Inaugural Chili Cook Off benefiting the Samaritan Inn

Holy Jalapenos Friends we're just a week & a half away from our Inaugural Chili Cook Off which is benefiting the Samaritan Inn! RSVP this week & you'll receive an extra entry in the $75 Sauce gift certificate raffle! EVERYONE that attends gets a raffle entry...so just let us know you're coming for another chance to win! Charity Chili Cook Off RSVP.  and go to d+b Website for all the info & to register your Chili Team!

Halloween Fun Around Dallas

Woo! Can you believe it's already time for Halloween?!?  Time to stock up oddles & oddles of candy and plan out your own Halloween Fun!
Depending on where you live in the DFW Metro-Plex, there's lots of options. Below are just a few to chose from  ...

• BOO at the ZOO in Ft Worth(Oct 29-31st) This is our family tradition that we actually do on Halloween Day. It's great for kiddos of all ages, the park is open from 12-5pm and they have Halloween throughout the Zoo as well as fun events, shows, games & candy PLUS more animals!
• Downtown McKinney has their annual Scare on the Square (Fri, October 29th) at the Historic Downtown Square on from 4 to 6:00 & local businesses hand out treats to all the costumed visitors plus they have hay rides and all kinds of fun festivities going on.
• Rockwall's Historic Downtown is having their annual Scare on the Square (Sat, October 30th)  from 4pm to 6pm.  It's a fun Free event for kiddos to Trick ’r Treat with the businesses on the Square, enjoy Hay Rides, and more Halloween fun!
• Allen is having their inaugural Trek or Treat 5K Run & Walk at Watters Creek (Sat, October 30th).  Put on your cape, grab your wand & come dressed in your costume for the run! After the run, they will have a Halloween celebration full of tasty treats and activities for all ages!
• Grand Prairie's annual Haunted Hallway at Traders Village (Sat, October 30th)Throw on your best Halloween costume and get ready to do the Monster Mash for a day full of ghostly fun. They have a Haunted House, activities, & of course, lots of candy.
• Firewheel Town Center in Garland will have a Fall Festival  (Sun, October 31st) from
  3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. In the Park, they will have Costume Contests, Coloring Sheets, Maryoku Yummy or Twisted Whiskers bags, & Tricks or Treats for all!  

Enjoy the festivities and time with your family & friends!

Teething Tablets being Recalled

Yikes another recall for babies/toddlers! What a bummer! When I was a new mommy (all of 17mths ago), all of my Mommy Friends recommended these teething tablets for when the 'fabulous' teething started. They worked really well for my lil' dude & were a great alternative to the Teething Gel that gags him. If you have Teething Lil' Ones or know someone who does, please pass this along to them.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm230762.htm

Fall Traditions

Oh I love when Fall rolls in! Chilly mornings, football, leaves changing colors, and family traditions! About 2 years ago we started to Paint/Carve Pumpkins and roast Pumpkin Seeds. The past 2 years, I've been the one pushing that we do it ... but somehow this year it slipped my mind, that is until my step-daughter said "Hey, we still have to do our pumpkins!" As a huge smile struck my face & I said "Your Right!", I was thinking how awesome that this has become something that she looks forward to! So off to the store my husband & daughter go to get pumpkins while I quickly scramble to find our crafty supplies. After a hardy breaky & a few cups of coffee to kick start our creative juices, we were ready to get going with our Pumpkin Family Tradition! Our Lil' Pumpkin who's 17mths got in on the action with his own ... quite the artist! Then after the pumpkins were done, the kiddos & I went outside to sort out the seeds from the pulp - talk about a fabulously delicious mess :)

Basking in the afterglow of our Family Tradition, I started to think of my business and how friends & clients, like my step-daughter, really do look forward to things we do even though we don't think they do. If you've done something for a couple years in a row, lets say you deliver fresh Pumpkin Bread the Friday before Thanksgiving, and then forget to do it ... I bet your friends & clients would wonder why they didn't see you this year. It's important to stay consistant & little tokens of thought are heart warming to all.

So here's my new task, I'm going to come with 4 (1 for each of the seasons) different Family & Business Traditions. How about you ... What are your Family Traditions? What are you Business Traditions?

Home Inspections

Home Inspections are, in my book, a must whether you're buying a New Build House or a Previously Owned House. Inspections allow the buyer to receive factual information on the condition of the house. The Big 5 that seems to be on everyones mind are: Foundation, Heating/Cooling System, Roof, Plumbing, & Electrical ... and in Texas, lets add Termites or other Wood Destroying Insects. Once the Inspector goes over these with the buyer, it seems that most other items are cosmetic. It's important that any repairs are done by Licensed Professionals & the receipt is given to your buyer so they know who to contact if the issue occurs again and so they can switch the warranty over to their name.


If you're in need of an inspector, I highly recommend the meticulous Gene South of Texas Property Inspection. He not only is extremely thorough with the inspection but also with his report. He includes pictures with special notes & diagrams, which is such a useful tool for the buyer who can refer to it later.


Now not only do you get to find out the condition of the property but you also get a chance to learn some great tips on how to fix the issues as well as tips on how to prevent issues. I personally learn something new everytime I'm with a buyer for an inspection! Here's a few that I recently learned ...

• For people, an Apple a day may keep the Doctor away but for a House, watering the soil around your house keeps the Foundation Doctor away :)
• Acrobat Ants, which are not 1 of the 16 Wood Destroying Insects, can do as much damage as Carpenter Ants & it's important to have your house treated for them as well.
• Satellite Dishes screwed on to the roof often times aren't sealed properly or the seal wears away w time & allows rain to sweep through the screw holes. Easy Fix = purchase Black Roof Tar from Lowe's/Home Depot & apply around the screws.
• All Outlets have a "Master" & the others in circuit are "slaves" ... meaning that if 1 of the slave outlets isn't working simply Reset the Master outlet & wallah :)

Stay tuned for more Lessons Learned during Inspections!

To Vote or Not to Vote ...

I Got My VOTE On today ... Did You?

It's hard to miss that there are some Elections coming up, thanks to all the 'mudslinging' commercials on TV!  Mid-term elections are essentially voting for State Governor, State Senate, State Representative, US Senate, US Congress, & local elections. and Ahhh yes, today began Early Voting for the November 2nd General Election and will last until October 29th.  I'm a huge fan of Early Voting for the following reasons: 1) we get 2 weeks to find the our voting station, 2) we have 2 weeks to find 5 minutes to vote, & best of all, 3) NO LINES!!! 
Follow this link to locate your voting poll and take advantage of the 2 weeks of Early Voting!
TX Polling Locations

Plano TX is Forbe's #1 Safest City to Live

Hip-Hip-Hooray! Another DFW city has made a national list ... Plano, a northern suburb of Dallas, Texas, is awarded as the #1 Safest City to Live!  That may be why over 265,000 people have chosen Plano to call home.      Forbes 2010 Safest Cities in America

Not only is Plano the #1 Safest City to live, but it  ...

• is Close to Dallas with access to public transportation and the Toll Way 
• Home of Corporate & Regional Headquarters (such as Frito Lay, JC Penny's, Cinemark Theaters, Capital One) and many Business Complexes
• a Historic Downtown that holds something for everyone....shopping, dining, nightlife, & culture
• Newly expanded Legacy Town Center that has a variety of shops and restaurants (Nicola's & Coast are my favorite!)
• a Public School system that has recently been rated "Recognized" by the Texas Education Agency 
• Has many Parks including a 200-acre park featuring trails of natural beauty for walking, jogging, hiking and other outdoor activities, and
• Has annual Cultural Family Events ... Balloon Festival in September, International Festival in October & many more

So how's the Housing Market in Plano, you ask???  Well over the summer months, which are known as the "peak" months, houses were on the market fewer days than last year & the median sales price was $263,652 and was up 1% from 2009. 

If you or anyone you know is interested in moving to Plano, I'd be happy to share more info specific to your/their needs.

1st Annual Chili Cook-Off, benefitting The Samaritan Inn of Collin County

d + b real estate are excited to announce their 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off, benefitting The Samaritan Inn, on Saturday, November 6. Enjoy the fall weather while tasting and judging all different flavors & styles of chili, participating in family games and networking with the businesses, friends and family that the agents at d + b consider our “team”.

Competitors and cooks of all skill levels are invited to show off their cooking skills and seek the coveted “Golden Ladle” award. Teams will be competing in one of two categories: the Vendor category or the Clients & Friends category. Bring your prepared chili in a crock-pot and let the guests decide your fate!

How do you sign up? Easy! Print the registration form at the bottom of this post. The entry fee is only $25, OR, vendors have the option of paying $30 to include a table for your business promotional materials.

Don’t feel like cooking? That's OK. We're not all Bobby Flay or Gordon Ramsay! Be our guest and sample ALL of the chili for FREE! One canned good gets you into all the food and festivities. We’re counting on YOU to be our judges. We will be accepting cash donations if you would like to purchase a bowl of chili and other delectable bites!

The little ones are welcome too! For the kids we will offer “non-chili” food plus a schedule of fun games and activities.

And…every person that attends has a chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Sauce on the Square!

The Chili Cook-Off will be held at Towne Lake Park in McKinney, just across from McKinney High School from noon to 3 PM.

ALL proceeds will go towards The Samaritan Inn in an effort to bring attention to National Homeless Awareness Month. We appreciate your support!

Foreclosures in Texas ...

It's official, the TX Attorney General's office has stopped all foreclosures, sales of foreclosed properties until mortgage companies have completed a review of their processes, mainly looking into whether employees or agents "robosigned” affidavits and other documents. It apparently seems that many of the foreclosers were just being signed without being read or reviewed thoroughly.