Ah...the wonders of working in a home office.  Coffee, made at home, tea with fresh rosemary and mint and the view from my porch just outside my office.  It sure is pretty! There are so many "perks" to working from a home office.  This, along with the commute time, is one of the best perks. Have you taken time to appreciate beauty today?  It feeds my soul.  I was reminded this past weekend that it is so important to take the time for yourself every now and then.  Sometimes we just need to "breathe."  Ahhhhhh.....Real Estate is alright!Mari Montgomery Realtor, CRS, GRI, Cyberstar Multi Million Dollar Producer Readers Choice "Best Realtor" in Walker County Texas Home Group Huntsville TX including Elkins Lake/ Lake Conroe/ Lake Livingston Direct:  936-355-8889 Copyright 2009.© East Texas Property Search, Inc.  Mari Montgomery. All Rights Reserved. read full post »

Home Buying 101--Definitely get the home inspection.  Sure, you--the buyer--pay for the home Inspection, but that makes total sense so that you are the party who chooses your inspector.  The price of Inspections vary with the size of the house, whether or not it has a pool, a septic system, etc.  The price also varies with the market area.  In the Lake Conroe, Huntsville, Lake Livingston, TX market areas, inspections start at about $250.00.  Again, depending on the size of the home and amenities, the price fluctuates.  Be sure you have at least 2-3 or more Inspectors from which to choose.  Call them, ask questions.  No question is too small or inconsequential.  Within 48 hours, you should have in your possession a written inspection report. Here are some questions to ask from HUD.gov:  Click here for the full document   Ten Important Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector       ...... read full post »

Okay, say you LOVE golf, but you wish with all your heart it were FREE.  So, let me ask you:  If you could find a great house in a great neighborhood in a great little town a little over an hour from Houston and could play all the golf you wanted--I mean every day and then some--for free, would you be interested? Okay, I'll tell you more.  The place is Elkins Lake in Huntsville TX.  If you have ever driven on I-45 and gotten to a bend in the road about 60 miles from downtown Houston and have seen a giant statue of Sam Houston--That's Huntsville.  You have found us. Elkins Lake Golfing Snapshot: The Elkins Lake Golf Courses THE ELKINS LAKE GOLF COURSES THE HILLS This 3147 yard championship course was renovated in 2005 and opened for play in September 2005.  The renovation was designed by golf course architect Jeffrey D. Blume. It has character from a little sand, a little water, and very challenging greens. The course provides a challenge to... read full post »

Wow, it going to be a lovely weekend!  What a great weekend to find your dream home.  Lake Conroe Real Estate holds many opportunities to find your dream home, a vacation home, or whatever your heart is set on. Conroe is less than an hour from downtown Houston and offers lots of shopping, recreational activities, like enjoying Lake Conroe!  Here's the picture: It's a Saturday evening and you are out on your boat and decide to pull up to your favorite restaurant on Lake Conroe.    You enjoy a lovely dinner and return to your water for an incredible sunset on Lake Conroe.  Then you snuggle in with your honey for a great view of the stars out in the middle of the lake where all you hear are the fish jumping. To begin your search, you need to find a comprehensive website that covers the area and is easy to navigate. You'll find it on www.ETPropertySearch.com  Then call for an appointment.  We'll put you in touch with a great lender, et you... read full post »

This was so much fun.  Yesterday as my husband and I were coming home from our new Target--that's right, Huntsville TX NOW has a Target!!  We are officially BIG time.  I saw some of my clients that I helped find a home in Elkins Lake-- a gorgeous golf community in Huntsville TX.  All the golf you can play--One Homeowners fee--NO green fees!  How cool is that--Wanna know more--Call me! Okay, back to the story.  Anyway, they were tooling down the road from the clubhouse in their cool golfcart.  Well, I didn't have their new e-mail address, so I decided we would flag them down.  So we did--in a "No Parking Anytime Zone."  That is cool in itself.  Kind of as renegade as I get.  So, we start talking.  I got their e-mail address, then I realized I didn't have their picture on my website.  Well, I just happened to be carrying a SOLD sign, my camera and my Flip Video.  Yeah, that's... read full post »

Some days you feel bigger than other days.  Some days you feel teeny-weeny and powerless.  I think is has something to do with moved cheese. Yep, you heard me right--moved cheese.  It's been several years since I read the book, but sometimes I feel like it doesn't matter if you read it yesterday, it's just so durn difficult to remember.    If you are not familiar with the book http://www.whomovedmycheese.com/ Cheese is all about growth, not size.  And remember, relative proportion sometimes smells like bad cheese.Mari Montgomery Realtor, GRI, QSC Multi Million Dollar Producer Readers Choice "Best Realtor" in Walker County Keller Williams Realty Huntsville/ Lake Conroe/ The Woodlands/ Lake Livingston Direct:  936-355-8889 Copyright 2009.© East Texas Property Search, Inc.  Mari Montgomery. All Rights Reserved. read full post »

Huntsville, TX, "One -Ways" and the way is UP Huntsville goes to "One Way" and the way is "up."  Let's hear it for progress.  Huntsville, TX, the location of the fastest growing University in Texas, Sam Houston State University, now has one way service roads.  No more night fright seeing headlights coming straight for you exiting off the highway.  My husband has been in Safety for 35+ years.  It is good to see safer roads come to our town.  The look on his face was priceless, and not fright less when we moved and saw the traffic patterns moving on and off Interstate 45.  Huntsville, in its effort of "upward and onward and one-way," is adding a Target and some great restaurants.  It looks like the "Houston sprawl" is heading directly our way.  Time to get in ahead of the crowd?  Could be.  Stable property values are part of the Huntsville economy.  As a Realtor®, it is amazing to see stability on the housing market when... read full post »