Happy Earth Day!

Today and this weekend there are tons of Earth Day events going on all over town! I have been saying for a while now that I want to visit the Zoo again sometime soon, so what better weekend than Earth Day. Other hot spots include the Space Center, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Minute Maid Park and Moody Gardens.
As always I advocate recycling too, so make today the day you start to recycle at home. You'll be amazed at how much of your trash can be recycled! If you are looking for a place to drop off your recycling, there is a huge site right behind Star Pizza on Washington Ave. They accept everything! Glass, aluminum, plastic, cardboard etc.
Have a green thumb?? I do! We definitely cleaned up our yard, planted new flowers and fixed up our garden this past weekend. Why not spend some time on yours? It's definitely a workout and gets you out of the house into this wonderful Spring weather we've been having. If you are in the Heights, I highly recommend going to one of the many local nurseries for your flowers and vegetable plants. Home Depot definitely had some good deals as well.
Just in case some of you did not know there is now a tax credit for bringing in your old appliances and buying energy efficient ones to replace in your home. This will not only save you money, but it will help the environment. To save even more money and to ensure you are being good to the environment year long, I recommend using Green Mountain Energy for your electricity provider. I switched from TXU and have been saving $10-$50/month since the switch. The bill even gives you statistics on what carbon emissions you have reduced because of the green energy you are using.
Switching over to another form of green, this morning on the Early Show they had a segment on Money Matters regarding the state of the Real Estate market and tips for buyers and sellers. For those who have waited to buy, they should know that the "era of rock bottom mortgage rates is over". The 30 year, fixed rate mortgage is at about 1% higher than it was last year at this time. Remember that a small rise in the rates will mean big differences in monthly payments. Their buyer and seller tips were straight forward:
1. Find a GOOD agent!
2. Sellers need to prepare their home and clean it up!
3. Buyers NEED to be pre-qualified
4. Sellers need to choose the right buyer
I was so glad they mentioned #3. Now more than ever, being pre-qualified is essential to the buying process. This is so quick and painless! You literally fill out some paperwork and wait for a letter. This letter tells the Seller you mean business and that you are the right buyer for their home. Buyers who are not pre-qualified right now, are most likely not going to meet the April 30th deadline, which is a possible $8000 in your pocket! Just some food for thought!

April eNewsletter

APRIL-2010 Newsletter Housing Trends eNewsletter

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High-Rise

Opening Day was fun, but we lost and I have a feeling we're about to be swept by the Giants in our first series of the year... I like to go to baseball games, but oh man, it makes me miss football season! Just incase anyone is interested, this Sunday, the 11th, is take your dog to the ball park day - I bet it will be fun to see all the different dogs everywhere!
Speaking of "openings", a much awaited Highland Tower is starting to move in its first tenants this month. The newest high-rise condo in Houston is located just inside the loop, opposite the Galleria and within walking distance to Highland Village Shopping Center. They have one, two and three bedrooms available for sale starting in the $300s. Of course there are penthouses available, and there have been several buyers who have requested walls be taken down to create their own floor plans with the help of prestigous Ziegler-Cooper Architects, who had a hand in helping the developers at Pelican Builders with the design of the tower. They did a fantastic job!
Construction started in 2008 right before the market declined, and the tower has been able to survive with 35% of the building's 93 units already being sold before tenants could move in! I truly believe this high-rise will succeed in comparison to similar projects such as the Mosaic and the Royalton. Both towers have succumbed to leasing after sales decreased, which drove property values of owned units into the ground and caused lawsuits in some cases... Because of the state of the economy, there won't be construction of another condo tower project in town at least for the next couple of years - meaning, the Highland Tower can claim to be Houston's newest condo for a long time. I'd defnitely recommend this new project to anyone looking to buy a city condo!

Happy Opening Day Astros' Fans!

I am so excited for the Opening Day game this afternoon against the Giants at Minutemaid! It is Roy O's eighth consecutive year to start on Opening Day - way to keep the tradition up. He will definitely have his hands full against Cy Young Winner Lincecum, but I think we got this one!

I almost always mention that it is definitely a buyer's market because I can not stress the importance of taking advantage of this limited time enough. But now reports from this year's first quarter are starting to come in and you can take comfort in the fact that they are proof of my statements NOT just a sales pitch! =) I came across a report from the NAR which says pending sales are on an uprise. The pending sales index is considered to be an indicator for sales in the future. With this, NAR expects existing-home sales to rise 6.5% this year with new, single-family home sales rising only .6% and 56.9% in 2011 - that's a huge leap! Those thinking about buying a home in the next year or so need to know that as it changes from a buyer's market to a seller's, obviously the prices of homes will increase. NAR already says that this year the median purchase price of an existing-home will rise to $177,200 and even reach $184,800 next year. The median sales price for a new, single-family home is predicted to be $221,700 this year and $233,100 next. That's ten grand you could save on a brand new home just by making sure you purchase it in 2010 and not 2011. Just a little food for thought!