Compared to last year’s numbers for the month of January, almost twice as many homes have sold this year.   Bridgeland is experiencing rapid growth, and the community is developing as planned. 

None of the homes that sold this month were distressed sales, foreclosures or short sales.  This is great news for the residents of Bridgeland.  Foreclosures negatively impact the value of homes in a community so the fewer any given community has , the better it is for property values. 

Please click on table below to view larger.  This is a snapshot of the recent solds in Bridgeland over the past year. 

There are currently 107 homes for sale in Bridgeland. If you are interested in viewing any of these homes in Bridgeland or homes in any other community, please contact me at your earliest convenience.  The builders in Bridgeland are offering attractive incentives to potential homeowners.  

Please come see why Bridgeland was named the #1 Master Planned Community by the National Association of Home Builders.  I currently live here, and I can’t say enough good things about this wonderful community.

As a side note, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!  I have been very busy, and I am in the process of launching my new website and brokerage, Giraffe Realty.  Stay tuned!  These are exciting times.

www.GiraffeRE.com

The Golf Course Community of Blackhorse Ranch is in its final stage of development.  Stoneridge at Blackhorse Ranch is the final section to be developed, and the homes range in price from the $170’s.  Please contact me for the most current builder incentives.  The best time to get into a community is in its final stage of development since there are no surprises when it comes to what the community promised in the beginning of development to what it finally delivered when it closed out. 

Right now, there are 20 active listings in Blackhorse Ranch ranging in price from $194K- $930K.  The most prized amenity is the Golf Course which surrounds the community.   There is a home on the market to suit everyone’s taste and budget.  I would be happy to show you around this community or any other.  I lived in Blackhorse Ranch for  6 years, and I know this community very well.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year.  I am in the process of creating a powerful new brokerage and website, Giraffe Realty.  I look forward to working with you to attain all your real estate goals.

www.GiraffeRE.com

If you’re suspicious that your property taxes are too high, you can check for errors by calculating the value of your property tax.

You might not think too hard about your real estate assessment, the dollar value the local government puts on your house and land. You should. The assessment determines how much you shell out on property taxes.

If you have a mortgage, your home lender is probably paying your property taxes out of an escrow account. Odds are you don’t even know how much gets collected. Devote an hour of your time to becoming better informed. Once you understand your real estate assessment, you’ll understand your property tax bill—and, more importantly, whether you’re paying the right amount.

Homeowners and property taxes

Your local government needs every dime it can collect to pay for all of the services you expect as a resident: schools, libraries, hospitals, and so on. A healthy chunk of that revenue is raised from homeowners via property taxes. In normal times real estate values climb steadily, allowing local governments to take in a little more every year to keep up with inflation and perhaps even add a few services. Property tax bills usually come due once or twice a year.

The situation gets stickier when real estate values are in decline. If that occurs, local governments generate less revenue from property taxes, meaning the tax rate needs to go up, the money needs to come from somewhere else, or spending on services needs to go down. According to a 2009 survey conducted by the National Association of Counties, 62% of counties polled say declining property taxes are a major source of revenue shortfalls. Forty-two percent of counties have cut services, and 11% have raised property taxes.

Assess your real estate assessment

No matter if property values are rising, falling, or stagnant, you need to understand how you’re being taxed. Everything starts with your real estate assessment letter, which reveals what your property is judged by the local government to be worth. The letter will differ, depending where you live, but most will have a legal description of your house and separate values for the land and the structure. Add those two numbers together to get your home’s assessed value.

Some local governments will appraise your home every year, others every two or more years. Tax assessors generally use one of two methods to come up with an assessment value for your home. The most common relies on looking at recent sales of comparable homes. Keep in mind that “recent” is a relative term. To come up with a real estate assessment, assessors may be looking at sales that occurred as long as 18 months prior. Alternatively, especially in the absence of recent sales data, assessors will calculate the cost to rebuild your home, and add that to the estimated worth of your land to come up with a dollar amount.

Break out the calculator

How much you pay in property taxes is based on your real estate assessment. Put simply, your home’s assessed value is multiplied by the local tax rate to come up with a figure. However, it can become more complicated if there are multiple taxing authorities where you live—a city and a county, for example—or if there are special one-time assessments. Qualifying for property tax exemptions, perhaps due to age or disability, will also alter the formula. Some local governments offer online calculators on their websites, or vist the tax assessor’s office for help, hcad.org. 

If you want to run the numbers for yourself, don’t be intimidated by how your tax rate is expressed. Sometimes it’ll take the form of a percentage, say 1.5%, or perhaps a decimal, 0.015. Both equal the same thing. So the owner of a home that’s assessed at $100,000 would owe $1,500 a year in property taxes. Other times it’ll be expressed as an amount per $100 or $1,000 of home value. In the case of a 1.5% tax rate that would mean $1.50 per $100 or $15 per $1,000. Regardless, the math doesn’t change: Multiply $100,000 by 0.015.

Knowledge is power—and savings

Assessors have a lot of ground to cover. Many rely on valuation formulas that assess whole streets or neighborhoods. Most haven’t seen your house in person, so don’t wait for a knock on your door from an assessor hoping to take a look around. That’s why you need to read your real estate assessment letter carefully, look for errors, and challenge your assessment if it seems too high.

If you find a way to reduce your real estate assessment, whether by contesting it or qualifying for an exemption, the savings can add up. The median annual property tax paid in the U.S. in 2008 was $1,897, or 0.96% of the median home value of $197,600. Trimming just 15% off the median value would result in savings of about $285. Of course, if your home value and local tax rate are higher, then you’re looking at even greater savings.

This article provides general information about tax laws and consequences, but is not intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Readers should consult a tax professional for such advice, and are reminded that tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.

Geoff Williams has written about personal finance for numerous publications including Bankrate.com, WalletPop, and Consumer Reports. He’s a columnist at FrontDoor.com, a real estate website.

*** If you would like to know if your property is accurately accessed, feel free to contact me kathy@kathyjonesrealty.com.

I went to the website and typed in my blog url, and this is what I got. Thank goodness, because I sure do like to write about real estate, especially in Cypress, Texas, and even more especially … about Bridgeland. Pretty neat? Ehh!

Check it out for yourself. See what you focus on the most. Remember, your focus is your direction.

Blackhorse Ranch, a Golf Course Community in Cypress, Texas, did not see a whole lot of home sales activity in December.   The good news is that there were no distressed sales, meaning none of the homes that sold were foreclosures or short sales.

Take a look at the table below to see the number of homes that sold in Blackhorse Ranch during the last month and even take a look at all the home sales activity that was reported on the MLS throughout 2010.

Click on Table to view larger

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Blackhorse Ranch, please contact me.

December was a phenomenal month for home sales in Bridgeland, a master planned community in Cypress, Texas.  The Luxury Market, meaning homes priced between $300,000-350,000, did exceptionally well this past month.  Homebuyers are definitely taking advantage of some of the lowest interest rates we have seen in a while.

Adding to this good news,  only one home that sold in Bridgeland this past month was a distressed sale; it was a foreclosure.  This helps keep the value of the homes in this community strong.

 Click image below to view larger version

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Bridgeland, please contact me.

Bunco

Scrapbooking Night

Bridgeland Book Club

First Ladies of Bridgeland

Volunteer for Section and Block Liaisons

Tennis, Pilates, and Yoga, Zumba Classes

Bridgeland Garden Club

Bridgeland Bible Study

The Empty Nesters

Men’s Poker Night

Boat Dock and Fishing Pier

Disc Golf League

Kayaking

Neighborhood Watch Program

Informed Citizens Group

Parents Night Out

For Kids:

Swim Team:  Barracudas

Tennis and Swim Lessons

Classes held at Lakeland Activity Center:  Art, Science, Self Defense

Oak Meadow Park:  free equipment check out

Catch and release fishing

For the Family:

Concerts in the Park Summer Series

“Get to Know your Neighbor” Bingo Night

Family Outdoor Skill Series (archery/ kayaking)

Outdoor Nature Classes

Community wide events all year long!

www.kathyjonesrealty.com

~Helping You Live the Good Life!

 Click on Chart to View Larger

Bridgeland saw a splurge of homes that sold in November 2010.  Twice as many homes sold in November this year compared to the month before.  Likewise, twice as many homes sold in November 2010 from the previous year.  The real estate market is definitely picking up in Bridgeland.

In November 2010, 8 homes sold overall.   6 of the homes were new home sales, and 2 of the homes were resales.  None of the sold listings were distressed sales (foreclosures or short sales).  Yay!

The strongest market for home sales in Bridgeland remains in the $200,000- $250,000 price range. 

Bridgeland is experiencing robust growth.  Bridgeland has received many accolades, including “Developer of the Year”,  “Best Planned Community”, and “Best Master Planned Community”.  As a resident  of Bridgeland, I can attest to how wonderful it is to live here.  From the amenities, to the plentiful community events, to the outstanding schools, I am proud to call Bridgeland home!

If you are interested in further analysis of this community or any other, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

www.kathyjonesrealty.com

~Helping you Live the Good Life

Click on Chart to view Larger

Compared to last November, one more house sold this year in Blackhorse Ranch, and the average days on market of the sold listings is significantly lower this year as well.  This is good news for the real estate market in Blackhorse Ranch.  Homes for sale in the $200,000-$250,000 price range did best overall.  Of the 5 homes that sold in November, 3 were new home sales, and 2 were re-sales. None of the homes that sold were distressed sales (foreclosures or short sales). 

Keep in mind that sales last November were most likely spurred by the First Go Round of the Homebuyer Tax Credit.  This November, although there was no homebuyer tax credit, people took advantage of the lower interest rates.  By now, everyone should realize the enormous amount of savings when buying a home in today’s market because of the lower interest rates.   It is more economically advantageous to purchase a home today, even without the Homebuyer Tax Credit.

As of today in Blackhorse Ranch, there are 23 active listings.  On average, about 5 houses sell per month in Blackhorse Ranch, so right now, there is technically a sellers market in Blackhorse Ranch.  (Please check out my previous blog for more information on “absorption rates”).

If you would like further analysis regarding Blackhorse Ranch or a free market analysis for your neighborhood, please contact me at your earliest convenience.  I would be happy to provide you with more detailed information on this or any neighborhood.

www.kathyjonesrealty.com

~Helping you Live the Good Life

Bridgeland in Cypress, Texas Celebrates Christmas and BEAR!

Bridgeland, located in a suburb Northwest of Houston in Cypress, Texas, has planned another family friendly, fun filled community event.   On December 11, 2010 from 2:00-7:00p.m., Bridgeland will host “Christmas in Festival Park, a Winter Wonderland”.  Santa will be there along with mountains of snow for your children to enjoy.  There will be plenty of other activities to get your entire family into the Holiday Spirit!

BEARing Gifts

Bridgeland is offering assistance to BEAR  this year.  The mission of BEAR is to offer help and hope to children entangled in the CPS system.  These children are often abused and neglected, and as you can imagine, the Holidays pose an extremely sensitive time for them. 

Bridgeland is asking for donations to BEAR.  Items in great need are NEW shoes (from Toddler up to Size 7).  If you can, please also donate NEW unwrapped toys suitable for all ages.  Items will be collected starting the first week in December at the Lakeland Activity Center as well as at Christmas in Festival Park. 

The Holidays are a great time for most of us, but let’s not forget those in need. 

Happy Holidays, everyone!  Hope everyone has a blessed holiday season!

www.kathyjonesrealty.com

~Helping You Live the Good Life