Cypress, TX

Urgent! Please let your voice be heard by Governor Rick Perry. If House Bill 3646 is passed the Cy-Fair Independent School District will receive less money per student than other school districts resulting in a major budget short fall which will in turn result in the repeal of Cy-Fair ISDs homestead exemption and a 20% tax hike.

I am told that according to House Bill 3646, Cy-Fair will receive $4,200 per child whereas other districts will receive approximately $5,800 per child even though their districts are contracting and Cy-Fair is expanding. Houston ISD is facing the same problem, but they have a much larger tax base that is largely commercial property. Cy-Fair is primarily residential.

Our low tax rates in Cy-Fair are a big reason why the area is so attractive to young families looking to move into the suburbs. The loss of the homestead exemption could drive property values down if home buyers feel Cy-Fair taxes are out of line with other areas of Houston.

Please tell Governor Perry to veto the bill until this inequality can be remedied. Tell your friends to do the same.

Bridgeland is a very large master planned community located in Northwest Harris County in Cypress, Texas just Northwest of Houston. The development is a very large one covering almost the same land mass as the inside of Houston's 610 inner loop.

Recently, it was learned that General Growth Properties Inc., the developer, was filing for bankruptcy protection. I was curious about what that meant for the development itself. General Growth Properties is one of the largest retail shopping mall developers and owners in the country and residential development was only a small piece of their holdings.

I talked with an employee of Bridgeland who assured me that they were well funded for the next year and although a few of their builders have struggled of late, they still have a strong builder core and are still building in the sections they have already started. No new sections will likely be opened this year. I was also informed that two buyers had made offers to purchase the development from General Growth Properties and that one offer had been accepted. They are now in the due diligence period of the contract.

Although, he didn't give me a name, the employee said the buyer was already a well established developer in the area. It has now been reported by the Houston Business Journal that Caldwell Companies who is the developer of the nearby developments of Towne Lake and Rock Creek. The Houston Business Journal is also reporting that a Japanese firm, Sumitomo Corp., will have a large stake in the project.

For now, Bridgeland is still on track to ultimately build 20,000 homes for an estimated 65,000 residents. The project features many wonderful amenities such as nature trails, a large park with disc golf course, lakes for non-powered boating, and activity centers with pools, splash pads and tennis courts. The project will also ultimately have commercial retail property along the proposed Grand Parkway expansion.

To see pictures of the community, visit: http://www.bridgeland-cypress-tx.com/

In No Particular Order:

1. Sellers are at home during Inspection, Showing & Appraisal. This is probably the largest error any homeowner can make. When buyers are looking at your home they want you GONE. They need to talk about your house, talk to the inspector and be able to think out loud. You being there prevents this and ultimately costs YOU MONEY.

2. A seller gets an offer within 2 weeks of being listed & gets too cocky. Too often when an offer comes quickly a seller becomes Contract Proud. They feel "many more will come" and they do not want to consider negotiations as well as they should.

3. Television, friends in Alaska and the news reporter in Syracuse know nothing about Houston Real Estate. - ZERO. They can give you advice, but that's all it should be. When you attempt to use outside influence as an ingredient in your decision making then you run the risk of costing yourself money. Laws vary from state to state. So do market conditions, advertising methods and the expectations of what is considered usual & customary. What works in Utah, may not work in Cypress Texas.

4. A seller hires a friend or relative to list their home. Personally I don't care and am sometimes/often relieved when a friend or relative does not use me to list their house. You need to be able to FIRE, YELL AT or REPRIMAND you Realtor when you are unhappy about something. BUSINESS IS BUSINESS. Feelings won't get hurt with me if I don't know or love you!

5. A seller who stands outside during a showing, but attempts to chit chat with exiting buyers is a HUGE MISTAKE. Don't be coy and try to talk about closing costs, the new exterior paint job or how wonderful the neighbors are. You look desperate, needy and sometimes to controlling. Remember YOU ARE PAYING FOR REPRESENTATION.

6. A seller receives a repair requests, then fixes them without telling the listing agent! Don't try to be slick and perform a lot of repairs yourself in an attempt to save money!!!! The CONTRACT clearly states that a LICENSED PROFESSIONAL must perform the work that requires a license to do so. Not only that, but you need to remember that when YOU fix something, YOU are standing behind the work that was done. Buyers usually if not always want MONEY in lieu of or they want somebody they know & trust to do the work.

7. A seller sees multiple real estate signs in their neighborhood and assumes that agent is selling everything in the area. NOPE. You need to look at the SELLING AGENT & not the LISTING AGENT. Over 80% of all listings that sell come from a buyers agent and not the Listing Agent.

8. Sellers Not READING THE LISTING AGREEMENT. I love a client who trusts me, but you not reading the paperwork means you may miss something or assume something down the road that might frustrate you.

9. Sellers leaving the a/c off, leaving the dogs in the house, not cleaning their home, stinky cats, dirty dishes in sink, weapons or prescription drugs left out during showings, turning down showings, yelling at buyers agents for being late, smoking in the house, & sooo much more.

10. The BIGGEST mistake a seller can make is not calling a LICENSED REALTOR to list their home! You get what you pay for. That's if it's a part time agent, discount firm or FSBO. Do it right the first time folks!

Curious how much your home is worth? Who isn't? Everyday I get emails from people curious about the value of their home.

Here are some things to know:

- What homes are listed for are not considered comparables & do not determine YOUR homes value. Tey can however help you strategize your placement on the mls.

- What the Builder is selling homes for, especially brand new is usually not considered either.

- Licensed Real Estate Appraisers usually only go back 3 months when searching for "comps."

- Values are neighborhood specific. Master-planned communities versus communities with golf courses will certainly have a different price range.

- Lot Value means the land is worth MORE than the home itself.

- Your FINANCED upgrades by the builder are NOT worth what you paid! Builders almost ALWAYS charge 2-3 times as much to add enhancements.

- Your tax assessed value in most cases is NOT what your home is worth!

- Pools in Houston ADD value, despite what you hear on tv.

- Only a Licensed REALTOR® has access to comparable sales. VALUES you find on automated websites do not have access to the MLS comps. "Area Sales" can be very deceiving.

- Only a Licensed REALTOR® knows how to correctly formulate a good list price for your home.

Every market is different!