My Bellaire Blog

As I was thinking of taking down the mirrored wall in my small formal dining room convinced that it screamed the ’80s, the decorator smiled.  Not wanting to bluntly contradict me, she whispered as if sharing a secret: “you know, mirrors are coming back…”.  So there you go: a little research on design trends for next year confirmed her statement.  Mirrors are back in all shapes and sizes!  they will help update a room quickly and open up a space. 

The second trend I came across pertains to color: BOLD is it!  Greens, reds, oranges and yellows will add punch and happiness to your mood: a few pillows, bold accessories, a new  lamp shade or even an accent wall is what you need.

Also,  retro is in.  With the above colors mentioned, blending in a retro, vintage or  antique piece is the way to introduce whimsy to your existing decor.  A picture or painting, a lamp or a retro couch can help you achieve the look.

Last but not least, WHITE is the new black…  If you’ve always dreamed of a white leather sofa or want to add white slipcovers to items you already own, don’t be afraid to experiment with that this year.  White is fresh and airy, and you can layer textures to create a white on white elegant decor with a few wood accents to warm it up.  Have fun with your home in the New Year!

 Texas was responsible for 19.4 percent of the total jobs created nationwide from September 2010 to September 2011, according to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center’s latest Monthly Review of the Texas Economy.

The state’s mining and logging industry ranked first in job creation, followed by construction and the professional and business services industry.

Suprisingly, Victoria ranked first in job creation, followed by Corpus Christi, Laredo, Odessa and College Station-Bryan.

The state’s actual unemployment rate in September 2011 was 8.4 percent. Midland had the lowest rate followed by Amarillo, Odessa, College Station-Bryan and Lubbock!  Time to relocate from here if you are desperately looking for a job!

This promises to be a fun evening at the River Oaks Movie Theatre on August 2nd!  Order your free tickets by going to the following link:

http://www.houstongrandopera.org/tickets/calendar/view.aspx?id=1822

It seems that the Texas Attorney General has called for a halt on all foreclosures because of the current scrutiny over how foreclosures are processed.  Notices were sent to 27 Texas loan servicers, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The action was taken “in an effort to determine the full harm Texas homeowners may have suffered or could suffer as a result of these business practices,” said Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott.  That includes improperly signing the documents that are related to the foreclosure process.  They halted also the sale of properties previously foreclosed upon and all evictions of people living in previously foreclosed upon properties. 

I guess we should see foreclosure listings in Houston stop in the next couple of months…  I hope they will not withdraw properties that are currently on the market and that my investors clients are in the process of buying.

The Westbury Civic Club is fighting to create a Railroad quiet zone throughout the subdivision.  Bellaire and West U are already enjoying the “no horn-blowing” quietness along the railroad tracks that separate the two cities.  The tracks are on the south border of Westbury and some residences back up to it.  Achieving this quiet zone should make the south side of the subdivision more desirable to live in.  Something to keep in mind if you are looking to buy or sell a home.

For a neighborhood to take to fruition the opening of a community garden, it requires “community”!  What a great accomplishment!  On a 2 acres lot at 12500 Dunlap (which the Westbury Civic Club, Westbury Garden Club and Westbury Improvement Corporation leased from the Houston Housing Authority), volunteers created 50 raised garden beds that are individually leased for $5.00 per month!  There is now a waiting list for those beds… 8 of them will be tended by Foerster Elementary, which for some of the apartment dwelling students would be an unbelievable education exposure to local gardening!  In addition, an orchard of fruit trees will be planted in May.  For those of us who believe in organically growing our own food and buying local produce, this is inspiring. 

The Civic Club will also improve the esplanades by cutting down Chinese tallow trees, an invasive species that disturbs the native environment, and replacing them with “good” trees.

The installment last year of a new principal at Westbury High School and the purchase by HISD of an abandoned adjacent apartment compex to expand the school all speaks to neighborhood improvement.  Residents are also awaiting for the demolition of the old and unsafe Westbury Square to be finalized by the court system.

With its proximity to the Medical Center, downtown and the Galleria, and its still affordable housing prices,  Westbury’s long term prognosis looks good to me.  This is a great place to invest!

After the hard freeze we got over a month ago and the desolate landscape of dead plants lying lifeless both in my front and back yard, imagine my surprise this past weekend when, taking advantage of a couple of rays of sunshine, I went out to discover numerous purple blooms on my peach trees!!!

 These trees are only 4 years old and were started from a seed.  Last year, we had about 6 or 7 fruits on each tree, but by the time they ripened, there were only 4 in total left for us to enjoy.  The squirrels had beat us to them, although they had plenty of papayas to satisfy their hunger (and thirst, in the hot summer days).  They were sweet and fragrant white peaches!  Yum!

With all the controversy surrounding the possible development of a soccer stadium North of Bellaire City limits,  I can’t help but think of the reasoning behind the choice of this location.  It seems to me the original 12 acres purchased by the city of Houston East of Downtown (known as EaDo) would make so much more sense!  Being close to the Downtown hotels and other sports venues has a lot of advantages,  especially the access to the major freeways that converge Downtown to begin with.  It would also bring  development to an area of Downtown that was long neglected.  Also, there was the genius plan of having it connected to TSU by rail to allow the University to play its football games there: it tops it off as the better thing to do!  Why pick a location that is as as congested on weekends as it is on weekdays, close to the busiest and deadliest stretch of West Loop 610?  Hopefully this will not come to fruition!  What do you think?

The Houston Business Journal reported today that the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area unemployment rate dipped to 8.2 percent in November from 8.4 percent the previous month. We gained a net 9,300 jobs, a 0.4 percent rise from October.

However, the construction and manufacturing sectors still lost a combined 3,400 jobs in November.  When will construction and manufacturing score employment gains again?  To me, that is the real indicator of a recovery…  Hopefully, those numbers will improve soon, helping the Houston 2010 economical outlook!  In the meantime, if you have a job, be extremely thankful this holiday season and make sure to count your blessings and share with the less fortunate.  Texas is still doing very well compared to the rest of the nation:  According to same article Texas had the largest over-the-month increase in employment nationwide for the second consecutive month, besting second place Ohio’s job gains by more than three times!

What is the deal with Metro? I understand the blue line is the expressway to the Medical Center through Bellaire Boulevard but is that a reason to disfigure the road and make it look nothing short of clowny?  It has been over 3 months that the blue line has been painted on the curb, and I still cannot get used to it.  It is aggressive.  Disturbing.  It plays with our mind making us feel as if us drivers had to pay attention to an imminent danger.  Or maybe the intent is to make us think that if we are travelling down this road by car, shouldn’t we rather ride the bus?  Let me know what you think…  As far as I am concerned I keep looking for an eraser to make it go away!