Posted on May 3, 2010 | Tagged in: Mischer Development , Houston
For developers and builders in Houston, weary from slow sales and pessimistic forecasting, it appears the tides may be turning in their favor. In a new statistic released this week, the government says sales of new homes surged 26.9 percent in March. This is the largest one-month gain in five decades.
The Department of Commerce report “Texas sales of single-family homes were at an annual rate of 411,000 in March and new home sales were up 23.8 percent from a year earlier.”
Sales of single-family homes in the Houston market posted a 10.8 percent increase in March which was more good news for the approximately 7 month supply (nearly 230,000 in inventory) of new homes on the market at the end of March.
Posted on Apr 23, 2010 | Tagged in: tips
According to an annual study conducted by the Javelin Strategy and Research Center, almost 10 million people a year are victims of identity theft. And, one everyday task is a potential culprit - shopping online. And, more and more people are distributing personal information through social media outlets such as Facebook or MySpace, and plugging it into digital devices they can easily lose.
Online scam artists often surf for a payday on the Internet via official-looking e-mails that appear to be from a large banking institution or by introducing themselves as offshore investors looking for a state side liaison to help disperse their funds. The messages encourage recipient to log on to the bank site to re-enter personal data and verify accounts. But the link goes to a fake, yet realistic-looking, site that gathers personal information for the scammers.
Posted on Apr 19, 2010 | Tagged in: Mischer Development , homebuyers
Experts say it’s all about appealing to the homebuyers’ “wish list” – and offering a plan that not only fits their needs, but is also tailored to the way they really want to live.
“We found that homeowners are willing to pay more to get the size home they want – and the features they want,” says Gopal Ahluwalia, vice president of research for the National Association of Home Builders, summarizing NAHB’s annual consumer preferences study at the International Builders Show in February.
Posted on Apr 13, 2010 | Tagged in: going-green
According to the USDE, the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. And each year, electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. The good news is that there are many changes, both large and small, that you can make to save energy and money at home.
In an excerpt from a recent Consumer Energy Savings Guide, it is suggested that “the key to achieving savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace—it's a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace will waste a lot of fuel if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are not properly sealed and insulated. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely.” Begin by choosing a conservatively minded builder, in an eco-conscious development, such as those designed by Mischer, known for their meticulous planning and communities designed to emphasize nature preserves and greenbelts.
Posted on Apr 6, 2010 | Tagged in: Lone Star College , Houston , economy
A variety of employers from across the Northwest Houston area to hire someone like you.
Open to all community members and students.
Please dress professionally and employers will require resumes.
April 14, 2010 - 10:00a.m. - 2:00p.m.
Lone Star College- University Park Conference Center 20515 SH 249- Houston,TX 77070
LoneStar.edu/job-fairs
Posted on Apr 5, 2010 | Tagged in: Houston , economy
Forbes Urbanist, Joel Kotkin, recently addressed the 21st Century American City and how Texas is setting the pace, no pun intended. But, would you expect anything less from the self proclaimed “picante sauce” capital?
Kotkin suggests, “If one state is a poster child for economic recovery, its Texas, home to four of the 10 cities on our list. There's more to why Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston are faring well than just the state's energy industry. The tech, government and education industries supplement the oil state's riches. As for housing, cities in Texas didn't see the same run-up in home prices and rampant speculation that led to the spectacular bubble burst elsewhere in the country.”
Posted on Mar 30, 2010 | Tagged in: Houston , education
The University of Houston System (UHS) has strengthened its efforts to extend higher education access to one of the state's most underserved regions.
UHS signed a leasing contract with Lone Star College (LSC) that will help bring academic programs from UH and UH-Downtown to the northwest Houston metropolitan area. Through this five-year agreement, LSC will provide UHS with 41,500 sq. feet of instructional space at LSC-University Park (20414 State Highway 249).
This space will include 15 classrooms and an enrollment services center for academic advising, recruiting and instructional support. UHS will fund the initial build-out of the space, including furniture, facilities and equipment at a cost of $2.3 million. Rent for the first three years of the agreement is fixed at $674,375 annually.
Posted on Mar 29, 2010 | Tagged in: Mischer Development , Houston
A report issued Friday by IHS Global Insight confirms the local economist’s optimistic observations regarding the stability of Houston home prices, which is music to the ears of Houston area development groups.
Across the country, house prices in extremely overvalued U.S. metropolitan areas declined nearly 37 percent on average between 2005, the peak of the real estate bubble, and the end of 2009 when prices stabilized, according to IHS’s fourth quarter 2009 report.
Posted on Mar 22, 2010 | Tagged in: Houston , economy
Everything is bigger in Texas and now we have a big new demographic to prove it – the Texaplex. “It's the triangular region of Texas that includes Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin”. Everyone is talking about the Texaplex creator, Dallas area real estate broker, and frequent blogger, David Winans and his bold new publicity venues used to generate good news about these great cities. Winans is being hailed by colleagues, community leaders, chambers and realtors as the unofficial “Cheerleader for Texas”, and with more than 100,000 views of his http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC16-4fh-Qc, I think he qualifies!
Posted on Mar 12, 2010 | Tagged in: going-green
As an act within METRO Houston's going-green initiative and bus replacement program, twenty new 45-foot hybrid buses arrived in February and are currently undergoing routine quality testing prior to deployment into METRO's routes.
METRO's bus replacement program is designed to feed in 100 new buses each year to the fleet.
METRO currently has over 262 hybrid vehicles, both local and commuter, and these most recent additions are 55-seat coach vehicles designed to run on clean diesel and use an electronic motor to optimize performance.
These vehicles will be utilized in METRO's park and ride service.
METRO is an innovative regional transportation organization created by Houston's voters in the 1970s. The organization continues to battle congestion and waste by continually adapting the the demands of Houston's busy economic and social sectors. To learn more about METRO and its various services as well as its going-green initiative visit RideMETRO.org.
