Sage advice from George Carlin

Begin Again in 2010

Read the sage advice of comedian
George Carlin
and begin your new year with laughter.

Use this model to direct your path in the
New Year.

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3.Keep learning. ! Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's family name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6... The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on.. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured
by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away.

3 Darn Good Reasons to Sell Your Unrestricted Property

Have you ever heard of the

"Law of Diminishing Returns"???

When you own unrestricted property in the Greater Houston area,

sooner or later you must ask yourself if it is time to sell. 

THINGS CHANGE

Your life changes and your needs change with it.

Your community changes and it no longer feels like home.

When you see that it may be time to cash in the value of your unrestricted property, it may not be an easy decision.  After all, you may have inherited this property from family.  You may have raised your children on this land and it holds many memories for you. 

A move is never easy...but when it involves something as personal as your private estate in an unrestricted area of Houston...it may be even tougher.  The number of good reasons to sell are as endless as the number of people who are blessed with living in a place defined by them and their family - the UNRESTRICTED tracts. 

Below you will see 3 of the
most common reasons to sell:

• 
  
  The area is too Busy - Crowded - different than when you bought your property.  With the growth in and around Houston, things are changing rapidly.  However, one thing you can count on is the increase of traffic.  Many people who enjoyed the peace and quiet of a country lifestyle near their work are now spending twice the time making the commute and it begs the question about whether it is worth it anymore.  People are moving from the City of Houston into the outlying areas in large numbers.  In fact, these Ruralpolitans are creating many cottage industries providing fresh herbs, cheese, home-baked goods, etc at Farmer's Markets all over the area.
  
  
  
• 
  
  The Land is Worth More than the improvements.  If you have a piece of property that is worth more than the house and other improvements, you may be "throwing away" every dollar you invest in the tract.  It seems unfair that the fact you now own an extremely valuable piece of real estate may be the reason why you really MUST consider selling.  If you put a new roof on an old house located on a property located on a road with high traffic - it could be that every cent you spent would be better invested in a vacation or charity because it will never be recouped in the real estate market.
  
  
  
• 
  
  You have the desire to re-create the Laid-Back Lifestyle you used to enjoy.  People who own unrestricted property are a unique lot.  More often than not, they would abhor the experience of living in a nice, deed-restricted community.  The idea of having neighbors that are very, very close is offensive enough.  But when you add the fact that they use architectural control committees to dominate your decisions about what you do with your property - these hearty, independant souls will run the other way quickly.  These people want to do what they want on the property they have paid for - even if they have to drive some distance to have that lifestyle.
  
  
  

If you are considering your choices about the unrestricted property you own, remember that our team specializes in this specific type of real estate.  We can help you determine the HIGHEST and Best use for the property AND whether remaining owner is the HIGHEST and Best use of your assets.  You may have many more attractive options and we can help you explore them.  There is no obligation - just a conversation.

Tribute to An Outstanding Character

Few "Characters" have influenced lives to the degree of Jim Rohn.  It seems that every mentor that I have met over the years sited Jim Rohn as an example of wisdom and uncanny knowledge.

No matter how often I read or hear his words, I am impacted by the incredible insights and profound perceptions in his observation of the human condition.

If I had to select only one human to lead me in my quest to be my personal Highest and Best, Jim Rohn would be my teacher.

Get a taste of his outlook on life in the video below:

A Star is Born - What About YOU!

How is a star born?

What does that have to do with YOU?

Furthermore, what does it have to do with a blog focused on the

HIGHEST and Best?

Bear with me for just a moment while I try to pull these seemingly disparate concepts together.

First, let's consider how a star is born.  For those of you who want a scientific explantion, you should read the Scientific American blog post by Richard Brill.  (The image to the right is from the Hubble telescope and from that blog post.)  Allow me to explain it in simple, much less educated terms, this is what I understand:

Cosmic rubbish from older stars and clouds of gas come together until gravitational pull attracts more particles.  The gas and particles build - the temperature rises - the material collapes into itself - and when the temperature and pressue is great enough - A STAR IS BORN!!!

With the new camera recently installed by NASA, witnessing this incredible event is much easier than ever before.  The Science Daily has a wonderful images in their article published on November 8, 2009. 

It is fascinating to immerse ourselves in this marvelous scientic data.  We can see all the really amazing things happening "out there" and apart from our every day life.  But I am going to take a chance by sharing some of my personal philosophy with you.

First, as Jesse Jennings shared with his audience at Creative Life, it seems to me that we capable of transforming our "cosmic rubbish" into something just as incredible.  In fact, in one of the training programs you'll find this statement, "The Mind that made a Star is the same Mind the You use."  I believe that each of us can tap into that source of power and create something very useful to the world too.

Now, to the 3rd question.  "What does it have to do with a blog focused on the HIGHEST and Best?

I will quote a friend of mine, Mike Logan, who says "The largest resource that is wasted in our world is the waste of Human Potential." 

If this blog is about the "HIGHEST and Best"...isn't it fitting to talk about how the highest and best use of our time (and our own personal "cosmic rubbish") is to attract the resources into our lives that will magnetize the life we want?

Look around you and imagine that everything you see is available to your "highest and best".  In fact, Albert Einstien is quoted as saying, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe." 

For me, knowing the universe is a friendly place gives me a great deal of joy and satisfaction.  I know that when something seems to not work out right, it is not done.  There is always another choice to be made that will lead me to something judged as success.

My real estate clients benefit from my optimism because I am always in search of the best way to serve their needs.  I try to never get caught up in the many problems that crop up in the course of my day and focus on getting the highest and best outcome for those that trust me in their real estate transactions.

The Next Hot Home Market May be Unrestricted Property

Interest in unrestricted property surges as people flee from the rat race of a city lifestyle. In fact, people who move to property outside of urban areas is so common that it has taken on the name of "Ruralpolitan".   These pioneer spirited people seek the more self-reliant lifestyle and a sense of value that is real. They may have experienced huge portfolio losses because of the stock market. Placing their investment in a piece of land gives them confidence and peace of mind where the pain of the recent recession imprinted fear.


Retiring baby boomers are the largest segment of the population driving the push for rural living. However, a huge number of 20 and 30-somethings are flocking to the country when they can. What may be different between the two "ruralpolitan" groups is the access to metropolitan areas. The baby boomers may not need access to the employment hubs in the city, but the younger group still needs to have a reasonable drive into the metroplex.

Motivations vary but many of the younger segment have professions that don't require a daily commute into the city. More and more employers are encouraging home offices and flex schedules. This enables families to live the ruralpolitan lifestyle and make a couple of trips into the city each week when needed.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article Wendy Bounds explains the phenomena saying, "Green Acres Is the Place to Be". She tells many stories of people who have taken the plunge into rural living. It is not all the fairy tale vision that people expected.  She states that "For some people, the break to rural living is a hedge against an unpredictable future."

If moving to the country - or atleast out of the crowded deed-restricted communities - sounds good to you, give me a call.  We can find the perfect place for your personal escape without giving up such things as internet access and easy access to the Greater Houston area.

3 Terrific Reasons to Buy Unrestricted Property

#1 - FREEDOM

The most common reason people choose the Ruralpolitan lifestyle and purchase unrestricted property is the ability to do what they want on property they have paid good money to own.  They cannot imagine spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and then surrender their ideas of how to use the property to someone else.  These are the free spirited people who place a high value on their FREEDOM.

I "googled" the phrase - what is the value of freedom - and found an interesting article on this site. http://www.ivu.org/congress/wvc96/freedom.html

Many peopel in the Greater Houston area are committed to an independant way of life.  It is hard to describe the deep emotional attachment we have for freedom.  For some people it is downright essential to their existence...even though the majority of people migrate to the safety of deed restrictions.  They follow the philosophy of Albert Camus when he said, "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

#2 - SPACE - Room to Roam

I have had clients claim that they would not move into a community where they could "shake the hand" of the neighbor from the kitchen window.  Although I'm certain that that activity is a little exaggerated, there are many subdivisions that compress the space between homes in order to keep prices low.  Since many people find comfort in having others close by, the lack of space does not really inhibit the sales in those communities.

But for those that place a high value on space, unrestricted property can be the perfect answer.  Most unrestricted property does not have the luxury of public water and sewer systems.  So that means that the minimum size of the building site must be larger.  For the most part, the minimum size is more than one full acre and sometimes more.  It depends largely on the requirements for sanitation and water supply.

#3 - Potential Value Increase

I know that in the last post, I suggested that purchasing unrestricted property can be a gamble when it comes to equity growth.  But the truth is equity gain potential can be inverse to privacy in unrestricted land.  Let me see if I can make that clearer with an example.

Many people have made huge financial gains by purchasing a tract located on a busy road (...or one that may not be busy now, but has potential to become a big thouroughfare in the future.)  With this kind of vision and forethought, an investor can use the property any way that they wish - including as a primary residence - with confidence that the value is growing rapidly as the traffic count grows.

Unrestricted property not found on highly visible roads can still be the perfect location for small business too.  Although the profits may not be a certain as on a busy road, the peaceful experience of being "off the beaten path" has a lot of value in itself.  As the mass of population moves closer to your unrestricted site, the number of small business owners needing a place to conduct their trade increases.

Selecting an unrestricted property that will meet your current and future needs requires some careful thought and experienced counsel.  If you plan, search and purchase with your ultimate goals in mind - you may find that unrestricted property is the perfect solution to creating the perfect environment for your enjoyment and also your profit.