Localism: Houston, TX

House Of Blues Houston

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:10:54 -0600

What's smokin hot in Houston right now? That would be The House of Blues. Newly opened in downtown Houston, this cool new club has had an unbeatable venue that doesn't disappoint, with more to come. With 43,000 sf of space, the House of Blues encompases a vast array of entertainment, fun, and food.

The Legendary Great B.B. King will perform live Friday night, November 21, 2008. The door opens at 7:00pm, the show begins at 8:30. Prices range from $70.50-$125.00.

House of Blues Houston

1204 Caroline St
Houston, Texas 77002
United States
(888) 402-5837

************************************************************************************

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc.Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation. Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served: Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood. And all areas down to Galveston Island.

Houston hosts 9th Annual LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS!

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:15:58 -0600

We had the privilege of hosting the 9th Annual Latin Grammy's here in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center, November 13, 2008.

My dad is V.P of Integrity Music, the Latin Division and he had several artists who were up for a Grammy so he invited my daughter to go with him!

She is in her 2nd year of Spanish at McCullough Junior High, in The Woodlands, so I thought this would make a perfect "field trip" experience for her!

She got to walk the "Green" carpet (yeah, I know "go green" no more red)

I bought her a 8 megapixel camera for her Birthday ... teaching her how to BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting ready for the Grammy's ........

She even got to stand on the stage and "practice" her acceptance speech ...

Here is Gloria Estefan! She said the only reason she knew her songs was because when she was little I always played her music to clean the house (ok ... so its energizing and inspiring!!!!!!!!!!!)

"Latin pop diva Gloria Estefan, who was honored with the 2008 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year award Wednesday night, also scooped up awards for best traditional tropical album for "90 millas" and best tropical song.

"The only thing left for me to do is to sing in a free Cuba," said Estefan, who is the first woman to receive the person of the year honors."

Confetti .......

I wasn't so fortunate to go the Grammy's but I met everyone afterwards for dinner ...

here is my sister and brother-in-law (Alan Villatoro) ... he has just released a new album ... expect to see him at next year Grammys!!!!!!!!!

Green Living Ideas: Recycled Fruit Crates

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:03:36 -0600

Good idea for green-living!

I recently found this idea on a site where they built a bookcase from old fruit crates and place it at the foot of the bed. It's a very easy weekend project.

First, start with three sturdy, same-size crates. Stand them on end, and screw them together through the sides. Next, cut a top and bottom from 1-inch boards and secure with screws. If you want to achieve a weathered effect, prime and paint with a base coat of white.** After the paint dries, rub a candle over the edges to resist the second coat of paint. Apply the contrasting top coat. Let dry, then sand to expose part of the base coat. Top with cushions or pillows if desired or display decorative items.

**make sure you use low-VOC paints

Thanksgiving Day Volunteers Needed to Deliver Meals in Houston, TX

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:42:57 -0600

Volunteers can use their own vehicle to deliver Thanksgiving meals to homebound seniors. A central Houston location needs volunteers to pack and pickup the meals on Thanksgiving morning. Other volunteers are needed at the pickup location to help plan the routes and load the meals. Call Volunteer Houston at 713-965-0031 or visit www.volunteerhouston.org for more information.

www.StagingSmartNSold.com provides Houston home staging expertise for a rapid and profitable house sale for area Realtors and homeowners. The owner is also a volunteer in the Houston Bay Area.

Houston Association of Realtors: October Stats

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:19:59 -0600

October 2008 Sales

Uncertainty Over National Economy And Lingering Effects Of Hurricane Ike Cool Houston's Real Estate Market In October

Despite an ongoing slowdown in property sales, Houston still outperforms most other U.S. markets

HOUSTON - (Nov. 18, 2008) - The Houston housing market continued to feel the effects of the troubled national economy in October and residual business interruptions caused by Hurricane Ike. New monthly data released by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) reflects improvement from market performance in September, when Ike derailed thousands of real estate transactions. However, the number of property sales across the greater Houston area declined last month when compared to October 2007, with sales of single-family homes down 20.1 percent.

The average price of a single-family home dipped 1.6 percent last month to $194,607 from $197,751 in October 2007. That still marks the second highest average price for an October in Houston. At $142,000, the median price of a single-family home in October fell 2.7 percent. Year-to-date home prices are still up compared to 2007 and national figures show Houston continues to fare better than many other U.S. markets, some of which have experienced depreciations of as much as 40 percent.

Sales of all property types for October 2008 totaled 4,962, down 21.6 percent compared to October 2007. Total dollar volume for properties sold during the month was $943 million versus $1.2 billion one year earlier, a 22.9 percent decline.

"Houston remains the envy of real estate professionals around the country, who discussed their sales and pricing concerns with us at this month's National Association of REALTORS® conference in Orlando," said Michael Levitin, HAR chairman and principal of HTownRealty.com. "Month's inventory in Houston is about half the national average, and on a year-to-date basis, prices here are up about three percent from 2007. Nonetheless, we must watch closely to see what further action the federal government may take to stimulate the economy, particularly on behalf of homeowners."

October Monthly Market Comparison
The month of October brought Houston's overall housing market disappointing results when comparing all listing categories to October of 2007. Total property sales and total dollar volume fell, as did average and median single-family home sales prices.

The number of available properties, or active listings, at the end of October fell 8.2 percent from October 2007 to 49,016. That's 1,139 fewer active listings than September 2008, and is seen as an indication that inventory levels are balanced and that home prices should remain stable.

Month-end pending sales - those listings expected to close within the next 30 days - totaled 3,579, which was 21.5 percent lower than last year and suggests another likely sales decline next month. The month's inventory of single-family homes for October came in at 6.3 months, the lowest level since March of this year. That compares to the October 2007 single-family homes inventory of 6.2 months.