Swimming Pool & Water Park Opening

Oh Happy Days are here ... School is almost out ... & the Waterview Pool & Water Park is just about ready to OPEN! The Opening day is Saturday, May 28th from 10a-8p and from 11a-3p, the wonderful Waterview HOA staff will have the Annual Waterview Pool Opening Day event! 

The normal Pool hours will be from 10a-8p Tuesday thru Sundays and will be closed on Mondays except on holidays.

A 2011 WaterView Swim Park ID is required for each resident for Swim Park admittance, regardless of age. New Swim Park ID’s and Sticker Updates will be issued in the Community Center Monday–Friday, 9:00a to 4:00p until September 2, 2011. Swim Park ID’s however will NOT be issued on Mon May 30th, Mon July 4th, & Sept 5th since the office will be closed for the holiday. Swim Passes will also be updated on the following Saturday and Sunday’s ONLY.

May 7 & 8, May 14 & 15,  and May 21 & 22  from 1:00p–4:00p and on May 28th from 10:00a–3:00p. If you lost your Swim Park ID, a replacement can be made for a fee of $10.00. Checks only please.

Here's a few extra Tid-Bits about getting your 2011 Swim Park ID ... 

*If you cannot make the hours scheduled to get your ID renewed you may send your passes with a family member or neighbor, so they can update the passes for you.  

*If you are a new WaterView resident or have never had a WaterView Swim Park ID, proof of residency (driver’s license with WaterView address, closing papers) and a picture ID must be presented in order to get a Swim Park ID. Each person that lives in the house permanently, regardless of age, must have their own ID.  

*If there is an outstanding balance on your account, WaterView Swim Park ID’s will not be renewed or issued until balance is paid in full.

Here's to another great summer at our fabulous Resort style Swimming Pool, Splash Grounds and Kiddie Pool, & Water Park!!! See you there :D

April 2011 Waterview Community Market Report

Here's a snapshot of how the real estate in Waterview fared for April 2011.

The month ended with ... 

31 Active listings (available):
*Min 3bd, 2ba, 1,747sqft, List Price $136,000, & 4 Days on Market

*Max 6bd, 4ba, 4,246sqft, List Price $375,000, & 419 Days on Market

*Average 4bd, 2.5ba, 2,931sqft, List Price $215,601, & 133 Days on Market
4 SOLD listing
*7914 Saint Fillans Ln - 5bd,  2ba, 2,803sqft,  Original List Price $159,000, Sold Price $150,800, & 98 Days on Market

*8406 Seafield Ln - 4bd,  2ba, 2,070sqft, Original List Price $159,900, Sold Price $153,500, & 176 Days on Market

*9801 Broadmoor Ln - 4bd,  2.5ba, 3,057sqft, Original List Price $259,000 Sold Price $250,000 & 72 Days on Market

*8306 Cherry Hills Ln - 5bd, 3ba, 3,870sqft, Original List Price $284,900, Sold Price $278,500, & 209 Days on Market

FORECLOSURES ... 2 Active listings, 1 Contract Pending, & 3 Sold

Do you need a Realtor that specializes in the Waterview Community and the Lake Ray Hubbard area? Call or Email me today! Whether selling or buying, today's complex real estate market requires a professional who can structure a transaction to benefit all parties involved and meet their needs. Let me know how I can serve you or your referrals to better understand the tax advantages, financing alternatives & investent aspects of home ownership ... because NOW really is a GREAT time to BUY!

EcoStar Pest Control to Get Rid of Your Insects in Waterview

Bye-Bye Winter ... Spring is here!

In case you haven't noticed, humans aren't the only ones who are glad to see winter go. ANTS & other INSECTS are also drawn to this warmer weather, especially in Texas, and are coming out in droves ... or at least it seems like they are. 

For me, I've never been a big fan of using environmentally harmful chemicals or "over the counter" products like RAID to keep our house clear of unwanted insects, especially since our Lil'Dude blessed our lives 2 years ago. We searched high & low and finally found EcoStar Pest Control, an amazing company that uses organic based products! Besides using environmentally friendly products that has minimal exposure to people and animals, EcoStar's program is 2nd to none! They come every 3 months to treat the inside of your house, the outside front & back yard, the perimeter & eaves of your house, and if needed the garage/attic. If by chance you find some pesky insects between your regularly scheduled service, all you have to do is give them a call and a technician will be sent out at NO EXTRA CHARGE! EcoStar Pest Control is a family owned business in McKinney but proudly service the Lake Ray Hubard area as well as other locations in the DFW MetroPlex.

If you chose not to use a company for your problem, be wary of what you use on Ants       because there are different types of Ants. For example, spaying RAID      or other common insecticides on the Pharaoh (sugar) Ant will actually    make it worse. Yuppers ... when those ants you killed don't return  home, the Queen will inject ~6-12 of her "loyal subjects" with Queen Serum & they go off and start their own colonies most likely in your house! So how do you get rid of the not so sweet Sugar Ants?! The best over the counter remedy is to purchase "Pharaoh Ant Traps". They look like little roach traps/houses but they contain a specila mixture that the ants just can't resist, which they take back to their home & share with all the others. A good one that I've come across is MaxForce Ant Bait Stations. They have no insecticide odor, are child-resistant, and easy to use. 

Here's to a Happy Pest Free Spring!!!

March 2011 Waterview Community Market Update, Rowlett

Here's a snapshot of how the real estate in Waterview fared for February 2011.

The month ended with ... 

31 Active listings (available):

*Min 3BD, 2 BA, 1,747 SQFT, $136,000 List Price, & 4 Days on the Market

*Max 6BD,  4BA,  4,246 SQFT, $375,000 List Price, & 419 Days on the Market

 *Average 4BD,  2.5BA, 2,931 SQFT, $215,601 List Price, 133 Days on the Market

4 SOLD listing 

*7701 Fern Hill Ln, 4BD, 2BA, 2,450 SQFT, Original List Price $125,000, Sold Price $138,700, 302 Days on the Market

*10701 Lansdowne Ln, 3BD, 2BA, 1,789 SQFT, Original List Price $139,900, Sold Price $136,000, 178 Days on the Market

*8209 Lighthouse Dr, 4BD, 2BA, 3,662 SQFT, Original List Price $199,900, Sold Price $190,000, 245 Days on the Market

*9917 Oakmont Court, 5BD, 4BA, 4,149 SQFT, Original List Price $279,900, Sold Price $287,500, 147 Days on the Market
Forclosures ... 2 Active, 1 Contract Pending, & 2 Sold

Do you need a Realtor that specializes in the Waterview Community and the Lake Ray Hubbard area? Call or Email me today! Whether selling or buying, today's complex real estate market requires a professional who can structure a transaction to benefit all parties involved and meet their needs. Let me know how I can serve you or your referrals to better understand the tax advantages, financing alternatives & investent aspects of home ownership ... because NOW really is a GREAT time to BUY!

February 2011 Market Update for Waterview Community, Rowlett

Here's a snapshot of how the real estate in Waterview fared for February 2011.

The month ended with ... 

31 Active listings (available):

*Min 3BD, 2BA, 1,747SQFT, List Price $136,000, & 4 Days on Market

*Max 6BD, 4BA, 4,246SQFT, List Price $375,000, & 419 Days on Market

*Average 4BD, 2.5BA, 2,931SQFT, List Price $215,601, 133 Days on Market

3 SOLD listing

*10718 J A Forster Dr- 3BD, 2BA, 1,746SQFT, Original List Price $144,900, Sold Price $140,00, & 246 Days on Market *9502 Pinehurst Dr- 5BD, 4BA, 4,430SQFT, Original List Price $229,900, Sold Price $240,000 & 104 Days on Market *10310 Broadmoor LN- 4BD,  2BA, 2,800SQFT,  Original List Price  $266,900, Sold Price $253,500 & 19 Days on Market

FORECLOSURES ... 2 Active listings & 2 Sold

Do you need a Realtor that specializes in the Waterview Community and the Lake Ray Hubbard area? Call or Email me today! Whether selling or buying, today's complex real estate market requires a professional who can structure a transaction to benefit all parties involved and meet their needs. Let me know how I can serve you or your referrals to better understand the tax advantages, financing alternatives & investent aspects of home ownership ... because NOW really is a GREAT time to BUY

January 2011 Waterview Community Market Report

Here's a snapshot of how the real estate in Waterview fared for January 2011.

The month ended with ... 


31 Active listings (available):
*Min 3 BD, 2 BA, 1,747 SQFT, List Price $136,000, & 4 Days on Market
*Max 6 BD, 4 BA, 4,246 SQFT,  List Price $375,000, & 419 Days on Market
*Average 4 BD, 2.5 BA, 2,931 SQFT, List Price $ 215,601, & 133  Days on Market
1 SOLD listing
*10418 Broadmoor - 4BD,  3 BA, 3,298 sqft, Original List Price $279,900, Sold Price  $270,000, & 129   Days on Market
FORECLOSURES ... 2 Active listings & 1 Sold


Do you need a Realtor that specializes in the Waterview Community and the Lake Ray Hubbard area? Call or Email me today! Whether selling or buying, today's complex real estate market requires a professional who can structure a transaction to benefit all parties involved and meet their needs. Let me know how I can serve you or your referrals to better understand the tax advantages, financing alternatives & investent aspects of home ownership ... because NOW really is a GREAT time to BUY!

Lake Ray Hubbard's 1st Dog Park, Rockwall TX

Rockwall and the Lake Ray Hubbard community finally has it's 1st ever DOG PARK! Yes my friends, our 4-legged friends now have their own place where they can run around leash free & play with other dogs at the Harry Myers Park! 

    Since the land is already owned & operated by the City of Rockwall Park & Recreation Department, and was to be built with private donations of money, labor, & materials, this project hasn't cost the Rockwall Community anything.  Rockwall PAWS will watch over the Dog Park and according to Brad Griggs, the Parks Director, he told the Council that the upkeep & maintenance of the dog park would be no additional burden to his staff.         

  The Rockwall Area Dog Park is on 1.3 acres that is completely fenced in and has divided areas with plenty of shade & water stations for both the big doggies and the small doggies. There'll also be sitting areas, waste pick-up receptacles all along the Dog Park, & plenty of parking.

     Kudos to this year's Leadership Rockwall class & to the Rockwall City Council for blessing Rockwall and it's Lake Ray Hubbard neighbors with its' 1st DOG PARK! To find out more or how you can donate, visit their website http://rockwalldogpark.org/ and friend them on Facebook.

How to Lower your Energy Bill & Be Green

REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE ... By making some changes in your house & in your habits, you can lessen your Carbon Footprint and save some $$$!

So, how can you save 30-40% on your energy bills???  Here are some ways to do just that   ...   Did you know that as much as HALF of the energy used in our homes go to Heating and Cooling. By doing 2 simple & inexpensive things to our home's heating & air conditioning (HVAC) systems, we can have a big effect on our utility bills.

1-

  Check your filter every month, especially during winter & summer, if the filter looks dirty, change it. It's recommended to change your air filters at least every 3 months because a dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to warm or cool your house, thus wasting energy and $$$.  

2-

  Have your HVAC units checked by a professional twice a year (best done in Spring & Fall) ... to make sure all parts are in working condition & ready to go for Summer and Winter! 

Other ways to make our Heating and Cooling more Energy Efficient are to:

• Install Radiant Barriers, which can lower cooling costs between 5%–10%! It's usually in attics (on the walls & floor insulation) as well as around water heaters, pipes, & inside of garage doors. Basically, the Radiant Barrier "reflects" the heat to reduce summer heat gain inside the house, which helps lower cooling costs.    Radiant Barrier Info website 

• Replacing your windows with Energy Star Windows would be the best, but a great inexpensive alternative would be to Install Solar Screens on your windows, or at least the ones that get most of the afternoon sun. Solar Screens are the most effective window treatments that you can apply to your home for lowering energy bills. They essentially reflect the direct sun rays off the screen, create an extra area of shade between the window screen & window pane, and also absorb some of the heat in the screen material itself ... all while still allowing you to have a view out of your window. If you're in the Dallas/Ft Worth area or in Houston, I highly recommend Lone Star Solar Screens!

• Install a Programmable Thermostat & Use it Properly. Keep the temperature set at its "energy savings" set-points for long periods of time (~8-10 hrs). It's suggested that during the day, when no one is at home, set the temp back 8° F of what you'd like it to be when you get home in winter & set it 7° F up in summer. For the night, at bedtime, set the temp back 8° F in winter and set it up 4° F in summer. Here's a quick & informative video about Programable Thermostats https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=vid_gallery.showGenYTVideo

• Apply Caulk and Weather-Strip around windows and doorframes that leak air.

Now that we talked about ways to lower your energy usage for Heating & Air Conditioning, the next biggest energy theives are the Appliances. Best thing to do here is replace them as needed with Energy Star Appliances. I recommend starting with the Water Heater. Speaking of water, if you install Energy Efficient Shower Heads you can save ~10,000 gallons of water a year! In addition, if you attach Low-Flow Aerators to your sink faucets, you can save ~4,000 gallons of water a year!

And last but not least, here are some super easy & inexpensive ways to save $$$ and make your house more energy efficient:

• Switch your Light Bulbs to those squigly "compact fluorescent light bulbs" (CFL). They now make them with a "cover" so you don't see the weird squigly bulb.
Plug all major Electronics into a Power Strip & when you are done using the electronic, turn off the power strip. This is a great electricity saver especially for TV's & Computers.
Unplug any Power Chargers/Adapters (like what you use for your cell phone) when the equipment is disconnected from the charger or when it's fully charged.

I hope you're able to implement some, if not all, of these suggestions to significantly reduce your home's energy usage, especially in the hot Texas summers, save lots of ca$h...all while doing a little more to help our world!