A MAGAZINE FOR AND ABOUT THE REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY

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A MAGAZINE FOR AND ABOUT THE REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY • www.REandY.com
VOLUME
TWENTY,
NUMBER SEVEN
July 2013
Always On The Corner
Cross Creek Ranch gives Katy Realtors
a cool sugar high...
Tammy McCall/Cross Creek Ranch, gets ready to
help serve ice cream to the Keller Williams Premier
office. (See page 30.)
J. Patrick Homes wins Star Award
Mary Anne Navarro/MAH Design, left, with Lisa
Connell and Cecila DeLa Torre, with the J. Patrick
Homes, as J. Patrick won a Star Award for “Best
Interior Merchandising.” (See page 4.)
Sitterle Homes Breaks Gound in Riverstone
(L-R) Rocky Lai/Riverstone Development excutive director, Larry Wong President America First
Group, Tom Wilcox/Riverstone Development General Manager, Frank Sitterle/Sitterle Home
Partner, Steve VonHofe/Sitterle Homes Partner,
Jeff Buell/Sitterle Homes Partner. (See page 12.)
These girls are from the Lake Houston Chapter
Brighton Homes Now Open in
Emerald Stone!
Emerald Stone June 11th Grand Opening Grand
Prize Winner Elizabeth Lerma with Sales
Consultant Lauri Harvey (See pages 10 &11)
Ashton Woods wins Star Awards
Paul Lim “Chinese Cowboy”, Texas Star Award WinnerSales Counselor of the Year (See pages 22 & 31)
ty Brunch
• HAR Montgomery Coun
6
e
pag
see
on Chapter
• The CRS Greater Houst
see pages 6 & 18
w Chapter in
• The WCR Charters a Ne
page 13
see
n
Bryan-College Statio
ership Mixer
• WCR Chapters joint Memb
14
e
see pag
Jan McCleary/Newland Communities, Flora
Marno/Exit Lone Star Realty, Eileen Bustamante
and Kayla Webb, Lake Houston Chapter President
and both with Summerwood. (See page 14.)
The Ft. Bend
Chapter of The WCR
Each month the chapter honors members with birthdays in
that month. Here we see JoAnn
Stevens and Barbara Marlin
who are the Birthday girls
for June. (See page 28.)
Westin Homes helps the WCR
Lake Houston Chapter raise over
$1,800 for member education
Kayla Webb; 2013 Local Chapter
President, Eileen Bustamante; Ways and
Means Chair, Lisa-Marie Lindbergh and
Blake Hollaway/Westin Homes and Kat
Sandy; 2013 President Elect pose with the
winning ticket. (See page 23.)
(See page 8.)
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J. Patrick Homes wins Star Award
and a finalist in 2 others
The interior of J. Patrick’s award-winning Stanford plan in The Woodlands.
eaturing a dream kitchen with a piano-shaped island, and
a luxurious master suite with a fireplace, J. Patrick Homes’
Stanford model took home top honors for interior merchandising in its price range at the 2013 Star Awards, an
annual event of the Texas Association of Builders.
Located in The Woodlands, the Stanford won the Star
Award for “Best Interior Merchandising” by a volume
builder in the $600,000 to $799,000 price range.
Featuring a Spanish Revival exterior with a tile roof, the
Stanford is even more appealing on the inside. Highlights
include barrel-vaulted archways, soaring 19-foot ceilings, and a
covered patio with an outdoor fireplace.
“We are thrilled to win this award, because thoughtful merchandising is a great way to help homebuyers connect with J.
Patrick Homes, inviting them to imagine themselves living in
the Stanford or another one of our plans,” said Lisa Connell,
marketing director for J. Patrick Homes.
J. Patrick Homes was also a finalist for two other Star
Awards. Its Windsor plan, offered in White Oak Lake Estates
and Aliana, was a finalist for “Best Product Design” by a
volume builder in the $600,000 to $799,000 price range. J.
Patrick Homes was also a finalist in the “Best Sales
Brochure” volume builder category.
Open to builders in Texas and the Southwest, the Star
Awards were held June 25 at the J.W. Marriott San Antonio
Hill Country Resort.
F
Oneal Texada; Jill Tezsla/Legend Homes, sales professional;
Christine Draughn/Freindswood Development Corp,
Marketing Director North
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This month was attended by many with a
wonderful speaker in line.
Look for the 1st Wednesday every other
month Montgomery County HAR Brunches
on the HAR monthly calendar.
Diane Flicker/Keller Williams Realty and
Ethel O’Dell, 2013 WCR State Governor.
This meeting had Jim
Gaines, from Texas A&M,
there as the speaker. Jim
shared with the group the
projections of what the
local Real Estate market
will bring in the next few
years and how Texas is
not suffering and is making great strides in this
growing market.
The Coldwell Banker girls, Gayle Edleman,
Assisiant Manager and Pam Harris also a 2013
HAR Director.
Becky Shannonhouse, Jeanne Lewis with The
Woodlands Development Company and HAR Area
Meeting Chair, Carol Knott.
Debbie Bates and Judy McEvoy, both of
RE/MAX The Woodlands & Spring, here with
Barbara Shrader/BCS Properties.
Eileen Bustamante/Summerwood, Ray Wade/Powell Real Estate, PresidentElect, Jan McCleary/Newland Communities and Betty Townes with RE/MAX.
The CRS Greater Houston Chapter, an affiliate of the National
Association of Realtors, held this month’s luncheon meeting at The
Junior League. The speaker for this event was John Breeding,
President and CEO of the Uptown Houston District and
Administrator of the Uptown Development Authority. John
shared great information to the group about what new things are
happening in the Uptown Houston District and Uptown TIRZ #16
and whether the Galleria area will grow or shrink.
The mission of the Greater Houston CRS is to provide superior education that enhances professional competency,
increases awareness of the CRS designation, and promotes
benefits that enhance economic values of membership and
provide its members the opportunities for networking to
better serve their clients and community.
Visit the web site www.GreaterHoustonCRS.com
for information on membership and upcoming events in 2013.
6 To advertise call 281-372-6865
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Toll Brothers Houston Raises Over $10,000 Towards
Childhood Cancer Charity
Toll Brothers was proud to support the Alex’s Lemonade Stand
Foundation on June 8, 2013.
While we accepted contributions at
all of our model homes, we hosted
lemonade stand events in The
Heights at Sienna Plantation
and Vista Shores at Towne
Lake. We could not be happier
with the amount of support and
personal donations we received
from our friends, family, colleagues
and corporate affiliates to help surRyan Whitworth and family, Toll
pass our goal and raise $10,524 to
Brothers at Towne Lake
benefit this very worthy cause.
to
ank you
A big th that
all those ossible!
p
made it
Ann Tabor
Toll Brothers at
Cinco Ranch
Stephen Hart and John
Nguyen – Toll Brothers at
Sienna Plantation
Christian Sommer,
Michele Conte, Bruce
Schuler and Stephen
Hart – Toll Brothers at
Sienna Plantation
(Continues on page 26.)
WCR Chapters joint
Membership Mixer
Stacy Sardino/Liberty
Mutual Insurance and
Robert Deshotel/
Design Tech Builders.
(See page 14.)
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Children’s Learning Adventure coming
to Eagle Springs
A 33,000-square-foot Children’s Learning Adventure
(CLA) childcare center is now under construction in Eagle
Springs, a wooded master-planned community in the Humble ISD.
When it opens in early 2014, CLA will be the third childcare
center in Eagle Springs, which is also home to two Humble ISD elementary schools. Located on Atascocita Road, CLA will offer child
care, preschool and afterschool programs for children aged 6 weeks
through 12 years.
A Children’s Learning Adventure facility will open in early 2014 in Eagle Springs.
CLA combines its Lifetime Adventures curriculum with
state-of-the-art facilities that include amenities designed for all age
groups. Amenities geared around the preschool program include a
math & science lab, television studio where children learn public
speaking skills, library and art studio. The afterschool complexes
feature indoor basketball, computer lab, bowling lanes, cooking
school, and more. CLA’s expansive playgrounds feature play equipment for children of varying ages, and sports facilities such as basketball and tennis.
Primrose School of Eagle Springs opens in August in an
11,500-square-foot building on Eagle Springs Parkway. Primrose
School will have 12 classrooms with Wi-Fi, plus five secure ageappropriate playgrounds and the Primrose Patch learning garden.
Eagle Springs is already home to the Kids R Kids daycare, plus
two onsite elementary schools in highly rated Humble ISD.
Located along Will Clayton Parkway, approximately 5 miles
east of U.S. 59 North, Eagle Springs offers new homes and townhomes priced from the $170’s to $500’s by Brighton, Chesmar,
D.R. Horton, Lennar, M/I, Ryland, Taylor Morrison, Village
Builders and Westin.
Eagle Springs has 150 acres of recreational amenities including the Eagle Springs Athletic Club & Sports Complex, The Island
Club, scenic lakes, neighborhood parks and miles of greenbelt trails.
Brighton Homes Now Open in
Emerald Stone!
Brighton Homes is now building in Emerald Stone and selling fast!
Local Realtors attended the Emerald Stone Model Grand Opening on
June 11th. Realtors toured the popular Bombay Model, a 4 Bedroom, 2
Bath, 2123 sq.ft. home with study and 2 car garage.
This boutique community, located off 518 and O’Day Road in
Pearland, TX, will offer 12 one- and two-story versatile plans
ranging from 1,400 to 2,800 sq. ft. and up to five bedrooms. Pricing
will start in the $140s and range up to the $180s.
Visit the NEW Brighton Model Home in Emerald Stone today
for more information on the community, inventory homes and special
incentives. The Brighton Homes sales office in Emerald Stone is located
at 2302 Emerald Stone, Pearland TX, 77581. You can also contact Lauri
Harvey, Sales Consultant, at 281/993-4467 or [email protected] for
more information on Emerald Stone. To learn more about Brighton
Homes and the Houston area communities, please visit
www.BrightonHomes.com. (See ad next page.) (Picture on cover)
10
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Sitterle Homes Breaks Gound in Riverstone
(L-R) Lynn Berzin, Cheri Bass, Steve Benedittini, Larry Wong, Mary
Alice Lester, Barry Snowden, Frank Sitterle, Ed Lester. (Right side of
sign) Jeff Buell, Steve VonHofe, Tom Wilcox, Jackie Wilcox, Jeff Wiley,
Deborah Weaver, Juan Carlos Garcia, Rocky Lai, LaDonna VonHofe.
Johnnye Barrera visitin
g with LaDonna
VonHofe
Steve VonHofe
breaks ground.
Brighton Homes New Model Now Open
in Lakes of Bella Terra!
Brighton Homes has a new model is Lakes of Bella Terra! On
June 7th, Realtors attended the summer themed Grand Opening
Event and toured the new Easton plan, a unique 4 Bedroom,
3.5 Bath, and 2,645 sq.ft. home.
This beautiful community, located off the Westpark Tollway in
Richmond, TX, offers 13
distinctive one- and twostory plans with square
footage from 1,500 to over
2,600 and up to five bedrooms. Pricing starts in the
$180s and ranges up to the
$240s.
Visit the NEW
Brighton Model Home in
Lakes of Bella Terra
today for more information on Grand Opening
Incentives!
For more information on
the community, inventory
Lakes of Bella Terra sales consultant Wil homes and special incenWilliams with basket winner Debbie
tives, please visit the
Sheffield-Drake/The Drake Group.
Brighton Homes office
located in Lakes of Bella Terra, 11707 Grimaldi Street, Richmond
TX, 77406. You can also contact Wil Williams, Sales Consultant,
at 281/232-2607 or [email protected] for more information on
Lakes of Bella Terra. To learn more about Brighton Homes and the
Houston area communities, please visit www.BrightonHomes.com.
W
d
The food truck provide
s
ink
dr
d
refreshing col
and great burgers!
eichert, Realtors® - Wayne
Murray Properties recently honored Realtor Susan Bolz as Top
Overall Sales Associate, 2012, at
Fernando’s Latin Cuisine in Sugar Land.
For the year Bolz sold the most properties of any realtor across all four
offices of the agency.
A 30-year resident of the area with
seven years as a Houston office agent,
Bolz serves clients throughout Southwest
Houston. Her real estate industry awards
include the Circle of Excellence and the
2012 Pinnacle Award.
2012 Top Overall Sales Associate
Weichert, Realtors - Wayne Murray
Properties has offices in Houston, Sugar Land, award winner Susan Bolz (left) with
Broker/Owner Wayne Murray.
Missouri City, and The Woodlands. Susan
Bolz can be reached at the Houston headquarters 713-728-2300. The company Web address is www.waynemurray.net.
B
You can tell that Sitterle Homes is a Texas company!
They were ready for the hot Texas sun at their recent
ground breaking at Riverstone in Katy. We all had cold
bottled water, sodas and little mister fans, along with
ice cold Champagne to toast the occasion, first class all
the way, just like the homes that Sitterle builds. Steve
VonHofe/Sitterle Homes Partner braved the heat
and broke the ground with a golden shovel and the work
on their first model home began. Everyone was really
excited about their new (ad)venture in Riverstone.
12 To advertise call 281-372-6865
etter Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene announced the appointment
of Nichi Dunphy to the position of sales manager of the company's Galveston
office effective July 1, 2013.
"Nichi is a top-producing agent with a broad range of experience in the residential real estate industry," said Mark
Woodroof, partner with Better Homes and Garden Real
Estate Gary Greene. "She will take over the position from Lois
Robinson who is retiring the end of June."
In addition to being a top producer, Dunphy has been
active in the real estate industry and currently serves as the
Texas Association of Realtors Region 10 (Galveston, Brazoria
and Matagorda Counties) vice president. She received the
Outstanding Service Award from the Galveston Association of
Realtors in 2011 and was honored as the Association's Realtor of the Year in 2001. She also
served as a trustee of TREPAC, the Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee, from
2008 through 2011.
"I am looking forward to settling in as manager of this outstanding office," said
Dunphy, "and to this new challenge in my life," For more information about Better Homes
and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene, visit www.GaryGreene.com.
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The WCR Charters a new Chapter in
Bryan-College Station
It was an exciting day for Bryan, Texas when a group of
Realtors decided to start a chapter of The Women’s Council of
Realtors in their area. The first breakfast meeting, of the new
Brazos Valley Chapter of The Women’s Council of Realtors,
was held at the Kyle House in downtown Bryan. With the
excitement building, the event was well attended.
Representatives and State Officers, from the Houston and
Dallas areas, traveled to Bryan, Texas to attend and support the
efforts of this group.
Twenty-six new Realtor
member applications
were received the day of
this meeting.
For information on
membership to a
Women’s Council of
Realtors Chapter visit
the website at
www.WCR.org to find
the chapter nearest you.
Melissa and Amy
with the WCR banner.
The charter members of the newly formed Brazos Valley Chapter of The WCR.
(L-R) Marilyn Moore,
Treasurer; Monica
Palasota, Secretary;
Betty Fields, VP of
Membership; Ethel
O’Dell State Governor; Amy Supak, President Elect; Melissa Clinton, Chapter
President, and Sylvia Seabolt Texas State President.
Nancy Garcia, Texas
District Vice President;
Sharon Morton, State
President Elect;
Sylvia Seabolt, 2013
Texas State
President; Holly Kincaid, State Secretary; Cathy Mitchell, State Treasurer and
Ethel O’Dell, State Governor.
July 2013
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WCR Chapters joint Membership Mixer
The Montgomery County, GREAT Northwest and The Lake
Houston of the Women’s Council of Realtors held a joint Membership
Mixer this month for membership networking. This was a great time to
come out and see what WCR is all about. This month was held at Main
Street America.
Come join one of
these fine groups for
lunch, fun, networking and see what
WCR is all about.
Visit the WCR.org
web site to contact a
Chapter in your area.
Ethel O’Dell,
Vicki
Fullerton,
Cookie Long
and Jamie
Quinn
Flora Marno and
Monica Atkins, both
of the Exit Lone Star
Realty office in The
Woodlands.
One of our Host partners,
Cathy Espey/Criterion
Mortgage here with Cam
Collins/Realty Executives.
Join us for our
Monthly Mixers!
Long Meadow Farms
C
ome see for yourself why our population is growing.
Our residents enjoy their community events, playgrounds,
parks, walking Oyster Creek trails, tennis courts, and fitness center. More amenities with new homes and new
sections coming soon. Visit LongMeadowFarms.net or
call our Welcome Center today at 832.363.2000.
14 To advertise call 281-372-6865
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Firethorne Adds Ravenna Homes, a New Homebuilder in Town to Their Builder Team
A brand new homebuilder in town is putHomes Division Presidents for six and oneting down its initial stakes in Firethorne, a
half years and three and one-half years,
1,400-acre master-planned residential
respectively.
community in Katy/Fulshear. Houston“The new home market is strong, and
based Ravenna Homes has launched into
we decided it was time to leave to do our
the builder team of the top-performing masown thing,” said Stephen. He noted being a
ter-planned community, with three homes
small homebuilder affords them the oppornow under construction.
tunity to provide a more personalized
“We’ve got deep-rooted relationships with
approach with hands-on, in-the-field quality
Ravenna Homes’ founders, Stephen and
control. “Kenneth and I will continue to
Kenneth Najvar, and admire the brothers’
seek feedback from buyers and Realtors to
integrity, loyalty, hard work and impressive
build quality and value into every home conknowledge of the home construction busistructed to ensure we build what buyers
ness,” said Firethorne General Manager
really want.”
Wayne Meyer. “We share the same values
Ravenna Homes is starting conRavenna Homes’ founders, Stephen (L) and
and are proud to have an association with
struction on its debut 3,030-square-foot,
Kenneth (R) Najvar on either side of
Ravenna Homes from the ground up.”
one-story brick and stone home that
Firethorne’s General Manager Wayne Meyer.
The Najvars – Stephen, president, and
includes four bedrooms, three baths and a
Kenneth, vice president — have almost 20 years combined
three-car garage, in the 60-foot program of Firethorne. The new
experience in homebuilding, including five years building
plan draws from the brothers’ experience and knowledge of the
new homes in Firethorne. Each most recently served as Perry
home building industry. Specifications include spacious 10- to
13-foot ceilings, formal living and
dining rooms, an open concept
kitchen as the hub of the house and
a large master bedroom and bathroom with separate shower and tub.
This home also will be built with the
optional game room, media room
and half-bath upstairs, adding 470
square feet.
The brothers chose Ravenna, the
town in Italy where their Texan
father and Scottish mother first met,
as the name of their first business
venture together because it exemplifies the life-long values their parents
instilled in them – honesty, integrity,
good reputation, trust and loyalty.
Ashton Woods Homes,
Coventry Homes, Highland
Homes, M/I Homes, Perry Homes
and Plantation Homes complete
the Firethorne builder team.
Firethorne blends the best
nature has to offer: 150 acres
devoted to parks and recreational amenities, a 12-acre lake with
surrounding greenbelt, hike/bike
trails, parks and playgrounds, tennis
courts, Fitness Center, Community
Center, resort-style swimming pool,
Swim Center with regulation lap
pool, discovery-rich wildlife observation area and a natural bird
habitat. Served by highly
acclaimed schools in Katy ISD and
Lamar Consolidated ISD.
Firethorne combines the vibrancy of
West Houston with the small-town
charm of Katy/Fulshear. It is located near the crossroads of I-10 West
and FM 1463, 10 and 15 miles west,
respectively, of the Texas Medical
Center-West Campus and Houston’s
Energy Corridor.
For more info, go to
www.ravennahomes.com and
http://www.firethorne.info, call
281-693-1010 or to visit Firethorne,
take I-10 West and exit Pin Oak to
FM 1463.
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Builders Debut New Models in Busy Woodforest
Woodforest has welcomed several new model homes in recent
months — and now has 15 open daily — showcasing the broad
variety of homes offered in The Johnson Development Corp.
community.
Village Builders’ “NextGen — The Home Within a Home”
model, a design built for multigenerational households, is one of the
Houston area’s only such model homes. The NextGen Kinsley model
in Woodforest transforms two front bedrooms into living space for an
aging parent, boomerang college student or other family member. The
suite includes a living room with access to the outside, a kitchen, full
bath, bedroom and a washer and dryer. The suite also has its own heating/cooling zone, although the entire home’s electricity is run through
the same utility meter. An interior door leads to the rest of the home.
Village Builders has two NextGen designs available in
Woodforest. Base pricing on the one-story Kinsley begins in the $340’s
and the two-story Concordia design, which has six bedrooms within
3,607 square feet, is base-priced in the $370’s. The homes are in
Woodforest’s Kinderwood neighborhood, an enclave of 65- and 55foot properties near the Forest Island recreation complex. Neighborhood
children also enjoy Kinderwood Park, a forested space featuring naturethemed play elements.
Huntington Homes opened its Woodforest model in early
June at 109 Elk Trace Parkway in Spyglass Park, a neighborhood of 80foot homesites located along Woodforest Golf Club. The 5,300-square-foot
design features five bedrooms, five full baths, two half-baths, a formal
dining room, study and plenty of entertainment space upstairs with a
media room, game room and card room. Huntington’s 10 designs in
Woodforest are priced from the low $500’s and range from 3,500 square
feet to 5,600 square feet.
Finally, Darling Homes opened a model for another new
series of homes in Woodforest, its fourth for the community.
Darling’s luxury patio homes are being built along Woodforest
Golf Club in the new Muirfield Point neighborhood. Designed with
empty nesters in mind, the homes range (Continues on page 24.)
18
Oakhurst WCR Event
Oneal Texada/Better Homes
& Gardens, Gary Greene, $50
Gift Certificate winner
from Highland Homes;
Andrew Pear/Highland
Homes, sales counselor.
Andrew Pear/
Highland Homes,
Sales Counselor;
Donna Steen/
Trendmaker
Homes Community
Sales Manager;
Maria Sirgo/
Village Builders
Oakhurst-The Greens,
New Home Consultant.
MCE Class held at
Lake of Savannah
Chelsea Strange/Highland
Homes Sales Associate; Carla
Perez/Highland Homes Sales
Counselor; Bernadette James/
Keller Williams Realty Southwest
$25.00 Gift Card Winner.
(See page 24.)
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Martha Schauer, regional marketing
director for Champions School of Real
Estate, congratulates Joe Rothchild on a
wonderful presentation at the Greater
West WCR luncheon.
Joe Spilman/Coldwell Banker United, wins the
Champions School of Real Estate auction item
at the fundraiser for breast cancer research.
The CRS Greater
Houston Chapter
2013 Chapter President Diana
Ayers and John Breeding/The
Uptown Houston District.
(See page 6.)
20 To advertise call 281-372-6865
Dorothy Haley, Champions School of Real
Estate Instructor, wins the "50-50" at the
WCR Great Northwest Chapter luncheon.
Martha Schauer,
Marketing rep with
Champions School
of Real Estate,
welcomes WCR Great
Northwest Chapter
guest speaker
Carole Little,
President and CEO of
Northwest Assistant
Ministries
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Page 21
P
lantation Homes in Lakeshore introduced the start of the
company’s
Beat the Heat
Summer Sales
Event to the
Doug Erdy Keller
Williams Kingwood Team with a
Sizzling Spa
Day!
All lined up for
massages!
Cari G (l), Nicole
Lopez (r), and
Shelly Munday.
Shelly was the
winner of the gift
card gift away!
Valerie the Massage
Therapist gave Nicole
Lopez/Doug Erdy
Keller Williams Team a
relaxing, wonderful
sizzling massage!
C
oventry Home in Firethorne treated Realtors to a
special spa day and lunch while showcasing
homes situated on oversized home sites with plenty
of flexible designs for their buyers to choose from!
Dreama Vallone/
Realm Realty, Lisa
Hughes/FC
Lending, Jeanne
Mahoney and
Ronie Warwick
both with
Coventry Homes
in Firethorne
Linda Kay
Beaver with
RE/MAX Cinco
Ranch
Denise Crawford/Realm Realty; Dreama
Vallone/Realm Realty, and Debbie Robart
July 2013
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Page 22
Ashton Woods Touts One-Story
Designs in Woodridge Forest
Ashton Woods is answering the call for single-story
homes with several under construction now in the
Kingwood neighborhood of Woodridge Forest.
Available now is the builder’s 2,799-square-foot Blake
design at 22718 Whispering Timbers. The four-bedroom, threebath home has a formal dining room, study and island kitchen
with granite countertops, 42-inch cabinets and stainless steel
appliances. Flooring throughout the home is upgraded, with hardwood floors in the study. Outside, a sprinkler system has been
installed and the yard in front and back is fully sodded. The home
is priced in the $260’s.
Slated for an August completion is Ashton Wood’s
Bristol design at 22714 Adrift Row. The 2,689-square-foot onestory has four bedrooms, three baths and a 2.5-car garage. An eating bar defines the kitchen, which opens to the family room and
breakfast area. An extended covered patio encourages al fresco
dining and walk-in closets in each bedroom offer ample storage
space. Upgrades to the home include granite counters in the
kitchen and bath, 16-inch tile flooring throughout the living area
and hardwoods in the study. This home also is priced in the $260’s.
Two other one-story designs are under construction in
the community.
Ashton Woods Homes has several one-story designs available in Woodridge
Forest, a new community within Kingwood. The builder features its Bethany design
which just won an award for Interior Design of the Year and Product Design of
the Year in the Texas Association of Builders’ Texas Star Awards.
Ashton Woods offers designs ranging from 2,635 to 3,600
square feet with base pricing from the $240’s in Woodridge Forest.
Numerous structural options allow buyers to customize homes to
meet their needs. All designs are built to exacting energy-efficient
standards, including elements such as radiant barrier roof decking,
a 15 SEER heating and air conditioning system and highly rated
insulation for attics, ceilings and exterior walls.
Ten acres of lakes and 80 acres of open space are
planned for Woodridge Forest, along with 4.5 miles of trails that
will connect with the Kingwood trail system. Minutes from the
community are sports fields, shopping, restaurants and golf.
Schools in the Recognized New Caney ISD, including Kings
Manor Elementary, the New Caney sixth-grade campus, White
Oak Middle School and Porter High School. A new middle school is
slated to open in Woodridge Forest in 2014.
For more information on Ashton Woods, which builds in 15
communities throughout Houston, visit www.ashtonwoods.com.
MCE Class held
at Lake of
Savannah
Don Davison/
Davison Real Estate
Inspections.
(Continued pages 23 & 24.)
22
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Westin Homes helps the WCR Lake Houston Chapter raise over $1,800 for member education
The Lake Houston Chapter of the
Women’s Council of Realtors recently
raises over $1,800 with a “Cruise
Raffle” partnered by Westin Homes.
The ways and means committee worked
for six months, from January to June,
selling tickets for a chance to win a
cruise. Over 200 tickets were sold to
chapter members, their co-workers,
friends and families.
The cost of the cruise was
donated generously by Westin
Homes. “What a fun and great way to
support the Lake Houston Chapter”,
said Lisa-Marie Lindbergh with
Westin Homes. “When we were
MCE Class held at Lake of Savannah on June 12
approached with the opportunity, there
was absolutely no doubt that this would
Clifford Greenhouse/Westin Homes; Sherilyn “Shelly”
help the Chapter raise money and we
Smith/Realm Real Estate; Ray Gallien/Keller Williams Realty
were excited about helping them.”
Southwest. Ray
“We want to thank Westin Homes Lisa-Marie Lindberg and Blake Hollaway/
and Sherilyn
for such a wonderful partnership. They Westin Homes draw the lucky winner.
are $25 Gift
have been a great supporter of Women’s
Card Winners.
Council”, said Kayla Webb, Lake Houston Chapter President.
“They truly understand the benefit of being a part of our organization
Clifford Greenhouse/
and we appreciate their support. The money raised will help fund leadWestin Homes, sales
ership training and member education for the Lake Houston WCR.”
manager; Diane
The WCR is a network of Realtors working to empower women to
Mireles, MCE Class
exercise their potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders, leading
Instructor, Better Homes
to positive change in the real estate profession and in the broader com& Gardens Gary Greene.
munity. Join the Lake Houston Chapter at their next Business
Resource Meeting or event. For more information about the chapter
(Continued page 24.)
and meeting dates, visit their website at
www.WCRLakeHouston.org.
23
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MCE Class held at Lake of Savannah on June 12, 2013
Eagle Springs posts 41% sales increase
for first half of 2013
Chelsea Strange/Highland
Homes
sale
s associate and Carla Perez/
Diane E. Mireles, branch manager Better Homes & Gardens Gary Highland Homes sales counselor.
Greene, MCE Class Instructor
Sales are up 41% for the first half of the year at Eagle Springs, boosted by new
offerings including townhomes by Brighton.
H
Jan McCleary,
Byron
Underwood,
Martha Schauer.
Lauren
Miller/
Lennar
Homes,
new home
consultant.
LaDonna Parker/Keller Williams and
Ray Gallien/Keller Williams Realty
Southwest.
omebuilders in Eagle Springs sold more than 210 new homes
in the first half of 2013, representing a 41% increase over
the same period in 2012.
Located along Will Clayton Parkway, approximately 5 miles
east of U.S. 59 North, Eagle Springs offers new homes and townhomes priced from the $170’s to $500’s by Brighton, Chesmar,
D.R. Horton, Lennar, M/I, Ryland, Taylor Morrison, Village
Builders and Westin.
Eagle Springs has benefited from the overall strength of the
Houston housing market, and the 1,362-acre community has seen
a major uptick in relocation sales, according to Kayla Webb,
marketing director for Newland Communities.
“Our relocation sales increased up to 30 percent last year.,
and we are seeing that strong trend continue into 2013,” Webb
said. “Our homebuilders have been keeping more inventory
homes on the ground for relocation buyers, who typically look for
a quick move-in.”
Webb said Eagle Springs has also attracted attention from
homebuyers and real estate agents with the recent openings of
10 new model homes in all price ranges, and the addition of
new products including low-maintenance townhomes by
Brighton. Eagle Springs has also added a new series of move-up
homes by Taylor Morrison with up to 5,000 square feet and six
bedrooms. Another new model home showcases Lennar’s unique
NextGen design for multi-generational families.
Located in the Humble ISD, Eagle Springs has two onsite
elementary schools and 150 acres of recreational amenities
including lakes, parks, community centers and miles of greenbelt
trails. More information is offered at www.eaglespringstx.com.
Sue Knippa/Residential Realty and
Carol Doran/Realty Associates.
Builders Debut New Models continues...
from 2,600 to 3,800 square feet, with optional features such as a
guest casita, media room and three-car garage to meet the needs of
those who are downsizing, but still require space for guests and hobbies. Prices on the homes start in the $400’s.
Located five miles north of The Woodlands, Woodforest has
posted record-breaking sales this year, with builders reporting newhome sales more than double last year’s pace.
To learn more about Woodforest and its builders, visit the
Homefinder Lodge at 101 Elk Trace Parkway for complete details.
Also, search online at Woodforest, visit www.woodforesttx.com.
24 To advertise call 281-372-6865
Friendswood Realtor Event held in March
Marisol Torres/JLA Realty, gift card winner from Friendswood
Development Company and Coventry Homes; Christine Draughn/
Friendswood Development Company; Regina Gibbons/Coventry Homes.
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RE/MAX Alliance Enjoying Boom, Renews Franchise
With a terrific location on 6121 FM
1960 West, adjacent to multiple fashionable communities in the Champions
Forest area, RE/MAX Alliance is enjoying the current market boom.
Longtime Broker/Owner Chantal
Nguyen, a member of the RE/MAX
Hall of Fame and perennial 100
Percent Club producer just renewed
her franchise.
“Like most agents in Houston, I
don’t have enough inventory for all
the buyer calls we’re getting,”
Chantal noted. “Although I wouldn’t want to jinx
things, the market is obviously incredible insofar as demand goes.
Interest rates have really lubricated buyers, and it has long been
apparent that it’s only a matter of time before this once in a lifetime
opportunity to lock in rates at historic levels fades away. That, and the
escalation of values in the Houston market have created an urgency
that we haven’t seen in decades.”
In addition to Chantal’s own busy schedule servicing longtime
clients, she’s avidly participating in the David Scott Abundant
Office Series for growth, development and business profitability,
introduced by RE/MAX of Texas in 2012.
“Due to opportunities real estate is presenting, we’re seeing a
wave of new practitioners from a variety of industries and professions
entering the field. Many of them have a pattern of success in other
ventures, and while new to real estate sales, they possess a great skillset and/or sphere of influence with upwardly-mobile consumers, and
are eager to carve out a niche in a very exciting and rewarding business.”
For more information contact Chantal at [email protected],
or call RE/MAX Alliance at 281.444.4848.
New Recreation Center Now Open in
Churchill Farms
The Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance recently held a
ribbon cutting ceremony at the new recreation center and
pool for Churchill Farms. Hosted by Beazer Homes and
Taylor Morrison, the event was well attended by Chamber
Members, Fulshear Mayor Tommy Kuykendall, Fulshear
Chief of Police Kenny Seymour, and staff members from
both Beazer Homes and Taylor Morrison.
Churchill Farms is located in west Houston off FM 1463,
within the boundaries of Katy ISD. This 191-acre, master
planned community features homes from the low $200s to
$400s. Amenities include a community lake, parks,
and recreation center with resort-style pool. For more
information, stop by one of the 8 model homes, or visit
http://liveatchurchillfarms.com/. (See ad below.)
The Preserve at Highland Glen builder sales team take a quick photo
before the grand opening luncheon begins (L-R) Katie Burkett/Lennar,
Kerrie Laminack/ Beazer Homes and Carrie Elwood/Lennar
Realtor grand opening in The Preserve at Highland Glen
Denise Allison/Beazer Homes (left) welcome Raul and Veira Castillo of
Texas Home Group (center) with Kerri Laminack/ Beazer Homes (right)
July 2013
www.reandy.com 25
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TOLL BROTHERS IS BUILDING IN TWO
NEW SECTIONS IN THE WOODLANDS
Toll Brothers, the nation’s
leading builder of luxury
homes, is pleased to
announce that it will continue its growth in The
Woodlands, Texas. In 2009,
the 28,000-acre master
planned community was
Toll Brothers’ first point
of entry to the Houston
The Charleston model
market where, to date, they
have successfully sold out of six sections. The progress of
the community has given the company an opportunity to continue building its trademarked luxury homes on both 75’ and 110’
home sites in the newest western sections of the Village of
Creekside Park.
These two neighborhoods will feature oversized and culde-sac home sites, a lush landscape of mature trees, and direct
access to the new Creekside Park Village Center scheduled
to be open next year.
Toll Brothers will offer its signature, award-winning
home designs that earned the company the distinguished
honor of being named Texas Builder of the Year by the
Texas Association of Builders in 2007, 2008, 2011, and
2012, along with the 2012 Builder of the Year by
Professional Builder magazine (www.housingzone.com).
Construction in these two sections is planned to begin later
this summer. For more information and to be placed on the Toll
Brothers VIP interest list, please call 855-289-8656 or email
[email protected].
In the Houston area, Toll Brothers offers luxury singlefamily homes in eight other communities: Ironwood Estates
and Sycamore Meadow in Cinco Ranch in Katy, Barrington in
Kingwood, Vintage Lakes in Northwest Houston, Riverstone in
Sugar Land, Sienna Plantation and Lake Olympia in Missouri
City, and Towne Lake in Cypress. To learn more visit
TollBrothers.com/Houston.
The Fort Bend Chapter of The WCR
Come out and join this wonderful group of professionals and share in
the education and relationships being a member has to offer. The Fort Bend
Chapter has its meetings at Sweetwater Country Club the second
Thursday of each month. www.FortBendwcr.com
Pictured here are Theresa Fehr, President Elect; Kimberly Shaw, Chapter
President; Gary Maler and Angela Johnson VP of Membership.
The topic for our June Business Resource Luncheon Meeting
was “News You Can Use” by Gary Maler, Director of the Real
Estate Center at Texas A&M
University. He talked about
the trends in Real Estate and
the most important question
on all of our minds... “How
long will this upswing
last?” If you missed this
meeting, you missed a
good one!
Barbara Marlin was the big
winner of the 50/50 drawin
g
which was a great birthday
present for the
“Birthday Girl”.
Toll Brothers
Houston raises
over $10,000
towards childhood
cancer charity
(Continued from page 7.)
display at Vintage Lakes
Mike Mandola and Pat Liming –
Toll Brothers at Towne Lake.
David and Tonya Assid, Karl
Mistry –
Toll Brothers at Towne Lak
e
Kingwood
arrington
Display at B
Vintage Lakes Cake
26 To advertise call 281-372-6865
Lots of family fun
July 2013
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Cinco Ranch opens private clubhouse for
patio homes from $210,000s
I
n west Houston’s Cinco Ranch, Ashfield Gardens offers patio
homes priced from the $210’s to $400’s, located within walking
distance of lakes, parks, The Lake House community center, and shopping.
With the completion of its private neighborhood clubhouse, Ashfield Gardens now offers another amenity for residents to enjoy.
Located at the entrance to Ashfield Gardens, this clubhouse
includes a great room with a fireplace, vaulted ceilings and a flatscreen TV. It also has a fitness center, a kitchen, a game room and
restrooms. Outside, there is an outdoor kitchen and grilling area,
covered sitting areas and a fire pit. A walking trail encircles the
clubhouse.
Visitors can tour this new amenity by stopping by the
four decorated models offered by David Weekley and Village
Builders.
Ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet, these models are all
one-story plans, though many include upstairs storage spaces with
built-in staircases.
The front gate of David Weekley’s Windson model opens to a
secluded courtyard with an outdoor fireplace. This plan has a family
room, dining room, a study and three bedrooms.
A circular rotunda foyer and an outdoor living area wrapped
around a swimming pool highlight David Weekley’s Grimes
model. With 2,851 square feet, this plan has three bedrooms, 3-1/2
baths, an open kitchen and family area, and a study.
Village Builders’ Bellingraf model features a hobby room
with a walk-in closet. Like the family room and kitchen area, the
hobby room offers views of a covered patio that extends along the
side of this home.
Also by Village Builders, the Nelson model brings the outdoors in with two covered patios, both with French doors. The first
patio is atrium-like, offering views from five interior angles. The second patio brings light into the family room and formal dining room.
Overall, Cinco Ranch offers new homes priced from the $190’s
to over $1 million.
Located in the Katy ISD, this 8,100-acre community has
amenities including The Beach Club, The Golf Club, The Water
Park, The Lake House, and more than 10 neighborhood pools
and recreation centers. Onsite shopping ranges from the shops
and restaurants of LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, to popular stores
such as SuperTarget, H-E-B and Kroger.
To visit, take I-10 West to Grand Parkway and exit south (left).
Turn right on Cinco Ranch Blvd. and follow the signs to the model
homes. For more information visit cincoranch.com
Free Publicity!
Send photos for new agents, events to Jennifer -
[email protected]
28
We’ll review and try to use.
July 2013
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RE/MAX Northwest Kurls for Kids
RE/MAX Northwest, the award-winning brokerage owned by longtime top producers Stephanie Schley and Katie McMullen, held a
community fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
and our own Texas Children’s Hospital on June 14, raising
approximately $18,000 to help kids suffering from serious illness.
“We can’t thank the community enough for supporting this really
fun day of helping provide funds for needed medical care,” said
Stephanie. “We had a large, involved team of staff members and a number of agents who pooled their resources to make this happen.”
Office administrator and event ramrod Kelly Hart initiated the
fundraiser by volunteering to have her hair cut and donated to
Locks of Love, an organization that provides high quality hairpieces to
children who have lost theirs through the effects of chemical radiation
therapy used to combat any number of cancers.
C
ross Creek Ranch gave local Realtors a reason to smile by hosting an Ice Cream Social at 10 real estate offices around
Katy. The parties were the highlight of the week for these Realtors,
after summer brought its typical heat and humidity to Houston.
Anita Reed/Realm
Real Estate owner,
with Tammy McCall/
Cross Creek Ranch
enjoying an Ice
Cream Social provided by Cross
Creek Ranch.
Michele Busse
and Natalie
Elkhayyat load
their ice cream
with toppings, provided by Cross
Creek Ranch, at
the Coldwell
Banker office on
Mason Rd.
Yucelis Wentland,
Anita Reed, Tammy
McCall and Jessica
Marin cooling off at
Realm Real Estate
office with ice cream
provided by Cross
Creek Ranch.
For more pictures visit this website...
http://remaxoftexas.net/news/2013/06/remax-northwest-kurls-for-kids/
“Since I’m the office administrator, I don’t get to contribute to
CMNH regularly as a part of each home transaction like our agents do,”
said Kelly. “Every year our office does one big event to supplement our
agents’ year-round donations, and this year we set up a Facebook page
and an online donation website to collect contributions towards a goal of
raising $10,000. That mushroomed into the outdoor carnival and party
here at our office, and the result was that we nearly doubled our goal
and will easily hit $18,000, possibly a little more when all the final
donations are in.”
The community, local media and area businesses eagerly joined the
RE/MAX Northwest children’s fundraising project, with Munday
Chevrolet providing a showcase truck for staging Kelly’s haircut.
“I haven’t had short hair since I was twelve,” said Kelly, “and all my
friends said they’d pay big money to see it cut if it supported my goals
for this fundraiser. My dad always told me that if you want others to
give, you have to give yourself first. I’m humbled, and very happy to
have been a part of motivating a lot of other people to be excited about
donating to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.”
For more information visit RE/MAX Northwest at www.houstonnorthwesthomes.com, or call 281 893, 8400.
Free Publicity!
Send photos for new agents, events to Jennifer -
[email protected]
We’ll review and try to use.
30 To advertise call 281-372-6865
Maris Sirgo/
Village Builders,
new home
consultant
Linda Drescher/
Texas Sage Properties;
Janet Whitaker,
Sales Counselor,
Village Builders,
Graystone Hills;
Sonja Drescher/
Texas Sage Properties.
July 2013
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shton Woods traveled to San Antonio this past week for
the Sunbelt Builder’s Show and Texas Star Awards.
We had three people take away awards as well as a
few other categories. Listed below are the awards that
Ashton Woods won for:
★ Marketing Professional of the Year - Carrie Roehling
★ Rookie Sales Professional of the Year - Margaret Greenwood
★ Sales Professional of the Year - Paul Lim
★ Best Special Promotion - Spring Clean Promo
★ Best Product Design under $300K - Cypress Creek Lakes
(Cheyenne)
★ Best Product Design $300K - $399K–Woodridge Forest
(Bethany) (See page 22.)
★ Best Interior Merchandising $300K - $399K - Woodridge Forest
(Bethany) (See page 22.)
August 2013
1 P/A/F Quarterly Meeting, Jan Briggs/Keller Williams-Sunrise, president
7 MC/HAR, 9:30 am, River Plantation Club
7 WCR Greater West Houston, 11:30 am, Pine Forest Country Club
8 HAR/WCR Bay Area, 11:00 am, S. Shore Harbour Country Club
Must RSVP to: [email protected]
8 Har Katy Area, 11:30 am, Cinco Ranch Country Club
8 WCR Ft. Bend, 11:30 am, Sweetwater Country Club
[email protected]
14 HAR NW Breakfast, 8 am, Raveneaux Country Club
14 WCR Montgomery County, 11:00 am, River Plantation Country Club
14 HAR/290 Area, 11:30 am, Sterling Country Club at Houston National
14 WCR Lake Houston meeting, www.wcrlakehouston.org
Speaker: Sperintendent Dr. Guy Sconzo on what is new at Humble ISD
Location: The OVERLOOK, 20114 Pinehurst Drive
Margaret Greenwood, Texas
Builders Association’s Rookie of
the Year-Ashton Woods Homes
Carrie Roehling, Marketing
Professional of the Year-Texas
Star Award Winner
Please spread the word and donate...
http://remaxoftexas.net/news/2013/05/remax-new-horizon-agent-raises-money-for-west-tx-victims-family/
To help restore the families in West, Texas - after the desvestation of the plant explosion in May. Thank you!
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PRESORT STD.
U.S. Postage
PAID
PERMIT NO. 600
HOUSTON, TEXAS
Millennium Graphix, 1330 Sherwood Forest, Suite 201, Houston, TX 77043
32
July 2013