Raylene Lewis
Realtor®
Read my blog below
Author Archive
Everything is Bigger In Texas! Even the Frogs!
August 19th, 2008 Categories: 1, Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
College Station Texas is a wonderful place to live with a variety of wildlife. This toad was found in the parking lot at the Home Depot on University Drive. Luckily, ”Kermit” was rescued and taken to a heavenly pond in South College Station where he found more water and bugs and less asphalt and cars. In case you didn’t know, 2008 is the Year of the Frog. This has because Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, newts, etc. are going extinct. Luckily, most amphibians in College Station, Texas have not been affected.
In looking for information as to what type of amphibian this was, I came across the Texas Parks and Wildlife“Frogs and Toads” Texas website. The best part about this site is that there is a section where you can click and hear the calls each Texas frog makes. If you live near water in Bryan, College Station, you are guaranteed to hear many of these calls in the evening.
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Meet Snoofy: A College Station Animal Rescue in Need of a Loving Home
August 9th, 2008 Categories: 1, Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
Meet Snoofy. That’s right, no typo here S-n-o-o-f-y. She is a full blooded Tree-walker Coon Hound . Her original name was intended to be Snoopy, of course, but she lives in College Station with a 2 and a 4 year old and somehow that “p” turned into an “f.” We frequently call her “Super Snoofer!” and she is just the most gentle and sweetest soul imaginable.
Snoofy knows her size and would never even consider jumping on or knocking one of my kiddos down, and we are very sad to have to see her go. She is absolutely no trouble, and we have no intention of just handing her over to the first person who says: “Hey! I’ll take her!” Snoofy’s story with us started like this:
The day after my Yorkshire Terrier died of cancer, my Sister came from Houston to visit me in College Station. As she was driving on the outskirts of the south Navasota area, she came upon Snoofy in the middle of HWY 6 and moments from becoming a become a Puppy Pancake.
She pulled the car over, got Snoofy inside, and brought her strait to my house. What a mess Snoofy was! She was so malnourished you could not only see her ribs but her spinal column as well. She was very weak and clearly had fleas and mange. Her hair was falling out and her skin was in awful condition.
It was obvious that at some point she had broken her tail as a puppy and the problem had not been addressed, and thus it didn’t heal correctly. She had walked so much, the padding on her feet was worn away and bleeding in a few places, and her right foot had an abscess. We started the recovery process by giving her a bath and then feeding her little amounts of food every hour. By the end of the day, she was able to stand for a few minutes.
As soon as the weekend was over, we made an appointment for Read the rest of this entry »
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Another College Station Animal Adventure with Raylene Lewis
August 9th, 2008 Categories: 1, Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff, Real Estate True Tales, The Realtor's Life
OK, so if you know me you know I am a big animal lover, gigantic really. I don’t know why, but my broker and the office manager here at Century 21 Beal, Inc. in College Station TX can attest to the fact that I am always running into unique animal situations. I think it all started 6 years ago when I was a newer agent:
I was on a final walk through on a home in the country. The Buyer noticed that the chickens were still in the coup in the back yard. She didn’t want them, and the Seller was long gone, so to complete the sale I took them home. Truth be told, at the time I lived in a subdivision and although I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh eggs, one day after work I came home to find two of the birds ”nesting” on the top of my roof. After that, they had to go, but I found a great country home for them.
Since then there has been a plethora of creatures cross my path: from squirrels, turtles and rabbits hit by cars, to abandoned puppies, kittens, half-starved dogs, goats, wild birds, abandoned fish in fish tanks, etc, and I do my best to help each time the need arises. I have even assisted a chicken with a broken leg and a mole. Sadly, the mole didn’t make it, but I do have a pretty good track record. ;D
This week, I helped a Buzzard. Yep. A Buzzard. When I arrived home from work, it became apparent that a buzzard had broken his wing (probably from being hit by a car) and had decided to call my backyard his new home.
I already have approximately 12 ducks that live in my backyard (a story for another day). As I have no medical training to repair a wing, and as his beak could easily have removed one of my fingers or one of my kiddos hands, it was obvious my backyard was not a good place for him stay.
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Buying A College Station Home: What to Look For When Viewing Homes For Sale
August 8th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Real Estate News
When you begin your home search in College Station for the property that is right for you and your family, the first thing you want to do is compare the home you are looking at to your personal list of minimum requirements. You also want to keep in mind the ”extras” that are included with the home you are looking at.
Typically, “extras” are added features or upgrades to a property. Extras can also be things that are on your “Buyer’s Wish List.” You should ask your Realtor to help you keep track of the extras and point out the upgrades in each property as you are viewing the home.
It is also important to ask your Realtor to help you identify potential problems and maintenance issues. Although your Realtor is NOT an inspector and can not advise you on what is wrong with the property, they can point out the current appearance of things that will require ongoing maintenance; for example: paint, appliances, windows and carpet.
If you are a very detailed and organized person, it can be helpful Read the rest of this entry »
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Bryan West is Headed to the Senior League World Series
August 7th, 2008 Categories: Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
The Bryan West Senior League baseball team out played the Texas West Champions from Laredo on Tuesday in a doubleheader. This earned them a spot in the Senior League World Series in Bangor Maine and we couldn’t be happier for them!
The West Team had initally lost its opening game in the Southwest Region Senior League Tournament, but aggressively fought through the consolation bracket to reach the finals. David Williams pitched the decisive final game by throwing a complete-game two-hit shut out in a 1-0 victory. The West Pitcher also struck out seven players and the Team followed that with a 15-4 victory.
In the opening game, West only had three hits but Read the rest of this entry »
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Buying a Home In College Station: Deciding on a Neighborhood
August 7th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate
College Station Texas is filled with many wonderful neighborhoods. When you start your house hunting adventure, you will want to pick a home in a location that is most convenient to you and allows you to best live your daily life. There are several things you should consider when choosing a neighborhood:
- School Locations and National Rankings
- Access to Shopping and Public Transportation
- Average Lot size for the area
- Deed Restrictions
- Proximity to Other Homes
- Proximity to Parks
- Noise of the Train
- Noise of the Highway
- Children in the Area vs Students in the Area
- Open Lots vs. Homes with large Established Trees
- Amount of New Construction in the Area
- Amenities the Subdivision Offers
- Safety of the Area
When you find neighborhoods that you like, it is important to talk to the people Read the rest of this entry »
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Buying a Home In College Station: What to Look For in a Realtor
August 6th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate
When you are ready to go out and start viewing homes for sale in Bryan, College Station, and the surrounding area, there are several things you will need to help you get started with your search. The first thing you will want to look for is a Realtor who listens to you and understands your needs.
It is important to pick an agent who you feel comfortable with and whose judgement you trust. A good Realtor will know our local area and the Bryan College Station market well, and they will have all the resources you need to aid you in your search and make sure you find the property that is right for you.
You want someone who will make sure you see all the homes for sale that meet your search criteria; regardless of what company they are listed with. The home buying process should be enjoyable and fun. If you have a good Realtor, you will feel confident that you are being well cared for and well informed. This will greatly Read the rest of this entry »
| Discussion: 3 Comments »
Buying Real Estate In Bryan College Station: Determining What You Need
August 5th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate
Whether you are a first time home buyer, upgrading to a larger home, or downsizing to a smaller one, when you know it’s time to buy a property it is easy to wonder where to begin. Since you will be living in your home for typically at least 3 years, you want to find a place that will fit the way you live.
The first step is to obtain loan pre-approval so that you know what price range to be looking in. For the next step, I recommend making 2 lists. The first list should contain Read the rest of this entry »
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Twitter: Don’t Get It? Come Follow Me!
August 5th, 2008 Categories: Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
Twitter is a fun website that simply asks one question: “What Are You Doing?” As a Realtor in College Station, I enjoy using the Internet to network with other business professionals and stay in contact with friends and clients.
This is the simplest way to describe what twitter is all about. It is similar to sending an IM to someone, but you are sending the message to a group of people, your “followers.” So what is the point?
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Selling Your Bryan College Station Home: Advice on Counteroffers
August 4th, 2008 Categories: Selling Real Estate
It can be a very exciting time as a College Station Home Seller when you get your first offer from someone wanting to buy your property. You have finally found someone who, you hope, likes the home as much as you did. More importantly, if everything works out like it should, roughly 30 or so days later, will be Pay Day for you.
That’s right! The sale of your home will occur and you will be moving on your way (literally) to bigger and better things!
When you get an offer, there are several things to consider. If the offer is an acceptable amount for your property, you don’t want to let a disagreement over a minor issue result in the loss of a good Buyer. It is important to evaluate Read the rest of this entry »
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