As an owner of a property in Montgomery or Harris County, you must file for your homestead exemption one time only, once you have lived in the home on January 1. If you bought a home in 2019, now is when you can file, and you have until April 30th of 2020 to do so. If...

It seems to me that more and more people are choosing Disneyworld as a Christmas destination. In fact, my daughter is taking her family for the third time this year. My husband and I joined them when they went a few years ago and I can honestly say that it was as cold...

Thanksgiving is arguably one of the biggest holidays of the year. But how many of us know the full history behind this beloved annual celebration? As it is Thanksgiving week, I thought it would be interesting to educate myself on how this holiday came to be an...

I opened my first real estate company in 1991 in the 1960 area and later, in 1994 in The Woodlands. It became the most successful independent firm in North Houston, soon to grow to over 55 agents. When it grew that large, and while I was still one of the top agents in...

Who would have thought that a simple plastic straw would become an object of such controversy? In a world where there are so many issues that need to be addressed, somehow, we have all fixated on something seemingly easy to cut back on. But is it that easy? Many...

So I was sitting in a class recently, learning about the ins and outs of marketing through digital media, and it occurred to me how much things have changed in the forty years that I’ve been selling real estate. So much that it is actually hard to remember what it...

So, first of all, our chef isn’t naked – his food is “naked”, as in raw. His name is Jan Paul Kahlan and we are so blessed to have him here all the way from Costa Rica. JP, as we call him, is a dear friend of my son. In fact, he helped my son open his own coffee shop,...

How many times have you said, “I would never do that”? Or other common “I will never” statements, like “I would never let my child…”, “My child would never…” or, one we often hear in real estate, “We are never moving again!” Fortunately, that last one doesn’t prove to...

According to research, Americans prefer coffee over tea from 75 to 25. That said, we are drinking half as much coffee per capita as we were in the 1940s. There is, of course, a great deal of history behind tea consumption in America, beginning with the Tea Act of...

The first time you read through a real estate contract, it can feel a bit like you’re trying to read a foreign language – which is why it is so important that you choose a Realtor who will explain everything carefully. There are critical timelines and statements that...

After my last blog about the family Bible study, my daughter, who taught the class, wanted to write her basis for getting us all involved.  She was a champion putting up with all of us! -Beth By Rory Sewell In January, even creeping into February, there are probably...

Growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, I was the only daughter of Dale and Ruth Hilton (unfortunately not the Hilton family of hotel fame). My Dad came from a family of 7 and my Mom was one of 16.  I was blessed with only one brother, Mike, who was 7 years old when I...