Susan Hilton College Station Real Estate
Realtor & Vice President of Sales of Bryan College Station Real Estate
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Would You like Some Lemonade? Help Our Brazos Valley Kids!
May 16th, 2012 Categories: Community Events, Family, Living Here
Driving through the twin cities a couple weeks ago, Bryan and College Station, it was not unlikely that you ran upon a lemonade stand or two. These small makeshift stands littered the city and were stationed upon many street corners and in front of numerous bigger businesses. Star wars characters greeted some customers, while enthused young girls in yellow shirts and bows sold lemonade to others. There were kids who chose to blow bubbles to draw in his customers, while other kids opted for large booths with loud music to draw in attention. And of course, there was the always traditional modest sized lemonade stand and signs operated by some.
When kids were asked what they were going to do with the money they earned, some replied they were going to “spend it!” Others decided to give the money they raised to their church. The main point is that the children learned how to work for money and learned that they had the freedom to decide what they were going to do with the profit they earned. They were allowed to feel grown up and allowed a taste of the real world. This type of experience excites children and allows them the freedom to make decisions for themselves.
Sunday May 6 was Lemonade Day in 31 cities across America and Canada, including Bryan and College Station. When Lemonade Day first began, it included about 2,700 kids. Now, more than 120,000 kids across these 31 cities participate in the day. Lemonade Day was started as a program to give experience to children, teaching them entrepreneurship skills. Kids learn to plan, start, and operate a business through their experiences with Lemonade Day.
Kids were offered the chance to mark their lemonade stands on a map online that would be available to the community on Lemonade Day. The stand locations were given the opportunity to be published not only to the online map, but also to Facebook, Twitter, and via email.
The goal is to prepare children to be empowered future citizens. Upon registering, each child received a backpack that contained an Entrepreneur Workbook, teaching them 14 lessons that are a central part of Lemonade Day. They learned how to create budgets, how to set profit-making goals, how to serve customers, how to repay investors, and how to give back to the community. In addition to learning how to perform these skills, they also learned the value of the skills. The children are also taught how to set goals for themselves, how to problem solve, and how to gain self-esteem which will aid them in their future endeavors for success.
On Lemonade Day, children are allowed to keep all of the money that they make and are encouraged by adults to spend some of their money, save some of it, and share some of it with others less fortunate.
Lemonade Day teaches kids a very special and specific set of skills from financial literacy and economics, to college readiness and career, to life skills and personal development, and of course academics. The financial literacy and economics that the kids learn include subjects like capital equipment and consumables, supply and demand, credit, debt, gross and net income, marginal utility, return on investment and compound interest. To prepare kids for college, they are exposed to critical thinking and collaboration, interest in attending college, civic responsibility, customer service, teamwork and problem solving and presentation skills and design. Children also learn life skills and personal development such as leadership, the belief that attaining goals is within reach, personal productivity, self-direction and time management, social responsibility and charity, high order thinking and social skills and self confidence. The day also increases the kids’ academic capacities such as math calculations, reading and interpreting data, and oral and written communication.
Lemonade Day offers an online website for kids to register and sign up on. Lemonade Day sponsors and partners include many businesses and individuals in the area, including Dick and Linda Lester, Lenae Heubner, Atmos Energy, Double Dave’s Pizzaworks, James and Paula Lancaster, Research Valley, Len and Nancy Berry, Mathnasium, Caldwell Companies, AgniTEK, Wells Fargo, Research Valley Funds, Blue Baker, Documation, Copy Corner, Kroger, Ecolyse, Brazos Valley Small Business Development Center, College Station ISD, Bryan Broadcasting, The Eagle, Chamber of Commerce, Bryan ISD, Sideshow Creative, the City of College Station, KBTX Media, Brazos Monthly, KAMU, Mays Business School, AbouTown Press, KAGS, and the City of Bryan.
If you like to help out with and work with children, then you may want to consider becoming a volunteer for Lemonade Day. Volunteers are necessary to run Lemonade Day and are needed to stuff backpacks that are given out to the children to teach them entrepreneurship, spread the news about Lemonade Day by distributing materials to local schools and youth organizations, register youth to participate at special events going on in the community, and lastly you can help out by blogging, tweeting, or sharing information about Lemonade Day online or through Facebook!
PS - Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970
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Want to Chill with Yogurt in Aggieland?
May 15th, 2012 Categories: Living Here, Where Am I?
Cooling down on warmer days is a necessity when you live in College Station, Texas. The highs in the summer exceed 100°F and even just driving in your car can cause you to sweat profusely. Thankfully, we have learned different coping mechanisms to help dial down the severity of the heat. Personally, I carry prefer ice packs and cool rags when I’m really desperate, but I’ve also become partial to large glasses of sweet iced tea. Spending the hottest hours of the day in the air conditioning or at the local pool are other popular options. Still, others have discovered the many frozen yogurt businesses that have popped up around town.
When Spoons Yogurt came to College Station, I heard the rumors. I still remember the frenzy it caused. Every night, the line to get frozen yogurt from Spoons went well out of the door. Students wore t-shirts with Spoons logo plastered across the front, and conversations often centered around how many frequent spooner rewards kids had racked up. After buying a certain amount of frozen yogurt, you won a free shirt or one of several prize options.
Over the next few years, I remember watching several frozen yogurt places pop up around town. Now, Aggieland would not be complete without its array of frozen yogurt shops. Spoons has three locations total now, and six other companies have also appeared recently around the town including Red Mango, Yogurtland, Froyoyo, Tutti Frutti, Happy Yogurt, and Project: Yogurt.
This craze began six years ago in South Korea, eventually crossing the Pacific over into California. The first froyo chain, Pinkberry, opened in the US opened in West Hollywood in 2005. The store was opened in a location with bad parking conditions, the owner never anticipated how successful her business would be. People flocked to Pinkberry, parking illegally on the blocks surrounding the store, desperate for their froyo. The city was reported to have been taking in close to $15,000 each month from parking tickets from Pinkberry customers alone.
Customers love the concept of self-served, pay-by-weight dessert. It gives the customer more freedom than he or she has ever before had. Upon walking in, you can select what size bowl you want, then what flavors of frozen yogurt you prefer. Each froyo machine contains three flavors, two individual flavors and one that is a combination of the other two. Individuals are also allowed as many sample cups as they want to sample as many or as few flavors as they prefer. Customers can fill their bowl with however many flavors, and however much they would like of each flavor. After selecting the froyo, customers make their way to the toppings bar. A plentiful selection of chopped fruits and berries are offered to sprinkle onto your frozen yogurt. Cereals, granola, and nuts abound in another topping section, and finally candy bar bits and pieces are also available. After topping your froyo, you can cover your creation in any variety of sauces or whipped cream.
One of the strongest attractions to frozen yogurt is the fact that if you exclude the toppings, the frozen yogurt itself is about half the calories of ice cream, high in calcium, non fat, and contains millions of probiotics including lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus. These live and active cultures offer your body many health benefits and boost your immune system, increase joint health, and help with flexibility. Not only does froyo appeal to the individual with a sweet tooth, but also to the health conscious individual looking for a healthy option for dessert.
Spoons Yogurt
Spoons Yogurt was started by a group of students in a Mays Business Fellows program on campus working on a project for a business model. The students then pitched their idea to a former Aggie who was anxious to open a business in the area. Spoons quickly became one of the most successful new businesses in College Station.
Popular Flavors: Chocolate Malt Milkshake, Snickerdoodle, and Root Beer Float
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Addresses:
| 1509 South Texas Avenue College Station, TX 77840 (979) 446-0085 |
2305 Boonville Road Bryan, TX 77808 (979) 776-5670 |
943 William D. Fitch Parkway College Station, TX 77845 (512) -535-4883 |
Website: spoonsyogurt.com
Project: Yogurt
This business donates 10 percent of sales to charities in town. Partnering with five local non-profit organizations in the area, Project: Yogurt also provides a drop box for customers to donate change or bills to the charities. Project: Yogurt was able to donate $1,300 to charities in the first quarter the store was opened.
Popular Flavors: Dreamy Chocolate, Birthday Cake, and So Espresso
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Address:
725 East Villa Maria
Bryan, TX 77802
(979) 823-1783
Website: projectyogurt.com
Red Mango
This business is part of a Korean-based chain headquartered in Dallas and an international franchise. Like Pinkberry, it originated on the West Coast and began the froyo trend. Red Mango also offers fruit smoothies and parfaits.
Popular Flavors: Pomegranate, Madagascar Vanilla, and Raspberry Cheesecake
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Address:
614 Holleman Drive East
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 696-1840
Website: redmangousa.com
Froyoyo
Froyoyo not only sells your typical frozen yogurt, they also offer a special type of froyo called “Only 8.” This signifies that certain froyos they serve is made up of the following eight things: water, fructose, grade A Kosher whey, whey protein concentrate, maltodextrin, natural flavoring and stabilizers, calcium, and active yogurt cultures.
Popular Flavors: Yellow Cake Batter, “Only 8” Vanilla, and Peanut Butter
Price Per Ounce: $0.39
Address:
913 Harvey Road
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 703-4465
Website: froyoyo.com
Yogurtland
This business is one of over 130 locations nationwide. They offer unusual toppings that keep customers on their toes, such as Asian red beans and lychee fruits. Yogurtland creates their own proprietary frozen yogurt, allowing them to offer the lowest prices for froyo in town ($0.30 per ounce).
Fruit-infused water is free to all guests as well.
Popular Flavors: Double Cookies and Cream, Key Lime Bar, and Fresh Strawberry
Price Per Ounce: $0.30
Address:
1800 South Texas Avenue
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 693-1500
Website: yogurt-land.com
So when you are driving around College Station and are ready for a cup of frozen yogurt… Call me! I might meet you there.
PS - Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970
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Federal Fair Housing – Aggies Don’t Discriminate!
May 15th, 2012 Categories: Uncategorized
Federal Fair Housing is something that has been forgotten about by many because the act prohibiting discrimination in housing was passed many years ago; in 1968. However, discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disabilities still exist today.
Housing and lending discrimination is something common that occurs when an individual attempts to buy or rent a home, but also when they try to buy homeowner’s insurance or a mortgage. Millions of complaints are still filed each year through nonprofit fair-housing agencies and other local and state agencies.
Housing discrimination isn’t always obvious, and is something that is still prevalent today in our society.
Sarah, a young mother, in Toledo, OH, was searching for a house where she and her daughter could live for a reasonable price. After searching for months, she found a two-bedroom condo that they could live in. When she called the rental office, her excitement grew as she listened to the description of it. However, this anticipation was quickly killed when she was informed that children were not allowed in the complex. Sarah, who worked for Toledo Fair Housing Center, knew that the “no kids” policy was illegal. After a testing investigation and discovered the rental company was illegally discriminating. Sarah filed a formal complaint and the rental company is negotiating a settlement.
Joseph had lived in his apartment in Takoma Park, Maryland, for over five years when the management was turned over to a new company. All of the tenants in the units were African American. Shortly after the turn-over, the new management evicted all tenants except for one who was allowed to live in a basement and was limited to building access from a side entrance to the apartment complex. Though the landlord claimed massive renovations, leading to increased rent, these renovations were completed within a week and new tenants moved into the building, none of whom were African American. Joseph’s local fair housing center Read the rest of this entry »
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Century 21 and the Parade of Homes Welcomes RNL Homebuilders
May 7th, 2012 Categories: Uncategorized
Beautiful new homes . . . infamous blue and white corrugated plastic signs . . . twice a year event . . .
That’s right, the last two weekends here in Bryan/College Station were dominated by the semi-annual HBA Parade of Homes. Not only did visitors get their fill of beautiful and perfectly staged homes, they also got the chance to check out each of the builders work and judge for themselves how these builders measured up to the competition.
The RNL Homebuilders home in Castle Rock seemed to be one of the favorite homes of many visitors this year and most were impressed by the level of quality and features included at this moderately-priced home. Building on 25 years of custom home-building experience, Ricardo Reyna, the owner of RNL Homebuilders, has expanded his business to this area after both of his son and daughter attended Texas A&M University and fell in love with the Brazos Valley so much that they convinced their father to move here. At RNL, business is definitely a family-affair as Ricardo (the Father), Nora (the Daughter), and Luis (the Son) all play a very hands-on role throughout the design, construction, and completion phases of building a custom home. And best of all, they have 24 lots in the highly-desirable Castle Rock community for you to choose from and truly create your dream home.
Maybe you don’t have the time or patience to build a house from start-to-finish yourself, and that’s definitely okay because they have several homes that are at various stages in the construction process that still allow you the freedom to choose some of the finishes to suit your individual taste, such as granite, cabinetry, and paint colors. The Reyna’s have worked extremely hard to make the RNL brand stand for high-end design and extremely high-quality and it is shown throughout each home, as they spend money on higher-quality materials and construction techniques that they would have to, in order to give their home buyers the best possible home available. They start with an extra-reinforced foundation that is 6” deeper than almost anyone else’s, then they use higher-grade lumber, all stone and brick exteriors, and top-of-the-line A/C systems to create an extremely quality product. The high-end design elements are shown through the use of handscraped Hickory wood floors, double-layer crown molding, soft-close cabinetry, designer paint colors and custom tile surrounds – not to mention that Nora is the in-house interior desig
ner who will guide you each step of the way to ensure that your home is as perfect as it should be! Overall, RNL Homebuilders has a phenomenal product and a great business model that should fit very well in the B/CS community and make them extremely successful with the buyers in the market which means that they will be around for a long time.
If you didn’t get a chance to see the RNL Homebuilders house during the Parade of Homes, head to www.RNLHomebuilders.com for plenty of pictures and more information and call Luke Marvel at 979-217-1162 for a private showing!
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Utilizing Property Tax Exemptions under New Tax Laws in Texas
May 4th, 2012 Categories: Investment Real Estate
Tax laws in Texas haven’t always been the most exciting subject for reading or casual discourse. However, if you’re looking to buy property or claim ownership of a new home in the Brazos Valley, there are some new adjustments to Texas’ laws on property tax. Primarily, the branch concerning application for property tax exemptions. And for homeowners looking for an exemption on the always tolling property tax, these new laws might be considerably interesting.
One of these new laws directly concerns the general homestead exemption. This exemption pertains to most, if not all of individual homeowners in some way. But it would hardly be considered an exemption if every home received the break. So, in order for a home to qualify for the general homestead exemption, it must meet certain criteria. First, it must be the primary residence of the homeowner. Second, the property must be owned by an individual (so basically not owned by a business or corporation). Also, the property must be the principal residence of the individual as of January 1st of that tax year. A home must also qualify as a homestead: any kind of separate structure, condominium, or manufactured home located on privately owned land. It also can be on land of up to 20 acres given that the land is owned by the homeowner and used for residential purposes.
So what is this new change in laws regarding property tax exemptions in Texas? For the homestead exemption, the recently applied ‘House Bill 252’ requires all applicants of the homestead exemption to provide a copy of the homeowner’s state driver’s license or identification card. It also mandates the presentation of the homeowners vehicle registration receipt to be sent with the exemption application. And for homeowners without vehicle ownership, the new bill allows for a simple substitution. Applicants for the homestead exemption that don’t own any vehicles may send in their current utility bill that provides their name and address, along with an official declaration indicating the homeowner’s lack of vehicle ownership.
Though, it is important to note that these requirements are not necessary for homeowners who applied for the homestead exemption before the changes in legislation. Upon applying, it will not be necessary to re-apply unless your principal residence moves or you receive a new application to be processed from your regional tax office.
The reason for these new measures might seem unusual to those bothered by the extra required documentation for the application of a property tax exemption. Yet, according to Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, “The homestead exemption is intended to help relieve the tax burden of Texas full-time residents. This new legislation ensures that the system is working fairly and legally.” Regardless, a few extra papers and methods of identification are hardly anything new in government processes. And if they help provide for a relief on a homeowner’s property tax, the extra hassle is definitely worth the return.
Changes in the requirements for homestead exemptions are not all that have changed with the recent passing of property tax legislation. All homeowners seeking for the ‘Over 65 years of age’ exemption, as well as the disabled exemption, the disabled veteran’s exemption, the extended exemption for a homeowner’s surviving spouse, and the mobile Read the rest of this entry »
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