Scharpe St Guy

Travelguy, I will second the thoughts of most on this forum. RT "Should" be the neighborhood to pick however I would not. The local area over there consists of some beautiful homes and large lot sizes which should dictate that this would be the smart choice but I don't believe it is. UH is going to do a lot of new construction over there which is going to help however the negative aspect is the crime over there and the disdain for new people entering certain people's hoods. Eastwood would be the smart bet and the safe bet in my mind, with Houston Pavilions, Finger Highrise, downtown park, and very little opposition to builders building on the East Side this area is going to take off while the RT area is going to slowly but surely gentrify but no where as quick. I don't really care for some aspects of Constable Trevino's outlook on life but I will give him credit for keeping at least my neighborhood Broadmoor adjacent to Eastwood very very safe. There are crime maps you can find online to compare both areas in regards to crime and crime type. Good luck in your search. Scharpe St Guy

Niche, Congrats once again, my wife and I took this plunge about a month ago purchasing a home on Lake Livingston to use as our weekend home till we eventually move up there. Only 75 minutes door to door and the change from living in the city is dramatic and quite unbelievable. All of my friends have thought I have been crazy since they have known me and once in a while one or two will emulate what worked for me so that is good. So the question is do you do the logical solution or obtain serenity now? Logical solution obviously being doing the necessary construction on your Eastwood investment and live there. I'm sure if you searched a little though you may find by driving around a home in a good locality that has the overgrown / unkempt outward appearance where by you could strike up a unique deal with them to either occupy the property as a rental while taking care of repairs or doing an owner finance or something along those lines??? If funds permit in the future once kids arrive I would like to purchase a ~50 foot sailboat and cruise with the family for a few months. All the best and well done! Scharpe St Guy

The general idea behind this idea is to tax consumption. If you believe that to be a good idea then you should consider the flat tax proposals that will do exactly that tax upon consumption. If Person A chooses to purchase 2 homes and 4 cars and 8 TV's and ..... then they will get taxed upon each purchase, if Person B chooses to purchase 1 home and live with 1 car and 1 TV then they will get taxed accordingly upon the initial purchase. It's that simple folks and think of all the money and time we and the government could save by not having the IRS, audits, filing deadlines, time saved, trying to find receipts, etc... Scharpe St Guy

I live in Broadmoor and that flock of parrots were in the trees in front of my house between the sidewalk and the street approx 2 weeks ago. My neighbor pointed them out to me as I was getting in the car, she see's them every now and then in our area. So yes they are parrots I saw them pretty close up. Scharpe St Guy

Here is a very interesting read for us Realtors and all of us really. A little long but well worth the time. http://finworthmortgageblog.com/ All the best, Scharpe St Guy

Mumbles, I again advise your friend to contact the agent, if needed the agent could even have his/her Broker call the Warranty Company and press the case. Warranty companies are funny beasts, if they issued repair orders quickly and efficiently they would lose money or the rates would become so high that few would buy. Standard operating procedure is to deny all claims the first time around, I would say approx 50% of the claims then die and go away, calculate the time/money savings from the Warranty Companies perspective. If the customer keeps calling then they start grinding the claim through the process they have. My advice of a Realtor or broker calling would grease the wheels and most likely get the desired results your friend is seeking, namely an operating HVAC system either repaired or replaced. Good luck, Scharpe St Guy

Mumbles, Have your friend call his/her realtor and get their help as well. These home warranty companies can be tough to deal with but they don't typiclly want to piss of agents or whole offices by not covering a legitimate item. All the best, Scharpe St Guy

Speaking of Mall of the Mainland, driving home the other day I saw a Hummer H3 decked out in logo's / signage for Mall of the Mainland. I figured it must be the manager of the mall perhaps??? Or are they trying to remake / resurrect the mall? Thanks, Scharpe St Guy

Nope not kidding one red cent. If you use things like Craigslist you can often find people that just need out of something for a very attractive price. Not everyone purchases the right unit the first time or actually does build on the addition they have talked about for the past x years. If one can find a good unit and has a good HVAC guy like I have one could save quite a bit of money. You calling me cheap? That is just fine because honestly I am but I live a great and wonderful life because of it!!! Regards, Scharpe St Guy

If one purchases a Home Warranty from a reputable company such as First American (No interest) however have used them before for personal real estate transactions and clients they will replace with the co-pay the AC unit if it breaks during the first year and as long as you renew coverage. So grab a good used unit, install it, and provide the buyer or yourself a good home warranty and your covered. Scharpe St Guy

Ok, I do live in Broadmoor and if you PM me your welcome to drive by and talk with my wife and I about Broadmoor. My wife walks our dog almost every night, I on the other hand only join her infrequently but we always talk with the neighbors and people in the neighborhood, everyone is remarking on the change occurring right now in the neighborhood with more and more new people moving in, fixing up, etc... If you can swing it this home just came on the market: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y Or this house would be a good home after some repairs and updating: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y In regards to parks we have the smaller triangle park but if you require more space we have the "Huge" area attached to the school consisting of baseball fields, track, etc... My wife uses these all the time and the dog is always finding random baseballs. I think my next door neighbor may be selling soon he has been working feverishly and quite frankly I wish he would, he has been good lately but now and then he will decide he is entitled to open all the doors of his vehicle while washing and have the stereo on loud. Bothers me for a split second, I go out and tell him to turn it down, he trys to act tough, I call Constable Victor Trevino, he loses everytime. It should be noted that Broadmoor is predominantly Hispanic however this has been changing in the three years we have lived here. Over all they are great people to live next door to but sometimes they can be too loud and you just have to be nice but firm with them to let them know that you won't tolerate it. Overall though it is a very very quiet neighborhood, Victor Trevino does a great job keeping things safe and responding faster then Superman. PM me with any questions you might have. Regards, Scharpe St Guy

The obvious but not politically correct solution is for a system to be designed that matches license plate info up with current / active insurance records. This would at least on my side of town eliminate a lot of traffic from all those that don't carry insurance, crash into a vehicle and either drive off or run off. If police could scan plates not just for the regular items but also current insurance we could fix traffic and the need for more roads, etc.... Just think less traffic and cheaper insurance. Scharpe St Guy

Susan, Sorry I don't quite understand what occurred and what you did here? You bought a gas grill at home depot, asked them to put it together, and proceeded to place some gum under the bottom panel. You receive a call saying the grill is ready and the bright green gum is there? I must be missing something on how they were going to pull a fast one on you? Were you exchanging a grill so you put gum on the old and they proceeded to give you the old grill back? Help!!!! Scharpe St Guy

Houstonnoob, I would second Niche on the request for price and size requirements. Also what amenities would you want the loft to have? Thanks, Scharpe St Guy

Danax, Thank you for obtaining a few pictures of the homes. This little neighborhood could be a little sweet spot because of this new development of 5 homes. I never thought much of this little area since it was so dumpy however now I'm not so sure. Scharpe St Guy

I believe these homes were built on an empty piece of land that backs upto a warehouse type building. Back yards are quite large. These are the real deal homes and the quality looked quite good although some of the selections were not quite to my taste but never the less very well done. This little subdivision is really only four streets and I drove the first three streets first looking for the "townhomes", I saw one new home and one remodel a few feet from the Luby's and then went around to Jean street and there they were. 1906 Jean is 2257sqft on a 6,000sqft lot, 4 bed, 2 bath, 2 car, pending at $179,000. All had granite in the kitchens and baths, wrought iron spindles in the stairs going up, etc... Nice touches. I wish this builder would come into Broadmoor and build on those three lots on Lawson. Scharpe St Guy

Hey Everyone, My neighbor told me the other day that the mailman told her that some new townhomes were going up on the othe side of the railroad from Broadmoor on Jean Street. Drove past there this afternoon and they are not townhomes, they are full brick beautiful 2000+sqft homes priced around $188,000. Shocked the heck out of me as that little cluster of homes is quite frankly a dump but there are now 5 new homes sitting there side by side. I didn't have a camera on me but if one of you call are nearby please take a few pictures to share. I met someone there an asian guy, quite frankly most of the guys there were asian, and the homes are built by HomePro and a Dominic Vu. Has anyone ever heard of this outfit? Are they any good? Quite frankly the homes looked really really good, granted I would have upgraded flooring in some areas but they looked very good. Thanks, Scharpe St Guy

Dan, I can speak for Broadmoor it is a safe neighborhood and overall really quiet. Prices are going up and I truly sense a change in the air around the neighborhood. Part of why it is safe though I'm sure is the fact that quite a few of the owners in Broadmoor are Police or Related along with Victor Trevino living in the neighborhood. Constables cars are constantly cruising by keeping any eye out. There is one cool house though on Stonewall along with quite a few four plexes down there. All the best, Scharpe St Guy

Appears that Robert has 2 out of 3 just listed homes in Eastwood pending sale. Well done Robert!!! How much interest did you have in both? Regards, Scharpe St Guy

Niche, Hope the new opportunity pays off well for you. It is exciting to see the changes occur in our area now, it reminds me of when I use to live over at Westcott / Washington and saw that whole area just explode from a dump to amazing infills and prices that I could have afforded at the time quickly rose to something I couldn't afford within months. Is there any new news on the LRT to Eastwood TC??? I golfed Gus Wortham yesterday and it's not a bad course. Sure it needs to be better maintained but the terrain is great along with the bayou running through it. The existing club house is a dump so here's hoping for something at least similer to what Memorial Park has currently. If you proceed to building a garage with apartment I would be interested in comparing notes. If we stay in Broadmoor and do the inner city home with lake house combo then we will be knocking down the existing garage and rebuilding and going up with an architects input to make it blend in with the existing. Anyhow all the best, Scharpe St Guy

I would second Roberts opinion that real estate is picking up on the East Side. With every restoration and new development the area is getting more and more exposure. Agents in my wife's office two years ago didn't know where Eastwood/Broadmoor/Idylwood/etc... were but now these area's are frequently coming up as the last affordable and "nice" innerloop neighborhoods. A redo on the 1500 block of Lawson sold for $143,000 a few weeks back and it's quite close to the railroad tracks. Niche time to kick your flip into high gear!!! How is it coming by the way? Regards, Scharpe St Guy

I'm very glad that Sam got caught, I share the same suspicion's of the San Antonio crew. I have completed and sold three flips two of which were rehabs of a rehab where the prior investor/flipper ran out of money and couldn't complete or sell prior to foreclosure. I do wish one day though to be like Flipper where I can purchase a home that needs lots of help, gut the inside, move walls and plumbing, and put it all back together and sell to a happy home buyer. Thanks, Scharpe St Guy

Vertigo, As you obviously know the east end has it's problems however the brush you use to paint your pictures is far to large to convey the reality. Yes the 1500 block is closer to the railroad tracks, trains also typically use inner city tracks on a regular schedule, so what? Broadmoor Park is not the drug and gang infested park you make it out to be, honestly before you speak/type get your facts correct. The area constable would walk past 21 homes (single side of a street) to reach this park. Do you honestly believe that Victor Trevino would allow this is in his backyard? If I were moving somewhere I would have no hesitation of moving into Broadmoor as it is Safe, for the most part very quiet, and change is occurring. Prevailing lot size is larger in Broadmoor (6,250) then it is in your area around Sunnyland and Bonsrell (~5,800) and the homes here are brick clad rather then wood/hardie. If they wish to build 6 new townhomes on those three lots then God bless them. Most likely that would correspond to approx 2 cars to each townhouse which isn't far off what some homes here have when you include all the residents inside the home and those in the garage. This may actually make the street nicer since the new OWNERS would most likely park in the garage/driveway rather then the street. All the best, Scharpe St Guy

Yes, contact the MidCenMod Realtor - RPS - Robert off of here. Scharpe St Guy

Drove by the site this morning and no work yet, however it appeared to originally be three lots with two homes when viewing the homes across the street. It will be interesting if they put three homes up or attempt to subdivide the lots and squeeze a few more in. According to Zillow the second lot 1505 was empty while 1511 Lawson and 1515??? Lawson both had structures that were torn down. Each lot is 6,250sqft large, all three lots are/were owned by George and Joann Woodburn. It appears on HCAD that they have 1511 labeled on two lots so it's (1505, 1511, 1511) 1519, 1521, etc... Any one have any inside scoop on what is going on here? Scharpe St Guy