Texas Fun Facts

Have you ever wondered why so many people love Texas, want to live here and are the way we are? Well, here are a few facts that I bet most native Texans don't even know!

Here are some interesting things about Texas

Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks from Texas ...

1. If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Texas ;
2. If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Texas ;
3. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Texas ;
4. If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Texas ;
5. If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Texas ;
6. If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Texas ;
7. If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Texas ;
8. If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Texas ;
9. If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody's passing you, you may live in Texas ;
10. If you find 60 degrees 'a little chilly,' you may live in Texas ;
11. If you actually understand these jokes, and share them with all your Texas friends, you definitely live in Texas .

Need to be cheered up?

Happy, Texas 79042
Pep, Texas 79353
Smiley, Texas 78159
Paradise, Texas 76073
Rainbow, Texas 76077
Sweet Home, Texas 77987
Comfort, Texas 78013
Friendship, Texas 76530

Love the Sun?

Sun City , Texas 78628
Sunrise, Texas 76661
Sunset, Texas 76270
Sundown, Texas 79372
Sunray, Texas 79086
Sunny Side , Texas 77423

Want something to eat?

Bacon, Texas 76301
Noodle, Texas 79536
Oatmeal, Texas 78605
Turkey , Texas 79261
Trout , Texas 75789
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Salty, Texas 76567
Rice, Texas 75155
And top it off with:
Sweetwater, Texas 79556

Why travel to other cities? Texas has them all!

Detroit , Texas 75436
Colorado City, Texas 79512
Denver City, Texas 79323
Klondike, Texas 75448
Nevada , Texas 75173
Memphis , Texas 79245
Miami , Texas 79059
Boston , Texas 75570
Santa Fe , Texas 77517
Tennessee Colony, Texas 75861
Reno , Texas 75462

Feel like traveling outside the country? Don't bother buying a plane ticket!

Athens , Texas 75751
Canadian, Texas 79014
China , Texas 77613
Egypt, Texas 77436
Ireland, Texas 76538
Turkey, Texas 79261
London, Texas 76854
New London, Texas 75682
Paris, Texas 75460

No need to travel to Washington D.C. Whitehouse , Texas 75791

We even have a city named after the planet! Earth , Texas 79031

And a City named after our state. Texas City , Texas 77590

Exhausted? Energy , Texas 76452

Cold?

Blanket , Texas 76432
Winters, Texas

Like to read about History?

Santa Anna , Texas
Goliad , Texas
Alamo , Texas
Gun Barrel City, Texas
Robert lee, Texas
Need Office Supplies?
Staples, Texas 78670

Men are from Mars, women are from -
Venus , Texas 76084

You guessed it..it's on the state line.. Texline , Texas 79087

For the kids...

Kermit, Texas 79745
Elmo, Texas 75118
Nemo, Texas 76070
Tarzan, Texas 79783
Winnie , Texas 77665
Sylvester, Texas 79560

Other city names in Texas , to make you smile.....

Frognot, Texas 75424
Bigfoot, Texas 78005
Hogeye, Texas 75423
Cactus, Texas 79013
Notrees, Texas 79759
Best, Texas 76932
Veribest, Texas 76886
Kickapoo, Texas 75763
Dime Box, Texas 77853
Old Dime Box, Texas 77853
Telephone, Texas 75488
Telegraph, Texas 76883
Whiteface, Texas 79379
Twitty, Texas 79079

And last but not least, the Anti-Al Gore City

Kilgore, Texas 75662

And our favorites...

Cut n Shoot, Texas
Gun Barrell City, Texas
Hoop And Holler, Texas
Ding Dong, Texas and, of course,
Muleshoe , Texas

Here are some little known, very interesting facts about Texas.

1. Beaumont to El Paso : 742 miles

2. Beaumont to Chicago : 770 miles

3. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas

4. World's first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883.

5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water. [I thought it might not be there anymore, but I checked, and it is still there! - Evonne]

6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach at Rice University in Houston .

7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America .

8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

10. The worst natural disaster in U.S . history was in 1900, caused by a hurricane, in which over 8,000 lives were lost on Galveston Island .

11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was ' Houston .'

12. King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island .

13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S. rainfall record of 43' in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July of 1979.

14. Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the Republic of Texas to enter the Union ) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the same height as the U.S. Flag, and may divide into 5 states.

15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period in Dr Pepper.

18. Texas has had six capital cities: Washington -on- the Brazos, Harrisburg , Galveston , Velasco, West Columbia and Austin ...

19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington DC (by 7 feet).

20. The name ' Texas ' comes from the Hasini Indian word 'tejas' meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas .

21. The State Mascot is the Armadillo (an interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies. They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females.).

22. The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston .

Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie , Texas :

(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff


Now that's kinda plain an' simple don'tcha think?

Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers

"GOOD COMMUNICATION IS AS STIMULATING AS BLACK COFFEE...AND JUST AS HARD TO SLEEP AFTER." Anne Morrow Lindbergh And communication on the new $789 Billion Stimulus Plan has been flying fierce over the past week, resulting in late nights for Congress and probably more than a few cups of coffee. President Obama is certainly hoping the new plan will wake up the struggling economy, and breathe some life back into the housing market as well.
The tax credit in the Stimulus Bill has been scaled down to $8,000 from its previous level of $15,000, or 10% of the value of the home for any first time homebuyers who purchase homes from the start of the year until the end of November. It starts phasing out for couples with incomes above $150,000 and single filers with incomes above $75,000, and buyers will have to repay the credit if they sell their homes within three years.
In addition, there's news that the Obama administration is trying to hammer out a new program to subsidize mortgages to fight the credit crisis. The plan would seek to help homeowners before they fall into arrears on their loans, whereas current programs only assist borrowers that are already delinquent. There are no details yet on this plan, but I will be monitoring this news closely in the weeks ahead.

6 Ingredients of Strong Housing Markets

By Luke Mullins, US News
Feb 6th, 2009

Community elements essential to supporting favorable home prices over the long haul
With lower home prices and attractive mortgage rates, 2009 will present plenty of bargains for real estate shoppers. But as the historic bust continues, Americans everywhere are learning a painful lesson about home buying: property values don't always increase. As such, anyone looking to purchase a home this year should make sure they're buying into a community that can support long-term value. With the help of housing experts, U.S. News compiled a list of the top 6 ingredients of strong housing markets:

Please note that although the following factors will help support a home's value over the long term, they can't prevent short-term declines in a given market—especially in light of the ongoing real estate crash. "These would be forces that are going to impact [your home] over the next five to ten years, as opposed to next year," says Mike Larson of Weiss Research.



1. A well-groomed neighborhood: Well-maintained homes and landscaping have a positive effect on property values in that community, says Joshua Dorkin, founder and CEO of BiggerPockets.com, a real estate networking and information site. By caring for the appearance of their homes, residents help to create a more aesthetically-pleasing environment that future real-estate hunters will want to buy into. So when you're eyeing a home, make sure to take a drive through the entire neighborhood. Take note of how the neighbors care for their homes, lawns and gardens. "Run-down houses and abandoned cars are big red flags," Dorkin says.

2. Good schools: Given the importance of education, communities located within strong school districts tend to support higher home prices. Parents, after all, will want to move into the communities with the best educational opportunities. "The school district is important in terms of increasing demand for that particular area," says Richard Moody, chief economist at Mission Residential. Would-be home buyers can determine the strength of a local school system by accessing online information from local governments or community websites, Moody says.

3. Low Crime: Low crime rates also support strong home values. Since nobody wants to live in a neighborhood where they feel unsafe, crime limits housing demand in a given community. As a result, it's important to obtain crime statistics for the neighborhood you're considering moving into. The best way to do that, says Steve Dexter, a foreclosure expert and author of the book Beat the Banks, is to contact the local police department. "The police department is a public utility," Dexter says. "Most medium- to large-sized [communities] have a public information [officer] that is dedicated to interacting with the public." By contacting this office, home shoppers can get their hands on all the information they'll need to determine a community's level of safety.

4. Close to public transportation: Proximity to public transportation or commuter rails can also help boost home values, says Ron Phipps, a broker with Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. He argues that Americans are increasingly willing to pay a premium for properties that allow them to be less dependent on cars. "Access to bus lines and commuter rail lines is of huge value," Phipps says. "The price of fuel is going to go up again and a lot of my clients are saying, 'O.K., how do we position ourselves to minimize that impact?'" Phipps says.

5. Favorable population trends: It's also important to look at the population trends in the city you're considering moving to, Moody says. "You want to see a track record of steady population growth, which supports growing demand for housing, which will in turn support rising home values," Moody says. Such data can be found online at the U.S. Census Bureau, or though local county or township web sites, he says.

6. Healthy employment landscape: Employment plays a key role in population trends, as workers migrate to locations where they can find jobs. Thus, a healthy employment outlook is a key component of a strong housing market. "If you are in one of these upper Midwest cities and you've got layoffs, especially in a sector like automotives where the jobs are disappearing and they are not coming back, that is a huge problem," Larson says. Home shoppers can obtain economic data from the local government or chamber of commerce, Larson says. Pay special attention to the unemployment trends and find out if any new companies are slated to move into—or out of—the area. "A lot of communities have been trying to attract the sort of economically insensitive industries like biotech and [pharmaceutical companies]," Larson says. "If you've got an area where that kind of business is being brought in—through tax incentives or other efforts—that would be a positive for your local area."

OPEN HOUSE IN NORTH RICHLAND HILLS - 8925 STRATFORD DR.

OPEN HOUSE #2
Open House: Satuday, Feb. 14th - 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Park it here.... Park it Here There's an over-sized garage for your vehicle and place to park RV or boat in back at this 3625-SF home on.264 acres in North Richland Hills in Thornbridge South Addition. You'll enjoy 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, private study, master suite with dual sinks, separate shower, jetted tub, tons of cabinets, walk-in closet, elegant dining room with carpeting, inviting family room with fireplace, convenient kitchen with breakfast area, microwave, walk-in pantry, gas cooktop, electric oven, granite countertops, work island for added workspace, dishwasher, upstairs game room with built in entertainment center and wet bar, and a manicured lawn. Former model home! Upgrades galore! A MUST see! Easy access to highways and shopping! Please call Cindie at 817-881-7653 for more information OR visit http://www.soldteam.net/content/featuredprop.html/82816983?proppos=9&ag_id=1229224&featuredproperty=1&startpos=1&endpos=10&ids=82639010,73535094,73535095,79291685,81392406,79327002,79441929,83534119,82816983,79441924&propertyCount=27

OPEN HOUSE IN KELLER, TEXAS!!! 1613 OVERLOOK TERR., KELLER, TEXAS

OPEN HOUSE #1
1613 Overlook Terr., Keller, Texas - $709,000
Open House: Saturday, Feb. 14th - 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Open House: Sunday, Feb. 15th - 2:00 - 4:00 pm

This home is a Perfect 10! Encounter luxury and spaciousness in this 5-bedroom/5.5-bath 5147-SF home on 1.11 acres. Features include a comfortable family room with wet bar, entertainment center, master suite with sitting room, separate shower, dual sinks, walk-in closet to quickly find your clothes, classic dining room, grand formal living room with wood floors, fireplace for winter days, cook-friendly kitchen with gas range, pantry, garbage disposal, work island for cleaning veggies, granite countertops, custom cabinets, breakfast area, double ovens, microwave, dishwasher, large laundry, game room, study, home office, home theater for the movie buff, exercise room for shedding pounds. Backyard features a wonderful fireplace for enjoying those chilly days outside. The City of Keller has planned for a 43 acre park that will back to this great home! Please call Cindie Stewart for more information or visit http://www.soldteam.net/content/featuredprop.html/82639010?proppos=1&ag_id=1229224&featuredproperty=1&startpos=1&endpos=10&ids=82639010,73535094,73535095,79291685,81392406,79327002,79441929,83534119,82816983,79441924&propertyCount=27

FHA Loan Incentive. Did you know there where Incentives?

FHA has a 203KS loan that will give a buyer money added to the mortgage to repair and or update a home being purchased, that is in need of some TLC.
Here is some information on what qualifies under this loan.
For help finding a home that will qualify give me a call.

What improvements are eligible under the new Streamlined (k) program?

The Streamlined (k) program is intended to facilitate uncomplicated rehabilitation and/or improvements to a home for which plans, consultants, engineers and/or architects are not required. The Streamlined (k) program includes the discretionary improvements and/or repairs shown below:

• Repair/Replacement of roofs, gutters and downspouts
• Repair/Replacement/upgrade of existing HVAC systems
• Repair/Replacement/upgrade of plumbing and electrical systems
• Repair/Replacement of flooring
• Minor remodeling, such as kitchens, which does not involve structural repairs
• Painting, both exterior and interior
• Weatherization, including storm windows and doors, insulation, weather stripping, etc.
• Purchase and installation of appliances, including free-standing ranges, refrigerators, washers/dryers, dishwashers and microwave ovens
• Accessibility improvements for persons with disabilities
• Lead-based paint stabilization or abatement of lead-based paint hazards
• Repair/replace/add exterior decks, patios, porches
• Basement finishing and remodeling, which does not involve structural repairs
• Basement waterproofing
• Window and door replacements and exterior wall re-siding
• Septic system and/or well repair or replacement

What are the minimum and maximum amounts for repair costs under this program?

Given the need for homeowners to make minor repairs without exhausting personal savings, and in consideration of the increasing cost of materials, the minimum repair cost of $5,000 is eliminated and the ceiling is now raised to $35,000. This revised maximum repair/rehabilitation amount recognizes the cost of making older homes more energy efficient. Note that as described below, when the repairs exceed $15,000, the mortgagee must perform or obtain an inspection to determine that all listed repairs were completed.

Can this program be used for repairs and improvements on purchases of HUD Homes?

Like the regular Section 203(k) program, Streamlined (k) may be used for single-family housing sold by HUD. REO properties that have been designated by FHA’s Management and Marketing contractor (M&M) as “insurable” with repair escrow ($5,000 or less in required repairs) or “uninsurable” (with more than $5,000 but no more than $35,000 in required repairs) are eligible for the Streamlined (k) program provided that the repairs qualify as eligible work items outlined in this Mortgagee Letter.

For questions give me a call or send an e mail. I will be happy to help you find a home, or help you find a great lender.

Have a great week,
Cindie Stewart
817-881-7653

Valentines Day At Chef Point Cafe!

Valentines Day
There is no remedy for love but to love more...


Enjoy candlelight dinner, fresh flowers and chocolate kisses for your special date.

Experience your romantic day Saturday and Sunday.


Featured Dinner Special

Duck a'Lorange
Half duck slowly roasted and cooked to perfection, served with angel hair pasta and topped with the Chefs special orange sauce!


Valentine's Day Menu
Escargot

Duck Breast

Romaine Heart Salad

Rack of Lamb

Fresh Sea Bass

Prime Rib

Steak & Lobster Tail

Duck a'Lorange

Chocolate Mouse

Bread Pudding

and more....


If you haven't enjoyed the fabulous menu at Chef Point Cafe, you don't know what you're missing. Grab your favorite Valentine and enjoy a meal you won't forget.

Franson & Paula Nwaeze
Chef Point Cafe
5901 Watauga Rd
Watauga Tx 76148
817-656-0080