Holiday decorations are a wonderful thing and frankly they help property values. Residents in Northampton and The Woodlands have been delighting kids and families for 40 years during every holiday, and residents of the newer sections of those communities and of Auburn Lakes, Wimbledon Falls, Augusta Pines, Gleannloch Farms, Magnolia, you name it -- the residents and associations and many clubs and organizations go all out, especially for these big holidays like Halloween, which are a total hoot to watch every year. Having spent a number of years living in Manhattan, which is supposed to be the Halloween capital of the world, I can confidently say I'd rather be around these parts any Halloween than in those truly ghoulish streets on Halloween night... This is good clean fun.

So says GDP stats released this morning, even beating market expectation for value of overall U.S. national economic production in the 3rd quarter, July-September.  From Lucia Mutikani of Reuters:

The Commerce Department, in its first estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product on Thursday, said the economy grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate, the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2007...

What can we expect of this? Well we can expect some glad tidings and cheer, and that is most welcome. I think we can expect some less shallow breathing in boardrooms across the country and the world, and I think the belt buckle notches can hold steady for a while. This is progress.

Reuters and their James Pethokoukis reports this morning from New Delhi that the CEO of gigantic PC chip maker Intel is forecasting significantly improved growth in corporate PC spending in 2010, which would be great news for the local north Houston tech market, including huge local PC and tech employer HP.

Cars who pass busses with children aboard them, drivers who talk on cell phones through school speed zones, they deserve tickets and fines wrapped up in string - these are a few of my "favorite" things...

Prior to the actual closing day, there are several things you should do to be certain that your real estate transaction will close on time, and that everything will go smoothly.

The Houston Chronicle reports of the spring opening of the 3rd YMCA of The Woodlands in the (still) new Village of Creekside Park, the first Village of The Woodlands on the south side of Spring Creek, which formally lands it in Harris County as opposed to the rest of The Woodlands in Montgomery County.

After reviewing this years September performance for First American Title The Woodlands, I realized we had out performed the last three previous Septembers.  I bebelieve The Woodlands market does not apply to what the media portrays to the public.  People who move to The Woodlands move here for the lifestyle. Great entertainment, restaurants, shopping, schools and opportunities.  If you know of anyone who is thinking of moving, check out The Woodlands. Its a great place to live, work and play.

Scott Jones is a Client Account Representative with First American Title in The Woodlands  at 2520 Research Forest Dr. His website is http://www.firstamericantitlethewoodlands.com. He writes for Will & Allen REALTORS(r) and Lelda Will Properties, and other industry-related sites.

A "HUD" Settlement Statement is the document used for closing which shows all of the closing costs related to the transaction, separated into Buyer and Seller costs.  This document also tells the Buyers how much money they are required to bring for closing and tells the Sellers how much they will either receive or owe at closing.

What is a Title Policy?

There are two kinds of policies. An Owner's Title Policy is the title insurance company's guarantee that they will either defend you in a lawsuit or indemnify you for any loss you may encounter as a result of a title defect.  The Mortgagee's Title Policy, required by your Lender, protects your lender just as the Owner's Title Policy protects you.

The Houston Chronicle breathlessly reports that pine beetles have taking advantage of the dry weather recently to eat away at and kill many pine trees. It's not quite a scourge to say the least. It can clearly be seen here and there sparsely -- a totally brown dead pine tree here and there -- but it doesn't look like a wildfire has rampaged anywhere.