Clay Lee
Broker/Realtor®
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Market Trends Category
College Station Real Estate Market Update Jan - June 2009
July 21st, 2009 Categories: Market Trends
Bryan/College Station Real Estate Market Statistics
January - June 2009
How is the real estate market changing in Bryan College Station? June was great again this year! Considering what has been going on in the rest of the country we had a remarkable number of sales in June! Hope you were one of the MANY to take advantage of the slower real estate market and the $8,000 tax rebate this month.
Have you tried the new 979-764-2121 Instant Info Line? Remember to store the number in your phone so anytime you are out driving you can hear information about ANY home for sale ANY TIME.
Is it time for YOU to take advantage of the real estate market? Is it time to move your retirement money from the uncertainty of stocks to the more stable real estate market in Bryan/College Station? Call me and I’ll tell you how you CAN use retirement money to purchase rental real estate NOW!
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Planning an Appeal
February 15th, 2009 Categories: Land & Rural, Market Trends
BRYAN, TX — So your property value drops in a shrinking economy. What can
Property Tax Assessment
you do? Make sure that your tax value is decreasing, as well. Brazos County mails out estimates for the year 2009 in June. That’s four months away, you exclaim. Yes, plenty of time to investigate your property’s current market value and to prepare your tax appeal, I say.
Your case for a request to lower the property’s value is not simply based on your feelings about higher taxes. You’ve heard Benjamin Franklin say it - in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. So don’t be shocked to find yourself in a recession and asked to pay Read the rest of this entry »
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As Market Picks Back Up, So Do Homebuilders
February 11th, 2009 Categories: Foreclosures, Market Trends, The Realtor's Life
As the real estate market picks back up, so does the progress on new home building. Crowley construction is nearing completion on two if its custom builds, 3515 Matoska Ridge and 303 Timber, and if you haven’t stopped by lately to take a look at either of these, it’s about time you did.
The house on 3515 Matoska is a beautiful farmhouse style home set on 1.27 wooded acres in Indian Lakes. The house is painted both inside and out and the installation of the flooring is nearly complete. Many of the appliances and amenities have already been installed, such as the custom light fixtures, master tub and granite countertops, with the rest of the appliances to be installed soon.
303 Timber is a one of a kind build in the College Station Historic District, featuring huge covered patios, a flexible floor plan and wide open rooms that make this house perfect for entertaining. The exterior was just finished being painted, and the interior will be done within a week. This floor plan is completely unique and if you have not seen it since the drywall went up, you will hardly recognize it!
These great custom builds, priced at $699,900 and $600,000 respectively, will both be completed soon and if its’ been a while since you’ve seen them, you owe it to yourself to go see how far they have come. If you have never taken the time to go check out these homes, located in two of the best areas of College Station, then there has never been a better time to go see what you’ve been missing.
If you have any question, feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected] or 979-255-1839
College Station’s #1 Luxury Lifestyle & Real Estate Expert for over a Decade!
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A Silver Lining to a Dark Cloud
October 21st, 2008 Categories: Market Trends, World News
Lately, the media has not had a lot of “good news” to report on. The stock market is down… way down. Congress is continually arguing about economic stimulus packages that, if not passed, would mean millions of Americans losing their jobs and retirement funds. Obama and McCain will reportedly spend around 30 million dollars over the last month of their campaigns on mostly negative ads. Thousands of American families are having their houses foreclosed on. And, in a recent pole, about 75% of Americans think things are going badly in our country. Did I mention we are at war? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Yes. In fact, look closely and you can see the some light right now. Less than a year ago, gas prices were one of the hottest topics in the news and politics, with people fearing that rising oil prices would mean they could no longer afford to drive their own cars. Don’t look now, but oil prices have dropped dramatically; 53% since July 11th. What was, just a short time ago, our nation’s number one concern has now become a silver lining in the dark cloud that is the U.S. economy. So, while there probably won’t be much to smile about in tonight’s news, try to look at the bright side: at least there won’t be any reports of heart attacks at the gas pump. Everyone keep your heads up and remember that all these things, like gas prices, can get better with time.
If you have any question, feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected] or 979-255-1839
College Station’s #1 Luxury Lifestyle & Real Estate Expert for over a Decade!
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How Much Driveway Can You Have in College Station?
July 15th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Home Improvement & Design, Market Trends
Maybe I’m the last one to know, but the City of College Station is pretty strict now on where one can have a driveway, how wide it can be, and how many openings one can have out of it’s property.
I recently sold a property that has no street parking in front of it or on the side of it. The only parking you have is for two cars in the driveway and for two cars in the garage. My client asked me to check in to getting him a permit to pave a wider opening so that he could have driveway parking for at lest 6 cars. This would have been considered “head in” parking which basically means that a drivr would have to back out onto the street instead of entering it in a forward direction.
After approaching the city, I have found that they city code does not allow for more then 25 feet of curb cut from ones property onto the street! The normal 2 car garage is 22 feet wide so this doesn’t leave much space for more parking. To get exceptions to this, you have to file for a variance with the city in order to get more curb cuts. The problem is, they don’t like to give the variance in the first place, and secondly they don’t want to give it to addition “head in” style parking. They usually like to give it to circular type driveways that have an opening for entering and leaving.
If you want something different, it’s best to schedule a meeting with Carol Cotter at the City of College Station’s planning and development department. Turn in a plat of what you have and what you are doing along with an application. She will then review it in person and with city staff. In a couple of days they will get back to you with an answer. Unfortunately there isn’t a “set in stone” set of principles they follow. It’s all pretty much up to their discretion and view of how the design will affect saftey and traffic concerns. I’d recomend having a pretty good case in place if you are looking for something that may be questionable.
The best advice I can give is design your home with lots of extra driveway space and room to turn around on the property and get the plan approved before constructing your new home. This work up front will ensure that your property and home design work for your lifestyle.
If you need any help or suggestions or have questions, please feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected].
College Stations #1 Luxury Lifestyle and Real Estate Expert for over a Decade!
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Pebble Creek: Buy A Lot While You Can!
July 14th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Market Trends, Pebble Creek
If you have been or are thinking of buying a lot in Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station, TX, you might want to get on the list very soon! For the past decade, we have seen this amazing neighborhood increase in size constantly with virtually no end in sight. The end of this time is coming and soon!
The most recent cul-de-sacs opening of Riviera, Quaker Ridge, and more are the last ones platted on the west side of Pebble Creek Parkway that are not slated for patio homes! On the other side of the PC Parkway extension is the next section to be developed which has historically been a more expensive area of Pebble Creek. Many of those lots will back up directly to Lick Creek Park which will only increase their value and cost. Once that section is gone, the next platted area is only acced off of William D. Fitch Parkway. It is uncertain if and when that area will be developed; however, that area will not have direct access to Pebble Creek Elementary and the club house. Many people think that the land Read the rest of this entry »
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Pebble Creek & Indian Lakes: The Best Luxury Markets in College Station, TX
July 2nd, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Market Trends, Pebble Creek, Selling Real Estate
College Station has luxury homes located in many different areas, but for the past few years and seemingly for many more to come, the best areas to buy or build in are Pebble Creek and Indian Lakes. These are two very different communities from each other; however, they have the smallest number of days on the market and the best appreciation in town. Why is this?
Pebble Creek is the only golf course and country club community located in the confines of the College Station Independent School District. While Bryan has 4 of these communities, College Station only has one. With the current atmosphere of development in the city of College Station and the lack of readily available land to develop, this community is set to be a safe bet for many years to come. Clients love that it has its very own Elementary School, extensive walking trails, lots of quiet cul-de-sacs, and a state of the art club house with a large pool, tennis courts, a bar, banquet and meeting facilities, and a couple of great restaurants. Houses in Pebble Creek range in price from $170,000 to home in excess of $1 million. They have everything from patio homes to large golf-course front estates. There truly is something for everyone. The developer has done a great job over the years of releasing just a few lots at any one time as to not flood the market with new homes. This has kept prices up and made the market extremely stable. The best deals are the homes that are at least 10 years old as they are aging and need to be updated. However, there are amazing new homes like my listing at 5203 Whistling Read the rest of this entry »
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The Mistakes that Luxury Home Builders and Owners Make
June 27th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Home Improvement & Design, Market Trends, Miramont, Pebble Creek, Selling Real Estate
I see it every day, and it’s really sad. A home builder or even a buyer will construct a high priced “luxury” property and try to sell it immediately or within a couple of years of its completion. I use the term “luxury” in quotes because in this case I’m calling it an interpretation of what a luxury property really is.
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that a luxury home qualifies as a luxury home merely based on the properties square footage or land size. However, a luxury home can be a 1500 square foot town-home or a 20,000 square foot ocean front compound. It’s the features of a property that make a luxury home a luxury home, especially in College Station, TX.
The following are the biggest places that mistakes are made.
Master Suites
A Big Shower and Walk-in Closets are just not enough. Buyers expect a Spa in their own home today. You have to have multiple shower heads, rain showers, body sprays and if possible a steam shower. Closets have to be totally custom with built-in packing centers, extensive shoe storage, tons of drawers, adjustable hanging space, full-length mirrors, and good lighting. The sleeping area has to be well designed with plenty of room for a bed and a nice sitting area. High end quality flooring of wool, stone, or wood is expected in this space as well. Buyers also want separate closets if the home is larger and even more popular are separate master bathrooms. Read the rest of this entry »
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Real Estate That Changes and Moves as You Wish: Coming Soon to Dubai, Moscow, and New York City!
June 26th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Home Improvement & Design, Market Trends, Real Estate News, Real Estate True Tales
When you were a child, you probably had or played with a slinky. You probably remember how you could twist and spin a slinky in a million different ways to create some crazy looking tubular shapes. Well now you may be able to do the same thing with your home! Today in Dubai, a new building was unveiled called the Dynamic Tower which will be 80 stories tall and be able to adjust its shape at any given moment. Each floor will be able to spin independently to change that floors view or to change the shape of the entire building! The picture to the left shows different configurations that the tower might have. I guess that if you wake up and decide you don’t like the ocean view of your bedroom that you can twist it around for a desert or city view! A part of me wonders what it will sound like when the entire building is rotating. Will clients feel it rotate?
The building is truly a new study in the way that high Read the rest of this entry »
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5 Star Hotel Bedrooms - In Your Own Home!
June 25th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Home Improvement & Design, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff, Market Trends, Real Estate News
If you’ve ever stayed in a great hotel and when it came time to check out you didn’t want to leave, you are not alone. Today’s 5 star hotels and many 4 star hotels are making their beds and bathrooms more luxurious all the time. It’s almost as if it’s a competition between them to see who can top the other. The bathrooms keep getting larger and the beds keep getting fluffier with even higher and higher thread count sheets.
But going home doesn’t have to be the end of your stay at your favorite hotel! Due to an enormous amount of client demand, many of the 5 and 4 star hotels are now selling almost everything you need to recreate your hotel experience at home. If you had to pull all the materials together yourself, it would take extensive travel and weeks of internet searching to find all the bedding, accessories, towels, and plumbing products. Now with just a simple phone call you can have almost everything you see!
For example, W Hotels has a retail store in Read the rest of this entry »
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