Jim Courtney, GRI, AHWD

They Think I Have A Big Head!

What a great day yesterday. I had the pleasure of taking my beautiful wife and two of my daughters to the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. I wrote a post about this museum as one of the 5 Cool Oklahoma Museums for FREEthings to do this summer. This mini-trip is definitely one for the memory books.

The Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is a 200000 sqft, 2 story structure with galleries consisting of the Hall of Ancient Life, Hall of Natural Wonders, Hall of the Peoples of Oklahoma, Exploring Evolution, and a special exhibit this week consisted of Art and the Animal. The girls really enjoyed the afternoon as we explored each of these areas. The winner and star of the museum is the dinosaur exhibit in the Hall of Ancient Life. This section has various creatures throughout history both on land and in the waters. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the "Clash of the Titans", whose combatants include the world's largest Apatosaurus and Saurophaganax maximus, a fearsome predator unique to Oklahoma. The girls enjoyed this as we spent quite a bit of time in this one area. Another favorite of my middle daughter was the Pentaceratops skeleton, whose skull is recorded as the world's largest at over 10.5 feet tall! We also had the privilege of listening to young docents about 12 years old who gave a very interesting presentation about various dinosaurs and exhibits in this section.

Another exhibit my daughters seem to enjoy was the Hall of the Peoples of Oklahoma. This exhibit is dedicated to the Native American peoples of Oklahoma. The entrance to this area has walls covered with handprints of various sizes. My daughters first focused on finding a set that were close to their own, but a wonderful docent informed us that each set of handprints represented a different tribe. She shared how the handprints were made by members of each tribe and reverse cast upon the wall. It was quite amazing to see my youngest daughter place her hand in wonder of the people who it represented. Our docent also shared about the lifestyles of various tribes and focused on the children activities. We felt that she really made the natural history come alive.

Finally, another star of the Museum is the Mammoth sculpture in the rotunda. We had seen pictures of the mammoth and the girls were really excited to take what could be considered the required photo of lying under the "ready to crush you" foot. Ironically, it was not until we were on the 2nd floor of the rotunda did my daughters really grasp the size of this amazing creature. If you have the opportunity to visit the museum, my family would highly recommend it. The first Monday of each month is "free Monday" but the admission to the museum is only $5 for adults and $4 for kids. The experience is well worth the trip and admission. We wanted to share our experience and invite you to build your own memories because...What Matters To YOU, Matters To Me!

National Open House Weekend in Claremore!

It's time for the NAR's National Open House Weekend, June 4th & 5th, 2011. What an exciting opportunity to tour so many wonderful homes in such a short time. The Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS reports that there are over 386 homes being held open in the MLS area. OklaHomes Realty will be holding open 21 homes in the Claremore area. Click on the QR code (or scan it on your smartphone) for the updated list of homes available for tour. Why do we hold so many open houses? Because what matters to YOU, Matters to Me! See you Saturday and Sunday!

5 Cool Oklahoma Museums For FREE!

Just like most parents, I am excited about my kids getting out of school for the summer. We usually plan for some type of daycare camp program, individual activities, time at the splashpad, fun in the backyard, and the list goes on. However, I also want my kids to do activities that will educate as well as entertain. But what can we do that is educational and FREE. Everyone likes FREE, right? Here are 5 fun free Oklahoma Museums that are within driving distance (a couple hours anyway) of Claremore, Oklahoma.

1) Oklahoma Museum of Natural History - Located in Norman, Oklahoma, it is the furthest from our home. But it is well worth the trip as an all day excursion. The musuem has FREE admission on the first Monday of every month. This means that we could go to the museum three times this summer for free (June, July & August). The museum features dinosaur bones from Oklahoma, ancient peoples of Oklahoma, Natural Wonders of Oklahoma and so much more. What an exciting journey and it's FREE!

2) Gilcrease Art Musuem - A bit closer to home in Tulsa, everyone has heard of Gilcrease. I even attended Gilcrease when I was a student in school. Gilcrease is called "one of the country's best facilities for the preservation and study of American art and history". This summers traveling exhibit is about America and the pursuit of happiness. There are the permament exhibits and scupltures as well. Gilcrease is always a fun afternoon and it too is FREE on the first Tuesday of every month. Once again...three days of activities for FREE!

3) Philbrook Museum of Art - The Philbrook is a very special place. It's a museum. It's a home (was the home for Waite Phillips). It's the cultural art center. The Philbrook is even special on the outside with some of the most famous gardens in Oklahoma. I recently went to the Philbrook with a group of students and viewed the actual VanGogh painting, Sunflowers. Your family will enjoy this experience for FREE on the 2nd Saturday of every month. Be sure to ask about the dance floor!

Our next two museums are really close to home..right here in Claremore. I am embarassed to say that I had not visited either of these until I had lived here for over 5 years. Both are very interesting and very kid friendly...

4) Will Rogers Memorial - The Will Rogers Memorial (and the Will Rogers birthplace) are both interesting places to visit. My kids have been to the memorial a few times and discover something new each time. The museum has 8 galleries with exhibitis ranging from Will Rogers artifacts, saddle collections, phototgraphs, a theatre that plays his movies, articles that he authored, and so much more. One afternoon there was a Will Rogers Impersonator in the auditorium and we got to hear one of his on stage performances live. You may have to search to find it, but there is an interactive exhibit area just for kids! The Will Rogers Memorial has beautiful grounds to explore as well. The museum is open 365 days a year and is always FREE. There is a donation box at the door if you enjoyed your visit and would like to help support the museum.

and finally...

5) J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum -A Famous Claremore landmark, featuring the world's largest private gun collection. Not into guns collections at first? The museum has over 50,000 items to see and experience….saddles, spurs, local ranching brands, German beer steins, World War I posters, military weapons, John Rogers statuary, Native American artifacts…something for everyone. My youngest daughter personally recommends the Native American artifacts, well the dolls specifically. The musuem has special exhibits that change often and several events throughout the year. The Davis Musuem is always FREE and is open everyday of the week during the summer. There is a donation box at the door if you enjoyed your visit and would like to help support the museum.

When your kids are bored and want to do something a bit different, perhaps one of these museums will be your answer. I hope you enjoy the museums because just like in your real estate needs, when it comes to your family...What Matters to YOU, Matters to Me!

Homes Less than $100K in Claremore, Oklahoma

Are you still renting? Now is an incredible time to purchase your first new home! The Claremore area is currently in a buyer's market, meaning there are more homes on the market than there are buyers. Never before, well in my 8 years experience anyway, have there been so many incredible homes for less than $100,000. There are currently 42 homes that are at least three bedrooms and many have two baths or more. Quite a few of these homes include complete remodel and five of them would qualify for the USDA Rural Development Zero Down program ($0 Down!). While the interest rate continues to hover around 4.7%, your new home payment could be less than it would be to rent the same property in most cases.

Unless you have circumstances that prevent you from qualifing for financing, you should ACT today! Visit my website, Jimcourtneyrealestate.com, select new search at the top and check out the current market for yourself. Call me for any questions about any of the resulting properties in your search. If you have any questions or concerns about financing, my good friend, Jason Karn with First United Bank Mortgage can answer them. I am very excited about helping you with the purchase of your first home because...What Matters to YOU, Matters to Me!

Those are buyers just below the surface!

It's funny how we find analogies everywhere we look. I was Sun Perch fishing with my daughters and a friend of the family last night, much like we do every Tuesday night. The Claremore, OK, city lake is beautiful and a great place to hang with the family. We have adopted a certain fishing spot as our spot because we can park close and there is room for everyone to play with the Perch. Our 11yr old guest had not been fishing but a few times in her lifetime and seemed to be really enjoying herself. She was putting her worm just below the surface in fairly shallow water and watching the perch swim by, nibble or pull the bobber under and then swim away. She said, "it's a perfectly good worm, why don't they like it."....out of the mouths of babes.

One of the reasons I like to fish is so that I can stand by the water and not think. It's my sanctuary if you could consider it that. But when this pretty young lady made that statement I immediately thought of her parents' listing which I hold. It really is a "perfectly good worm", but I don't have a clue "why don't they like it" (pardon the poor grammar). Just like when fishing with the kids it could be any number of issues. Perhaps the hook is too large (price), or the worm to small (space), or even not presented correctly (staging, cleaning, etc.) I suppose it could be the most common scenario with my kids...the environment is too noisy (gloom and doom in the media, job loss, fear of the market).

My advice to our novice fishing friend...keep your hook in the water, the right fish will come. I do not maintain a large number of hooks in the water...I mean homes in my inventory. I do however keep them active, continually work on presentation, and keep trying to get my listing into the hands of the perfect buyer. If you are searching for the perfect home, NOW is the time. There are an abundance of homes in the Claremore, OK area that are move in ready in all listing price ranges. Buyers have more choices than ever before. If you believe that you cannot find that perfect worm, call me. I can help you search the entire MLS in the area, sort through those decorated lures and help you find the perfect match for your family. Why does the REALTOR make a difference? Because I am familiar with the market, can assist you in finding a lender and more importantly, because..."What Matters to YOU, Matters to ME!"