When it comes to recognizing an honest real estate investor there are a few things that you can look at. If you are involved in the real estate industry you are probably aware of how much money can be made by investing. But at the same time, you are probably also aware that there are a lot of people out there who are not as honest as they may seem. For this reason, it is important to be able to pick out an honest real estate investor over the rest of the bunch. Believe it or not there are people who will call themselves real estate investors, but they are actually nothing more than conmen who are trying to get their hands in your pockets. If you do not know the difference between the two you may end up losing a lot of money in the long run.   The best way to recognize an honest real e... 02/17/2008

It is safe to say that the majority of people think badly about lawyers. They think that they are after everyone’s money, and that they do not have any scruples whatsoever. But the second that somebody is buying or selling real estate, lawyers are always the best people in the world. It is funny how things work out. But in all seriousness, lawyers definitely have their place in the real estate industry. They can help both buyers and sellers in a variety of different ways. In fact, more and more people are using lawyers to their advantage even if they do have to pay a bit of extra money for their services. If you are a buyer or seller of real estate you will need to sign contracts and applications along the way. Do you know how many people every year sign their name to contracts that the... 02/17/2008

Starting February 18 the City of College Station will begin issuing traffic citations to red light runners at four of the City's major intersections with the aid of cameras.  Watch an OUT OF THIS WORLD video on College Station's red light cameras!The City will implement its "C.A.R.E.S." program. Cameras Advancing Red Light Enforcement Safety will include the installation of cameras to catch motorists who run red lights. The cameras will be installed at the intersections of: 1) Texas Avenue at Walton Drive2) Harvey Road at Munson Avenue3) Harvey Road at George Bush Drive East4) Wellborn Road at George Bush Drive The next phase of cameras will include intersections along Texas Avenue and State Highway 6. Texas Avenue carries an estimated 52,000 vehicles per day and intersects four other s... 02/15/2008

My what a week we have had with foreclosures!  I have been in real estate since 1982 and yet this week is one for the books.  In one week we had kids break into a house and spray paint almost every surface inside. Within hours the kids were arrested since it was easy to find out who was skipping school.  Of course we have insurance and rehab issues to deal with and hope to close next week. At another property buyers moved in before they owned the property.  Will they actually get the property purchased or will we have to evict? Who gave them the keys? Many new properties coming and more and more. I have a great team handling these properties which allows me to spend my time doing what I love most at work. I have gotten to spend time with my sales agents helping them achieve THEIR goals.... 02/14/2008

I am continually being amazed by my guitar students' excuses for not practicing.  And then they wonder "why am I not getting better, faster?"  Some find the strings of the guitar to hurt their fingers as they play, others get too busy with "homework", while another student said, "my friends came over, so I went and played with them".  Anything to get out of practice.It is the same in Real Estate, if you don't put in the calls, follow-up with people, and do what you say you will do.  How can you expect to get ahead in the real estate game!  Hear at Classic Realty in College Station, TX I have two great brokers that have been training me to persevere.  I don't know how much I have progressed but I am working at it, and really enjoy my job.  To me having a positive attitude is essential.  ... 02/14/2008

 Miracles still happen every day.  We just have to look for them.THE CLEAN UP: Baby a Sign of Hope in Devastated South... My heart skipped a beat until I saw the article and realized that the baby was ok.  I can not imagine the devastation in the area.  From the article I believe the grandmother is now going to have to care for the child as the mother was killed in the storms.  I came from tornado alley and it is never great to hear the sirens sound.  When I was a child I had to run to the basement several times, not fun at all.  Please keep the people and families that where affected by this storm in your prayers, they will need it as the clean up continues.Till Next Tme,Matt RatlciffeTeam LeaderKWRBV 02/13/2008

One of my favorite hobbies is Table Tennis, commonly known as ping-pong.  I really enjoy playing my brother Nekoda, we will go and duke it out for a good ten games or more, at least once a week if not two or three times!  So far, I have normally been getting the best of the match-ups, but I am sure there is probably coming a time where he will be winning more than I :(  In the mean time, I will enjoy the slight edge that I have on him right now. :)One thing I wish I could do is to play competitively with a league or something like that, so eventually that is one of my goals here in College Station, TX.  I guess I need to look around and see if anyone has started something like that.Regards,Jonathan CookThe Classical Realtorwww.classicaljonathan.com  02/11/2008

For about 10 years now we have held monthly risk reduction meeting at our firm.  Generally these  meetings last right at 1 hour.  The attendance at these meetings is usually at 95%+ .  We try to design the meetings to be informative and useful in helping real estate agents stay out of trouble. Additionally this an ongoing effort to help provide the public with the best and most useful service possible, which we call premier service.Just a few of the areas we cover at these monthly meetings are:Mineral issuesEarnest money contract updatesFinancing concerns Client relations Ethical and Legal IssuesTechnology and the InternetAdvertising, requirements Client and agent professional relationships and practicesProperty Insurance IssuesAgencyHome Service Protection Plans   (Warranty)Sometimes w... 02/08/2008

In 2006 Weingarten Realty Investors  planned to build a Walmart Super Center on their property that is located at the corner of Rock Prairie Road and Highway 6.  In order to do so, the property had to be rezoned.  Home owners that live on the East side of Highway 6, mounted a HUGE public outcry.  After listening to almost 5 hours of  public comments, the City Council voted (4-3) to deny the rezoning request.  http://www2.cstx.gov/council%20minutes/2006/complete%20060720%20workshop%20and%20regular%20minutes.htm    Fast forward to February 7, 2008...City of College Station Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.  http://www.cstx.gov/home/index.asp?page=30  At 7 p.m. the council chambers was packed.  This time, it was with a combination of Texas A&M students that were attending as part of ... 02/08/2008

For the last week or so, I've had to stay away from Active Rain.  It was hard, I was tempted, but I had been a bad Realtor.  A real bad Realtor.  Since I was a naughty Realtor, I've had to do some catch up work....Actually, a lot of catch up work.  What did I do wrong? I neglected to pay attention to what was going on in the community that I call home.  What?  How could that happen?  Although I sell a lot of property in Bryan, because you get more house for the money, I actually live in College Station.  (Bryan and College Station are commenly called twin cities - not identical twin cities).  Anyway, business and life have been great the last few years.  College Station has been growing and growing.  So, much that the city paid for a consultant to come in and do a growth management stud... 02/07/2008

Hearing the wonderful tones of the Barbershop quartet wafting through the air as I was preparing to play my classical guitar was a great experience!  The occasion?  A suprise 50th and 1/2 birthday party at one of the local houses here in College Station!The Barbershopers are my singing buddies on Tuesday nights when we meet to pratice.  In case you have never heard a Barbershop quartet sing, most of them are quite the characters.I definitely had an enjoyable evening, with the quartet, and playing my guitar for a couple of hours as back-ground music for the party.Jonathan Cook 02/05/2008

Tips for Homeowners:If you are having difficulty paying your mortgage, communicate this with your lender. Chances are you may qualify for assistance, or there may be another loan better suited to your needs. Another way to prevent foreclosure is to work with a housing counseling agency; Housing and Urband Development (HUD) can refer you to a reputable agency in your area. (Call 800-569-4287 for more information.) Some alternatives to foreclosure include special repayment plans, temporary suspension of mortgage payments, and mortgage modification. These all depend upon your financial status and require you to furnish complete proof of both income and debt. Another possibility is pre-foreclosure sale. Pre-foreclosure sale enables you to sell your home for a lower amount than you have left... 02/03/2008

The"> New York Times has an interesting article covering how important good photography is when selling a piece of property. With more and more people scouring the web for a home (24% look on the internet first), images are more important than ever before. They make a strong case for using professional photographers to ensure your pictures help you sell and not have your home ignored."In many cases, it is the agents themselves who are snapping the pictures and posting them on the agency Web site. Because of this, it is important that sellers choosing an agent know who will take and pay for the pictures and whether a professional photographer is available."This article is worth a read. However, this is nothing new to most real estate agents. Rain City Guide has some excellent pieces. Rem... 02/03/2008

Question: After foreclosure, once your house has been auctioned by the courts, if money is still owed for the mortgage can the owners be sued for that money? Answer: Depends where you live.In some areas, if you have a "purchase money mortgage" the lender cannot seek damages in a foreclosure beyond the value of the property -- in other words the lender cannot chase the owner for the difference by seeking a deficiency judgment. However even in such jurisdictions if the home was refinanced the financing is no longer a "purchase money mortgage" so the lender can come after the owner if money is owed following a foreclosure sale.In most states if a foreclosure sale does not pay off the entire mortgage debt the lender can sue for the balance. For details, speak with an attorney.Till Next Time... 02/03/2008

Whether it is right or wrong I think you as an agent need to be aware of what is going on in your community.  If you have business interest in the 5 mile radius of the city of College Station or Bryan they need to know what is being proposed to happen to that area.  Find below an article from The Eagle newspaper.   Growth fight loomsBy APRIL AVISONEagle Staff WriterReal estate professionals are expected to protest en masse this month as College Station officials study a consultant's recommendations to restrict building outside the city limits.A report compiled by Sugar Land-based Kendig Keast Collaborative suggests that the city require larger minimum lot sizes and place tighter controls on subdivision regulations. The strategies are an effort to manage growth and discourage sprawl in t... 02/03/2008

 First-time home-buyers and borrowers with home equity lines of credit will benefit from today's Federal Reserve decision to cut rates another half percent, local mortgage and real estate brokers said. The cut also should make it easier for homeowners to refinance their loans, getting more favorable terms. One of the things that Congress is working on now is raising the loan limits to accommodate higher values so more then 500,000 buyers can buy in todays market who are shut out of it do to down-payment requirements.But buyers needing a "jumbo" loan of more than $417,000 and homeowners already struggling with loans they can't afford will see little immediate effect. Brokers said the cuts do little to address the liquidity crunch that's made sub-prime loans virtually nonexistent and boos... 02/03/2008

Dear readers,Market conditions in the Brazos Valley continue their usual march forward as Texas A&M University reported record spring enrollment. University officials said that 43,827 students enrolled for the spring 2008 semester, an addition of 1,453 students when compared with the spring 2007 semester.Fall enrollment at Texas A&M was also a record at 46,542 students.Blue skies,Sam Whitewww.SamWhiteRealty.com 02/01/2008

Forecast for the Week    And if you thought the roller coaster ride was over - buckle back in and grab on to that safety bar...here we go again. With a fully loaded economic calendar, it will be another week of excitement and volatility at every turn.New Home Sales on Monday will kick off the data parade, followed by Durable Goods Orders and Consumer Confidence on Tuesday. Wednesday previews employment numbers with the volatile ADP Employment Report, along with advanced fourth quarter GDP and inflation data. Also on Wednesday, the Fed will release their formal policy statement and decision on interest rates, likely to be yet another cut. And as if that weren't enough action, Thursday will bring the Fed's favored measure of inflation - the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures Index - f... 01/29/2008

University Drive continues to expand near Tarrow and University Drive.  Phase II of Retail space is nearing the start mode.  The growth in this area is amazing.  Please take some time and drive University from hgwy 6 and Texas.  The changes are great and appears to continue.The landscape of University Drive in College Station will soon change with the addition of University Town Center.  Located on University Drive near Texas Avenue, University Town Center will offer the Brazos Valley more options for shopping and dining than ever before! A mixed use development, the Universtiy Town Center has been years in the making and will be another great addition to shopping and dining communities.  Currently being leased by Page Partners, Phase one is complete. Phase Two, which will include an im... 01/28/2008

 Centered around Texas A&M University, the City of College Station, Texas is a bustling community of 80,000 people in an Metropolitan Statistical Area of approximately 190,000. The College Station/Bryan MSA includes Brazos, Burleson, and Robertson Counties.The city of College Station is located in the center of the Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin triangle with 80 percent of Texas' population within 200 miles. Explore our site to learn why College Station is an ideal place for businesses to thrive.What a great site to review what is going on in the Brazos Valley.  When you need information all you have to do is ask ans we will get it to you.  The Internet has provide such unique opportunities.Till Next Time,Matt RatcliffeTeam LeaderKWRBV 01/28/2008