West Texas News!!

Believe it or not, there is an etiquette to buying and selling a home, some unwritten rules that we would love to share with you to make the process easier for all involved.

BUYERS:

Money - do you know how you intend on buying this property?  If you have not spoken to a lender yet or gathered all the money under your mattress, please do not look for a house.  You need to make sure you have what it takes to purchase real estate.  We can recommend a lender to you and it's a quick process that will not slow you down.

Time - Realtors and Sellers do not have all the time in the world so please show up on time for your scheduled showing or call us at least an hour ahead of time if you are going to be late.  We usually have other appointments to get to and the owners would love to return to their home as soon as they can.  Do not linger through rooms and study family pictures.  Take a quick look and see if this is a house that can stay on your short list to return to for a 2nd showing.

Children - kids are very excited to look at homes and explore and investigate but owners do not like returning to their homes with beds out of order and things moved around on dressers. Please do not let your children terrorize the cat or pull the fish out the tank and please keep them close to you during the showing.

Just Looking? - Again, Realtors are very busy and always go, go, go.  It is very upsetting to tell an owner that the person they just spent 8 hours cleaning their house for is only looking or not planning on buying for a few years.  Please know your plans and be courteous when scheduling a showing to see a house.

More Photos? - Realtors usually take pictures of every room for their advertising online and some owners get very uneasy when a prospect starts taking pictures of their home or belongings.  Please ask the Realtor for permission before snapping more photos of the property.

SELLERS:

Disclosure - Too much information is appreciated!  We want to know about the leak in the roof or the toilet that doesn't flush.  We want to know that you are 6 months behind on your payments.  When you list the property, please tell us everything about your life in the home and experiences you have had with repairs and mortgage payments and neighbors.  We don't want any surprises when the inspection takes place.

Honesty - Be honest with us on your plans.  We have had sellers back out of a contract at the last minute because they decided to stay in the house.  Make sure that you want to sell before we spend the time to advertise and market the property and offer it to buyers.

What Stays? - Make sure to tell us about a light fixture that doesn't stay or the curtains and blinds.  Anything attached to the property is supposed to stay upon closing so we need to know your plans before we start showing the property.

One of the most common misconceptions we see as Realtors is the idea that a Tax Assessed Value is the same as the appraised value, also known as the Fair Market Value.  This is not the case and often affects the offers we receive on listings.  The truth is, the county assesses values on property based on a neighborhood or concentrated area and not an individual property.  They also do not assess the value every year, but rather every 2-5 years because of the size of the area and the available team to make such assessments.  Brewster County, for example, is the largest county in Texas and covers a wide range of territory.  The option for the county appraiser to reach every single property to assess a value each year would be impossible.  Most of the time, the properties are assessed at 80-90% of the Fair Market Value.  Realtors and Licensed Appraisers actually visit the properties when they determine the Fair Market Value.  After measuring the square footage and comparing the home to other sales and listings in the immediate area, a Fair Market Value is determined.  This is the true value of a property because it is more specific.  When buyers make an offer, instead of looking at the county’s assessed value, they should be asking their Realtor for comparable sales in the area of similar properties and make their offer based on that.  It is very frustrating in our jobs when we have buyers telling us the value of the home is too low because the county has it $30,000 less than the list price.  The facts are usually that the county hasn’t probably assessed the value in a few years, has never seen the inside of the home, they don’t know about improvements to the property or the neighborhood, and they do not have access to sales information since Texas is not a disclosure state.  Sales in our area, and the state, are not reported to counties or taxing entities.  Our advice is to ask for the comparables for nearby sales of similar property before making your offer.  It’s like comparing apples to oranges.  Do not rely on the county assessment.      

Spring has finally arrived here in west Texas after a hard winter of ice storms and cold weather.  Flowers are in full bloom and trees are leafing out.  The sweet smell of the agarita bushes in my yard fill the air each morning.  Big Bend, Terlingua, and Study Butte have never been greener.  Some parts along highway 118 look like a golf course with patches of bright yellow flowers and bluebonnets lining the road and fence lines.  It's a great time of year to visit the area!

Wow!  What a month seeing the critters and wildlife around here.  I went to Fort Davis a few days ago and looked out to the Elk pasture on the right, before the incline out of the pass, and saw a huge bull elk.  Luckily I had my camera with me so I turned around in the highway for the snapshot opportunity.  As I was watching him I noticed he was walking in circles and bellowing and panting.  His bones were very visible through his fur and he was very ill-looking.  I watched him for a few minutes walk in circles and behave as if disoriented and then headed into Fort Davis to call a game warden.  I figured he was either sick or about to die and needed help.

As I showed property in the Davis Mountains Resort that afternoon I drove up on a wild burro, cute as can be.  I, again, had my camera with me and snapped a few shots.

Yesterday, Heath and I ventured to Terlingua to list some property and as we were driving down a ranch road in the middle of Solitario we had a mare and little colt walk toward us in the middle of the road, almost walking up to the hood of the truck.  As I whistled out the window and jumped out of the truck with my camera they hurried off, the colt bucking and jumping around.  Great pictures with the sun setting behind them.

I love west Texas!

One of the privileges of listing ranches I have discovered is having to hike or drive to amazing places.  Heath, Hayden, and I drove down to Terlingua on Sunday to list Leon Mountain Ranch.  1250 acres near Study Butte.  We've done lots of research on the property online with maps and Google Earth but never realized how beautiful it was until we hiked to the peak.  It gave breathtaking a new meaning while I was either hauling a 30 pound camera box with a drone in it or a 2 year old boy.  Boy, was I exhausted!  But we took our final few steps up the peak and looked up to find we had reached the top of the world.  We were not only above Study Butte but we were eye to eye with Bee Mountain and Hen Egg and could see past the Christmas Mountains and far into Mexico.  It was stunning.  Heath took a second to capture our experience on the drone camera before we slid down the mountain.

Then, when we thought our adventures were over for the day, we took a drive toward Solitario to find a new piece of property to list and photograph.  For the past 8 days the area has had rain non-stop so us thinking we were going to get through Terlingua Creek really was a stupid moment.  We drove 12 miles off highway 118 on North County Road and twisted and turned on the roads, going through mud pit after mud pit.  There were several times when the rain had washed so much of the road away we only had a few feet to pass and had a mountain on one side and a 10 foot drop on the other.  I was a nervous wreck!  We reached the end when we hit Terlingua Creek.  60 foot wide creek full of water, and who knows how deep...normally a dry creek.  God, it was beautiful though!  The valley on the other side of the creek was green and the sun was setting and shining on the mountains and cliffs stretching up.  We thanked God for getting us lost so we could experience that moment.  Plus we had the opportunity to go mudding on the way back.  I hadn't done that since high school.  It was a great day.

Mar 1 – Mar 31                    Jr/Sr Art Class

Mon, Wed, Fri                      Senior Circle Stretch & Flex

Mon, Wed, Fri                      Tae Bo

Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays at 1:30 PM at the Alpine Public Library or 6:30 PM at Crossroads Baptist Fellowship.  Admission is free.  For more information call (432) 294-5034

Mar 3                                     Alpine City Council Meeting

Tuesday, March 3rd at 5:30 PM in Council Chambers at 803 W. Holland Ave.

Mar 3                                     Bingo

Every other Tuesday at 6:30 PM at the American Legion Hall located at 306 W. Sul Ross Ave.

Mar 3 – Mar 4                      Mammos on the Move Mammography Screening

Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM at Big Bend Regional Medical Center, 2600 Highway 118

Please bring identification card and insurance card.  $129 if not insured.  For more information call (915) 577-0100

Mar 3                                     Tri-Community Horticulture Program

Tuesday, March 3 from 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM at Hotel Paisano Ballroomm, 207 N. Highland Street in Marfa.  Garden Protection and Pests, Tomato 101, Ice Storm Tree Damage and Repair, and more.  $10 per person

RSVP by Thursday, February 26 at (432) 729-4746 or (432) 837-6207

Every Tuesday                      Library Lizards     

Tuesdays from 4:30 PM until 5:30 PM in the Community Room at Alpine Public Library, 805 W. Avenue E.

First- and second-graders

Every Tuesday                      Basic Computer Class

Tuesdays from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the Alpine Public Library, 805 W. Avenue E.  Instructor is Gerardo Gonzalez.  For more information call (432) 837-2621.  Admission is free.

Every Wednesday                Family Story Time

Family Story Time each Wednesday from 4:00 PM until 4:45 PM in the AEP Multipurpose Room at Alpine Public Library, 805 W Avenue E

Every Thursday                     Hike with a Homeless Dog

Hike With a Homeless Dog every Thursday from 9:00 AM until 10:30 AM at Davis Mountain State Park in Fort Davis.  Grand Companions animal shelter brings dogs for visitors to walk on a park trail.

Mar 5 – Apr 21                     Our Beautiful Desert

Thursday, March 5 until Tuesday, April 21.  Artist's Reception on Friday, March 13 2015 from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM.  Gallery On The Square

The Big Bend Arts Council and Gallery On The Square welcomes new member, Theresa Wallace, to the Art Coopertative. Theresa is an accomplished artist in oil, pastel, and photography. She is planning an exhibit of her photography, "Our Beautiful Desert", which opens on Thursday, March 5. You can view Theresa's oil and pastel artwork at Gallery On The Square and get an invitation to her upcoming artist's reception.

For more information call (432) 837-7203

Mar 6                                     Knights of Columbus Fish Fry

Knights of Columbus Fish Fry, Friday, March 6 from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Our Lady of the Peace Catholic Church, 406 S 6^th Street.  $7 per plate

Mar 11 – 14                          Electronics Recycling

Wednesday, March 11 through Friday, March 13 from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM and Saturday, March 14 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM
Old Fire Station (corner of 8^th Street and W. Avenue E).  For a list of acceptable items call (432) 294-3183 or email alpinerecycles@ci.alpine.tx.us

Mar 16 – 21                         Cactus and Succulent Sale

Monday, March 16 through Saturday, March 21, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center 43869 Highway 118 in Fort Davis.

For more information call (432) 364-2499

Mar 21                                  Doggie Flea Dip

Saturday, March 21 from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM at the Alpine Visitor Center, 106 N. 3^rd Street.  Bring your doggies by for a bath and flea dip.  Proceeds go to Alpine Humane Society.  For more information call (432) 837-2326