Dickinson ISD and Clear Creek ISD Achieve Recognized Status

Dickinson, Clear Creek schools earn high marks

By T.J. Aulds
The Daily News
Published July 29, 2011

The Texas Education Agency is not scheduled to release the latest school ratings until today, but some Galveston County districts already were bragging about their standings before the official notice.

In Dickinson, school administrators were calling for fireworks after they learned the school district would receive its first Recognized rating. Recognized is the second highest rating a school district or school campus can receive under the state’s rating system.

For the full story, click here.

Knowing the Cost of Your Move

This is a first for me, but hopefully not a last. I was contacted by James Kim, and he asked if he could be a guest author and write an article for my blog. I said "sure!" Well, I can say he wrote a good article with some excellent info about Houston, and other areas of Texas. Enjoy...and thanks James!

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KNOWING THE COST OF YOUR MOVE

Times have been tough. And, honestly, it was hard enough finding a good price on a house before the economy tanked. With everyone tightening their purse strings, it’s important to look closely at the areas you want to live. First, you want to make sure that that wallet of yours can get filled with money from a good job market, indicated by the amount of corporate presence in an area. And, second, you want to make sure that you don’t have to shell out a lot of cash just to get by day-to-day. If all of this makes sense to you, you’ll be happy to know that finding a good area isn’t as hard as you might have thought. Fair warning, though: by the end of this article you might find yourself saying “howdy” and “y’all” while searching for some Austin real estate.

So, first things first: where are you most likely to find a job? Forbes points out several good areas, saying that St. Louis is home to 9 of the strongest companies in the country while Texas goes above and beyond with 38 in Houston and 15 in Dallas. And these are certainly not companies that just earned a Forbes ranking through some fluke of arithmetic or Enron-style accounting. St. Louis holds the famous Energizer Holdings Inc. along with the massive, chemical-dealing Monsanto Company. But again, Texas seems to edge out in front, with Houston hosting ConocoPhillips and Halliburton, Austin hosting Dell and Whole Foods and Dallas hosting AT&T and Texas Instruments (a longer list is here).

“But wait,” you say. “What about those thriving areas of commerce like New York City!?” Simple: those places are incredibly expensive to live in. As you can probably guess, New York City is the most expensive city in the country while the popular destinations of California and Hawaii are tied for the title of most expensive state. You’re going to be paying a lot more for a gallon of milk in New York City than you would in almost any other part of the country. Unless you can safely say that the money doesn’t matter, those are not very good places to move to right now.

With those out of the way, we can have a look at the already solid locations that were previously mentioned. St. Louis, as Forbes points out, follows the trend of most Midwestern states by being incredibly inexpensive – the lowest cost of living in the country, in fact. St. Louis “might not have the reputation for top schools, a low crime rate or good weather,” but you certainly won’t have to pay much to live there. The reason for this is quite simple: the Midwest is landlocked, and that’s not something that attracts the title of “prime real estate.” But Texas? The state that is home to perhaps the best job market in the country right now? It’s also not expensive to live in, and features a cost of living that is low across the board; you can’t make many wrong moves there (and you can always live along the Gulf of Mexico if a beach is a must-have for you).

When you’re looking to move, you have to be realistic about all of your options. Knowing what the job prospects are where you’re going to live along with how much it will cost to live there is incredibly important. For the best of both worlds, Texas is your best bet at the moment, but nothing can beat the Midwest (and St. Louis, in particular) when it comes to just being simply inexpensive. As long as you’re realistic with what you can afford, you should have no problem finding a suitable area to move to, even with things the way they are today.

James Kim writes for Austin Real Estate service Homecity.com. HomeCity combines powerful online Austin MLS search technology and other online tools with personalized real estate services to provide clients with the knowledge they need to make the right buying and selling decisions.

Garza Sports Complex an ‘upgrade’ for Texas City

I am currently at the Texas City Funfest judging fajitas and k-bobs. What a blast. It's my first time to judge, and definitely won't be my last. The event is held at the new Garza Sports Complex in Texas City. What a wonderful complex for Texas City.

Learn more about this new sports complex by checking out the article below.

Garza Sports Complex an ‘upgrade’ for Texas City

DOWNSIZING TREND IN TODAY'S MARKET? Woman Rents 90-Square-Foot Apartment in New York

I saw this story today about a woman who has downsized to a 90 sf apartment! Now, I know that the trend in today's market for many people has been to downsize, and thus reduce their maintenance costs, insurance, taxes, and of course, monthly mortgage payment.

However, only in New York would you see a downsize reduction this extreme!

Woman Rents 90-Square-Foot Apartment in New York

Of course, in Texas, with the current buyer's market, its possible now to UPSIZE (Texas Size It), and still save money! For example, I was personally involved with a buyer who was able to buy a 3 year old home that was foreclosed on. It was a 4,000 sf home, with an oversized lot in a nice neighborhood. Per MLS, it originally sold to the initial owner by a home builder for just under $250,000. The final sales price for the new buyer in early 2010 was for just under $175,000! A $75,000 reduction on the original builder sale price.

Now that's a Downsize on Price, but an UP on Size! Let me know if you are looking for similar hot deals! I can find them for you!!

Houston Celebrates Two Percent Drop in Sales



This Beautiful Home in The Forest of
Friendswood is listed for under $300,000.
View the video at www.har.com/74415084

Some might have had to re-read the title of this article to make sure their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them. The latest MLS statistics are out and they show a two percent drop in sales for February 2011 when compared to the same month last year. While a drop in sales is usually not greeted with open arms, let’s examine why this is excellent news for the Houston market.

Read More...

DICKINSON HOSTING HOUSING FAMILY FAIR

Click Flyer to View Information

The first Dickinson Housing Family Fair is scheduled for

Saturday, February 26, 2011

10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Location: Mt. Carmel Baptist Church

2920 Highway 3, Dickinson, TX

Click to View Map

This Fair is a great opportunity to come and learn about Home Ownership Programs that are available.  If you are interested in Home Ownership Opportunities, make sure to stop by and see what its all about!!

Bayou Realtors is proud to be involved with this event, and we will have a booth on site. Make sure to stop by, say hello, and tell us about your Future Home Needs. We can start sending you information immediately!

If you are ready now to start looking for your home, whether it is new construction, resale, HUD home, foreclosure, or short sale, be sure to contact Robert M. Bragg with Bayou Realtors. You can email Robert at robertmbragg@yahoo.com, or call at 832.256.8589. Remember to sign up for the newsletter by using the link on the right. 

METROSTUDY: JOB GROWTH, HOME STARTS SUGGEST H-TOWN RECOVERY

Metrostudy is a company that provides information about the housing industry and related industries. Below is information on a recent study they posted. View the Original Posting here.

HOUSTON (Metrostudy) – The Bayou City's economy is showing signs of recovery according to a recent Metrostudy report.

The Houston economy had over 13,000 more jobs at the end of 2010 than it had at the beginning, a .5 percent increase after a loss of 102,800 jobs in 2009.

Overall, Metrostudy recorded 18,752 home starts in 2010, a 1.1 percent increase over 2009. This is the first increase in new home activity after three straight years of decline, according to the Metrostudy report. Houston closed 20,579 homes in 2010, a 10 percent decline from 2009. Closings have outpaced starts since first quarter 2007, so the market has absorbed inventory.

Total new home inventory stands at a 5.9-month supply, below the six months that Metrostudy considers equilibrium for Houston. Finished vacant inventory has dropped to 5,320 units, a 3.1-month supply. “The Houston market continues to face fewer market obstacles than most U.S. markets,” said David Jarvis, director of Metrostudy’s Houston division. “Texas’ pro-growth policies and business friendly environment will continue to benefit local housing markets and allow for 2011 to show moderate growth.”

Are you looking to buy or sell a home, or do you have any questions regarding real estate? Be sure to contact me at robertmbragg@yahoo.com, or by phone at 832.256.8589. Also, be sure to join my newsletter by clicking on the link on the right.

95-Store Outlet Mall Planned for League City

Looks like the race is on to build an Outlet mall in Galveston County. Just this week, Simon Property Group announced they are going to build an outlet mall in Texas City, dubbed "Galveston Premium Outlets." Then, today, Tanger Factory Outlet Centers announced they are building an outlet mall in League City. The article below was printed in the Galveston Daily News. View the original story here!

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COURTESY PHOTO/Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. An artist’s rendering shows a planned 95-store outlet mall near Interstate 45 and FM 646 in League City.


95-store outlet mall planned for League City

By Laura Elder
The Daily News
Published January 18, 2011

LEAGUE CITY — In what might be the starting gun of a fierce retail race, Tanger Factory Outlet Centers said Monday it planned a 95-store outlet mall near Interstate 45 and FM 646 in League City.

The Greensboro, N.C.-based company said it planned to build the 300,743-square-foot mall on 35 acres west of Interstate 45 between the city’s Big League Dreams sports complex and the Bay Colony shopping center.

The announcement confirming weeks of speculation came just days after another major outlet mall operator — Indianapolis, Ind.-based Simon Property Group — said it planned a 350,000-square-foot center along Interstate 45, south of Holland Road.

Neither Simon nor Tanger officials would comment about whether the county could sustain two major outlet malls, nor would either divulge possible tenants.

Outlet malls differ from regional malls such as the bustling Baybrook Mall and the struggling Mall of the Mainland because manufacturers sell directly to the public and promote discounts on merchandise.

Successful centers typically have a large concentration of discounted versions of popular stores such as Calvin Klein, Coach, Gap, Kate Spade, Kenneth Cole, Nike and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Simon operates successful centers such as Katy Mills in Houston and also Houston Premium Outlets in Cypress. Tanger operates 33 outlet centers, including one in San Marcos.

Last year, Tanger identified 17 markets it considered under served by the outlet industry, officials said.

Along with League City, Tanger plans two malls in Arizona. Sonrisa Development LLC owns the League City land Tanger has under contract.

Outlet stores, which are considered strong tourist draws, are the bright spot in an otherwise dreary commercial real estate landscape during one of the worst downturns in years, Hall said.

Industry observers also contend that outlet malls are outperforming regional malls and strip centers as consumer seek bargains.

When Tanger achieves the pre-leasing threshold of at least 50 percent, it will begin construction, likely by the year’s end, officials said.

Planned Outlet Mall Will House Nearly 100 Stores

The following article was printed in the Galveston Daily News. This can be a great economic boost to Texas City and also to the Dickinson Independent School District. Not to mention the jobs it will create during its construction, and also once it is complete! To see the original article, click this link!

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Photo courtesy of Premium Outlets, An artist's rendering shows an outlet mall planned along Interstate 45, south of Holland Road in Texas City.

Planned Outlet Mall Will House Nearly 100 Stores

By Laura Elder

The Daily News

Published January 13, 2011

TEXAS CITY — Major mall operator Simon Property Group said it plans to build a 350,000-square-foot outlet center at Interstate 45, south of Holland Road, delivering some of the biggest retail news Texas City has had in decades.

Indianapolis, Ind.-based Simon Property Group, which owns successful outlet malls such as Katy Mills in Houston and Grapevine Mills near Dallas, said it had an option to buy 55 acres that were previously part of a plan for Lago Mar, a 7,000-home residential community along the Interstate 45 corridor.

Lago Mar, west of Texas City, was sidelined by lingering real estate market malaise prompting landowners to begin selling off parcels for other ventures.

Developers are calling the proposed mainland mall “Galveston Premium Outlets.” The mall, between Holland Road and Walmart, will house about 100 stores, said Michele Rothstein, spokeswoman for Premium Outlets, the outlet division of Simon Property Group.

Rothstein said Premium Outlets is preleasing the center. She declined to name potential tenants but said interest had been strong.

“We are excited about the interest our merchants have in the project,” Rothstein said. “Typically, we announce stores much closer to opening.”

The center would offer a mix of product categories, including apparel and shoes, fashion accessories, leather goods, home furnishings and specialty retail.

Outlet centers differ from regional malls such as Baybrook Mall and Mall of the Mainland because manufactures sell directly to the public and promote discounts on merchandise.

Successful centers such as Katy Mills and The Mills are considered shopping destinations, boosting tourism in their home cities.

The center is projected to generate more than $120 million in yearly retail sales, $10 million in sales tax yearly and $1 million in property tax revenues, Simon officials said.

The news comes as unconfirmed rumors fly that Greensboro, N.C.-based Tanger Outlet Centers plans a large outlet mall on 20 acres north of Cross Colony Drive and west of FM 646.

La Marque is home to a small outlet mall — Gulfway Plaza, 14047 Delany Road. But Gulfway Plaza, which never had the large concentration of tenants to lure tourists, has found a more profitable purpose by leasing space to a mix of government agencies, professional offices and factory outlet tenants.

It’s been a long time since Texas City has had such big mall news.

Operators of Mall of the Mainland, plagued by tenant departures, last year filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Not long after, lender Pacific Western Bank took possession of the property and hired Boxer Property Management, known for turning around distressed properties, to manage and improve operation.

The Premium Outlets has 83 outlet properties in its portfolio — 57 in the United States primarily in or near major metropolitan markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago and visitor markets such as Orlando, Las Vegas and Palm Springs, Fla.