League City is celebrating it's 50th anniversary with a birthday party on March 3rd! If you live in the area come on out and enjoy the festivities. There will be a chili cookoff, local musicians, an art show, face painting, food, and more. For more information go to the League City website.
Appraisal notices for property taxes for the Clear Lake Area of Harris and Galveston counties arrive in the March/April timeframe and include the proposed market value and estimate of new property taxes for your home. The central appraisal district (CAD) uses market values of comparable properties (or comps) minus exemptions and other reductions (like appraisal caps for boom markets). However, this process is a mass not individual home approach and thus may not be accurate. When you get your appraisal, check to see if your square footage is off, the number of rooms is incorrect, or the age is incorrect. If any of these are true then you may have a case for protesting your property tax. Even if these are correct you still may have a case if your home has unique features among the others on your street and neighborhood. Also, appraisal districts use the actual age of your home as the effective age for tax purposes and thus may need adjustment depending upon the condition of your home. If your home is not well-maintained then the effective age could be less than the actual age. Be careful of the opposite, however, as a well-maintained home has a lower effective age and it will tend to make your taxes higher. If you think your appraisal is incorrect then you may want to file an appeal:
Refer to your local CAD office and/or web site for more info and help on reading appraisal notices (such as CAD codes).
New Homestead Exemption rules for Texas went into effect on September 1, 2011. Due to fraudulent homestead exemptions, You now have to have a Texas driver's license and vehicle registration that all match the property address with the exemption. For more info see:
With 7.3 months of inventory (single family homes) in Houston, it's still a buyer's market and a great time to buy a home! Here are some statics from the Houston Association of REALTORS for February 2011:
So if you're looking to buy or sell a home in the Clear Lake Area of Houston, including League City, TX, and Friendswood, TX, visit my website at http://www.RealtyByMonica.com and let's get started today!
Kemah, Texas, is a small town, located on Galveston Bay in the Houston Bay Area ... it is conveniently located 25 minutes from Downtown Houston and 25 minutes from Galveston Island. The City of Kemah boasts the Kemah Lighthouse District, which is home to some great shopping, with it's eclectic mix of stores, as well as some great nightlife with it's many bars and restaurants. But the real gem in Kemah is the Kemah Boardwalk, a 42-acre complex developed by Laundry's Restaurants, Inc.
The Boardwalk itself is home to several restaurants (many of which offer great views of Galveston Bay via indoor and outdoor dining), including:
The Boardwalk also has numerous rides and games, including the wooden roller coaster, The Boardwalk Bullet, and the crowd pleasing, Ferris Wheel. Whether young or old, there is something for everyone at the Kemah Boardwalk!!
If you're coming from out of town, the Kemah Boardwalk also houses a hotel, the Boardwalk Inn, so you can be close to all the action! With so much to do, it's easy to understand why the Kemah Boardwalk's theme is "The Fun Never Stops!" Visit the Kemah Boardwalk's website at www.kemahboardwalk.com.
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I am a Broker Associate, Certified Residential Specialist and one of RE/MAX of TX Top 75 Individuals in the state for 2011
Client Experience Rating - Testimonials
"Love your work and you'll never work a day in your life" . . . for me, that statement says it all. I love what I do, helping others achieve their real estate goals. I am a highly rated agent, one of RE/MAX of Texas Top 250 Individuals in the state, RE/MAX 100% Club Award Winner, Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE), Certified Home Marketing Specialist (CHMS), Certified New Home Specialist (CNHS), Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) and Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) as well as being one of my office's Top Producers.
With a strong web presence in my market area, getting maximum exposure for my client's properties is of the utmost importance to me. Anyone can have a website, but not everyone has a strong web presence. This is just one of the many ways I market myself and my client's properties. As a Certified Residential Specialist and Accredited Buyer Representative, my goal is to help my buyers find the best house possible at the best price possible. From contract through closing, I guide my clients every step of the way and leave no question unanswered!
Please check out my website for more information about me and my services. You can also check out my extensive Local Market Snapshot, my dedicated MLS Search site, and/or my secondary website. I also have a dedicated relocation site, and a buyer's site as well. If you know any buyers or sellers that are educators, firefighters, in the health care profession, in law enforcement, or in the military then check out my Homes for Heroes program for lender discounts and realtor rebates. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and my other social media sites!
Relocations, First time buyers, HUD homes, Bank foreclosures, Sellers, Buyers, Luxury Homes, Waterfront Property, Condos, Townhomes, Single Family Homes, Rental Properties, Lots, Acreage, Lease Purchase (Option). My market areas include League City Real Estate, Friendswood Real Estate, Seabrook Real Estate, Clear Lake City Real Estate, Dickinson Real Estate, Kemah Real Estate, Pearland Real Estate, and Houston Bay Area Real Estate.
Please go to my site to see my most recent testimonials.
"Monica Foster . . . This name, this person; I will never forget. She went beyond the call of duty. We bought our house and loved it; planned to really make this house a home. Then life happened, as it does. My husband was called back to active duty service in the army. We had to move. We needed to sell. I called RE/MAX and we listed our house for sale with an agent who ended up leaving the company in December. I was sure we would lose the house. Then RE/MAX reassigned our listing to Monica. We had a mortgage AND rent to pay plus student loans and car notes. My husband’s pay was wrong. There was not enough money for the bills. My husband was in Iraq, fighting for his country and trying to get the pay fixed on the homefront. Money was extremely short. Monica convinced the mortgage company to give us a short sale. She advertised our home, kept watch over it, personally fixed the fence when it had blown down twice. She spent hours and hours on the phone with clients, agents, the mortgage company, and the title company. Two contracts had fallen through because the buyer's grew impatient with my mortgage company. Each time she would encourage me, and somehow convinced the mortgage company to give us more time. The entire process took 11 months, 7 of which were with Monica. Because Monica is a team player and went beyond the call of duty, we sold our home! She made the ends meet; saw it through closing. She stuck by us when the road was dirty, muddy, rocky, and rough. She conquered the mountain and SOLD our house. Monica did not have to do all this, but she did. I would be proud to call her a soldier. She fought when many would not. She made time for us in her extremely busy schedule. She did not make much when our house sold, but that did not change her work ethic. She is priceless. It is an honor to say Monica Foster sold my home! There are many ways to be a hero. Some fight for our freedom, some serve to save lives, and some rescue those whom life tramples on. Monica Foster is a hero. I am proud to say that if she would put heart and soul into selling our home; I know she will do the same for you!"- Sarah Abell
"Monica was both professional and personable. Being new to the area she addressed every single question and concern. She responds promptly to emails, calls, and texts with a wealth of knowledge. She even guided us in the right direction for services, schools, and shopping. We felt like we were her top priority even though we are just leasing. When we are ready to buy in the area we will definitely be returning to Monica for her superior services." - Lauren Goodall
"I just want to say that this my family and I's first home to buy. I'm so happy to have had Mrs. Foster as our realtor just because my friends have had bad realtors. I can't thank her enough for all she has done for us and making it happen like it should be. She kept her word from the first time she showed us a home until we bought our dream home. If we had a problem she always figured out a way to get something done even though we thought it would have been impossible. Thank You Mrs. Foster you are the best!" - Maria Vargas
"Love working with Monica. Have already called her for help in finding my daughter a home....Would highly recommend her to any of my family and friends. She always got back to me in a very timely manner, answered all my questions, and if she couldn't, would do the necessary research to answer my questions. I was never left out in the 'cold'." - Amy Moon
"We appreciate your patience with us . . . You have been kind, honest and straight forward with us and sometimes those qualities are hard to find in a realtor. There should really be more realtors like you. You have been very helpful, kind, and reliable." - Christopher Mahon & Kelley Wachendorf
"Just wanted to let you know that we really appreciated your hard work and dedication toward the sale of our home. We didn't expect it to sell so quickly, but we're glad it did! We will certainly recommend you to our friends and family who will be selling." - Jimmy & Tamkio Albert
"I started trying to sell my house at the end of June but after three months, I didn't sell my house with my realtor. So I decided to try someone else and I found Monica's website and decided to give her a call. I issued her a challenge and told her that I had it listed for three months and did not sell it. She gladly accepted the challenge and came over and sat down with us and explained in detail her plans to sell our house. Within three weeks she had an offer on our house and we sold it and she helped us find another one. She made sure everything went smoothly and answered my numerous emails to her promptly. She kept me informed every step of the way. Some of my friends who were buying and selling a house had problems with their closing dates having to be re-scheduled, but Monica made sure that we closed on our house we were selling and the one we were buying on time. She has a great personality and is pleasant to be around and is a very hard worker. I would venture to say she is the best real estate agent in Texas. I have bought 5 houses in the past 25 years and she is the best real estate agent I have ever used. - Jerry & Dorinda Spain
"It was a real pleasure doing business with you! Thanks again for going beyond the call of duty for me! You're a class act REALTOR®! Thanks also for being there for us anytime we had questions. Again, thanks for all your help!" - John & Stella Delgado
"Everything is going well in our new home, no problems. You might say we've "found our pot of gold". Thanks again for all your help and for being there in case we've needed something. You make buying a house fun!!" - John & Stella Delgado
"We want you to know how much we appreciate you, you went above and beyond the call of duty! We hope you know what a great person you are . . . " - Michael, Kathryn & Josh Hartnett
"I just wanted to say thank you for helping us sell our home, in just 22 days! You did a wonderful job and you were always there to answer our questions. We appreciate everything you did and enjoyed working with you. Keep up the good work. We look forward to working with you the next time we sell or buy a home." - Femi, Lekera, and Adryana Kolawole
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