Raylene Lewis
Realtor®
Read my blog below
College Station Water - Where Does It Come From?
July 3rd, 2009 Categories: Buying Real Estate
Do you ever wonder where the College Station water you drink comes from? 
College Station’s water is ground water from deep wells in Simsboro Sand about 3,000 feet down. The water is pumped from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.
Is the water hot or cold when it comes up? Would you believe that the temperature for the water is 118 degrees Fahrenheit? The cooling towers at the Sandy Point Pump Station help reduce the temperature down to 85 degrees.
From the Sandy Point Pump Station the water travels about 13 miles to the Dowling Road Pump Station. At this Pump Station chlorine is added to disinfect and have fluoride added. The storage tanks at Dowling Road hold about 8 million Read the rest of this entry »
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Hear About Any College Station Home on Your Phone NOW!!!
June 26th, 2009 Categories: Buying Real Estate
Inquiring Minds Want to Know…
Have you ever been driving around a Bryan or College Station neighborhood and wanted to know how much a house is selling for but you didn’t want to “bother” the agent or they weren’t there when you called?
WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!!
Call 979-764-2121 and enter the street number and you can HEAR information about that house. ANY PHONE - ANY TIME!
If a Bryan College Station home is available for sale in the MLS YOU CAN HEAR IT! It doesn’t matter if Century 21 has it listed for sale or Coldwell Banker or Remax or ANYONE!
Questions? Ideas?
Call me!
Susan Hilton
979-764-2100
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Electric Lawn Mowers - Green but Grievous
June 1st, 2009 Categories: 1
Green Lawn Mower
BRYAN, TX — The Texas Municipal Power Agency encourages homeowners to use electric lawn mowers rather than gas to promote cleaner air. They are offering vouchers worth $150 toward the purchase of an electric-powered machine, corded or cordless.
You’re thinking, I gotta push this reel mower or work my way around power cords? That’s a big sacrifice for clean air. Well, Black and Decker does have a handy 24V battery mower but it will only cut up to 1/3 of an acre at a time. Then there’s a solar powered cordless from Solaris - that sounds neat.
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Open House Weekend April 19th
April 14th, 2009 Categories: 1
BRYAN, TX — Interested in buying a home in the Brazos Valley? Open House
2306 Yosemite Dr
weekend officially kicks of the spring selling season. Annually, sales and purchases pick up this time of year. So here’s your chance at a sneak preview from 1-4p on this coming Sunday.
The Eagle newspaper will insert a HUGE advertisement for Century 21, Beal showing all the open homes with a handy map. Before you head out your front door and into ours, here’s a few pointers: Read the rest of this entry »
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Century 21 Beal Annual Easter Egg Hunt in College Station 2009!
April 2nd, 2009 Categories: Community Events
The Annual Century 21 2009 Easter Egg Hunt is upon us…. Join us on April 4th at The Oaks in College Station.
Just thought you’d like to see a few photos from YEARS past…. Our children have grown, agents have changed yet the holiday continues to come and children continue to enjoy hunting eggs.
To view more photos from years past click below.
Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal
Want to Search the Bryan/College Station Real Estate MLS? CLICK HERE!!!
Selling a home in Bryan or College Station
, Texas or other location in the Brazos Valley is heavily dependant on pricing your home properly and picking an agent that will create an “online market presence” for your home. As a home seller, you need to be aware that the market in Bryan College Station and many other Texas communities has changed over the last three and a half years. We are no longer in a strong seller’s market.
When selling a home in Bryan College Station, Tx, it pays to have a pro in your corner representing you. It pays to hire a well educated, top professional at Century 21 Beal.
** 85% of all buyers are finding their homes on the Internet. Is your Bryan College Station home being advertised on the web? If you are with CENTURY 21 Beal it sure is!
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SportClips in College Station - What Is the Big Deal???
March 12th, 2009 Categories: Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
What is it about SportCips and Men (and boys)? Why is it such a big deal to get a hair cut there?
Spent a little time waiting for my son outside SportClips today at 200 University Dr in College Station. I watched men and boys go in and sit and wait. SportClips was a little short handed today and the wait was longer then normal but these men were willing to wait over an hour to get a haircut there. Why?
- Big sign on the front - For Men And Boys. All Star Haircuts.
- Sign - No appointment necessary. (never plan in advance for a haircut)
- The name sounds manly.
- The stylists are all WOMEN!
- The decor in the waiting area has a locker room look with a big screen TV playing ONLY sports.
- No one talks while you wait.
- Aggie gear on the walls…. maybe it is a TAMU thing.
We could have easily have set an appointment with my stylist Faye (who is wonderful!), had a schedule, gone in, gotten the haircut and been out in way less time but NOOOOO! We had to get a haircut Read the rest of this entry »
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College Station Tree Preservation Ordinance - What Do YOU Think?
March 7th, 2009 Categories: Real Estate News
March 26, 2009 the College Station City Council is having a workshop to review the current draft of the College Station Tree Preservation Ordinance.
Are you ready for the City of College Station to tell you what trees you can cut down?
The City of College Station City’s Tree Preservation Ordinance Purpose states:
- The purpose and intent of this Section is to promote the preservation of trees and tree stands during construction to facilitate site design and construction that contributes to the long-term viability of existing trees and to develop a process to control the removal of trees. It is further the purpose of this ordinance to prevent the untimely and indiscriminate removal or destruction of trees, maintain and enhance a positive image of the City and to protect trees and promote the ecological, environmental and aesthetic values of the City.
Are you ready to have to get a permit to cut a tree? Are you ready to APPLY for a permit to grade your property if there is a tree larger than 8 inches in diameter?
If you are outside the City Limits think you don’t have to worry? Sorry - right now the draft says -
- Tree protection requirements will apply to all property in the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) in conjunction with development and subdivision plats.
Yes, there are some exemptions. Yes this is only a draft. BUT, will this become law for the City of College Station? Do we need more regulation to limit real estate development? Do we need more governmental interference?
Remember in 2009 the College Station City Council has landlords registering their properties if they are renting - with a fee of course. This College Station Tree Ordinance is just ONE MORE…..
Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal
Want to Search the Bryan/College Station Real Estate MLS? CLICK HERE!!!
Selling a home in Bryan or College Station
, Texas or other location in the Brazos Valley is heavily dependant on pricing your home properly and picking an agent that will create an “online market presence” for your home. As a home seller, you need to be aware that the market in Bryan College Station and many other Texas communities has changed over the last three and a half years. We are no longer in a strong seller’s market.
When selling a home in Bryan College Station, Tx, it pays to have a pro in your corner representing you. It pays to hire a well educated, top professional at Century 21 Beal.
** 85% of all buyers are finding their homes on the Internet. Is your Bryan College Station home being advertised on the web?
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Fewer Real Estate Licenses In Texas Than Last Year
March 1st, 2009 Categories: 1
With the change in the real estate market have you wondered what is going on with licenses? Does Texas have MORE real estate agents or less?
Thanks to Elizabeth Leal, TREC Commissioner, she let us know that there “are more Broker applications than salesman. We are down about 37% in Original Applications over the same period a year ago. Renewals are down, though that is no surprise. Total Brokers and Salesmen licensees at this point are 147,344 as compared to 152,884 a year ago (Dec.) Inspectors have also dropped, having had 4,293 licensed last December, down to 3,845 this December. (That is a drop of 448. I learned that the Investor Recovery Fund has a limit on the amount it may keep. At the end of the year, $37,721 was returned to the Texas General Fund as they may only keep $300,000 in the account. The Real Estate Recovery Fund is a different animal. Our maximum, according to Karen Alexander, our Finance Director, is 3.5 million OR the greater of the total paid out in claims for the last 4 years. Since that amount is only 1.7 million, we are in good shape.”
So, there are fewer real estate agents and inspectors in Texas in 2009 than there were in 2008. Is anyone surprised?
Do you think there are fewer agents in Bryan or College Station real estate? Do you think this will affect the real estate industry? Do foreclosures have anything to do with it? If so, HOW?
Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal
Want to Search the Bryan/College Station Real Estate MLS? CLICK HERE!!!
Selling a home in Bryan or College Station, Texas or other location in the Brazos Valley is heavily dependant on pricing your home properly and picking an agent that will create an “online market presence” for your home. As a home seller, you need to be aware that the market in Bryan College Station and many other Texas communities has changed over the last three and a half years. We are no longer in a strong seller’s market.
When selling a home in Bryan College Station, Tx, it pays to have a pro in your corner representing you. It pays to hire a well educated, top professional at Century 21 Beal.
** 85% of all buyers are finding their homes on the Internet. Is your Bryan College Station home being advertised on the web?
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Ready to File for You First Time Home Buyer $8,000 Credit in College Station?
February 27th, 2009 Categories: Buying Real Estate
Ready to file for your First-time Home Buyer credit? Ready for your $8,000 for buying a house in Bryan or College Station in 2009? You’ll need a special form from the IRS for the tax credit. You’ll need to find a house first - Lets get started. Call me!
Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal
Want to Search the Bryan/College Station Real Estate MLS? CLICK HERE!!!
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Planning an Appeal
February 15th, 2009 Categories: 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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