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The Grand Parkway – coming to Northwest Houston!!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Monday, October 8th, 2012

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Since moving here 15 years ago we have been hearing rumors of the Grand Parkway. I recently went to a REALTOR® brunch where the guest speaker was David Gornet the Executive Director of the Grand Parkway Association. 1999 was when the study began for the Parkway but finally the rumors are over and the Grand Parkway is on its way. He said that by 2015 the Grand Parkway Association is projecting that the Grand Parkway will be finished from IH-59 (S) to IH-59 (N). When finished it will be 185 miles encircling the greater Houston area and going through 7 different counties.

The other rumor that I had heard was that the Grand Parkway was being finished because of Exxon coming to the Spring area. According to Mr. Gornet that is not the case; he said that Exxon is taking advantage of the placement of the Grand Parkway not the other way around. The advantage for the Grand Parkway is that when it opens they will have immediate traffic because of Exxon on that segment. He said typically they have to build up traffic but in this case the traffic will be there.

There are 4 different segments that will affect the Northwest area.

Section E is a proposed 15-mile segment that goes from IH-10 (W) to US 290 (Northwest Freeway through Harris County. According to Mr. Gornet this segment is projected to be finished in December of 2013.

Segment F-1 is a proposed 12-mile segment that goes from US 290 (Northwest Freeway to SH 249 (Tomball Parkway) through Harris County. Segment F-2 is a proposed 12-mile segment that goes from SH 249 (Tomball Parkway) to IH-45 N (North Freeway) through Harris County. He said that Tomball is lobbying to try and get direct connectors. I hope those negotiations go well as those connectors would make an easy transition on to SH 249 without having to stop at lights. I’m not sure where all the exits will be but he mentioned Champion Forest, Kuykedahl and Gosling. Looking at the map this segment appears to run north of Spring Stuebner.

Segment G is a proposed 13-mile segment that runs from IH 45(N) to US 59(N) through Harris and Montgomery Counties. This segment will run along Riley Fuzzell and I’m assuming will connect with the Hardy toll road.

For more information you can visit the Grand Parkway website at www.grandpky.com.

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

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Northwest Houston, Spring TX, The Woodlands TX, Tomball TX

Why everyone in the Spring/Tomball/Magnolia area should have flood insurance!!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Sunday, July 15th, 2012

After last year’s drought I hate to complain about rain but ENOUGH ALREADY! Two days in a row this last week I drove my car through deep water. I don’t know when I have been that scared. The Lord was good to me and I made it through but it was quite scary. I drive a Nissan Ultima which is fairly close to the ground and to be quite honest I’m not sure how I was not swept off the road.

It has now been days later but the flood water is still hanging around. The picture to the right is a picture of Spring Creek. The operative word here is Creek not River. Typically when going over this bridge you have to look hard to find the water. Not so at the moment.

It has been years since we have had flooding in our area but this brought back to me how important it is that everyone get flood insurance. With the Houston area being so low you don’t have to live close to a river or a creek to flood; street flooding is not uncommon. The last number of years have been fairly dry but years ago we almost street flooded. It was shortly after we had built our house; the house behind us was being built and the builder had put in too much soil in the back yard. We had a thunderstorm and being originally from Kansas my husband had went out on the back porch in the middle of the night to enjoy the storm. As he opened the door he noticed that the water was almost to our back door. The fence was acting like a damn so he opened the side gate and whoosh we were saved. The next day I ordered flood insurance.

Personally I think everyone in the Spring/Tomball/Magnolia/The Woodlands area should have flood insurance. When you don’t live in a floor plain it is relatively inexpensive. Ours cost less than $400 a year but for the peace of mind it gives it is worth every penny. I have worked with clients that have flooded and I think it is almost worse than a fire. In a fire everything is just gone but in a flood it is still there to see but totally ruined. It will take about a month to get your policy going. I’m not sure why but that is the way it is.

After the drought we had last year it is amazing to see all the rain this year. After that awful drought I hate to complain about rain but we are getting too much of a good thing!! The gist of the post is that if you don’t have flood insurance and you live in this area you should think about getting it.

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

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Spring TX, The Woodlands TX, Tomball TX, Uncategorized

4th of July in Spring/Tomball/Magnolia TX 2012!!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

This time last year here in the Spring-Tomball-Magnolia-The Woodlands area we were in the midst of a severe drought. We were dealing with fires in Magnolia and heard on the news that we could be in the drought for years. The only fireworks we saw last year over the 4th were on television or the Internet. As is so often common the forecasters were wrong and God had other plans for us as we have had a fair amount of rain this year. Our area is not totally back to normal but we are getting close. Lake Conroe is now only 2 feet low rather than 8 feet; we still have lots of dead trees to deal with from last years drought but otherwise our foliage is green and the fireworks stands are open. We do love our fireworks in Texas!

We have flipped places with Colorado this year. Last year I went to visit my family in Colorado over the summer and was amazed at how green everything was while we were brown; as typically Colorado tends to be a bit brown in the summer. This year it is Colorado that is incredibly dry. How sad it has been to watch the national news and see the devastation the fires have caused. My sister lives in Elizabeth and has kept me abreast of the condition. They had a fire fairly close but luckily it was put out quick unlike the fire in Colorado Springs. Last I heard over 350 people had lost their homes and there was also loss of life.

I will be visiting Colorado shortly to celebrate my Dad’s 95th birthday and will be seeing for myself. Our Dad is doing great for 95 and we have a big shindig planned in Elizabeth. His shindig will be without some of our usual yard games as the grass is too crunchy but we are just blessed to be getting together.

Remembering last year I so understand what Colorado is going through. Please keep Colorado in your thoughts and prayers.

Fireworks in Texas on New Years eve 2012

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

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Spring TX, Tomball TX

Drought at Lake Conroe Fall 2011 – Water in the lake Spring 2012!!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Sunday, March 25th, 2012

Last year we had an extreme drought in the Spring-Tomball-Magnolia area which also of course affected Lake Conroe. We keep our sailboat at Lake Conroe which is about a 35 minute drive for us. We have a Catalina 22 with a retractable keel so keep it on dry land on the trailer. As you can see from the pictures those people who were not so lucky to be able

to trailer their boats had them sitting on dry land for most of the winter. Water was being taken out of Lake Conroe to flow in to Lake Houston and at one point the lake was 8 foot down. As sad as our lake looked it was built as a back up water supply for the city of Houston. Thank goodness the water was there for them.

These drought pictures were taken at what was supposed to be our last regatta for the season, Toys for Tots which always takes place the first Saturday in December; obviously we were not racing that day. The owners of our yacht club told us that in the 1970′s when the lake was being built they were told it would take three years to fill up and it filled up the first year. They were optimistic that the lake would feel up quick. I on the other hand was listening to the weatherman who said that we were going to be in a severe drought for the next 5 years and was not feeling so optimistic. We even thought about taking our boat down to Galveston bay but that would be an hour and half drive verses 35 minutes and with gas prices the way they are we just figured we would not be sailing this summer.

Spring forward just a few short months and look at what happened. We were at a St. Patricks day party at Conroe Yacht Club and lo and behold there was water. It appears God was in control not the weatherman; we had rain in all the right places. It has been an incredibly wet winter and our lake is now only down 2 feet. We have not taken our boat out yet but when we are ready we can. (The only reason we did not go out today is because there is no wind and there’s no sailing without wind).

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

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Sailing, Spring TX, Tomball TX

Rain, Rain Marvelous Rain!!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

We have lived in the Spring-Tomball-Magnolia area since 1996 and have loved the sub-tropical climate. Typically our winters are very wet which leads to lush foliage in the spring. Last year however we had a dry winter which lead to a dry spring and an even drier fall. We saw trees dying by the thousands.

At the time we heard from those who were in the know that we were likely to be dry for the next 5 years. Lake Conroe where we keep our sail boat was down 7 foot and we were deciding if we should take our boat the the bay. What a wonderful surprise our wet winter has been. After such a dry year last year it is such a joy to see all this rain. The picture to the right is of our backyard.

I guess it goes to say that God is in control not us!

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

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Spring TX, Tomball TX

Westwood in Magnolia TX!!

By Marchel · Comments (1)

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Westwood, Magnolia TX is located at the intersection of FM 1488 and FM 2978. If you are looking for a country subdivision that is decently priced but close to amenities then look no farther. Westwood is a beautiful subdivision with plenty of towering pines and hardwoods. Most of the homes are located on lots that are just less than 1/2 acre at 20,000 square feet. There are a few lots at 40,000 square feet or beyond but they would be in the minority.

Westwoodis located on both sides of FM 1488. The two sides of Westwood are caddy corner to each other. Westwood is south of FM 1488, west of FM 2978 and to the east of Tamina. Westwood is also to the north of FM 1488 and to the east of FM 2978 going east to Westwood North. Westwood is actually closer to The Woodlands than it is to the actual town of Magnolia. The actual town of Magnolia TX is about 10 miles west on FM 1488.

Westwood has been a subdivision since the late 1970′s. You will find homes in Westwood built from as early as 1978 to the present. This is one of the many subdivisions that were affected by Houston’s oil bust of the late 1980′s. We moved here in 1996 and I remember driving around in Westwood shortly after that and being amazed at how many lots were still available. That is no longer the case as much of the subdivision has been built out by small custom builders. If you are looking to build you can still find lots but they are going quick.

One of the beauties of Westwood is the low taxes. There is NO MUD DISTRICT! The subdivision enjoys community water and each home has their own septic. The older homes may have a traditional septic but homes built since 1996 will have aerobic septic. This makes for a low property tax rate of $2.17 per 100 value.

Westwood does have a home owners association but the deed restrictions are lighter than most subdivisions. For instance you may keep a travel trailer, boat or RV in your front yard. Westwood is one of the rare subdivisions that will allow this. The HOA fees are also quite reasonable at $150 per year. This fee includes two swimming pools; one located on both sides of FM 1488. There is also a community park, tennis courts and a picnic area. This is truly a bargain when you consider that most subdivisions with this kind of amenities have much higher home owner dues.

Home prices in Westwood in the last year have varied from a low of $67,000 (a foreclosure) to a high of $310,000. The average sales price for the year was $193,000. Square footage ranged from 1400 square feet to 3200 square feet. The average square footage was 2250 square feet.

Westwood is located in the highly acclaimed Magnolia ISD. The grade school is Ellisor, the intermediate is Bear Branch and the High school is Magnolia High School.

If you are looking for a country subdivision that is a decent drive to Houston or IAH then this may be the place for you. There’s a Signature Kroger on the corner of FM 1488 & FM 2878; along with a Ross, Office Max, Petsmart etc. etc. As an added benefit you can be shopping or eating in The Woodlands within 15 to 20 minutes.

Come home to Westwood, Magnolia TX!

Photos are for illustration purposes only and do not necessarily represent current or past listings.
For all your Spring/Tomball/Magnolia TX Real Estate needs, contact me today! Marchel Peterson Results Realty Cell: 832-721-8332

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Categories : Magnolia TX

Aerobic septics for country homes in Harris County and Montgomery County!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Monday, April 4th, 2011

One thing you will want to consider when you are buying or building a country home in either Harris County or Montgomery County is where you are going to get your water and how your septic will be handled. For the most part our country subdivisions are on community water and have their own septic systems. There are of course exceptions to this but I show in country subdivisions all the time and this seems to be the norm. Now if you are not in a subdivision then chances are good that you will have to have both septic and a well. Since we don’t deal with a lot of wells most of this post is going to be about Aerobic Septics.

In the homes built prior to around 1998 you will probably find the conventional septic systems. After 1998 most of the septic systems are going to be Aerobic septic. In both Harris and Montgomery Counties I think the only septic that is available is now the aerobic septic. As these conventional septic tanks get older many of them don’t pass inspections. When they don’t pass inspections the remedy usually ends up being with the owner having to put in a new aerobic septic. You are probably looking at a cost of $6000 to $8000 depending on how big of a system that you get. This is something that is regulated by the state and counties so you will need to get your permits.

The Aerobic septic acts like a small scale sewage treatment system. It is similar to a tank system but produces a high quality secondary effluent which is sterilized and then used for surface irrigation. This means that at someplace on your property there will be a sprinkler system that will go off at night watering the yard so to speak with the discharge. You will want to mark the sprinkler head so you don’t run over it with the mower. Should you have any problem with the sprinkler heads you can find replacement parts at your local hardware store.

You MUST have a maintenance contract with an aerobic septic system company. This is a requirement and if you don’t chances are the county will find out and ask you to see them in court.

There’s not a lot of maintenance involved but you will have to put chlorine tablets in (believe me you will know if you forget to put them in). These are not the same tables as you use for a pool. Typically you can put in two tablets at a time and then check every 2 weeks to see if it needs more.

Basically the difference between the aerobic system and the old tank system is that the fluids are moved to the end of the line and then they are disbursed onto your lawn by a sprinkler system. I know that sounds gross but it does not smell and you will probably find that to be the greenest part of your yard.

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

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Relocating information, Tomball TX

Texas schools – A crisis is looming!

By admin · Comments (0)

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

I recently went to a meeting of the Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce where Dr. Cain the superintendent of Klein ISD spoke to us. I was amazed to find out that there is a law on the books in the state of Texas that does not allow a school district to give a teacher any pay reductions & they also cannot be furloughed. Schools are going through a rough time right now and according to Dr. Cain if they can’t ask the teachers to take a small decrease in pay then LOTS of teachers are going to be laid off.

My husband has been with a major airline for almost 25 years and two times in his employment we have had to take 10% pay cuts. It was not easy but the alternative was to be without a job. Unless something is done quickly according to Dr. Cain they are going to have to be sending out pink slip notices in April and this story is going to be repeated statewide. I’m hoping that a bill is making its way through the Texas House to address this as I write this. I can’t imagine that our Texas teachers would mind taking a small cut if it meant there would not be layoffs. The rest of us are having to buckle our belts and I can’t imagine that they would not like that opportunity also. The other thing that could be done is some of the teacher work days could be furloughed without pay and that according to Dr. Cain would have a huge impact on their bottom line.

The other thing that I found out at this meeting was the law that the state of Texas has on the books only allowing a 22 child class size in grades kindergarten through the 4^th grade. He told us that if a certain grade was full at 22 students per class and a new student entered that put that total over 22 per class they immediately had to hire a new teacher and make a new class. That is NUTS!! When my children were small we lived in another state where the schools were very liberal and so I had my children in private Christian schools and I’m telling you the private school class size was huge. I think there was something like 35 in each class but they did have a teacher and an aide. Our children got an incredible education from that school.

We moved here when our children were in the 5^th grade and 9^th grade and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Klein ISD was still teaching reading, writing & arithmetic. My children got a great education from Klein ISD. My daughter ended up getting a degree in Communication Design at UNT and our son is now a sophomore at Texas A&M in Ocean Engineering. He took the longer route as he was an Intelligence Analyst in the Army for almost 5 years. The reason he joined the Army was because he scored so high on their entrance exam.

Like I said I hope a bill is already in the works as the public schools have to make key decisions in April and pink slips will be going out. I am writing this as I want to see other people’s children have those same options that were available to my children and from what I can see something needs to happen quick or that is going to be in jeopardy.

I’m a real estate broker serving the districts of Klein ISD, Spring ISD, Tomball ISD, Magnolia ISD, Montgomery ISD and Cypress ISD. All of these districts have done nothing but grow in the last few years. Even though times are hard we are still in a big growth stage. The boys and girls of Texas are the future and we need to protect our future.

Please consider writing your local Texas legislatures right away about this problem. You can find ways to contact them at texas legislatures online. Representative Rob Eissler is the public education chair. I found that I could not email him through the website as I am not in his constituency but I called his office at 512-463-0797 and they were happy to give me his email address. I don’t think I should put that address on the web but if you want to contact his office you can either call that number or email me and I will be glad to personally give it to you.

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

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Spring TX, Spring-Klein Chamber, The Woodlands TX, Tomball TX

Leadership North Houston Alumni workshop – Leadership Starts with you!

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Saturday, February 12th, 2011

Leadership North Houston workshop February 25, 2011

Leadership North Houston Alumni present
A Leadership Workshop and Luncheon

Leadership starts with you – Guest speaker Germaine Porche

Friday February 25, 2011
Taking place at – Lone Star College System
5000 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands TX

Register online at:
www.LeadershipNorthHoustonAlumni.org

This workshop is being offered by the Leadership North Houston alumni and is available to the entire Northwest Harris and Montgomery County communities. The workshop is designed to expand and deepen leadership skills in almost any role you play whether it be work, home or a volunteer capacity.

According to a recent survey by Towns Perrin only 21% of the workforce is fully engaged with 38% being disengaged. (It sounds like that 20/80 theory is still alive and well).

During tough economic times, most of us are stretched and long to have others step up without having to beg and nag them. During this interactive session you will gain the tools and insights to help you examine and enhance your leadership capabilities.

Learning objectives for the workshop are .

Determine your leadership style through self assessment
Gain tools to expand & deepen leadership skills in you and others
Enhance communication and listening skills to engage others.

Cost:
$79 Workshop and Luncheon
$35 Luncheon with Keynote address -

Leadership:The art of engagement

Please note that if you cannot attend the morning session you can still attend the luncheon and hear Germaine Porche speaking on the art of Engagement.

8:00- 8:30 A.M. Check in and Breakfast
8:30-11:30 A.M. Workshop
11:30-12:00 A.M. Networking
12:00-1:00 P.M. Luncheon with Keynote address

Sponsorship:
Become a $500 workshop sponsor and receive the following:

Recognition in the event
Marketing table at the luncheon
Recognition in the LNH Alumni newsletter

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Categories : Magnolia TX, Misc. Ramblings, Northwest Houston, Spring TX, The Woodlands TX, Tomball TX

Crape Myrtle murder in Spring-Tomball-Magnolia TX!

By admin · Comments (2)

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Crape Myrtle murder has started early in Spring-Tomball-Magnolia TX this year. I have been driving around watching the landscapers out pruning for the last few weeks. The sad thing is that there’s absolutely no reason to scalp murder a tree the way they do. I expect many of you have heard the story of Grandma’s roast. It seems Grandma cut the end of the roast off, so Mom cut the end of her roast off and so on. Finally someone got around to asking Grandma why she cut the roast off and her answer was so it could fit in the pan. To me that’s a good analogy of the crape myrtle murder that goes on in our area. From everything I have read and actual experience I cannot see that it does any good to the Crape Myrtle tree.

I made the small video above showing exactly what I’m talking about. We are having subnormal cold weather right now and I also hope these trees don’t go into shock.

There are a lot of different ideas on how to take care of the crape myrtles. You see varying degrees of pruning to not pruning at all. I did quite a bit of research and the general consensus was that they should be lightly pruned. Over pruning reduces the number of blooms. I also read where there is a mistaken belief that lopping off the tops of all the branches is necessary to promote flowering. This is what is called Crape murder.

Flowering on a crape myrtle occurs on the new branches that are produced in the spring; so light pruning in late winter encourages the production of flowering branches. One of the articles said that if the trees are tipped back lightly after the first flush of bloom, some trees are likely to bloom a second time. Cutting the trees back heavily can shock them and slow down the growth of flowering branches. If you don’t prune at all this article said the flower clusters that emerge in the summer will be smaller but more prolific.

From everything I have read over pruning where people chop the crape myrtle back to the knuckle each and every year reduces the number of blooms that will be produced during the summer and the new branches that do grow will be far too long and will not be able to support the weight of heavy blossoms; especially when they get wet. Thus these long branches often break off during heavy rains and our area is known for those heavy rains.

As I was posting my video I found the video below and he gives some excellent advice on how to take care of your crape myrtles.

Not being originally from this area dealing with crape myrtles has been a new and learning experience for us. When we first moved here we lopped off those branches every year and then wondered if we had bought dwarf crape myrtle. The last few years we tried the method that I have described here and not even pruning at all. You can see from my picture below that we have had a wonderful success not pruning. The picture was taken at dusk as it just set the flowers off.

Crape Myrtle at dusk that was not pruned!

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

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Categories : Gardening, Magnolia TX, Relocating information, Spring TX, Tomball TX

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Recent Posts

Archive for Magnolia TX

The Grand Parkway – coming to Northwest Houston!!

Why everyone in the Spring/Tomball/Magnolia area should have flood insurance!!

4th of July in Spring/Tomball/Magnolia TX 2012!!

Drought at Lake Conroe Fall 2011 – Water in the lake Spring 2012!!

Rain, Rain Marvelous Rain!!

Westwood in Magnolia TX!!

Aerobic septics for country homes in Harris County and Montgomery County!

Texas schools – A crisis is looming!

Leadership North Houston Alumni workshop – Leadership Starts with you!

Crape Myrtle murder in Spring-Tomball-Magnolia TX!

Contact Marchel