“Green” certifications are available for prospective home buyers, but can be rather expensive. These certifications set services or products apart as being environmentally sound. Several companies set standards for “green” products as well as compose and administer programs to encourage “greener” lifestyles and products.

Defining “green” isn’t where the complications stop. It is important to know differences between terminology to fully understand what a home and seller is really offering to the buyer. The term “eco-friendly” is not the same thing as “energy efficient.” This popular subject of improving the environment and essentially living a lifestyler healthier for the environment comes with its own jargon. Words such as greenie, solar, conservation, compost, vegetarian, vegan, reusable, locavore, herbivore, mindful consumption, carbon footprint, ecological footprint, vermicomposting, vermiculture, biofuel, ethanol, biodiesel, biomimicry, post-consumer recycled, compact fluorescent lightbulb, emissions, pollution, organic, global warming, and environmental can be just plain confusing.

Getting your terminology right is one of the more important things when it comes to dealing with “green” living. To define all of these words however, would take quite a while, so instead we will focus on what it means for your house to be classified as “green.” Keep in mind also, that even if your “green”-friendly features in your house are not certified, they can still benefit the house by making it easier to live in and possibly even increasing the value.

It is wise for homeowners to discuss any “green” features they wish to add to their house with an expert so they can more accurately consider their options. This will give homeowners a better idea of what they are considering in comparison to the entire field of “green” features, and will clarify what value it can add to the house. One benefit of this is that the buyer won’t make a return on some additions, such as solar panels, for up to several years. It is also smart for homeowners who add “green” features to their home to keep a running record of all of the items that have been added to the house. Tags, packaging receipts, and photos of these improvements should be kept and filed away. Realtors representing sellers should ask for these pieces of proof.

It is vital for consumers to ask questions, repeatedly, to ensure they fully understand what they are getting and to ensure that they are getting exactly what the seller is advertising. It is unwise for a consumer to take the sellers word for it or to feel that he or she has enough proof simply by looking at something that appears to be a “green” feature.

If you feel uncomfortable with the information you have about a “green” feature, do not hesitate to ask an expert. NAR Green employees are a great resource. It is beneficial to the environment to add “green” features to your house, however there are also benefits to making your living space comfortable and cost effective that are not technically considered “green.”

When you are advertising your home for sale, be wary of calling it “green” without the proper certifications and standards required by certain programs. Instead, it is effective to include statements about how you have made the house more environmentally friendly and cost effective. “We upgraded our insulation and we changed our windows” is a good alternative to using the term “green,” which can be difficult to defend. Many avoid using “green” and instead use “quality.”

There are “green” investments that are worth the cost to many buyers. There are several choices of course, the value varying depending on the homeowner’s opinion of what is most valuable. Some are low cost and some are more of an investment.

You can check your doors and your windows in your home for leaks. Making sure that the weather stripping around the home is in good shape is one way to do this. Also check to make sure that all the latches and locks are tightly secured.

Another thing you can do is switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs. These light bulbs may cost more up front, but over time they pay back by consuming less electricity and lasting up to 10 times longer. Your savings become evident when your electricity bills begin to drop.

Spending extra money on low VOC paint is worth it to the environment. When you use paint that does not off-gas volatile organic compounds, it makes the environment healthier than it would’ve been with your alternative.

Change leaky faucets and install showerheads and spouts that are low flow. Checking for an efficient hot water heater can also save you money in the long run, as an inefficient hot water heater can actually be more draining on your budget than the cost of installing a new one altogether.

Ceiling fans are also a smart installment, as they increase air flow throughout your home and give you’re a/c a break during the long hot summers. Putting up blinds and other shades contribute as well to taking a load off of the a/c in a home by providing shade and cooling off rooms that are shaded.

Installing a rainwater catchment system will also make your home more “green.” Those who live in the country know that in today’s time it doesn’t take much to dry up a well, and it doesn’t take much rainwater to fill up a catch system and rainwater may be the very thing that gets you through a drought.

Choosing naturally “green” flooring and countertops will also avoid off-gassing that won’t be avoided in cheaper options.

Many people choose to implement “green” features into their home for cost savings, but the biggest benefit is in helping the environment. You don’t have to make large investments either to go “green.” All it requires are small daily choices that you can do to help out the environment.

PS – Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970

The reality is that the unexpected plunge of real estate in Florida around 2009 sparked a nationwide real estate crisis. This, in turn, was one of the major flames to ignite our nation’s most recent recession. So it would appear only appropriate that the real estate industry suffer long after the recovery of every other aspect of our nation’s economy. The cause of our recession’s drought would inherently outlast the seemingly stable, progressing aspects of our pre-recession economy. Therefore, despite the various other regions of America’s economy now flourishing and returning to full vigilance, the market for selling and buying homes is supposed to linger in the arid economic desert until all signs of a healthy economy have been brought to light.

Which brings us to our next question: how much longer until the real estate market stabilizes as well? The answer, to the great enthrallment of homeowners still squatting in a vacant market, is not much longer. In fact, we might not have to wait at all. The economy is healthy, banks are recovering, jobs have been made, and homes are once more looking to be purchased.

Actually, little statistical evidence shows that the housing market is back on track. But for those hoping to get a head start, that doesn’t quite matter. Instead, the significant change has been the mood of potential buyers and sellers. That’s right: the attitude toward the housing market is changing, which is all the foreshadowing necessary to predict an upswing in the market for real estate. Think for a moment: with the economy stabilizing and the nations markets growing once more, people are anticipating that the housing market is going to bounce back as well. And rightly so. It’s a fact that it will only be a matter of time before the real estate industry recovers, and for potential home buyers looking to get the best deal on a selling home, now is the last chance to buy cheap.

But this isn’t just the biased perspective of a real estate blogger throwing out ideas. The Vice President and Chief Economist of Fannie Mae, Doug Duncan, claims that “conditions are coming together to encourage people to want to buy homes.” Duncan’s speculation comes from his understanding that “Americans’ rental price expectations for the next year continue to rise, reaching their record high level.” From these projections, Duncan predicts that some of America’s home renters might find home ownership as a more compelling option due to the rising rent prices.

Fannie Mae conducts a real estate survey every month, and the vibe emanating from the respondents are suggesting some interesting things. To start, the percent of respondents who think that it is a good time to buy has reach a high of 73%. To accompany this compelling statistic, the number of respondents who claimed it is a good time to sell also rose. This coupling suggests the market is ready to expand, as buyers and sellers come closer to reaching an agreement on the negotiated and offered prices. With more people looking to sell and more looking to buy, the market automatically grows. From there it’s only a matter of processing statistics to show that home sales are finally recovering.

Perhaps the dramatic increase of respondents looking to buy is an effect of projected rising home sales. In fact, regarding respondents’ expectations of home price increases over the next twelve months, the highest amount of respondents from this entire year claimed home prices would climb. Also, coinciding with Vice President Doug Duncan’s understanding, almost 50% of respondents are anticipating rental prices to go up.

For further encouragement regarding the real estate market, 66% of the respondents of Fannie Mae’s survey claimed that, if they were to move within the next year, they would buy a home. This is a strikingly encouraging prospect (assuming the opinions of Fannie Mae’s respondents are reflective of the overall population), and owners with homes on the market can certainly look forward to a steadily growing pool of potential home buyers.

All in all, Fannie Mae’s survey shows us not that the market for home real estate is already recovering, but rather that the opinions and attitudes of the public are gradually shifting in the favor of the real estate market. Rising renting costs are causing people to shift their interest back to home ownership. Low prices for homes, likely only to rise over the next years, are also encouraging prospects for potential home buyers. And the overall stabilization of the economy is assuring potential home owners that the value of their purchase will not plummet the moment after they purchase their new home. So while the statistics are showing very little in the means of a growing market for the real estate industry, it is clear that America is ready to trust home ownership once more. And because of this, the market for real estate will begin steadily restoring itself.

PS – Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970

Meeting the energy demands of the State of Texas hasn’t been any real issue for many years. But after the overpowering heat of last year’s summer, and the extended heat waves that threatened to bring an entire energy industry crashing down, people are beginning to wonder. For the first time in a long time, people are beginning to have real concerns as to whether the state of Texas is ready to meet their energy needs. And whether you live in Dallas, San Antonio, or Bryan-College Station, if the state isn’t ready to meet our demands for energy consumption, you are going to feel it.
So why the sudden overwhelming demand? Texas has managed to meet energy needs for decades, so why is the state in a sudden crunch? Some might say the effects of global warming are causing our homes to struggle resisting the climbing heat; and last year’s record breaking weather could hardly be offered as a rebuttal. But there are numerous other factors, the most prominent of which is the climbing growth of Texas’ population and economy.

In the last decade alone, Texas’ population has grown by over 4.2 million residents. Texas House Speaker, Joe Straus himself, claims that Texas has “by far the largest electric usage of any state—roughly equivalent to Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi combined.” That is a lot of electricity. It helps that Texas is also one of the largest states in the Nation, and quite consistently the hottest. But there is no getting around the fact that Texas’ economy is growing rapidly, and this economic prosperity is driving up electric demands at a rate that would put many other nations across the globe in a back-breaking position.
So, as a Bryan or College Station home owner, the next obvious question is: will Texas manage to meet the energy requirements for the Summer of 2012, and the several, if not innumerable summers following? The answer is yes. Texas will meet the energy demands of the state. Why? Because it has to.

To offer a (perhaps) more credible answer to the above question, Governor Rick Perry confidently proclaims that “based on current weather expectations, Texas has the capacity to meet consumer needs over the 2012 summer months.” Even Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, referring to the record hot summer of 2011, claims that “since then, the Legislature has worked closely with state agencies and generators across Texas to ensure we are prepared for 2012.”

All this political talk vaguely ensures that everything will be okay and whatnot. But the real question is how are they going to ensure we will meet the energy demands of 2012. Governor Rick Perry has this to say:

“To prepare for this summer the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT have taken some specific steps. The PUC is working with transmission and distribution companies to make better use of demand-response programs, which were created as part of their energy-efficiency requirement. ERCOT is continuing to expand its interruptible load programs, which allow large industrial and commercial users to voluntarily reduce consumption during periods of peak usage.”

So in laymen’s terms, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council Of Texas (ERCOT) are taking measures to ensure better energy efficiency requirements throughout the state, and to work on their response programs to unexpected/sudden increased consumer demands (from extended heat waves, etc.).

Efficiency and reliability are all good and great, but another matter, probably the most important matter, is the development of new, affordable, and reusable energy sources. These solve all the problems and are the solutions to long-term energy demands. So what is Texas doing about this?

In Lt. Governor David Dewhurst’s report on future energy demands, he claims that “Texas’ energy resources are as diverse and abundant as our booming population.” Believe it or not, this is almost an understatement. Texas has remained at the forefront of the nation’s energy industry, and through the use and gradual growth of diverse, renewable energy sources, Texas is actually paving the way for the entire Nation’s future energy policy. Texas is currently invested in Wind Energy, Hydropower, Ocean Power, Hydrogen, and all of the non-renewable fuels, from Nuclear to oil to natural gases. In fact, Texas’ growing use of wind turbines has lead the nation in the amount and percentage of energy produced, reaching over 3% of the states’ energy production in 2007, and climbing steadily ever since. Texas is also ranked first in the nation for solar resource potential, having a virtually unlimited solar energy supply.

All statistics aside, the irrefutable reason that Texas is pushing and leading the nation in the direction of new, innovative energy sources is because of the high demand in our state. Texas needs more energy to match the growing population, industry, and rising heat. And, as humans, we respond well to necessity. Texas will meet the energy requirements for 2012, and as the population grows and the summers remain hot as ever, Texas will continue to meet the energy requirements due to the growing investments and discoveries in the energy industry. So residents of Bryan and College Station, rest assured: this summer shouldn’t get too hot, so long as you stay indoors.

PS – Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970

Almost every Bryan/College Station resident would admit to driving past the abandoned Plaza Hotel occasionally in their weekly routine, if not daily. The seventeen story concrete shell stands at the intersection of Texas Avenue and University Drive, arguably the two busiest streets in the whole city. And after 6:30am on Thursday, May 24th 2012, this once pivotal structure will be reduced to nothing more than a pile of shattered concrete and useless rubble.

If you’ve driven through the city of College Station in the past few weeks, it’s likely that you’ve noticed the unusual vacancy of the Plaza Hotel. Not that you would be expected to notice a parking lot or diminished business: instead, it is the actual building itself which you would’ve noticed. The windows of various apartments and hotel rooms appear to almost open up to the sky behind the structure. I myself have viewed this spectacle on a few sunset evenings, when the sky behind the Plaza Hotel was painted with the various colors of sunset, the different tones of orange, pink, or Easter purple leaking through the hollowed frame of the seventeen story structure. It’s more than evident then, peering up through the cracks in the concrete frame, to understand how completely abandoned the Plaza Hotel had become. And to hear now that the building will be imploded this upcoming Thursday, you might not be entirely surprised.

But how did this pivotal structure, the hotel that has had such a powerful presence in the history of our growing city, come to such an abrupt end? In such instances as this, it is sometimes important to understand the buildings past in order to appreciate the present circumstances.

What we know today as the Plaza Hotel actually began as a Ramada Inn, the first foundations of which were laid in the late 1950s. Joe Ferreri, the constructor of the Ramada Inn, was approached in the 1950s by Earl Rudder of Texas A&M. Attracted to Ferreri’s success as a drive-inn restaurant owner, Rudder approached Joe with the proposition to construct a badly needed hotel on the Corner of Texas Avenue and University. After appearing hesitant about the project due to his lack of experience in the hotel industry, Rudder encouraged him forward, getting the young businessman to wonder how much different it could be than the food industry.

So Joe began to build. By 1960 the Ramada Inn opened, looking far different than the Plaza Hotel that we know today. The Ramada had been a quaint, two story Inn with an Olympic swimming pool, faculty club, banquet hall, and just over 150 rooms. But this quiet corner served as a focal point for the College Station and Texas A&M community.

The Ramada Inn had immediate success and was consistently pushed to over 90% of its overall capacity. In fact, the hotel had such great business that Ferreri was pressed to expand. In 1980 he began the construction of a new high-rise for his Hotel, and in just one year an additional seventeen story tower was built: making the shell of the structure that you see today.

But despite the initial success of Ferreri’s expanded hotel and the overall consistent business he was receiving from the community at large, only a few years after the construction of the Hotel’s new high-rise, Joe Ferreri was forced to sell the Ramada Inn. In the early 1980s there was a major economic recession, much like the most recent economic events of the late 21st Century. Rising interest rates on the debts incurred from Ferreri’s construction, along with the overall state of the economy and slowing business, forced Ferreri out of his prized construction. The result was a loss of over 32 million dollars in assets and personal funds. Ferreri was left only with his home, a single car, and his family.

Since then what began as the Ramada Inn has switched ownership several times, becoming most recently what it is known as today: the Plaza Hotel. And it would appear that a similar fate befell the success of the Plaza Hotel’s business, the inevitable slip to bankruptcy that caused the hotel to close its doors for the last time in 2010.

Unfortunately, the story does not end there. After the abandonment of the Plaza Hotel, the twelve acre site of prime real-estate has become a hot-spot for crime, vandalism, and drug use. Criminals have been simply unable to avoid the alluring pull of an abandoned, seventeen story shelter full of furniture, walls, and glass. Security has been gradually increasing over the past few months, but authorities have become hard-pressed for the funds to support the coverage of such a broad area when the use of civil authorities is generally looked for elsewhere. So what is the result? Demolition.

The demolition project has been delegated to the local Civil Engineering Company, Mitchell and Morgan. Veronica Morgan is the lead Civil Engineer in charge of the implosion, which is currently set to occur around 6:30am this Thursday, the 24th of May. The event will be free and open to the public. Veronica Morgan herself hopes the implosion “will be an event for the community.” Many are certainly looking forward to the removal of the towering Plaza Hotel, which has been described by as an ‘eyesore’ to the community at large.

While future construction in the Plaza Hotel area is still unclear (there has been speculation about student housing, shopping/eating centers, night clubs, etc.), it is obvious and in popular demand that the archaic, outdated shell of the 1960s Ramada Inn be destroyed and replaced with a more aesthetically appealing structure. While the overall value of the land has decreased 28.7% from 2008 to 2010, it is still located in a prime location with an excellent promise of prosperous business. The city allegedly has had multiple propositions processed over the past several months, and the entire community is excited to find out what the future will hold.

PS – Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970

When kids were asked what they were going to do with the money they earned, some replied they were going to “spend it!” Others decided to give the money they raised to their church. The main point is that the children learned how to work for money and learned that they had the freedom to decide what they were going to do with the profit they earned. They were allowed to feel grown up and allowed a taste of the real world. This type of experience excites children and allows them the freedom to make decisions for themselves.

Sunday May 6 was Lemonade Day in 31 cities across America and Canada, including Bryan and College Station. When Lemonade Day first began, it included about 2,700 kids. Now, more than 120,000 kids across these 31 cities participate in the day. Lemonade Day was started as a program to give experience to children, teaching them entrepreneurship skills. Kids learn to plan, start, and operate a business through their experiences with Lemonade Day.

Kids were offered the chance to mark their lemonade stands on a map online that would be available to the community on Lemonade Day. The stand locations were given the opportunity to be published not only to the online map, but also to Facebook, Twitter, and via email.

The goal is to prepare children to be empowered future citizens. Upon registering, each child received a backpack that contained an Entrepreneur Workbook, teaching them 14 lessons that are a central part of Lemonade Day. They learned how to create budgets, how to set profit-making goals, how to serve customers, how to repay investors, and how to give back to the community. In addition to learning how to perform these skills, they also learned the value of the skills. The children are also taught how to set goals for themselves, how to problem solve, and how to gain self-esteem which will aid them in their future endeavors for success.

On Lemonade Day, children are allowed to keep all of the money that they make and are encouraged by adults to spend some of their money, save some of it, and share some of it with others less fortunate.

Lemonade Day teaches kids a very special and specific set of skills from financial literacy and economics, to college readiness and career, to life skills and personal development, and of course academics. The financial literacy and economics that the kids learn include subjects like capital equipment and consumables, supply and demand, credit, debt, gross and net income, marginal utility, return on investment and compound interest. To prepare kids for college, they are exposed to critical thinking and collaboration, interest in attending college, civic responsibility, customer service, teamwork and problem solving and presentation skills and design. Children also learn life skills and personal development such as leadership, the belief that attaining goals is within reach, personal productivity, self-direction and time management, social responsibility and charity, high order thinking and social skills and self confidence. The day also increases the kids’ academic capacities such as math calculations, reading and interpreting data, and oral and written communication.

Lemonade Day offers an online website for kids to register and sign up on. Lemonade Day sponsors and partners include many businesses and individuals in the area, including Dick and Linda Lester, Lenae Heubner, Atmos Energy, Double Dave’s Pizzaworks, James and Paula Lancaster, Research Valley, Len and Nancy Berry, Mathnasium, Caldwell Companies, AgniTEK, Wells Fargo, Research Valley Funds, Blue Baker, Documation, Copy Corner, Kroger, Ecolyse, Brazos Valley Small Business Development Center, College Station ISD, Bryan Broadcasting, The Eagle, Chamber of Commerce, Bryan ISD, Sideshow Creative, the City of College Station, KBTX Media, Brazos Monthly, KAMU, Mays Business School, AbouTown Press, KAGS, and the City of Bryan.

If you like to help out with and work with children, then you may want to consider becoming a volunteer for Lemonade Day. Volunteers are necessary to run Lemonade Day and are needed to stuff backpacks that are given out to the children to teach them entrepreneurship, spread the news about Lemonade Day by distributing materials to local schools and youth organizations, register youth to participate at special events going on in the community, and lastly you can help out by blogging, tweeting, or sharing information about Lemonade Day online or through Facebook!

PS – Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970

When Spoons Yogurt came to College Station, I heard the rumors. I still remember the frenzy it caused. Every night, the line to get frozen yogurt from Spoons went well out of the door. Students wore t-shirts with Spoons logo plastered across the front, and conversations often centered around how many frequent spooner rewards kids had racked up. After buying a certain amount of frozen yogurt, you won a free shirt or one of several prize options.

Over the next few years, I remember watching several frozen yogurt places pop up around town. Now, Aggieland would not be complete without its array of frozen yogurt shops. Spoons has three locations total now, and six other companies have also appeared recently around the town including Red Mango, Yogurtland, Froyoyo, Tutti Frutti, Happy Yogurt, and Project: Yogurt.

This craze began six years ago in South Korea, eventually crossing the Pacific over into California. The first froyo chain, Pinkberry, opened in the US opened in West Hollywood in 2005. The store was opened in a location with bad parking conditions, the owner never anticipated how successful her business would be. People flocked to Pinkberry, parking illegally on the blocks surrounding the store, desperate for their froyo. The city was reported to have been taking in close to $15,000 each month from parking tickets from Pinkberry customers alone.

Customers love the concept of self-served, pay-by-weight dessert. It gives the customer more freedom than he or she has ever before had. Upon walking in, you can select what size bowl you want, then what flavors of frozen yogurt you prefer. Each froyo machine contains three flavors, two individual flavors and one that is a combination of the other two. Individuals are also allowed as many sample cups as they want to sample as many or as few flavors as they prefer. Customers can fill their bowl with however many flavors, and however much they would like of each flavor. After selecting the froyo, customers make their way to the toppings bar. A plentiful selection of chopped fruits and berries are offered to sprinkle onto your frozen yogurt. Cereals, granola, and nuts abound in another topping section, and finally candy bar bits and pieces are also available. After topping your froyo, you can cover your creation in any variety of sauces or whipped cream.

One of the strongest attractions to frozen yogurt is the fact that if you exclude the toppings, the frozen yogurt itself is about half the calories of ice cream, high in calcium, non fat, and contains millions of probiotics including lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus. These live and active cultures offer your body many health benefits and boost your immune system, increase joint health, and help with flexibility. Not only does froyo appeal to the individual with a sweet tooth, but also to the health conscious individual looking for a healthy option for dessert.

Spoons Yogurt
Spoons Yogurt was started by a group of students in a Mays Business Fellows program on campus working on a project for a business model. The students then pitched their idea to a former Aggie who was anxious to open a business in the area. Spoons quickly became one of the most successful new businesses in College Station.
Popular Flavors: Chocolate Malt Milkshake, Snickerdoodle, and Root Beer Float
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Addresses:

Website: spoonsyogurt.com

Project: Yogurt
This business donates 10 percent of sales to charities in town. Partnering with five local non-profit organizations in the area, Project: Yogurt also provides a drop box for customers to donate change or bills to the charities. Project: Yogurt was able to donate $1,300 to charities in the first quarter the store was opened.
Popular Flavors: Dreamy Chocolate, Birthday Cake, and So Espresso
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Address:
725 East Villa Maria
Bryan, TX 77802
(979) 823-1783
Website: projectyogurt.com

Red Mango
This business is part of a Korean-based chain headquartered in Dallas and an international franchise. Like Pinkberry, it originated on the West Coast and began the froyo trend. Red Mango also offers fruit smoothies and parfaits.
Popular Flavors: Pomegranate, Madagascar Vanilla, and Raspberry Cheesecake
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Address:
614 Holleman Drive East
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 696-1840
Website: redmangousa.com

Froyoyo
Froyoyo not only sells your typical frozen yogurt, they also offer a special type of froyo called “Only 8.” This signifies that certain froyos they serve is made up of the following eight things: water, fructose, grade A Kosher whey, whey protein concentrate, maltodextrin, natural flavoring and stabilizers, calcium, and active yogurt cultures.
Popular Flavors: Yellow Cake Batter, “Only 8” Vanilla, and Peanut Butter
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Address:
913 Harvey Road
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 703-4465
Website: froyoyo.com

Yogurtland
This business is one of over 130 locations nationwide. They offer unusual toppings that keep customers on their toes, such as Asian red beans and lychee fruits. Yogurtland creates their own proprietary frozen yogurt, allowing them to offer the lowest prices for froyo in town ($0.30 per ounce).
Fruit-infused water is free to all guests as well.
Popular Flavors: Double Cookies and Cream, Key Lime Bar, and Fresh Strawberry
Price Per Ounce: $0.30
Address:
1800 South Texas Avenue
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 693-1500
Website: yogurt-land.com

So when you are driving around College Station and are ready for a cup of frozen yogurt… Call me! I might meet you there.

PS -  Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL!             979-219-3970

Housing and lending discrimination is something common that occurs when an individual attempts to buy or rent a home, but also when they try to buy homeowner’s insurance or a mortgage. Millions of complaints are still filed each year through nonprofit fair-housing agencies and other local and state agencies.

Housing discrimination isn’t always obvious, and is something that is still prevalent today in our society.

Sarah, a young mother, in Toledo, OH, was searching for a house where she and her daughter could live for a reasonable price. After searching for months, she found a two-bedroom condo that they could live in. When she called the rental office, her excitement grew as she listened to the description of it. However, this anticipation was quickly killed when she was informed that children were not allowed in the complex. Sarah, who worked for Toledo Fair Housing Center, knew that the “no kids” policy was illegal. After a testing investigation and discovered the rental company was illegally discriminating. Sarah filed a formal complaint and the rental company is negotiating a settlement.

Joseph had lived in his apartment in Takoma Park, Maryland, for over five years when the management was turned over to a new company. All of the tenants in the units were African American. Shortly after the turn-over, the new management evicted all tenants except for one who was allowed to live in a basement and was limited to building access from a side entrance to the apartment complex. Though the landlord claimed massive renovations, leading to increased rent, these renovations were completed within a week and new tenants moved into the building, none of whom were African American.  Joseph’s local fair housing center was able to discover that all of the company’s other units were managed in the same way and demonstrated the same discrimination. Joseph filed a complaint against the new management’s illegal behaviors.

Leah and her husband Brad were looking for a new place to live in San Jose, California. Leah is blind and is guided by her Seeing Eye dog to get around. After finding a promising listing in the local paper, the couple decided to make an appointment to meet with management and see the property.  When they were showed around the apartment, the couple were pleased by what they saw and made an appointment to apply for the apartment. However, when they met with the owner, she promptly informed them that they were not allowed to have any pets and “if [she] let [them] have one, everyone will want one.” Though the couple explained that their dog was a service animal, the owner would not compromise. She allowed them to fill out the application, without any intention of renting to the couple. Leah and her husband filed a complaint to a federal court to make sure that others in their situation would not fall under the same discrimination and the couple won a settlement from the owner who would not rent to them.

The following activities are not permissible under the Fair Housing Act when based on discrimination:

• Refusal to sell or rent housing
• Refusal to negotiate with an individual for housing
• Making housing unavailable to an individual
• Setting different terms, conditions, or privileges for sale or rental
• Providing different housing services or facilities
• False denial that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental
• Persuading owners to sell or rent for one’s own profit
• Denial of access to a facility or service related to the sale of housing
• Refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules or services if necessary for a disabled person to use housing
• Refusal to allow a disabled person to make reasonable accommodations to his/her dwelling
• Threat towards anyone making a fair housing complaint
• Refusal to provide municipal services, property insurance or hazard insurance for dwellings, or providing such services or insurance differently

It is important for you to be aware of your rights and to utilize the laws that have been set in place. Most individuals who are discriminated against in housing are not aware, or take no action to prohibit it. If this problem is not stopped little by little, it will continue to exist and thousands of others for generations to come will continue to experience discrimination.

If you need to report a complaint, include the following information: your name and address, the name and address of the person your complaint is against, the address of the housing involved, a short description of the event that caused you to believe your rights were violated, and the date(s) of the alleged violation.

If you need to reach your local HUD office, call 1-800-669-9777, TDD 1-800-927-9275 or visit HUD.gov.

To identify the private housing enforcement office in your area, call 202-898-1661 or visit the National Fair Housing Alliance.

Remember we are here to help you purchase a home in Bryan College Station, Texas. Aggies Don’t Discriminate!”

Thanks!

David

PS – David Whitener, I never forget you have a choice when choosing a Realtor to represent you in Bryan/College Station. 

That’s right, the last two weekends here in Bryan/College Station were dominated by the semi-annual HBA Parade of Homes.  Not only did visitors get their fill of beautiful and perfectly staged homes, they also got the chance to check out each of the builders work and judge for themselves how these builders measured up to the competition.

The RNL Homebuilders home in Castle Rock seemed to be one of the favorite homes of many visitors this year and most were impressed by the level of quality and features included at this moderately-priced home.  Building on 25 years of custom home-building experience, Ricardo Reyna, the owner of RNL Homebuilders, has expanded his business to this area after both of his son and daughter attended Texas A&M University and fell in love with the Brazos Valley so much that they convinced their father to move here.  At RNL, business is definitely a family-affair as Ricardo (the Father), Nora (the Daughter), and Luis (the Son) all play a very hands-on role throughout the design, construction, and completion phases of building a custom home.  And best of all, they have 24 lots in the highly-desirable Castle Rock community for you to choose from and truly create your dream home.

Maybe you don’t have the time or patience to build a house from start-to-finish yourself, and that’s definitely okay because they have several homes that are at various stages in the construction process that still allow you the freedom to choose some of the finishes to suit your individual taste, such as granite, cabinetry, and paint colors.  The Reyna’s have worked extremely hard to make the RNL brand stand for high-end design and extremely high-quality and it is shown throughout each home, as they spend money on higher-quality materials and construction techniques that they would have to, in order to give their home buyers the best possible home available.  They start with an extra-reinforced foundation that is 6” deeper than almost anyone else’s, then they use higher-grade lumber, all stone and brick exteriors, and top-of-the-line A/C systems to create an extremely quality product.  The high-end design elements are shown through the use of handscraped Hickory wood floors, double-layer crown molding, soft-close cabinetry, designer paint colors and custom tile surrounds – not to mention that Nora is the in-house interior desig
ner who will guide you each step of the way to ensure that your home is as perfect as it should be!  Overall, RNL Homebuilders has a phenomenal product and a great business model that should fit very well in the B/CS community and make them extremely successful with the buyers in the market which means that they will be around for a long time.

If you didn’t get a chance to see the RNL Homebuilders house during the Parade of Homes, head to www.RNLHomebuilders.com for plenty of pictures and more information and call Luke Marvel at 979-217-1162 for a private showing!

One of these new laws directly concerns the general homestead exemption. This exemption pertains to most, if not all of individual homeowners in some way. But it would hardly be considered an exemption if every home received the break. So, in order for a home to qualify for the general homestead exemption, it must meet certain criteria. First, it must be the primary residence of the homeowner. Second, the property must be owned by an individual (so basically not owned by a business or corporation). Also, the property must be the principal residence of the individual as of January 1st of that tax year. A home must also qualify as a homestead: any kind of separate structure, condominium, or manufactured home located on privately owned land. It also can be on land of up to 20 acres given that the land is owned by the homeowner and used for residential purposes.

So what is this new change in laws regarding property tax exemptions in Texas? For the homestead exemption, the recently applied ‘House Bill 252’ requires all applicants of the homestead exemption to provide a copy of the homeowner’s state driver’s license or identification card. It also mandates the presentation of the homeowners vehicle registration receipt to be sent with the exemption application. And for homeowners without vehicle ownership, the new bill allows for a simple substitution. Applicants for the homestead exemption that don’t own any vehicles may send in their current utility bill that provides their name and address, along with an official declaration indicating the homeowner’s lack of vehicle ownership.

Though, it is important to note that these requirements are not necessary for homeowners who applied for the homestead exemption before the changes in legislation. Upon applying, it will not be necessary to re-apply unless your principal residence moves or you receive a new application to be processed from your regional tax office.

The reason for these new measures might seem unusual to those bothered by the extra required documentation for the application of a property tax exemption. Yet, according to Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, “The homestead exemption is intended to help relieve the tax burden of Texas full-time residents. This new legislation ensures that the system is working fairly and legally.” Regardless, a few extra papers and methods of identification are hardly anything new in government processes. And if they help provide for a relief on a homeowner’s property tax, the extra hassle is definitely worth the return.

Changes in the requirements for homestead exemptions are not all that have changed with the recent passing of property tax legislation. All homeowners seeking for the ‘Over 65 years of age’ exemption, as well as the disabled exemption, the disabled veteran’s exemption, the extended exemption for a homeowner’s surviving spouse, and the mobile home exemption are all subjected to the requirements mandated by the new law. Though, certain aspects of a few particular exemptions have been elaborated upon.

First of all, under the new law, Texas will now give property tax breaks to the spouses of 100% disabled veteran’s. The old exemption had always provided a full relief for veterans who had declared 100% disability from a service related incident. Now, however, the spouses of these veterans are also allowed that relief, should the veteran die. Also, for the spouses of homeowners who qualify for the 65 year old tax exemption may qualify for a property tax ceiling, given they are 55 years or older. These tax ceilings allow for the cost of the property tax to go below the provided ceiling, but never to exceed it.

Another alteration in the requirements for exemptions from property tax includes particular circumstances regarding manufactured homes (or mobile homes). Owners of these vehicles must provide documentation in addition to their proof of residency: including proof of purchase of their mobile home, as well as a statement of location and ownership provided by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

Of all these adjustments in the requirements and procedures of Texas Property Tax Exemptions, there are still many exceptions and exclusion that accompany all documented legislation. For the best source regarding individual qualification for tax exemptions and specific county property taxes, it is best to confer with the Brazos Valley County tax office, or through whichever particular county your principal residence is located in.

Susan Hilton

PS -  Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL!             979-219-3970

Fannie Mae is in fact the largest lender throughout the United States. And the current exponential growth of their real estate ownership is primarily due to the incredible number of recent foreclosures. It is a reality of the market that when a bank forecloses on a house, businesses like Fannie Mae stoop in to relieve the Bank of their loss, while turning a small profit of their own in return. However, with the drastic quantity of foreclosures across the nation, the prices and values of these homes have plummeted. And now more than ever these foreclosed homes that are being re-released into the market are selling at some of the lowest prices out there.

So what is this program? And how can a prospective home buyer use it?

The program is called HomePath, and can be used through navigation of the website address, www.homepath.com. This program offers many advantages, including the convenience of an online web page. However, it also gives buyers and lenders a more relaxed approach to the finance requirements. In other words, you’re not just buying the house through Fannie Mae: you’re also getting access to the HomePath mortgage and buying process.

The advantages of a loan through Fannie Mae’s HomePath program are surprisingly appealing. First, home buyers are required to make a down-payment of as little as 3% the total cost of the home. Along with this, neither mortgage insurance nor appraisals are required. And to top it all off, the requirements for credit scores are much more flexible than your average loan. So for potential home-owners, looking for a great deal as well as an opportunity to start over or begin fresh, this program is particularly appealing.

So how can you use this program? First off, if you go to the HomePath website and browse through the homes by location, price range, size, number of bedrooms and baths, etc., you will find a button that reads “Make an Offer.” Upon clicking this you will view a note explaining how all offers must be submitted by licensed real estate agents. As a licensed real estate agent, you will then have the opportunity to register for a profile through HomePath.

As a registered member of HomePath, a Realtor is allowed to place offers on homes and evaluate them in various ways. The program also offers assistance in finding homes of outstanding affordability through the “Great Buys” link. Some homes will be listed as “Needing Renovation.” Fannie Mae then allows for eligible home buyers to use the HomePath Renovation tool, which will actually help to finance the repairs on the home. This aspect of the program literally assists in financing the repairs for distressed properties that need a little help before they are entirely ready for people to be living in them.

When all is done, and properties have been weighed, examined, and inspected by home buyers and realtors alike, HomePath allows for the purchase of properties through the website itself. As stated before, there is the “Make an Offer” button, which requires the login of a licensed real estate professional. But then beyond that there is even a way to “Offer to Purchase.” This can be done conveniently and effectively through the website since HomePath actually offers the required documentation via upload. Many of these forms may then be submitted online through the Realtors account, or uploaded through the website immediately.

Once you have completed the forms and agreed to the terms and conditions required by the website, you have an opportunity to confirm your offer or cancel. Listing agents then have the option of receiving the offer, rejecting it, countering it, or entering it into a ‘multiple offers round.’ If the offer is accepted it is the buyer’s responsibility to contact the listing agent. If it is rejected, countered, or entered into a multiple offers round the buyer can then either revise their offer, or withdraw/rescind their offer.

The entire process of purchasing homes through HomePath is quite simple and will be a leading design for future online real estate. And through the knowledge and guidance of a licensed Realtor, nothing can be simpler. The only complication, perhaps, comes through the possibility of multiple offers. But all in all, the development of Fannie Mae’s new online program, HomePath, home buyers all over Texas and the United States have the opportunity to buy houses at lower prices and with better mortgage deals than ever before.

PS -  Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station,
Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate
agent career building so if you need help –
CALL!             979-219-3970