Fort Worth Real Estate Online

Over the Next Few Days, Many of Our Children will be wearing all of their wonderfully decorative and imaginative Halloween Outfits.  There will be parties, both at school, and at their friend's homes.

Additionally, many of our kids will be outside... walking door-to-door ringing doorbells and yelling Trick-Or-Treat.  Although my own daughter is now thirty-five years old, and lives about sixty miles away, I cannot help but remember all the cute costumes and outfits that we made up for her to wear for those fun evenings.

It will be very dark outside while they are having their Halloween fun.  They will also be so excited... being with all of their friends... and many of them will be wearing masks... which, of course, makes it much harder for them to see.

So Please, during this Silly Season of Fun... if you can, go out with them as they do their Trick-or-Treating.  Watch over them.  And, if you are out driving... they will often be careless and run into the street, not watching for oncoming cars.  Be Alert !  Be On The Look-Out For Them.  They are so very precious to us !

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Karen Anne Stone and her cat Molly will not be out Trick-Or-Treating.  But, if you wish to see some of the wonderful homes being marketed by Ms Stone, please visit her website at www.NewHomeHuntersDFW.com .  Or, call the New Home Hotline at (817) 929-3400.

Come See For Yourself !  This Four Bedroom Brick and Stone Single Story Home is such an Incredible Home For The Money !  Four Bedrooms, Two Full Baths, Large Family Room, and a Gourmet Kitchen with Cabinets and Counter Tops on ALL FOUR SIDES.

You Will Not Believe This Kitchen !   What a Kitchen !  All Four Walls are lined with both Cabinets and Counter-tops.  Can you imagine... moving in to your new home, unpacking and getting all your kitchen stuff pot away, and still having empty cupboards ?  There is a Food-Prep Island with Breakfast/Serving Bar, space for Breakfast-Bar "High Chairs" and a Dishwasher, Oven and Range, and a Built-in Microwave.

The Gourmet Kitchen opens into the spacious Family Room by way of a second Serving Bar.  The Family Room, combined with the Oversized Dining Room... makes for Lots of Holiday Room for All the Family.

The Formal Dining Room is also Extra-Roomy, and... if the Breakfast Room space next to the Family Room provides enough Room for casual breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and Holiday Dinners, the Formal Dining room can easily be made into a Second Living Area.

And yes... the price quoted above is correct.  This 2087 sq ft New Home is priced at $133,490.  Now, in some parts of the country, home prices do NOT include the lot... but in Fort Worth, Texas... all new home pricing, including THIS one... includes the building lot.

For more information on this home, and others, too... call Karen Anne Stone at (817) 929-3400.  Karen Anne can also be reached by clicking on the following link to her website at http://www.newhomehuntersoftarrantcounty.com/ .

Fort Worth/Dallas... Get Ready To Cheer ! 

A recent CNN Money.com survey says the Real Estate Market in Fort Worth and Dallas is primed to take a Very Positive Bounce starting in Early 2008.

Median sales prices for single-family homes in Fort Worth/Dallas area are projected to rise at an Annual Growth Rate (AGR) of 6.4 per cent, continues the CNNMoney.com survey.   While other areas of the country suffer from falling home values, the gradual and sensible growth rate experienced over the last twenty years in the Fort Worth/Dallas area has never contributed to the "values bubble" which so many other areas of the country are currently plagued with.

"Because of the sensible growth rate we experienced locally in the 90's, our home values are projected to continue their gradual, sensible rise..." says local RE/MAX Realtor Karen Anne Stone.  Ms Stone adds that the area has not experienced either the lack of buildable vacant land for housing, or the critical shortage of drinking water that has befallen other "densely populated" areas of the country.  "This is... the wide-open spaces of Texas... " continues Ms Stone.

The Moody study adds that Fort Worth/Dallas has largely avoided the boom-and-bust cycle, which is one reason this market is on trach to post the best returns on housing of any major U.S. city during the next two years.  An added bonus:  the region's service sector has escaped the collateral damage that comes when the bubble bursts and equity-driven spending dries up.

The article quotes Moody'sEconomy.com saying that the Fort Worth/Dallas region will soon be "smoking..." adding jobs at twice the national rate.  And better yet, it continues, those new jobs are concentrated in well-paying fields like banking, advertising and health care.

Fort Worth/Dallas also sits at the center of the Interstate 35 Golden Corridor.  It is a "metropolitan galaxy" of urban development that researchers at Virginia Tech estimate will add 6.4 MILLION new people, and 2.8 MILLION units of housing over the next two decades.  The "Metroplex" as Fort Worth/Dallas is called, also serves as the North American headquarters for international high-tech employers like Nokia and Ericsson

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Karen Anne Stone can be visited at her website at www.NewHomeHuntersOfTarrantCounty.com .  She can also be reached at (817) 929-3400.  You may also email Karen Anne at KarenAnneStone@gmail.com

I was just making a comment on another post about something that happened to me years ago.  As I finished it, a friend suggested to make it a post... all by itself.  So that's what I'm going to do.

Yes, it was many years ago... perhaps 1996.  I had just got my first ancient computer.  It might have been a 286, I think.  Very little memory, but it worked !   Now that I could get online, the only thing I had ever really heard about, was America Online... AOL.  So, right away... I joined AOL.

I was just getting acquainted with the entire email system... when the first emails started coming in.  OMG... I was horrified.  Absolutely HORRIFIED !  There they were... in the "new email" box... standing straight up... right there in the middle of the screen. My first emails.

As they came in, one by one, I deleted them... without reading them.  I thought it was such an awful thing.  How could "they" allow something like this to happen ?  I remember a friend who was more computer savvy asked my why I was upset.  I told her... "every single email I get is labelled as "hate mail."  I am even afraid to open them, so I just delete them."

So... my friend looked at my emails... and there it was... hate mail... marked plainly... right at the end of every email.  Only... they did not spell out "hate mail."  They abbreviated it... html.   My friend almost fell on the floor laughing. 

I thought html meant it was "hate mail."  Talk about feeling realy, really DUMB !  Yikes... there I was... the "hate mail Queen of Cleveland."

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Karen Anne Stone is a Realtor with RE/MAX Associates Realty in Colleyville.  Please visit her website at www.NewHomeHuntersOfTarrantCounty.com .  She can be reached at (817) 929-3400 .

Often times when we Realtors suggest to a buyer that moving before the end of the year makes great sense "tax-wise"... we often hear... "Oh, we could NEVER do that to the kids.  We want to wait until the end of the school year.  If we "uprooted the kids"... well... it would just be much too hard on them.

Well... here are some thoughts on that... from a former Junior High School teacher.  Regardless of when parents decide to move, very often the kids will not be pleased.  They will talk all about leaving their friends behind, about how miserable they will feel in that dreaded "new school"... and how terrible and self-conscious they will feel being 'the new kid in class."

While the fears children have about all those things may certainly be real... the actual move itself is rarely anywhere near that bad.

"Oh Mom, I won't have any friends there.  All the kids at the new school will already be in their little cliques... and they never let new kids in." 

Sound familiar ?  Well, very often the reality is about as opposite as can be.  Let's picture it.  It is January 4th.  Everyone comes back to school after Christmas Break.  (I can use the word "Christmas" because I rarely choose to be "politically correct.")

It is early on the morning of January 4th.  Young Ashley and her brother Jason just arrived.  They want to "sneak" into the room... hoping no one sees them.  Everyone, of course... is "staring at them."  Oh so scary!  What often happens at recess or lunch... changes everything ! 

That's because there are also five other kids in their class who are spending their own first day in school that day... and they have the same fears.  What happens at lunch?  Why, they all end up at the same table, and end up just thrilled at finding other "new kids on the block."

Moving during the school year finds your children being able to invite their very best friends from their old school over for weekend sleep-overs... and also invite their brand-new frieds to the sleep-over, too.

One more negative surprise about waiting for the end of the school year is this. 

Imagine... school is over... it's the end of May.  You pick Ashley and Jason up after the end of their last day at their old school, and bring them home to their new neighborhood.  They are excited.  They change into their summer play clothes, and out they go.  Forty Five minutes later... in they come.  "Mom... Mom... I don't have anybody to play with !"  And, there they are... all alone... not knowing anyone in the neighborhood... facing the entire summer... all by themselves.  If they moved during the school year... this would never happen.

Having taught Junior High School for Nine Years, I have seen their frightened faces turn into Happy Faces quicker than you can say "Go Cowboys."  Move by the end of the year !  You get the tax advantages, your children get to keep their old friends, and make new ones.  It's win-win for everyone !

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The Absolute Best Way to find your New Home is to visit Karen Anne Stone's website at www.NewHomeHuntersOfTarrantCounty.com .  Karen Anne may also be reached at (817) 929-3400... or by email at KarenAnneStone@gmail.com .

If Looking at Your Neighbors Cars in Their Driveways Makes You a Little Crazy... You Need To See This Home !

Brand New Hulen Area Neighborhood features homes with "rear entry" garages.  If you thought those were only available in Frisco and Plano, and only above $250,000... you need to call Karen Anne Stone.

This three bedroom, two and one-half bath Two Story with its Brick and Stone exterior looks like it should be much more expensive than $167,490... a price which includes the optional Brick and Stone exterior.  If the more stately Full Brick Front is more your taste, the price is $159,990.

Many Realtors "brag" about something called "Street-Scape" when describing homes like the one above.  Here is why.  Landscaping is a plus when it adds to the beauty seen when viewing your home from the street.  "Street-Scape" boosts the whole idea of "drive-up appeal" up several notches when the view of your home from the street is not cluttered up with cars, pick-up trucks and open garage doors showing all your "stuff."

The Owner's Suite is downstairs, and features an oversized garden tub, a stall shower, double vanities, and a very spacious walk-in closet.  The Gourmet Kitchen is spacious, and features hard-surface counter tops, hand-stained cabinetry, and a separage breakfast room.  The serving bar opens into the Family Room.  Off the front foyer is the Formal Dining Room on one side, and a formal "Sitting Room" which could easily be a study.

Upstairs you'll find two additional bedrooms and a gameroom/loft, which overlooks the Family Room below.  Very impressive.  For your own personal showing of this exciting home, call Karen Anne Stone at (817) 929-3400.

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To view more of Karen Anne Stone fabulous new home collection, visit her website at www.NewHomeHuntersOfTarrantCounty.com .  Karen Anne may also be reached by email at KarenAnneStone@gmail.com .

I usually do not like to show a new home unless it is in a more finished condition... but... It has been a long time since I have seen a "smaller home" like the ones below... that have really "grabbed me" as much as this one does !

This New Home is Quite Special !  It measures approximately 1400 Sq Ft.  It is a three bedroom, two full bath home with one living and one dining.  It can be built with either the optional brick and stone front... which is priced at $136,490.

Or, this same home can be selected and built with the standard brick front below, at $129,990.  Both homes are fully landscaped, come with electric smooth-top range, dishwasher, built-in microwave, and solid-surface counter tops.

In the Greater Fort Worth area perhaps 95 percent of the homes have front entry garages.  One of the features that makes this awesome home special is that the garage is in the rear... accessible from a rear alley.  This type of entrance is usually found only in more expensive neighborhoods.

That is probably the biggest reason that I have chosen to share this home with my many End-Of-The-Year buyers.  For a personal tour of the above homes, please call Karen Anne Stone at (817) 929-3400.

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For more homes all over Greater Fort Worth, please visit Karen Anne's website at www.NewHomeHuntersOfTarrantCounty.com .  You may also email her at KarenAnneStone@gmail.com

This Four Bedroom, Two Bath Brick and Stone Two Story Can Be Yours By The Holidays.  Entering through the arched brick and stone front porch, the stacked formal living room and dining room provide the privacy of both a second living area and a formal dining room.

The kitchen features a large breakfast nook with a boxed window seat, wrap-around counter serving bar, hard surface counter tops, and gorgeous hand-stained cabinets. 

The Spacious Downstairs Master Suite is in a split-bedroom arrangement.  Featured are two walk-in closets, a deep garden tub, stall shower, and twin vanities.  The Spacious Game Room is upstairs, and measures 21 x 18.  With the Game Room upstairs, the total square footage of this lovely home is approximately 2,436 Sq Ft.  [Please note:  The above-pictured home is a completed model, and is being used to show what the home actually under construction and being offered for sale will look like when completed. ]

For your very own personal tour of this gorgeous new home, call Karen Anne Stone at (817) 929-3400.  More information on this home can be found at Karen Anne's website at www.NewHomeHuntersOfTarrantCounty.com .

This gorgeous Four Bedroom Two and One Half bath home is being held open this Sunday, October 28 from 1:00pm to 7:00 PM.  It is priced at $225,981.  Upon entering, on the left you'll find something quite unique.  A smaller, more cozy "sitting room" reminding you a bit of a home you might have seen in some of the old-timey movies.  A sofa, two chairs, a coffee table, a lamp of two,.. just enough room for friends to gather and visit.  On the right is a formal dining room with sixteen foot ceilings, chair rail, and that pretty "eyebrow window" you see on the front of the home.

The Gourmet Kitchen is large enough that Rachael Ray, Emeril, and your Aunt Beatrice can all be preparing Thanksgiving Dinner together in.  Granite counter tops, over-sized island with double sink, custom-built cabinets stained on-site, and for another custom touch, two short horizzontal windows underneath the cabinets where part of the backsplash would be.  Talk about "under cabinet lighting..." this light is natural, and it's FREE.

This home is in the Hulen Area of SouthWest Fort Worth.  To reach this gorgeous home, take Hulen Street south off I-20 to Granbury Road, turn right on Granbury... and follow it until it comes to a stop at Risinger.  Turn right, and at the bottom of the hill, turn left, and the home will be on your right.  Just look for the "castle" with the turret above the entry door.

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You can visit more of Karen Anne's Lovely Homes at www.NewHomeHuntersDFW.com .  Or, call the New Home Hotline at (817) 929-3400.  Mention to Karen Anne that you saw this open house ad, and you will receive $1,000 in extra FREE options.

Some people who write extensively in "outside blogs" have said that all they are really doing... is "telling stories."  I have also heard it said... that if you have ever written in your own "personal journal..." that you were simply "telling a story..." but it was "your own story."

Have you ever kept a journal ?  If so, how long ago ?  How long did you write in it on an ongoing basis ?  Do you still write in your journal at the present ?  What is a person called who writes in a journal ?  Just think for a second.  A person who writes in their "journal"... is a "journal-ist."  Wow...  journalist.  That's what we are... we're journalists.

Now... with that in mind... let's play for awhile.  Here is a picture of a young woman.  And... here is an exercise... something you can do... to practice journal-ing... to practice journal-ism... to practice telling a story... and finally... to practice "blogging."  Perhps this might even allow you to revisit an earlier time when your own face had the searching look we see on hers.

What is going on in the mind of this young woman ?  Just for a minute... I suggest you stop typing.  Sit back, get closer to the screen... perhaps get yourself a glass of wine... or do whatever you need to do to... slow down... and just "look at her."

What is she thinking about ?  What has been going on in her life ?  Stop everything, and look into her eyes.  Look very deeply... so deeply, in fact, that you finally get some sort of an idea... of her story.  Or, as some courses on "Women's Studies" call it... an idea of her "herstory."  (As in "history"... but it's "her" history.)

Let's see what we can do with this ?  OK ?  Are you brave enough to try ?  If so... Way To Go !  Share your story with me.  Share your story with "us."  Not a novel, but perhaps a glimpse into her life.  If you read two of my more recent posts... one was about "Chaos and Love."  Another was titled "The Lady's Not Home Today."

If you read either of them... create your own snippet of this young girl's story.   Dream your own "page" of this girl's life.  A page from her "journal."  And... everything you write... just by writing it and sharing it... you automatically get a "Five" from me.  Thanks for playing journalist.  Let's see what happens...

*** Or... another possibility.  If you wish... just comment on the whole idea.  Be spontaneous.  The only rule is that there really aren't any rules.  How does the idea hit you ?  Just drop in for a few words... then perhaps come back another time with your story.  It's up to you... you're the "journal-ist !"