As you know, I like to start off each month’s email with a something that will put a smile on your face. Here’s this month’s attempt – I hope you find it as funny as I did! Last week grandpa went bass fishing and after a short time, he ran out of bait. He looked around and happened to see a snake with a frog in his mouth. “Frogs are good bass bait,” he thought. Knowing the snake couldn't bite him with the frog in his mouth, he grabbed the snake right behind the head, took the frog out of its mouth, and put the frog in his bait bucket. Now the dilemma was how to release the snake without getting bit. Grandpa thought a minute and then grabbed his bottle of whiskey and poured a little into the snakes open mouth. The snakes eyes rolled back and he went limp. Grandpa released the snake witho... 05/15/2018

https://www.tollbrothers.com/luxury-homes/Katy-TX?homes=for-saleThe Reserve at Katy's most distinguishing feature is its convenient location in Katy, Texas with premier access to I-10, along with a lifestyle full of rich amenities, exemplary schools, and an exclusive collection Toll Brothers homes from the $350,000s. Convenient lifestyle with premier access to I-10 and the Grand Parkway. Highly Rated Katy Schools including WoodCreek Elementary, WoodCreek Junior High and Katy High School. Located in Katy, Texas with access to major employment centers such as the Energy Corridor and Medical Center. Resort-style amenities, featuring a 4-acre recreation center with pool, splash pad, green space, and more... Featuring an array of exterior elevation options, including stucco. Envision Your Ki... 05/07/2018

https://www.har.com/zipcode_77494/realestate/for_rent?sort=listprice%20asc&lease_price_min=1500&lease_price_max=4500&bedroom_min=3&full_bath_min=2&year_built_min=2008 03/21/2018

WoodCreek Reserve is a 500-acre master-planned community located in the city of Katy, Texas (West Houston area).  If you like nature, you will love Woodcreek Reserve containing a 100-acre nature reserve together with the land, bayou and oak trees.  At times, you will see families gathered around the lake reeling their fishing rods to catch some fish.The property was originally owned by the Elizabeth Poorman-Moore family long before I-10 was even in existance right until 1996 when developers approached the family to purchase the land.  To preserve the naturally occuring beauty of the Buffalo Bayou and the majestic oak trees, the developers hired imaginative land planners to create what is now known as Woodcreek Reserve.  The neighborhood amenities boast sports fields, wooded nature trail... 03/06/2018

Looking For A New Home Katy?  Specialties: Listing Agent, Community Pillar, Custom Home, Master Planned Community We make it our mission to aid the Real Estate buyer and seller with the tools needed for a successful and profitable sales transaction. We provide relevant genuine Real Estate expertise to our clients while enjoying the process and celebrating their achievement of buying and selling their home.  We assist our clients with residential as well as commercial real estate services in our targeted market area providing them with an international network of buyers and sellers through the multiple listing services (MLS) and the www.remax.com® brand. Because of our capabilities to network with other brokers compounded by our marketing efforts, we will sell homes faster than the avera... 02/26/2018

 To Visit the Tour:    Click Here!  Impressive David Powers Semi-Custom Home- A previous model -in Woodcreek Reserves Master Planned Community. Very practical home from the inside out with exquisite architectural design! Gated porte-cochere for your precious vehicles & a covered patio with outdoor speakers for fun gatherings. Spacious high ceilings & an open concept floor plan connects the kitchen, formal dining, breakfast & family rooms flawlessly. Perfect use of accent colors gives a vivid welcoming ambience. Master is conveniently located on the first floor. The dreamy huge kitchen is equipped with gas cooktop, island, built-in wine rack cabinet, custom copper farm sink, & lots of storage cabinet space. Great use of recessed lighting throughout. The fun continues upstairs with a larg... 01/21/2018

Being a First Time Home Buyer in Katy, Texas makes you have to consider your options before you buy. The first thing you will need to consider is what your long-term goals are with being a home owner  and how your goals fit in with that plan. One goal could be to stop paying rent that just increases after every lease you renewBuying your own home first is one of the happiest times of your life! However, a lot of paperwork and time goes into it and finding a lender with great reviews will ease much of the stress. But, the satisfaction you get from your first home closing is something you will never forget!  The benefits of being a First Time Home Buyer in Katy, Texas greatly outweighs renting for the following reasons:           Greater privacy.          Homes typically increase in value... 10/26/2017

Cinco Ranch Church of Christ Hosts Big Bunny Bash The Cinco Ranch Church of Christ is holding The Big Bunny Bash on Saturday April 15, 2017 at the church located 6655 S, Mason Rd in Katy TX. The Big Bunny Bash starts at 9:30 AM and lasts until noon. There is no charge for this family friendly event.  Big Bunny Bash is geared for children from the ages of 2 through 5TH grade.   The event includes egg hunts , carnival, various games and a petting zoo. If you want more information go to www.crcoc.org/bigbunnybash. You will need to register to obtain a ticket.  Above image courtesy of Bing free to modify, share and use pictures.  Cinco Ranch Church of Christ Hosts Big Bunny Bash  04/13/2017

Whoop.. I Hit 2 Million Points in ActiveRain.. Finally..  Monday this week I finally made the 2 Million point level in ActiveRain. Whoop!!  I actively started participating in AR back in 2011 when I had approx.  70 K points. I had joined AR back in the summer of 2007. I obviously did not participate very much for my first 4 years or so. After all this time and numerous blogs, comments, contests, etc. I finally arrived at the 2 Million point level. It was not easy to say the least!  I want to Thank many folks including but limited to ActiveRain staff, my AR virtual friends, everyone who follows me, folks who comment on my posts and all who wished me congratulations the last few days. It has been a fun and educational ride.  I feel we have been so fortunate to have made numerous virtual f... 04/12/2017

Houston Auto Show at NRG Center 2017The Houston Auto Show which has been in existence for 34 years starts on Wednesday April 5, 2017 runs through Sunday April 9 , 2017. The show takes place at NRG Center ( formerly Reliant Center) . This is a great opportunity for everyone to see the latest cars, trucks and SUV’s from the World’s best Automakers. There will be over 700,000 square feet space devoted to the latest and greatest vehicles from all of the top automakers. Over  700 new vehicles with several being  debuts from approx. 20 automakers will be on display. In addition, about 70 vehicles are available for test drives. The Houston Auto show is a car lover's dream. Tickets cost $12 per person per day. Children 6 to 12 years old are $5 and under 6 are FREE when accompanied by one adult.... 04/06/2017

Katy ISD Police / DEA Taking Back Unused or Expired Prescriptions 2017Mark L. Hopkins Law Enforcement Center20370 Franz RD.Katy, TX 77449 Saturday April 29, 2017 the Katy ISD Police ion in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA) will be giving the general public the opportunity to get rid of unused or expired prescriptions from their homes. This Taking Back event is taking place at the Mark L. Hopkins Law Enforcement Center in Katy which is located at the address shown above. Take Back starts at 10 AM and lasts until 2 PM. Last September, Americans across the Nation turned in more than 617,000 pounds of prescription drugs at sites operated by the DEA at approximately 5,500 sites across the US. Since inception this program has taken in more than  4.8 million pounds of... 04/05/2017

Car Show Cane Island Katy TX Saturday April 8, 2017 from 10 AM till 4 PM Cane Island is hosting a Car Show. This is a family event and the public is invited. The developers and builders want people to know they can live the Resort Lifestyle right here in Cane Island Katy TX. This events features classic, muscle and exotic cars. Attendees can vote for their favorite. Prizes totalling $5,000 will be awarded.   In addition, There will be a No Label Brewing Biergarten; Food trucks; Live Radio DJ; Car Art; Bounce Houses; Face Painter & Balloon Artist.  You will have an opportunity to win a $400 hotel gift card along with a Lexus car to enjoy during your weekend getaway.    Car Show Cane Island Katy TX  04/04/2017

Spring Cleaning of Blog Posts in Katy TX Debbie Laity  who is an agent with Cedaredge Land Company created a March 2017 Challenge requiring participants to go back and clean-up prior posts. I started in Activerain back in 2007 but I did not really get going with writing regular posts until around May 2011. I decided the early posts were so terrible it would be depressing plus tortious to go back and reread and modify these horrible posts.  I took the scatter gun approach of looking for recent posts where I was confident I could make improvements fairly ( or so I thought at first) easily and correct errors. Updating data, pictures and checking links was part of my process. This whole process will take many more hours to completely review and change all the posts needing attention. I will... 03/31/2017

The Three Brands I Trust in Katy TX Our friends Ron and Alexandra Seigel  created a challenge for March to write a post concerning the 3 brands which we trust. My picks for brands to trust already changed as the days in March passed on. I think like many of us the list is changing as time goes on.  My list might have a couple of surprises as some folks may say Really! My 3 brands I trust are as follows: Brooks Athletic Shoes/ RoadRunner Sports - I use to be a runner but hip replacement surgery over 6 years ago ended my running days. I now use a treadmill for my cardio exercise. I use to hate using a treadmill for cardio exercise but one has to change as the situation dictates. I have very flat feet and finding shoes of any kind and especially running/training shoes is difficult at best.... 03/30/2017

Annual Folk Life Festival Hosted by Katy ISD    Katy Independent School District (KISD) is hosting the 32nd annual Folk Life Festival on Saturday April 1, 2017 from 9 AM to 4 PM. The Festival is being held as usual at the District’s Outdoor Learning Center (OLC). The OLC is located in Old or Historic Katy with its address being 6301 Stadium Dr. Katy TX. Admission is $1 per person.  Katy ISD Outdoor Learning Center (OLC) is situated on 35 acres of land which is kept in its natural state. All the building blend into the natural setting. The festival concept is for students to experience life as it was for early Texan’s. The buildings include history and science classrooms mixed in with a barn and a blacksmith shop.  Attendees will get to experience the OLC being transformed into a 1800’s... 03/29/2017

URGENT - Fort Bend County Animal Services has a PUSH List of Dogs Unfortunately the Fort Bend County Animal Services shelter has been swamped with over 30 dogs arriving at its facility in Rosenberg TX during the last couple of weeks. I have no idea why so many lost or owner turn pups have surfaced in the last few weeks but they have. It is beyond my comprehension why this situation seems to becoming a commonplace occurrence.  When this overcrowding situation occurs, the Shelter has to develop a PUSH list and set a deadline for these pups to be rescued or adopted or fostered. The dogs on the list are the  shelter residents who have been there the longest period of time. If rescue or adoption does not happen by March 22, 2017 then these pups will be euthanized. There are 14 dogs on this U... 03/21/2017

Enjoy Early Morning Walks / Listening to Birds Sing - Grand Lakes  If you enjoy taking early morning walks on trails in your own neighborhood during the spring time or anytime of the year while listening to the birds sing then you should definitely consider  Grand Lakes in Katy TX as a place for you to move to. Grand Lakes in Katy TX is an established family and pet friendly neighborhood offering residents numerous amenities such as pools, putting green, hike and bike trails, playgrounds, dog park, man made lakes, parks and several others.  If you or someone you know are looking for or are in need of a home in Grand Lakes, Katy, Sugar Land or Cypress TX area then you need a REALTOR® to help you with the purchase or sale or lease of a home and please contact me as you will not be disappo... 03/20/2017

Sensitive Offer to You my Friend!  I suspect several of us received a message similar to the one below through Active Rain today. Altan has a sensitive offer to present to me and probably numerous others. Gosh I wonder if this could be my ticket to wealth! LOL.. How stupid do they think we are? I have recently received several supposed job offers sent to my Email account which state big salary and little work.. Spare me!  This is obviously another in a long list of scams that hackers and or thieves are sending out to probably millions of folks just like you and me. I am publishing this so not only my AR friends are aware but so are folks in the public who will read my post. It appears no water is safe to go into any more. Date03/15/2017 at 07:34 AMNameAltan C BalikEmailaltancansu.b@yaho... 03/15/2017

Working on Federal Taxes in Katy TX This weekend has found me working on our Federal Taxes so we can file for an extension.It takes me some additional time to put together the Real Estate data and expenses. I always file for an extension once I have inputted all the other data in Intuit Proseries tax software. Free plug for the software but customer service with this group not so much.. I will leave that to another post.  If you to file an extension, Form 4868 needs to be filed with the IRS by April 18, 2017 which is the due date for individual tax returns this year. This form requires a taxpayer to estimate the amount tax they owe and pay the difference if tax is indeed owed with the extension request.  I have a client I prepare the tax return  as the paid preparer and I have worked on... 03/12/2017

Wonder Why Katy/Houston has a Huge Homeless/Lost Pet Population? Hmmm.. The entire Houston metropolitan area has a huge problem of a large population of lost or abandoned and/or homeless dogs and cats. Last year I heard two different TV stations state there are over 1 million dogs roaming the streets of metropolitan Houston let alone the number of cats on the streets.  Every day I see several internet posts concerning lost dogs or cats. Sometimes these pets are found and returned to their owners but in my experience this does not happen all that often. This week I encountered an experience which may help to explain a small part of this large problem.  I was driving to our mailbox which located on the first street in our section of Grand Lakes Katy TX. I drive fairly slow on this street ... 03/10/2017