January 6, 2012

Texas holds onto #1 spot

For the seventh year in row, Texas has come out on top. On Allied Van Lines’ 44th Annual Magnet States Report, Texas once again captured the #1 spot for highest net relocation gains (inbound moves minus outbound moves). The net relocation gains for Texas continues to decrease. The net relocation gains for 2009, 2010, and 2011 were […]

January 4, 2012

Where are Texas State Troopers issuing the most tickets?

Showing up on another list is becoming old hat for Houston as Houston made it onto numerous lists in 2011 including the #1 spot for Job Growth in Texas Cities. The latest list Houston has found its way onto is “Top 9 places where Texas State Troopers issued the most tickets”. According to data analyzed by Texas Watchdog’s […]

January 2, 2012

How to file for a homestead exemption

If you bought a home in Spring Texas in 2021, the first year you will be eligible for a homestead exemption is 2022. One of the eligibility requirements for the homestead exemption is you have to own the home on January 1st of the tax year. The benefit of a homestead exemption is it reduces […]

December 29, 2011

So – so house or so – so subdivision?

After searching for the perfect Spring Texas house to call home, you have finally narrowed your choices down to two houses. One house is a so – so house in a great subdivision and the other house is a great house in a so – so subdivision. Both houses have pluses and minuses and you would be […]

December 26, 2011

How accurate is the Zestimate?

A little over 2 years ago, I compared the sales prices of 10 Spring Texas homes to their Zestimates. The results of the 2009 analysis were: 70% of the Zestimates were within 10% of the sales price. 80% of the Zestimates were higher than the sales price. Since I am frequently asked about the Zestimate, […]

December 23, 2011

How Houston ranks

2011 was a good year for Houston Texas as it found its way on to several lists including …. #1 in Job Growth for Texas Cities #1 on Most Affordable Cities for doing Business #1 in Fastest Growing Millionaire Cities #1 Best Shopping City in the U.S. #2 Best City for Young Adults #5 on Next […]

December 20, 2011

Fireworks stands will be OPEN for New Year’s

Fireworks stands were closed for the July 4th weekend but they will be open for the Christmas selling season which runs from December 20th – January 2, 2012. Due to the historic drought conditions experienced by Spring Texas, the stands were closed for July 4th. Although Spring Texas is still in a drought, the Harris County Commissioner has decided […]

December 18, 2011

Spring Texas Real Estate: Market Report November 2011

What’s going on with the Spring Texas Real Estate Market? Pending Sales record a whopping 57% increase and home sales record a smaller but significant 16% increase over same month last year. Active listings are down, homes prices are holding steady, and months of inventory is returning to a balanced market. Good time to be a home buyer? Absolutely! […]

December 17, 2011

Understanding the Property Tax System

In Spring Texas, our property tax system is comprised of four stages: 1. Appraising the taxable property, 2. Reviewing and equalizing the appraised values, 3. Adopting the tax rates and 4. Collecting the taxes. Appraising the taxable property – Residential properties in Harris County are appraised as of January 1st of the tax year. An appraised value and a market value is […]

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