Now that it's officially Autumn, it's time to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. When you think of fall, you think of pumpkins. Beginning this weekend, the Claremore Pumpkin Festival 2017 goes into full effect.What: Claremore Pumpkin Festival 2017 Where: Shepherd's Cross Farm (16792 E 450 Rd, Claremore, OK) When: Every Thurs, Fri & Sat from Sept 28th to Nov 4th, 9 am to 6:30 pm Admission: Suggested donation of $5 each (not required) Contact: Dr. Diane Dickinson or Amy Kinsey, Shepherd's Cross Farm (918) 342-5911 or via emailClaremore Pumpkin Festival 2017Shepherd's Cross hosts their Claremore Pumpkin Festival 2017 every Thursday, Friday and Saturday beginning September 28th. The final day of the festival takes place on November 4th. Yes, pumpkin picking can be fun. But that's not all you... 09/27/2017

National Open House Weekend in Claremore! It's time for the NAR's National Open House Weekend, June 4th & 5th, 2011. What an exciting opportunity to tour so many wonderful homes in such a short time. The Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS reports that there are  over 386 homes being held open in the MLS area. OklaHomes Realty will be holding open 21 homes in the Claremore area. Click on the QR code (or scan it on your smartphone) for the updated list of homes available for tour. Why do we hold so many open houses? Because what matters to YOU, Matters to Me! See you Saturday and Sunday! 06/01/2011

5 Cool Oklahoma Museums For FREE!Just like most parents, I am excited about my kids getting out of school for the summer. We usually plan for some type of daycare camp program, individual activities, time at the splashpad, fun in the backyard, and the list goes on. However, I also want my kids to do activities that will educate as well as entertain. But what can we do that is educational and FREE. Everyone likes FREE, right? Here are 5 fun free Oklahoma Museums that are within driving distance (a couple hours anyway) of Claremore, Oklahoma. 1) Oklahoma Museum of Natural History - Located in Norman, Oklahoma, it is the furthest from our home. But it is well worth the trip as an all day excursion. The musuem has FREE admission on the first Monday of every month. This means that we could g... 05/28/2011

Homes Less than $100K in Claremore, OklahomaAre you still renting? Now is an incredible time to purchase your first new home! The Claremore area is currently in a buyer's market, meaning there are more homes on the market than there are buyers. Never before, well in my 8 years experience anyway, have there been so many incredible homes for less than $100,000. There are currently 42 homes that are at least three bedrooms and many have two baths or more. Quite a few of these homes include complete remodel and five of them would qualify for the USDA Rural Development Zero Down program ($0 Down!). While the interest rate continues to hover around 4.7%, your new home payment could be less than it would be to rent the same property in most cases. Unless you have circumstances that prevent you... 05/20/2011

Those are buyers just below the surface!It's funny how we find analogies everywhere we look. I was Sun Perch fishing with my daughters and a friend of the family last night, much like we do every Tuesday night. The Claremore, OK, city lake is beautiful and a great place to hang with the family. We have adopted a certain fishing spot as our spot because we can park close and there is room for everyone to play with the Perch. Our 11yr old guest had not been fishing but a few times in her lifetime and seemed to be really enjoying herself. She was putting her worm just below the surface in fairly shallow water and watching the perch swim by, nibble or pull the bobber under and then swim away. She said, "it's a perfectly good worm, why don't they like it."....out of the mouths of babes.One o... 05/18/2011

Avoid The Worry...Get A Home Inspection!Now that you have that perfect Claremore home under contract, all you have to do is wait for closing right? Well, not exactly. Buying a new home is very stressful all by itself, but as a new homebuyer you may begin to worry about the possible troubles that lay behind door #1. The answer to relieving this worry is to always get a home inspection.Your Oklahoma Uniform Contract (Residential Contract of Sale of Real Estate) is designed to protect the buyer and seller during a real estate purchase. It is always recommended that you get your new home inspected. There is so much emphasis on this that the contract actually takes up three of six pages discussing the inspection process. The person doing the inspection may be an Oklahoma Liscensed Home Inspe... 04/20/2011

5 Minutes Early and 10 Minutes Late My mother was a wonderful woman. She was about the same age as I am now when I came to live with her as a foster child. My mother was a woman of the land. She was interested in surviving, feeding her family, and instilling her children with lessons of success. Problem is...I didn't listen much as a youngster and now I wish I had. My mother shared lessons often as I approached my teen years and started working odd jobs. She taught me to be respectful. She taught me to work hard. She taught me to always do my very best work. But most importantly she taught me..."be 5 minutes early and stay 10 minutes late and you will own the company." What an incredibly simple but profound idea. Come to work 5 minutes early and stay 10 minutes late and you will own the... 04/12/2011

City Parks and Playgrounds in Claremore, OklahomaWhere are the parks and playgrounds in Claremore, Oklahoma? Did you know the City of Claremore features more than 15 city parks available for public use? There is something for everyone in our grand city. Several of the city parks are reservation only such as the beautiful Happy Lake area. Several of the parks are designated for a specific use such as for Soccer, Baseball, Softball, and more recently our very own skate park. However with all these great parks, where are the public playgrounds? Below is a list of Claremore parks that include playground equipment for the kids!Dogwood Park - This beautiful 4 acre park is hidden behind the VFW building on Dupont Street. Built in 1973, it is a beautifully shaded park with a playground and bask... 03/31/2011

Interview? I just want to look at Claremore homes!You've started searching the internet for your new home and have found several possibilities. You contact OklaHomes Realty to find someone to show you the home you've dreamed about while searching. But when you reach me, Jim Courtney, I'm going to have a few questions. Why? All you want to do is look at Claremore homes. I'm going to ask questions because it's important in order to help you narrow down your search to that perfect home. So what questions am I going to ask? Here's just a few...How soon (when) do you need to buy?     It's important to establish a timeline for your purchase. The real estate market changes often and your timeline may affect your options. When do you need to move? Are you on a timeline that requires special cir... 03/31/2011

Are Any Rogers County Oklahoma HUD Homes Livable?Have you been searching the market for that great deal on your new home, but haven't found it? Have you heard about HUD homes and have been told, "HUD homes are for investors?" The reality is that HUD homes are a great way to get a good deal on a great home. But isn't buying a HUD home difficult, confusing and frustrating too?A HUD home is a home that was financed using an FHA mortgage and the buyer then defaulted on that mortgage. The government backed the loan and now owns the house as a result of the mortgage default. Since our government is not in the business of home ownership, they sell these homes through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website. Anyone can view these homes on their website, Hudhomestore.com... 03/25/2011

Zero Down Loans in Claremore, Oklahoma   "There aren't any more zero down loans" is a something buyers hear all the time. "The Mortgage Crisis killed any special financing." is another. Many buyers may be reluctant to purchase their new home because of a lack of money for down payment and/or closing costs. In the reality of real estate today, nothing could be further from the truth. There are currently two methods for buyers to obtain zero down financing: VA Loans and Rural Development Loans. This blog will focus on the latter. The Rural Development Guarenteed Housing Loan is operated through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development section. The financing program has many requirements for both buyer eligibility and property requirements. Buyers must be able ... 03/23/2011

Rural Development Loans, Claremore vs. Owasso Oklahoma REALTORS®, like myself are asked quite often about a Rural Development loan and what this entails. The Rural Development Guarenteed Housing Loan is operated through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development section. The program provides guarenteed home loans for those who qualify by meeting certain income standards. This type of rural development loan is one of only a few ways a homebuyer can purchase a home with no money down. Be sure to check out my other blog posts about eligibility and additional types of rural development funds. Eligibility for these funds is never as challenging as actually finding a property that qualifies for the program. According to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a pro... 03/18/2011

Welcome Home to 20745 Skyline View Road in Claremore Oklahoma 74019MLS #1011884 Are you looking for your own quiet home in the country?  Want to be close to town, but not in town?  Then 20745 Skyline View Road in Claremore Oklahoma 74019 is the place for you! This beautiful home offers 2045 square feet, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a beautiful and classic wood buring fireplace in the living room, Anderson casement windows throughout, an inground storm shelter, above ground pool, acre and a quarter and Owasso schools! You might notice that the address of this home, located at 20745 Skyline View Road, is in Claremore Oklahoma.  And yet, the school district is Owasso.  How can this be?  If you'll take a look at the map below, you will see that the Skyline view estates neighborhood is loca... 04/23/2010

Speechless Sunday - Seen at a House Inspection in Claremore Oklahoma Okay...just kidding...Here's a better view! For the most complete information on the Owasso and Greater Tulsa Oklahoma housing market, be sure to check out www.BobHaywood.com  The information, content and pictures in this blog are the property of Bob Haywood.  You must obtain written permission from Bob Haywood if you would like to use any of this content.  Opinions expressed are those of Bob Haywood and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of other brokers, associates or home owners.  Blogs may be used in their entirety using the reblog feature within Active Rain. When you're thinking of a great place to live, think Owasso, Oklahoma!  Owasso means end of the trail!  09/20/2009

Charming 3 bed, 1 bath, 1 car garage( in back off park st) Has hardwood floors, new tile in kitchen, New exterior and interior paint. Large covered back porch with privacy fenced yard and 2 storage sheds. New roof 08, new heat air unit 06, updated appliances. Lots of storage in closets and laundry room. Close to schools, hospital, and claremore lake. Willing to replace carpet in master bedroom with acceptable offer. Willing to work with buyers agents. To directly access this property, use this shortcut: http://www.fizber.com/oklahoma-buy-single-family-home-11648327.html 09/15/2009

The Things You See When Showing Houses I was out showing a house in the country (over by Claremore) this evening.  The clients were a bit delayed, so I walked around the property a bit to get familiar with the place.  In the back pasture I came upon this scene after walking up a hill. Believe it or not, I took this pic with my Blackberry Curve 8900 cell phone camera.  After uploading it, I touched it up using Picasa.  Not too bad for a cell phone camera! If you're thinking of getting into real estate be prepared for a crazy career. You'll have long days, lots of busy work, great friends and clients, some folks who will burn you and a great way to make a living.  And you'll have those occasional evenings when scenes like this happen. For the most complete information on the Owasso and Gr... 09/10/2009