keep in mind .... 1) we have no state income tax, so we fund our schools through property taxes 2) our combined property tax rates range from 2.1% to 4.2% of the assessed value 3) if your Spring Texas home is your primary residence you will be eligible for a general homestead exemption reducing your property taxes 4) if you are 65 or older and the home is your primary residence you will be eligible for an over 65 exemption reducing your property taxes and freezing the school property tax rate and 5) over the last several years our property values have experienced modest increases making the property taxes still manageable.

Is Spring Texas a Good Place to Retire to? I would have to say "YES".

Read also:

• The TRUTH about the homestead exemption
• How is the Spring TX Real Estate market

(281) 804-8626

Almost 1.2 million Texans in addition to myself went online and voted for our new state license plate design. I am proud to say the design I voted for "Lone Star Texas" was the clear winner capturing almost almost half the votes.

I suppose the Texas Department of Transportation wants to make sure no vote tampering occurred because they have yet to declare the results official. It was really all for fun anyway. Since the Texas Transportation Commission will be making the final decision on February 28th.

The new plates are needed because its projected that by the end of 2008 we will have exhausted our current six character combination plates. Its no wonder we are running out since the state of Texas's population increases by roughly 1,000 people every day. In addition to a new plate design the number and letter combination will be increased from six to seven to accommodate these new Texans.

If you missed your chance to vote you are going to have wait longer than another four years. Based upon population projections, The Texas Department of Transportation anticipates the seven character combination pattern to last 35 years.

Don't look for the new plates to be on my car anytime soon. Even though my favorite design "unofficially" won, I would have to pay for them since my plates are not seven years old. And I can find other things to buy for my car instead of plates like ..... GAS.

(281) 804-8626

Based upon what the national media has been saying, you have to believe that the real estate market everywhere is terrible.  Just the other day, I received a call from a potential buyer who was going to be relocating to Spring Texas. He said that he thought that I would just love to work with him because I was probably not busy. I was puzzled. He continued on saying that based upon how slow he has heard the real estate market is, he thought for sure that I would just jump at the chance to help him. 

He was right that I would love to help him but not for the reason he thought. Not because I am not busy, but because he was a highly qualified buyer with an immediate need.

Now the thing about the national media is they are just that NATIONAL. Real Estate on the other hand is LOCAL. What the potential buyer had heard about the national real estate market is not how our local market is fairing.

How is the Spring TX Real Estate market?  Good!!

• 2007 was the second best year on record for the real estate market in the Houston Texas area, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. 2006 was the best year on record.

• Stable and growing employment - Houston employment continues to grow at a faster pace than the rest of the nation. Oil prices should remain strong keeping job growth strong and in turn creating demand for the homes.

• 2008 projected to be third best year on record for our local real estate market.

• Interest rates are near historic lows making this a good time to purchase a home.

• Stable housing prices - Our market has experienced slow and steady growth over the last several years making it a stable market. We have not had the high price appreciation and large depreciation that has caused havoc in other markets.

• Affordable housing prices - The median home price is $152,000.

The word has gotten out about the affordability of living in Spring Texas. We are constantly helping people who are relocating to Spring. We would love to help you too. But not because the market is terrible and we are slow.  

Read also:

• Did the Fed Rate cut help or hurt mortgage rates?
• Top 10 Reasons why NOW is a good time to BUY a HOME

(281) 804-8626

The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts in Northwest Houston is hosting its second annual "Student Art Competition". Students in the Aldine, Conroe, Klein, Magnolia, Spring and Tomball Independent School Districts are being encourage to produce their best original artwork.

The theme of the contest is "Flora and Fauna in the Greater Cypress Creek Area". The purpose of the competition is to educate and provide an appreciation for the arts in the community.

Art Competitions are a wonderful way to challenge the creativity of students. I enjoyed entering art competitions when I was in school. My pieces of art were not good enough to win any ribbons. But I still enjoyed them. Housed in my memory box is some of my early artwork that I had created for competitions.

Registration and entry forms are available on the museum's website. To ensure a good representation from all school districts, contestants are limited by school district and grade levels. The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts is located at 6815 Cypresswood Drive Spring TX 77379.

(281) 804-8626

Spring TX Real Estate Blog

Since the 2004 bond election, Klein, a fast growth school district in Spring Texas, has experienced 16% growth.  And the district does not see the growth stopping. As they are projecting the growth to continue for the next 10 years at a rate of 4% a year. That means by 2016, Klein school district is expected to grow by over 17,600 students.

Where is all this growth coming from? Since the last bond election in 2004, approximately 98 new subdivisions and new sections in existing subdivisions have been built in the Klein school district. Since all of the previous bond funds have been spent or designated for current projects, the district has started exploring a new bond election.

A steering committee comprised of 110 members of the community, parents, teachers, students, and other district personnel have been meeting monthly since September 2007. In March of 2008, they will present thier recommendation to the Board of Trustees.

What does this mean to the homeowners who live in the Klein school district in Spring Texas? A property tax is in our near future. How much? At this point it is to early to tell. But early projections are for $0.20 per every $100 assessed value to be issued in over the next four years.

Hopefully, the steering committee will be fiduciary responsible and develop a plan that will support our children's education and be kind to our pocket books.

Read Also:

• Klein school district tax rate second lowest in greater Houston area
• Texas property taxes why are they so HIGH?

(281) 804-8626