Archive for February, 2008
Houston Real Estate - East Shore development in The Woodlands
February 29th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News, The Woodlands
EAST SHORE OFFERS UNIQUE SELECTIONS – East Shore, the “Garden District” of The Woodlands Town Center, bordering 200-acre Lake Woodlands, offers unique selections of residences from condominiums, townhomes, garden homes, villas to custom estates. East Shore is situated within walking distance of the shopping, dining and entertainment venues along The Woodlands Waterway®, a 1.4 mile part transportation thoroughfare, part linear park and water amenity, situated in the heart of The Woodlands Town Center.
East Shore is very “European” in it’s design. Very urban… close to the water and, at the same time, close to all the amenities you’ll ever need.
And… we know how it is with bodies of water. There is only so much land available on the water. So, what am I talking about? Well, a great investment is what I’m talking about. I know that properties on Lake Conroe (ones on the water) are appreciating at a much faster rate than homes that are not on the water. Something like 10% to 15% per year on average vs 5% to 7% for properties not on the water.
So… East Shore properties are going to be in demand. There’s a limited supply. The location can not be better. You’re within 3 minutes of the I-45, you’re 25 minutes from George Bush International airport, you’re 3 minutes from The Woodlands mall and, actually, you could probably just walk there on a nice day. Or, catch the waterway taxi.
I think the international buyer is going to love East Shore. It’s got that “lock-up & leave” aspect as well which is very appealing for retired couples that love traveling or for the busy executive that spends a lot of time flying to meetings all around the country.
East Shore is going to be phenomenal. With the investment going on around it, that property is becoming more and more valuable as each day goes by.
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My Experience with a Houston Roofing Company
February 28th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement, Off Beat, Real Estate News
The job is finally done! It took one day & then another 20 minutes today to fit one last roof jack as they ordered one too few.
The job looks phenomenal. The roof tile we selected is such a nice contrast to the white siding that it makes the siding look like it’s just been painted and it hasn’t been painted for over seven years!
My wife and I were both very impressed with the crew that did the job… these are the things we noticed:
- they covered the flower beds to prevent damage to plants
- they moved outdoor furniture & umbrellas out of the way
- they completed the job in one day
- they did an incredible job tidying up afterwards…:
- they vacuumed all around the home
- they used a magnet wheel to pick up all nails
- they replaced all outdoor furniture where it was
- The place looked better after they were done than before they started!!
So, so far so good… in a few hours a home inspector friend of mine is going to climb onto the roof to give it a once-over. If he thinks everything is good then I’ll be even more happy.
Let me know if you need the roofer’s contact info.
Related stories:
How Houston Home owners should deal with possible hail damage to their roof.
Did you get hail the other day? Better check your roof.
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Houston Real Estate - HAR launches new site!
February 27th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
Ok… it was launched a few days ago but, if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s your chance to explore some of the new features…
New site… handy features.. Swamplot has listed “13 Fun & Obsessive things to do on the new HAR“.
The one thing we know, the site is popular… currently over 100 000 “active” users.
The new “Virtual Earth” from Microsoft is a pretty cool new feature… you can see the usual road map which is fairly bland & common nowadays.. but, you can also see an aerial or “hybrid” of aerial map along with road names OR….. you can view “Bird’s Eye” which is the example here… you can zoom right in & actually see your house with a little green arrow identifying the home!!
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How Houston home owners should deal with possible hail damage to their roof.
February 26th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement, Off Beat, Real Estate News
It’s started! Hail on the 5th February, roof inspection finds dings, insurance adjuster comes out.. recommends roof replacement, roofers start putting on new roof!
It should all be done today…
There are a few things to consider if you think your roof was possibly damaged by the hail:
1. Contact a reputable roofer to inspect the roof.
Don’t call the insurance company first. First the roofer. If the roofer thinks you have a case, then call the insurance company.
2. Call your insurance company.
They will send out an insurance adjuster. Take note of the date & time & call your roofer & make sure he is there on the roof with the adjuster to make sure he sees the relevant damage.
3. Receive check.
The insurance company will, if the agree that you need a new roof, send you out a check for the replacement cost less your deductible.
4. Call a Houston roofing company.
Now call the roofing company again, select your roof tile color & so on, agree on price and schedule the day to put the new roof on.
Three things to ask for:
- ask for steel roof jacks instead of lead (squirrels can chew through lead easier)
- ask them to make sure all exposed roof nails are caulked
- ask them to use a magnet wheel to pick up all nails dropped off roof
The roofing company I’m using seems to be doing a pretty good job of protecting the flowers and the items around the home. Let me know if you want their info. They’re Houston based.
Related Article:
Did you get hail the other day? Better check your roof.
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Houston Home Builders…. let’s go green!!!
February 25th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement, Off Beat, Real Estate News
Since arriving in the US in 2001, I’ve always been surprised by how little “green” action there is here for a country that I’ve always thought would be at the leading edge of something so fundamentally important.Germany, for instance, is a big leader in utilizing solar panels.New Zealand, where both my brother & sister live, has something where every home has to have a water tank to catch rainwater to help preserve natural resources.I have a feeling that the “green” movement is going to make massive strides in the next 5 to 10 years in the US. More and more fuel-efficient vehicles, more solar panels… especially here in Houston where we have so much sun!!
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