Huntsville TX Real Estate, Lake Conroe Real Estate with Mari Montgomery

A Fall From Grace--In Front of Everyone. This is not my first blog about the Texas Rangers, but it is my first about Hank Blaylock. How tough must it be to be not just a starter, but a psuedo-superstar. There were so many fans of Hank. there were even "Hank's Homies" that made an incredible statement at the games in support of Hank.

What has happened? Hard enough to be in a slump, but in the national spotlight in what may have been a pennant race? That's the issue, what "may have been a pennant race." We need someone to blame or something. Poor guy, no one seems to remember when he just lit it up night after night. That's the way of the world, but when you are a public figure, look out.

Almost came out of his slump against the Angels last night. He hit a beautiful homerun to put the Rangers ahead, then blew a double play that would have ended the game. Rangers won, thank goodness, he would have never heard the end of it. Let's go Rangers! And Let's Go Hank! Glad to see you out there tonight.

What a night. The Dallas Cowboys debuted in their new stadium. It sure is pretty. And how did it turn out?...a loss. But, it was a huge night--the glam of the Oscars, touted as the 8th wonder of the world--what a place! Unbelievable. Over a Billion dollars--that's Billion with a "B." It's kind of hard to wrap your head around--that much money--a thousand Million.

Lots of people have lots of opinions about the money spent and professional sports in general. There is so much money on the line and when a team represents an area or city--what does that mean? Are the players from the area, only rarely. Yet, most of us get all lathered up about a game. I live in TX. I wasn't born in TX. My husband of course says I got here as fast as I could. And, just for the record, my husband had been a Cowboy fan since the 70's. He has met "Too Tall Jones," Roger Staubach, and Harvey Martin.

And me, I sure feel like a Texan. I have pride in my state--except for the "appraisal reform" passed by our governor, but that's another blog. Why do I feel like a Texan when I was born in PA and lived in two other states? Maybe we all need to feel like we belong somewhere, and well, it may as well be where we live, because, welll that just makes sense. Or makes our choice make sense.

Now, back to sports,the Dallas Cowboys to be exact. America's Team, right? You either love 'em or hate 'em. Not a lot of people lukewarm about the Cowboys. Not many can argue the high level of business acumen of owner Jerry Jones. Not a bad business move, huh?! Build the stadium that is the mecca of all sports. The state of the art of all state of the art facilities. Not a bad "call" Jerry.

Too bad it had to be a loss, but the game was a lot of fun--even for a girl like me, not even from here.

The $8000 tax credit. Have you seen the latest ad from NAR. It's done well and the message...well see for yourself:

http://www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/2009_first_time_home_buyer_tax_credit

This is huge. If you are single and earn up to $75,000 or married with a combined income up to $150,000

Who Qualifies?

First-time home buyers who purchase homes between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009.

To qualify as a "first-time home buyer" the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.

Link To Frequently Asked Questions

Could you use an extra $8000 this year? Think about it. If you are renting right now, add up what you spend in a year, then think about the fact that you are not investing that money in anything, it is basically flushed. And the interest rates right now....remarkable.

So, what do you say? Talk with a lender, get pre-qualified, take the plunge. Work with a real estate professional. He or she will help guide you through the process. Looking in East Texas, call me. Check out www.ETPropertySearch.com ...find home!

Death by Oysters?! --not likely in a month with an "R"

"R's" Rock! It's that time again--a month with an "R"--Do u know what that means? Eating RAW OYSTERS--

RAW OYSTERS, baby! If you are not familiar, it has been said that you should only indulge in the succulence of raw oysters in months with an "R"--basically September through April--get it, the r's. No R's in May, June, July or August. Oops, got an "r" in there. Dang it, again

So, to all of you raw oyster lovers out there--this is our time. Oh, I remember oysters in South Padre one holiday season you'd slap yo' momma for. I mean to tell you---Umm. I think it was at Blackbeards. After that my husband and I decided to drive on the island until the road ended. It was spooky, raining and the road really ended into sand and sea. How cool is that?!

Texas is that kind of place where there is so much to enjoy that is so diverse. There's Big Bend to lakes to Ocean to you name it. It is not uncommon where I live to be driving down a secondary highway or main highway for that matter, and see someone travelling by horse. It is so cool. I was born in the Northeast so it is both cool and novel.

Ah, but I digress. The subject is Oysters--raw--the way God intended for them to be enjoyed. I can't wait. It is going to be a good fall and winter. Thanks goodness for SeptemberRRRRRR!

September 13, 2008--Hurricane Ike strikes Galveston Bay and proceeds inland. I live in Huntsville TX, we were not the most effected, but we got creamed.

So, here's the personal chronology:

I had just started in Real Estate. I was at a closing of my very first sale at noon on Friday, September 12 2008. It was all downhill from there.

I got home as quickly as I could, and my husband and I started bringing everything in from the outside, hummingbird feeders, bird feeders, hanging baskets, patio furniture. We have 3, 4o+ foot porches--all with stuff on them. Our house was full to the brim.

During this time, my very first clients were moving in to their new house. The winds started to pick up that afternoon.

Water covered roadways in Galveston county long before projected. There were already reports of people who were trapped, unable to evacuate. Wow, this was serious.

You know it's been a while since I have allowed myself to think about it. We were safe, but our neighborhood sustained a lot of damage and loss of life. It was heartbreaking. Our neighborhood really pulled together. Our neighbors were great!

That night was full of unusual noises, crashes of glass, trees moaning, cracking, snapping and crashing, tornadic activity and the freight train noises that go with it.

No cell phone, no power for a long while. The first e-mail I received on my Blackberry was a picture of my first clients new home with a 70 foot tree through the middle of it. Yikes. It was very sad.

When times get tough, I guess we get tough with the help of family friends and neighbors. That's when we find out what we are capable of, I guess.

So many people suffered so much in this tragedy that was Hurricane Ike one year ago. I am so grateful it has been a relatively quiet year in the tropics, at least in the Gulf of Mexico.

Where we are today:

Bolivar: Very little has been rebuilt.

Brennans (the restaurant that burned to the ground) is supposed to reopen in Dec.

Moody Gardens got 14 feet of water and lost 70% of the fish in the aquariums.

They are tearing down the Flagship (Galveston) and haven't decided if they are rebuilding the Balinese Room or not.

Galveston lost 35,000 trees.

Boliver had 3500 houses destroyed and only 250 have been rebuilt.

Stats:

32 Billion in damage in the US making it in the top 5 costliest Atlantic Hurricanes in history

103 people killed in the Caribbean and the US

Gale force winds extended 420 miles--top ten in recorded history

Two people were killed in Huntsville, one with a few blocks of us.