About Potter County, TX

Everyone wants to find an affordable home, especially first-time buyers. So, a great place to begin your search is in Amarillo , Texas . The community has some wonderful little fixer-uppers. A fixer-upper is a home that needs repairs or upgrades. These types of properties are usually small, but can also be a cost-effective way to buy a home.

Okay, I know what most of you are thinking. Size matters. But in today's economy, you have to ask yourself, "How much does size really matter?" Affordability is what most first-time buyers are looking for, so they will have to expect less space and expect the property to need a little tender loving care.

If you're a first-time buyer looking for an affordable home, you may want to consider a fixer-upper. Of course, you will also have to overlook the imperfections. That's why it's called a fixer-upper. One of the top benefits to buying a fixer-upper is the equity you can build over time. Hey, face it; the equity you build now can put you in your dream home later.

As always, when buying a home, it is important to get an inspection. This is even more important when buying a fixer-upper. You don't want to get stuck in a money trap. Some basic repairs to expect with a fixer-upper is new flooring, paint, window treatment, landscaping, and other minor repairs. Anything more than that, you will have to use your better judgment and weigh the price of the home versus the repair costs.

Just remember to take your time when buying any home. It would not hurt to look at 10 to 20 homes before making a final decision. Good luck with your house-hunting experience.

Amarillo, Texas Real Estate

Amarillo, Texas Homes For Sale

Amarillo, Texas Neighborhoods

Amarillo, Texas Realtor

Amarillo, Texas has some really great schools in the community. But even with good schools, sometimes bringing home a report card can be very traumatic for some students. Some students just need a little extra help. So, one local organization has started the Brainfuse program. Brainfuse is an online tutorial that helps students bring up their grades.

Brainfuse has been funded by the Harrington Library Consortium, available to almost all libraries in the Texas Panhandle. The program gives students the opportunity to get one-on-one tutoring from a professional. The program is available from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. every day of the week in both English and Spanish.

Library officials can assure parents that the program is safe and reliable for children to improve their studies.

The professional tutors working with Brainfuse each have four year degrees, are specialists in their subject, and are all current educators. They have even had background checks. The tutors range from graduate students to retired teachers.

To access the program, students only need a library card and pin number.

If you have a student in Amarillo , Texas schools, you can access the program by clicking on any of the links below:

http://proxy.harringtonlc.org:2048/login?url=http://main.hlc.tx.brainfuse.com

http://www.brainfuse.com/

http://www.harringtonlc.org/

http://www.amarillolibrary.org/

Amarillo, Texas Real Estate

For investors looking at buying an REO (Real Estate Owned) property, please be on the lookout for one of the latest scams to hit the real estate market when investigating a potential investment. As a property goes into foreclosure and becomes empty, con artists are renting out the property to people for bargain, cash only rents to make a quick buck before the property is sold. Since the renter is unaware that this is a scam, they may become hostile when you try to check out the property before purchasing it. The scam artists get information on default loans and properties about to enter foreclosure through the same public records as potential investors. Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when going to check out a bank owned property:

1. Check out possible neighborhood risks before heading out to a property. Always make sure someone else knows where you are going and which route you intend to take to get there and back as an extra security measure.

2. Scan the exterior of the property to see if there are any signs of forced entry (such as a broken window or back door) before entering the REO property. Always knock on the front door and verbally make your presence known BEFORE entering.

3. Always bring a heavy flashlight with you...even in broad daylight. A heavy flashlight is not only a good tool to view the inside of a home that has had the electricity turned off, but it can also be used as a defensive tool in case of an altercation.

Make sure to use common sense when investigating any property. No investment is worth getting hurt over.

Every community across the nation needs a good public library. Amarillo , Texas has one of the best library systems around. The Amarillo Public Library was founded by handful of women from the Just Us Girls Club. Since then, the library has served Amarillo residents for over 100 years.

In the beginning, the library only had one location and 123 books. Now, the Amarillo Public Library System has five locations that offer a varied collection of learning materials including over 1/2 million printed books, books on cassette tape and CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes of documentaries, CDs, MP3s, and 56 computers throughout the 5 libraries with Internet access and the wonderful, much used Microsoft office program.

The Amarillo Public Library offers several programs that take place daily, weekly and monthly. Story-time is held each week day, sometimes two or three times a day. Meeting facilities are also available for non-profit organizations. Must reserve the room in advance.

The library, now, wants to hear from you. They want to know what your story is. If you have used the library to learn something exciting about your family history, or if you found information to help your business, or if you have ever taken advantage of the library's online resources to prepare for test or homework help, they want you to let them know how the library made a difference in your life.

To let the library know how it's made a difference in your life, just write them a short paragraph of 75 words or less and send it to stacy.yates@amarillolibrary.org. Just by submitting your story, you will have the chance to win a cash prize and be featured in the marketing campaign of the Library.

Library Address and Hours of Operation:

Central Library Southwest Branch

413 E 4th 6801 W 45th

Amarillo, TX 79101 Amarillo , TX 79109

(806) 378-3054 (806) 359-2094

Monday - Thursday 9am to 9pm Friday & Saturday - 9am to 6pm Sunday - 2pm to 6pm.

East Branch North Branch Northwest Branch

2232 E 27th 1500 NE 24th 6100 W 9th

Amarillo, TX 79103 Amarillo , TX 79107 Amarillo , TX 79106

(806) 342-1589 (806) 381-7931 (806) 359-2035

Monday & Tuesday 12pm to 9pm Wednesday - Friday 9am to 6pm Saturday closed Sunday 2pm to 6pm.

Amarillo Texas real estate for sale

Amarillo Public Library System: http://www.amarillolibrary.org/about/index.php

Amarillo Public Library Calendar: http://www.amarillolibrary.org/calendar.php/

Amarillo, Texas will be celebrating Veterans Day for days before November 11. There will also be traveling replica of the Vietnam Veteran Memorial with over 58,000 names on it coming through the city. This will definitely be an emotional day for many Amarillo residents.

Some of the events you can take advantage of and enjoy are:

November 7 -

• Take a Vet to School from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Austin Middle School at 1808 Wimberly Road in Amarillo .
• Military Appreciation Night at 7:05 p.m. at the Amarillo Civic Center with the Amarillo Gorillas at 401 S. Buchanan Street . All veterans will receive discount tickets.

November 8 -

• American Legion Post 54 Breakfast from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 617 S.W. Seventh Avenue in Amarillo . They will be accepting donations at the breakfast.
• Hutchinson County Veterans Appreciation Dinner at 5:00 p.m. at Borger Elks Lodge. Dinner will be free with feature speaker, state Rep. Warren Chisum.
• Veterans Day Cookout and Welcome Home from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center at 6010 W. Amarillo Blvd.
• Veterans Day Parade to honor all who have served our country at 10 a.m. on Polk Street in downtown Amarillo . They are asking for everyone to bring U.S. flags and wear the colors red, white and blue.

November 10 -

• Military and Family Appreciation Dinner at 5:30 p.m. at Leal's Restaurant on Georgia Street and Interstate 40 in Amarillo . The event will be sponsored by All Saints Church. All active duty military personnel and family are welcome. Please RSVP.

November 11 - Veterans Day -

• Veterans Day Program at 11:00 a.m. at the Texas Panhandle War Memorial at 4101 S. Georgia Street in Amarillo . There will be a featured speaker, Andrew M. Welch, from the Amarillo VA Health Care System.
• Veterans Day Program from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 pm. at Houston Middle School at 815 S. Independence Street in Amarillo . There will be a featured speaker, Letus Lebow, a survivor of the USS Indianapolis.

November 17 -

• Free Military Appreciation Dinner from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Golden Corrall on Coulter Street and Interstate 40 in Amarillo .

Whether you live in Amarillo , Texas or are looking to buy a home in Amarillo , I hope you will get to attend some of these great events.