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!

If you have your home for sale, you need to think twice before pulling it off the market during the holiday season.  Here are some compelling reasons to ponder, courtesy of Mark Heinrich:

1- Everyone else is taking their house off, so inventories typically shrink, giving your home less competition

2- The second most popular time corporations transfer employees is mid-year so their children can transfer schools at mid-year.  Those buyers are looking for homes in November and December.

3- When does someone’s home show the best?  The holidays are that time when homes are spruced up and beautifully decorated

4- Many buyers want to buy and close before year-end to get the benefit of the homestead exemption.

So if you have been under the impression that now is not a good time to have your home on the market or to list it, think again…  and give me a call!  I am here to help!

What better sense of creating community than to watch a movie with your neighbors? Join other Bellaire residents on Thursday August 18 at 7:30 PM at the Aquatic Center to watch Jaws (not recommended for kids under 10).  Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance at the Rec Center since seating will be limited.  Last fun before school starts, and it will benefit the Patrons for Bellaire Parks.  See ya there!

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

Here are a few negotiationtips to be kept in mind if you are buying or selling a home.  Always stay focused on completing the sale: That is your main goal! 

1) Don’t go back and forth too many times.  On the third round of negotiations, buyers and sellers stop focusing on the goal of buying or selling a home at the right price.  The parties make it a personal issue, that has much to do with personalities and character, far removed from the deal at hand

2) When you concede to something during the negotiations, always ask for a concession in return. In doing this you are keeping the plane even with the other party.

3) Never take the first offer too quickly 

4) Get the other party to negotiate with himself.  Here is a true story:  Instead of coming back with a counter-offer, a seller responded that he likes everything about the offer except the price, forcing the interested buyer to raise his price without any indication from the other party of where the ceiling may be.  I would caution however that in a buyer’s market like the one we are facing today, this strategy can backfire for the seller.  Buyers may very well walk away to a similar property where the seller is more motivated to make a deal happen.

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!

There were 23 properties that sold in Bellaire in August, down from a total of 28 in July.  Sales ranged from $195,000 for a 5,100 SF lot on Holt to $1,675,000 for a 5,689 SF home.  The majority of the sales were in the $600,000 to $799,000 price range (8 sales) followed by the $190,000 to $399,000 range (7 sales).   Three homes over $1 million were closed on.

To see what is available for sale now, visit www.BellaireBestHomes.com.   To get an idea of your home value, fill out the Market Snapshot request form at the top of the page for a monthly email of MLS generated sales data.  You can also email me at Lucie@MyBellaireBlog.com

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!