Is that Car for Sale? I need to buy one for my Sister!  We have a 1999 Ford Expedition which needs some work but still runs. I have some stuff loaded into the car to take to Goodwill. The AC does not work and making this trip during hot weather is oppressive. I thought about dropping the Goodwill items off today but it will be hot once again.  This morning after riding my bike I guy pulls up in a pickup and asks ‘is that car for Sale? I need a car for my sister! This seems on the surface to a good reason to drive through neighborhoods looking for older cars on the driveway which owner maybe willing to sell. However, this is the second guy claiming he was looking to buy for his sister. The first guy had this tear jerker story about how his sister has numerous problems, no husband, 3-4 ki... 10/15/2016

Dog Movie Premiering during January 2017 Universal pictures will release the movie  ‘A Dog’s Purpose” on January 27, 2017. This movie is based on 2010 novel written by W. Bruce Cameron with the same name. This movie is a of course a story about a Dog who looks to discover over several lifetimes and owners what was  his purpose in life. Dog lovers I warn you in advance there might be some tear moments while watching this flick.  The movie stars Dennis Quaid , Britt Robertson, Josh Gad, Peggy Lipton and Juliet Rylance.  I know there are numerous pet lovers in the Katy and surrounding areas including our whole family. Katy is a very pet friendly area and this movie I think will be a huge hit with all of these folks and their families. I know Yolanda and I plus other family members will wan... 10/14/2016

Alert : Highway 99 - Katy/Cypress Harris County Sheriff Looking for Speeders Highway 99 which is a toll road has been recently heavily visited by Harris County Sheriff Officers sitting in the emergency lane running their supposed laser radar looking for speeders. I have seen their heavy presence for at least the last two weeks. These Officers for the most part are riding in pickup trucks and in the distance appear to be someone sitting in the emergency lane. These guys have been out in both the morning and afternoon rush hour. Drivers beware as in my opinion is they must be behind their ticket quota for the year and are now trying to make up for it before the end of this year. ( wink wink.. They do not have a quota! SPARE ME!! LOL) Yes indeed they nailed me with a speeding ticket yester... 10/13/2016

Photowalking in Grand Lakes Katy TX #3 Grand Lakes in Katy TX is a master planned community developed by Trendmaker Homes. Homes total approximately 2,200 and residents children attend Katy ISD which is a highly rated and acclaimed school district.  There are numerous amenities available to residents including walking/biking trails, putting green, several pools, children playgrounds, dog park, parks, numerous man made lakes, fishing (with release policy), children’s water park, plus others. Homes range in size from approximately 1,600 sq.ft. to over 5,000 sq.ft. Currently there are 39 homes for sale which range in price from approximately $250.000 to $825,000.  I live in Grand Lakes and like to take pictures of the neighborhood while I walk our dog. Here are a few recent pictures I took... 10/12/2016

Home Seller Tip #4 - Backyard Appearance Should Create a Positive Vibe This is the Fourth post in my series of home selling tips which are aimed to be short in length and cover items which are many times overlooked by sellers and/or agents. See list of prior seller tip posts with links at bottom of this post. The backyard appearance should not be ignored or forgotten about by sellers. I have seen on several occasions homes for sale in Katy and the surrounding areas where the backyard was a total or semi mess. Many times it is just junk left lying around such as piles of lumber, tree branches and leaves in piles and other trash strewn in several spots. Most of the time just a simple cleanup will make a huge difference in the yards appearance. The backyard includes behind the garage and s... 10/10/2016

It Must be Christmas Time during October in Katy TX Last Sunday October 2, 2016 I was in Costco Katy TX to find there were numerous Christmas decorations and gifts already displayed for sale. I had to shake my head as we have not even got past Halloween yet and but we are already getting polluted with Christmas stuff. Frankly the Halloween decorations were few and far between.  I had been in Costco the previous Sunday and there were just a couple of Christmas items for sale. Don’t get the wrong idea as I like shopping at Costco in spite of all the people who show up, especially on Sunday,  to essentially chow down on the free samples. These folks are not hungry individuals who need to stuff themselves with the free food. The majority buy very few items based on the seeing their empty sh... 10/09/2016

Today is Red Shirt Fridays - Are You Wearing a Red Shirt?  There is a group named RedShirt Fridays whose basic mission is to support our service men and women by wearing a red shirt on Fridays. I just became aware of this group in the last few days. I am wearing a red shirt here in Katy TX today in support of all of our current service men and women and all of our Veterans.  Red Shirt Fridays is not a political organization at all. They want all folks to become aware of their support for our service men and women. They express by their words that they have been the silent majority but will not be silent anymore. I agree with their goal to let all of our service personnel know that we appreciate and support their sacrifices and we will never forget them. The basic concept is for folks to... 10/07/2016

My September 2016 Housing Newsletter Below is a link to my September 2016 edition of my Housing Trends E-Newsletter which will be sent out to my current, former and potential clients in the near future. Please take the time to view and read sections of interest. If you have any questions concerning the Katy TX and surrounding areas contact me and let us get started finding you a home in this area so you and your family can start living the Dream in Katy. Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter and Thank You for your time. This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general. Please clic... 10/06/2016

We Slept on a Sailboat Saturday Night This past Saturday evening, being October 1 2016, we had the pleasure to spend the night on a sailboat docked on Galveston Bay at a slip in the Houston Yacht Club located in Shoreacres TX.  Our friend owns a 38 ft. Beneteau sailboat and this was a first for both Yolanda and I sleeping on a sailboat. We have been on cruise ships before where we slept but not a sail or motor boat overnight.  Last week I published a post “Living the Dream in Katy TX” and I had included one of numerous advantages of living in Katy is that the Gulf of Mexico was a doable drive from Katy. Folks living here who love the water and some or all of its potential activities can enjoy the Gulf even though they live in Katy. Living a luxurious lifestyle is certainly a potential a... 10/05/2016

September Marked My Working Out Anniversary in Katy TX Sometime during middle of September 2016 marked the three year anniversary of me working out on a regular basis here in Katy TX. I decided back September 2013 to begin the workout journey and have constantly followed this path ever since then. We go to Life Time Fitness which is a 5 minute or less drive from our home in Katy.  I am not writing this post to brag but I am proud of myself for staying the course and not giving in to becoming  an unfit couch potato once again. I hope by publishing this type of information I will motivate one or more persons to get active and start living a healthy lifestyle.  During the course of my adult life I have had numerous starts and stops when I started an exercise program. Many times I would ove... 10/04/2016

Saturday Shopping - Trader Joe’s Katy TX One of my favorite places to visit and shop is Trader Joe’s (TJ’s) in Katy TX. I usually go on weekend as I do not have time to visit during any given week. Yesterday I went as I had specific items to purchase for a Sunday dinner.  October is Pumpkin Month at TJ’s as all  month long they feature numerous products containing pumpkin. The fact is TJ’s features something special every month. Just a few of the Pumpkin items include Pumpkin bread mix, honey roasted Pumpkin Ravioli, organic Pumpkin Spice Granola bark, and list goes on and on.  I usually try something unique they are featuring every month. This time I bought Pumpkin Soup Crackers which are brown rice crackers infused with Pumpkin puree.  Saturday Shopping - Trader Joe’s Katy TX  10/02/2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoC7blphkM0&feature=youtu.be 09/30/2016

New Scam - Missing Jury Duty  I have heard about a new scam in the last few days making the rounds in the Houston and Katy areas. I thought it was important enough to tell folks what I know concerning this new (at least in this area) scam. I also understand a local lawyer actually fell for this nonsense.  The scam goes something like this : You get a phone call from someone who claims they are with the local county justice system. This person is very confrontational and  states that you missed jury duty without an acceptable excuse. Due to this an arrest warrant has been issued for your immediate and impending arrest. He may also claim the police right now are their way to your home or place of business. There is only one solution to stop this arrest process that being, of course, the p... 09/29/2016

Living the Dream in Katy TX There are numerous reasons why folks fall in love with Katy and love to live in Katy, TX. plus why they are living the American Dream!  Katy is made up of old or historic Katy which is a old city dating back to the 1890’s and  a very large unincorporated geographic area made up of numerous family oriented neighborhoods. As a generality Katy and the surrounding areas are approximately 25-35 miles west of Downtown Houston depending on where exactly you live. This area is spread out and miles of distance lose the stigma of being too far away when you live here for awhile.   Katy is close enough to Houston to allow residents the ability to enjoy all the things there are to do in the fourth largest and spread out geographically major US City. George Bush Internati... 09/28/2016

Here are your Mortgage Rates for the Houston Area Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 3.625%Credit score:740LTV:80%Loan Amount:$200kAPR: 3.82%FHA 30 year: 3.5%Credit Score:740LTV:96.5%loan amount:$200kAPR:4.66%Conventional 15 year: 2.875%Credit score:740LTV:80%Loan Amount:$200kAPR:3.12% Rates are Subject to ChangeCall me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible. 09/28/2016

Rice Harvest Festival Parade 2016 in Katy Texas                 Above picture taken by and copyrighted by Bob Gilbert with all rights reserved. Prior to the actual Katy Rice Harvest Festival, a Rice Harvest Festival Parade will take place that features bands, classic cars, several floats, local Katy Texas schools, youth organizations, local churches and large crowds of people while it proceeds through numerous blocks of Old or Historic Katy TX. This is annual event that precedes the actual festival by approximately one week. The parade will be held on Saturday October 1, 2016 beginning at 10 AM in downtown Katy Texas. The actual lineup of Parade participants will start at 9 AM. The Parade begins at  the intersection of Fifth Street and East Avenue at the Katy Church of Christ 5458 5TH S... 09/27/2016

Eight Months 2016 Market Report for South Katy TX- MLS Area 36 I always prefer to examine year-to-date data throughout any given year and look at year to year comparisons for discovering market trends as I think there is too much volatility on a month to month basis to make any good conclusions. My primary market is South Katy or MLS area 36. Of course I also am interested in MLS 25 or North Katy; MLS area 37 Fort Bend West; MLS 29 Fort Bend-Sugar Land and Stafford plus a few others in Cypress TX. I posted on Monday September 19, 2016 Houston Association of Realtors August 2016  MLS Report for single family homes which indicated August was a bounce back month for this huge market segment being Houston and the surrounding area. The South Katy market also had a better August than July 201... 09/26/2016

Almost Speechless Sunday - Antique Phone  This antique phone is located in our friend’s Condo in New York City. The phone still is operational and is connected to a direct line to the reception desk. I like antiques of just about any nature and especially old phones or phone booths.  If you are looking for a family oriented and pet friendly neighborhood and want/need a local Katy Real Estate Expert contact me and let us get started on your journey to living the luxurious lifestyle dream in Katy TX. Katy has excellent schools plus Katy has something of interest for virtually for everyone of any age. It is a great time to buy as inventory levels of available homes is higher now than they have been in at least 3 years.  Almost Speechless Sunday - Antique Phone  09/25/2016

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.. said the Smoke Detector at 3 AM  Yes indeed we were awaken this morning at about 3 AM in Katy TX to the very unpleasant sound of a fire/smoke detector telling us its battery needed to be replaced. We guts it out as Yolanda did not tell me to get up and shut off that horrible noise. I did get up at 5:30 AM to workout. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out which of 10 or so detectors we have was the culprit this time. I cancelled my workout plans as time slipped away quickly. I made several passes and as normal for me  I could not figure which detector needed a battery pull job. I even stood underneath each one and waited for the noise to start and still could not figure which was the troublemaker!  My ladder for reaching the fire/smoke detectors on the ceilings... 09/22/2016

Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 3.625%Credit score:740LTV:80%Loan Amount:$200kAPR: 3.82%FHA 30 year: 3.625%Credit Score:740LTV:96.5%loan amount:$200kAPR:4.76%Conventional 15 year: 3%Credit score:740LTV:80%Loan Amount:$200kAPR:3.22% Rates are Subject to ChangeCall me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible. 09/21/2016