Does it seem more crowded?

Have you noticed new faces around? Well if you have it's because more people are moving to Texas than any other state.

One reason for this according to CNNMoney.Com is "Texas, for example, never went through the boom-and-bust housing cycle that devastated the Sand States [California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida]. Home prices remained affordable, and the state's unemployment rate was 8% in October, a full two percentage points below the national average."

Just another reason to appreciate ringing in the New Year in Texas; if you know someone who is moving here from out-of-state, give me a call! I would love to show them around Houston and show them why many have chosen to move here!

While this site is aimed at educating and informing you on issues related to Real Estate and your home, certain circumstances have made it obvious that sometimes we need practical information. Let's just say you are reaching down to clean out your pool filter and hear a "plop" - look down quickly because it might be your phone. Yes, this is what happened to me yesterday.

I am now missing all my fun technology using my old phone now (good reason to never throw them away) and drying and praying my phone, with a penchant for swimming, works again. Follow this link for information I came across on the internet. A search I should have frantically conducted yesterday. I encourage you to read it NOW so "if" your phone decides to take a dip someday you will be prepared.

As for me, all I can do is look at my phone tucked in a bowl of dry rice and hope for a Christmas miracle

Clap Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet

Are you happy and you know it? Well you should be, because there is data to prove it. As I was reading the Chronicle today I came across an AP article ranking states on happiest. Texas came in No. 15!

While that may at first seem low, consider that New York was dead last and California ranked No. 46. Ranking 15th ain't bad! Imagine what our ranking would be if we didn't have humidity, hurricanes and mosquitoes! This would explain why most of the time you see people with a smile on their face. In fact, when we moved from California we asked our kids what they liked most about Texas and they said "the people".

So put a smile on your face - you've earned it!

It's almost Christmas - Why Think of Buying a House Now?

Items are being checked off your list this season: Christmas tree up; presents bought; packages shipped; cookies baked; contacted Realtor and Mortgage company - WHAT? As crazy as it sounds, if you are in the market to buy a home in the New Year this is the right time to make those calls. You may be thinking "there is no way I'm going to look for a home now!" While the thought of adding something so monumental onto your to-do list seems a bit insane, the timing actually might be perfect.

Let's say you want to start the home buying process in the New Year. With the extended tax credits for first-time and existing home buyers, this is a great plan. Why not get a jump start on things. With mortgage rates at all-time low, a call to a mortgage company could lock you into a great rate for up to 60 days - that's February 2010. The Houston Chronicle stated "For consumers who feel good about their jobs, 'there can't possibly be a better time to buy a house than right now.......To be able to get a 30-year fixed rate mortgage below 5 percent just shouldn't happen'" (Houston Chronicle 12.16.09)

"Well that's all well and fine, but I don't want to start looking yet." Contacting a Realtor now doesn't mean you have to aggressively start looking at homes now. With just some basic information, I can set you up with a personalized Client Gateway account. This automatically emails you new listings and any changes in target areas you may like. This is a great way to begin to see online what homes are available, pricing, inventory and help you begin to make your list of what you really want in a home. If you find a home you'd like to see, give me a call, text me, email me and we'll schedule a showing. Over 80% of home buyers begin on the Internet - you can do that while munching a plate of nearby cookies and check one more thing off your list.

Home IS where the Heart is

I am tired of cloudy skies and drizzly rainy weather. It makes me glad I do not live in the Pacific Northwest. I'm a girl who needs sun! While most of Houston has not experienced this weather, I have since this is my first day returning from San Diego for my father-in-laws funeral. Unusually, but appropriately it rained the entire time we were there....except the day we left.

In the midst of our loss, our family gathered at my husband's parent's home remembering, reminiscing and even laughing. It reminded me what a home truly is - a place of gathering and a multitude of memories.

When their home was first purchased it was a practical investment, they needed room for their growing family. It was just a house then. Today, in Real Estate terms, it has some functional obsolescence - a four bedroom home with only two bathrooms. It has an open floor plan, ahead of its time, but has no dishwasher which led to a lot of "bonding" in the kitchen. To the untrained eye, you would wonder why the nick on the corner of the wall leading to the hallway hasn't been repaired - to the family it is a reminder of the abrupt end to a rather rambunctious game of chase and how tall his sister was when it happened.

So what is the point of this? It is important to keep in mind the memory factor when buying a home as it keeps you respectful of the properties you look at. One person's flaws may be another person's memories. It is also important to realize that the wealth of memories cannot be translated into dollars when you sell, because know one could ever afford your home.

While I would never have chosen the reason to return to San Diego, I am thankful to have been able to see the fireplace crowded with personalized stockings for each family member again. The opportunity to take yet another photo of all the kids and cousins crammed on the fireplace. And more importantly thankful to be blessed with families where home is a place of wonderful and warm memories. Those are the things that transform a house to a home.

May your home be the beginning of wonderful memories this holiday season.

Another Reason to Love Houston

Now that the weather has cooled down, the mosquitoes have disappeared and the whir of air conditioners is replaced by heaters kicking on, Houston is a pleasant place to live weather-wise. In fact a writer to the Houston Chronicle stated recently that this time of year Houston is "like San Diego with culture and without California's state income tax." Living most of my life in San Diego, I don't know that I agree with that statement (after all San Diego does still have beautiful beaches all year round and very few bugs - and I would point out the differences in housing/state budgets/education instead of citing state income taxes) but I do admit I often call our beautiful Fall and Spring days here "San Diego days". But there is another reason to be glad to call Houston home!

In a recent Internet article from Realtor Magazine, they quoted Forbes Magazine stating that "Some U.S. cities with stable housing and diversified employment have been virtually untouched by the Great Recession. Analysts say cities that are most likely to leave the recession in the same or better condition than they started it are those where home prices didn’t fluctuate wildly, which spared them the devastating effects of foreclosure, lost jobs, and lost productivity. To identify these cities, Forbes magazine ranked the 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas by employment rates, the conventional mortgage home price index, and the average days on the market for properties currently for sale."

Well if I'm citing this article you can imagine that Houston is on the list. In fact in the top ten mentioned - three were in Texas! They also lumped Dallas and Fort Worth together - which is cheating I think - and would probably move Houston up even higher in the rankings in my opinion. What does that mean to you and your home? It means Houston is a great place to live and, more importantly, to buy a home and own a home. Then you can always visit San Diego when it gets too hot in the summer.....that's what I do :)

"The top cities on Forbes list were:

Omaha/Council Bluffs, Neb.
San Antonio, Texas
Austin-Round Rock, Texas
Pittsburgh
Harrisburg/Carlisle, Pa.
Dallas/Fort Worth
Rochester, N.Y.
Houston
Raleigh/Cary, N.C.
Baton Rouge, La."

Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (11/19/2009)