Register Real Estate Advisors

Here are links to some of the topics covered on today’s show.

• Mike Blalock joins us via phone to talk about relocating to Houston. He is the publisher of Houston Newcomer Guides. He has guides for areas all over Houston. You can order a free guide at his website.
• Kacey Procheska calls in from Auburn Lakes. Auburn Lakes is a master-planned community just south of the Woodlands. See a map of where auburn lakes is HERE. They have some great promotions next week on Memorial Day Weekend. Swing by and check them out if you are in the market for a home.

We have an amazing show planned for next week. It’s Memorial Day Weekend and we have some real estate topics for veterans. One of our call-in questions next week will win a beautiful coffee table book called “Warriors Remembered.” This book is written by a West Point graduate and combat veteran, Al Nahas, and covers Vietnam Veteran Memorials around the country.

Here is the video of the segment with Mike Blalock, publisher of Houston Newcomer Guides:

Here is the video of the segment with Kacey Procheska, new home consultant with Lennar Homes at Auburn Lakes:

Did you know that some of the things in your home could be toxic for your family? Air fresheners, carpeting, and even granite countertops can be toxic!

Those air fresheners smell nice, but some contain formaldehyde and other toxic substances. Don’t breath the air when you spray an air freshener. Also, don’t keep plug in air fresheners down low where animals or children could reach them. If you would prefer not to use air fresheners after hearing this…use the old baking soda box to natually absorb those bad odors. You can also boil some nice herbs in water on the stove to make the house smell nice or light a few scented candles.

When carpet is installed it emits more than just a smell. There are chemicals that can cause headaches and throat irritations and more. If carpet or rugs get wet, they can start growing mold which can cause allergic reactions. Many consumers are now requesting hardwood floors in both new and resale homes.

Granite has been known to emit low levels of radon, which is a colorless and odorless gas. You wouldn’t know it’s being emitted into the air. Most homes have radon anyway because it comes from the soil. You can buy at home testing kits if radon is a concern for your family. High levels have been known to cause lung cancer.

To learn more about things that could be toxic in your home, visit the environmental protection agency online. They can provide additional information.

I was shopping in Kroger and picked up one of their pamphlets off the meat market counter and thought you might like to have this info, too.  Now that summer is fast approaching, it’s a great time to start grilling!  I love Kroger’s meat market!

1.  REFRIGERATE fresh meat promptly.

- USE a cooler or chill bag to keep meat cold on the way home from the store or outside by the grill, especially on warm
days.

- SET your refrigerator at home to 40° F.

- THAW or marinate beef, pork and poultry in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen
counter.

- KEEP cold food and perishables on ice at picnics and cookouts.

- PLACE leftover cooked foods in a refrigerator or cooler with ice within two hours.

2. CLEAN hands & surfaces often.

- WASH hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.

- WASH cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water after preparing each food item.

- USE paper towels and soap to clean kitchen surfaces often.  Or clean cloth towels frequently in your washing machine’s hot
cycle to kill bacteria.

3. DON’T cross contaminate.

- SEPARATE fresh meat from other food in your grocery cart, shopping bags, in the refrigerator and by the grill.

- KEEP cutting boards and utensils separate to prevent spreading germs.

- PLACE cooked food on a clean plate – never on a plate that held raw meat.

4.  COOK to a safe temperature.

- USE a food thermometer every time you cook fresh beef, pork and poultry to reach its
proper internal temperature and kill harmful bacteria.

- COOK ground beef and pork to 160° F, and cook ground turkey and chicken to 165°
F.

- CHECK this cooking temperature guide to safely grill other cuts of fresh beef, pork and poultry.

- REMEMBER:  You can never tell if meat is cooked properly by looking at it.

Safe Cooking Temperatures

Internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer.

Ground Meat

Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb                       160° F

Turkey, Chicken                                  165° F

Fresh Beef, Veal,
Lamb

Medium Rare                                      145° F

Medium                                              160° F

Well Done                                           170° F

Poultry

Chicken, Turkey, whole                       165° F

Poultry parts                                       165° F

Duck & Goose                                     165° F

Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)       165° F

Fresh Pork

All Pork                                                160° F

Ham

Fresh (raw)                                          160° F

Pre-cooked (to reheat)                       140° F

It’s White Board Monday. This is the 61st edition and it is on what happens if you list your home at too high of a price. Enjoy!

The Woodlands, Texas is a lovely place to live just north of Houston.  This master planned community offers a lifestyle with art, entertainment, and healthy living.  Here you will find wine bars, restaurants, entertainment, and art scattered among the landscape.  It began in the 1970′s and has grown significantly in recent years.  Currently, there is very little commercial property left for businesses to move to The Woodlands.  There are both resale homes and new construction to choose from if you are relocating.  With a variety of home builders to choose from the prices range from $100 Thousand to $2 Million.  Hiking and bike trails run through all the villages and there are many parks.  It is a nature preserve full of greenbelts and wooded forest.  If you like to golf, you will have three courses to choose from.

When visiting The Woodlands make sure you take both a trolly ride and a water taxi.  These tours offer newcomers a great perspective of the area.  The Woodlands Mall and Market Street offer lots of shopping, dining choices, and entertainment.  The Woodlands houses the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is one of the most popular outdoor amphitheaters in the world.  At night, Waterway Square is a great tourest attraction.  The large water wall with dancing columns of water and fountains are choreographed to music with colored lights.

The Woodlands has so much to offer.  If you work downtown, you can get to Houston by taking I-45 South or the Hardy Toll Road.  However, there are many employment opportunites in The Woodlands.

Below is a video of The Woodllands.  If you need a Realtor to help guide you through the forest, give us a call at RREA 281.288.3500.  You will be glad you did!

**This week’s show will air at 1:30. Next week we will be back in our regular 1PM time slot.**

Here are links to some of the topics covered on today’s show.

• LaVonda Fletcher is the owner of LaVonda Fletcher Insurance Agency. She was in the studio to talk about mortgage insurance.
• Our in-house lender, Jeff Wagner, with OnQ Financial, called in to talk about the lending environment and the state of the mortgage market.
• Home Path Program – No mortgage insurance, no appraisals for purchasing foreclosures. Find foreclosure listings at http://homepath.com (Fannie Mae homes) or http://homesteps.com (Freddie Mac homes.)

We have an amazing show planned for next week. It’s Memorial Day Weekend and we have some real estate topics for veterans. One of our call-in questions next week will win a beautiful coffee table book called “Warriors Remembered.” This book is written by a West Point graduate and combat veteran, Al Nahas, and covers Vietnam Veteran Memorials around the country.

Here is the video for the segment with LaVonda Fletcher on insurance.

Here is the first segment with Jeff Wagner on mortgages.

Here is the second Jeff Wagner segment.

We are very happy to announce that starting Sunday, May 13th, 2012, RREA’s radio show, “Houston Real Estate Radio,” will air on am700 KSEV, the “Voice of Texas.” The first show will be from 1:30PM to 3PM but the show will air weekly from 1 to 3 on Sundays. The show will cover real estate news, information, areas of the Houston Metro area, and interesting people in our industry. We hope you tune in!

You can find details about the show at RREA.com/RADIO.

Welcome to our online open house for 505 Bastrop #510 in Houston. Please watch the below video and take a look at this beautiful loft apartment. If you submit your feedback at the bottom of this page, you will be entered to win a $25 gas card. Thanks for your time! Submissions will be accepted until May 18th at 12PM.

505 Bastrop St, Houston, TX 77003 (MLS # 13816700)

D-town luxury living at its finest! Perfect 2-st Penthouse, 2 bdrm finished loft w/enclosed beams/pipes, gamerm up has granite bar w/sink,wine cooler,wine glass rack & ice mker. Kit w/isl. raisd bar w/granite, slate backsplash, stainless appl. & kegerator. Tiled downstairs w/slate bathrms, carpet bdrms, Oak hardwood stairs & upstairs. 2 prime prkg spaces, add l storage closet/deep freezer, lg closets, wrap around balcony facing Minute Maid. Fully furnished, goes w/the sale. Amazing skyline view!

Property Type(s): Mid/Hi-Rise Condo

Schools

Additional Details

Features

Location

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listed with Register Real Estate Advisors

(view all details for MLS #13816700)

HOUSTON (TxDMV) – As if moving wasn’t already stressful enough, now consumers are being warned to watch out for illegal moving companies that may be out to take a person’s personal belongings on a permanent vacation.

As the summer moving season gears up, state and moving industry officials cautioned Texans to do their homework before hiring a moving company and encouraged the law enforcement community to take note of a new state law that imposes fines and jail time against unlicensed movers.

More than 60 percent of the moving complaints received at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) deal with unlicensed movers. To operate legally, a moving company must display a valid TxDMV (TxDMV licenses moving companies) or United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) license number on the truck.

Perhaps the best advice is the most basic: always know who you are dealing with before starting a move.

“[Consumers] need to stop for a minute and ask themselves ‘Who am I about to let into my home?’ because it might just be some guy living in a basement or with a criminal record who is going to show up with a rented moving truck to cart off everything you own,” said Linda Bauer Darr, president and CEO of Virginia-based American Moving & Storage Association.

And where should you never go to hire a mover? Free internet advertising sites, said John Trevino of the Houston Police Department’s Special Investigation Command.

Before hiring a moving company, Texans can find out whether the company is licensed by going to Moving Companies on the TxDMV website.

Posted from…

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner of Register Real Estate Advisors, and Kevin Price, host of “Price of Business” on 1070am in Houston, have a chance to talk to Jim Holcomb, President of Holcomb Properties and Developer of The Falls at Imperial Oaks in Spring texas, about the current real estate market from the perspective of new construction homes. You can see a video of the community at http://rrea.us/falls or call 281.288.3500 and our agents would be happy to show you this beautiful community.