The Woodlands TX Kathi Frank

When people in other parts of the country are digging themselves out from under snow every day, it is time for you to prepare the soil for your summer garden. Our winters are very short. Some years our biggest gardening challenge is the fact that we have not gotten sufficient hours under the freeze level to kill off the insects. When we have an exceptionally mild winter (like 06-07 and maybe this year), it is particularly important to prepare ahead. The later you start your garden, the larger the population of insects.

One of the challenges to creating a wonderful garden is the abundance of natural trees. This is particularly challenging in The Woodlands. where the deed restrictions prevent you from removing trees without approval from the architectural control committee. Take care to find a spot that gets at least 3-4 hours of indirect sunlight evey day.

Spend the time to turn the soil and rid the garden space of weeds during this time of year. It is helpful to top dress the soil with some kind of rich compost. Manure composts are excellent for this purpose, but I like to have them spread over freshly turned soil atleast a month before planting new seedlings. That way the compost has a chance to decompose into the rich sandy soil. Just before you plant your bedding plants, turn the soil again to incorporate the compost into the natural soil.

If you are new to the area, you may not be able to use the varieties of vegetables you are accustomed to planting in other areas. Some plants are not mold-tolerant enough to survive the rainy springs and hot summers. Some plants require a certain number of "chill hours" to produce.

This is particularly true about fruit and nut trees. For a comprehensive list of varieties that will do well in Montgomery County, go to this website: http://montgomery-tx.tamu.edu/publications/FruitsandNutsSelection.pdf to download a list from the Extension office.

Although a vegetable garden gives you many more choices, I believe that referring to the list provided by the extension office will give you a better result than the charts found in the gardening centers. Try this list: http://montgomery-tx.tamu.edu/publications/VEG%20Gard%20Guide%20AUG03.pdf

If you like to garden and would like to learn more about it, I highly recommend contacting the extension office Phone: 936-539-7824 or go to their website: http://montgomery-tx.tamu.edu/Location.cfm

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

Many people wax nostalgic when they think of escaping the city or the tiny suburban lot and moving to the country. However, few are really prepared for the experience. There is much more to investigate in a country home, so be sure that you have an agent that is familiar with the issues to be your guide.

Remember, in the Houston area and in Montgomery County just north of there, we have no zoning. There are few regulations and restrictions that govern the construction of a home outside of the restricted subdivisions like The Woodlands. Let's go over some of the things to consider:

* Commuting will be different. At the best, you will have two lane roads out to your country home. For the best value, you may have a dirt or gravel road. Be sure to allow extra time for your commute. We still have logging trucks in the forest and getting behind one can greatly alter your commute time.

* Take a look around the property itself. When you get to the true country property, you are without any restrictions. That means that you could have a poorly maintained single-wide on the tract adjacent to yours. If you plan to live in your quaint, well-maintained ranchette; you may have to contend with neighbors that come from a different cultural mindset than yours.

* An alternative to an unrestricted country property, you can find a number of very well restricted acreage communities that regulate what kind of home can be built and what kind of maintainence is a minimum. These restrictions range from very strict ones similar to The Woodlands - to those that simply do not allow mobile homes. Choose the level of restriction that makes you feel comfortable.

* Learn something about well systems. I personally think that the well water in Montgomery County is some of the most sweet and tasty water I have ever found...and I drink about a gallon of water per day. I know water. But a contaminated well is dangerous and a poorly drilled or equipped well can be a big "money pit". Be sure you know a few "ins and outs" about wells - even before you hire an inspector.

* Learn even more about septic systems. In Montgomery County very few traditional septic systems are being approved. The process of getting a septic permitted and constructed could be a completely separate article. Suffice it to say, there is a reason why the county requires aerobic systems for most properties. If the prospective property does not have this modern system in place, carefully consider whether it is truly adequate. Start by asking for the permit documents.

* If you want to live in the country around here - better to buy sooner rather than later. During the last 10 years, the price of acreage properties - the kind where you can have a horse - more than 2 acres - has seen a much higher increase in value than properties in subdivsions of any kind. There is a great demand for living within driving distance of Houston and being able to go to the barn at night to brush your own horse.

Few real estate agents have expertise in both the subdivsions and country property. I have practiced real estate in Conroe and Lake Conroe for nine years. Four years ago I moved my practice to being primarily The Woodlands because when people move to the country around here, they rarely move again. It is hard to make a living if nobody sells their house. Be assured, I have the knowledge and experience to help you with whatever type of property suits your needs.

When people buy a home in The Woodlands, they rarely know that Montgomery County has a distinction not found in other counties around the state. As people learn of the history of this area, visions of ranchers in the wild west come to mind. I could tell you lots of stories that have become legends in these parts. But I will simply give you the one that I know to be fact today.

On May 30, 1997 Governor George Bush signed House Resolution #1123 proclaiming Montgomery County as the Bithplace of the Texas Flag.

It began as the vision of postmaster and pharmacist Dr. Charles Bellinger Stewart from the city of Montgomery in the Republic of Texas. As the Republic's first Secretary of State, Dr Stewart was appointed by President Mirabeau B Lamar to serve with Thomas Barnett and Richard Ellis to create an official flag. Dr Stewart sketched on vellum the design without color - simply labeling the rectangles blue, white and red. These colors signify loyalty, purity and bravery.

President Lamar approved the design on January 25, 1839. When Texas became a state in 1845. the Lone Star Flag became the state flag. The N H Davis Pioneer Complex & Museum in Montgomery has a replica of the original vellum design. The original is housed in the Texas State Archives.

An "Exhibition in Music" will be performed to celebrate The Woodlands Symphony's 15th year on February 9, 2008. The concert will showcase award-winning original compositions from students in Conroe Independant School District and Rice University's Shepard School of Music.

The Woodlands Symphony is a exciting collaboration of local talent with the community in an effort to educate the public about the music of the symphony and to inspire the development of artisitic ability among community members.

For more information about this concert to be held at the Nancy Bock Performing Arts Center, 3800 S Panther Creek Dr, you may visit www.WoodlandsSymphony.com. Tickets are $15 and may also be purchased at Randall's in Grogans Mill Village Center; Panther Creek Shopping Center; and at the HomeFinder Center, 2000 Woodlands Pkwy.

To find out more about what is happening in your hometown, email me. Kathi@KathiFrank.com

Years ago, I had a column in business section of The Montgomery County Courier. I was looking through a few of the articles I wrote during my three year stint of writing the column and came across a few that might be helpful to buyers and sellers of real estate. Every once in a while, I will pull out one of those articles that are still relavant to the market today and share it with you. This one is a basic primer of the process between contract and closing

Many things are left to be done after a home buyer and seller have reached agreement

If you have a willing buyer and a willing seller and all have agreed on a price and terms...it seems that it would be easy to get the transaction closed...right? I'm sorry to let you know that the answer is...wrong! There is an incredible amount of expertise needed to navigate through the maze of a real estate transaction once the contract has been written.

As a buyer or seller, it may be helpful to have some understanding of what activities take place in the background as you prepare for the transaction's closing. This article is not meant to be "all inclusive." However, it will give you an overview of what you can expect.

According to Dave Jenks, Dean of Keller Williams University, a real estate agent has 161 tasks that are involved in the running of an agent's professional service business. He has summarized those tasks from years of data gathering and interviews. Thirty-two of those tasks relate specifically to the time period between contract and closing.

Fully executed contract

Once everyone has agreed on all the details of the contract, with signatures and initials to verify agreement, a contract is said to be fully executed. At that point, the document is reviewed carefully and a date is placed on the signature page. All deadlines that are specified in the contract work off of that date.

Open Title

Immediately, the agent calls the title company to pick up the contract along with the earnest money. This is called "opening title." The next day the title company normally delivers 2 copies of the fully executed and receipted contract back to both the buyer's and the seller's agents. Much paperwork and computer work is required to place the property into one of the pending statuses and to comply with the broker's policy for processing the sale.

Option Period

Today's buyers usually request an option period. During the option period the buyer usually arranges for a professional inspection to take place. A time is coordinated for both the buyer and seller convenience for any and all inspections. If the buyer finds things that need to be repaired, an amendment to the contract must be drawn and agreed by both parties to assure that repairs will be done. At the end of the option period, there is again a series of computer and paperwork to be done.

Title Insurance

One of the primary functions of a title company is to issue insurance to both the lender and the buyer giving protection against any claims of ownership. In order to issue the policy, an examiner researches the history of each owner to determine if title can be transferred. If any discrepancies show up, staff investigates and "cures" the issues. In almost all cases, the problems can be resolved and title insurance is issued at closing.

Lender Requirements

The contract specifies that the buyer will make loan application within a certain number of days. After the loan application paperwork is completed, the buyer will be asked to submit several documents and a loan application fee. Processing the loan application is a complicated system within itself and we will not go into detail in this column. Once full loan approval is received, the documents are drawn and sent to the title company.

The Closing

As a third party, the title company gathers all the funds and the documentation needed to close the transaction. Normally they must gather documents for the loan, loan funds, homeowner's insurance, a survey and any bills that have to be paid at closing. They then disburse the money and oversee the documentation according to written instructions, usually from the lender or from the contract itself. Although the stack of papers that everyone is expected to sign seems daunting, it is nothing compared to the weeks of work performed by the dedicated professionals in the real estate agent's office, lender personnel, and the title company. It is the goal of these service providers to make it look easy and it is my wish that your next real estate transaction will be a breeze.