As noted in my previous post the HAP $10,000 Down payment assistance program ran out of money in late 2011. First the Good news the HTF- HAP $10,000 Texas Down payment assistance program is coming back within the next few weeks.  The not so good news is that TDHCA will only be allocating $1,000,000 and that is enough for less than 100 loans across the state of Texas.   Once this funding is gone the program will be discontinued and it will NOT come back.  Of the down payment assistance programs in the state of Texas the HAP down payment assistance program is by far the best and has the lowest fees of any down payment assistance program in the state of Texas for First time home buyers. The most uptoday information on this program and other first time home buyer programs in Texas is locate... 01/28/2012

CLOSED: Lease Home on Lake Conroe! The above photo shows the beautiful view that now greets my client Anna each day as she relaxes on her back patio or in her living room at 854 Lake View Dr.! A lease home on Lake Conroe is an exciting residence for those who love the open water- and there lovely homes available for under $2,000/month. Anna and I met recently at my church following her relocation to the Houston area from Hawaii. Hawaii is difficult to leave behind, she tells me, and water views were something she didn’t want to be without. We began searching for lake front homes for lease on Lake Conroe and visited several, but none could compare with the amenities and gorgeous view at 854 Lake View Dr., a listing held by a local Lake Conroe real estate broker. After negotiating a sati... 01/27/2012

On January 23, 2012 FHA published a memo recommending a reduction in the amount that a seller can assist home buyers  with their costing costs from 3% to 6%. Foreclosures Lower with FHA but FHA is in Denial It was brought up in 2010 and commentary from the public was an overwhelming NO.  So the Proposal was shelved.  However with the new year this proposal has gained new life with the Federal Housing Administration and HUD.  As the refinement in home mortgage lending has occurred over the past 5 years.  Delinquencies are down sharply as noted in this article by Housingwire. So who will this impact the most?  First time Home Buyers who use down payment assistance on more affordable homes.   As it stands now using down payment assistance programs such as Bond 77 and it's higher costs woul... 01/27/2012

Take Charge of Your Attitude and Sell More Real Estate! IMHO... Our attitudes, as well as our thoughts, actions and the love we choose to give are all CHOICES. If you want a better attitude....make better choices.   Be grateful there is work to be done. Boredom kills and challenges keep you "thinking". Quit grumbling and count your blessings. We all have them. Thank our Nation for giving us the right and the choice to vote. Thank our customers for being loyal. Offer to help a friend, colleague, or client with no expectations. Remind your clients that you will be there for them when they need you.   Allow yourself only two kinds of days....good and great. It's your choice. Your answer to, "how is business" should be "GREAT." (would you want to do business with a whiney, gripey, naysayer?... 01/25/2012

The immediate Conroe area did not fare well in 20011 single family residence unit sales versus 2010. Let take a quick look at this MLS area and see what the 2011 number showed. MLS area 19: The City of Conroe and the immediate surrounding area. Single family residence unit sales in this MLS area took a little beating in 2011 versus 2010. Unit sales dropped 9.84% from 2010. The average price and median price pretty much held steady increasing less than 1%. I will hazard a guess that the unit sales drop was due to two factors. The first factor was a drop in foreclosures and the second factor a drop in new home starts and sales in this MLS area. Active listings dropped 7.7% while average days on the market increased from 89 to 95. End of the year inventory stood at 6.4 months. This last nu... 01/24/2012

TX: Montgomery County: Conroe: "Bring the horses! 2006 TX beauty on 2.5ac fenced , 9661 Roda, Open House TODAY 1-22-2012, Conroe TX, 2.5ac Time for a Change?????????????????? Live the good life on small acreage---close to the conveniences! Ready for a slower pace, but close to convenience?  Ready for an opportunity to have space for your horse(s) where the property is already fenced? BUT---You want it ALL for less than 200K!  YOU FOUND IT!  Come check it out today!  Open House 1pm to 3pm   IMAGINE YOU in this space in these surroundings!  A Get Away or full-time residence.  Isn;t it time to slow down and enjoy life?   01/22/2012

Here is the latest lake report from the San Jacinto River Authority. We are expecting more rain this weekend also.  Lake Conroe’s Level ReboundsBy: Blake KellumLake Conroe Division ManagerJanuary 10, 2012After Mondays 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, on an already sodden watershed, Lake Conroe’s level has risen approximately ¾ of a foot to elevation 193.79 msl. These winter storms are crucial to recharging the lake, as much as possible, before we dry out again during the spring and summer months.For those of you with boats beached on the reservoir, now is the time to be diligent in tending to your vessels so that they do not float away because of the rising waters. Adjustments should be made to mooring ropes on any vessels tied up in slips; as too much slack can allow them to bang around and ... 01/18/2012

Here is your weekly interest rate update: Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 3.875% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR: 4.25% FHA 30 year:3.75% Credit Score:640 LTV:96.5% loan amount:$200k APR:4.85% Conventional 15 year:3.25% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR:3.70%   Call me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible. 01/18/2012

Bond 77 rolls out new program servicer Down Payment Assistance for first time home buyers still available. It took a while, however the latest news for first time home buyer down payment assistance in Texas is that the bond 77 Texas Down payment assistance program is back after transitioning to another servicing company.   If you have been waiting for funds to become available after the after the last program servicer terminated their involvement with the program you can now get a new start with the new year.  You may want to hurry because program funds are low the current allotment "Lot 17" is expected to be exhausted by January 15, 2012.  As always with all Texas first time home buyer down payment assistance programs this program will not receive any funds once funds are exhausted. Al... 01/11/2012

It is that time of the year again when homeowners are starting to think about remodeling projects. In many cases it is because they are thinking about selling their home in the near future. With this in mind HouseLogic.com recently rated the seven best home improvement projects along with the respective Return on Investment (ROI). Here are the HouseLogic rankings from lowest to highest ROI. With the exception of the vinyl siding most of these projects should be great for the Lake Conroe area. #7 – Vinyl Siding (foam backed) ROI 69.6% #6 – Rear deck ROI 70.1% #5 – New garage door(s) ROI 71.9% #4 – Kitchen updating ROI 72.1% #3 – Converting attic space to bedroom space ROI 72.5% #2 – New steel front entry door ROI 73% #1- Fiber-cement siding ROI 78% One other piece of advice from HouseLog... 01/11/2012

The lake level for Lake Conroe this morning (1/9/12) was 193.6ft. We are currently down 7.6' from our normal pool level of 201'. With the rain we are getting today and that is forecast for tomorrow our poor lake is slowly healing. Please keep the rain coming! As our lake level rises to its' normal level expect those waterfront homes for sale to return to a normal pricing pattern. The deals now available won't be there for long.     Here are the current conditions from the San Jacinto River Authority. Current Conditions Lake Level 193.6 FT (Normal Pool=201ft) Lake Release 0 CFS Cubic feet per second Air Temperature 59.35 DEG. F Wind Direction 56 DEG. Wind Speed 12.78 MPH Barometric Pressure 29.93 in River Level @ I-45 0.74 ft Have a great day! Ron www.lakeconroeconsulting.com www.lakecon... 01/09/2012

The sign is in downtown Conroe Texas.  They have hula hoops full of fun???   HummmmWhen hula hoops were popular back in my youth, they were fun!   They were great exercise too!  I recall that older folks who choose to participate frequently hurt their backs.  That would NOT be fun!The visual of fun filled hula hoops is interesting.  Fun is sort of a nebulous!  Imagine a fun filled factory with little fun injectors all around!  It no doubt comes in many colors and one size would definitely fit all!  The idea of fun filled exercise equipment is probably an idea whose time has come!Who  wouldn't want a constant source of Fun? 12/04/2011

One of the most cheerful things we can do is to sing.  Music is like salve for the soul.In August one of Ralph's high school friends who works at a large church (Baptist) in a nearby small town emailed and extended an invitation to us to sing with their choir for their Christmas special this year.We gave the answer little study and happily agreed to be a part of the event!  After numerous rehearsals and many travel miles we invested the couple of hundred dollars in the required costumes.Last night we attended the dress rehearsal.  The featured artist is Guy Penrod from the Gaither Vocal band.  The music is glorious!  Now we get to do the production for real tonight, two times tomorrow and Sunday night.We love our church (Anglican)  but the music tends to be stuffy and formal.   This mus... 12/02/2011

We just passed a sign outside an upscale subdivision that reads:  Happy Holidays.  For some reason the fact that the reason for the "Season " is so often denied or just overlooked in our increasingly politically correct world, is becoming annoying.It seems that I remember that our forefathers structured the founding of our country upon Christian values.What is more Christian or valuable than the freedom to worship the reason for this "Season."On the other hand,  if you do not exercise that freedom because of a lack of belief... You do not have any basis for Happy Holidays.   In fact, you really do not have the basis for "Happy anything!  It is our hope that you strongly consider getting back to the basics as you celebrate this year.   From our house to yours... Merry Christmas and Happy... 12/02/2011

Well..... Last night was the dress rehearsal for the Annual Christmas Program at First Baptist Church in Conroe (no I'm not Baptist..... just singing in the program).   Guy Penrod from the Gaither Vocal Band is the featured performer.  Its sure fun to sing with a group this large with an Orchestra....(the Orchestra is a first for me!)  Tickets are still available for Saturday night and Sunday night for only $10.00 per person.   You hear people like Guy on the TV shows but you really can't appreciate the talent until you're up close and personal.  If you're anywhere near North Houston in the Conroe area come on by you'll really enjoy the program and you can meet an International Singing Star up close and in person. 12/02/2011

If you're in the North Houston or Conroe, Texas area.  Start your Christmas Holidays right!  Put a song in your heart and update some favorites!  Saturday 12/3/2011 at 7pm and Sunday evening 12/4/2011 at 7pm you can gift yourself, and your family with "a Christmas Evening!  Featuring Guy Penrod from the Gaither Vocal Band....   600 N Main St.  Conroe, Texas which is the First Baptist Church in Conroe. 936-441-6006 for tickets, only $10.00! Guy will be available after each performance to offer CD's etc.   And of course Jeanne and I are singing in the choir for the Christmas Performances.  What a privilege  to sing with a full orchestra AND a world famous performer who...... I am pleased to say is quite a normal humble guy and who is extraordinarily talented. 12/01/2011

On November 17, 2011 the Historic Gentry Building will celebrate it's 100th birthday! Everyone is invited! The Centennial Celebration is called "Century of the Gentry".  At Main and Simontonin downtown Conroe from 5pm to 9pm.  There will be antique cars of the Era on display, barber shop quartets, people in costumes of the era, musical groups and of course refreshments serves at the Hilson's onMain. A short history of the Gentry Building is after the second fire in Conroe that destroyed 65-structures the Gentry building became the first building to meet the newly mandated code requiring stone, brick or cement that could withstand a similar fire.  Within the past 100-years the Gentry building has been home to many different businesses that include a newspaper, bank, barber shop, meat mar... 11/16/2011

Here is your weekly interest rate update: Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 4% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR: 4.65% FHA 30 year:3.75% Credit Score:640 LTV:96.5% loan amount:$200k APR:4.85% Conventional 15 year:3.25% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR:3.69%   Call me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible. 11/09/2011

TEXAS: Montgomery County: CONROE  --WHY RELOCATE?  Reason #1: HOME OF AWARD WINNING SCHOOLS! TEXAS DOES have a knack of doing things BIGGER and BETTER.  Reason #2: How many places in the United States can you live within 5 minutes of a bustling and GROWING city, like Conroe TEXAS, and be located just a few minutes NORTH of an incredible and cosmopolitan "Haute Culture" (and, Haute "Couture") city like The Woodlands and 45 minutes from downtown Houston, and still be able to buy AFFORDABLE Homes with Acreage ?! Reason #3: Come home to a place that when you look up into the night sky---you can see millions of stars!  Why Relocate NOW!? CHECK OUT THESE Market Statistics! 2007 SALES 2-5 Acres--homes built since 2000 NE Montgomery County TX---AVERAGE SALES PRICE= $204,452 2010 SALES 2-5 Acres... 11/08/2011

If the house has issues, will there be anymore discussion? I truly think that depends on several things. If you are honestly out to find the right home for your Buyer then you have probably listened to their reactions about the house in the first place. Or, are you one that says, "well, you certainly do not want to deal with this!" Here's my "what if"...What if your Buyer loves the home with the absence of the issues? Let's say it has foundation issues. Did you just say, "oh well, we will find you another?" Or, did you question your Buyer? Did you say, "this issue can be repaired and to your liking if this house is the right one for you!" Realize that if your client has seen the "right" home yet it had too many issues to overcome that it might just be your fault the home wasn't purchase... 11/06/2011