I need you help... My dog, Toby is in a contest... I need you to vote for him... Toby is a rescue dog and he now is able to visit the sick and elderly... Plesae vote for my boy....

http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/15821/voteable_entries/2736737

We adopted Toby from Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue (GBGRR) in March of 2008. He is an awesome visiting dog. His list of credentials include – Delta Society registered pet partner, Caring Critter, Canine Good Citizen and a gold medal winner in his sports foundation class. He loves his work as a visiting dog and currently visits an assisted living home in Pearland. He brings many smiles to the people he visits and is so happy to go see them, he just smiles the whole time. In his spare time he likes to be an ambassador for GBGRR by attending meet and greets for adoption or working booths and the dog show and various other events.

GBGRR, a non-profit organization founded in 1999, is celebrating our 10-year anniversary. In our first ten years, GBGRR has rescued more than two thousand Golden Retrievers and received numerous awards and grants. GBGRR received the Starfish Award from the Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) for our rescue efforts during hurricane Katrina, and in 2008, two of our rescued Goldens won G.R.A.C.E. (Golden Retrievers Achieving Community Excellence) Awards in two different categories at the GRCA Nationals in Providence, Rhode Island.

Effective February 1, 2010 the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will relax FHA rules that prohibit insuring mortgages on homes that are owned by the seller for less than 90 days – a move that could help expedite the rehabilitation and resale of foreclosure properties.

Do you want to get into the real estate business? Do you want to start to have residual income? Do you want to have freedom to do want to do? Do you want to tell your boss you quit? You can do it... Now is the time to buy. Prices or low, interest rates are low, inventory is high... NOW is the time to buy real estate for investment...

Call me at 713-581-4702 to learn how anyone can get into the real estate investment business and make a great living doing it.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

Save the Date....February 3 - Negotiations Luncheon @ The Grove NRG invites you to save the date for Wednesday, February 3, 2010 for our first educational luncheon of the year! We are kicking off the year with Tom Hayman President of Negotiation Expertise, LLC, home of the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) designation one of the top new designations in real estate. More details coming soon! #NRG #HAR

http://tweetvite.com/event/NRGfeb09

Check out the tweetups on Tweetvite.

One of the first mistakes first time home buyers make, is to try and buy to MUCH home. As a first time home buyer you may qualify for a lot more home than you need to buy. I advise my clients to buy a home that fits their needs and still allows them to have a quality of life. You need to have a balance between monthly payments of your new home and the quality of life you want to live.  Take into account all of your monthly outflow of cash of all of your bills.  If you the max amount you where qualified for you might not be able to have cable TV, Internet, new blinds or be able to the furniture you want in your new home... You need to ask yourself "how much do I want to afford" and come up with a plan BEFORE you start looking for that new home.

Check out these sites: http://nhl.gov/buying/index.cfm#afford http://www.har.com/usearealtor/dispWhyRent.cfm

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general.

Please click on this link to view the JANUARY-2010 Newsletter Housing Trends eNewsletter:
http://budurl.com/NewsletterJan09

The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau, Realtor.org reports and other sources.

It also includes press releases with charts and videos, key market indicators and real estate sales and price statistics, a video message by a nationally recognized economist, maps, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, plus local neighborhood information and more.

If you are interested in determining the value of your home, click the “Home Evaluator” link for a free evaluation report:
http://budurl.com/HomeEvaluator

Sound decisions can only be made with accurate and reliable information, and I am happy to be a trusted resource for you. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this monthly eNewsletter, and I look forward to answering any questions you may have and to the opportunity to be your REALTOR® in the future.

Sincerely yours,

Danny Frank
Keller Williams Realty Pearland
2734 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 208 Pearland TX 77584
713-581-4702
danfrank@kw.com


(While I hope you find the information contained in this eNewsletter useful and informative, if you wish to no longer receive it, you may click on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the newsletter.)

Water Heaters: 5 Tips to Save Energy

By: Joe Bousquin

Published: August 28, 2009

Water heating accounts for up to 25% of household energy costs, but there are inexpensive things you can do to increase efficiency and reduce energy bills.

n the fight to save energy, your water heater is a born loser. That’s because most houses in this country have a conventional storage-type water heater. That 50-gallon tank in the basement wants to keep water hot, so it will be ready whenever you turn on the tap. But as the water sits, it naturally begins to cool down, a process known as standby heat loss. When it does, the burner or heating element kicks on to warm it up again, in a constantly repeating cycle. According to the Department of Energy, water heating accounts for 14% to 25% of your household’s total energy costs. But there are easy, low-cost steps you can take to reduce standby losses—and your hot-water bill, too. Try these five, and you’ll start seeing a difference right away.

Wrap your heater in a blanket

Just as you wouldn’t send little Susie out into the cold without a jacket, your water heater needs help to stay warm, especially if it’s in an unheated space. A fiberglass insulating blanket can cut heat loss by 25% to 40% and save 4% to 9% on the average water-heating bill of $308, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Insulating blankets are cheap, usually less than $30 at the home center, and it’s easy to install one yourself. Follow the included directions, and take care not to block the thermostat on an electric water heater or the air inlet, exhaust, or top of the tank on a gas unit.

If your water heater is fairly new, check the manufacturer’s recommendations first. Many newer units already have insulating foam built in; on these models, an after-market jacket could block a critical component.

Install low-flow fixtures

One of the surest ways to cut hot water costs is to use less of it. According to the ACEEE, a family of four uses 700 gallons of hot water per week. By installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, which cost as little as $10 to $20 each, you can cut hot water consumption by 25% to 60%. These devices are easy to install and will save 14,000 gallons of hot water annually, plus the energy it takes to heat it. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average U.S. household water bill at $474 a year. By cutting water consumption in half, you’ll save more than $200 annually.

Turn down the temperature

Many water heaters come from the factory with the temperature set needlessly high. For every 10 degrees you turn it down, you’ll save another 3% to 5% on your bill, according to ACEEE. A setting between 120 and 140 degrees is plenty hot for most uses. Just don’t go below 120 degrees, which could lead to the unsafe growth of bacteria inside the tank.

If the thermostat on your water heater doesn’t have a numbered gauge, put it midway between the “low” and “medium” marks. Wait a day, then measure the temperature at the tap with a standard cooking thermometer. Keep adjusting this way until you hit your target temperature.

Drain the sediment

Tanks naturally build up sediment, which reduces the unit’s efficiency and makes it more expensive to operate. “Imagine an inch of sand inside your water heater,” explains David Chisholm of manufacturer State Water Heaters. “When you get a layer at the bottom of the tank, you have to heat up that sediment before you can heat up the water.”

Draining the tank is relatively easy. Turn off the water and power to the unit (set the burner on a gas unit to “pilot”). Then connect a garden hose to the spigot at the base of the tank. With the other end of the hose at a lower spot outside the house where discharging hot water poses no danger, carefully lift the pressure-relief valve at the top of the tank and turn on the spigot; water should begin to flow. While most manufacturers recommend draining the tank once or twice a year, you don’t have to drain it completely; in fact, the Department of Energy recommends draining less water more often—just a quart every three months.

Insulate exposed hot-water pipes

Like blanketing the tank, wrapping hot-water pipes with insulation reduces standby losses. Water arrives at the tap 2 to 4 degrees warmer, which means you won’t have to stand around as long waiting for it to heat up, thus saving water, energy, and money. While this isn’t an expensive job to do yourself—six-foot-long, self-sealing sleeves easily slip over pipes and cost about $2.50 each—it could take some effort, depending on where your hot water pipes are. Exposed pipes in the basement are an easy target, but if pipes are in a hard-to-reach crawl space or inside walls, it might not be worth the trouble.

Joe Bousquin’s work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and Men’s Journal. The owner of a 79-year-old home in Sacramento, Calif., he has a new reverence for his water heater.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

I have the new T-Mobile MyTouch and love it....

By: Oliver Marks

Published: September 1, 2009

Doing home-improvement jobs yourself can be a smart way to save money, but choose the right DIY projects or you’ll end up paying dearly.

Look for maintenance jobs that are relatively easy and need to be done regularly, so you can hone your skills over time. Image: Comstock/Getty Images

Why pay someone big bucks to do something you can just as easily do yourself? That’s the thinking that has gotten more Americans than ever swinging their own hammers. In a recent Time magazine poll, nearly a quarter of people said they were taking on more home-improvement projects themselves—understandably so, when you consider that it usually means a 50% to 75% discount, since all you pay for is materials.

But sometimes doing it yourself costs more than it saves, like when you decide to replace the toilet, end up flooding the basement, and have to pay a pro to fix your mistakes. Or, worse, if you become one of the more than 100,000 people injured each year doing home-improvement jobs. Here are some guidelines for deciding when DIY can save you money and when it could cost you.

Stick to routine maintenance for savings and safety

Seasonal home maintenance is ideal work for the DIY weekend warrior, since you can plan tasks in advance and get to them when your schedule allows. Because these are repeat projects, your savings will add up to big bucks over the years. Just by mowing your own lawn, for example, you can save $55 to $65 a week for a half-acre lawn during the growing season. The bigger the lot, the bigger the savings: with two acres, you’ll pocket around $150 per week.

When It Pays: Look for maintenance jobs that are relatively easy and need to be done regularly, so you can hone your skills over time. In addition to mowing, other good ones are snow removal, pruning shrubs, washing windows, sealing the deck, painting fences, fertilizing the lawn, and replacing air conditioner filters.

When It Doesn’t: Unless you have skill and experience on your side, stay off of any ladder taller than six feet; according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 164,000 people end up in emergency rooms every year because of ladder injuries. The same goes for operating power saws or attempting any major electrical work—it’s simply too risky if you don’t have the experience.

Act as your own GC on small jobs 

If you’re more comfortable operating an iPhone than a circular saw, you may be able to act as your own general contractor on a home-improvement project and hire the carpenters, plumbers, and other tradesmen yourself. You’ll save 10% to 20% of the job cost, which is the contractor’s typical fee.

When it Pays: If it’s a small job that requires only two or three different tradesmen, and you have good existing relationships with top-quality professionals in those fields, consider DIY contracting.

When It Doesn’t: Unless you have an established network of contacts who will show up as promised, the time to spend on oversight, enough construction experience to spot potential problems, and the skill to negotiate disputes between the various subcontractors, trying to manage your own project can quickly send the schedule and budget off the rails.

Pitch in with sweat equity on big jobs

Contributing your own labor on a big job being handled by a professional crew can cut hundreds or even thousands of dollars off the contractor’s bill. Tear the cabinets and appliances out of your old kitchen before the contractor gets started, say, and you might knock $800 off the cost of your remodel, says Dean Bennett, a design/build contractor in Castle Rock, Colorado.

When it Pays: Grunt work—jobs that are labor intensive but require relatively little skill—makes the best homeowner contribution. Offer to do minor interior demolition like removing cabinets and pulling up old flooring, daily jobsite cleanup, product assembly, and simple landscaping like planting foundation shrubs and grass seed around your new addition.

When It Doesn’t: If you get in the crew’s way, you may slow them down far more than you help. Make your contributions when the workers aren’t around, such as in the morning before they arrive, or on nights and weekends after they’ve left.

Put on some of the finishing touches

Unlike the early phases of a construction job, which require skilled labor to frame walls, install plumbing pipes, and run wiring, many of the finishing touches on a project are comparatively simple and DIY-friendly. If you do the painting yourself for a new basement rec room, for instance, you can easily save $1,800, Bennett says.

When it Pays: If you have the skill—or a patient temperament and an experienced friend to teach you—finish work like setting tile, laying flooring, painting walls, and installing trim are all good DIY jobs.

When It Doesn’t: The downside to attempting your own finish work is that the results are very visible. Hammer dents in woodwork, for example, or sander ruts in your hardwood floors may cause you aggravation every time you see them. So unless you have a sure eye and a steady hand, it may not pay to embark on these tasks.

A former carpenter and newspaper reporter, Oliver Marks has been writing about home improvements for 16 years. He’s currently restoring his second fixer-upper with a mix of big hired projects and small do-it-himself jobs.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

DECEMBER-2009 Newsletter Housing Trends eNewsletter

Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you're in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general.

Please click on this link to view the DECEMBER-2009 Newsletter Housing Trends eNewsletter:
http://danfrank.housingtrendsenewsletter.com?Newsletter_ID=238&Period_ID=180

The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau, Realtor.org reports and other sources.

It also includes press releases with charts and videos, key market indicators and real estate sales and price statistics, a video message by a nationally recognized economist, maps, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, plus local neighborhood information and more.

If you are interested in determining the value of your home, click the "Home Evaluator" link for a free evaluation report:
http://danfrank.housingtrendsenewsletter.com/dispContent.cfm?loadid=2&loadtype=0

Sound decisions can only be made with accurate and reliable information, and I am happy to be a trusted resource for you. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this monthly eNewsletter, and I look forward to answering any questions you may have and to the opportunity to be your REALTOR® in the future.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

Sincerely yours, 

Danny Frank
Keller Williams Realty Pearland
2734 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 208 Pearland TX 77584
713-581-4702
danfrank@kw.com
http://www.danfrankrealty.com

By: Mariwyn Evans

Published: August 28, 2009

Knowing what’s on your CLUE report will give you a sense of whether you’ll need to pay extra for homeowners insurance. Image: Rosanne Olson/Getty Images

Your homeowners claims don’t disappear after your insurer cuts a check because CLUE reports keep them alive for seven years—and that could cost you.

A tree falls on the roof of your house. You file an insurance claim with your agent, collect a settlement from the insurer, and fix your roof. End of story, right? Not quite. Every claim you make on your homeowners insurance is recorded in a widely used insurance industry database called CLUE, short for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange.

Almost all insurance companies use CLUE to check on the claims history of prospective policyholders. The CLUE report also includes insurance claims made on your home before you even bought it. A-PLUS is another company that maintains a loss-history database. What’s inside these reports can affect your insurance premiums, or even prevent you from getting coverage.

Your claims history lives on in CLUE

The CLUE Personal Property report, which pertains to homeowners insurance, is divided into two parts: your personal record of claims (“Claims for the Subject”) and the claims on your home (“Claims History for Risk”). The number of claims in either section will affect whether you can get insurance for your home, how much coverage you can get, and how much you’ll pay in premiums. If you’re turned down for homeowners insurance because of information in your CLUE report, your insurance company is required to let you know why you were rejected.

Since the database is used by most insurance companies, your claims history follows you from one insurer to another. Actual claims, as opposed to inquiries, remain in the CLUE database for seven years from the date you filed them. Both ChoicePoint, the owner of CLUE, and A-PLUS advise insurance carriers not to report loss information just because you called to ask a question about whether your policy will cover a particular loss. Individual insurance companies may keep a record of inquires, though.

How insurers use CLUE

Insurance companies rely on CLUE reports because statistics show that if you’ve filed a claim in the past, you’re more likely to file one in the future, says Dick Luedke, a spokesperson for State Farm Insurance. The amount of a claim is less important than how often you’ve filed, he says. “We aren’t trying to make up for past losses, but to predict the risk of future claims.”

Each insurance company has its own formula for calculating how much a claim will affect your premium, according to the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group that provides information to consumers. Suffice it to say the fewer the claims the less you’ll likely be charged. State Farm gives a 5% discount if you haven’t filed a claim in the last five years, says Luedke. That’s $40 off an average annual premium of $804. Ask your agent if a claim-free discount is available.

Claims aren’t all that count

Knowing what’s on your CLUE report will give you a sense of whether you’ll need to pay extra for homeowners insurance, or even if you run the risk of rejection. Unfortunately, even a pristine report doesn’t mean you can be sure of getting homeowners insurance at a great price. That’s because the claims on your CLUE report aren’t the only things that affect your overall insurance risk.

Insurance companies also consider your credit score, which is based on such things as how much debt you carry, whether you pay your bills on time, and so forth. According to the Insurance Information Institute, studies show that how people manage their finances is a good indicator of whether they’ll file an insurance claim. The more likely you are to file a claim, the bigger risk you are to the insurance company. And more risk means a higher premium or denial of coverage. Other factors insurers consider include the location of your home and its type of construction.

How to review your CLUE report

If you do decide to check you CLUE Personal Property report, it’s a relatively easy process. Under federal law, you get one free CLUE report a year. You can contact ChoicePoint by telephone at 800-456-6004. You can also register online to gain access to an electronic copy of your report for 30 days. Request a form to receive a Property Loss report from A-PLUS by calling 800-709-8842. There’s a charge of $9 to have the report mailed to you, according to the company’s website.

Your CLUE report will have:

• Your name, home address, birth date, and Social Security number;
• The number assigned to the report;
• The name of your insurance company;
• The type and number of the insurance policy;
• The type of loss—fire, water, etc.—for each claim and the claim number;
• The date of the loss and the amount of each claim;
• The status of each claim: closed, pending, etc.

The report also tells you how to dispute any errors you find. Because risk calculations vary by insurance company, it’s impossible to say exactly how a claim on your CLUE report will affect your premium. That makes it tough to decide just how much value checking your CLUE yields. Still, taking less than an hour once a year to order and review your report could pay off, especially if you find an error.

Mariwyn Evans has spent 25 years writing about commercial and residential real estate. She’s the author of several books, including “Opportunities in Real Estate Careers,” as well as too many magazine articles to count.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

By: Jeanne Huber

Published: September 16, 2009

For what the typical family wastes every year on air leaks—about $350—you can plug energy-robbing gaps, start saving money, and enjoy a more comfortable home.

A typical family spends about a third of its annual heating and cooling budget—roughly $350—on air that leaks into or out of the house through unintended gaps and cracks. With the money you waste in just one year, you can plug many of those leaks yourself. It’s among the most cost-effective things you can do to conserve energy and increase comfort, according to Energy Star. Start in the attic, since that’s where you’ll find some of the biggest energy drains. Then tackle the basement, to prevent cold air that enters there from being sucked into upstairs rooms. Finally, seal leaks in the rest of the house. Here are eight places to start.

1. Insulate around recessed lights

Most recessed lights have vents that open into the attic, a direct route for heated or cooled air to escape. When you consider that many homes have 30 or 40 of these fixtures, it’s easy to see why researchers at the Pennsylvania Housing Research/Resource Center pinpointed them as a leading cause of household air leaks. Lights labeled ICAT, for “insulation contact and air tight,” are already sealed; look for the label next to the bulb. If you don’t see it, assume yours leaks. An airtight baffle ($8-$30 at the home center) is a quick fix. Remove the bulb, push the baffle up into the housing, then replace the bulb.

2. Plug open stud cavities

Most of your house probably has an inner skin of drywall or plaster between living space and unheated areas. But builders in the past often skipped this cover behind knee walls (partial-height walls where the roof angles down into the top floor), above dropped ceilings or soffits, and above angled ceilings over stairs.

Up in the attic, you may need to push insulation away to see if the stud cavities are open. If they are, seal them with unfaced fiberglass insulation ($1.30 a square foot) stuffed into plastic garbage bags; the bag is key to blocking air flow. Close large gaps with scraps of drywall or pieces of reflective foil insulation ($2 a square foot). Once you’ve covered the openings, smooth the insulation back into place. To see these repairs in action, consult Energy Star’s DIY guide to air sealing.

3. Close gaps around flues and chimneys

Building codes require that wood framing be kept at least one inch from metal flues and two inches from brick chimneys. But that creates gaps where air can flow through. Cover the gaps with aluminum flashing ($12) cut to fit and sealed into place with high-temperature silicone caulk ($20). To keep insulation away from the hot flue pipe, form a barrier by wrapping a cylinder of flashing around the flue, leaving a one-inch space in between. To maintain the spacing, cut and bend a series of inch-deep tabs in the cylinder’s top and bottom edges.

4. Weatherstrip the attic access door

A quarter-inch gap around pull-down attic stairs or an attic hatch lets through the same amount of air as a bedroom heating duct. Seal it by caulking between the stair frame and the rough opening, or by installing foam weatherstripping around the perimeter of the hatch opening. Or you can buy a pre-insulated hatch cover kit, such as the Energy Guardian from ESS Energy Products ($150).

5. Squirt foam in the medium-size gaps

Once the biggest attic gaps are plugged, move on to the medium-size ones. Low-expansion polyurethane foam in a can is great for plugging openings 1/4-inch to three inches wide, such as those around plumbing pipes and vents. A standard 12-ounce can ($5) is good for 250 feet of bead about half an inch thick. The plastic straw applicator seals shut within two hours of the first use, so to get the most mileage out of a can, squirt a lubricant such as WD-40 onto a pipe cleaner and stuff that into the applicator tube between uses.

6. Caulk the skinny gaps

Caulk makes the best gap-filler for openings less than 1/4-inch wide, such as those cut around electrical boxes. Silicone costs the most ($8 a tube) but works better next to nonporous materials, such as metal flashing, or where there are temperature extremes, as in attics. Acrylic latex caulk ($2 a tube) is less messy to work with and cleans up with water.

7. Plug gaps in the basement

Gaps low on a foundation wall matter if you’re trying to fix a wet basement, but only those above the outside soil level let air in. Seal those with the same materials you’d use in an attic: caulk for gaps up to 1/4-inch wide and spray foam for wider ones. Use high-temperature caulk around vent pipes that get hot, such as those for the furnace or water heater. Shoot foam around wider holes for wires, pipes, and ducts that pass through basement walls to the outside.

In most older houses with basements, air seeps in where the house framing sits on the foundation. Spread a bead of caulk between the foundation and the sill plate (the wood immediately above the foundation), and along the top and bottom edges of the rim joist (the piece that sits atop the sill plate).

8. Tighten up around windows and doors

In the main living areas of your home, the most significant drafts tend to occur around windows and doors. If you have old windows, caulking and adding new weatherstripping goes a long way toward tightening them up. Bronze weatherstripping ($12 for 17 feet) lasts for decades but is time-consuming to install, while some self-stick plastic types are easy to put on but don’t last very long. Adhesive-backed EPDM rubber ($8 for 10 feet) is a good compromise, rated to last at least 10 years. Nifty gadgets called pulley seals ($9 a pair) block air from streaming though the holes where cords disappear into the frames.

Weatherstripping also works wonders on doors. If a draft comes in at the bottom, install a new door sweep ($9).

Before working in the attic, take some precautions

Try to do attic work on a cool day. Wear protective gear: disposable clothes, gloves, and a double-elastic mask or half-face respirator. Bring along a droplight with a fluorescent bulb, plus at least two pieces of plywood big enough to span two or three joists to support you as you work. To save trips up and down a ladder, try to move up all of the materials you need before you get started. One warning: If you find vermiculite insulation, hold off until you’ve had it checked for asbestos; your health department or air-quality agency can recommend a lab.

Jeanne Huber writes a home-repair column for the Washington Post and has commissioned three new roofs on various houses over the years.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

By: Oliver Marks

Published: September 30, 2009

Review your remodeling contract carefully and adjust it to make sure it protects you in terms of payments, work schedules, and project specifications.

Even if you never intend to pick up a hammer for your remodeling project, there’s one tool that’s absolutely essential—a solid contract. But just having one often isn’t enough. That’s because the document a contractor gives you is designed to protect him. It’s up to you to add in some basic protections for yourself. Here’s what you need to know to make sure the remodeling contract you sign includes solid legal protection for you and your home.

Hiring a lawyer to review and make changes to a contract is a safe bet, especially since each state has its own construction-contract statutes. But not many homeowners are willing to shell out $500 for an attorney review, plus $1,000 to $1,500 additional fees to make wholesale revisions to a flawed contract. However, you can hand-write changes and additions in plain English and make sure both you and the contractor initial each change to the document, says Tampa, Fla., attorney George Meyer, who is chair-elect of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry. Here’s what you want to add (and subtract).

Project specs

Start by reviewing your contract, a process that should take several hours. The most important element of a contract is a thorough and complete description of the project, and the materials and the products that will be used. “It should say that the contractor will secure all necessary permits and approvals as well as what walls are being moved where, what type of countertops are going in, what type of sink, what type of faucet, and so forth,” says Meyer. “You can’t rely on everyone’s memory because if there’s a problem later, people may remember different things.” The contract needn’t contain these specs on its pages, it can simply refer to the contractor’s attached itemized bid. Avoid allowances, which are pools of money set aside for work to be determined later, and which often lead to cost overruns.

Payment schedule

The contract should also state the total price for the job, and that it’s a fixed price—not an estimate. It should provide a schedule of how the payments will be made by linking them to milestones in the work—such as when the foundation, rough plumbing, and electricity will be completed—so you’re paying for work only after it’s done. “You should always have enough money left to hire someone else to finish the work if need be,” says Meyer. In general, the first payment should be no more than 10% of the total job and the final payment should be at least a few thousand dollars to ensure that it’s a big enough incentive to get the contractor back for the final niggling details. If you’re unsure whether the payment schedule is proportional to the milestones your contractor suggests, ask a friend who’s familiar with construction process or consult a construction attorney.

Start and end dates

A contractor’s boilerplate contract rarely includes dates for when he will begin work and when he will complete the job, so make sure those details are included. It’s not that he’ll be penalized if it runs late, only that if you ever have a major problem and need to sue him—or defend yourself from a suit he brings—showing that the contractor is, say, two months behind schedule will help you make your case. The dates needn’t be too exacting. If he says it’s a six to eight week job, eight or even nine weeks is fine for the contract, says Meyer.

Statement about change orders

Make sure the contract contains a line stating that any changes that will affect the cost of the job must be priced in writing and countersigned by both the contractor and homeowner before that work commences. That ensures that an offhand discussion about a possible change to the project won’t result in a huge unforeseen additional cost. It also helps you, as the homeowner, keep track of exactly how much you’ve added to the bottom line, so you can avoid the very common urge to keep expanding the job.

Binding arbitration

Many contractors include a line that says that rather than going through the courts, disputes will be resolved by an arbitrator. Some legal experts feel that this is a quicker and lower-cost solution to problems, so a binding arbitration clause isn’t necessarily a problem. What can be trouble is if the contract requires a specific arbitrator. “There are some big, national, well-respected arbitrators, like the American Arbitration Association,” says Meyer. “And there are other questionable arbitrators that always side with the contractor. If a particular arbitrator is specified, I’d do some internet research about the agency to make sure it’s legit.”

Warranty

Having the contractor’s warranty in the contract seems like a good thing, right? Well including it is often actually a technique for limiting how much liability the contractor has. “It’s usually loaded up with exclusions and time limits,” says Meyer, “and you’re actually better off with no mention of warranty at all because then the only limits on his warranty are what’s in the state statutes.” In other words, keeping the contractor’s warranty language in the contract will likely mean you’re agreeing to less than what state law provides. For example, state law may specify a longer warranty term than what the contractor’s warranty offers. So, unless you’re having a lawyer review the contract, strike the warranty clause.

Technicalities

There are numerous state-by-state requirements for construction contracts. He may have to include his contractor’s license number, for example, and he may have to include a clause saying you have the right to rescind the contract within a certain time period after signing. And unless you and the contractor sign the document, it doesn’t matter what it says—it’s not a valid contract.

A former carpenter and newspaper reporter, Oliver Marks has been writing about home improvements for 16 years. He’s currently restoring his second fixer-upper with a mix of big hired projects and small do-it-himself jobs.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

The roof of your house protects against more than rain. The sun's rays beat down relentlessly, especially during summer. The intense heat can raise the temperature inside your home. Proper venting and insulation help keep the cool air in and the warm air out. So, too, do energy-efficient roofing materials, which take the brunt of the solar onslaught. Uncle Sam is encouraging homeowners to improve the roofs of their primary residences with a tax credit worth up to $1,500.

During 2009 and 2010, you can claim a credit for 30% of the cost of qualifying asphalt or metal roofing materials. The credit, which should be taken on IRS Form 5695 for the tax year in which the work is completed, can be split between 2009 and 2010 but can't exceed $1,500 total for both years. You can't claim more in credits than you owe in taxes.

Metal vs. asphalt roofs

To qualify for the tax credit, you must use either metal or asphalt roofing materials that are designed to reduce heat gain-the amount of heat transferred into a home-and meet the requirements of Energy Star (http://www.energystar.gov), a federal program that promotes energy-efficient products and practices. Metal roofs must have appropriate pigmented coatings and asphalt roofs must have appropriate cooling granules. Asphalt materials can be either traditional shingles or modified bitumen (rolled asphalt sheets). Energy Star has a list (http://downloads.energystar.gov/bi/qplist/roofs_prod_list.pdf) of all of its approved roofing products, but only the metal and asphalt materials may qualify for the tax credit.

It's a good idea to hang on to manufacturers' certification statements (http://www.gerardusa.com/Energy%20Star/ESTaxCert.pdf) that attest to the tax credit-worthiness of the roofing materials you purchase. These can usually be found on product packaging or company websites. You don't need to file these with your tax return, but the IRS could ask for them later. Consult a tax advisor.

Dean Kucharski, a 22-year veteran of the roofing business in Pontiac, Mich., estimates that for a typical 2,200-square-foot home, a mid-range asphalt roof will run about $7,000 to $12,000, including labor. The good news is that it will likely last 20 years or more. For a metal roof, expect to pay twice as much, though it can last for 50 years, he says. If you hire a contractor, get an itemized bill that breaks out the cost of materials since labor doesn't count toward the tax credit. Materials should account for about half the bill on standard roofing jobs.

How much roof do I have?

You can get a rough estimate of how much roofing material you'll need by figuring the square footage of the footprint of your home and adding about one-third more to account for roof pitch, overhangs, dormers, gables, and so on. Roofing contractors often quote in terms of "squares." One square equals 100 square feet. So if a roofer says your house is 20 squares, it means it's roughly 2,000 square feet-20 times 100.

Once you're ready to pick a roof type, Kucharski suggests talking to an area building wholesaler or a company that specializes in roofing materials. It's important to consult with someone who knows what types of materials are appropriate for a given region's climate. Big-box retailers may not have as wide a selection or knowledgeable staff.

Finding a good roofer entails the same steps as finding any qualified contractor: ask neighbors for recommendations, collect at least three bids, check references, and get everything in writing. Craig Silvertooth, executive director of the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing (http://www.roofingcenter.org/), recommends finding a contractor through the National Roofing Contractors Association (http://www.nrca.net/), which has about 4,000 members.

Save on cooling bills

You'll get the most bang for your roof-renovation buck if you live in a hot climate, namely the South and Southwest. Expect to save between 7% and 15% on your cooling costs with energy-efficient roofing materials, says Michelle Van Tijen of the Cool Roofs Rating Council (http://www.coolroofs.org/). If you pay $300 a month to cool your home, figure you'll cut your monthly bill by up to $45.

Ironically, with roofs there is such a thing as being too energy efficient. In winter months, roofing materials with very high heat-deflecting qualities can increase heating bills. However, you're more than likely to make up the difference on your air-conditioning costs. That's especially true if you live in an area where you run your air conditioner much of the year.

Think hard before replacing a roof that's in perfectly good shape. Consider instead a roof coating, a material painted over your existing roof that offers insulation and sun reflection, says Silvertooth. Roof coating costs about 75% less than replacing a roof, though it doesn't qualify for the tax credit. Another affordable way to save on cooling costs that doesn't even involve the roof is to add more insulation (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/tax-credits-adding-or-replacing-insulation/) to your attic. This home-improvement project can even be tackled by weekend warriors, and it qualifies for a federal tax credit.

This article provides general information about tax laws and consequences, but is not intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Readers should consult a tax professional for such advice, and are reminded that tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.

Gil Rudawsky has been covering business and consumer issues as a reporter and an editor for 18 years, most recently as a business editor at the Rocky Mountain News. He lives in a house built in the 1930s, and always keeps the home's character in mind when making upgrades.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

You probably know many steps you can take to make your home more attractive to would-be buyers. Keep the yard mowed and edged, put a fresh coat of paint on the front door and you’ve started boosting its curb appeal. Inside the home, be diligent with cleaning chores and putting things away so the house looks its best whenever a buyer shows up.

But consider taking the presentation of your home even further if you want to the best chance to sell it quickly and for the highest possible price. That’s where home staging comes in. Staging helps you make the home more appealing to the widest possible audience.

Staging works best when someone with a practiced eye evaluates your home to give you tips to make it more sellable. Most people have a hard time seeing their home objectively enough to make good staging decisions.

Your Realtor® may have experience staging homes or at least have suggestions to get you started. He or she may also have a list of staging professionals for you to consider hiring. As with hiring other professionals, you can ask friends for referrals and you should inquire about the stager’s references. Also, make sure to ask the home stager whether they will give you a free estimate.

Home staging may involve removing some furnishings, making changes to the décor, or moving some furniture around. Some stagers may bring in new furniture or suggest accessories that can make a difference. You might get advice about painting a room a different color.

Remember that staging your home is not the same as decorating it. Staging is all about helping potential buyers focus on the property’s best features while minimizing the less attractive ones. Knowing that, you shouldn’t be offended if the home stager recommends changes to the master bedroom that you spent so long getting just the way you like it.

It’s not about you anymore; it’s about the people who will consider buying your home. And the better the impression your house makes on buyers, the closer you will be to making a sale. 

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

My column was also published in the 14Nov09 edition of the Galveston County Daily News

When you purchase a house, you’re not just buying land and a structure. You're also choosing the community you’ll live in. Finding the right neighborhood for you is an important consideration. After all, many details of your daily life depend on your location. And while you certainly can describe a neighborhood by a subdivision name or the streets that form its boundaries, a neighborhood is much more than a section on the map. It is defined by the people, amenities and character of the area.  

Set your priorities

Deciding on a neighborhood that fits your lifestyle and desires is an important step in ensuring your happiness. It can be challenging, too. There are so many things to consider.

Quality schools top many homebuyer lists of desirable neighborhood amenities. It may surprise you that being in an area with good schools is important even for people without children because of the influence on resale value.

It’s unfortunate that we have to think about it, but crime statistics of a neighborhood are important, too. Take your time and do your research on this one.

You will also want to consider transportation issues, such as how living in this area is going to affect your commute and the ease of access to public transportation and major thoroughfares.

Some people would like to be in close proximity to healthcare facilities. Others find that having quick access to shopping centers or their favorite grocery store or restaurants is a top priority. Still others may value features such as public pools and parks, access to bike routes and jogging and walking trails.

Everyone’s list will be different. The key is to find a neighborhood that scores well in areas you deem important. That’s a good place to concentrate your search.

It would be great if you found everything you were looking for, and I hope that you do. However, if you’re like many people, you may have to make some sacrifices. A neighborhood you’re considering may score well on most of your checklist but not meet every single one of your criteria. That’s when you have to decide if a missing attribute can be offset by the presence of another.

Now that you know what’s important

Once you establish what you want in a neighborhood, how do you find a place that has what you’re looking for?

A great way to judge the character of an area is to go out and view it with your own eyes. If you have the opportunity, get in your car and drive around or walk through the neighborhood. Don’t limit yourself to one particular time of day. Visit the neighborhood during rush hour, mid-day, on weekends and other times to see if there are significant changes at different times.

Talk to people who live and work there. Ask them to candidly describe their neighborhood. Check out the schools and stores.

If you are relocating to a new city and want to get a feel for the area, subscribe to the community newspaper. You can find out a lot about a neighborhood through a local paper.  

Searching the Internet can yield interesting results, too. Many neighborhoods have online communities where frank, lively discussions of neighborhood issues are common.

You also can find sites that offer demographic information, data about crime, statistics about public and private schools, business reviews and much more.

Get local expertise

When you purchase a house, you’re also making an investment in a neighborhood. As a result, choosing the neighborhood should be a primary consideration when you begin your home search. Many Realtors specialize in specific neighborhoods and can offer valuable insider advice and local expertise.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

My column was also published in the 09Oct09 edition of the Galveston County Daily News

Does it surprise you that Texas homeowners pay more for homeowners insurance than residents of any other state in the U.S.? You may wonder why residents of Florida, with all of its hurricanes, and California with earthquakes, mudslides and wildfires don't pay more. Average Texas rates easily surpass those states, though, according to information from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Weather is a major factor in the cost and Texas has historically had hail, hurricanes, tornadoes and floods.

Although insurance companies determine your rate by looking at data across the state as well as by zip code, there are steps you can take to make sure you're getting the best deal possible.

Consider the property
When purchasing a house, you may want to consider its age. The newer the home, the cheaper it usually is to insure. Also, when you purchase a new home, some insurance companies will give you a discount because they believe fewer problems will occur. Now that doesn't mean you should buy a new home solely because of insurance costs. But it is a factor to keep in mind.

When purchasing an existing home, you may want to inquire about that property's CLUE report (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange). Only the homeowner can order this report, so you must request it from the seller. The CLUE report will enable you to learn about the history of insurance claims for the property. Not only will a lengthy list of claims be of interest to you regarding the property's condition - it might have some bearing on premium costs and your ability to secure coverage.

Increase the amount of your deductible
The deductible amount you choose makes a significant difference in your premiums. The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay toward a loss before the insurance company will begin covering your claim. If you choose a higher deductible, you will save money on your insurance premiums. Basically the more risk you take on, the lower your premium will cost. But make sure you have the means to pay your deductible if a loss should occur.

Don't over-insure
When you are considering how much coverage to buy, don't include the value of the land. The land, for the most part, is not susceptible to damage like the structure of your home is prone to, such as hail, wind, theft, etc.

Use security devices
Many insurance companies will offer a discount - sometimes as high as 20 percent - when you install a security system that includes a burglar alarm to call the police. Even just installing deadbolts and smoke alarms can save you a few dollars. Before making a major change in your security measures, talk to your insurance company about what kind of discounts they offer and how much it would lower your premium.

Retire or kick the habit
Smokers typically have higher premiums because their homes are more susceptible to house fires than nonsmokers. Also if you are 55 years or older, ask your carrier if they offer a discount for seniors.

Use the same company for multiple policies
Some insurance companies give you a discount if you buy more than one policy from them, such as homeowners insurance and automobile insurance. This multiple policy discount can save you as much as 15 percent.

For more information about homeowners insurance, you can find a wealth of resources on the Texas Department of Insurance Web site, http://www.tdi.state.tx.us.  

You can also talk with your Realtor. Realtors are knowledgeable about homeowners insurance and may be able to help guide you into making a decision that could save a substantial amount of money. Your Realtor understands insurance as well as all of the aspects involved with purchasing or selling a home.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

My column was also published in the 23Aug09 edition of the Galveston County Daily News

Interested in a green home? I'm not talking about paint color. I mean green as in environmentally friendly.

Many consumers today consider the environment when making purchases. Just look at the popularity of hybrid vehicles, alternative fuels, locally grown produce and a host of other products designed to use fewer resources and reduce pollution and waste. Add housing to the list.

What pollutes more - a car or a house?
You don't think of houses being responsible for carbon emissions, but they are - to a significant degree. The energy you use for heating, cooling, appliances and lighting most likely comes from a source that produces carbon emissions. Other factors, like water use and building materials used to construct or remodel a home, can also significantly affect the environment.

You might think the best way to "go green" in housing is to start from scratch. And it's true. If you're building a new, custom home, you can make decisions that will greatly increase energy and water efficiency. You can also select the most environmentally friendly building materials and construction methods. But if you're not building a new home, there's no need to throw up your hands. There's still plenty you can do to make a difference.

How low can you go?
When looking to purchase an existing house, it's possible to assess some aspects of its energy use. How old is the air conditioning unit? Does the landscaping consist of native plants? You might even be able to secure energy bills from the current owner to review electricity and water usage (but keep in mind that your usage may vary considerably).

You can also hire a professional to better determine just how energy efficient or inefficient a home may be.

Whether purchasing a home or wanting to make the best of the house you already own, there are many steps you can take to improve energy efficiency. Here are some examples:

• Install rain barrels to collect roof runoff and use that water for irrigation.
• Replace water-thirsty plants with landscaping that requires little additional irrigation.
• Replace old windows with energy-efficient windows.
• Seal air leaks around windows, doors, and other areas that may have gaps.
• Seal air ducts.
• Install additional installation.
• Replace appliances with newer models that have earned the EPA's Energy Star designation.
• Replace heating and cooling units.
• Replace the water heater with a more efficient model.
• Change out incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.

You probably know that efforts like these offer benefits beyond helping the environment. They also save money. Yes, you pay more on the front end to make improvements such as those listed above, but each one of them reduces your expenses - often paying for itself in short order. As energy costs continue to rise, the more you can do to cut consumption, the more it pays off.

Be informed
You can find information online about how to lower your energy consumption and make wise environmental choices in housing. The EPA's Energy Star Web site, EnergyStar.gov, offers resources and tips about new homes, home improvements and more. You can find advice, calculators and other helpful tools on other sites as well.

Your Realtor also can help you make informed, green decisions. Some agents have even taken courses specifically designed to help their clients reap the benefits of environmentally friendly practices.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

My column was also published in the 16Aug09 edition of the Galveston County Daily News

The home or condominium that you're thinking of buying may be governed by a homeowners association (HOA). These legal entities are common and growing in popularity across the country. According to the Community Associations Institute, more than 57 million residents in 23.1 million housing units were governed by HOAs in 2006; that's up from 45.2 million residents and 17.8 million housing units in 2000.

These associations provide many benefits, such as property maintenance and amenities that individual residents couldn't otherwise afford, and their rules often protect property values. But the dues HOA members must pay and the covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CCRs) they must follow rub some people the wrong way.

Look past the pool and golf course
Your perfect condo may have a great pool or your dream home might be sitting on the first tee, but remember that those things are only part of the HOA's scope. When you purchase a property governed by an HOA, you enter into a legal contract with the association. You agree to abide by the association's regulations and pay its dues. In exchange, you get a community guided by an HOA and the access to its facilities and perks.

Read before you buy
Make sure that any uses or freedoms you expect to come along with your property are allowed in the CCRs. Do you store your boat trailer in your driveway? I doubt your CCRs will allow that. Want to paint a bright color? Check the color palette allowed by the HOA.

You may have heard horror stories of home repossessions and other legal squabbles involving property owners and HOAs. A common theme among many of these cases is homeowners not understanding the regulations or ignoring them. Review the CCRs carefully before you purchase the property and you'll be less likely to run afoul of your HOA.

About those dues ...
HOAs run on dues - your annual fee for living in the community. These fees range from tens to thousands of dollars, depending on the neighborhood or building and what amenities it offers or what things are covered. Ask how much the dues are and if they've increased during the past few years.

Find out what the dues cover and what they don't. For example, your condo association may perform all exterior maintenance. That means when the roof leaks, your dues pay for its repair - even if you live on the ground floor of a three-story building.

Who's in charge?
When you review an HOA's documents, be sure to inquire about its finances. Is the HOA solvent? Does it have a reserve fund? Who controls the money? What kind of oversight is that person subject to?

Find out who manages the HOA and what role residents have in its governance. There may be a board or other group of property owners who manage the association. Take some time and talk to people who currently live in the community. How do they feel about the neighborhood or building? Find out their impressions of how the HOA is run.

Perform some due diligence before you sign a contract to purchase a property governed by a homeowners association. You will be able to make an informed decision about the HOA's pros and cons without jeopardizing your real estate transaction.

For expert advice about HOAs and all kinds of information about owning, buying, or selling a home, contact a Realtor.

Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com//. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.

Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com

My column was also published in the 09Aug09 edition of the Galveston County Daily News