How much have other homes in my neighborhood sold for recently?  The key word here is “recently”.  We all know that prices have adjusted downward in the last couple of years, so it’s not really relevant what Mr. Smith sold his house for five years ago.  You need up to date information from current (usually the last 60-90 days) sales in your neighborhood.  In addition to knowing what homes have sold for, you should also take a look at what homes are currently listed for.  That will help you have a good idea where you should place yourself in the market as far as pricing goes.

What desirable special features and upgrades does your home have to offer?  With this consideration, keep in mind that we’re talking about upgrades, not maintenance issues.  If your home is 15 years old and you’ve recently put in new carpet, that is not an upgrade, that is a maintenance item.  If all the homes in your neighborhood have granite counter tops, that’s not really an upgrade, that’s a standard feature.  Everyone loves their home, but it’s best to be realistic about this consideration, because buyers certainly will.

A final consideration is does your home have any undesirable features?  Some examples could be that it backs up to a very busy highway, has just one bathroom, or has a strange floor plan.  You need to be brutally honest with yourself and understand that you might have to make some concessions in your price to make up for some of the things you just can’t control.

You might be surprised to find out what you could get for your home in today’s market.  To find out more, give me a call.

Let me give you an idea of what was happening at the park today. A big family reunion was being held under the park pavilion complete with delicious food, smiling faces, little kids running around and lots of laughing. All through the park people were loving this Sunday. Some were laying on blankets just enjoying the sunshine. Some were having a picnic under a shady tree or cooking hotdogs on the grill. Children were swinging, running, jumping, singing, playing Frisbee and flying kites in the brisk breeze today. The playground was buzzing with little voices sliding and climbing everywhere. There was a huge birthday celebration happening at the smaller pavilion with a bouncy house too. People were walking on the trails, riding their bicycles, young and old! Some were playing tennis or tossing a football. Lots of people were walking their dogs through the park.

We were so excited to see the Splash Pad was going full blast! There were parents sitting near by watching as the children splashed their way through the cool, clear water. It looked refreshing and fun!

The sights were awesome. People as far as the eye could see enjoying their time outside in the fresh air. Smiles were everywhere. Some moving fast, some not moving at all.
The smells were totally fantastic. You could smell the grass, hotdogs cooking, water from the splash pad, somebody had some fried chicken. It felt good to take a deep breath.
The sounds made your heart light. If you closed your eyes you could hear laughter, chatter, music, sound of bicycle tires and the shriek as a little girl ran through the cold water.
The feelings were explosive! I could feel the happiness around me. So many different people sharing for a moment the same feeling of peaceful freedom! I was happy to be there.
As a licensed Texas Real Estate Agent with Century 21 Beal in Bryan – College Station, Texas I have the pleasure of getting to know lots of people. Today I realized that I love that part of my job. It truly amazed me to see the great time everyone was having in our city park. I am sure that was the case in parks all across Bryan and College Station today. The weather was just too beautiful to pass up. Hats off to Bryan Parks and Recreation Department!
Tanglewood Park in Bryan, Texas was alive today with my friends and neighbors.
I love my town!
Carol Ann Rakowitz

Well, it’s actually term coined by a real estate broker in Dallas, David Winans. A few years ago, he had grown tired of all the bad news about the economy so he created a presentation for his office to remind them that things weren’t all that bad in Texas. I first heard the term a few years ago while visiting with a lender friend about the potential for a move back to College Station.

The Texaplex is an area of Texas, shaped sort of like a triangle, with the three points being Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and San Antonio. Eighty percent of the population of Texas lives within this geographic area. Guess which cities are right in the middle of the Texaplex? Yep…College Station and Bryan.

Although B/CS is not specifically mentioned in the video, it’s clear that the future of our communities are closely tied with that of the Texaplex.

The City of College Station is ranked by The Business Journals as the brainiest city in Texas among those with populations between 50,000 and 100,000. Some 28 percent of College Station residents hold a bachelor’s degree and another 28.23 percent have a graduate or professional degree. A lot of this has to do with Texas A&M faculty as well as so many Aggies staying here after graduation!

The Business Journals ranked 483 mid-sized U.S. cities using 2009 U.S. Census Data. The rankings were based on the percentage of population with each level of educational attainment.  Not only were we #1 in Texas, but College Station ranked No. 31 nationally.

So, next time someone makes an Aggie joke, make sure and let them know that they are actually making fun of the smartest city in all of Texas!

Unfortunately a lot of times we don’t realize that there are those in our community who don’t know where their next warm meal will come from, where they will sleep, or if their children will be warm enough this winter!  We don’t see it a lot, but it does exist more than you could even imagine!

This year, my kids and I decided that we would like to help those who are less fortunate than the majority of us in Bryan/College Station. We have started a coat/blanket drive in Castlegate with the donations going to the Twin City Mission!  What started as a small project has taken flight.  My daughter and I printed out about 100 fliers and asked a few of her friends to help us pass them out in our subdivision!  The kids have all gotten so into it that it has amazed me!  They just light up when people ask about how to donate!  Now it is on the Castlegate website and on Facebook!

It’s very simple if you want to get involved!  We are taking donations at 2445 Newark Circle today from 4-6 and tomorrow 9-11 am!  All you have to do is drive up to the curb and we’ll grab them from you.  If that time isn’t convenient, you can call me at 979-229-0919 and we can pick them up.  You can also drop them by the Century 21, Beal offices located at 404 H University Drive East at your leisure.

The kids are waiting to take your Coats and Blankets to give to the less fortunate!

We have a lot to be thankful for Aggieland, so let’s get out there and make this winter a little warmer for our Brazos Valley Neighbors!

For more information, give Farrah Spears a call at 979-229-0919

For more information about Castlegate and any home in Bryan/College Station, give me, Farrah Spears, a call at 979-229-0919.

Farrah Spears

979-229-0919

For more information about Castlegate and any home in Bryan/College Station, give me, Farrah Spears, a call at 979-229-0919.

Farrah Spears

979-229-0919

For this and all real estate tips, call me, Farrah Spears at 979-229-0919

So, call the new daddy, JEFF LEATHERWOOD for real estate needs in Bryan College Station to get him out of diaper duty!  979-255-2788

The Red Beret Team consists of - 

• Jeff Leatherwood
• Carol Rakowitz
• Kathy Massey
• Linda Stribling
• Steve Santos
• Hank Robertson
• David Corso
• Lisa Shaw
• Mariela Laprea
• David Whitener
• Madeline Stiles
• Clay Lee
• Kim Varner
• Bob Walker
• Barbara Green
• Luke Marvel
• Andrew Kinkler
• Brenda Harmon
• Laura Bounds
• Veronica Burns
• Nickol Pylinski
• Elisa Lopez
• Fred Johnson

Also in attendance at the lunch  – Natalie Porter and Susan Hilton 

Hope the MASH team sees how much fun the “other” team had at lunch today and is inspired to do even more so they win next month!