3 homes sold so far in 2008 as of July 31, 2008 through the Bryan College Station Association of Realtors (BCSAOR) Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in Westwood Estates.   List prices at time of offer - $139,500- $226,900 Sales prices at closing - $134,000- $226,900  How long did it take these homes to sell?          Days on the market range from 38 to 85.          Overall Bryan-College Station MLS Residential Sales total of 358 homes sold in July 2008.        The July 2008 Market:   Avg. Sale Price: $172,830  Avg. Sold Dollar Vol: $61,873,310 Avg. Days on Market: 107  Total Active Residential Listings: 1,218 Total New Listings: 442  For more information about these properties and properties currently available, contact  Century 21 Beal, Inc. at 979-764-2100 or susan@century21bcs.... 08/14/2008

                  3 homes sold in 2008 as of July 31, 2008 through the Bryan College Station Association of Realtors (BCSAOR) Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in Woodland Court.   List prices at time of offer - $144,900- $149,900 Sales prices at closing - $132,500- $145,000  How long did it take these homes to sell?       Days on the market range from 99 to 228.          Overall Bryan-College Station MLS Residential Sales total of 358 homes sold in July 2008.    The July 2008 Market:   Avg. Sale Price: $172,830  Avg. Sold Dollar Vol: $61,873,310 Avg. Days on Market: 107  Total Active Residential Listings: 1218 Total New Listings: 442   For more information about these properties and properties currently available, contact  Century 21 Beal, Inc. at 979-764-2100 or susan@century21bcs.com.  ... 08/13/2008

Located at 2512 Roundtree Dr. in Bryan, Texas ....is the local Girl Scout house. The area council for local girls is The Bluebonnet Council. This building is located on the old Municipal lake just off College Ave. and adjoins Williamson park a local city park. The scout house is  about halfway from downtown Bryan  and Texas A&M University in College Station. This is a handsome rock structure that was constructed in the 1930's.  According to my Dad my grandfather helped in the construction of the building. My wife and I were very active in Girl Scouts in the 90's and recently she decided to volunteer again. Sometimes it is hard to keep away from a good thing like scouting.   Have a very prosperous and safe Week! www.treythurmond.com 30 years of service to Bryan College Station! 08/13/2008

Bryan Tx real estate home sales are still doing GREAT! Thank you to Randy French at Stylecraft Homes to for providing these stats -  July 2008 was the HIGHEST number of homes sold for ANY MONTH in ANY YEAR in our MLS history YTD sales for 2008 is 2% above our highest sales year on record (2007) Days-on-market is at 107 (anything below 120 is considered a Sellers market) Average sales price has steadily increased Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal Want to Search the Bryan/College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!!   View Susan Hilton’s profile  Original Post on The Century Tree Reader 08/12/2008

Have you been to the George Bush Presidential Library Museum? No matter what your politics, this is a wonderful museum with great exhibits that change throughout the year. In addition to the special exhibits, the museum showcases the years with George Bush as President as well as the historic events during those years. Do you know what happened during this time? Are you up on your history? Take an afternoon in College Station and refresh your memory and make sure you know OUR AMERICAN HISTORY! Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal #1 in Real Estate in Bryan and College Station Home Sales Bryan College Station Real Estate & Community Blog 08/12/2008

Easterwood Airport is the only airport in Bryan College Station, and it is owned and operated by Texas A&M University. It provides both commercial and general aviation services. When you are headed out of town from Easterwood, your choices are American Airlines or Continental, and currently approximately 85,000 passengers choose one or the other each year. When you depart from Easterwood, your next stop is either Dallas or Houston and the cost will be at least $100.00 and will theoretically take you a little over an hours time. A drive to Dallas, in comparison and considering only minimal traffic, is approximately a 4 hours trip, and you are looking at a minimum of 2 hours if you are headed to Houston. Gas prices being what they are, a short plane ride for the money doesn't sound that ... 08/11/2008

When it is time to sell your home in Bryan TX, and start interviewing Real Estate Agents, you will want to meet with each agent separately. As you call to set up interview and make appointments, take special note of who you get on the phone right away and how long it takes for your phone call to be returned. The time it takes for you to get through to the Realtor will likely be the roughly the same amount of time as if a prospective buyer had called with questions about your home. When you and the agent communicate with one another, you should expect the Realtor to ask you a few questions. The questions will likely start with a qualifying nature to determine your timeline in selling. Common questions Realtors ask are: When are You Thinking of Placing Your Home on the Market? Have You In... 08/11/2008

As a Listing Agent in Bryan, Tx, I know that home owners are proud of their property and the place they call home. A home is where memories are made and where owners showcase their tastes and preferences. When I view a home for the first time, I am always impressed by the amount of attention to detail a homeowner puts forward to get their home ready to be placed on the market. Unlike some, I rarely recommend a Seller make major changes to their property before listing it. The main reason for this is because, if you think about it, that Seller and their tastes and preferences are most likely going to be similar to my target buyer. After all, the Seller was a Buyer one too when they purchased the home they are now selling. As a seller, To make your listing appointment as productive as pos... 08/11/2008

Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal Want to Search the Bryan/College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!! View Susan Hilton’s profile   08/11/2008

We are often asked if a Buyer can cancel his contract during the “3 day right of recission…” Sorry but to do this would mean that mixing several laws into one… Real estate is NOT like that… well sometimes….. but not always. When a Buyer finds the right home to purchase they write an OFFER (not a contract yet) with a Buyer’s Agent. The Offer is given to the Listing Agent and then presented to the Seller. If the Seller accepts the Offer and signs it you now have a CONTRACT which is a legally binding agreement between Buyer and Seller. So, Susan, where do the 3 days come in? Well normally in the Bryan and College Station area it isn’t 3 days - it is more like 7. To have this Option Period with an “unrestricted right to terminate” there must be an Option Fee presented to the Listing Agent/S... 08/11/2008

In pest control we get a lot of different calls. The other week we received a call about an armadillo. It was a man in Traditions that called and said the armadillo was tearing up his yard. I went out there to check things out and sure enough the armadillo had caused a lot of damage. The man’s entire yard is mulch to help the trees grow. Mulch is great for bugs and of course that is what armadillos eat. Trapping armadillos is a bit difficult. Baiting the trap doesn’t really work. You have to set the trap in the path of the armadillo and coerce it to go in. One way to coerce it is to put boards at the entrance of the trap in a “v” shape which will help in pushing the armadillo to the trap. The other way is what we ended up having to do. That is, chasing the armadi... 08/11/2008

  List Price or Agent? You need both! Yes, choosing the right Realtor is very important as is setting the right listing price. It is a job both you and your agent must take to heart. Study the market using both past sales and properties that are currently available. It is as if you are trying to look into a crystal ball and find the price that is in line with the market and even a bit ahead of the curve - up or down. You want to price the home as high as possible to net you the maximum possible yet not pricing it so high that you are out of line with the market and therefore miss the opportunity to sell and you end up being behind the curve and “chasing the price down”. Pricing the propety RIGHT will help you catch the attention of potential buyers and help you meet your sales price goa... 08/11/2008

I've been reviewing and comparing the schools in our area through Greatschools.net. WOW what a difference the ratings are for Bryan Elementary Schools. I'd like to hear your comments on WHY!!! Average size classes in grade 3 range from 17 - 24 children per class. Taks scores below are all over the board too - Checkout the charts below and tell me what you think is happening here. Is the information correct and there is a problem OR is the data incorrect OR is it just being interpreted wrong? What do you think?     School name School type GreatSchools Ratings Parent Reviews Accountability rating Avg. class size grade 3   Alton Bowen Elementary School public 8 Recognized 21   Anson Jones Elementary School public 2 Academically Acceptable 18   Bonham Elementary School public 7 Academically... 08/11/2008

  Does the value of the dollar affect the price of real estate in Bryan or College Station, Texas? I think it does… as strange as that sounds. As the dollar drops real estate becomes more and more affordable to foreign investors. Why do we care? Think about how many people come into our community - Texas A&M University - that are not “from here?” With the dropping dollar that puts them into a much better position to purchase a property rather than lease. Stephanie Armour from USA Today says, “International buyers also see U.S. home prices as a bargain. With the dollar down against the Euro, European buyers get particularly good deals, but buyers from Asia and Canada also are active, according to international real estate practitioners.” So in this sea of terrible news about the real est... 08/11/2008

  Both the Century Tree and CENTURY 21 have both been around a long time, have deep roots, are a strong force in the community and many from Century 21 have gone to Texas A&M …. but other than that it just made for a great title for the blog post. The Century Tree is such a beautiful tree. It is stately and the legend behind it heartwarming. Back in Old Army Days the Century Tree was standing. It was planted around 1898. My Father-in-Law, Class of ‘53 at Texas A&M remembers the tree in the Academic Plaza between Hart & Legett Residence Halls. Legend has it that, “if two lovers walk underneath the tree’s massive branches together, it is a sign they will eventually marry.” Also, “if two lovers propose under the Century Tree, it is a sign that their marriage will last forever.” Wouldn’t it... 08/11/2008

Closing costs are simply this: the costs of borrowing money, establishing the loan, purchasing title insurance, establishing escrow charges, conducting pest inspections and preparing the necessary documents to finalize the sale. These costs may be significant and are easily overlooked by a first time buyer. The Costs of Borrowing Money. This includes what some lenders call “discount points,” a one-time charge to adjust the yield on the loan to what market conditions demand. Each point equals 1% of the mortgage amount. Two and one-half points on a $100,000 mortgage would cost $2,500. The Costs of Establishing a Loan. These might include the loan origination fee, and cost of credit reports. Premiums for hazard and mortgage insurance are usually paid at closing. Also, pre-paid interest wi... 08/11/2008

We've heard so much media drama about the housing and mortgage crisis for the last year or so, but does any of it make sense? Even those of us in the business can find the information overwhelming and confusing. An article I read in Tierra Grand, a journal published by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, really helped put things in perspective for me. "After the Fallout," written by Dr. Mark Dotzour, explains how "the "no-risk" environment of the past few years spurred lenders to make risky loans and investors to buy those loans," many of which were actually high risk loans disguised as good investments in the then flourishing market. Suddenly lenders were able to lift many of the restrictions of the past and offer 100% loans to individuals who really couldn't afford them. I... 08/11/2008

Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal Want to Search the Bryan/College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!!   View Susan Hilton’s profile   08/10/2008

When you live in a university town, such as Bryan and College Station (B-CS), everyone notices when school is about to start, even if you don't have kids.  U-Hauls, pick-up trucks with filled with household belongings, and increasing traffic are hard to miss signs that the students are coming back for the start of a new school year.  In the last 24 hours, I've lost count of the number of U-Hauls that I've seen.  A bunch.  Along with the new school year, comes FOOTBALL season!   Here in B-CS, we have Texas A&M football.   We also currently have two public high school football teams: the Bryan Vikings and the A&M Consolidated Tigers.  The private schools also have football teams, as well as the schools in the surrounding counties.  That is a lot of football.  Now, many of us girls are not... 08/10/2008

 The Bryan West Senior League baseball team out played the Texas West Champions from Laredo on Tuesday in a doubleheader. This earned them a spot in the Senior League World Series in Bangor Maine and we couldn't be happier for them!  The West Team had initally lost its opening game in the Southwest Region Senior League Tournament, but aggressively fought through the consolation bracket to reach the finals.  David Williams pitched the decisive final game by throwing a complete-game two-hit shut out in a 1-0 victory. The West Pitcher also struck out seven players and the Team followed that with a 15-4 victory. In the opening game, West only had three hits but ended up scoring the only run in the second inning when Jacob Sutherland walked, stole second and then scored on David Contraras's ... 08/07/2008