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The pictures above were taken at the Augusta Pines firework display last year. My slideshow will be the only fireworks we will be seeing in Harris County this year as all firework displays in Harris and Montgomery County have been cancelled due to our severe drought. We had a nice thunderstorm the other night but being about 17 inches low the ground just immediately soaked it up.

We have lived here since December 1996 and it is so strange not seeing the fireworks stands open. Usually they are doing a booming business but this is also the driest that it has been since we have lived here. Typically the entire day of the 4th I hear firecrackers going off but today it has been blissfully quiet. As much as we love our fireworks we love our Texas land more and I’m proud to see everyone going along with the fireworks ban. (Mind you there is a $500 fine being imposed if you do shoot a firework and that means any kind of firework.) As dry as everything is I think we all understand the importance of no fireworks this year.

On the other hand our dog Dundy does not like fireworks and is THRILLED about the ban (lol).
I wish you all a happy 4th of July.

For all your Spring/Tomball/Magnolia TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

Auburn Lakes is a master planned community covering over 500 acres in unincorporated Northwest Harris County.  It is conveniently located just south of The Woodlands off of Gosling and Rayford Rd.   As you can see from my title Auburn Lakes call themselves the closer woods and the name is totally appropriate. 

As The Woodlands has grown their amenities are getting closer and closer to Auburn Lakes. If you are not sure that you want to live in The Woodlands but do like having access then Auburn Lakes could be the perfect solution for you.  An additional bonus is that it is closer in to Houston also.

When the community is finished there will be around 1200 homes.  Some of the amenities the community offers its residents are a community center with a banquet room and an open air pavilion; Olympic size swimming pool along with a play pool.  A very cool amenity is an indoor fitness center; as I was taking picture I could see residents working out in the fitness center.  If you like nature you will enjoy the nature parks and playgrounds.  Tennis courts are also available for the residents.

If you are in to playing golf portions of the subdivision are being developed along the Willow Creek Golf Course, a private 18-hole championship course.  You are also just a few miles away from Augusta Pines Golf Course; not to even mention all the golf courses in The Woodlands.

There are 4 different Auburn Lakes communities to choose from so there's something fro everyone:

Auburn Lake The Pines has homes starting from $190,000 to about $260,000.  The builders in The Pines are First Texas Homes, Infinity Classic Homes and Lennar Homes.  The lot sizes are approximately 60' by 120'.

Auburn Lakes The Retreat has homes starting from $340,000 to $490,000.  The builder in The Retreat is Village Builders.  The lot sizes are approximately 80' by 130'.

Auburn Lakes The Reserve has homes starting from $230,000 to about $300,000.  The builders in The Reserve are First Texas Homes and Lennar Homes.  The lot sizes are approximately 70' by 120'.

Auburn Lakes The Estates has homes starting from$650,000 to $1 million.  The custom builders are Cannon Custom Homes, Croix Custom Homes, Marshall & O’Connor and Meadowlark Homes.  The lot sizes are approximately 90'/100' by 150'.

The subdivision is located in the acclaimed Klein ISD. The grade school at the moment is Northampton Elementary, the intermediate is Hildebrandt and the high school is Klein Oak.  Ground is soon to be broken for a new elementary school on Rayford close to Gosling.

For all your Spring TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

Photos are for illustration purposes only and do not necessarily represent current or past listings.

One of the many things that I love about living in Spring is the fact that we live so close to Lake Conroe.  I took these photos at our first Lake Conroe Sailing Association Thursday night race. Let the season begin!!!

For all your Spring-Magnolia-Tomball TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

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Copyright © 2010 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Lake Conroe Sailing Association racing season begins!!!!*

Picture taken by Marchel Peterson all rights reserved!

It has been incredibly dry in Spring TX this spring so we have been making a concerted effort to keep our bird bath full as the birds are quite thirsty.  The other morning I noticed a beautiful blue bird land on the bird bath and ran for my camera.  It was the right place at the right time as before I knew it my beautiful blue bird had been joined by 4 friends.

I have found that my facebook friends cannot see the slide show.  If you would like to visit the show please visit bird bath time in Spring TX.  I am including one additional picture for those friends.

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If you are buying or relocating to Spring TX, Magnolia TX or Tomball TXand need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.

If you would like information about Spring-Tomball TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com.

Want to find out about new Spring-Magnolia-Tomball TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.

Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.

One of the many things I love about living in Spring TX is the Azela blossoms in the spring!

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If you are buying or relocating to Spring TX, Magnolia TX or Tomball TXand need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.

If you would like information about Spring-Tomball TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com.

Want to find out about new Spring-Magnolia-Tomball TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.

Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.

I have always attributed the signs of spring to foliage.  The foliage depends on what area of the country we are living in.  In Colorado I was just just glad to see green. In North Carolina it was all those pretty spring flowers. Growing up in Kansas it was seeing daffodils come peeking through the winter landscape.

I now have a new compass to go by and it is the Bradford Pear trees in the middle of our cul-de-sac. When they start getting those beautiful white blooms I know that Spring in Spring TX is right around the corner.

I must admit I do miss those daffodils but here in Spring TX our land is too warm and the only way you can have daffodils is to plant them every year. (Since that does not happen I rarely get to see daffodils except at the grocery store or in pictures.)

I love Spring TX and have learned to live without the daffodils. We have lived in Spring TX since 1997 and one of the things that I love most is the long growing season. This year I tried my hand at winter gardening and I have had a garden all year long.

We had a bit of rough winter so I had to cover my raised beds up a few times. We reaped the benefits with fresh greens, lettuce, kale, spinach, parsley, dill, oregano and cat nip. I had to put a small fence around the cat nip or otherwise it was squashed; especially by my grand-kitty Elle. There's really only a couple of months that are hard to garden in Spring TX and those happen to be in the heat of the summer. The only thing that I have found I can grow in the heat of the summer is okra and eggplant. Last year I think I burnt everyone out on eggplant as they continued clear up until Christmas.

I know there's some controversy about the change in daylight savings time that happened a few years ago. Personally I love it and have been counting the days until we have the longer evenings. The time change is almost here happening this Sunday morning March 13th. If you have not made plans to change your clocks back on Saturday night now is the time to make yourself a note. Otherwise you are going to find you are late to church.

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If you are buying or relocating to Spring TX, Magnolia TX or Tomball TXand need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.

If you would like information about Spring-Tomball TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com.

Want to find out about new Spring-Magnolia-Tomball TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.

Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.

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Copyright © 2011 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Spring forward in Spring, TX that is!!!!*

Like the rest of the country we are experiencing freezing temperatures in Spring TX.  I was opening a home for a buyer to take some measurements this afternoon and drove by this fountain on the way to the home. This is Spring TX we are not supposed to be having freezing temperatures.  My client is moving here from Alaska and she was telling me how cold she thought it was.  That made me feel better as having moved here from Colorado I was thinking I had become a wimp. Our cold is a wet cold that gets you to the bone.

I have a new Sanyo dual camera and I thought I took lots of pictures and just one video.  For whatever reason the pictures did not turn out but the video did.  It is a short video and a bit choppy but it does give you the feel of the icicle fountain.

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If you are buying or relocating to Spring TX, Magnolia TX or Tomball TXand need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.

If you would like information about Spring-Tomball TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com.

Want to find out about new Spring-Magnolia-Tomball TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.

Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.

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Copyright © 2011 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Icicle Fountain in Spring TX!!*

As I am sitting here listening to fireworks go off I thought I would share my first foray in to firework pictures.  I took these this last 4th of July which seems like the logical time for fireworks. After living here for 14 years I have still not got use to fireworks stands opening up for New Years Eve. We have been hearing them go off all evening; our animals will be glad when the new year finally arrives (lol).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

If you are on Facebook and can't see the pictures click here. If you are on Active Rain and can't see the slide show my only suggestion is to try another browser. I have contacted AR about the problem and they feel it is a browser problem. I use Internet Explorer so I know that works.

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If you are buying or relocating to Spring Texasand need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.

If you would like information about Spring TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com. The AgentwithResults site is rich in Content about Spring and the surrounding areas of Tomball, The Woodlands and Magnolia. If you prefer pictures with your content then visit my ResultsRealtyTX site.

Want to find out about new Spring TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.

Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.

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Copyright © 2010 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Happy New Year from Spring TX!!*

I attended the Spring Klein chamber luncheon today.  Our speaker was Carl Pittman a Criminal Investigator/Deputy Sheriff at Harris County Sheriff's Office.  He spoke to us about business safety.

He started out asking if there's was any CSI watcher's in the room.  Of course a bunch of hands went up.  He went on to say it is television; crimes are not solved in 38 minutes. As a criminal investigator he wants to make sure that he has solid evidence to make the most solid case possible so criminals are locked up for a long time.

DNA is the fastest growing science in law enforcement.  Many cases would have gone unsolved except for DNA.  He told us that if we got up from our chairs his investigators could come in and swab the chairs and decipher who was sitting where.  Fingerprints use to be the standard but not any longer; if the crook has enough money they can remove their fingerprints.

Here in Texas every time an offender goes to prison a biological sample is taken. This profile is then uploaded in to a state system.  It use to take 6 to 7 months to get a hit using DNA and now it can take as little as 30 to 50 days.   He stressed to us that if we are robbed either in our business or our home DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING.  It is our natural tendency to want to clean up but DON'T. Everything the crook has handled gives the chance of getting good DNA.  They can then take these unknown samples and compare them with profiles and they get matches. He is then able to get a probable cause warrant.  This puts a warrant in the system for the person's arrest.  Every state maintains a state database of these profiles which they share with a national database; that does take a little longer though.

The question was asked if a suspect came in for questioning could you give them a glass to hold to get the DNA.  He said it is perfectly okay to get DNA that way.  He also said that when people do come in of their own free will it is amazing what they will tell you; if you just know how to ask.

I am highlighting this next tip as I thought it was a GREAT suggestion.

He asked us how many people had their electronic signatures captured.  Not a soul raised their hand on that one.  He told us a good many of us had smart phones and we should go around our home and office and capture all those electronic QR codes for our items.  He suggested keeping that record right there on your cell phone.  Should you be robbed you immediately have a record to share.  By doing this you have a good chance of recovering your items. He said that typically the criminal will immediately take these items to pawn shops.  The pawn shop must wait 30 days before they put the items up for sale. If you have these signatures saved this lag time could get your item back to you.

The last thing he talked about was for those businesses who deposit quantities of cash.  It is good to have two different banks that you go to and it is also good to not have a routine.  A crook will look for routines.  You don't want to send someone to the bank at the same time every day.  Also don't put cash in obvious envelopes; you want to keep your deposits nondescript. 

He believes in our second amendment right to bear arms but he said if you are going to use that right you need to know how to use your weapon.  In closing he said to be a good witness but there is nothing in our home or office that is worth dying for.  If you have someone who is robbing you just give them what they want.   It is just stuff!

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If you are buying or relocating to Spring Texas or Tomball TXand need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.

If you would like information about Spring-Tomball TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com.

Want to find out about new Spring-Tomball TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.

Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.

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Copyright © 2010 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce - Criminal Investigator Carl Pittman - Business safety!*

Years ago my mentor told me to not sell a home that I can't resale. I have taken that message to heart and I'm always looking for dings that could make a home hard to resale. I'm going to give you a list of some of the major dings that might make your home hard to sale. Mind you this does not mean you won't be able to sell your home if you have these dings but you might have to take less to make it competitive with similar homes that don't have the ding. It also might take a little longer to sell.

1.  Backing to a road. The good thing on this is you don't have backyard neighbors but the downside is that you have lots of noise.
2. Backing to tall power lines. I did not think this was a huge ding until I tried to sell a house that backed to tall power lines. There are many people that just don't want those lines in their back yard.
3. All bedrooms up. When we lived up north this was not huge as most homes were built with all bedrooms up. That is not the case in the Spring area as most people want the master down. I have found the same square footage homes will probably sell for $10,000 less with master up and they are usually a little harder to sell.
4.  Backing to vacant land. You would think this would not be a ding but since our area is unincorporated you just NEVER know what is going to be built behind you.
5. Buying a home that is not in a deed restricted subdivision. Again this was not a problem up north as the cities I lived in had restrictions. That is not the case in the Spring area as we are unincorporated. My husband had a co-worker that bought out in the country. Everything was wonderful until the neighbor sold and the new owner decided to open a junk yard.
6. A choppy floor plan. I have found that most people want an open floor plan.
7.  A very small yard. This is okay if you have a patio home but it can make for a hard re-sale if your home is not a patio home.

There are probably other dings but these are the ones that come to mind. As I said this does not mean you won't be able to resale if your home has these dings but it might make it a little harder.

You also might have something in your home that is so incredible that people will look past some of these dings. I personally sold my own home that backed to a fairly busy street quick as we had a drop dead gorgeous backyard.

As your REALTOR® I will point these out and anything else I might see that might make a home hard to re-sale. You can then make an informed decision as to whether this is a ding you can live with or not.

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If you are buying or relocating to Spring Texas or Tomball TXand need help from a professional REALTOR®, Marchel can be reached at Marchel@AgentwithResults.com or by phone at 832-721-8332.

If you would like information about Spring-Tomball TX please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtytx.com.

Want to find out about new Spring-Tomball TX properties immediately as they come on the market, then click here to sign up for a free automatic notification of new listings.

Click the button to the left to search our local MLS.

Subcribe in a reader

Copyright © 2010 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Home dings that might make for a hard re-sale!!*