COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Chief Economist Dr. Mark Dotzour is crisscrossing the nation delivering his economic message and collecting valuable data for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.
Among the comments he heard this week at meetings of the National Association of Business Economics in Washington, D.C., were:
• “Clearly there is virtually no threat of inflation in the next two years.”
• “There’s virtually no chance of the Fed increasing interest rates (maybe a symbolic small move aside).”
• “The last recession, the Fed waited until unemployment was 5.5 percent before tightening.”
• “We won’t get to that level for several years.”
• “The threat is for deflation across the globe, with the exception of China.”
• “China’s money supply is up 30 percent from last year. Our M3 (the Fed’s measure of the money supply) is virtually unchanged from a year ago, and available credit is less than last year.”
“The Congressional Budget Office said the United States is going to be unable to pay for the social contract with America,” said Dotzour. “It’s only a matter of when and how the adjustments for failed promises have to take place. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security cannot be funded at current levels of spending.”

The Spring Lakes HOA will hold the annual neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt on April 3rd at 10 a.m. Don’t forget the egg basket and your camera. The Easter Bunny will be hopping by! If your children will be participating, please provide 12 candy filled eggs per child by March 31st to 506 Spring Lakes Haven. If you are currently a Spring Lakes resident I look forward to seeing you there! If you’d like to become a Spring Lakes resident, you can visit BuySpringLakes.com .

No comments yet. Tell me what you think! Click HERE to comment.

The neighborhood you choose can have a big impact on your lifestyle – safety, available amenities, and convenience all play their part.

1.  Make a list of the activities – movies, health club, church – you engage in regularly and stores you visit frequently.  See how far you would have to travel from each neighborhood you’re considering to engaging in your most common activities.

2.  Check out the school district.  The Department of Education in your town can probably provide information on test scores, class size, percentage of students, who attend college, and special enrichment programs.  If you have school-age children, also consider paying a visit to schools in the neighborhoods you’re considering.  ven if you don’t have children, a house in a good school district will be easier to sell in the future.

3.  Find out if the neighborhood is safe.  Ask the police department for neighborhood crime statistics.  Consider not only the number of crimes but also the type-burglaries, armed robberies-and the trend of increasing or  decreasing crime.  Also, is crime centered in only one part of the neighborhood, such as near a retail area?

4.  Determine if the neighborhood is economically stable.  Check with your local city economic development office to see if income and property values in teh neighborhood are stable or rising.  What is the percentage of homes to apartments?  Apartments don’t necessarily diminish value, buyt they do mean a more transient population.  Do you see vacant businesses or homes that have been for sale for months?

5.  See if you’ll make money.  Ask a local REALOR or call the local REALTOR association to get information about price appreciation trends in the neighborhood.  Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, this information may give you a sense of how good an investment your home will be.  A REALOTR or the goveernment planning agency also may be able to tell you about planned developments or other changes in the neighborhood – like a new school or highway – wthat might affect value.

6.  See for yourself.  Once you’ve narrowed your focus on tow or three neighborhoods, go there, and walk around.  Are homes tify and well maintained?  Are streets quiet?  Pick a warm day if you can and chat with people working or playing outside.  Are they friendly?  Are their children to play with your family?

Reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by permission of the National association of REALTORS.  Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.  http://www.REALTOR,org/realtormag.

No comments yet. Tell me what you think! Click HERE to comment.

Five year old D.R. Horton built home in quiet, gated community of Spring Lakes that is convenient to I45, Hardy Toll Rd, The Woodlands, & shopping in Old Town Spring. This community offers lakes with fountains, ducks, miles of walking trails, parks, volleyball & lighted tennis courts, & community pools. This home has an open floor plan that boasts of high ceilings, hardwood and tile floors, a master down, three bedrooms up, crown molding, walk in closets, upstairs game room, tile backsplash in kitchen with island & desk area, Granite Counter tops, large lot, and much more.

CLICK HERE to see the rest of this listing. Information, videos, pictures, maps, etc…

Seven year old home in quiet, gated community of Spring Lakes that is convenient to I45, Hardy Toll Rd, The Woodlands, & shopping in Old Town Spring. This community offers lakes with fountains, ducks, miles of walking trails, parks, volleyball & lighted tennis courts, & community pool. This home is an open floor plan that boasts of high ceilings, a master down, four bedrooms up, crown molding, walk in closets, upstairs game room, tile backsplash in kitchen, Breakfast Bar, Corian Countertops, media room and much more.

CLICK HERE to see the rest of this listing. Information, videos, pictures, maps, etc…