Just Thought I Would See How Fast Active Rain Works with Google!! So, I just published a blog post about an Open House I am Having This Saturday at my Beautiful Listing in Schertz, TX, (and I mean not even 10 minutes ago!).  Just for kicks I thought I would do a, well...I guess you could call it a long tail search, but truly, I only typed in a few words...Open House, Schertz, TX and Low and Behold..... This is what I got. Yep, That's MY Active Rain blog in position number 4 on Page 1 of Google!!  Too Cool!  Now...I know it isn't number 1 but it is on the first page and I do believe anyone looking for Open Houses in the Schertz, TX area would be mighty inclined to click on me and Check it out!  Gotta love Active Rain, and although I am still learning about long tailed search words and SE... 08/10/2010

Short Sale Hell - Too Funny not to Share!! I just saw this on Facebook and it is just too funny not to share!! Anyone who deals with short sales or knows someone who does will appreciate this video...     Hopefully this will give everyone a little giggle on this steamy Monday afternoon! 08/09/2010

Schertz Market Report - What are houses doing in Schertz? July/August 2010 If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Shertz, here is some information that might be helpful to you!   photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thetruthabout/4671168236/sizes/m/in/photostream/      Sold/Rented Properties Sold/Rented Price Range Listings                                            Avg. Days on Mkt Less than $149,999 11 89 $150,000 - $199,999 9 119 $200,000 - $249,999 5 63 $250,000 - $299,999 2 58    Sold/Rented Properties Summary Units   Avg. Market Time   Median Sold Price                Avg. Sold Price           Max. Sold Price Min. Sold  Price      Total Volume 27 92 $167,500 $159,894 $285,000 $114 $4,317,131   photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bsabarnowl/399... 08/09/2010

DON'T MISS THE FUN! Drive-In Movie in the Park Thursday July 24th Pool Party 6:00 - 8:30 PM Movie starts at 8:45 Don't miss the fun.  Bring your family and friends and come join us on Saturday, July 24th at Pickrell Park (701 Oak Street, off of FM 1518 and Aero Avenue in Schertz) to see the wacky and funny animated film SHARK TALE This FREE event is sponsored by the City of Schertz, the YMCA, and Time Warner Cable.  Bring your swim suit and beach towel and enjoy the FREE pool party from 6 PM - 8:30 PM. The movie starts at 8:45 PM. Picnic baskets, blankets and chairs are welcomed! 07/10/2010

Schertz July 4th Jubilee!! Small town celebration minutes from the big city! photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkadog/3684396632/ If you are looking for a fun family friendly 4th of July celebration near San Antonio, look no further!  You have to check out the Schertz 4th of July Jubilee this weekend.  You will not be dissapointed! Jubilee Carnival July 2-4 July 2 ~ 6-11 PM July 3 ~ 12 - 11 PM July 4 ~ 12 - 5 PM Pickrell Park 701 Oak Street, Schertz For more information click here -----> Schertz 4th of July Jubilee Jubilee Entertainment Line Up FRIDAY 7/2   12:00 PM BBQ Cook-Off SET UP BEGINS 5:00 PM Jubliee Gates Open at Pickrell Park 7:00 PM 11:00 PM Bohemian Dutchmen SATURDAY 7/3   9:00 AM  Gates Open - Rib Cook-off Begins 9:30 AM Parade Begins (Elbel Rd. to Schertz P... 07/02/2010

What a beautiful reminder...Always wear your seat belt! My aunt sent this video to me and I just thought it was such a beautiful way to remind folks to buckle those seat belts!  Usually these reminders are graphic and violent, this one is a little different! Safe travels out there!  Have a great and productive weekend!   06/17/2010

Do You DocuSign? I know that in many markets DocuSignhas been around for a while but I have just recently started using it and let me just tell you I LOVE IT!! For thoes of you who don't know, DocuSignis a service that allows you to send documents to clients for their electronic signatures.  It is super easy to use, saves time and paper AND keeps a transaction moving!  Here are just a few examples of how DocuSign has helped me and my clients over the past few weeks!   I was ablt to get an offer signed, sealed and delivered while my clients were in the process of moving from Japan.  With another client, Docusign actually helped him get the upper hand and get the house he wanted.  The owners were going back and forth with some other buyers but their communications were taking lots of time... 06/17/2010

Where are your leads coming from? This morning, I was going through my Tuesday routine of following up on my leads and active buyers.  While going down my list I glanced over at my board of listings and pendings and had a thought...my leads are coming from a fairly wide variety of sources! photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2136953043/ For most folks, this probably isn't an earth shattering revelation, but for me it is.  When I think back to where I was in my career this time last year and where I am now...there is just no comparison.  I am by no means satisfied with where I am at this point, but I am pretty darn excited!    photo courtesy of:http://www.flickr.com/photos/sillygwailo/91899231/ Exactly one year ago, I had only one source of leads....referrals from fr... 05/04/2010

Forest Ridge Subdivision ~ Schertz, Texas This neighborhood has it all! Forest Ridge is a wonderful master planned gated access community located in Schertz, east of IH-35 off of 3009. This neighborhood includes bike and nature trails and a park with a pool and playscape.  Forest Ridge is convenient to shopping and restaurants and affords easy access to Randolph Air Force Base and Ft. Sam Houston.  Builders in this neighborhood include Wilshire, Benchmark, and Pulte with homes ranging in size from 2,400 - 4,800 square feet.   Call me to see homes in this community.     ************************************************************************************  SANDS Realty Shirley Parks Broker/Owner Serving San Antonio and surrounding areas, including North San Antonio areas of Alamo Heights, ... 04/12/2010

D R Horton now has a model home under construction in their new subdivision, Sedona.  The subdivision is located in Schertz near Randolph Air Force Base and convenient to Ft. Sam Houston and Brooke Army Medical Center, BAMC.  There will be 9 one and two story floor plans ranging from 1414 square feet to 2701 square feet.  The floor plans will include 3 and 4 bedroom plans with either 2 or 2.5 bathrooms.  The price range will be $159,000 to $195,000. Sedona is in the  Schertz-Cibolo-Universal  City ISD school district. Taj Mahal building at Randolph AFB:  photo in the public domain, Library of Congress     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Shirley Parks Broker Sands Realty Serving San Antonio and surrounding areas, including North San Antonio are... 03/27/2010

A quick look at our Schertz housing stats for February 2010. We are doing well overall and continue to see a stable market with few dips. We continue to battle with the USPS on our zip code problem with Cibolo (78108) servicing portions of Schertz (78154) and the mailing address shows as Cibolo, not Schertz. Some agents that list here are not local and continue to post the listing as Cibolo, so it is hard to get truly accurate data until the mailing issue is resolved. Current listings for Schertz - 169 single family homes for sale, ranging from $53,000 - $450,000 Average list price - $185,292 Median List price - $168,450 Days on the market range from 1-766 As for sales the last 30 days, there were 16 sales ranging from $22,000 - $230,000 Of note, there are over 20 homes Pending status, ... 03/20/2010

The Schertz Artz Foundation holds a monthly showcase of local artists at the Community Center every Third Thursday evening frmo 7 - 9 PM. Of course, as I write this month's event was held on a Wednseday due to a scheduling conflict! Still, the City is supporting our local artists and this is a FREE event that you shoudl check out when you have time. Remember Third Thursdayz is the Schertz Artz Foundation monthly showcase. This month they have Roger Price, a well respected artist that has an interest in military history and Jazz as his subjects. He has been commissioned by military units to portray their history and has been showcased in numerous magazines through the years. ANother up and coming artist is Peter Graves who specializes in digital photography and takes his photos to anothe... 02/18/2010

A new year and a new look at our Schertz housing stats for January 2010. We are doing very well overall and continue to see a stable market with few dips. We continue to battle with the USPS on our zip code problem with Cibolo (78108) servicing portions of Schertz (78154) and the mailing address shows as Cibolo, not Schertz. Some agents that list here are not local and continue to post the listing as Cibolo, so it is hard to get truly accurate data until the mailing issue is resolved, but that is another post all together! And, recent buyers were told by Cibolo Post Office not to use Schertz in the mailing address as some postal workers may not know and reject the mail! Anyways, here we go for 2010 so far: Current listings for Schertz - 132 single family homes for sale, ranging from $65... 01/30/2010

Just looking at the Schertz housing stats for December 09. We are doing very well overall and continue to see a stable market with few dips. My only issue is that we continue to have a zip code problem with Cibolo (78108) servicing portions of Schertz (78154) and the mailing address shows as Cibolo, not Schertz. Some agents that list here are not local and continue to post the listing as Cibolo, so it is had to get truly accurate data until the mailing issue is resolved, but that is another post all together! Current listings for Schertz - 130 single family homes for sale, ranging from $28,000 - $364,289 Average list price - $179,631 Median List price - $167,000 Days on the market range from 2- 695 As for sales the last 60 days, there were 42 sales ranging from $20,000 - $329,900 Averag... 12/17/2009

Last night the Savannah Square Homeowners Association hosted their annual Christmas party at the Schertz Civic Center. Great time had by all and we hope our volunteer membership continues this tradition for many years to come. The really neat thing is that Savannah Square does not have a mandatory HOA and relies on the old fashioned values of community and neighborhood pride to maintain membership numbers and continue to support our little community. Over the last year our HOA has participated in the annual Ride to the Rodeo Chili Lunch sponsored by the City of Schertz in conjunction with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo; sponsored a float in the annual 4th of July parade; served an appreciation breakfast to the teachers and staff at our local middle school - Wilder Middle School; h... 12/08/2009

FACEBOOK workshop ~ October 20, 2009 ~ Hosted by:  Kelly Printing and Promotions & RE/MAX ACCESS 10/19/2009

Schertz, Texas Hotel ~ The Fairfield Inn & Suites Coming to San Antonio?  Need a place to stay on the North East side?  Look no further than the The Fairfield Inn & Suites in Schertz, Texas at the corner of 3009 & 35. If you want spacious rooms with remote-controlled Cable TV, all the amenities of home (& some you don't even have at home!) including a business library, heated pool & whirlpool, complimentary breakfast and 24 hour fax and copy service, look no further than The Fairfield Inn & Suites.  Close to everything San Antonio, Texas has to offer, the Schertz, Texas hotel of the The Fairfield Inn & Suites won't disappoint you.  With a Tri county Business Park 0.5 miles, Retama Park less than 2 miles away, Natural Bridge Caverns and Wildlife Park less than 8 miles you won't run out o... 09/17/2009

photo courtesy of me and the iPhone Coffee is the fuel of any good Realtor®. As a real estate agent, I spend a lot of time drinking coffee on my way to appointments and am always looking for a new java fix.  I have driven by Java Junction on 3009 in Schertz at least once a day for the past month and finally decided to swing by there and see what it was like.  Located in a very unassuming little strip mall on 3009 between I 35 and FM 2252 (map), Java Junction is just a short hop away from my office and with it's location is a prime spot to add to my list of favorite local businesses. So how did they perform? Coffee for me is a strange beast.  I can drink cheap homemade coffee, fancy espresso drinks, and even the occasional instant coffee.  I just like the flavor in general.  My drink of... 08/10/2009

Here is an update on Catepillar Plant that is being built in Seguin Texas. This definitely will be a shot in the arm for Guadalupe and surrounding counties. It won't be long and the walls will be going up. Yea! In this slowing economy this is Great and I repeat Great News! Catepillar Update: Catepillar Plant being constructed in Seguin, TX July 15, 2009  SEGUIN  TX (Guadalupe County) The Caterpillar plant now under construction will bring with it more than a dozen primary suppliers that will need facilities within two miles of the plant - and will create in all 4,000 local jobs, a nearly three-fold increase over Caterpillar's workers alone. Supplier jobs is esimated to be 2,600.*The progress of construction on Caterpillar's $170 million, 1 million square-foot commercial diesel engine fa... 07/15/2009

Where The Term Real Estate Come From.    A Brief History And Origins of Real Estate.  Definition: Real Estate Continue from previous post. The Industrial Revolution. The industrial revolution was one of the great equalizers in human history, The use of machines for manual labor freed many peasants for different tasks, and allowed a privileged few time for education and specialization into new fields of labor opened up by the mechanization of industry. Cobblers, seamstresses and cabinetmakers found that their once invaluable skills were now obsolete, leaving them to return to the land and the coal mines beneath it to try to eke out a living. People were able to jump classes and bring some of their lower class sensibilities with them, leading to track housing for laborers and a range of ... 07/05/2009