What’s up with GG?

Prudential Gary Greene, REALTORS® is going Wayne Gretsky!  We’re skating to where the puck will be, not where it was.

Opportunities are rich and ridiculous for the foreseeable future.  We’re remodeling, retooling, reinventing and stretching for the stars.

Bold and imaginative actions will win biggest and gain the most.  We plan to help our team members and our clients win bigger and better than ever.  We aim to dent the real estate universe.

We’re remodeling our Research Forest Office to welcome our Portofino Office brothers and sisters.  Our luminescent team of agent icons will number one hundred strong. We’ll be settled and surging by the end of June.  Fun times.

We’re already killing it for our clients, together our future results will only grow stronger. Success breeds even more success.

I heard Gary Greene sold out?

Prudential Real Estate sold to Brookfield Real Estate Services on December 6th, 2011.

Gary Greene ownership, leadership, culture, vision and commitment to excellence in support of our clients and agents did not sell and is not for sale.  The heart, soul and all-about-results DNA of Gary Greene team members remains whole, vibrant, focused and sorta giddy about the future.

Coincidently our franchise agreement with Prudential Real Estate ends in June.  This means we have complete freedom to evaluate every possible alternative and choose the very best strategic path for our clients and Gary Greene team members.  We enjoy complete flexibility and wide open opportunity.  As one of the top brokers in the country we can choose to:

• Re-up with Brookfield Real Estate Services.
• Launch fierce and independent.
• Partner our regional powerhouse team with a new national powerhouse brand and partner.

Options have been thoughtfully weighed and meticulously measured.  Our choice is crystal clear.

Organizing, planning and tending to the big and tiny details is in full swing.  As I write and you read, small armies work behind the scenes preparing for launch and lift-off.

Reinvention married to a culture of care, fused with experience and savvy.  Keen new tools.  Way-way more corporate relocation.  Even more qualified buyers and sellers.  Fresh marketing.   Modern mindset.  Relevance.

More of everything sellers, buyers and service minded real estate agents love.

More Mojo.

As our immediate action plans bump to a boil, we’ll dial up more mojo and open two new service centers.  Each oasis designed to support twenty icon agent residents and provide all Gary Greene team members with a convenient and jazzy place to stop in and meet with clients or pause to refresh and catch breath after and between blasting from one end of The Woodlands to other, and beyond.

One launch pad will be situated in FM2978/FM 1488 intersection area.  The other strategically positioned along Kuykendahl Road, just past Carlton Woods Creekside, but before you leave The Woodlands.

Exciting-Times iswhat in the world is going on with Gary Greene, REALTORS®.  If you’d like to be a part of it, ping me – Ken Brand 832-797-1779.

Wide Eyes

It’s a Seller’s Market.  Sales continue to impress with record totals.  Lack of listing inventory is the only problem. Well, lack of salable inventory and low appraisals as result of bidding wars and sale comps from 6 to 2 months old.  Recent closings and the rush of soon to close properties will support higher prices and hopefully the low appraisal challenges will shrink. Plenty of home are selling for cash.

Homes that show well and are priced fairly are selling quickly!  Quickly as in hours or day one.  We anticipate the market to remain heated for the foreseeable future.

Take a look at theses. . .

Homes Sales Month to Month

Impressive eh?

Unsold Listing Inventory

Help! Buyers are begging for new salable inventory.

Shameless Plug – If You’re Thinking Of Selling?

Yes the market is hot.  Maximize your profits.

What’s The Average Sold Price?

Prices have been steady for years.  We anticipate an a steady upward lift.  Not wild and crazy, steady.

How Many Months Supply Of Inventory Is There?

4.2 months!  That’s how long it would take at todays sales pace to sell every home on the market if nothing was new listed.  Did I say, “Help!”.  Qualified buyers need fresh inventory.  Economists say that six months of inventory represents a balanced real estate market.  4.2 months is a very glaring Seller’s Market.  Here’s what the Wall Street Journal thinks.

The Entire Collection Of Home Sales Reports

If you click on the picture below you can view the entire collection of reports.  If you CLICK HERE you can download the collection in .PDF format.

Thanks for reading, if I can be helpful let me know – Ken Brand 832-797-1779.

Here’s what we talked about today.  If I can be helpful – Ken Brand 832-797-1779.  Cheers.

What people ignore.

To be ignored is to be invisible .   The predictable is boring and therefore invisible.  Don’t be predictably common or worse, absent.  Show up and surprise people.   Pay attention TO others, don’t beg for seek attention FROM others.

I generally shun the self-centered, the unreliable and the apathetic, don’t you?  Don’t be self-centered, unreliable or apathetic.  Take pride in every aspect of your work – including the tiniest and boringest of details – this is the difference between being ignored and earning attention.

Nobody’s keen on paying A Player money to a B Player.  This applies to fun, food and other goods and services.  Always bring your A game.  If you don’t have an A Game, develop one.  If you don’t want to develop an A Game, do yourself and everyone else a favor,  give up or quit and go home.

Who people adore.

People adore themselves and the people who adore them or others they adore.  Adore other people at least as much as you adore yourself.  If you don’t or can’t adore yourself you have a big problem.  Fix your big problem before you try to help others with their big and small problems.

 I see you, do you see me?

If we don’t surprise, delight, deliver and adore we’re invisible to other people.  I we want people to know we’re here, we have to act like it.

Here’s what we’re talking about today. If I can be helpful> Ken Brand 832-797-1779.

Here’s what we shared this morning.

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival Set for This Weekend

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival, a showcase of visual and performing arts now in its 7th year, is coming toThe Woodlands Town Center this weekend. This juried arts festival features over 200 fine artists displaying their original creations along The Woodlands Waterway® and inTown Green Park. Hours are 10 am – 6 pm Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15. Admission is $10 for adults or $15 for a weekend pass.  Children 12 and under are admitted free.

Art is available for sale in a wide variety of mediums including Clayworks, Drawing & Pastels, Fiber, Glass, Printmaking, Jewelry, Metalworks, Mixed Media 2D & 3D, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Wood and Emerging Art. The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is ranked among the Top 100 Arts Festival in the country by ArtFair Source Book.

Other highlights include the Student Scholarship Exhibit,showcasing award-winning art created by area high school students; Artopoly, where young artists can create and take home art projects guided by The Woodlands Children’s Museum and The Woodlands Art League; the Early Inspiration Gallery, where children 4-12 can start their own art collection by purchasing a piece of artwork for only $5; and the Art & Culture of Montgomery County Area, where local nonprofit performing and fine arts organizations will be on hand to perform and greet visitors.

Festival-goers can also enjoy culinary art at the new “Art of Food” area featuring live cooking demonstrations by chefs from local restaurants.  Excellent cuisine from area restaurants along with a large selection of wine and beer will be available at The Palette Café, where you can also enjoy live music. Hot & Cool Jazz performances will be featured on Saturday, and Texas String & Swing will be the highlight on Sunday.

“Every form of art seems to come alive in this beautiful setting,” said Festival Director Jenny Wright. “The magnificent selection of original art, live musical performances, fun and educational opportunities for children, and delicious food and drink create the perfect spring weekend in The Woodlands for everyone.”

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is presented by The Woodlands Waterway Art Council, Inc.,a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide regional cultural enrichment opportunities that encourage, support and promote the visual and performing arts.

To purchase tickets online and for more information, visit
www. woodlandsartsfestival.com.

Thank you to The Woodlands Development Company for allowing us to share this with you.  Cheers.

It’s No Joke!  The real estate market is HOT!  Are you participating or paddling in place?

If you’re busy, happy and you know it – congratulations and all the best.

If you’re eager to participate, motivated to make good things happen and all you need is savvy support, personal attention and a can’t lose plan of action, maybe we can help each other.

Let’s meet and talk about the bright future, call me (Ken Brand 832-797-1779) or shoot me an email and we’ll set something up.

Cheers – Ken

Here’s the short version for The Woodlands.  You can look at a collection of impressive report by clicking HERE.

Here’s the detailed version for Houston.  All in all, it’s awesome.

A windy and somewhat rainy March did not curtail Houston home sales from rising, yet again, for the 10th consecutive month.

As can be noted, a consecutive 10-month rise in single-family home sales has decreased inventory by double-digits.  In our March blog last year, we stated, “Interest rates are still low, homes are well-priced and inventory is plentiful.  These assets never stay the same for long.”  Indeed they do not.  For this March, we have a new scenario.  Interest rates are still low, and in most cases, homes are well-priced; yet the supply is declining with every month that passes.  If this trend continues, home prices will rise.  We are not about to predict what will happen to interest rates but since they are hovering at an all-time low, it is certain interest rates won’t remain low forever.

The Price Class Spectrum

 Below is a table of sales by price class in Houston year-to-date.  The top ten selling price classes have not changed dramatically over all the months this blog has been written.  What has changed is the months of inventory by price class.  In the past few years, these price classes have seen “Months of Inventory” above 6 months, which symbolizes a buyers’ market.  Today, as you can see below, very few price classes are in a buyers’ market and most are in a normal market with a few price classes sporting sellers’ market statuses.  We predict these price classes will transform to a predominantly sellers’ market status by the end of the summer.

The Houston overall market is so large that it rarely reflects the same trends as submarket areas located within its boundaries.  Some areas are experiencing a far more robust market than the overall market depicts and of course, there are areas that are not as stellar as the overall.  For a breakdown of Houston activity by area with a map, CLICK HERE

To see the hottest selling geographical areas in Houston, CLICK HERE.

To search for homes by price range, map and/or even foreclosures, CLICK HERE.

Data provided by the Houston Association of Realtors® Multiple Listing Service, and The Real Estate Center for Texas A&M and written by Toni Nelson, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors®

If we can be helpful, let me know – Ken Brand 832-797-1779.

March was awesome!  Thanks for all you do!

March 2012 Top Performers – Prudencial Gary Greene, Realtors – The Woodlands TX

 New Listings Taken

Individual Top Performer Units & Volume – DEBORAH HALL

Team Top Performer Units & Volume – MICHELE FLORY & CO

New Listings Volume – $500,000+

Michele Flory & Co – $2,500,000+

Deborah Hall – $1,700,000+

Roger Richardson- $1,400,000+

Courtney Foster – $1,200,000+

Joyce Smith & Naomi Kern- $800,000+

Melanie Aubrey & Dana Butler – $600,000+

Martha Ezell, Diane Osborne, Rebecca Privette – $500,000+

New Listings Taken – 2+

Deborah Hall – 5

Michele Flory & Co – 4

Melanie Aubrey, Rebecca Privette- 3

Martha Ezell, Naomi Kern, Roger Richardson, Team Marek, Joyce Smith, Theresa Wagaman – 2

New Sales Written

Individual Top Performer, Units & Volume  – BRAD CARLSON

Team Top Performer Sales Volume – MICHELE FLORY & CO

New Sales Written Units – 2+

Brad Carlson – 8

Team Michele Flory & Co. – 8

Charlie Haynes, Karen Upp – 4

Team Drummond, Courtney Foster, Lisa Lane, Team Marek, Rebecca Privette, Barbara Robin, Theresa Wagaman – 3

Melanie Aubrey, Julie Bell, Sonya Garmon, Deborah Hall, Team Hanson, Victoria Jones, Allison Lancaster, Joyce Smith, Suzanne Smith, Mike Tabbert – 2

 New Sales Written Volume – $500,000+

Team Michele Flory & Co – $4,000,000

Brad Carlson – $3,300,000+

Barbara Robin – $1,900,000+

Team Drummond, Courtney Foster – $1,000,000+

Charlie Haynes – $900,000+

Joyce Smith, Team Marek, Suzanne Smith, Lisa Lane – $800,000+

Roger Richardson, Naomi Kern, Julie Bell  – $700,000+

Team Hanson, Theresa Wagaman, Karen Upp, Diane Osborne – $600,000+

Jenny Roltsch, Rebecca Privette, Deborah Hall – $500,000+

 Closed Sales

Individual Top Performer Closed Units & Volume– DEBORAH HALL

Company Wide TOP Fifteen – Greater Houston & The Woodlands

Michele Flory & Co. – #2

Brad Carlson – #4

Barbara Robin #11

Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work and extra efforts!