Residents are welcomed at the private entrance by an elegant stone horse trough befitting of a Texas estate. Ranch style gates swing open to luxurious estate home sites that preserve the rural character of the unique setting. For those seeking an elegant residence in a refined country setting, look no further than The Estates at Greenspoint. Located in the rolling hills of east Prosper, an area dubbed the “Country Club District”, generously sized custom home sites await your dream home. This thoughtfully designed community incorporates your personal architecture set in rugged harmony with the pristine Texas countryside. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the adjacent equestrian facilities, golf amenities and adjacent 27-acre Town Lake.
The Estates at Greenspoint boasts beautiful stone privacy walls, ornamental street lighting, and a private street. Home sites are fully improved with city water and sewer, underground electric and the conveniences you expect such as Atmos gas and ATT high-speed bundled –content fiber to the home. Creek side home sites are situated high along a wooded limestone bluff, and range in size from 1.0 – 1.6 acres. These sites enjoy spectacular views overlooking a tributary to Wilson Creek, which feeds Town Lake on the east border of the community.
Across Greenspoint Lane are approximately half-acre meadow home sites. This creek side community features large custom lots for sale to home builders and also individuals. Fewer than forty homes will ultimately be built here, with home sites spacious enough to accommodate magnificent legacy estates and extensive outdoor living areas. Meadow home sites from the low $100’s, and creek side acreage home sites from the low $200’s.
FOR MORE INFO VISIT www.greenspointTX.com or contact Trang Dang-Le at:
214.563.2438
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Please Handle With ‘Skin’ Care
pg 6
Just like your liver, heart, brain or lungs, your skin is a body organ
Just Add Water
pg 18
These days, the pool is just part of the equation in the backyard experience
Ants on Fire
pg 22
How to recognize Texas Fire Ants and do everything to avoid them
Homefront Highlight
R and R Builders is using a very unique process to show homeowners how to save a great deal of money without affecting the quality of their home or pool
Texas Luxefront
3 Tips and Techniques for Home Water Conservation pg 24
pg 12
pg 30
Elizabeth Stack of ReMax Performance Group shares some of the most unique luxury homes on the market in Collin County
Working together to keep Mother Nature beautiful
The FYI’s of Financing Your Next Custom Pool pg 28 Prosper Bank shares some helpful insight on how you can have your custom pool and swim in it too
On the Cover A distinctive ICF custom pool built by R and R Builders Photography by Jonathan English
EXECUTIVE PUBLISHERS Jason & Heather Reynolds EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Heather Reynolds PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jason Reynolds ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JD Lee CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dr. Michael McGinnis Roger Chumley Randy Summers Greg Dyer Clark Gullette Bob Lowrimore Elizabeth Stack PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS Jonathan English Various PRODUCTION / DESIGN FIFTHKING MEDIA www.fifthking.com ADVERTISING / M ARKETING The Homefront Team www.txhomefront.com © 2012 TEXAS HOMEFRONT M AGAZINE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE The title and all material within are protected by international copyright laws and are reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s permission. Although the greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this magazine at the time of going to press, neither Texas Homefront Magazine nor FIFTHKING MEDIA can be held liable for omissions, inexactness or errors.
FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT: Texas Homefront Magazine PO Box 405 Prosper, Texas 75078
Ph: 469.481.2935 www.TXHomefront.com facebook.com/txhomefront heather@txhomefront.com
Texas in July! Family gatherings, backyard cookouts, sweet tea, hot dogs, baseball games, long hot days and homemade ice cream. As the mercury soars, we are all in search of the perfect solution to beat the Texas heat. For many in our area, that means a refreshing swim in their own backyard pool. Therefore, we are pleased to bring you this month’s POOL EDITION. We know that the best memories are usually made while relaxing in the company of your family. And those memories are the reason that we spend so much time and money on our own private watering holes, right? As children, we knew that the place to be was wherever there was a pool. If we were lucky enough to have one in our backyard, we could swim, sunbathe and entertain our friends at our own leisure. If not, we were appreciative of the hospitality of our friends who afforded us the luxury of enjoying their pool.
Not much has changed since then, except that we are now the parents. And we understand the importance of that time with our family, children and friends. With life moving at such an incredible pace these days, any chance we can get to slow things down, spend more time with our children and relax is a welcome one. We hope that you enjoy this month’s issue. Grab a cold drink, pull up a lounge chair, find some shade and RELAX at your own Texas Homefront. Summertime in Texas is about family and friends. The memories we make with our children today will be the ones they share with their own children tomorrow. Take enormous pleasure in your backyard pool and remember that your children will be parents one day, and will probably try to recreate these days with your future grandchildren! So light up the grill, put on the sunscreen and make a splash! Welcome Home! Jason & Heather Reynolds Executive Publishers
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he number of people diagnosed with melanoma continues to be on the rise. Your skin is a body organ just like your liver, heart, brain or lungs. A board-certified dermatologist and those specifically trained in skin are the most qualified to diagnose and
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treat your skin conditions. I don’t think you will find too many dermatologists treating high blood pressure, cleaning teeth, providing mammograms, etc., nor would you want them to. If you have a skin question or problem, please schedule an appointment with a skin specialist. Please don’t make a cavalier decision to place the care for
your skin in the hands of a non-skin specialist, simply because they are a little bit closer or they are a little bit less expensive. The difference in care should be quite obvious. WITH SUMMER UPON US, HERE ARE A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP YOU AVOID GETTING ROASTED: Avoid being out in the sun too much during the peak hours, which in Texas in the summer is about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. When you do have to be out in the sun, wear a protective hat as much as possible. (One with a solid top and a wide brim all the way around—extra points if it has a cloth shade attached to the back that shields your neck.) Baseball hats and visors are better than nothing, but minimally so. Wear long sleeves and pants, as much as you can stand it. Wear sunglasses that block 100% of the sun’s UV rays. Use a sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 30, blocks UVA and UVB, and reapply it at least every two hours that you are in the sun.
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but may not provide obvious signs such as itching, pain or bleeding, until it is in an advanced stage. Bring such changes to the attention of your dermatologist. Take some pictures with your phone camera – they can be a great baseline comparison. Some patients apologize when they come in Spray sunscreens work fine, as long as they are properly used, taking care that any wind does not blow away the spray before it gets to your skin and that the spray is overlapped. In actual sunscreen use - that is, humans putting sunscreen on their skin—there has not been evidence of carcinogenicity shown by sunscreens. And on the topic of tanning: Does anyone still think tanning beds are not a serious health threat? For years that point was disputed by those with a vested interest in tanning salons. Fortunately, science has now been able to prove that tanning bed use, particularly in young people, is a major risk factor for skin cancer, including melanoma. Tanning bed use by minors is becoming illegal in several states, and will eventually become standard throughout the U.S. in all likelihood. WHY YOU NEED A COMPLETE SKIN EXAM Consider this: Your skin is the largest organ of the body, and you can see it. This can’t be said for many other organ systems. In fact, you have the ability to see the entire skin surface, in some way, every day, even if some portions are more visible than others. But all of your skin—from your scalp to the soles of your feet—is susceptible to diseases such as skin cancer, and demands your attention. That’s why I urge you to get a head-to-toe skin exam in the very near future if you have never had one, especially if you are over 20 or
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30 years old. Many people feel that skin cancer only occurs where the sun strikes the skin, and that areas of the body that are not exposed to sun are not susceptible to skin cancer. In fact, melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer, can occur anywhere on the body. Yes, anywhere. I strongly encourage my patients, especially those with a personal or close family history of cancer, to assemble a skin care team. It starts with each patient examining his or her visible skin, easily done during and after showering. Then you enlist others to help you see portions of your skin you can’t. Your hair stylist can keep an eye on your scalp. I realize that hair professionals are generally not formally trained as skin specialists, but they see more scalps than anyone and usually have a good idea of what is commonly or often seen on the scalp and what is not. Your spouse can examine the skin on your back. As a parent, you can check your child. And as your dermatologist, I can perform a thorough exam as often as needed. But it’s imperative that you also watch for changes in your skin in between visits to the dermatologist. I am not suggesting you take an hour a day with ‘the team’ and study every square centimeter of your skin with a microscope. Be on the lookout for obvious changes, or new growths that could arise. In some cases, a new change on the skin that is very obvious visually could arise in just a month or two,
for a ‘spot’ that turns out to be benign. I reassure them that they are doing the right thing being proactive, and there’s no reason to be embarrassed, or think they wasted our time. The frequency of your complete professional skin exam varies according to your risk factors.
YOUR RISK OF HAVING A SKIN CANCER IS ELEVATED IF YOU CAN ANSWER YES TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS: Do you have a history of skin cancer in your family? Have you ever been diagnosed with skin cancer or a precancerous lesion? Do you have repeated sun exposure? Were you raised in a sunny climate? Do you use or have you used tanning beds? Do you have more than 50 moles over your entire body surface?
A proper skin exam/skin cancer screening is rather involved. You should remove all your clothes, and then be draped appropriately. Subsequently, your dermatologist should look you over in detail from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, front and back. Everywhere. I have no desire to run a ‘patient mill’ in any of my offices. Because of the detailed nature of this exam—which is what we are best at, known for, and which comprises a large percentage of our patient visits— myself and my associates generally see appreciably fewer patients per hour than most other dermatologists. From life-saving skin cancer treatments to cosmetic procedures that reduce years of sun damage, Dr. McGuiness and his well-trained staff provide expert dermatological care for the entire family. Through regular exams, patient education and state-of-the-art procedures, he and his medical staff help patients realize the important role good skin plays in their everyday lives. Call one of our three convenient offices today for your consultation.
Prosper Dermatology Associates 2440 East Prosper Trail Prosper, Texas 75078 469.481.3001 Plano Dermatology 214.615.1735 McGuiness Dermatology Center of Flower Mound 972.316.4555 www.McGuinessDermatology.com
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Bethlehem Place Food Pantry seeks to implement the teachings of Jesus Christ by sharing and loving our neighbors through the compassionate distribution of food and hygiene items to the less fortunate residents of northwestern Collin County.
What began 25 years ago as a ministry of Prosper United Methodist Church continues to reach out to those in need today. In 2011, we served well over 300 people through our weekly distribution. Bethlehem Place provides food to an average of 160 people each month. Additionally, last year we distributed Thanksgiving Baskets to 115 families and coordinated the Angel Tree program for Prosper that provided Christmas gifts to 220 local children. We encourage neighbors to donate food and/or hygiene items. We also greatly appreciate financial donations that allow us to purchase the specific items we need at any given time. Anyone interested in supporting Bethlehem Place can call Elizabeth Turner at 469.296.8877 or email at bethlehemplace@prosperunithedmethodist.com.
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VLife Church is a growing, vibrant, and contemporary body of Christian believers who have a passion for life, love, and divine purpose to reach the world with the love and transforming power of Jesus Christ. Recently, we have embarked on a mission to revive one of the oldest, and most notable church buildings in the City of McKinney. It is a place where people from all genres of life will be able to worship and enjoy the presence of God. It is also an endeavor that you can participate in by sharing a financial gift. Visit us online at: www.vlifechurch.com to learn about VLife Church. Thank you! Sincerely, Mike Connaway Senior Pastor Advertisement
he lazy hot days of summer are here and wouldn’t it be cool and relaxing to lie around in your own beautiful, economical swimming pool. We have designed a new way of building pools with our Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF). We have been building homes, basements, safe rooms, gun vaults and storm shelters for the past fifteen years. When brainstorming for our own pool, we discovered that the same ICF forms that we’d been using,
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were also perfect for constructing swimming pools. We can design and build any shape pool a customer desires. The forms help maintain the water temperature. Because the forms insulate the main structure of the pool from the cooler ground temperature, this enables it to maintain a warmer water temperature until late in the year. Most people can swim late into the fall season without having to heat the pool due to the nature of the insulating forms, and their
ability to retain the water’s temperature and warmth. Due to the North Texas expansive soil types, we have found the ICF structure works well to keep the pool from cracking as happens with other types of pools. We can still use gunite or a gunite type material for the interior of the pool. We can also use vinyl liners in our pools where the soil is very expansive. Through our research and construction of pools with these forms, we are
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realizing more and more that they are easier for the homeowner to maintain. Our construction time is no longer than other pool construction and costs tend to be less expensive than conventional pools. Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) have revolutionized the way homes are being built, and homeowners everywhere are realizing it is time to build responsibly and sustainably. When you build with ICFs, you will get a home that has increased strength and protection for your family. You’ll reduce your home’s energy consumption. Plus, you’ll get the quality, value and style you deserve. R&R Builders, LLC uses Reward Wall Systems for our ICFs. Their 5-in-1 ICF Wall allows us to complete 5 different trades all in one wall, and save you money. So just how much does it cost to build your new home with Reward ICFs? At the beginning of 2010, the cost was about 5% – 10% more than a traditionally built house. No other wall system currently, can match the
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performance of an ICF system, and when you factor in the energy savings, the difference is made up in a very short time. Many costs can be reduced, eliminated or offset by using Insulating Concrete Forms, such as smaller mechanical systems, lower maintenance costs, lower insurance premiums and increased resale value. Our insulated concrete homes are highly insulating with a R32+ rating, will withstand 200 mile an hour winds. Because of this, insurance companies are charging lower premiums for insuring these type homes. Our test homes are showing utilities running at least 50% cheaper to heat and cool. We can build a storm shelter addition to an existing home which normally consists of a closet area without windows. In new construction, we usually design our storm shelters in the master bedroom closet, creating a true and authentic safe room. We also build walk-in gun vaults for the collectors. These are highly secured areas, not limited to guns, but to any type of valuables. Our walls and roofs are six inch thick concrete and they are all poured at
the same time. They include a steel door especially made for this type of area. Similar to a bank vault, when the door is closed, the locking mechanisms are bolted into place. When finished, our homes look like any other, on the inside and out. You would never know they are made with the insulating concrete forms until you receive your lower insurance premiums and your substantially lower utility bills. We can also act as a sub-contractor for other builders or developers, in order to install our specialty home wall systems, gun vaults, safe rooms, and storm shelters. Roger Chumley is the owner of R & R Builders, LLC. We are a family owned and operated business that specializes in custom home construction and commercial development. Contact us at 214-794-1290 or by email at rewardtx@flash.net.
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As we move into the sweltering heat of July and August, it is abundantly clear that enjoying life in Texas must certainly include some type of water!
ith our mild climate and long, hot summers, you can enjoy your outdoor pool, spa, sitting area and court yard for 7 – 8 months out of the year. In recent years the popularity of the backyard outdoor experience has shifted from your simple backyard swimming pool into much, much more. These days, the swimming pool is just one part of the overall recreation equation, when you factor
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the entire backyard experience. Covered back patios and shaded arbors with outdoor kitchens, fireplaces or fire pits and outdoor bar setups with flat screen TVs are just a few of the more popular features that homebuyers are considering. These outdoor features have become just as important as the indoor features when selecting a home. Last week in Prosper, I asked a family to give me their top 2 or 3 “must-haves” for their home and number one on their list was an outdoor living area. More specifically, the location of that outdoor space should be just beyond the family room with French doors so they could enjoy both areas at once. The mom stated that her favorite room in the home is her Outdoor Living Space. Although you may not recuperate 100% of the dollars you invest in your outdoor living area, it will enhance the resale value of your home in more ways than one. And at the same time, you are spending more quality time with your family in a nice, safe and peaceful environment, in your own private backyard! Stay and Play Cut your precious time in half! Instead of packing your bags to head over to your community pool, simply open up your back door and jump on in for a summer cool down! Picture this following your afternoon swim. Open your grill and throw on some burgers and kabobs in the privacy of your own backyard. With your outdoor living area, you can cook, eat and entertain without even dirtying your main kitchen! Once you have experienced this luxury you may never want to leave your home again on the weekends. Your outdoor living area will also afford you the option of inviting more friends and family to your home. It also enhances your ability to entertain with additional space and fun activities.
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Rather than spending thousands of dollars on your family vacation, try this option. Take your typical vacation time off, and then hang out with the family and relax in your own backyard. Swim, eat, sleep, watch TV and finish off your evenings by the fire pit. You could even pop open a tent! Clearly you can see that by taking advantage of your backyard haven, homeowners in Texas are rewarded with tons of pure enjoyment and happy faces. And the investment is well worth it. Pool Positives Most families invest in a pool not for the financial gain but for pure family enjoyment. Although that enjoyment is the main reason families invest in a pool, there are a plethora of positives to adding a pool in your own backyard. From a realtor perspective, RESALE – in two different ways. First, your overall property value will increase based on the year the home was built and on the age of the pool. Second, a pool minimizes your “Days on the Market”. During the months of May thru September homes sell 28% faster in North Dallas than homes without a pool. To me, this is huge. As realtors we all know that “it only takes one buyer”, but when you add 28% to the equation your odds increase tremendously. Hypothetically speaking, put yourself in a buyers position. Imagine looking for a home in North Dallas during the month of July. You and your family see 5 homes in one day. One of the homes has a covered patio and a nice refreshing pool in the backyard. Which one would catch your eye? In most cases the home with the pool wins, and the appeal for a pool grows during the hot summer months in Texas. In most cases, it goes without saying that the quicker you sell your home, the more money you can put into your pocket.
And the faster turnaround time equals less stress on your family during the selling period. Therefore, looking at the big picture of investing in a pool, you may want to strongly consider it. Enjoy your life to the fullest and spend more time at the
Homefront with fewer reasons to go elsewhere. With today’s technology, you can do so many things with your pool. There are apps available to control your pool from your iPhone or android smart phone. Here is a cool example; if you’re at dinner you can turn on your spa, begin to heat your pool and turn on the lights with one touch of a finger from your favorite restaurant in Dallas. This way everything is ready when you arrive home. All in all, my expertise exists in real estate not in pools. However I’ve been exposed to real estate from all angles and I will be excited to share my experience with you anytime. Your real estate friend, Randy Summers 214-498-0083
Fire Ants are another one of the annoying pests that we have around North Texas 22 | Texas Homefront Magazine
hey seem to surface almost everywhere with their characteristic mounds of dirt that warn us to stay away. If the mound is disturbed, the ants will almost immediately come out of hiding and seek to climb vertically up anything nearby, hopefully not your leg! Remember, Fire ants do not bite; they sting and inject a small amount of venom. This can cause either a small blister on the surface of the skin or for more sensitive people with allergies,
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whole body allergic reactions such as shock. The best tip for avoiding medical emergencies is to learn how to recognize the fire ant mounds and do everything you can to avoid them! The Fire Ant Sting A single worker fire ant can sting multiple times. When stinging, the ant attaches itself to the skin with its mandibles, pulling, pinching and slightly raising the skin, causing a pricking sensation. The ant then arches its back, doubling under its abdomen forcing its stinger into the tissue. It may then remove the stinger and then rotate on its head and sting several more times, leaving a circular pattern of stings. The intense burning sensation that occurs when the venom is injected is how the ants got their name. Fire ants are especially dangerous because large numbers of ants work together to aggressively defend their
mounds, usually resulting in multiple bites in only a very short time. Infants, neurologically compromised people, the elderly and otherwise immobile or unaware people are at higher risk and should be closely monitored. Because ants use a bite to attach themselves to the skin, it is difficult to get them off by jumping into water or running water on them from a hose. The best method is to rub them off briskly with your hand or by using a cloth. The site of the sting will hurt for at least a few minutes and then swell into a bump or hive within about 20 minutes. Within a day after the sting, most people develop a white fluid filled pustule, which will dry up in a few weeks. Although stings are not usually lifethreatening, they can be easily infected if the skin is broken. Controlling Fire Ants The old remedy of pouring hot water onto a fire ant mound still works! Over the counter remedies like Amdro seem to work, at least for a short period of time, but the fire ants always seem to resurface in another location. A proactive approach of prevention seems to be easier than a reactive approach of chasing new mounds around all summer. One granule that has proven to be effective for up to a year of protection is called Top Choice with Fipronil as the active ingredient. Because it is so potent, it is only sold to licensed pest control and landscaping businesses. For a not so toxic of an approach, Beneficial Nematodes can be applied to the lawn and beds around the home. Beneficial Nematodes are live microscopic organisms that occur naturally in soil throughout the world. They are parasitic to insect pests that typically have a larval stage of life in the soil and are said to be effective against fleas, ticks, chiggers, and some fire ants. Advertisement
Greg Dyer is a Prosper resident and also a Texas licensed pest control operator, who owns and operates Prosper’s own Green Pest Guys. References cited: The Texas A&M extension web site provided much of the material for this article, you can learn more about this topic at: www.fireant.tamu.edu.
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Nothing is more beautiful than a clear stream or babbling brook and finding a quiet spot to sit while listening to the soothing sounds.
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ying down in a meadow as fall approaches and sitting on a park bench to enjoy the birds sing the choruses of spring are all nature’s way of clearing our minds and bodies of the stresses we face daily. I think all of us at some time have enjoyed what Mother Nature has provided to us. We are often lured in by the beauty of this world, thankful and always mindful of our surroundings. Thankful as we may be, some never stop to look into how we impact that which we hold so dear. Our “Carbon Footprint”, a tired phrase over-used by politicians to create a measuring stick to weigh against an opponent. Yet, we do impact our environment somewhat. You don’t have to believe in the green movement, or ozone layer depletion or any other radical environmental movement to come to the realization that each of us affects our existence
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by the consumption of resources. In our region we have established that water conservation is vital to us. It is monumental in some counties where water is drying up, and soaring temps coupled with unpredictable rainfall have wreaked havoc on water resources. It is time to act. The ABC’s of water conservation is about education, as well as learning what we can do as individuals to help stem the tide of depleting water resources. We agree, no arguments, so what can we do? There are many methods of conserving water that are easy to implement, fairly straightforward and require little to no hit to your pocket book. First, the easiest way to conserve water is by adjusting your rate of consumption. This method is as easy as tying your shoes. Simply keep track of how and when you use water the most, from cooking to cleaning, brushing your teeth, or
taking a shower. Try to limit your consumption by simply using less, cutting off the water as you brush your teeth, or take shorter showers and less baths. Secondly, there are several key instructions a homeowner can implement with very little noticeable impact to your family, however, considerable water savings result. Take the time to plant drought resistant plantings, shrubs and lawn turf. Do your research. Utilize water holding mulches to line flowerbeds, direct gutter spouts to planting areas, use your irrigation system responsibly and provide sufficient maintenance to catch broken heads or damaged water lines. Thirdly, be conscious of every aspect of using water. Turn off the hose as you wash the car and insulate pipes to prevent condensation. Taking the time to recognize wasteful habits and minimizing over consumption are the key factors of common sense water conservation. Each of us has a responsibility to our families, neighbors and future generations to recognize our impact on our environment. We must take stock in how, when, where and why we consume what we do and we must be responsible. Let’s all work together to keep Mother Nature beautiful, so that those who follow in our footsteps will have a babbling brook to relax by.
With all of the articles and amazing pictures of Texas pools, are the wheels in your mind turning as to how YOU can have one in your backyard?
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r have you ever walked through your home and wished you had another bedroom or wanted to remodel the kitchen or bathrooms? It is fun to dream but someone eventually asks, “How are we going to pay for it?” Unless you are fortunate enough to have saved excess cash, you are probably looking to borrow. But how do you go about it? Is it too complicated to understand? Is it worth the effort? It need not be difficult. Your local community banker can guide you through it.
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Step One Determine what you want to accomplish and how much it will cost. As you work with your contractor, define the scope of the project and develop a budget. It is important to get this right. Changes made during construction can be expensive and if the budget exceeds your financing, you may be faced with reworking your loan or paying the difference out of pocket. Step Two Understand your financing options. Small projects may be financed from unsecured “Signature” loans or loans secured by savings or other assets. As the project increases in cost the options will include using the house as collateral for the loan. This will require sufficient equity in the house. Here are some options: 1. Cash Out Refinancing of Your Mortgage. If the total of the first mortgage and the amount you wish to borrow do not exceed 80% of the value of the house, you can refinance your mortgage and draw out the money you need to do the construction. Typically,
the new mortgage will carry a higher rate when the cash out becomes part of the loan but the advantages include being able to stretch the payments out over a longer period of time. 2. Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit. Again if you have sufficient equity you can add an additional loan secured by the house. Interest rates on these types of loans tend to be higher than a first mortgage loan. These types of loans can be simple to obtain once you meet the specific requirements of Texas law. 3. Mechanics Lien Home Improvement Loans. Before Texas made Home Equity Loans legal in our state, home improvement was financed by this method. The Bank makes a loan secured by a second lien on the house with the assistance of the contractor. The primary advantage to this loan is that it can later be rolled into a mortgage refinancing without the higher cash out interest rate premium.
One disadvantage is that many banks do not offer this option. The biggest obstacle to obtaining financing is lack of equity in your home. In most cases the lender will require that the total loans on the home not exceed 80% of value. As with nearly all credit, banks require sufficient income to repay the debt and a good credit history. Now you are armed with the basic information, it is time to build that dream pool, or begin your remodel. Call your local community banker with your questions and go get the backyard and/or home of your dreams. Bob Lowrimore joined Prosper Bank as President in 2009. Prosper Bank is a community bank with locations in Prosper and Frisco.
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elloT My name Is Elizabeth Stack and I am proud to be your ReMax Luxury Agent! Allow me to introduce you to two of the finest luxury homes in the Collin County marketplace today. Look at 760 Del Carmen. This is an immaculate, barely lived in Mediterranean style home with a stunning front entry, and an additional motherin-law suite downstairs. This lovely home also features huge living areas, including a family room that opens to a kitchen with breakfast nook. There’s a gas cooktop stove, granite countertops, and a large island as well as a flagstone and cedar covered patio. There’s also plenty of room for a pool and spa. There is an incredible master suite with sitting area and fireplace which makes for a wonderful place for rest and relaxation. And for additional recreational pleasure, this lovely home is located across from a park and is within walking distance to a community pool and stocked pond.
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Granite countertops in the kitchen add durability and style to the expansive kitchen. An island is installed as well as a first floor laundry with granite countertops. A built in sink and utility room with room for an extra fridge are provided. A 900 square foot balcony adds expansive views of the surrounding properties and you can fit all of your cars in the fourcar garage, with epoxy finished floors. Now take a good look at 2675 Twelve Oaks. This beautiful custom Kleber home sits on 2.45 acres in Prosper just 10 miles from Frisco. This home looks brand new with no detail overlooked. You are allowed up to 2 horses and there’s plenty of room for a pool or sport court, and French doors lead you out onto the beautiful outdoor living area. The upstairs has a fabulous game room with a sitting area. The media room and wet bar are made to suit the most enjoyable family experiences. Gorgeous custom stone adorns the fireplace, imported from Syria. Stone and travertine floors fill this gorgeous home, except in the bedrooms. To top it off, there is a lovely, quaint wine cellar for those who love to indulge. www.TXhomefront.com | 31