Raylene Lewis
Realtor®
Read my blog below
Congratulations to the College Station Speed Demons!
August 28th, 2008 Categories: 1, Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
The Brazos Valley Speed Demons, a local soccer team that is part of the Brazos Valley Futbol Club, recently triumphed in their tournament against the Houston teams. The Boys played 2 hours away and the support and enthusiasms that accompanied the team was wonderful and definitely contributed to the win. The Speed Demons played 4 games to clench the tournament; with the first two games played in the pouring rain.
The first game was won 7-1 with the score being 7-0 in the second game and 6-0 in the third. All the players worked really hard and played as a team. When it was time to face the last team for the Championship, the opposing team was very aggressive. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and the Speed Demons stepped up to the plate, played very hard, and fought fire with fire against the other team’s aggressive play. The championship game was a hard win with the final score being 3 to 2.
Congratulations Speed Demons! We Are All Very Proud of You!!! A Big Thanks to All The Parents for Their Support!!! And a BIG GOOD LUCK to The Speed Demons as they head off for the Labor Day weekend tournament.
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Tow Mater Sighting Near College Station
August 27th, 2008 Categories: 1, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
My family and I were driving around East Texas looking for land this weekend, about an hour outside of College Station, when we passed by the office building of a company that tows cars. My four year old immediately started yelling “Mommy! Mommy, Look! It’s Tow Mater!” Tow Mater is a character from the Disney Pixar film “Cars.” My husband did a loop around and we pulled over to take these pictures. Pretty creative, I thought, It looks just like him!
Kyler was concerned since Mater would not talk to him, but I told him that he was busy guarding all the cars in the wrecking yard. While we were there, 3 cars pulled up behind us to take pictures too. No matter what you are doing, try to not be so busy getting from one place to another that you miss appreciating the things around you.
I have really enjoyed looking for Ranch land with my family, just because of all the great quality time we have been able to spend together. We are making some great memories and discovering all sorts of fun places, just a stone’s throw away from home!
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Selling Your College Station Home: The Importance of a First Impression – The Exterior –
August 20th, 2008 Categories: Selling Real Estate
When you are ready to sell your Bryan, College Station home, and it is time to place your property on the market, the goal will be to achieve the best possible sales price and sell your property in the time-frame that best meets your needs. We are often told when meeting other people for the first time, that the first impression is the most important. This same philosophy is true with houses as well.
Nothing is more important than the first impression a Buyer will receive when they take their first look at a home. As a Seller, there are two opportunities to provide a buyer with a first impression. The first opportunity is when the Buyer views photos are advertising the home on the Internet. The second is when the Buyer sees home for the first time.
There are several things you can do make sure your property will provide Buyers with a successful first impression. It is a good idea to start with the exterior front of the home. After all, that is the very first thing every prospective buyer will see. Below is a check list to help you get the exterior of your home ready to be placed Read the rest of this entry »
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Update on the Pond: What Killed the Fish in In South College Station
August 19th, 2008 Categories: Kids, Family & Personal Stuff, Woodcreek
I walked out behind my home in College Station this Sunday to find over 100 Buzzards behind my back yard with over 120 dead fish floating in the pond behind my house or scattered along the bank. See Blog All of the Fish in the pond Appear to Have Died Overnight! What the? And a big thank you to the Home Owner’s Association for cleaning up the mess so quickly!
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has concluded that the fish in the pond all died due to lack of oxygen. This is also sometimes referred to as the pond “turning over.” My understanding is that this occured because: we had a long period with no rain, then lots of rain at once, with not a lot of natural vegetation in the pond, and a fountain that had recently broken. Apparently, once the amount of oxygen decreases to a certain level in a tank, it will kill the fish overnight. Now we have tons of algae in the tank and the whole thing looks nasty and green.
This brings me to my latest problem. Read the rest of this entry »
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Everything is Bigger In Texas! Even the Frogs!
August 19th, 2008 Categories: 1, Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
College Station Texas is a wonderful place to live with a variety of wildlife. This toad was found in the parking lot at the Home Depot on University Drive. Luckily, ”Kermit” was rescued and taken to a heavenly pond in South College Station where he found more water and bugs and less asphalt and cars. In case you didn’t know, 2008 is the Year of the Frog. This has because Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, newts, etc. are going extinct. Luckily, most amphibians in College Station, Texas have not been affected.
In looking for information as to what type of amphibian this was, I came across the Texas Parks and Wildlife“Frogs and Toads” Texas website. The best part about this site is that there is a section where you can click and hear the calls each Texas frog makes. If you live near water in Bryan, College Station, you are guaranteed to hear many of these calls in the evening.
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Meet Snoofy: A College Station Animal Rescue in Need of a Loving Home
August 9th, 2008 Categories: 1, Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
Meet Snoofy. That’s right, no typo here S-n-o-o-f-y. She is a full blooded Tree-walker Coon Hound . Her original name was intended to be Snoopy, of course, but she lives in College Station with a 2 and a 4 year old and somehow that “p” turned into an “f.” We frequently call her “Super Snoofer!” and she is just the most gentle and sweetest soul imaginable.
Snoofy knows her size and would never even consider jumping on or knocking one of my kiddos down, and we are very sad to have to see her go. She is absolutely no trouble, and we have no intention of just handing her over to the first person who says: “Hey! I’ll take her!” Snoofy’s story with us started like this:
The day after my Yorkshire Terrier died of cancer, my Sister came from Houston to visit me in College Station. As she was driving on the outskirts of the south Navasota area, she came upon Snoofy in the middle of HWY 6 and moments from becoming a become a Puppy Pancake.
She pulled the car over, got Snoofy inside, and brought her strait to my house. What a mess Snoofy was! She was so malnourished you could not only see her ribs but her spinal column as well. She was very weak and clearly had fleas and mange. Her hair was falling out and her skin was in awful condition.
It was obvious that at some point she had broken her tail as a puppy and the problem had not been addressed, and thus it didn’t heal correctly. She had walked so much, the padding on her feet was worn away and bleeding in a few places, and her right foot had an abscess. We started the recovery process by giving her a bath and then feeding her little amounts of food every hour. By the end of the day, she was able to stand for a few minutes.
As soon as the weekend was over, we made an appointment for Read the rest of this entry »
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Another College Station Animal Adventure with Raylene Lewis
August 9th, 2008 Categories: 1, Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff, Real Estate True Tales, The Realtor's Life
OK, so if you know me you know I am a big animal lover, gigantic really. I don’t know why, but my broker and the office manager here at Century 21 Beal, Inc. in College Station TX can attest to the fact that I am always running into unique animal situations. I think it all started 6 years ago when I was a newer agent:
I was on a final walk through on a home in the country. The Buyer noticed that the chickens were still in the coup in the back yard. She didn’t want them, and the Seller was long gone, so to complete the sale I took them home. Truth be told, at the time I lived in a subdivision and although I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh eggs, one day after work I came home to find two of the birds ”nesting” on the top of my roof. After that, they had to go, but I found a great country home for them.
Since then there has been a plethora of creatures cross my path: from squirrels, turtles and rabbits hit by cars, to abandoned puppies, kittens, half-starved dogs, goats, wild birds, abandoned fish in fish tanks, etc, and I do my best to help each time the need arises. I have even assisted a chicken with a broken leg and a mole. Sadly, the mole didn’t make it, but I do have a pretty good track record. ;D
This week, I helped a Buzzard. Yep. A Buzzard. When I arrived home from work, it became apparent that a buzzard had broken his wing (probably from being hit by a car) and had decided to call my backyard his new home.
I already have approximately 12 ducks that live in my backyard (a story for another day). As I have no medical training to repair a wing, and as his beak could easily have removed one of my fingers or one of my kiddos hands, it was obvious my backyard was not a good place for him stay.
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Buying A College Station Home: What to Look For When Viewing Homes For Sale
August 8th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Real Estate News
When you begin your home search in College Station for the property that is right for you and your family, the first thing you want to do is compare the home you are looking at to your personal list of minimum requirements. You also want to keep in mind the ”extras” that are included with the home you are looking at.
Typically, “extras” are added features or upgrades to a property. Extras can also be things that are on your “Buyer’s Wish List.” You should ask your Realtor to help you keep track of the extras and point out the upgrades in each property as you are viewing the home.
It is also important to ask your Realtor to help you identify potential problems and maintenance issues. Although your Realtor is NOT an inspector and can not advise you on what is wrong with the property, they can point out the current appearance of things that will require ongoing maintenance; for example: paint, appliances, windows and carpet.
If you are a very detailed and organized person, it can be helpful Read the rest of this entry »
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Bryan West is Headed to the Senior League World Series
August 7th, 2008 Categories: Community Events, Kids, Family & Personal Stuff
The Bryan West Senior League baseball team out played the Texas West Champions from Laredo on Tuesday in a doubleheader. This earned them a spot in the Senior League World Series in Bangor Maine and we couldn’t be happier for them!
The West Team had initally lost its opening game in the Southwest Region Senior League Tournament, but aggressively fought through the consolation bracket to reach the finals. David Williams pitched the decisive final game by throwing a complete-game two-hit shut out in a 1-0 victory. The West Pitcher also struck out seven players and the Team followed that with a 15-4 victory.
In the opening game, West only had three hits but Read the rest of this entry »
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Buying a Home In College Station: Deciding on a Neighborhood
August 7th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate
College Station Texas is filled with many wonderful neighborhoods. When you start your house hunting adventure, you will want to pick a home in a location that is most convenient to you and allows you to best live your daily life. There are several things you should consider when choosing a neighborhood:
- School Locations and National Rankings
- Access to Shopping and Public Transportation
- Average Lot size for the area
- Deed Restrictions
- Proximity to Other Homes
- Proximity to Parks
- Noise of the Train
- Noise of the Highway
- Children in the Area vs Students in the Area
- Open Lots vs. Homes with large Established Trees
- Amount of New Construction in the Area
- Amenities the Subdivision Offers
- Safety of the Area
When you find neighborhoods that you like, it is important to talk to the people Read the rest of this entry »
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