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Archive for August, 2009
I’m Your Captain – Caddo Lake August 19-20, 2009
My daughter caught a 5lb bass and made sure to let me know that between the two of us, it was the biggest fish caught. When I quizzed her about our trip, she raged about that fishing trip.
Brazos Bend State Park
Okay, I’ll admit it; I’m not a “real” outdoors person. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just never really got into it like some of my friends. Today however I decided that it was too pretty outside to pass it up so off to Brazos Bend State Park I went. I’m by myself as my wife had all kinds of things planned, most of which I didn’t want any part of including house cleaning, shopping and just being generally productive.
That didn’t sound like me!
It’s fairly quiet here today. I thought there’d be more families out having that last “hoo-rah” before school starts. There are a few families fishing in the lake which is rather low, while others are out riding their bikes. Temperatures today are actually in the low 90’s believe it or not and under this tree where I’ve planted myself, I can actually feel bursts of cool air whip through. Certainly not fall weather, but better than most days of August.
I believe this is the first place I have ever seen alligators other than the zoo. The first time was a few years ago when we came here with our church Awana program and camped overnight.
Oops. As I write this, one of those creatures popped up in front of me.
Earlier today I saw one in action as he chomped down on a bird right in front of me. Hungry I suppose. I also thought they took their prey and ate it on land and that they couldn’t eat it in the water but he seemed to devour his prize right there.
It is peaceful here and I’m sorry I haven’t made better use of the park. It’s also much bigger than I remembered . Located 28 miles southwest of Houston, it covers 5,000 acres. A day pass is $5.00
In addition, the park contains the The George Observatory, a satellite facility of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Observatory houses a Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education, which takes participants on simulated space missions, complete with a mission control center and a spacecraft simulator. They start taking guests at 5pm in the evening and close at 10:00. Tickets are $5.00.
From Friendswood where I live, it’s less than an hour to the park. I will definately come again, maybe when it’s cooler next month. This time though, I’ll bring a camera to bring you close ups of my little friends.
Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Focus on Brookwood
The numbers seem to be getting a little better in the Clear Lake Texas real estate market.
Last year in the Brookwood subdivision of 904 single family homes, there were 14 home sales in the first 2 quarters. This year there were 22. And prices of Brookwood homes are actually UP! That’s great news for Brookwood homeowners. The average sales price last year was $267,000 while this year the average sales price was $277,869.
The average number of days on the market has remained fairly constant at 60 days last year and 62 this one.
My best guess is that this year will end up significantly better than last due to our Mr IKE. Yeah, I know…the year’s not over yet but I can certainly hope this year is not a repeat. At least I hope not. The last quarter of 2008 really tanked.
The Brookwood neighborhood was built in 1988 through 1994 by 3 primary builders; David Weekley Homes, Perry Homes and Village Builders. Homes range from a little over 1,800 feet for the smaller patio homes to over 3,700 square feet. Homes typically have 4-5 bedrooms with a small handful of 2 or 3 bedroom homes (mostly patio homes). Brookwood homes generally have 2 – 3 full baths and one to two half baths.
You can see Brookwood homes for sale here. If you own a home in Brookwood, be sure and check out our Brookwood house prices report.
See also Clear Lake House Prices.
Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Focus on Bay Glen
Bay Glen Homes
Sales in Bay Glen have started off with a BANG this year. Finally!
The average turnover in Clear Lake is a little over 6%, meaning that in any given year, 6 out of every 100 single family homes will sell. Last year in Bay Glen, that number was 70 out of the 1,389 existing homes in Bay Glen, or 5.0%.
In the first 2 quarters of 2009, there have been 47 Bay Glen homes sold. Contrast that to 36 in that same time period last year. Average market time is a bit longer at 59 days whereas last year, it was taking 46 days. Keep in mind that the days on the market is defined as the date an acceptable offer is received on the home and not the “drive out” time. Add about 30 days and you have the average length of time from the sign going in the yard, till the moving truck pulls up. Read the rest of this entry »
Clear Lake Homes Sales Down First Half of 2009
The number of home sales this year is significantly lower than last. For the period ending July 15th of this year, there were 282 single family home sales. Compare that to 348 for that same period last year. Numbers may be down but it’s not taking as long to sell those homes either with an average number of days on the market of 58 this year. Last year, it was taking 65 days.
My guess is that while we’re still in a better economy than 80% of the country, people are staying in their homes longer for any number of reasons. Many I think are deciding they don’t need the extra game room, or the extra bedroom, instead opting to “sit tight” right where they are. It would appear people are basing their decisions more on needs than wants. Refi’s were at an all time high earlier this year. Some of my mortgage friends couldn’t keep up with the refi’s that were coming so fast and furious.
The average sales price for Clear Lake this year (single family homes) is $222,860. Last year it was $224,378.
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Mortgages Just Got Harder to Get
There’s good news and…there’s the bad. The good news is, you still have 119 days to meet the deadline for the $8,000 tax credit if you’re a first time homebuyer. Or, someone who has not owned a home in the last 3 years.
Now for the bad. Home loans are taking longer to process. Regulations have gotten tighter- and tighter. For example, this last week the government put just one more restriction in place with regards to teh APR (annual percentage rate). The APR is the actual “cost” of the loan including fees in the first year. All the fun stuff is calculated in like, the appraisal fees, the escrow fees, origination fee, lender fees.
You could have say, a 5% interest rate with an APR of 5.475%.
Now there’s a new twist. Any change in a cost/fee that changes the APR more than .125%, has to be disclosed to the byer at least 3 days before the closing. Here’s where it’s a problem. What if a fee changes, or the lender (or title company) fails to include one of their fees and it puts it in the day before closing. Guess what? NO CLOSING!
While it is not impossible to close in 2 or 3 weeks, it is waaay more difficult now than it was 6 months ago. The bottom line? Always, always seek good counsel.
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