Register Real Estate Advisors

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

Whether you are relocating to Conroe, The Woodlands, or Spring area; Do you need local information? Do you already live here, are stuck in a rut of doing the same thing over and over? Would you like to branch out with new ideas of where to play, shop, or dine? Do you need ideas of where to travel right here within our Lone Star State of Texas? Keep reading! I have just the spot for you to check out that will give you all kinds of ideas.

I confess, I was stuck in one of those do the same ‘ole thing over and over ruts myself. I started my day off with the idea – let’s see what is right here in my area of Montgomery County. I wanted to know what I can do new and then share my learned information. First stop was at the Shenandoah Visitors Center which, by the way, is open 7 days a week 8am-5pm.

Traveling on Interstate 45, Shenandoah is just 35 miles north of Houston and only 20 minutes north from Bush Intercontinental Airport. Shenandoah may be small in population but it makes a Big Impact on the Commercial Development for our entire community in Montgomery County. Just click on the home website for the Shenandoah Visitors Center and you will find tabs of :

• “Where to Shop” – Ideas both locally in Shenandoah such as The Portofino Shopping Center, it also includes “Area Shopping” – The Woodlands Mall, and Old Town Spring. New information to me was The Swim Shop of the Southwest, located inside the CISD Natatorium.
• “Where to Stay” – Shenandoah offers seven hotels.
• “What to Do” – choose from a drop down list of Recreation, Cultural, Entertainment and Sports Facilities.
• “Where to Dine” – some of my favorite Restaurants are on this list, now to try something new …

While inside the Visitors Center located at 19265 David Memorial Drive, Shenandoah, TX 77385 be sure to ask the attendant for local coupons. I am thrilled to have received the coupon book full of dollar savings $ specials to use right here within the home territory! I also picked up pamphlets that give local information:

• Dine – Fine Dining, Fast Food, or something in between in Shenandoah.
• Main Event Entertainment Shenandoah
• Conroe Texas Visitors Guide
• Lake Conroe Event Center
• Market Street The Woodlands
• Current – What’s New and Happening For Visitors in The Woodlands

Those were just some of the local ideas. In addition the Visitors Center is recognized by the State of Texas as a Texas Tourism Information Center because it is stocked with information from across the Lone Star State. This is a good starting point to plan your next road trip!

Now … think about it … it’s time to move and where are you going to live? That’s information I can help you with!

Currently Benders Landing has opened up thier estates section and is selling lots for future homes. If you are interested in purchasing a one to two acre lot in Spring, Texas, this is a fabulous community. Close to the Hardy Toll Road, it offers convenient access to The Woodlands and Houston. Purchase your lot now and build later. There are only a few lakefront lots left, so if you prefer to be on the water, call us today! Most are wooded lots. There are no MUD taxes in Benders Landing. This community is only 5 miles to the new ExxonMobil Headquarters. So go ahead and buy now and build later! Lots are going fast. If you want to be outside of the estates section, there are many resale lots also available in Benders Landing. Call us today at 281.288.3500 to find out more. See video below for more information on this community.

The city of Spring has grown over the last decade.  It has many restaurants, shopping areas, and offers entertainment.  One of the great summer spots is Splashtown located right off of I45 North.  The Hardy Toll Road gives Spring residents easy access to Houston’s downtown destinations and Bush International Airport.  Going north on I45, The Woodlands offers wonderful shopping and entertainment.  Even further north you can reach Lake Conroe for summer fun and many gold courses. The new ExxonMobil Campus is being built in Spring, Texas close to The Woodlands. This will bring a lot of demand for housing into the area over the next few years.

Old Town Spring is a quaint collection of turn-of-the-century buildings that are a favorite shopping spot and tourist destination. Over 150 restaurants, museums, art galleries, and shops occupy the vintage structures. If you live in Spring, you can enjoy the annual Crawfish Festival. The unique shopping opportunites in Old Town Spring draw people from all over Texas.

Spring’s housing inventory has many lovely median priced residents.  Benders Landing Estates is a beautiful acreage community located just minutes from the Hardy Toll Road.  Schools, restaurants, entertainment venues, and medical facilities are all close by when you live in Spring, Texas.  If you are interested in moving or relocating to the Spring, Woodlands, or Old Town Spring area, please give us a call at Register Real Estate Advisors.  We would love to help you with all of your real estate needs – 281.288.3500.

Video of Spring -

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.

This is a great list for getting your home ready to market.  Before you sell, spring clean!  It will make all of your marketing and advertising photos look better, too.  Buyers love a clean and clutter free home with curb appeal! 

• Remove and donate unwanted items, reorganize and clean closets, attic, basement and garage
• Power wash exterior walls, porch floors, deck, patio, driveway and sidewalks
• Clean outdoor furniture and outdoor light fixtures
• Clean out gutters or have new ones installed
• Clean out refrigerator and freezer, making sure to vacuum the grill and coil
• Remove lint from the hose attached to back of clothes dryer
• Vacuum baseboards, walls and ceilings, wipe down walls
• Steam clean carpets and area rugs and upholstery
• Reseal natural stone surfaces (travertine, etc)
• Reseal and repair grout in bathtubs and showers
• Clean window treatments, dust and clean blinds and shutters
• Remove items from all shelves, dust and clean
• Oil hinges

If you need a recommendation for anyone to help you with this list, call me for a referral.  And when you are ready to sell your home, give me a call!

Register Real Estate Advisors is a proud member of the Greater Houston Association of Builders. As the GHBA celebrates Professional Designation Month RREA decided to outline some of our Realtor Designations. At RREA, Shannon Register is both the Broker and Owner. A Broker’s License is probably the highest real estate designation available. We have several Realtors in our brokerage that are Broker Associates (they have a Broker’s license.) Another one of Shannon’s designations is the GRI – Graduate Realtor Institute. This designation includes training in marketing, brokerage, and general real estate buying and selling. The ABR – Accredited Buyer’s Representative Designation makes Realtors an expert when it comes to working with buyers. Shannon also has completed the Texas Realtor’s Leadership Program and is certified to work with the Texas Veterans Land Board. Many of our agents can work with Texas Vets. Shannon has been certified in new home construction sales. Through the local board of Realtors, she is a Social Media Pro. Through the National Association of Realtors she has her ePro Designation. In addition to all of these, Shannon holds the Short Sale and Foreclosure Certification and the Certified Distressed Property Expert Designation. Many of the RREA Agents have their ABR and CDPE. The Certified Negotiation Expert is another one that many of our agents have. This is an important one because you want whoever the Realtor is that is representing you to be a good negotiator. Shannon is also an Accredited Luxury Home Specialist. This designation is for Realtors who work with consumers that are purchasing homes over $400K in the Houston Market. When choosing a Realtor or Broker to represent you with your real estate needs, you want to choose one that is educated in that area and will work for you. To learn more about RREA’s agents, you can read their profiles at rrea.com/team.

Spring, Texas is a great place to purchase or sell real estate. Texas has continued to have a stable economy as the country has wavered over the last two years. In March of 2012 there were about 290 homes that sold in Spring, Texas. Some were distressed properties. In the first half of March 2012 the average list price, according to the Houston MLS, was about $234K. The average home sold for about $234K. That’s about $86 a square foot. In general, it took about three months to sell a home, when some parts of the country were taking as long as two years to sell properties. The average square feet of the homes sold was around 2650. These were mostly 3 bedroom, 2 bath homes built around 1996. Currently, at the beginning of April 2012, there are about 620 pending sales in the MLS for Spring, Texas, proving the buyers are out this spring.

For the Spring renatal market, about 200 homes were rented in the first half of March. Those averaged 2000 square feet and had three bedrooms, two baths, and were on the market for about a month before renting. The average rental price was aboout $1400. So if you are thinking about investing in real estate, you might want to look into the rising rental markets in the area. If you would like help purchasing or selling a home in the Spring area, please call RREA today to talk with one of our Realtors.

At RREA, we are a brokerage in the cloud. Are you looking for a Brokerage? Do you want a broker you can call anytime? RREA might be the perfect fit for you. Although we are located in Spring, Texas, we are looking for agents to service all areas of the Houston and surrounding markets. Currently, the only reason our agents need to come into the office is to pick up signs, make a video in our studio, or attend a class of their choosing that’s in the office. Our agents are never required to step foot in our brokerage. We offer everything an agent needs in the cloud. You can fax, scan, or mail your documents to your broker. We offer a broker that can be contacted every day of the week via fax, email, text, phone, and Facebook. If you are looking for a brokerage that offers all the documents you could need for your business in the cloud, call us today to join. We are an independent brokerage, so there are no franchise fees. We offer you everything you need in the comfort of your own home office. Call our broker today to join us – 281.288.3500. We offer everything you need – online – and we have a variety of plans to choose from. We want to help you grow your business and work whatever area of the market you live in!

As Spring approaches, many homeowners and home sellers want to choose a landscape company to improve their curb appeal. If you need a good reference for a landscaper, call us at RREA and we can provide you the names and numbers of many landscapers that have done work for us and our clients. When choosing a landscape company, below are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Find a company that meets your purpose – is it a drainage issue, planting issue, or maintenance service you need?
2. Get a contract – a contract will help to steer you clear of a miscommunication. It should include a time frame for doing the work and what will be planted.
3. Insurance – does the landscape company have workman’s comp insurance? What about liability insurance? Get the names and numbers and call them before the work begins to confirm coverage.
4. Picture Perfect – Take photos before the landscape work begins, especially those problem areas you expect to be fixed.
Over the past few years I have hired many landscapers to work at my personal residence and I have yet to be completely satisfied with any of the companies. Once I was purchasing palms and the contract stated they would be 3-6 feet tall and they were all under 3 feet. That particular company said that was due to the weather and that’s all they could find – no funds for my shortage. I have had them promise me I will love the plants they choose and I don’t. I have requested only perennial plants and flowers that will last year around, and that never happens. I have had them remove items from my landscape as a mistake and take them back to their shops and never return them back to me even when I remind them many times. That particular company also said they would fill all of my baskets with flowers and they left a few empty and even after many requests they never came back to complete the work. These are all big name Houston Companies that I have used. So honestly, you need to be careful who you choose not only when putting in landscaping, but also outdoor lighting and water features. Now, I go buy my own plants and pick what I like, then I have my current landscaper plant them where I want them. That is where I have had the best luck!!