Reefmonkey

Depending on how fancy you get with fixtures and flooring, and how much you do yourself, I bet you could pull it off for 10 grand on the low side and 25-30 grand on the high side, using a GC. Your mileage may vary. What I may consider fancy, you may consider ghetto. What I may consider ghetto fabulous, you may consider fancy.

The biggest costs will be running plumbing and electric. Hanging a window consists of more than cutting a hole, but it ain't rocket science. It is, however, physics.

Thanks, that's about what I was guessing it would cost.

BTW, I do know that there is more to a window than a hole in a wall, which is to say I know a window from a hole in a wall

As most teens did in the 80's, I spent a lot of time trolling the mall! I'm trying to remember all those shops we used to love to buy clothes at. Here are some that come to mind:

Clothing:

The Gap (when it was strictly jeans and t-shirts)

I remember the Gap commercials from the early 80s - animated, following the cartoon gold tread on cartoon blue denim, while a man with a very deep bass voice sang in a descending scale: "FALL IN TO THE-GAP"

I thought about that every time I passed the Gap in Greenspoint as a little kid in the early 80s

Hickory Farms

Yeah, I remember when it seemed like every mall had an ATTACHED movie theater that you entered through the mall, a GNC vitamin store, a Hickory Farms, and a pet store.

I remember when the Galleria still had an attached movie theater, where the new section meets Galleria II. Also remember an independent full-service pharmacy on the second or third level of Galleria I, a gag gift store on the rink level of Galleria I (at the Neimans end) and the great old Sam Houston Bookstore on the rink level, where FYE is now. I loved that book store -only place in Houston with a decent selection of James Bond novels.

I very

If he were to purchase a property today or anytime soon and NOT WANT the purchase price reported to HCAD then I would consider the buyer a fool. Today there are just too many good deals to be had due to foreclosure or other circumstances and these deals are all under HCAD Appraised value.

Yeah, that's true enough. I think, though, he was speaking in general terms, not specifically in the current market.

In regards to reporting on MLS I always fill in the sales price but leave the other information blank, ie... how was it purchased (Cash, Fin, FHA, etc..), amount put down, repair costs paid by seller, etc... etc... I feel that how the buyer financed/paid for the property is their business not anyone else's although the sales price needs to be there in order to establish comparable values.

Thanks.

Now about writing a clause into your contract to prohibit disclosure, I think that if an owner agrees to list their property into the MLS, they are bound by certain rules, one of which is probably some agreement that the sales price must be recorded into the MLS.

It seems to be like that's the way it would probably work, but I wonder how well that would hold up legally if challenged. The house sale is a contract between the buyer and the seller, not the buyer and MLS or the seller and MLS. The buyer signed nothing, and so he is bound to nothing with MLS. If the buyer put into the contract that the seller could not disclose the sale price, and the seller agreed to that in the contract, there would be a conflict. It would be interesting to hear who the seller had a greater contractual obligation to?

I think he is mistaken.

http://voxproperty.blogspot.com/

It may turn out that he is mistaken, but the law you are citing has nothing to do with it.

The law you cite says that HCAD cannot release sale prices that it knows about to the public(unless you are entitled to it because you are filing a protest).

Flow of information about sales prices: HCAD -----> Public ILLEGAL

What this guy is talking about is how the HCAD gets those sales prices in the first place.

Flow of information about sales prices: MLS ---------> HCAD LEGAL

These are two different circumstances, understand?

How about this - taking an existing ground-level garage and finishing it out as a studio-apartment-style guest house? Say one of the little older 1-car garages in a pre-war bungalow in-town.

A little, but not a lot of rewiring - repositioning some outlets, adding one or two more

Plumbing - putting in a bathroom - toilet, standup shower, sink, as well as putting in a kitchenette with a sink. Not putting in a dishwasher, so no need to plumb for that.

No nat gas - water heater would be a 30 gal electric

Cut a couple of holes and hang two sash windows

Put in some insulation, hang sheetrock on the outer walls, plus some studs and sheetrock for privacy for the new bathroom area.

No central AC - go with a window unit.

About how much would that cost?

I think what he is getting at is that HCAD usually sends a request to both the buyer and seller after a home sale to determine the sale price. Neither party is legally required to disclose the sale price to HCAD, although the form does seem rather official and for lack of a better work, often scares the buyer/seller into thinking they must disclose the information.

What your friend is doing is saying that the buyer/seller cannot fill out this form, which is totally within reason.

No, he was very clear and specific in saying that the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) reports the sale price to the appraisal district, and he was very adament about it being none of the MLS's business as a third party to report the sale price of a sale between two individuals.

This year I had to have my entire roof replaced due to Ike damage. I wonder, is this going to affect my appraisal? Is this going to work against me if I protest my appraisal?

I'd also like to ask, why do ARBs ignore evidence presented of cracked and broken driveways and walkways? It seems to me these would reduce the curb appeal of a house, and the sale price would likely go down because of this and the fact that the buyer would ask for a discount in price to have money to make the repairs. It seems these issues would affect the price just like any other issue regarding the physical condition of the property, so why do ARBs reject such information in hearings?

I was discussing Harris County property taxes with someone who is, well, a republican, so pretty opposed to taxes in principle and practice, and also both a residential and commercial property owner. He was saying how terrible it is that MLS services automatically volunteer the amount a home sale goes for to HCAD, called it an invasion of privacy, etc. He said when he has bought commercial property that he always writes it into the contract forbidding any party to disclose the sales price to any outside party, and the next time he buys a house he is going to do the same.

Now, let's leave aside arguments about whether or not it is our civic duty to allow HCAD to know the sale price of our house so that they can appraise houses in the area properly so that we can be taxed properly to raise money for schools and roads. I am not wanting to get into a moral argument. I am just asking for the sake of curiosity, not is it morally right, but is it technically possible to have written into the contract for the sale of a house you are buying, that no one, including the MLS, disclose the sale of the house to any other party, even if that house already has an MLS number?

west Austin does not have the high winds that fuel the extreme aspect of the fires in California

there could be fires for sure, but they would not be as out of control nor would they be as likely to jump roads and other control points because the high winds will not be there

Agreed, it's the Santa Ana winds, which are especially hot and dry, that really get the S. Cal fires going.

You can tie off at Fisherman's Wharf and eat there. I've done it.

But I agree that it would help if there were either a public day-use marina there or very close nearby with a small-scale water-taxi operation to get people around the port.

Yeah, I have circled in the harbor for 30 minutes or more waiting for a space to tie up at Fisherman's wharf to eat there for lunch on a summer saturday afternoon, and that was in a 19' grady white. For a larger cruising sailboat, at popular times there just isn't space. For years we used to tie up at the floating dock just west of Fisherman's Wharf, but about 6 years ago they started chasing people off that.

Texas is all about fried food! So what if it's not unique? It's authentic.

Just my desire to taste fish, not fried batter.

Because they're more profitable and/or nobody else could afford that real estate. I know that's not a popular answer, but it is a realistic answer. Galveston's economy just doesn't support the critical mass of upper class places. And right now, the jobs situation on the island looks kind of bleak, so its going to be a while.

So it really doesn't matter how much clout an urban planner has, that kind of stuff is going to be there.

True enough

I have to disagree with you on this. I don't think that the cruise industry is responsible for tacky souvenier shops. Tourists are responsible for tacky souvenier shops. And some of those tourists have good taste while others do not. One way or the other, reducing the number of tourists isn't going to help Galveston. What will help is to market more intensively to the tasteful tourists. But you have to allow for the fact that the La Marque weekender crowd isn't going away.

I think we actually are in agreement on this. It's not even all cruise ship patrons who attract these stores - it is the prominence of the Carnival Cruises in Galveston. I may be wrong, but it seems that they have more sailings out of Galveston than any of the other lines. Having made the mistake of going on one a few years ago, I recognize that they really cater to the NASCAR crowd. It's that crowd that keeps the tacky tourist shops open. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but I'm not going to be PC if it leaves the issue unsaid. It's ruining the strand. Hopefully the will continue to stay there, and not start venturing to Post Office.

My family has had a house on Galveston since 1983. We were there during the bust of the mid-late 80s when it seemed almost like we had the entire island to ourselves, even in summer. The Strand area had Peanut Butter Warehouse, La King's, the Emporium, Waterwall, Occidental Trading Company/Christmas Store, the Wentletrap, and pretty much nothing else.

Then in the 90s, as Houston and the rest of the country recovered, so did Galveston and the Strand. Great new stores and restaurants moved in, the Strand revitalized, and all this occured BEFORE the cruise ships arrived. Not to get into a chicken-egg argument, but it seems to me that the revitalization brought the cruise ships, not vice versa. Since the cruise ships came, the quality of the stores on the Strand has gone downhill. I don't think attracting shear masses of tourists is sustainable if it brings down the quality of the area, and locals and frequent Houston-area weekenders start avoiding the area.

This brings to mind another issue I have that is strand-related - the street festival on the strand during Mardi Gras. I remember going every year in the 80s as a little kid, and it was a family event. Now the Girls-Gone-Wild mentality has infected it, and there are breasts-galore being flashed, cutthroat antics to get cheap plastic beads at all costs, basically people trying to create what they think New Orleans mardi gras is like in Galveston. The lewdness has got out of hand, and has been on a trajectory to be as bad as Kappa Beach Weekend.

It comes down to the question of what Galveston wants for itself - indiscriminate tourist dollars in the short term, which will ultimate result in burnout, I think, as families, business conventions, etc. start to stay away from the lewdness? Or a more tasteful level of tourism, that would ultimately put the Island on par with Charleston or Savannah, bringing with it customers who will be willing to pay more per head for lodging, food, etc, enabling businesses to charge more. I think this would turn Galveston from a mostly regional destination to a national one, which would bring the numbers as well, but this time each paying more.

I disagree many cruisers spend at least one night in a hotel before the cruise and often after as well and that is more business for those hotels and restaurants

I think it is a matter of quantity versus quality. I'm not saying that cruise ships don't bring in revenue, but are they contributing to the quality of Galveston as a destination in its own right? I don't think they are. Not only do I think they are encouraging new businesses that junk up the strand, they also aren't encouraging visiting Galveston in its own right. Do you think that a guy up in Oklahoma or Idaho comes back from a trip out of Galveston and tells his buddy, "yeah, Jamaica, well, it was okay, but man, Galveston was AWESOME. Skip the cruise and just stay in Galveston"? Not happening. I am not disputing that the cruises bring in revenue, but I got from editor's prompt that he was interested in our ideas of how we would plan Galveston as a whole, not just make it a revenue generator. Making Galveston the port of embarkation for a caribbean cruise does nothing to improve the quality of galveston as a first class destination in its own right.

And yes, there is hotel business brought to the island for one night at the beginning of the cruise, one night at the end, but it has been my understanding that it has mostly been budget places, like the two La Quintas on seawall who have benefited, not places like the Galvez or the San Luis that could be destinations in their own right, which have individual atmosphere. Those have really been going for business conference money, which I think is the way to go. Get some guy from Duluth to come down to Galveston for a business conference or company retreat, and he'll think, "hey, this might be a good place to bring my kids."

someone I know off of a wine snob website went on a cruise out of Galveston and specifically ask about local places to eat and ended up taking the Gaidos recommendation and enjoyed it a great deal much to my surprise and even liked the views (this is a guy that is quite the restaurant and wine snob so I figured nothing on the island would please him and his wife as he has eaten at most of the leading restaurants in the US)....he is planning on taking another cruise out of Galveston in the future as he and his wife felt it was very hassle free

My family has had a house on Galveston for over 25 years, and had not been to Gaido's in almost that long. I had just dismissed it as being past its prime, living on an old reputation and not worth the long waits. One winter sunday evening a couple of years ago, my wife, who had never been, convinced we to give it a try on our way home to houston. Since it was a sunday in winter there was no line, and I was shocked by how good the food was. Of course, Gaido's is like 100 years old, unfortunately the new seawall restaurants have all gone Fertita.

I like your idea as well, but I don't think just one or two things will change Galveston it will need to be a combination of things that all add up to more overall business for the existing businesses

Agreed. My post was not a definitive answer to what Galveston "needs", it's just some of the stuff I personally would like to see.

Continuing our series where HAIFers get to play urban planner...

There's been some talk lately about Trump and the island and casino gambling and the island, so it seems natural to be our next "How would you change?" target.

Pretend you're a fairly powerful urban planner. Not exactly Sim City, but still given the latitude and budget to do what you see is fit. How would you change Galveston Island? Not just the city of Galveston, but the whole island. You could probably incorporate Bolivar Peninsula if that suits your needs. What parts would you keep? What parts would you get rid of? What would you add?

Let you imagination run.

Great question, editor. My answer is biased by my enthusiasm for boating, but I think Galveston needs to focus on making itself a decent private boating destination. When you go into the port of Galveston, there is pretty much nowhere that a visiting boater can come in and tie up and have lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, or walk over to the Strand or whatever. It sucks. There is the Galveston Yacht Basin, which isn't reasonable walking distance to the historic district and I don't think has much in the way for people to dock for any length of time other than to quickly get gas and ice. There is a small dock over by Harbor House, but I think you have to be a guest of harbor house to use it. There ought to be a public dock near the Elissa area that charges a reasonable hourly fee.

Offat's Bayou would also be a great boating destination, and it is a little better than downtown in terms of places to tie up. It just needs more decent restaurants and bars to make people want to go there. I think Moody Gardens may have day-slips, which is good. Then the rest of West Bay needs to become a day cruising area. There are maybe three marinas past 71st street, I think - One on Sportsman's Road, One in Lake Como at Pirate's Cove, and one in Sea Isle. The Jamaica Beach marina of course has been gone for at least 25 years. Of these marinas, only Pirate's cove has a decent restaurant and bar where you'd want to tie up and have lunch and a drink. The one at Sea Isle has always been lousy. Problem is, Waterman's at Pirate's Cove is too high-end, which makes it hard for them to survive, especially in winter months What the West End needs is a series of low-key "beach-bar" type places that you can motor up to, with drinks and simple, good food like burgers, crab cakes, fish sandwiches, to make it a place worth sailing to. They need to be low-key enough and have low enough overhead that they wouldn't hurt so much in the winter time - could even be run as seasonal businesses. When I was visiting friends on the space coast in florida, we went boating on the Indian River, which is really more a long bay system, and they had places like this. Here is a standout example:

http://www.hirams.com/

Another thing is food on Galveston Island. We need to offer something else in the way of a style of cooking seafood besides either the battered fried baskets or overseasoned, oversauced "cajun" style. Texas needs to come up with it's own unique coastal food that is lighter, more healthy, and brings out the flavor of the seafood rather than overpowering it, much in the way that the Floribbean style came about. Then that food needs to be served in decent restaurants on the seawall and the bayfront. People want to sit and eat quality local seafood on the water, and there is no place to do that in Galveston. Fisherman's Wharf used to be that, but Landry's bought it and quality and originality took a nosedive. While Hill's Pier 19 was mostly fried stuff, at least it was unique - now it's a Joe's Crab Shack, serving the same food you can get in a restaurant sited in a mall parking lot anywhere in the US now. Seawall would be a great place for restaurants that weren't chains and served good local seafood on the water - but again, what do we provide people? Chain restaurants (Mostly Fertita Brands) that one could get in any nondescript suburb. We SQUANDER good real estate in Galveston - why does Walmart need a view of the Gulf? Why does there need to be a HOOTER'S out over the Gulf? Why does a FUDDRUCKER'S need to occupy a historic building in the Strand district - one that used to house the wonderful Strand Street Brewery?

The other thing is, someone here said we need to attract more cruise ships - wrong, that is the last thing we need to do. People who come to Galveston to get on cruise ships are coming to Galveston not to see Galveston, but for the purposes of going somewhere else, places in the Caribbean with much prettier water and more exotic food and atmosphere. They aren't geared up to appreciate the nuances that make Galveston a great place. That will always degrade Galveston's value as a destination, not improve it. Look what it has done to the Strand. In the 90s, the Strand was up and coming, with interesting new boutiques selling quality stuff, but since the advent of the cruises, especially the Carnival cruises, the Strand has seen the opening of more and more junky souvenier shops, selling the same tacky "Licensed Bikini Inspector" t-shirts that people will be sold in junky souvenier shops when their ship hits Cancun. I imagine that a lot of the people who come for the cruise ships spend less money than people who would otherwise visit Galveston, because they are saving their spending money for the Caribbean.

You need to watch the Weather Channel's series called 'It Could Happen Tomorrow'.

They did a story on how west Austin is a fire accident waiting to happen.

They said it has similar environmental fire vunerabilities to Oakland Hills, California(1991).

Proscribed burns, done properly, actually reduce the wildfire vulnerability of an area.

in the hill country uncleared may actually be much worse for wildlife because the plants that need to be cleared are invasive

it probably will end up it will cost you about 200 an acre more to clear a piece than to purchase the same piece cleared because most that is cleared was cleared when labor was cheaper

and really it depends on what you consider "cleared" to mean....like I say often true "uncleared" is actually a detriment to most wildlife because the scrub us too thick

these days the most useful tool for clearing is an excavator over a dozer especially if the arm has a "thumb" on it and you can find some warn out excavators for pretty cheap even VS an old worn out dozer....and if you operate it right the tracks can stay on a long time even with worn sprockets and links....excavator is much more useful over all as well and easier to operate for most

a backhoe can be as useful in some cases though not as stable unless you put the bucket and outriggers down each move, but flat tires are a huge issue....and filled tires cost a ton

Well, a lot of that depends on whether one wants to use only traditional clearing techniques, or habitat management practices such as proscribed burns and the use of grazing animals to restore the habitat. I have some experience with the latter method, more on blackland prairie to control woody plants and invasives like tall feskew, but the principle is the same. The latter method takes longer - years instead of weeks - but results in a more authentic habitat.

Very eloquently said, Redscare.

I disagree that McCain has a better grasp of foreign affairs and a better grasp of governance in general. He has a better grasp of war as a solution to all disagreements, but not of foreign affairs. This may play well to an American populace that has grown accustomed to starting wars whenever someone disagrees with us, but as we begin to recognize the cost associated with sending our military off to confront real and perceived threats, a more effective and nuanced approach is needed. John McCain does not understand 'nuance'. 'Turn the other cheek' worked for the first guy who uttered the phrase, and it has its place in today's world as well. We cannot afford, monetarily or diplomatically, to make war with everyone who irritates us. We won't be the first nation to implode using that strategy.

The most effective president will be the one who surrounds himself with the best advisors. Obama appears to understand this concept far more than McCain.

I think you and I are pretty much in agreement, it's just a matter of viewpoint. I think McCain as better knowledge of foreign affairs, but wrongly is too inclined to go to war.I think Obama doesn't have the breadth and depth of knowledge of foreign affairs of MCain, but is less likely to go to war, and I would rather the president not be eager to go to war, it should be a last resort. Ultimately, Obama will have access to excellent briefings on foreign affairs as president, which will make up for his lack of knowledge now. Really, since a prsident can get great advisors, it comes down to a matter of temperment. I think Obama has a slower fuse, a more rational temperment. I have utmost respect for McCain as an American, as a courageous veteran, and as a principled, honest, and effective senator - I think he is a much better senator than Obama - but I think Obama's temperment and outward persona are what is best for america right now.

The question is, can Obama stand up to these groups?

That reminds me of something my boss said recently. He's a big republican, and he thinks Obama won't be strong enough to stand up to our enemies. After watching the debates, I don't think McCain is strong enough. He has more experience and a better grasp of foreign affairs than Obama, a better grasp of governance in general than Obama, yet he let Obama best him in the debates. I think his age and his inability to keep his temper have conspired to make him weak, and I fear he would be that way with foreign powers.

power plants, prisions, oil, and ranching because of good rain and productive hay will keep the prices higher in that area and the same reasons you are looking at it....a few hours drive from Houston, Austin and SA yet not as expensive as the hill country

Thanks for the reply, makes sense. Not as expensive as Hill Country, though still not a steal, because many people have already thought what I am thinking. It seems like your prices (starting 5k, with 8-10k /ac being more common) are for cleared land? What about uncleared land, what kind of a discount does one get? Uncleared actually is more appealing to me, as a biologist/environmental scientist by training, to have as natural a piece of Post Oak Savannah as possible, more a personal wildlife sanctuary than a ranch (though I would put in a recreational fishing pond)

UPDATE:

Other than thanking Chief Michna for his initial reponse, I had taken no further action on this issue. Today I received this email:

Mr. ****,

I have forwarded your complaint to Lt. White who advised he would identify the two officers and speak with them about their conduct and behavior. He has responded to other complaints and I believe he will address yours as well. Please, don

I am not a fan of Obama. Inspiring speaker, yes, qualified for president, no. However, it appears that he is getting elected, I have learned to see the silver lining in his becoming president. It has nothing to do with Obama's abilities, but rather perception. For eight years now, our friends and enemies alike have seen Americans as epitomized by our president, as a go-it-alone, arrogant, ignorant, bullying cowboy, another old-guard WASP. Opposing America, anti-American sentiment has become popular, even among our allies, and therefore they resist us when we need their cooperation. Obama, by virtue of being younger, black, with an arabic name and progressive politics (which the Europeans love), will represent us as a progressive, multicultural, tolerant people. Among our allies, feeling for us will warm. Anti-American sentiment will dissipate. A willingness to cooperate, to no longer stand in our way as a matter of course, will emerge. Even within the Muslim world, feelings about Americans may settle down.

This will give us time to regroup, to finish what we need to do in Iraq and Afghanistan, repair the damage that they and the multiple financial scandals have done to our society and our economy in peace. Hopefully during that time Obama will surround himself with advisors who are more experienced than he, so that his administration makes sound decisions.

Plus, even though I think of McCain as not being a nutter extreme right winger, and thus capable of making decisions that protect individual rights, I think Obama would do an even better job on issues like gay marriage, creationism in high school biology classes, etc.

Well, that's how I cope with the fact that he is going to be elected, anyway.

maybe what this tells you is that most of them really don't care one way or the other and it is really an issue pushed by a very small fringe group that really wants to take shots at religion

after all saying that all gays should come out and financially support his issue is similar to saying that all gays get in their underwear and dress like rocky horror and march in parades and embarrass themselves and their "cause" when that is far from the truth as well

what a shocker it might be for some to realize that many gays might just want to keep their private life private instead of pinning it on their sleeves or their lingerie and wearing it every where they go

I think it's probably true that a majority of gay people have no interest in being allowed to be legally married. That is not a legal or moral justification for denying it to those who do.

Only 31% of American adults own a gun. That means probably 69% percent of Americans have no interest in owning a gun. Does that mean it would be okay to outlaw gun ownership by private civilians?

I'll change the thread title.

Are you going to follow up with Waller?

Thanks for the title change.

As Chief Michna said, he forwarded my email to Lt. White with Waller Co. SD, so at least Lt. White is aware of the situation, and unless he contacts me, I'll trust that he's going to handle it. Only so much energy I'm willing to spend on something like this.

It's not how many elections you lose before you give up, it's how many elections you lose before the citizens give up.

Great turn of phrase.

We in Houston are guilty, too, of the notion that changing the name of something will help foster development. We rename our established neighborhoods into "-towns", replace normal street signs with those that have custom designs or languages representative of cultural groups that used to be there decades ago, and back in World War I even renamed German Street to Canal Street. We've done a lot of really superficial things, so I concur that Dallas hardly has a monopoly on poor taste.

Yup. As a native Houstonian, I scratched my head in the late 90s, early 00s when the renaming phenomenon got going. When the part of downtown on the other side of Pierce got named "midtown", that was one thing, but naming what we had always called "the Galleria area" "uptown" seemed cheesy and pathetic to me. Naming the area around Westheimer near the beltway "Westchase" was another cheesy thing to do.