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The Texas “termination option” clause!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

In Texas we have a “termination option” clause in our real estate contract that you will want to understand. This clause allows buyers and sellers to negotiate a specified time during which the buyer can fully evaluate the house. For this right, they buyer pays the seller a nonrefundable “option fee”. Your option period is typically that period of time where you do your home inspections however you can back out for any reason during this option period.

Everything is negotiable but usually you will have put $100 (plus or minus) down for a 5 to 10 day option period. (These are not business days so time is of the essence.) This option period gives you the time to do your home inspections however as I said you can opt out for any reason during this period and you will only lose your option fee; your earnest money will be refunded. Typically a seller will allow you 10 days but that time can vary.

This option period starts once you have finished negotiations and all parties have signed the contract; you now have a fully executed contract. Prior to this it was called an offer but you are now under a legally binding contract. The option period starts counting the day after the contract is fully executed by all parties.

Foreclosures typically don not ask for an option fee but give you 5 to 10 days to inspect the property. For foreclosures only this is often written in special provisions and it is usually addressed in the foreclosure addendum’s. I have found that many foreclosures only allow 5 to 7 days. These are not business days; time is of the essence and strict compliance with the time for performance is required. I know that does not sound like many days but inspector’s are use to being on this short notice and I have never had a problem with getting inspections done during that period.

If the inspections uncover more than you bargained for this is the time to back out. Actually you can back out for any reason during this option period and the only money you will lose is the money you put down for the option and the cost of your inspections. The earnest money will be returned to you in full as long as you provide the owner a termination letter in the agreed upon days. Again time is of the essence!

I have heard from clients that there are states where the only ramification of backing out at any time during the process is losing your earnest money but that is not the case in Texas. In Texas you will usually lose your earnest money and you also may be sued for specific performance. In my experience most seller’s will just move on but they do have the option of suing. Long story short the time to back out if you are so inclined is during the option period.

I have lived in four states and each state has handled the home inspection process in a different manner. Personally I like this process the best of those I have come across.

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

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Categories : Relocating information

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.

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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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Categories : Magnolia TX, Relocating information, Tomball TX

Found Cow in Tomball TX!!

By admin · Comments (0)

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Found cow in Tomball TX!

I was driving in to Tomball today and passed a sign that said “Found Cow”. Considering there’s a whole pasture of cows next door I’m not sure how you tell one from another but someone has lost a cow.

I absolutely love Tomball and where else would you find someone advertising that they had found a cow. The nickname for Tomball is the hometown with a heart and it truly is. The people are incredibly friendly and quite honest as you can tell from the found Cow sign.If you have lost a cow in Tomball you can locate your cow off of Hufsmith road not too far from FM 2978.

Found cow in Tomball TX

All kidding aside this is one of the reasons that you might want to consider living in a subdivision even if you live in the City of Tomball. Tomball has light restrictions which do allow cows to live in the city.

I have written several post that relates to this subject of deed restriction and Home owner’s associations. For additional information please visit them at:

Hopefully that cow has found her home!

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If you are buying or relocating to Tomball Texas and 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 Tomball please visit my websites at http://agentwithresults.com and at http://www.resultsrealtytx.com/.

Want to find out about new 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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Categories : Relocating information, 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!

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

Cold facts on plant survival for Spring-Tomball-Magnolia TX plants!!

By admin · Comments (0)

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Cold Facts to save your Spring-Tomball-Magnolia TX foliage!

Last year the Houston Chronicle had a great article about plant survival in freezing temperatures. Since it is almost February I was thinking I was going to get away without having to post about this but it is not to be; we are looking to have several days of frigid temperatures starting tomorrow (lows in the low to mid 20′s). Here in Houston we rarely have frigid temperatures and for sure not several days in a row. I love all the tropical plants that I’m able to grow in Spring and by using what they said I saved my plants last year and plan to again this year. This year I also have a winter garden going and I sure don’t want to lose my lettuce.

After reading the article I realized that I’ve not been going at this correctly. What you want to do is mulch, water and cover. If it has not rained you need to water first which I had to do last year but this year we have had rain. Water and mulch should be enough for certain plants. Those plants would be abelia, azalea, boxwood, eleagnus, Hawthorne, holly, ligustrum, loropetalum, mahonia, nandina, roses, wax myrtle and yaupon. After an extended freeze these shrubs will probably show foliage damage without cover but should put on new leaves in the spring.

We went the extra step covering plants with fiber row covers, sheets & blankets. This will raise the temperature a few degrees depending on the cover. For even extra protection we added a layer of heavy plastic over the cloth covers and secured it with bricks and stones. The article said not to place plastic directly on the plants. (This is where I have been going astray). My plants are again double wrapped and I feel that again I will have healthy plants after the cold snap. Of course we have moved our potted plants inside.

Protecting your plants from cold weather in Spring TX!!

Do not wash frost or ice off the plants the morning after the freeze. If you wash the frost off it raises the temperature too fast and can damage the plant’s cell tissue. After the frigid temperatures are over assess the damage but DO NOT prune. The freeze damaged wood will protect live wood farther down the branch (should we have more frigid temperatures).

In the spring prune to green at your normal pruning time. I have always heard mid February for pruning.

I hope this is it for our frigid weather. We have lived here 14 years and I don’t ever remember covering plants this late in the season. I remember a radio commentator years ago saying we have two seasons in Houston summer and January. It looks like winter is going in to February for us this year. Hopefully this will be the last time to cover the plants.

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Categories : First Time Home Buyers, Magnolia TX, Misc. Ramblings, Relocating information, Spring TX, The Woodlands TX, Tomball TX

Why you need deed restrictions in Harris and Montgomery County!

By admin · Comments (2)

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Why you want deed restrictions in Harris and Montgomery County!

It really boils down to 2 words and they are NO ZONING. When we moved here in 1997 and I was in real estate school I almost fell off my chair when I found out that Houston did not have zoning. It is especially apparent when you live in either unincorporated Harris County or unincorporated Montgomery County. If you are not in an area that has some deed restrictions it is a total free for all. Those subdivisions without restrictions have mobile homes, businesses, salvage yards, farm animals etc. You get the point!

Since we don’t have zoning something that has naturally happened are subdivisions with all levels of restrictions. I have seen subdivisions with deed restrictions that don’t have a yearly fee all the way to subdivisions with yearly fees of up to $1500. The beauty of our area is that you can find everything in between.

Personally I think it is a good idea to buy in a deed restricted area. My husband had a co-worker that bought in an unincorporated area when we first moved here. At the time his co-worker bought his house the house next door was a nice house so he thought he was safe. That house sold and the new buyer decided to open a salvage yard. His co-workers equity just went down the tube when that salvage yard opened.

I have written several post that relates to this subject; for additional information please visit them at:

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Categories : First Time Home Buyers, Home Buyers, Relocating information

Characteristics of a Recession – specifics for Texas!

By Marchel · Comments (1)

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Gary Maler the Director of the Texas A&M real estate center recently talked to a group of real estate agents in Tomball about the state of our economy. Much of the talk was about the state of our national economy but he also went in to specifics for us here in Texas.

Some of the daunting challenges we face.

Business uncertainties from Washington policies
The great credit contraction
Budget cuts for states, cities and school districts.

One of the things that I came away with is that as a state Texas is weathering fairly good. A few years ago I would have told you that we had not been hit as we really did not have a bubble to burst. That is not the case any longer. He explained it about the best that I have heard. Here in Texas we did not experience a home price bubble we experienced a home sales bubble. The majority of our problems stem from the loans that were given since 2003. He explained that prior to that we had 17 homes sold per 1000 houses. During the no income/no assets loans that increased to 30 home sales per 1000 households. As he explained that was unsustainable and it is what we are dealing with now.

He was honest in that it took us sometime to get in this mess and it will take some time to get out of it. He said in all truthfulness this has been going on for a long time going clear back to LBJ’s administration. We have been living beyond our means for a long time. We will have some pain as we reel in from the excesses.

Future home sales are going to be dependent on job growth, mortgage rates/credit terms and home price affordability. Up to this point the American way has been to buy high and hope for higher. That said he said that NOW is probably the opportunity of a lifetime to a buy a house. Who would have thought we would see interest rates of 4.5% or less. He talked about the interest rates of the 1970’s when 12% was considered a good rate.

In the excerpt below he talks about the characteristics of a recession. The graph that shows the difference between unemployment between those who have a college degree and those who do not is an eye opener. As he said if there was ever an advertisement to get a degree this is it. If you have a son or daughter who is deciding whether they want to go to college this is a clip you might want to show them.

In his closing thoughts he said we will get through this. The other thing we have going here in Texas is a huge influx of people moving to our state. There are many places in our state where the market has stayed relatively flat and in my mind with this economy; flat is good.

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Categories : Relocating information, Tomball TX

Tips to move cross country to Spring-Tomball TX with your cat or dog!

By Marchel · Comments (1)

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

We have made a couple of cross country moves with our cats and dogs and this post is about some of the lessons we learned. A lot of these lessons would work for a local move also.

I: Moving your cat.

1. Invest in a high quality cat carrier. We made the mistake of buying one that was too big thinking that it would give our cat room to move around. As they travel they really don’t care about moving around so buy a carrier that is appropriately sized.

2. Talk to your veterinarian ahead of time so you can get medication, especially if your pet does not like being transported.

3. You might want to consider buying a restraining harness for your cat. We found that the rabbit harnesses were the ones that worked the best. We spent several weeks ahead of time training our cat to use the harness. She was scared of it to begin with but adjusted to it with time. This way you will be able to take your cats for walks and get you can be assured they are not going to run away.

4. If you have a imbedded chip you will want to update the information just in case something happens and your pet gets lost.

5. Call ahead to find motels that accept cats.

II: Moving your dog.

1. With a dog you may or may not need a pet carrier. Our dogs were use to riding in the car and we moved them without a pet carrier.

2. Purchase a new ID tag for your dog. Put your new address and your cell phone on it. If your dog has an imbedded chip you will want to update the information.

3. Talk to your veterinarian ahead of time to get medication if your dog has issues traveling in the car.

4. Call ahead to find motels that accept dogs.

5. Moving to the south you will need to immediately get your dog on heart worm preventive medicine.

On the actual moving day you will want to put your pet in a room that is isolated from all the commotion. You are going to want to put a big note on the door so that the movers know to stay out of that room.

If you are moving to Spring TX during the summer months you are going to have to take special precautions because of the heat. You could end up having to eat a lot of fast food so that you can keep your pet in air conditioning.

Take all the things your pet will need with you so that they have some things that they are use to in their new home. Many people lose their pets during the moving process so you will want to take extra precautions to make sure that your pet has an easy transition to your next home.

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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 please visit my websites at www.AgentwithResults.com and at www.ResultsRealtyTX.com. The AgentwithResults site is rich in Content about Spring. If you prefer pictures with your content then visit my ResultsRealtyTX site.

Want to find out about new Spring 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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Categories : Relocating information, Spring TX

The Vegetable Patch, No deed restrictions in Spring TX

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

No zoning in Spring TX I often get request asking to be set up for home searches for subdivisions that do not have homeowner’s associations. Since we don’t have zoning in the Houston area when there is not a Home Owners Association there is usually also no deed restrictions. With no deed restrictions you tend to get a little bit of everything. I took some pictures in a subdivision in Spring that has no deed restrictions. I have always called the subdivision the Vegetable Patch as the streets are named such things as Carrot, Turnip and Tomato. The actual name of the subdivision is Farmette Meadows.

Farmette Meadows is a great place to open a business I took these pictures on Carrot street and as you drive along the street you might see cars on Cinder blocks, trailers in front of house, businesses etc. If you are going to open a business this is the perfect place for you. If you are looking for a subdivision where you want similar types of property this might not be the best place.

Farmette Meadows Spring TX I lived in 3 states prior to moving here and almost fell off my chair when I was in real estate school and learned that Houston DID NOT HAVE ZONING!! With no zoning you are really dependent upon home owners associations and deed restrictions to maintain your property values. When you don’t have an HOA this is an example of what you get.

My husband had a co-worker who bought out in Waller County in an Homes in Farmette Meadows unresticted area. When he bought the house a nice house was next door. Shortly after they moved in the nice house next door was sold and the new owner decided to open a junk yard. Like I said earlier if you have a business a subdivision with no zoning might be the place you want to be but if not this is probably not be where you want to be.

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

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Categories : Home Buyers, Misc. Ramblings, Relocating information, Spring TX

Answers to your real estate questions!

By Marchel · Comments (0)

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

First time home buyers have many, many questions as they move through the process of buying their dream home. Some of these are general in nature and some are very specific to a property and location. While specific questions are best handled by a local REALTOR®, I have found a great an on-line resource to assist in some of the more general questions.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development, better known as HUD, is the place with the answer to 100 Real Estate questions for first time buyers as well as buyers who have bought a home or two before. The HUD site has a list of 100 of the most commonly asked questions regarding real estate and the process of how to buy a home. To make it easier for a potential buyer to find answers, the questions are broken down into ten areas:

What kinds of basic home buying questions are on the list? Here are a few sample questions:

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M READY TO BUY A HOME?
WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR WHEN DECIDING ON A COMMUNITY?
IS AN OLDER HOME A BETTER VALUE THAN A NEW ONE?
HOW CAN I FIND INFORMATION ON THE PROPERTY TAX LIABILITY?
DO I NEED TO BE THERE FOR THE INSPECTION?

The answers to these home buying questions (and 95 more), can be found at the HUD website. The HUD site will not have an answer to every question you might have. That’s where an experienced real estate professional, such as myself, can help you with the process. But, if your not ready to call me, these 100 questions will get you off to a great start in your journey to purchase your dream home.

Got a specific question on Spring TX Real Estate or one of the surrounding areas of Tomball, Magnolia or The Woodlands?

Email me a question on Spring TX real estate and I will get you an answer as soon as I can!

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

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Categories : Home Buyers, Relocating information, Spring TX