Sam White's College Station Real Estate Blog

Dear Readers,

A friend of mine almost died riding his bike to campus last week. I'm not sure whether to blame the kid in the big pick-up truck or the lack of bike lanes in Bryan & College Station.

Increasing the infrastructure for bikers in the Brazos Valley, like many "green" initiatives, just makes sense (financially). Unfortunately, we have to get past the them & us mindset.

Here are some facts from City's for Cycling:

• In one generation, the percentage of kids who walk or bike to school has dropped 50%, while childhood obesity has tripled.
• The average adult spends 36 hours per year in traffic
• Right now, bike trips make up 1% of traffic. Increasing that just .5% to 1.5% will save 462 million gallons of gas per year.
• It takes about $8000/year to own and drive a car.
• It takes about $300/year to own and ride a bike.
• Biking is something everyone can do.
• By expanding bike lanes instead of traffic lanes cities save money in new constructions and parking costs.
• "We can't afford this," is an uneducated excuse. Investment tends to me minimal and cost perceptive.
• There is a dated perception that bicycling is a kids activity. Bike commuting in the U.S. went up by 50% in the last decade. 
• Biking give you a perspective you don't get in a car. It is a slow, detailed and enjoyable process.
• Smart mayors understand they have to embrace change and make cities livable to attract talent.

Please use common sense and support bike paths, lanes and greenbelts in the Brazos Valley so we can take come cars and trucks off the road. The bikers are here, we just have to be nice to them. Also, please respect bikers when you drive.

Blue skies,

Sam White

MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com

Dear readers,

I have a couple of green items of note for Bryan & College Station...

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Bryan - Free Compost for Residential Users March 1-6

 

Residents can pick up the compost at the City of Bryan Compost Facility, 2988 Pleasant Hill Road. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  The giveaway is an effort to create space at the Compost Facility, and also advertise the fact that the City sells compost throughout the year. Compost will not be provided to commercial users.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy3WhQ-ogc4 ß Hilarious PSA!

 

Info?

 

Mary Strauss

Sustainability Programs Coordinator

City of Bryan, Environmental Services Division

(979) 209-5910

mstrauss@bryantx.gov

www.begreeninbryan.com

 

www.facebook.com/BeGreenInBryan

 

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Also...

 

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College Station's Master Compost Training Program begins March 2, 2010 (next Tuesday).

 

From their Website...

 

"The Master Composting Training Program is designed to train committed individuals who want to gain composting expertise and assist in educating their community in the area of backyard composting."

 

Find more information at this URL that doesn't seem to relate to the subject at all ... http://www.cstx.gov/index.aspx?page=2065

 

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That's all for now!

 

Blue skies,

979.589.4487 google voice & text
800.683.1726 facsimile

 

Dear readers,

I'm going to spend a couple of minutes in the crisp Sunday morning to write about one of my favorite local businesses.

About 14 months ago one of my friends decided to pursue his passion for coffee and opened What's the Buzz Coffee Company in College Station, Texas. John leased space just off Longmire and FM 2818, bought a cool coffee roaster and started importing and roasting beans.

Sometimes I believe that as long as coffee isn't bad, we don't really think about it. I know many of us enjoy coffee, but we don't approach it as we would a fine wine. Usually with coffee, either it sucks or it doesn't suck, and we go on about our business. John has changed my attitude because fresh roasted beans do make a difference.

How much of a difference? Let me compare to Starbuck's. Every Christmas my brother-in-law gives us three pounds of Starbuck's Coffee, which we drink from December 25 until the beans run out, which was Wednesday of last week (Feb. 10).'

Although we thoroughly enjoy drinking Starbucks, it was with glee and anticipation that I visited the What's the Buzz Roastery on Thursday. As usual, the place smelled great and John had just finished his morning roast. We visited for a few minutes while my order was bagged and I sampled a couple of the day's brews. I couldn't help but think of my childhood watching Abigail Folger plug her coffee on TV. My, how far we've come.

The best part of What's the Buzz is John, of course, and how he transfers his passion for coffee into the business. He is happy to visit with customers about the roasting and brewing process as he wants his customers to get the best taste from his beans. Life was never the same for me after John demonstrated how using a coffee press can improve the taste of coffee. MMmmmm.

John's coffee is available at the roastery and Village Foods, as well as on-line at What's The Buzz Coffee's Website. It's also available, along with great atmosphere at The Village Cafe, downtown. Chris knows how to take John's beans and turn them into a great mug of coffee. You can also visit the Brazos Valley Farmer's Market and find John, and more interesting people, on most Saturday mornings.

Addicting? Yes. Local? Yes. Legal? YES! Fun? Absolutely! (John suggests "Stimulate your valentine with What's the Buzz Coffee.)

John can be reached at the roastery, 979-695-0099 or What's the Buzz's Website. You can also find your buzz on facebook.

Blue skies,

Sam White
979-589-4487
MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com

Dear readers,

Woof!

The Brazos Animal Shelter is offering half-price adoptions this Valentine's weekend.

Saturday - 10am to 2pm - Brazos Animal Shelter - Half-price adoptions on animals already spayed or neutered.
11am to 5pm - Petsmart - Pets on display

Sunday - 1pm-6pm Adoptions at Petsmart in College Station

I found further information in The Eagle.

Blue skies,

Sam White
facebook.SamWhiteRealty.com
979-589-4487

Dear readers,

Tomorrow night is the second of College Station's Green Mini-Seminars, and it's your chance to ask that important question, "Why doesn't College Station recycle green glass and other items.

The seminar is called "Recycling Markets and Economics," and will be held in the Public Works offices on the second floor of the College Station Municipal Court at 300 Krenek Tap Rd at 6pm. Further information is available on the City's Green Website

For links to Green information all day long, follow @bcsgreenliving on twitter.

Blue skies,

Sam White
Search.SamWhiteRealty.com
facebook.SamWhiteRealty.com

 

Dear readers,

I've published the Bryan & College Station residential real estate charts and statisitcs for January 2010 on my Market Reports Website. Again, the results are mixed as our market wallows slightly through the winter. The good news remains that there really isn't any bad news. Remember, you can get daily statistics from the Bryan College Station MLS by following @bcshomes or @bcsgreenliving on twitter!

For those looking to finance condominiums, I have found several local lenders willing to write these loans for 15 years at a higher intrest rate or offer a five-year adjustable rate mortgage. Our problem is that the FHA stopped financing condos recently, and currently no one can get a 30-year loan. I'm pleased that some of our local lenders have stepped up to the plate with alternate financing, but we've got to do better. Condos are a vital part of our college real estate market, offering economy, safety and convenience. I'm working on a more comprehensive blog on this subject to be posted next week.

I attended four hours of training yesterday on home warranties taught by Debbie Rawls representing the Texas Home Warranty Association. Debbie is also well-known locally as the representative of Old Republic Home Protection. The 90 or so Realtors in attendance walked away with a much better idea of the home warranty industry and their relationship with both agents and cleints. I'll post some bullet points from the presentation later today.

Finally, Sam White Realty has a new logo. It is the first of many changes in our company and marketing for 2010. I've also posted our latest cool video, which is currently available on our facebook fanpage.

Stay dry and warm!

Blue skies,

Sam White
MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com
979-589-4487 google voice & text

Dear readers,

A couple of green items came up today worth mentioning. First is a news release from The Texas A&M System yesterday titled "A&M System Saves $4 Million With “Green” Utility Contract." It goes on to say that "the estimated value of the contract, which also includes Stephen F. Austin State University, is $37.4 million. SFA’s savings are estimated at about $2 million for the period." "Fifteen percent of the energy purchased through the contract, or approximately 43,000,000 kilowatt hours per year, will be in the form of Texas Wind Renewable Energy Credits."

I know there is still a debate about REC's and what they are worth that I don't want to get into. I will say I'm pleased a system exists that makes this possible and commend the system for taking this step.

With the same thought but certainly not on the same scale, I'm happy to say that I've moved all of Websites I manage to green servers in January. I did quite a bit of research into green hosting and ran into the same question about RECs. Yes, in a perfect world, I'd love to have the whole process "off grid," and there are a couple of companies that have done that.

I finally decided on HostGator for several reasons:

• Texas Based - Although my goal was green servers, buying locally figures in my purchasing plans. Although the owner went to school in Florida, he and his company are based in Texas, with data and call centers in Houston and Dallas. This was as close to home as I could get and stay green.
• HostGator tech support past Sam’s idiot test. - I’m the one who has to deal with them.
• They are buying Texas Wind REC’s - HostGator has purchased certified Renewable Energy Credits representing 130% of the electricity used to both power and cool their servers.
• They are inexpensive and I’m pleased to say I migrated all 18 sites without incident.

 

Again on the subject of Texas wind energy, the City of College Station announced that they are extending the Wind Watts Program to businesses and reducing the cost. “The voluntary program allows participants to choose to get 10 percent, 50 percent or 100 percent of their power from a wind-turbine farm west of Abilene. The council's decision lowered the price of the program from $3.50 to $2 extra per month for the lowest level and from $30 to $20 a month for full wind power.” The program is a premium over the regular rates,” according to The Eagle.

It hasn’t been a very good week for water and waste-water, as a power failure in Bryan caused the Burton Creek Sewage Treatment Plant to dump a couple of million gallons of untreated sewage into the creek. Just a few weeks ago, the TCEQ reported E. coli contamination in the same creek. The facility has no back-up generators. What a mess.

Finally, don’t forget the second of the City of College Station’s second green mini-seminar of the semester:

• Feb. 12 - Recycling Markets and Economics Why doesn't College Station recycle green glass or other items? Representatives from Texas A&M University, Texas Commercial Waste and others will talk about actual market rates and costs.

The seminar will be held in the new Public Works Office located on the 2nd floor of the College Station Municipal Court on Krenek Tap Road at 6 p.m. You can find more information at the City of College Station's Green Website.

For all the latest local and international green news, follow my tweets @bcsgreenliving! You can also find me on facebook.

Blue skies,

Sam White
SamWhiteRealty.com
979-589-4487