rocketgirl24

any updates on the pack of dogs?

My husband saw them kill a stray cat on our street the week of Aug 24th, but at the time, we did not know there was a place to report this information, and we have had a terrible experience with BARC, so we did not call them.

This kind of crap irks the hell out of me. The law says that your taxes should be based on market value, and with such a recent purchase, you've clearly established market value...its not like the 'hood went on the slide in the year after you bought it, its not like the A/C unit got old and decrepit in a year's time, and its not like the house fell apart in the year that you had the house either. Why would the appraisial district allow discounts when the market value is so very clearly established?

I'm protesting my taxes this year as well, but all I'm going to ask for is to bring them down to what I actually paid for the house.

funny enough, it did fall apart in about 1 month's time after close. The inspector said the a/c was in great shape, but 3 a/c companies and plenty of >$300 electric bills later (for a 1200 sqft home), I learn that it's a shoddy piece of work that's never been maintained and is better off being replaced. The above-ground pool in the backyard split open just 2 weeks after close, and began a great project of tearing down all the deck and related structures that were built up around the pool. So we went from a beautiful backyard oasis to a cesspool in about 1 month's time, and those pictures were the strongest arguement for the drop in value. backyard pics got me a 10K drop, and the a/c replacement estimate of work got me the other 5K. so selling price do not always reflect market value, as my example shows.

I successfully protested the market value of my Heights-area home down $15K, and thanks to all who posted because reading this helped me prepare (at the last minute, of course...). I brought with me pictures of my home to show where damage existed that certainly no one would pay market value for; that and the quote for the A/C replacement I need moved his initial offer of 10K off the market value up to 15K.

I also brought comparisons of comparable homes on my street, but that didn't help at all because I bought the home last year, so he argued that the market value should stand.

All in all, the proof that the structure was devalued because of the condition of the home made all the difference, and I wish I had worked with a contractor to get an updated quote of costs to repair, which might have gotten me a little more than 15K off.

Thanks again to all the previous people who have posted. You helped me a great deal!

Good Morning,

hope your day goes well !

Just wondering if anyone as any more recent updates on the following :

Studewood Construction ?

Target Development ?

New Heights restaurants ?

Neighborhood development

Thank You

"make it a great day"

I'd like to add a question: what happened to La Fondita at 20th? They had pretty good eats, but last time I passed by (few days ago) it was dark. Guess they couldn't survive? If anyone knows what happened to this place and the chef, I'd appreciate the info.

Skip Les Givrals in midtown if you want a really great Banh Mi (I believe that's how those Vietnamese sandwiches are spelled) - but go across the street to the Hoa Binh shopping center. It's the same building that has Le Bec Fin cafe. At the end of the long hallway is a small restaurant (I believe they call themselves the original Les Givrals) that has far better sandwiches. Definitely try the grlled pork sandwich - all fresh carrots, cucumber, jalapenos, and really tasty french bread. No idea how they can only charge $2 (yes it is real pork)

This place is definitely off the beaten path -- but very worth the trip. It looks a little run down -- but I've never had any issue with the food and I've eaten hundreds of their sandwiches over the years.

On another note I hear Cali which is on the corner of anita and travis has quite good sandwiches as well.

Thanks for the tip! I'll try to get to the 'original Les Givral' soon.

Also, I'm a big fan of Cali, but had a few not-so-great meals there in the past year or so that made me not go out of my way to eat there. When I was first introduced to this restaurant about 4 or 5 years ago, I thought their sandwiches were far more tasty than Les Givral. Now, I'm not so sure.

You can find lots in that price range on the East End. In fact, there is a very interesting house that was featured in Dwell magazine on Curtin St. just east of Dumble, I think. Maybe 4900 block. He completely redesigned an existing house.

Is this house out in the direction of the Maxwell House plant? With a really cool sliding door on the side with a greenish color door of wooden 'planks' (I can't think of the term for this...)

If so, I read about it in the Chronicle months back, which prompted us to seek it out. Here is the link to the Chronicle article.

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive....id=2005_3876294

Couple of things -

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3. For the best coffee in town, try El Rey on Washington and Shepherd or Ella and 34th. Their lattes are totally addicting.

I'll add my 'El Rey' plug: they have the best coffee and best price in town. Not to mention some really tasty food. The tortas (sandwiches) are one of my favorites - they are huge and a great price.

I'm happy about Thai Spice. I've been a fan of their restaurant since I went to a cooking class at Fiesta taught by the owner(?) a few years back.

What I'm looking for in the Heights is a good Vietnamese sandwich like those in Midtown (Les Givrals, etc). Anyone know if Vietnam on 19th serves those?

We sell mid-century modern & vintage furniture/accessories/lighting in Houston & have been supplying the mod stores & designers for several years. Recently opened an online store: http://www.5ifty5iftyMod.com . Feel free to fwd email for any special requests as we have other groovy stuff that's not listed online. Also, a new store just opened up above Metro Modern on Milam called Retropolitan Ballroom. It's open on Saturdays & Sundays from 12-6.

I stopped by Retropolitan Ballroom this past Saturday and they aren't open on weekends anymore, but if you call the number on the sign inside the door, the woman (can't remember her name but very friendly) will schedule a time to meet you at the store. Seemed very willing to accomodate my schedule. PS - her voice mail refers to something that is not at all related to furniture, but leave a message anyway - you are calling the right number.