There's much more here than beer!

Coming to Town Green Park on The Woodlands Waterway - 2010 Oktoberfest!

September 24th - 26th
Times: Fri: 5-9pm | Sat: 12-9pm | Sun: 12-6pm
Cost: Children under 10 - $Free | Adults and Children 10 and up - $10.00

2010 Entertainment Schedule coming soon!

Food & Drinks There will be much authentic German food to be sampled including:
•bratwurst•sauerkraut•strudel•a wide variety of other tastes

Also, two-fisted Oktoberfest pretzels will tempt the taste buds of festival goers.

Oktoberfest 2010 beer mugs and Bavarian souvenirs will also be for sale in the festival's craft vendor fair.


All proceeds will go directly to The Woodlands Rotary Club Foundation raising funds for student scholarships benefitting local students and their families.

THINKING ABOUT OWNER FINANCING?

Many of us have been very concerned about the implementation of federal legislation known as the SAFE Act that would severely limit an individual’s ability to seller finance their property in Texas.

We are working on numerous regulatory and legislative solutions to this affront to private-property owners, and have some good news to report. At our urging, the chief regulator over the SAFE Act in Texas, the commissioner of the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending, has taken significant steps to allow Texas property owners to continue to seller finance up to five transactions in a 12-month period.

More specifically, the commissioner has delayed the implementation of the SAFE Act requirement for licensure in seller-financed transactions in Texas until August 31. This will give us time to implement regulatory and legislative changes during the coming months. For now it is important for you to know that the long-standing law of allowing a Texas seller to finance up to five transactions in a consecutive 12-month period is still in effect and the Texas Association of REALTORS® will continue to work at the federal and state level to see that this is a permanent solution.

Finally, this action would not have happened if not for the thousands of Texas REALTORS® who participated in our grassroots efforts to correct this abuse to private-property owners in Texas.

Information provided by Governmental Affairs, The Texas Association of Realtors, Bill Jones, 2010 Chairman of the Board

Home Buyer Tax Credits Brought to you by the National Association of Home Builders
Special Rules for Members of the Military, the Foreign Service
and the Intelligence Community:

Congress has acknowledged the unique circumstances affecting members of the military, the foreign service and the intelligence community by making the following exceptions that apply to both the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and the $6,500 tax credit for repeat home buyers.

Exemption From Tax Credit Recapture Rules

Typically, homes that are sold or that cease to be used as a principal residence within three years of the initial purchase are subject to recapture of the tax credit. However, qualified service members who sell or move from a tax credit home within three years of the initial purchase due to official extended duty are exempt from the recapture rule.

Extension of Tax Credit Deadlines

The home buyer tax credit is available for qualified purchases with a binding sales contract in place on or before April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010. However, for qualified service members who are ordered on a period of official extended duty, these dates are extended for one year. For these home buyers, the tax credit applies to sales with a binding sales contract in place on or before April 30, 2011 and closed by June 30, 2011.

A person who is forced to return to the U.S. for medical reasons before completing an assignment of at least 90 days of qualified official extended duty outside of the United States may qualify for the one-year extension.

Definitions

“Qualified service member” means a member of the uniformed services of the U.S military, a member of the Foreign Service of the U.S., or an employee of the intelligence community.

“Official extended duty” means any period of extended duty outside of the United States for at least 90 days during the period beginning after December 31, 2008 and ending before May 1, 2010.

Certified International Real Estate Specialist!

I.R.E.S. stands for International Real Estate Specialist. It is a certification program that educates agents on how to sell properties to buyers coming from other countries; market our local listings in other states and countries; and sell properties located around the world to our local buyers. It is a society of agents working together to promote our listings not only in the state where we hold our licenses, but also in other states as well as internationally.

I can actually sell you a golf course property in Las Vegas or a castle in Spain!

Currently there are about 1500 agents from many different states and countries in this global network of Real Estate professionals. The magazine, Castles and Estates which is a high-end publication and the website Castlesandestates.com is now available to help me to promote my listings world-wide.

We got 2009 Broker of the Year!

The Woodlands presents the return of its popular, month-long Spring Concert Series every Thursday

THE WOODLANDS, TX (March 31, 2010) - Market Street - The Woodlands presents the return of its popular, month-long Spring Concert Series every Thursday from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, May 6 - June 17, as some of the area’s hottest musical talents perform right in Market Street’s Central Park. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and unwind to the live music sounds from renowned local artists such as Ezra Charles & The Texas Band, Cecille “La Diabla” & Rainel Pino’s Orquesta, the Level One Band and so much more!
Scheduled performers include:

May 6 Ezra Charles & The Texas Band
May 13 Cecille “La Diabla” & Rainel Pino’s Orqeusta

May 20 Level One Band
May 27 Joseph Vincelli

June 3 Mike Reed Band
June 10 Joe Carmouche Band

June 17 Mambo Jazz Kings

5 Tips For Going Green

Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Global warming. Energy-efficient. These catch phrases have become part of our lexicon as we’ve become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to make your home energy-efficient. Get started on the road to being “green” with these five tips:

1. Change Your Light Bulbs

By replacing just five incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, you can save $100 per year on electric bills while using up to 75 percent less energy and removing greenhouse gases from the environment.

2. Buy ENERGY STAR® Appliances

ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, such as refrigerators, washers and air conditioners, meet a higher level of energy efficiency set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy than standard models. According to ENERGY STAR, if just one in 10 homes used ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, the impact could be compared to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees. And, switching to these appliances is not only good for the environment, but easy on your pocketbook. Although these appliances may costs more, you can reduce your energy bill by $80 per year.

3. Seal Up

Cracks and air leaks represent cash seeping from your doors and windows. Get rid of air leaks in doors, windows and other areas by caulking gaps and cracks. This will help decrease your heating and air conditioning bill. But make sure you use silicone sealants. Acrylic caulk tends to shrink, while silicone sealants are waterproof and won’t shrink or crack, creating less waste.

4. Use Less Water

Did you know that roughly 60 percent of a home's water consumption takes place in the bathroom, according to the California Urban Water Conservation Council? The largest culprit is the toilet, which accounts for 27 percent of your household supply every year. By installing low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets, you can save thousands of gallons of water each year. In addition, replace leaky fixtures. That slow-dripping faucet can waste as much as 2,400 gallons of water per year.

5. Adjust the Thermostat

When adjusting your home’s thermostat, the rule of thumb should be: turn up the dial in the summer and down in the winter. Lowering the temperature by just one degree will reduce your electrical costs. And if you use a programmable thermostat, you can program your air-conditioning and heating systems to reduce output while no one is at home or at night while you sleep. Ceiling fans are also helpful in circulating the air to keep the room cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Going green doesn’t have to be overwhelming or costly. By making just a few small changes within your home, you can help decrease energy consumption and help make the world a “greener” place.

HOUSTON SINGLE-FAMILY HOME SALES AND PRICES CLIMB IN MARCH AS THE HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT DEADLINE LOOMS

Strongest sales volume continues among homes priced from $250K and above

HOUSTON — (April 20, 2010) — The rapidly approaching April 30 federal homebuyer tax credit apparently inspired Houston-area consumers to house shop, as sales of single-family homes throughout the Houston market rose in March with the strongest sales volume continuing in the upper housing segments. Prices of single-family homes also continued their months-long appreciation. The rapidly approaching April 30 federal homebuyer tax credit apparently inspired Houston-area consumers to house shop, as sales of single-family homes throughout the Houston market rose in March with the strongest sales volume continuing in the upper housing segments. Prices of single-family homes also continued their months-long appreciation. Overall March sales of single-family homes across greater Houston climbed 10.8 percent compared to March 2009, according to the latest monthly data compiled by the Houston Association of Realtors® (HAR). All single-family home pricing segments except the under-$80,000 market experienced gains, with the sharpest increases in homes priced from $250,000 and above. Sales of all property types rose 14.5 percent in March on a year-over-year basis. The average price of a single-family home appreciated for the sixth straight month, reaching $212,403, up 10.2 percent versus March 2009. That represents the highest pricing level for a March in Houston. At $154,250, the March single-family home median price—the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less—rose 6.4 percent from one year earlier. That represents the 11th consecutive monthly increase in median price and is the highest dollar figure for a March in Houston. Foreclosure property sales reported in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) fell by 14.1 percent in March compared to one year earlier. The median price of March foreclosure sales rose 4.2 percent to $87,500 on a year-over-year basis. Sales of all property types in Houston for March totaled 5,758, up 14.5 percent compared to March 2009. Total dollar volume for properties sold during the month was $1.2 billion versus $938 million one year earlier, representing a 24.2 percent increase. “Local mortgage lenders I have spoken with estimate that between 50 to 65 percent of their recent business is related to the first-time homebuyer tax credit,” said Margie Dorrance, HAR chair and principal at Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan. “Homebuyers are nearly out of time to take advantage of the credit since a contract must be in the title company by midnight on April 30, although closing can take place as late as June 30.” March Monthly Market Comparison The month of March brought Houston’s overall housing market positive results when all listing categories are compared to March of 2009. Total property sales, total dollar volume and both median and average single-family home sales prices all increased on a year-over-year basis. The number of available properties, or active listings, at the end of March rose 7.1 percent from March 2009 to 49,030. That represents 2,372 more active listings than one month earlier, in February 2010, and is widely thought to reflect increased activity stemming from the homebuyer tax credit. Month-end pending sales for March—those listings expected to close within the next 30 days—totaled 4,242, up 14.3 percent from last year. The months inventory of single-family homes for March stretched slightly to 6.7 months compared to 6.1 months one year earlier, but remains better than the national months inventory of single-family homes of 8.6 months, reported by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).