22 November 2008

November News

Dear Venetian Estates Neighbor:

I recently listed the home at 127 Saint Marks. If you know someone who has always loved Venetian Estates but prefers a new home, this is it! Lynda and Steve Anderson essentially re-built it for themselves in 2003, and the quality of construction is superb. The price is $675,000.

Sugar Land is an exciting place to live right now. Although the national talk is of the downturn in the economy we, here in Fort Bend County and Sugar Land in particular, have so much growth taking place. Last month I told you about the city’s plans for the Entertainment District, which will include a concert hall, minor league baseball stadium and outdoor festival site. This month there is additional exciting news. Eddie Crowell, Executive Director, has announced the founding of Imperial Performing Arts of Sugar Land, Texas, bringing world-class art to a world-class city! Eddie is the son of Edward Crowell, our VE HOA President. Imperial Performing Arts will produce and present professional performance art and support initiatives in arts education and community development. The goal of IPA is to capture the full range of professional performance art through its companies: Sugar Land Opera, Sugar Land Theatre, Sugar Land Ballet, Sugar Land Philharmonic, Sugar Land Picture Show, Sugar Land LIVE!, and Imperial Arts Education . Through these companies, IPA will bring to Sugar Land the full scope of professional fine performance art, professional popular art, community and volunteer performances, professional performances on tour, and arts education for all ages and all stages of interest and experience. The inaugural event, A Christmas Evening at Briscoe Manor, will be held on December 18. Supporters and honored guests for the evening include: United States Representative-elect Pete Olson, Mayor James Thompson, David Wallace, Louis Garvin, Councilman Don Olson, Judge Robert Hebert, Dee Koch of the George Foundation and community leader, Mary Gayle Brindley. If you would like to attend this incredible evening, which will include cocktails, a concert and a gourmet seated dinner, please contact IPA at 713-628-2468 or imperialperformingarts.org. Fort Bend Real Estate has purchased a corporate table and we are excited about supporting this exciting new endeavor!

On the housing-market front, according to Tierra Grande, Texas has avoided high foreclosure levels. In fact, in 2007 it was only one of six states that reported a decrease in delinquency filings and during the first half of 2008 Texas’ filings were up only 1% compared to a national average of 61%. Thus, the housing market continues to be relatively strong, although sales and construction are down considerably from 2006-07. I have seen a slow-down in transaction volume as many people are taking a wait-and-see approach to our economy before making major financial decisions. However, employment in Sugar Land is expected to remain very strong. The resulting population growth, coupled with banks participating in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and being mandated to begin making loans again, will fuel demand for housing. I expect that it will not be long before people jump back in off the sidelines.

There has been an incredible amount of interest in the last few years in the Texas land market. It seems that everyone you meet is presently looking for a small- or medium-size ranch in Texas! According to Tierra Grande, “Texas land markets are increasingly difficult to predict. Land prices cannot indefinitely sustain the rate of increase seen in the past five years. However, trends continue to reflect an upward price spiral. Without a severe economic blow, land prices will likely continue to rise but at a more sustainable rate. Will buyers continue to flock into land markets with cash to drive prices ever higher? It is possible. The economy remains awash in investment money seeking a safe haven. Many investors have decided land is a viable option.” If you are interested in purchasing land anywhere in Texas please give us a call. We represent buyers in all Texas markets.

Back to the residential market, I have taken down the sign at 215 Savoy. The Bevis’ thought it a good idea to remove it during the holidays. However, the home will remain on the market so let me know if you know someone who might be interested. Also, I will soon be putting a great house on the market in Brookside/Belknap. The house is located at 614 Alcorn on the corner of Azalea. The lot is gorgeous and the house has many updates including new flooring and paint. Let me know if you have friends or family members interested in that much-sought-after neighborhood. The home is approximately 1650 square feet and is priced at $200,000.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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