I had the extraordinary opportunity to hear Nick talk at KW Mega Camp in Austin last week. When we focus on the small things in life . . .our worlds can become huge. I hope you will enjoy seeing a small part of Nick’s life in the attachment. He has inspored me to appreciate more in life and to not be afraid of trying things out of my comfort level.

http://www.youdrivethesuccess.com/content.html?Nick-Vujicic—No-Arms-No-Legs-No-Worries-31

SIGN ORDINANCE ENFORCEMENT

ALIVE AND WELL

After some period of relative calm, Houston Sign Ordinance enforcement is back in the news. Recent reports indicate “open house” signs photographed by city sign inspectors were later confiscated and fines levied against the listing agent (as much as $432 per sign per day) for violation of the Houston Sign Code. Some of the violating signs had been placed in the roadway medians which are definitely off-limits.

While signs provide some quick and direct advertising for real estate sales, signs placed in the wrong place can mean extra costs to your business. Brokers and their agents must be familiar with the Houston Sign Ordinances to avoid costly fines. Here are the critical provisions:

Sec. 4608 (c)(3) of the Houston Sign Code in part states: any unlawful sign found within public right-of-way shall be seized and removed. This includes the area by the side of the road and medians.

Section 28-39 of the Code of Ordinances in part states: It shall be unlawful for any person to place or cause to be placed any advertising matter of any kind whatsoever located in the public streets, public sidewalks alleyways, easements, public property or any other public place.

Section 40-7 of the Code of Ordinances in part states: It shall be unlawful for any person to erect, place, build, construct or maintain….sign or other obstruction upon any public street…..but the same shall be construed to prohibit and forbid every type and kind of obstruction….

Citations carry a minimum fine of $300.00 with a maximum of $500.00 per day per sign. For more information, please visit the City of Houston’s Sign Administration/Permits Webpage.

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I attended a meeting this week and the speaker was a real estate investor whose topic concerned how things have gone so far in 2009 and what the trend is for the rest of this year. He makes his living buying and selling real estate and is constantly monitoring statistics which he thinks are real estate related. He had nothing to sell and had no handouts.  All the statistics I will be stating come from my notes. I haven’t verified any of them, but did find them interesting and thought that I would share them.

The Bad News-Nationally the latest unemployment figure was 9.4% and predictions are that it might climb to 10.5%. The latest Houston unemployment figure at the time of the talk was 6.90%, which is worse than predicted at the first of the year. Yesterday I read that this increased to 8.0%.  Through May 2009, the cumulative number of  jobs lost was 56,300, also worse than predicted.  

The Good News for Houston-we’ve gained about 7000 of the jobs back and have a chance to gain most of the remainder back by the end of the year. Major projects which will help gain jobs are the 1.5 billion dollar mass transit project, the 1.4 billion dollar restoration project for the UTMB facility in Galveston, the 98.3 million dollar stimulus money for the Port of Houston and the 40 million dollar stimulus money for the Port of Galveston. There is also a new 14 story medical building nearing completion at the Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center and surprisingly to me, numerous new commercial projects planned throughout Houston.

National Real Estate Trends for single family homes:

For the last 3 months, pending sales have increased. 

 Sales in California, one of the biggest  losers real estate-wise, are double from their worst month.

May 2009  . . . job cuts were the lowest this year

The national home inventory is down to 9.7 months

Consumer sentiment is up for 4 months in a row

The HAI(Housing Affordability Index) is the highest since it became an index in 1971

The latest Durable Goods Index was up 1.8%   after predictions were for a .6% decrease

Houston Real Estate Trends for single family homes:

Home Inventory is 45,282 which is less than last year’s number of 53,305

Days on Market is 6.2 months which is considered a neutral market and is less than last year’s figure of 6.5 months. For those of you who remember the 1980’s in Houston, I believe that this number was about 2 years

May 2009 foreclosures accounted for 19.8 % of sales down from a high of 34% in January2009

Although new home sales are down 60% in Houston, we are still #1 in the nation.

The Brookings Institute has Houston as the major market least affected by the economy and ranked #5 in the “Market Expected to Rise” category.

Big Picture:

I bet that most people think that it is a strong buyers market, but the figures don’t support that. I know that some neighborhoods are worse than others, but overall it could be a lot worse.

The latest population prediction that I remember was 5.7 million in 2008 for Houston and vicinity . . . increasing to 11.7 million in 2040.  Can you imagine?!?!  If true, they gotta’  live somewhere.

If you have any information to add to this or want to discuss anything concerning this blog, please let me know.

This article was written July, 2009 by Guest Writer, JIM ZOLLER.

8 Terrific Reasons Why Boomers Should Consider Relocating to Houston

From the Forbes.com’s list:

#1-they mentioned that the “free flow of energy dollars” negates any potential chance of our Houston real estate market taking a nose dive.  In case you didn’t know, Houston is our nation’s energy mecca.

#2-Forbes also states Houston is a tech center rather than a manufacturing hub. The nightly news reminds us of the impact on cities were manufacturing is fleeing to China.

#3-Forbes also mentions our “affordable homes in Houston“. Here in Houston, Boomers have many affordable Harris County neighborhoods and home buying options including low/no maintenance townhomes and condos, single-family homes with smaller lot sizes for reduced up keep and age-restricted communities.

#4-The last reason Forbes.com mentions in their article is our “sunny weather” here in Houston. Our mild weather makes life in Houston a dream!

Even More Great Reasons to Move to Houston!

Here are a few more great reasons why your retirement dollars go farther and your quality of life will be better here in Houston:

#5-One of the top priorities for every individual over 60 is easily accessible high-quality health care. In Houston, we are known as hub of the health care universe what with our Texas Medical Center.

#6-Abundant lifestyle opportunities! Here in Houston, Boomers can participate in any number recreational opportunities. From golf, tennis, hiking, biking, walking, swimming and so much more – we have it all in Houston!

#7-It’s easy to get around Houston! With the Harris County Metro, you can get around Houston with ease plus save the cost of gas and harmful emissions. Now that’s the ticket to an easier way to get around Houston!

8#-Speaking of getting around, if the grandkids or other family members live in another location, Houston delivers not one major airport but two. In Houston you can fly out of Houston William P. Hobby airport or Houston George Bush Intercontentinal airport. Now that is a convenience very few other cities can match!

New to Houston? I Need Senior Feedback!

Calling all Baby Boomers new to Houston. What attracted you to relocate to Harris County?

Until next time,

Meg

Your  “Boomer” Houston REALTOR®

Houston real estate, buyers and sellers always keeps me interested in the needs of those buying, selling, renting and building new construction.  It is what makes me passionate for the business.  After selling real estate for over 19 years, you would think that I’ve encountered most everything that you can imagine in the residential real estate business.  However, I continue to have something new or different come up in almost every transaction.  Therefore, I am constantly learning.  What I learn . . . I try to share.

BELLAIRE, TEXAS

Bellaire, TX is basically a city and a community of homes located near downtown Houston.   Many people want to live in this community because of the city environment, location, schools, and homes.  Homes now sell for anywhere from the mid $200’s to over $3,000,000.  There are some custom built homes that are probably worth considerably more. 

There is very little that you can buy right now for under $300,000.   However, Bellaire does have a few gems that will entice many.  There are a number of townhomes that offer much more than some of the surrounding communities.  Some of these features include low maintenance fees, small yards, one and two story properties and some with master bedrooms located downstairs.

5714 INNSBRUCK, BELLAIRE, TX

I recently listed a lovely townhome at 5714 Innsbruck in Bellaire, TX that has quite a few of the features that people request on a regular basis.  It offers:

• Low maintenance fees of $25. per month
• Some front yard, a large side yard and bit of a back yard
• Two story home
• Downstairs master bedroom presently used as a study/family room
• Gleaming wood floors
• Corner brick gaslog fireplace with a pretty mantle
• Granite kitchen counters with tumbled travertine backsplash
• Double paned window and doors
• Large walk-in closets and ceiling fans in each bedroom
• Very nice bathrooms
• Back patio area
• Well located inside Loop 610 in Bellaire, TX
• Zoned by HISD to Horn Elementary, Pershing Middle (can apply for Pin Oak Middle) & Bellaire High schools (sought after schools)
• Price in the mid $200’s.

PICTURES OF 5714 INNSBRUCK, BELLAIRE, TX

Front view of the townhome as seen standing under the large shade tree in front near the street.	Pretty landscaping, the side yard and touch of slate invite you into this beautifully updated 3/2/2 in Bellaire located inside Loop 610.
Living room features include recently installed wood floors, built-in entertainment center, optional TV, breakfast bar opening to kitchen, and built-ins with mirrored backing.	Another view of the living room from the edge of the dining room. A point of interest is that all the windows have recently been replaced with vinyl double paned windows and garden doors.
From the hallway you can view the living room, corner gaslog fireplace(could be made woodburning again) and garden doors. Aren’t the floors beautiful?	Once again the living room is nicely presented.
The charming brick corner fireplace is cozy and offers a nice hearth and a gorgeous custom made mantle. Presently the fireplace is gaslog, but supposedly can be converted back to woodburning.	Tastful mirrored wall and garden doors aid in making this dining room light and enjoyable for dining.
Peek over the granite breakfast bar into the kitchen from the living room.	Viewing the kitchen from the breakfast bar allows you to see the abundant cabinetry and gorgeous granite countertops. The electric range is a flat surface.
Looking down into the kitchen gives you an idea of the attention to detail from the tile floor, cabinets and hardware, granite counters and tumbled travertine backsplash.	Large upstairs bedroom is presently being used fot the master bedroom. All bedrooms have ceiling fans and large, deep walk-in closets.
The other upstairs bedroom has a high window for better furniture arrangement. All bedrooms are carpeted.	Presently the downstairs master bedroom is being used for a study. You can peek into the master bath that features decorator touches.
The slate step helps you enter onto the patio area from the dining room. This is a great spot for grilling. The back and large side yard are fully fenced.	This large fully fenced side yard can be used in so many ways. The back corner of this yard has nice landscaping. There is quite a bit of yard space that comes along with this home. The low maintenance fees cover mowing the front yard.

There is very little that you can buy in Bellaire for the price of this nice three bedroom, two bath, two garage home.  Prices are historically and continually rising in Bellaire.  Buying a townhome like this one that I listed is a great deal in my opinion . . . if you want to live in Bellaire, TX.

If you are looking to buy or sell in Bellaire, TX . . .would this information be helpful to you?  What would you add or delete to make this post better?

Currently, there are 141 single family homes for sale in the Houston Heights ranging from a 3 bed/1 bath, 1200 sq. ft. home in need of repairs on a 4323 sq. ft.  lot listed for $135,000 to a new construction, 4 bed/3 bath, 4080 sq. ft. luxury home situated on a 13,200 sq. ft lot and priced at $1,490,000.  The average list price per sq. ft. is $187.73. Many of the homes for sale are new construction luxury homes on small lots. However, there are a good selection of older homes. Home buyers have another 39 homes under contract as of 3/07/2008 but they haven’t closed to date.

ZIP Code: 77008

Approximate Location Boundaries: Downtown Houston, Memorial Park, Oak Forest

Location Characteristics: This historical neighborhood, with a mixture of bungalow, Victorian homes, and new construction (as well as some industrial and commercial property) was originally established as a planned community in the late 1890s. The location was partially chosen because it was 23 feet higher than downtown Houston, located 4 miles away. In 1918, Houston Heights residents voted for annexation by the city of Houston, Texas.

The single family home market in the Houston Heights consists of older Victorian era homes, older bungalows, and new construction. Many of the older homes have been remodeled and over 100 Houston Heights structures are registered in the National Register of Historical Places. The newer construction consists of everything from contemporary designs to Victorian style homes. 
 

Meg and Jim Zoller – The Zoller Group of Keller Williams Realty, The Metropolitan

Please view our website, http://www.finehomeshouston.com/ . Also, feel free to contact us at:

Direct: 713-661-0884

Toll Free: 800-808-6153

E-mail: Meg@FineHomesHouston.com or Jim@FineHomesHouston.com

Cells: Meg – 713-875-4844 Jim – 713-545-6338

It is presently reported that there are 5 townhomes active on the market, priced from $199,000 to $325,000. The average list price per sq. ft. is $159.89.  Three sold in February and 2 are pending sale.

New construction in Bellaire, Texas is still strong and the prices are increasing due to rising building costs and lot prices. For the most part the older construction in Bellaire originated in the late 40’s and 50’s. Many of these original homes have been and are being purchased at what is considered ”lot value” with the old homes being replaced with larger, new construction luxury homes.

ZIP Code: 77401

Location Characteristics: Bellaire, Texas, located on both sides of Interstate Loop 610 West, is surrounded by Houston and many subdivisions including West University Place, Southside Place, Meyerland, Willow Meadows, and Afton Oaks. It’s a very short distance to the Galleria, Reliant Stadium, downtown Houston, the Theater District, and the Texas Medical Center.

Bellaire is zoned for residential,commercial, and light industrial sections. The city is well known as a residential city. The city is well-liked for its police and fire protection, parks and recreation facilities, library, public works department, and recycling center.

Meg and Jim Zoller – The Zoller Group of Keller Williams Realty, The Metropolitan