Tonight, from 6-7:30pm, the First Baptist Church of Plano is having a Fall Festival for the community.  This is where Alyssa goes to daycare so we thought we would check it out. I heard there is going to be face painting and pony rides.  And it's FREE!  They're also going to have food and candy. They are encouraging kids and adults to dress up, but nothing scary because of all the young kids. This is Alyssa's first Halloween, so I figured this might be more fun for her instead of trick or treating since she doesn't understand it anyway... and it's not like I need any candy she collects! Maybe I'll see you there.  Alyssa is the ladybug and we're supposed to have fabulous weather tonight in the 70's. 10/31/2008

    TOP TEN REASONS PEOPLE LIKE RELOCATING TO NORTH TEXAS   -No Texas state income taxes.   -Outstanding suburban school districts. Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and many more.   -Good local economy. North Texas has one of the best job markets in the United States.   -Low cost-of-living compared to most other parts of the country.   -One of the most affordable housing markets in America.   -Good roads and highway systems make navigating around North Texas easy.   -Good weather. Okay, the Summers are a bit hot, but the rest of the year is Great!   -World-class medical care available through The University of Texas Health Science Center Hospitals, Baylor Hospital, Children’s Hospital and many more.   - Sports fan paradise with professional sports teams in baseball, basketball, football, ... 10/24/2008

Hey all you North Texas Active Rainers, Lorrie Semler and I have been at it again and thought we'd get another Active Rain Networking event on the calendar before the end of 2008. I know it's early but those holiday schedules sure fill up fast. It's on a Thursday, not a big night for holiday parties we imagine - so just stop by! Come see some of your friends & fellow North Texas Rainers or meet some new ones. We had a great time at the last meet up! This time we're going to meet atKelly's Eastside on the heated patio in Downtown Plano. Kelly's offers complimentary appetizers, great food for order and happy hour specials. The DARThas a stop conveniently located in Downtown Plano and Kelly's is a short walk up the block from the station for anyone coming from the South. Hope you can make ... 10/23/2008

Preston Meadow, Plano, Texas The Preston Meadow neighborhood is located in West Plano, off Parker Road, between Preston Meadow Drive and Ohio Drive.  The Preston Meadow neighborhood is located on the east and west side of Preston Meadow Drive. Keep up with local real estate information. It is free and easy to use.  Free Market Analysis North Dallas Lifestyle The internet is the most efficient way to locate real estate in the Dallas market. Or is it? Homebuyers spend hours searching site after site trying to find the perfect home at the best price. And when they do find a great home, they try to contact the agent and never get a response or even worse they find out that the home had been sold a month before. I have developed a program that will e-mail you the homes that meet your criteri... 10/22/2008

Highlands of Russell Park, Plano, Texas Established in 1999, Highlands of Russell Park is a premier 554 home subdivision located in northwest Plano, Texas. The City of Plano has earned a national reputation as one of the best places in the country for employers to do business and for families to live and work. Plano was incorporated in 1873 and chartered as a home rule city in 1961. Plano is located 20 miles north of downtown Dallas and is the largest city in Collin County with a January 1, 2001 estimated population of 236,539. In 1997, Plano was named the 4th most "Kid-Friendly City" in the United States based on the findings of the Children's Environmental Index. This index is a comparison of 219 U.S. cities that was compiled by Zero Population Growth to determine the relationship bet... 10/22/2008

Park Bridge, Plano, Texas Park Bridge, Plano, Texas zipcode (75075) ranks #4 on the list of fastest-selling home zipcodes in the United States, according to a recent Business Week article.  Only Austin and two California cities (Sunnyvale and San Diego) ranked higher.  With stable property values, beautiful homes and a great neighborhood, Park Bridge is the place to be.   Keep up with local real estate information. It is free and easy to use.   Free Market Analysis North Dallas Lifestyle   The internet is the most efficient way to locate real estate in the Dallas market. Or is it? Homebuyers spend hours searching site after site trying to find the perfect home at the best price. And when they do find a great home, they try to contact the agent and never get a response or even worse they... 10/22/2008

Deerfield, Plano, Texas Deerfield is a community of 733 single family homes located in northwest Plano, a suburb north of Dallas, Texas, and only a few short minutes from the Legacy Drive business park area that boasts such corporate campuses as EDS, Frito Lay, J.C. Penney, Sterling Software, Countrywide, Beal Bank, Ericsson, Computer Associates, McAfee, Intuit and Dr Pepper, along with furthering your education at SMU in Legacy. Within a 5 minute drive residents can be at Stonebriar Mall, a major shopping mall for North Texas with dozens of quality restaurants for all tastes, Dr Pepper Ballpark - Frisco Roughriders, The Shops At Legacy, a mini-city with scores of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues, and, the North Texas Tollway which allows access to DFW Airport in 35 minutes a... 10/21/2008

Estates of Russell Creek, Plano, Texas A premier master planned community by Hillwood Development. Building in the area started in 1990 and reached its peak in 1996.  The neighborhood is made up of 850 homes.  Most of the homes were built by Huntington Homes, Drees Custom Homes and Beazer Homes. Located near the Dallas North Tollway and the prestigious Legacy Park business corridor.  A lifestyle that is conducive to building a good reputation for the community, strong relationships within families, and friendships amongst neighbors. Whether you are a growing family, a single person getting a start in life, or someone who has already raised your family, you will find friends with similar backgrounds, goals, and interests here in the Estates of Russell Creek.      Keep up with local real ... 10/21/2008

Confused?  Let me explain. This past January I provided a home staging consultation for a Plano, TX couple who knew they were going to be listing their home sometime this year. Being very proactive sellers with a very savvy Realtor, they contacted Home Star Staging, to provide them with a home staging consultation to assist them in their preparations. I say they were "pro active sellers" because they knew it would take time to do what they needed in order to prepare their home for sale as well as find a home to purchase. Home Sellers - TIME is your friend when getting a home ready for sale! Let me just tell you their house was beautiful to begin with. They had done updates over the years for their own enjoyment and the home was warm and inviting. I even asked them, (prior to the walk th... 10/16/2008

Just got this in my inbox from my Neighborhood Crimewatch Coordinator, in Plano, TX. If you are interested in taking any citizen crime prevention classes, October is the month to do it! Unfortunately the first class is tonight but there are 2 more scheduled this month. Below is the information I received.  Dear Plano Citizen:  The Plano Police Department Crime Prevention Unit is hosting several classes which you may be interested in attending.  This letter is being mailed to many citizens, including people who may be victims of burglary, stalker victims, harassment victims, people with divorce complications, family violence situations, victims of "peeping Tom's", etc.  If you are a victim of any one of these or know someone who is, all are invited to attend.  Please feel free to invite ... 10/14/2008

Conveniently located off the Dallas North Tollway at Headquarters and Parkwood, K. Hovnanian Homes showcases two professional designed model townhomes at The Villas at Legacy Town Center. Unique to Collin County, Legacy Town Center offers innovative urban living surrounded by great shopping, 5 star restaurants, entertainment and a beautiful community park. You will enjoy being within close distance to Bob's Steak and Chop House, The Angelika Theater and many other great shops and dining. Coming soon attractions include High Street @ Stonebriar (35 acres of high-end shopping & dining), a boutique hotel, and the Container Store. Starting at $325,000.00 Click Here To View Video   Keep up with local real estate information. It is free and easy to use.   Free Market Analysis North Dallas Lif... 10/04/2008

Now open! Ridgeview Villas is a gorgeous community nestled within the City Of Plano, Texas. Just minutes from Hwy 121, the Dallas North Tollway, Hwy 75, world class shopping, businesses, schools and restaurants. Our Lifestyle Collection of Courtyard Homes have all the amenities built right in and offer a low maintenance lifestyle that you deserve. Starting at $215,000.00 Click Here To View Video   Keep up with local real estate information. It is free and easy to use.   Free Market Analysis North Dallas Lifestyle   The internet is the most efficient way to locate real estate in the Dallas market. Or is it? Homebuyers spend hours searching site after site trying to find the perfect home at the best price. And when they do find a great home, they try to contact the agent and never get a r... 10/04/2008

Preston Lakes - This luxurious community features a community pool for all to enjoy. With easy access to 75, 121, North Dallas Tollway, Plano shopping, business corridors, and area restaurants, this community is perfect for you and your family. K. Hovnanian Homes range from the high $400's. Click Here To View Video   Keep up with local real estate information. It is free and easy to use.   Free Market Analysis North Dallas Lifestyle   The internet is the most efficient way to locate real estate in the Dallas market. Or is it? Homebuyers spend hours searching site after site trying to find the perfect home at the best price. And when they do find a great home, they try to contact the agent and never get a response or even worse they find out that the home had been sold a month before. I ... 10/04/2008

Final opportunities in Legacy Villas! Located in highly desirable Plano, Texas, Legacy Villas features Ryland's Lifestyle Collection of Courtyard Homes loaded with upscale amenities. Located minutes from terrific shopping, dining, golf and more, as well as easy access to 4 major freeways. Come today and see for yourself the easy maintenance lifestyle you deserve!! Starting at $220,000.00 Click Here To View Video   Keep up with local real estate information. It is free and easy to use.   Free Market Analysis North Dallas Lifestyle   The internet is the most efficient way to locate real estate in the Dallas market. Or is it? Homebuyers spend hours searching site after site trying to find the perfect home at the best price. And when they do find a great home, they try to contact the agent ... 10/04/2008

Los Rios is located on the East Side of Plano, Texas on the border of Murphy and Richardson.  Los Rios main feature is the Los Rios Country Club which offers golfing, swimming, tennis, dining, driving range, and fitness center, and it also gives the Los Rios resident's some great golf course views!   If you are thinking of selling your home in Los Rios then now more than ever is a great time to sell!  There are currently only 10 properties on the market, which means that there is less competition and usually results in short days on market (basically you can sell your house faster which makes everyone happy!).  If you are thinking of selling your home in the Los Rios area then give The Good Home Selling Team a call today and ask them about their discount on commissions!   If you are loo... 10/03/2008

This is something I've known for a long time and if you think that as a professional home stager that you are only in the "home staging business" then you are not in the business of real estate. A good analogy for this is to think back when trains were the main form of transportation (before my day folks but I remember history lessons). When airplanes came on the scene the big wigs at the Rail Road industries stated something to the effect of," They'll never fly! People and cargo travel by RAIL not air!"     Well as we all know, airplanes did fly and today they are the major source of mass transportation for people and cargo worldwide. What the Rail Road industry failed to see was they were not in the Railroad business at all but in the TRANSPORTATION business. The railroad industry nev... 10/03/2008

Why go to the movies when you can enjoy LIVE THEATRE this weekend? Come join  Plano East Theatre Major Studies as they present Lanford Wilson's The Rimers of Eldritch When: October 2nd, 3rd & 4th Time:  7:00 PM (no intermission) Where: Plano East Senior High Fine Arts Building 3000 Los Rios Blvd, Plano,TX Tickets:  $6 for Students $8 for Adults Due to the unique seating arrangement for this show (seating for the audience is on the stage), ticket sales are limited This show contains mature themes and is recommended for ages 13 and up.   09/30/2008

With a national financial crisis and the tales of woe and doom in the housing market many wonder how are they are ever going to get through this time if selling a property at this most uncertain time of our nation's economy?  After reading an article today on MSN.COM titled: Top 5 Things home buyers and sellers should do now, I am convinced the services of a home staging professional are even more necessary than ever. Listed below are the top 5 tips for home sellers from the article: Wait out the market if possible, especially if your house is located in a very troubled market Get your house in great shape but at a reasonable cost - THIS IS WHERE A HOME STAGING PROFESSIONAL IS INVALUABLE. A home staging professional can address cost effective ways to get your house in great shape. A cos... 09/28/2008

Plano TX Homes for Sale - Summer 2008 Real Estate (Residential) Housing Report from Memorial Day 05/26/08 through Labor Day 09/01/08. (Plano's busiest real estate season). 1,197 closed transactions (in 2008) Lowest $49,000 Average 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (either 3 full bathrooms, or 2 full with 1 half bath). 2,700 square feet at $270,400. DOM 58.Highest 7 bedrooms, over 12,000 square feelt for $3.6 million dollars. It took 546 days to sell.Total real estate value of  $317,716,308  not including real estate sales not listed on the MLS systems such as for sale by owners and home builders. Average DOM Breakdown and Average % of List Price received on Solds by Market time:Information provided is deemed reliable and taken from the North Texas Real Estate Information MLS Systems.    0-30 Days... 09/27/2008

Instead of just talking about, this year we decided to actually go to the Balloon Festival.  It was a lot of fun. It was Alyssa's first Festival and she "people watched" like crazy.  It was a beautiful day, not much of a breeze.  We saw the Re/Max Parachuters jump, and that was really cool.  They all landed right where they were supposed to.  Lots of practice. We didn't stay for the fireworks, but I went outside at 9pm and could see them from the front yard.  That was the better idea so we didn't have to fight traffic afterwards. Below are some pictures.         This was also Alyssa's first time to sit in grass.  She was very confused for a few minutes.  She didn't want to touch it with her hands at all.  I don't blame her.  I hate sitting in grass too as it's itchy and icky. I don't kn... 09/22/2008