Kris Hoch

Bender's Landing is a forested acreage community in South Montgomery County just east of the master planned community of Spring Trails. With approximately 700 home sites, it is proving to be a wonderfully successful acreage community . . . far enough away from heavy commercial influences yet close enough to commerce for the sake of convenience. http://benderslanding.org/sub_category_list.asp?category=5&title=Map.

Bender's Landing feeds into excellent Conroe ISD schools; has a great recreational park with a playground for children, member's only pool, lighted tennis courts, and stocked fishing pond surrounded by a 1.1 mile hike and bike path.

Right now, investing in Bender's Landing couldn't be better. Its location is minutes from the Hardy Toll Road and The Woodlands which boasts of great shopping, dining, and top of the line medical facilities. But perhaps the most significant development influencing Bender's Landing is the anticipated move of Exxon to an enormous consolidated campus just south of The Woodlands and west of I-45. This development is expected to provide an enormous boost to home values as the rumored 12K to 17K employees relocate to the area. In fact, Realtors and builders are already attributing the excellent performance of the local real estate market to Exxon employees buying houses now while the prices are still "affordable".

Exxon has not yet officially announced its move but ground work has already begun. To read more about this development and for an aerial view of the campus site, follow this link: http://swamplot.com/tag/exxonmobil/.

Bottom line is that if you are looking for affordable acreage property located in a thriving forested environment, Bender's Landing is the place to be!

For more information, please feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email.

I have had several homeowners contact me the past few weeks asking if now is a good time to sell their home. In response to that question, I can offer the following information:

The greater Houston, Texas area market is quite attractive from the buyer's perspective due to historically low interest rates averaging around 4.5% on a 30 year mortgage, reasonable home prices and the quality of inventory. These factors have increased the pool of qualified buyers which is a very good thing for sellers! And if the sellers are planning to buy a replacement home, these factors will also serve them well as buyers.

If homeowners decide to sell now, they may not be able sell their house for as much as they would by waiting a couple of years for the market to improve - much depends on the location of the property as some of our areas are actually appreciating ever so slightly. By waiting, they risk paying more in interest on their replacement home thereby potentially costing them a great deal more over the long haul. For now, inventors continue to sink their money in the U.S. Treasury which has resulted in lower interest rates. Eventually, these investors are going to look elsewhere for a better return on their investment. When this happens, interest rates will rise.

Average home appreciation* in the Greater Houston area has always been slow - current averages are at about 1% - 3% annually (if any). Thus, it may take many years for property owners to recognize an appreciable increase in value.**

In contrast, assuming the sellers are buying a replacement house with a $200K mortgage at 4.5% interest over 30 years, they will pay approximately $165K in interest over the life of the loan ($1013/mo P&I); at 5.5%, the total interest paid will be approximately $209K ($1135/mo P&I). The lower interest rate saves homeowners approximately $44K over the life of the loan!

So, the answer to the question "To Sell or Not to Sell" appears to be that now really is a good time to sell . . . and it's also a good time to buy!

*Certain communities experience greater annual appreciation and certain communities experience less annual appreciate...in some instances, property values are declining.

**Even if sellers are not considering a replacement home, but want to sell for other reasons, now can still a good time to sell. When interest rates increase, the pool of buyers is likely to decrease.

Spring Trails continues to be a strong performer even though we are in the slower fall season.

Here are the year-to-date statistics:

ACTIVE LISTING FOR RESALES: 47

ACTIVE LISTINGS FOR NEW HOMES: 23

PENDING CONTRACTS FOR RESALES: 4

PENDING CONTRACTS FOR NEW HOMES: 14

SOLD RESALES AS OF OCTOBER 15, 2010: 30

SOLD NEW HOMES AS OF OCTOBER 15, 2010: 64

New home sales are outpacing resale properties which is to be expected. Buyer incentives, long-term warranties that come with purchasing a new home, and the simple fact that buying a new home is very appealing to most buyers are some of the reasons supporting the overall strong performance of new home sales in Spring Trails.

Pricing, added amenities and condition of the property will help move resale inventory. But, even with all those in place, sellers are facing very tough competition. Potential sellers are encouraged to contact Realtors familiar with the area for detailed market evaluations and suggestions that will help their property sell.

Spring Trails continues to be a strong performer. Its location just minutes from The Woodlands and the Hardy Toll Road certainly helps, plus it feeds into excellent Conroe ISD schools. With an average sold price of $204,799, Spring Trails is a very nice alternative to the more expensive housing in The Woodlands. Spring Trails has many of the same builders that are found in The Woodlands.

Here are the most recent real estate statistics for Spring Trails:

As of 1/1/2010 - 7/20/2010:

Current Active Inventory: 64

Properties Under Contract: 12

Closed Transactions: 70

July Closed Transactions as of 7/20/10: 7

June Closed Transactions: 11

Months of Active Inventory: 5.2

Average Sales Price Based on Prior 12 Mos. Sales: $204,799

As a Realtor working in the greater Houston area, I consider myself very blessed. I work in one of the most dynamic cities in the United States . . . and the world, for that matter. Here are some very good reasons why I know this to be true:

-No. 1 U.S. Manufacturing City According to Manufacturers' News, May 2010 edition.

-The Port of Houston is Ranked First in the United States in Foreign Waterborne Tonnage and Second in the U.S. in Total Tonnage. www.portofhouston.com.

-Largest Population Gain - Harris County - according to U.S. Census, March 2010.

-Top Moving Destination according to U-Haul, April 2010 report.

-Mega Market of the Year according to Southern Business Development, August 2009 edition.

-Best City to Get Ahead According to Forbes, August 2009 edition.

-One of the 10 "Smartest Cities" in the World According to www.forbes.com 2010.

-No. 2 in the Number of Fortune 500 Headquarters according to Fortune Magazine, 2009.

-Cost of Living is 11% Below the National Average According to the Greater Houston Partnership as of October 2009. http://www.houston.org/living-here/cost-of-living/index.aspx

-No State Income Taxes

-Median Price for a Home is About $154,780 (National: $173,100). (www.har.com, May 2010)

-As of April 1010, Closings are up 19.1 Percent Over Last Year. (www.Har.com, May 2010)

-World's Largest Medical Center. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center.