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Katy, TX Real Estate News

By Liz Carter, Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston)
(Liz Carter & Team Realty-Your Real Estate Resource For Life!)
 Questions Every Seller Should Ask Realtors They Are InterviewingWhen you are selling or buying a home it is critical to know the credentials of the Realtor you hire.  This is one of the biggest emotional and financial decisions of your life, so make sure you hire the best agent you can to assist you.  One of the ways to do that is to know what questions you need to ask.  Most people think that all agents are the same, which is far from the truth.  The average agent only sells 2-3 homes a year...sad but true, so take the time to find out who you are putting you faith in.  Here are a few questions you need to ask, and if the Realtor you are talking to does not know the answers, or cannot show you proof, you might want to consider talking to other agents.  I started my career in 1976, and...
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By Liz Carter, Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston)
(Liz Carter & Team Realty-Your Real Estate Resource For Life!)
Liz Carter in a picture taken many years ago underwater with a sold sign.  I have used this ad for over 20 years with the caption, "Before you dive into buying or seling a home...take to someone who know the waters!"  I use it everywhere I advertize, it is differant and people call asking to talk to that Realtor with the goggles, or that lady underwater.  The point is, it's differant, and consistant.  Which are two of the key conpontes of a good ad.  Also when you do advertizing in print, or more now on the internet, come up with something that will catch peoples attention and apleal to their emothions, I've added some advertizing headers below.  Of course all my homes are on my web site, www.lizcarter.com, with tons of pictures.  As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousland ...
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By Deb Dahlberg - Rowland, Deb Sells Texas!
(Stanberry Realtors)
When I moved to Texasas a horse breeder and a horse property specialist  I was eager to see what kind of show facilities are available.  I joined the Gulf Coast Paint Horse Association and showed my paint gelding Jigsaw at the show facility in Katy.  It is awesome!  It was an easy drive from the Austin/Bastrop area.  The facility is big and clean.  Great location in Katy with access to hotels and restaurants.  There were plenty of hook ups  for overnight stays,  the bathrooms were big and clean with lots of hot water in the showers. There were lots of stalls and they were in good shape. Plenty of wash bay space. Great warm up pens, and arenas all with good footing.  Sound systems worked!  They host lots of shows during the year:  Hunter Jumper, Barrel, Arabians, Saddlehorse, APHA, mini'...
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
Construction has started on the final section in Trendmaker's Green Trails subdivision. The section, called The Enclave at Green Trails, will be a gated and boast 23 homesites. Trendmaker has developed and is building all the homes in this section. The prices will start in the $500,000's. Many larger lots will be available...some with lot premiums. Because of its location on the corner of Kingsland Blvd and Baker Rd this section will be in a low tax area (this section has a low mud tax) and is located in the Award Winning KISD School District.
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
Construction on Kingsland Blvd from the Grand Parkway to the Katy Mills Mall has begun. When completed the extension will help alleviate traffic from the neighborhoods on the northern part of Falcon Ranch and Falcon Rock. This project will also help traffic patterns on the feeder roads of the Grand Parkway (presently commuters going from the mall to Kingsland east of the Grand Parkway must go south on the feeder road and loop under the Grand Parkway north to get to Kingsland). The city of Katy is also working with Fort Bend County to extend Kingsland west of the Katy Mills Mall to WoodCreek Reserve near FM 1463.
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
The new Shops at Bella Terra on the southwest corner of The Grand Parkway and Westpark Tollway is set to open in April of 2008. Super Wal-Mart and Kohl's are the anchor stores that will initially open. Others who have signed on to do business at the shops are; Petsmart, Ross, Famous Footwear, Wachovia Bank, Taco Bell, and Whataburger. The Shops at Bella Terra when completed will be one of the largest mixed use retail sites south of I-10.
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
Here is a schedule for the Middle School (WoodCreek and Greenhouse) zoning meetings. They had been missing from the katyisd.org site so we called an got the school board to e-mail us a copy. This meeting is not to be missed by anyone who is zoned to Beck Jr High School. The November 8th meeting will be held at the ESC/Boardroom by the Merrill Center.   2007 Rezoning Committees' Meeting Schedules Junior High 11 (Greenhouse) and Junior High 12 (WoodCreek Reserve)   Thursday, November 8, 2007                                              ESC/Board Room Thursday, November 15, 2007                                            ESC/Board Room Tuesday, November 20, 2007                                             ESC/1200 BCG Thursday, November 29, 2007                                            E...
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
The Katy ISD is considering rezoning children who are presently zoned to Beck Jr High School well east of the Grand Parkway out to the new Woodcreek Reserve Jr High School in the far western part of the school district. The idea behind the moves is to ease some of the children out of Beck and make sure we have enough children to properly open the new school in Woodcreek Reserve. This is obviously a very bad idea and seems to be based more on ease of transition (only one school would be re-zoned rather than multiple schools) than what is practical and best for the students. We spoke with Linda Mathis (sec. for John Bailey who heads zoning) and she told us nothing has been set on this matter and the administration would be taking up the issue at the meeting on November 8th at the KISD adm...
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By David Slavin, CDPE, ABR, SRES Keller Williams Premier
(Keller Williams Premier)
                                             The Katy Chamber of Commerce has been hosting this event for 27 years.  Don't miss this great party!  October 13 & 14 you will enjoy the excitement and family fun with three stages of continuous live entertainment, craft and food booths, a carnival and so much more!!!  Visit http://www.katychamber.com/2007_RHF/index.htm to view additional information about this wholesome family event.  Come out and have fun with other families in the area.David Slavin, ABR  www.SellMyHouseDave.com  www.FortBendHomeFinder.com
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
The 2007 Rice Harvest Festival is coming on Oct 13th-14th. The festival which began in 1978 is the largest festival in the Katy area. Included in this years event will be the parade, food, crafts and entertainment. The related Wild Wild West Pageant will be held at the Club at Falcon Point. Go to the festival website for more information. It will give you a full breakdown of the festivities as well as a schedule for other related events. http://www.katychamber.com/2007_RHF/parademain.htm  
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
Many people move to the Katy area because they are relocating within the city...or are coming here from out of town and have heard we have great schools or have wonderful medical facilities. While this in our opinion is all true, we feel all potential buyers should have an area tour before they begin to look for homes. We know clients want to get started and before making a decision they want to see as many homes as possible. It is prudent to see many homes before making a decision, but it is even more important that the neighborhood or subdivision you choose actually fits the way you choose to live. If, after a tour you decide that the area does not fit your need, we will have saved you a considerable amount of time and we probably will know what area will work for you. Katy is all abo...
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
We are always asked...what is the right time of year to sell? Is one season better than the next? What months should I NOT be on the market? These are all good questions, but it is hard to give any kind of definite answer. First: any time of year can be a good time...we sell homes all 12 months, and buyers buy in all 12 months. Many buyers want to purchase right before the year ends to take advantage of Homestead Exemptions, Some want to get the kids in before school starts, and relocation buyers come in whenever the company they work for tells them they need to fill a need! Generally speaking we have more buyers and more homes available in the spring and summer months, and fewer buyers...fighting for fewer homes in the fall and winter. If you put your home up for sale in October you wi...
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By David Slavin, CDPE, ABR, SRES Keller Williams Premier
(Keller Williams Premier)
                                                                  School is now in session and the enrollment of Katy Independent School District is up.  KISD now has 53,634 students with 25,255 of those students enrolled in the 29 elementary schools.  This is proof of the growth of young families moving into the area.  With so many new homes being built in and around Katy, the population keeps growing at a tremendous rate.  According to demographers hired by KISD estimatedthat enrollment would go up around 3,000 students per year, putting KISD on pace for 60,000 students in the 2010-2011 school year.  This is one of the reasons KISD just purchased more land for the seventh senior high school.David N. Slavin, ABR www.SellMyHouseDave.com
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
Spring Green Blvd in the master planned community of Cinco Ranch is now open all the way to FM1093. This route will give easy access to the Westpark Tollway from the sections of Cinco Ranch that surround Cinco Ranch Blvd in the western part of the subdivision. Spring Green should help ease traffic congestion on Fry Rd and help shorten the commute time into Houston! It will also allow easy access to the yet to be built Shoppes at Cinco Ranch.
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By Robert Bob Gilbert, Your Katy TX ( West of Houston) Real Estate Expert
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties)
Friday evening rain was falling the entire time we drove to my step-son's varsity football game featuring Seven Lakes versus Clements at Mercer stadium in Sugarland, Texas. All of us were really excited to be going to a new year of high school football games and we looked forward to see what progress the team had made since last season. We arrived at the field late due to the rain and my wife was in a hurry as she was afraid that we missed the opening kick off. We found some seats on the 50 yard line (great seats by the way...and we arrived late) and we still were able to see the both teams walking in as  rain had delayed the strating of the game. Last year, I would watch each week and shake my head in disbelief as Seven Lakes (SLHS) looked like a bunch of small little brothers trying t...
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By Stacy and Jackie Jones, Houston/Katy Realtors
(The Jones Team)
Katy will be the sight of the 2008 men's and women's basketball tournament for the Southland Conference.  The conference announced today that the sight of the tournament will be the Leonard E. Merrell Center.  The tournament will be held from March 12-16, 2008.Owned by the Katy Independent School District, the Merrell Center was completed in the Spring of 2005 and has been the host of a wide variety of events from graduation ceremonies to home games for the local IFL team the Katy Ruff Riders.The Merrell Center is a state of the art facility and continues to pull events from outside the local market to the Katy area.  We have attended our son's graduation and taken in a game or two and I have to say that this facility offers a wonderful atmosphere.  Seating is comfortable and there is a...
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By Robert Bob Gilbert, Your Katy TX ( West of Houston) Real Estate Expert
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties)
This weekend will begin a new high school football season. I am particularly looking forward to Friday evening as my step-son plays high school football for Seven Lakes High School here in Katy, TX. We actually live in the Grand lakes subdivision which is part of the Katy school district. Last season Seven Lakes was sadly zero wins and 10 losses. However, last year was their first varsity football season and thay had NO seniors. Their schedule was a total killer with 8 out of the 10 teams they played all reaching the high school playoffs. Friday evening Seven Lakes plays Clements High School (Sugarland School) at Mercer Stadium. It should be a good game even if we lose again. Clements is a 5A team who is picked to win its conference and loaded with excellent players while Seven Lakes is...
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By Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty, Florida Space Coast Homes
(Waves Realty)
It is that time of year when we send out Kids back to school! For Mona and I this is the first year (as our son Anthony is 5 years old)! I have been getting quite a few questions from new area residents about what to do...especially about how to catch the buses. http://www.katyisd.org/has a bus schedule for each home (go to campuses and click into the bus schedule at the top)...just plug in your address and you will know what bus to attend. In the KISD you can also, regardless of how close you live to a school, have your children catch a bus. We have a 100% bus policy. This means every child has the option of taking the bus to school! So Congratulations...school is here and it is time for YOUR BREAK!    
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By David Slavin, CDPE, ABR, SRES Keller Williams Premier
(Keller Williams Premier)
      This list from the Fort Bend Star Newspaper is the ratings of all Katy ISD schools after the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) testing.  The TAKS test is an assessment of students testing scores in grades 3 - 11 as well as the individual student group.  The groups consist of:African-AmericanHispanicWhiteeconomically disadvantagedThe TEA raised the standard for Recognized and Academically Acceptable ratings by five percent this past testing period and will do so again in 2008-09. The higher requirement levels coupled with the growth in the district student population presents a challenge to the Katy Independent School District.David Slavin, ABR www.Fortbendhomefinder.com  www.SellMyHouseDave.com
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By Robyn Jones
(Robyn Jones Homes)
Beatiful Katy What can I say about it?  It's in wonderful proximity to Houston - in some areas sharing a dividing line and in other areas sharing the I-10, the Westpark Tollway or Westheimer.  Whatever way you look at the connection, it is a beautiful marriage of convenience.  Houston offering everything big, flashy and required in an urban city and Katy offering a wonderful respite from the daily grind of an urban city.  Katy is what I refer to as my own, personal Universal back lot.  You know the one I'm talking about.  The one with the perfect neighborhoods and wonderfully manicured lawns, the one where the kid has on a baseball cap and rides his bike around the neighborhood with his dog and 8 other kids in the neighborhood.  Until I saw it, I didn't believe how neat and clean a neig...
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