Crystal Ball Predictions for 2017 - Katy and Houston TX Praful Thakkar real estate agent with Keller Williams in Andover MA created an Active Rain Challenge for January 2017 asking for a post of 2017 real estate market predictions. My main market area is Katy TX with secondary being Far West or North Katy/Cypress areas. I will discuss Katy in greater detail but I mention both  Cypress  and Houston.  I will start with a comment there is no implied or express warranty of anything included in this post. These are strictly my own market predictions made on January 30, 2017. Nothing more and nothing less.  There is NO such thing as a guarantee in Real Estate. I have had potential clients tell me about other agents who were supposedly guaranteeing certain results. I do not partake in this typ... 01/30/2017

Happy Chinese New Year from Katy TX. Happy and Healthy Chinese New Year to everyone and this is the year of Rooster. Folks born in the Year of the Rooster are very trustworthy. They work very well on a schedule and are excellent workers/employees. These folks are said to be active, resourceful, observant, talented and courageous. These are all excellent traits. These folks have self confidence and enjoy being in the spotlight.  If you have questions about the Katy Real Estate or Cypress  markets or any other surrounding area call me and let's get started finding you and your family a home. There are still excellent opportunities to buy a really nice home. If you like some information about available and affordable family homes, I can create a custom search for you which will be presente... 01/29/2017

Spring Katy Home and Garden Show January 28 - 29, 2017 The Merrell Center and Robinson Pavilion will be the home to the Spring Katy Home & Garden Show on Saturday January 28 and Sunday January 29, 2017. There will be over 300 different exhibits in both buildings in two buildings covering 2 floors . The show will include exhibits covering home improvement, remodeling, decorating, windows, kitchens & baths, heating & cooling, flooring, granite, home theater, siding, pools & spa’s, home decor, sealing products, blinds & shutters  and landscaping themes. This is the 11TH annual holding of this fine show. The Merrell Center and Robinson Pavilion are physically located at the address shown below.Merrell Center & Robinson Pavilion6301 S Stadium Dr.Katy, TX 77493 The Merrell Center is easy to f... 01/28/2017

Permanent Attractions in Katy TX Katy TX does not have a lot of permanent attractions to choose from but there are a few as shown below: Railroad Park and Tourist Center -  The Railroad Park and Tourist Center is located at 5615 First Street Katy TX in the downtown area of Historic Katy TX. This downtown park is called a pocket park and is home to the Historic Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Depot. This Depot has been restored as it serves as a Information and Tourist Center. Visitors to Katy TX can obtain maps, brochures and information about Katy and the surroundings areas at the Depot. The Katy Heritage Society Railroad Museum is also located inside the old Depot. The Depot displays several elements of the original depot and provides an explanation as to how the depot functioned and o... 01/26/2017

Seven Meadows Katy TX Real Estate - Definite Source  Seven Meadows in Katy TX Real Estate is another master planned community in the Katy real estate market. Seven Meadows was developed by Newland Community who is the same developer as Cinco Ranch. Seven Meadows has no new construction and has been totally built out for several years. The neighborhood is located off of Fry Road just west of Highway 99 or Grand Parkway and the main road into the complex is the first left with a stoplight after the HEB shopping center which is also on the left hand side of the road.   Seven Meadows covers approximately 1,000 acres of ground and has approximately 1,750 single family homes. This neighborhood has the distinction of being the first Wi-Fi community in the greater Houston area back in July 2005... 01/24/2017

Pine Mill Ranch Katy TX - Family Oriented Neighborhood    Pine Mill Ranch Location  Pine Mill Ranch is a Master Planned community situated on 585 acres of land located in the western section of South Katy being it is south of I-10. I personally believe this subdivision is one of those gem of a neighborhood. Pine Mill Ranch main entrance  is located on off of Spring Green Road right and north of Falcon Landing across from Silver Ranch. Pine Mill Ranch like numerous other Katy neighborhoods is physically located in an unincorporated area which all have Katy mailing address. The beauty of living in these various neighborhoods as many of these neighborhoods such as Pine Mill Ranch have a special small town feel and look to it but are not that far away from Houston. I believe now is the fou... 01/23/2017

Dog of the Week #1 January 22, 2017  I plan to have two dogs of the week as both really deserve a good loving home. I am posting each separately so there is no confusion.  This pup is a female black lab ID 009977 and there is no estimate of her age. She is a very loving and friendly dog who likes to put her front paws in your lap while she is getting petted. She also gives lots of kisses and loves to be hugged. It appears she gets along very well with other dogs. She is scared of all the loud barking but then again most of the pups are scared. She is a very attractive dog and with a bath and some grooming she will even be prettier.  This pup definitely needs to get out of the shelter before she becomes depressed. She is She certainly did want to have to go back into herpen with her room... 01/22/2017

Bow Wow Bash at Cane Island Katy TX Cane Island neighborhood in old Katy Tx is hosting what they call a “Bow Wow Bash” to benefit our dog friends with proceeds going to “Special Pals”. Bow Wow Bash is being held tomorrow or Saturday January 21, 2017 in Cane Island ( probably Amenity Center) and starts at Non and last until 3 PM. Cane Island is located at 2100 Cane Island and is just west of old Katy and north of I-10.   There will be a Microchip Clinic  where your dog can get microchipped by a Vet from All Pets Animal Hospital for $10. This is a very reasonable price. You have to bring Rabies certificate from your Vet.  I cannot tell you how many lost dogs I see on various web sites every day who do not have a chip. Miss Dutchess ( our pup) has a chip.  There will also be Dog Vendors, E... 01/20/2017

Grand Lakes Katy Tx -  Family Oriented Community/ Great Place to Live Grand Lakes Katy TX  is a community with over 2,200 single family homes with varying different styles and floorplans. Grand Lakes is  a family oriented and pet friendly neighborhood. Grand Lakes was developed by Trendmaker and the first section homes homes were being built back in 1998. There are no more brand new homes in Grand Lakes as the neighborhood is entirely built out and has been for at least 7 years. The neighborhood has a very strong Homeowners Association and looks great all the time. The HOA can be a pain but their close control helps to keep property values from falling and the whole area looking very appealing to all who come here. Grand Lakes is made up of single family one story and numerous two story... 01/20/2017

Twelve Months 2016 Market Report for South Katy TX - 2017 Projection I always prefer to examine year-to-date data throughout any given year and look at year to year comparisons for discovering market trends as I think there is too much volatility on a month to month basis to make any good conclusions in this area. My primary market is South Katy or MLS area 36. Of course I also am interested in MLS 25 or North Katy; MLS area 37 Fort Bend West; MLS 29 Fort Bend-Sugar Land and Stafford plus a few others in Cypress TX. Twelve months YTD 2016 versus Twelve months months YTD 2015 for MLS area 36 or South Katy comparison shows some interesting trends which probably continue into 2017.   Units sold in 2016 have decreased from 3,454 in 2015 to 3,368 during 2016 which is equates to a 2.5 % decre... 01/19/2017

KCAM Contemporary Art Museum - Only Art Museum in Fort Bend County TX  KCAM Contemporary Art Museum focuses on with a major emphasis put on local/regional art work. This group offers to the public several art exhibits of local/regional artists work during any given year; Hosts Art in the Park at Central Green Park in LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch and at Central Green Park in LaCenterra; Art Studio sales; It's a Katy Thing being Planet Katy collection of fine art and and fine crafts made locally which are for sale. It is physically located in Old or Historic Katy almost directly across from the Katy Railroad Park And Tourist Center.  The current exhibit is ‘For the Love of Paper” by Alfredo Gisholt.  Admission is $ 2.00 per person and is very reasonable fee. Memberships are available and ple... 01/18/2017

Activerain Guiding Principles/Philosophy  - Weltanschauung   Lynn Friedman Broker/Owner with Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty created a January Challenge for all of us to get a Blogging jump start for the year 2017. This January Challenge has been repeated now for several years. Thank you Lynn for your hard work of putting this together each year as I know it takes a large amount of your time and energy. As a side note this is not a re-blog of the Challenge but my entry. Our task is to pick one of these Weltanschauung guiding principles  which we feel enhances our time in Activerain and explain why this principle does just that. I have read these guiding principles a several times in the past but it is alway a good idea to refresh one’s memory as time marches onward as memories fade. The main... 01/17/2017

Community Guidelines Assists to Maintain Activerain Culture/Success    Lynn Friedman Broker/Owner with Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty created a January Challenge for all of us to get a Blogging jump start for the year 2017. This January Challenge has been repeated now for several years. Thank you Lynn for your hard work of putting this together each year. As a side note this is not a re-blog of the Challenge.  One of the items we have to cover as part of the challenge is the ActiveRain Community Guidelines. All of us need to certainly read or reread these Community Guidelines at least once a year and as part of the Challenge we have to discuss in a post those that we think maintains the culture and contributes to the success and of the ActiveRain Community. The entire document of  ActiveRain... 01/16/2017

Health Advisory - Exercise and Social Activity May Prolong LifeCurrent research is indicating exercise can extend your life even if you are already in your golden years or 75 years or older. Experts are saying even setting up and sticking to a regular walking program will make a major difference. The less active someone is later in life the more benefit you will receive by just adding a small amount of exercise to your daily routine.  A new Swedish study found people older than 75 who were physically active and took part in social activities lived an average of 5.4 years longer than their less active contemporaries. This is a major positive to motivate folks to get physically and socially active. The findings also showed even at age 85 or older a physically active and social lifestyle w... 01/12/2017

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Sunrise and Sunset I have always been intrigued by sunrise and sunset pictures. Below are a few pictures I took with my IPhone during our quick New Years trip to Waikiki and back to Katy. It was a long plane ride but well worth it. I had not been to Honolulu, Hawaii in many years and I was pleasantly surprised how beautiful the main drag area near the ocean had become. My memory from over 10 years ago was not a good one and I could wait to leave to travel to another island. The weather was great ,scenery gorgeous and Mai Tai’s special.. Mahalo..   Almost Wordless Wednesday - Sunrise and Sunset  01/11/2017

Katy ISD - Men Who Mentor Breakfast Men Who Mentor Breakfast is hosted by Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD) Partners in Education is an annual event. The main purpose is to provide support for existing male mentors and provide information and data for men who potentially are interested in becoming a mentor. Katy ISD Campus liaisons and educational administrators will guide participants table discussions for learning and networking opportunities. There is always a need for male mentors.  Men Who Mentor Breakfast is being held on Friday January 13, 2013 starting at 7:30 AM and lasting until 9 AM. It is being held at the Katy ISD Educational Support Complex located at 6301 S Stadium Ln. Katy TX.  The annual Men Who Mentor Breakfast is a very unique gathering which highlights  the... 01/10/2017

Weather Alert - Katy/Cypress/Houston The whole Houston area is under a weather freeze alert as temperatures are dropping. In some areas such as Cypress it is already 32 degrees and falling. The problem is complicated as there is some rain coming down and a courier driver  who just came to our office said the roads are icing up. Live to play another day and get home safely while it is still daylight outside. It is being predicted tonight lows will be in the low to middle 20’s depending on where you live.  I know my friends and colleagues in cold weather areas are probably laughing right now but this whole area is not use to or prepared for this type of weather.  Homes in this area are certainly not built to withstand cold weather. There is no foul weather road equipment to use on the roa... 01/06/2017

Katy Taste Fest Coming March 2017 The Katy Taste Fest is scheduled for saturday March 4, 2017 at the Villagio Town Center in Katy TX. The event starts at 11 AM and runs until 4 PM. This food festival is all about foodies experiencing the local very diverse restaurant scene here in Katy. This is a family event with a large variety of local restaurants participating.  This food festival supports an excellent cause being abused, neglected and abandoned children.  The main focus is on having family fun and there will be cooking demonstrations, a large kids zone, desert oasis, live entertainment and a silent auction.  Tickets have varying prices depending when you purchase and whether you want to taste the food and wine/beer or just enjoy the wine/beer.  click here to see the ticket prices w... 01/05/2017

My Family in Katy TX Wishes Happy New Year to All for 2017; Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος,Feliz año nuevo, Happy New Year, próspero y saludable;Gelukkig Nieuwjaar,Happy New Year, prospère et en bonne santé;, erfolgreiches und gesundes;שנהטובה, מוצלחתובריאה; 新年快樂，成功和健康;ああAsahsna新しいと幸せ、そしてNagh,     To all my Family, Friends, Clients, Virtual friends, Veterans, Men and Women serving in the Armed Services, Real Estate Friends and Acquaintances, Neighbors, Work Colleagues, Virtual Friends HAPPY  NEW YEAR  (or WHATEVER GREETING FITS YOUR SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES, BELIEFS or POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, or WORKS FOR YOU ) TO YOU, YOUR FAMILIES, and FRIENDS. As  I have said several times on other special days, Let us all gather with our families, friends, and extended families and rejoice in our togetherness... 12/30/2016

Almost Wordless Wednesday on Thursday - Santa Dog  I am been MIA from Active Rain since last week. I was very busy helping to get ready for our family to visit our home in Katy TX for our Traditional Mexican dinner on Christmas Eve and with the family prime rib dinner on Christmas Day. I came down with a bad cold early last week and Christmas Day was my worst day. I came back to work on Tuesday December 27, 2016 and have been swamped with work due to year end activities. Too many things to do and no time for blogging and commenting. Qui est la vie de mon ami.. Below is our own little Santa Dog who did not get a Chance to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to everyone but late is better than never! We hope everyone had a great Christmas or Holiday(s)...  The real Santa Dog brought her... 12/29/2016