Owasso, OK

Welcome to El Fogon, an Amazing Authentic Mexican Restaurant in Owasso, Oklahoma.

If you haven't visited the El Fogon Mexican restaurant at 11515 N Garnett Road in Owasso, then you're missing out on one of Owasso's best dining experiences!

Opened in March of 2006 by Vidal Palacios and his wife Gabriela and their daughter Ellie, El Fogon is a real life success story that began way back in 1986 when the family immigrated to California. Like many others, they were looking for opportunity and a better life. And they found it there, eventually settling in the Stockton, California area where they opened their first authentic Mexican restaurant. After being in business for 10 years, they wanted to own their own building . This was before the recession hit and property values were still at their highest, making it too expensive to be able to purchase a building for the restaurant. So they decided to look in other states to see if buying a building and running their business might be more affordable. And in one of those strange twists of fate, one of their customers told them they were going to be moving back to Owasso, Oklahoma. They mentioned how beautiful the area is and talked about how nice of a place the town is, with friendly people and affordable housing. This sparked interest in the family, so they booked a flight and flew to Owasso over the 4th of July weekend in 2005.

While the rest of us were enjoying fireworks and time off that 4th of July, they spent their weekend driving around town and checking out Owasso. They liked what they saw and also found that the building that they now occupy was for sale. The building had once been Legends BBQ. It had also been the home of an Italian restaurant and a burger joint as well. But the place was a mess when they found it. "It needed a good cleaning and a lot work," said Ellie with a smile.

Nevertheless, they decided by the end of the weekend that they were moving to Oklahoma. And they did. They bought the building and closed on it in November of 2005. Then they arrived in Owasso for good in early February of 2006, after selling their Mexican restaurant back in California. Then they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. The plan was to have their new restaurant up and running in two weeks. Instead it took two months to get the building completely cleaned up, fixed up and ready to go. Some of their work included putting in the new interior ceiling, replacing the insulation in the ceiling, installing a new air conditioning system, adding new equipment in the kitchen, buying new carpet and buying all the tables and chairs.

So, why would a family move all the way from the west coast to Owasso, Oklahoma in a developing recession in order to begin a Mexican restaurant business? And why would they sell a successful, income producing business to do that? Well, you already know that it was partially because they wanted to own their own building for their business, but that's only part of the answer. It's also because that's the kind of people that Vidal and Gabriela are. They saw a great opportunity in Owasso to pursue what we call the American dream. And they weren't afraid to go for it. They would question the wisdom of their decision many times, especially when they saw lots of money going out with none coming in during the remodel phase. But this families isn't quitters. They do what it takes to get the job done.

Want an example? How about this...they still own two houses in California that they are trying to sell, but can't right now. The California housing market has lost incredible value and houses that were once worth huge amounts of money are worth much less today. But Vidal and Gabriela aren't the kind of people who are willing to just walk away from those houses. Instead, they fulfill their obligation. They've got one leased which pays about half of the house payment. They're making the full payment on the other one and paying the remaining half on the leased house. And they're doing this all from the income of their Mexican restaurant business here in Owasso. They choose to do this because they choose to be responsible. They know the housing market will come back someday and when it does, they'll sell the houses and move forward.

And they bring this work ethic to their restaurant business as well. Everything at El Fogon is hand made from scratch, including the delicious chips and incredible Salsa you get to enjoy when you sit down for a great meal. Vidal developed the menu and serves as the main chef. He's been a chef for more than 20 years, but when they opened the new authentic Mexican restaurant here in Owasso, he found that he was going to have to experiement with some things in order to offer menu choices that people would enjoy. For example, white sauce and queso and even sopapias were new to this family. They'd never heard of such things before! (They're not authentic to Mexican cuisine). Today they offer incredible menu items and a roasted tomato salsa that they developed in 1999 and brought with them from their very first restaurant in California. On Fridays, they have to make 50 pounds of Salsa, just to cover the day!

Naturally, it was slow going when they first opened up. People in Owasso weren't used to authentic Mexican food. And El Fogon didn't have white sauce yet, but little by little they started getting more business. Today they have a loyal customer base and are usually packed at lunch time. They're very thankful to their customers, especially those who have become friends. Vidal and Gabriella and Ellie view them like family. And their customers feel the same way too. One of them, a general contractor, donated and installed the new front door at the restaurant (in trade for some of that Salsa and authentic Mexican cooking I heard!).

So how are they doing today? Ellie told me that the business has grown 50% since they first opened back in 2006. Not bad in a struggling economy, I'd say!

So, if you're looking for something different, unique and original, head over to El Fogon. You'll love the friendly service and you'll really love the food! I guarantee, you'll be back for more!

El Fogon is open seven days a week. Their hours Monday through Fridays are 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. On Saturdays, they are open from 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and on Sundays their hours are 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. They offer take out orders as well as some catering services also. You can reach them at 918-371-6230.

The information, content and pictures in this Bob Haywood blog are the property of Bob Haywood. You must obtain written permission from Bob Haywood if you would like to use any of this content. Opinions expressed are those of Bob Haywood and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of other brokers, associates or business owners. Blogs may be used in their entirety using the reblog feature within Active Rain.

For the most complete information on the Owasso and Greater Tulsa Oklahoma housing market, be sure to check out www.BobHaywood.com

Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area, isn't hard when you know what you're doing!

Today, it's time to talk about wood rot. In Oklahoma, wood rot is an ongoing maintenance issue. This is because we typically use wood and Masonite and other kinds of siding materials in home construction. These types of materials are susceptible to damage from water and moisture.

When it comes time to sell your home, you will be responsible for any damaged wood rot or termite damage to the structure. Let's take a look at various places where wood rot occurs.

Here's a picture of a porch support post that is in good shape. No problems here!

Now, compare that to this one. You can see that the bottom is rotting away due to moisture damage. This will have to be replaced according to code before the house can be sold. Be sure to check the code in your area to know what will need to be done.

Here's an example of a home with wood Masonite siding that is in good condition. No problems here.

Here's another one. The back of this home is dirty, but the siding is in good condition. While it needs to be cleaned, there will not be any required repairs to this area.

On the other hand, when you have something like this, you'll have to paint before you can sell...especially if you're looking for top dollar for your home! Missing paint is an invitation for wood rot.

This house has pretty good looking trim with the exception of the horizontal trim board. The paint is peeling and there may be some wood rot. This will have to be repaired prior to selling.

Here's one more example of siding that is good to go. The boards by the garage door take a lot of wear and tear. This home has fresh paint and good caulk.

One final example. This is a shed with both wood rot and termite damage. This is not a good thing! You can exclude this from being included in inspections here in our area. That means you wouldn't have to repair the damage, but once again the question is whether or not you're looking for top dollar.

Here's a few tips in regards to wood rot in our area.

1. Any siding that is wood based or natural material based will be damaged by exposure to water. Plan to perform yearly maintenance such as painting and or replacement.

2. Mortgage companies will not write mortgages as long as there is wood rot and/or termite damage. As a home seller, you will typically be responsible for these types of repairs. Do them ahead of time...before you go to market.

3. Consider having your home pre-inspected. Dont' do this for your buyers, but for yourself. This way, you will know if you have any wood rot or termite issues that need to be addressed.

4. Vinyl siding is a good material that is being used more and more in our area. It is durable and holds up to wet weather conditions much better than wood or natural materials. Vinyl siding and brick are a nice looking, good combination for a home.

5. To test for wood rot yourself, do what the inspectors do. Take a pocket knife or flat blade screw driver and gently push against the wood siding as you go around the house. If there is a soft area due to moisture damage or wood rot, the blade of the knife or the screw driver will go into the wood.

That's tip number six in my series, "Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area."

The information, content and pictures in this Bob Haywood blog are the property of Bob Haywood. You must obtain written permission from Bob Haywood if you would like to use any of this content. Opinions expressed are those of Bob Haywood and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of other brokers, associates or home owners. Blogs may be used in their entirety using the reblog feature within Active Rain.

For the most complete information on the Owasso and Greater Tulsa Oklahoma housing market, be sure to check out www.BobHaywood.com

Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area, isn't hard when you know what you're doing!

Successful sellers understand that carpet and floor coverings are important when you want to get top dollar for your home. Let's take a look at a couple of examples of carpet situations.

This is the carpet in our son's room. He just graduated high school this past May. You can see that as a teenager, he was pretty hard on the carpet. It didn't look like that when he moved into the room! Notice the stains.

Now, lets compare that to carpet in a new construction home. Even with the sun shining brightly on the carpet, it is beautiful. This carpet is called frieze (pronounced freh zey).

Here's the same carpet in different lighting conditions and rooms. The first picture is a bedroom that leads to a bathroom. The second picture is a nursery. Again, you can see that the carpet adds to each room. It is clean and without stains or spots. It smells good too (I checked).

Now, lets go back to old carpet again. Here's a bedroom with very old carpet. You can see that it needs to be cleaned. One thing the home owner has done is to place a colored rug in the room. However, if this house were for sale, they would need to replace this carpet and remove the dog crate, if they expect to get top dollar.

Now, lets look at an older room with new frieze carpet. You can see that it looks as good as the carpet in the new construction home. By the way, it is in the same house as the room above.

Here's a couple of tips regarding carpet when you're ready to sell and you want to get top dollar.

1. If your carpet is new or still in good shape, get it steam cleaned by a good company, like my friends at Cleancraft. You want your home and your carpet to smell and look fresh and clean. Remember, you're trying to make a strong favorable first impression. Every detail counts.

2. What about cleaning the carpets myself by renting one of those machines at the grocery store? This is better than not cleaning the carpets, but remember...most jobs are better done by the professionals. The biggest problem with the do it yourself machines is that you can't get the water consistently up to the boiling point where the water will turn to steam. The pro's have the equipment to do this.

2. Think your pets have never done you wrong in regards to your carpets? Check out the pic below. Under a black light, you'll be shocked to see what you can't see normally. The lighter colored spot is cat urnine.

Picture provided by and used with permission of www.odordestroyer.com

3. Accent large areas of carpet with smaller, complimentary rugs to add color to your room. Remember, you want fresh and clean, but you also want to create warm and inviting too.

And most importantly, spend the money and get your carpets professionally cleaned before you put the house on the market...even if your carpets aren't old!

That's tip number five in my series, "Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area."

The information, content and pictures in this Bob Haywood blog are the property of Bob Haywood. You must obtain written permission from Bob Haywood if you would like to use any of this content. Opinions expressed are those of Bob Haywood and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of other brokers, associates or home owners. Blogs may be used in their entirety using the reblog feature within Active Rain.

For the most complete information on the Owasso and Greater Tulsa Oklahoma housing market, be sure to check out www.BobHaywood.com

Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area, isn't hard when you know what you're doing!

Today I want to talk to you about wallpaper. Ah yes, wallpaper. Still popular today to some degree, but when it comes to selling your home...definitely a must go item.

My opinion is that replacing wallpaper in your home will help you to be more successful when it comes time to sell. The reasons I hold this opinion are...

1. I hear clients remark time and again, "Oh, there's wallpaper in here." What they're really saying is, "Ugh, we'll have to remove that if we buy this house." And most people typically are not looking for a house where they're going to have to move in and roll up their sleeves and remove wallpaper. Now admittedly, some people will be okay with doing some work in their new home. But removing wallpaper can tear up the wall and is time consuming and messy. I find more of my clients turned off by existing wallpaper than raving fans of it (in prospective homes they are considering buying).

2. Wallpaper is personal. Your taste in wallpaper will not be the taste of most of your buyers.

3. Houses that are too personalized with something like wallpaper, do not have the ability to attract and keep interested buyers as well as houses that are warm and appealing. Let me give you an example.

Here's an example of wallpaper in a dining room. Now, compare that to the room on the right. Notice that the green color in the living room is a nice contrast with the red in the kitchen dining area. Red is a strong color, but it works nicely against the living room and it is more visually appealing than the wallpaper in the other picture.

Now for an example of a bathroom with wallpaper and another one without wallpaper. Interestingly, the green colored bathroom on the right is in an older house than the bathroom with wallpaper.

How about kitchens? Here's a new construction kitchen in our area and a kichen in an existing home. Notice that both of them are beautiful, warm and inviting. Would you put wallpaper up against this? Only if it could accomplish the same feel.

Now, don't misunderstand me. I am not against wallpaper as a decorative element in homes. It can add beauty and a personal touch to your room. However, when it comes time to sell, removing your personal touch in order to create a broader appeal is a smart move.

Remember, you are competing when you are selling your home. You only win the competition if a buyer picks your home over every other house that is on the market. And in a new construction environment like Owasso and Collinsville, broad appeal to buyers is more important than ever.

So spend the money or take the time and remove that wallpaper. Then warm up your room with a great paint color and accents. We'll cover that tomorrow!

That's tip number four in my series, "Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area."

The information, content and pictures in this Bob Haywood blog are the property of Bob Haywood. You must obtain written permission from Bob Haywood if you would like to use any of this content. Opinions expressed are those of Bob Haywood and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of other brokers, associates or home owners. Blogs may be used in their entirety using the reblog feature within Active Rain.

For the most complete information on the Owasso and Greater Tulsa Oklahoma housing market, be sure to check out www.BobHaywood.com

To read the rest of the series click on any link below

Part Three - Curb Appeal

Part Two - Updating Older Homes

Part One - Square Footage Appraisal

Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area, isn't hard when you know what you're doing!

Making your home "pop" by using curb appeal.

In part three of this continuing series, I want to focus on how to make a home stand out when it is located in a neighborhood where many of the houses resemble each other. This happens when new neighborhoods develop, but only a few builders build the houses located there. What you have when that happens is a situation that looks something like this.

These are great houses in a highly desirable neighborhood in Owasso, Oklahoma. However, they kind of look the same, don't they? Since they offer pretty much the same options to buyers, how do you get your home to stand out from the rest? It begins when your potential buyer pulls up the front of the home. It's called curb appeal and you gotta have it!

Now look at these next two houses. You can see that they have fairly standard curb appeal.

Now check out this house in the same neighborhood. It's got great curb appeal. You can see how it is welcoming and inviting.

Let's apply this to another scenario. How about condos? Here's a group of nice looking, but similar condos.

What do you do when you live in a condo in order to make it stand out from the others? How about something like this? Here you see a nice mixture of flowers and shrubs that make a welcoming environment.

Here's another approach using different varieties of plant life.

So you can see that curb appeal makes a difference in how you feel about a home. Even as you've been looking at these pictures, you've been thinking to yourself, "I like that one," or "I don't like that." This is why curb appeal is so important.

So how do you create curb appeal?

1. Use paint to create warm colors, when you can.

2. Use plant life to extend the reach of the house all the way to the curb, when you can.

3. Plant life in the summer with lots of blooms is a homerun.

4. Flower beds are great, but remember that they take lots of maintenance.

5. Native trees, planted in the right place can be strong additions as they give heighth and add natural color.

6. A lush green lawn is a good addition too, but remember that this can cost money as well. A good alternative is to keep your yard mowed and neatly trimmed.

7. Finally, use a bench or other similar items to enhance the flower beds or vegetation. However, be careful here. You don't want pink flamingos (at least in Oklahoma!).

That's tip number three in my series, "Selling Your Home Successfully in the greater Tulsa, Oklahoma area." Tune in tomorrow for another great tip!

The information, content and pictures in this Bob Haywood blog are the property of Bob Haywood. You must obtain written permission from Bob Haywood if you would like to use any of this content. Opinions expressed are those of Bob Haywood and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of other brokers, associates or home owners. Blogs may be used in their entirety using the reblog feature within Active Rain.

For the most complete information on the Owasso and Greater Tulsa Oklahoma housing market, be sure to check out www.BobHaywood.com