Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes

One of the least understood and possibly the most complex parts of the real estate transaction process may well be the "survey". Many agents including myself sometimes seem baffled by it all when it comes to surveys. After all most of us tend to avoid mathematics....unless of course it involves commission checks....right? :o)

The "issues" that often times tend to kill transactions, or at least delay them, are typically items that a lender or the title company requires to be cleared up prior to closing. These problem items can involve things like unrecorded easements that are known about, but don't show on the plat or deed records. encroaching fences , outbuildings, and even earlier surveyor errors that don' match toady's standards of accuracy. Of course there are a whole bucket load of other possibilities that can come up also.

Residential earnest money contracts in Texas address surveys pretty well and offer several choices to the parties to the contract several choices that include a new survey, re-using a prior one, or even no survey if it is cash and the buyer doesn't care.

The vast majority of residential contracts in our area seem to be written stating that the last survey will be used along with an affidavit from the seller stating that nothing has changed or been added. All this is OK subject of course to both the lender and the title company's blessings.

Frequently agents including myself fail to administer a little preventative medicine by not taking a closer look at an older survey to check for blatantly obvious issues. If there are problems on that survey, there is a high likely hood that they still exist. So why delay the inevitable? If it is patently obvious that some fixes need doing, then address the problems before the contract stage. Fixes can include things like " boundary line agreements", or moving a tool shed that is over the property line. The bottom line is most survey problems can be fixed. They just can be a little confusing to laypersons and agents ts alike.

Always consult an attorney and a surveyor for complex questions on surveys and contracts.

Stay tuned and I'll tell the story about the barn that got moved overnight to satisfy the surveyor!

Have a prosperous week!

When we purchased our little farm in 2001 one of the first items of business was to join the Producers Cooperative located in Bryan Texas on North Texas Ave. The " Co-OP " was founded in http://www.producerscooperative.com/1943 as a way to save money on feed. Since then it has grown to become one of the largest and most successful co-ops of its kind in the nation. Members usually get a "dividend" check at the end of the year. The Co-op now carries almost any thing the large or small rancher, farmer, gardener or pet owner needs. From fertilizer to equestrian supplies...you name it ..they have it. Also members can purchase fuel from Producers. If you live in Brazos or surrounding counties ...take a minute to discover your Co-OP. You will be glad you did!

http://www.producerscooperative.com/

Each year now for the last 4 years our home is visited in the summer by swallows. Now the first time they decided to set up home on my front porch I wasn't real happy. Then I found out they are protected and that they are tremendous insect eaters including mosquitoes as part of their diet. Last year we allowed a nest to hatch and I actually watched all 4 young ones launch and take off. They all survived. This year there was a repeat with 5 babies and now we have 2 more nests ready to launch. It is slightly messy just for a short while and then it cleans up rather easy with a water hose. The nests are made of mud with a little grass. The babies are almost cartoon looking characters with over-sized heads and huge mouths that are usually wide open waiting for a mosquito or other tasty morsel These areonautic acrobats are the only birds I know of that can take off without floundering too much or hitting ground. Not good at our household as we have 4 cats who would love a grounding to occur!

Have a great week!

www.treythurmond.com

They are almost complete with the overpass and exit ramp for Rockprairie Road in south College Station off of State Hwy 6. We are very excited about this because it is right in front of our office and the project has dragged on for a long time. It definitely will help with traffic issues at Rockpraire Road. But what is especially intriguing right now about the project is the paint samples they are experimenting with. I really like what I am seeing so far. The colors add a touch of class to plain jane gray concrete structures like pillars and braces. If you happen to be in the area take a look along the frontage road just past Deacon St. and you may be pleasantly surprised. Way to go TexDot! Hope they stick with the colors.

Both yesterday and today I checked our thermometer outside at home. It is in the shade and read 100 degrees yesterday and today at 7 PM !

Earlier this week we had a high pushing 107. I haven't checked to see about records but a feel this is one of the hottest Junes ever for this part of Texas. Our sprinklers have been running non stop. There will be a point however where we will have to start conserving more. This area has a rather large aquifer compared to others but we still need to conserve. Let's hope the heat wave dissipates real soon! If id doesn't we are all in for a long hot summer. Make sure those pets have plent of water right now too.

Stay Cool!

www.treythurmond.com