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7 Acre Wood Family Park & Carrie's Coffee Mill follows organic practices, Pumpkin patch- pumpkins already gathered from the field, The Park includes a coffee shop & sandwich cafe, petting zoo, mini golf, zip lines, western play town, huge play fort, and so much more! The park admission, games & candy, and live entertainment is free.  The October Park & Pumpkin Patch charge is $6/person additional ride tickets are available (hay rides, barrel rides, pony rides, and paintball pumpkin shooting) Most pumpkin prices range from $5-$10.   Tractor-pulled hay rides, fresh eggs, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, pony rides, petting zoo, farm animals.  Call to schedule birthday parties, weddings, wedding parties or school tours.
4401 North Frazier Street,…

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is2The 2011 Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival is fast approaching.  Save the date - October 14-16.  There will fun and food for all.  Tickets are on sale now.  

For more information click on the link under the picture: 

               http://www.conroecajuncatfishfestival.com

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Does the Zillow price represent the true market value? I was asked this question yesterday by a client and my answer is that it all depends upon how you're using the information.

Most people use Zillow pricing or "zestimate" to get a quick "price" of how much a home should sell for. They want the quick answer. They seem to think that Zillow is an authority on home pricing and if Zillow says the home should sell for XXX then that's the price they're willing to pay. Unfortunately, they fail to realize it is an estimate that is sometimes not based on a whole lot.

If you dig into Zillow's website you can learn more about their valuation process. Zillow states that it is an estimated market value, not a professional valuation. It is merely a "starting…

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I came across a local Real Estate Discount Brokerage website today and I decided to do some checking.  I really wanted to find out what the discount brokerage offers.  What's the appeal?  Why would someone use them over the traditional x% real estate brokerage?

The appeal is that they will list your home for a flat fee.  In this case, it's $500.  For that fee, they will take photos of your home, place a sign in the yard, they may or may not place a supra key box or lock box on your door, but they will list the home for sale in the local MLS. And....that's just about it!

But you know what?  There's so much more to selling a home than just taking pictures and listing it in the local MLS - especially in this real estate market!

Does the discount…

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Many people have heard the term, "Short Sale" but don't really know what it is or how it works.  A "Short Sale" is a term used to describe the agreement of the lender to accept less for the home than what is owed on it.  This may seem like a simple process but it's not.  In order for the lender to agree to accept less than what is owed, you must meet certain criteria.

HAFA Qualifications 

(Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives)

It's important to know the rules and guidelines for the HAFA short sale program if you're considering the short sale option.  Unfortunately, not everyone qualifies.

To qualify, you must:

  • Own a home that was purchased before the year 2009.
  • You must be living in the home as your primary residence, and must…
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school_bus_with_kids_400Wow!  We're already into the second week of August and it's time to think about getting the kids ready for another school year.  Where did the summer go?  It seems like we should have at least 4 more weeks!

As our summer days are winding down and you're trying to plan your fall schedule, I've attached links for area schools to help you gather all the information you may need. 

Click on the links below to see the New School Year Calendar, School Supply Lists, and Bus Schedules and more.

www.conroeisd.net

www.magnoliaisd.org

www.misd.org

www.willisisd.org  

Here's to a great school year!

 

 

 

 

 

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Remember The Good?  If so, keep in mind that Texas looks pretty good and, when compared to the rest of the country, Texas looks pretty darn good!  If not, you'll need to read the previous blog regarding Texas' economic outlook and the greater Houston area housing statistics. 

According to Realty Trac, a foreclosure listing firm, banks took back 421,212 homes the first half of this year, down from 529,633 in the first six months of 2010.  That's a 30% decrease.  However, this decrease does not indicate a recovering housing market but merely a delay in filings. 

Lenders are taking longer to file against homeowners in order to work through the foreclosure documentation problems and allowing the delinquent homeowners additional time to catch up on…

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map_of_texas_400The Good 

In July, according to the Texas Comptroller's Economic Outlook, it appears that the Texas economy has emerged from the recent recession.  Citing economic indicators such as job growth, consumer spending, sales tax collection, and automobile sales. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau report, Texas saw an increase in population of 4.3 million people from 2000 to 2010.  That's more than any other state and a strong indicator of Texas' healthy economy.

82% of the jobs cut by employers during Texas' recession have been recovered by the summer of 2011, compared to 20% nationally ending in 2010.  Texas' unemployment rate remains stable at 8%.

The Greater Houston Area Housing Market

In June, the local Houston housing market saw single family…

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brisketYum, yum.  There's just nothing better than barbecue brisket!

I know that I'm a little late sharing this secret to making a great barbecue brisket since we're well past July 4th but, we do have Labor Day fast approaching so here you go....

First of all, you must find a brisket that is tender.  You can tell if it's tender by picking it up on one end.  If it goes limp or flops downward, you have a winner.  If it sticks straight out, it's going to be tough.

You will want to season it with a dry rub.  I usually use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.  Yes, that's a Louisiana/Cajun seasoning on Texas Brisket - go figure.  Trust me, it's good on it.  Besides, you're going to smoke it so you really won't have that much seasoning flavor.

Now, it's Burt's…

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istock_000001178128medium_400Living on Lake Conroe is so much fun!  Watching the boats and jet skis fly by is so exciting!  Hearing the roar of the jet boats as they skim across the water is thrilling!  Oh the laughter, conversations, and activities we are able to hear and see living on the lake are simply wonderful.

But all has been relatively quiet this year.  We don't have as many people boating.  What little boat traffic we do have is confined to the deeper areas of the lake.

The lake level is down.  Full pool for Lake Conroe is 201.  July 3rd's level was 197.84. That may not sound like much off the full pool level but it is when you look out across the lake .  You can see lake bottom that probably hasn't seen the light of day since the lake was created in the 1970's. 

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