Carl Winters Blog, Real Estate Inspector, New Braunfels, Texas

My Inspection From Walmart - I had my badge on today after my last inspection and was standing in line at Walmart when the person behind me asked  what did the badge mean, advanced inspector. I explained to him briefly that it was for a home inspection, structural and mechanical to identify items that may need to be repaired or in need of further observation.

The home buyer would have the home inspected prior to purchase by someone like myself to identify items that may need repair or replacement. I also informed them that we also represent the seller that may be preparing to sell their home. The reason being, they would be able to fix or replace these items before they put the house on the market.

Why guess about a properties condition when you can have a professional investigate, review and summarize the property for you. 

The man asked me for my card. I quickly pulled a card out of my billfold and asked if he should ever need an inspector to please call. I didn't think much about it, just a little PR.

Well, about two hours ago this person called and scheduled an inspection. It is for a 4300 sq. ft. home with a septic. Always be on your best behavior, you never know when and where your next inspection may come from. Remember me next time you are standing in line at Walmart.

My trip to Walmart was well worth the wait in line to check out. 

Charting a course for the future...somewhat like sailing a ship and deciding which direction to go (north, east, south or west).  If only it could be that easy and set the compass and know the direction is best for our business.

                                                 Can you set your Compass in the Right Direction

                                                 Put on your glasses and tell me what you see now and in the future

Charting a course for the future reminds me of our industry. Do we really know which direction to go? Do we take extra courses that we really don't need (why not pocket the money is what we think). Do you invest in building repairs to the real estate office? Do you invest in new software or hardware (or do you wait and see)? As an inspector do I buy some new equipment or attend seminars when I already have enough credits. (Does this justify the expense at this point in time)?

The unknowns are all around us; are "we" frozen in time? Not to scare you but these are some of the decisions I see all of us making. How long do we wait and see? Not forever I hope.

Is there even a twinkle of hope that business owners will again begin to hire? Until this happens everything is at a stand still. Hopefully our leaders will get this economy back on track. Business owners large and small will again begin to manufacture and have available JOBS. Jobs that will allow folks to again buy a home, furnishings, expand services as each industry depends on the other as we all know so well.

As for me, I'm in the wait and see mode. I do have my compass and deciding which way to go...chart it for "now" and in the "future" and hope all turns out well. Life is an adventure; if you go in the wrong direction you can start over.

How about you? How are you going to chart your course?

For our friends, family and folks in Comal County TX time is to chart your course. There are some very nice properties for sale in this county and at a good price, if you think you may be in the market to purchase a home, make contact with one of your local realtors. If this should happen please give me the opportunity to do the home inspection. Carl Winters, TREC License #3630 serving Comal County TX since 1994.

                                                                              Thank You!

                                                                           Carl and Ceil Winters

September 4, 2010 Localism Sponsorship for Comal County TX (Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, Bulverde).

                                                       Are you old enough to remember this song?

School days, school days Dear old Golden Rule days 'Reading and 'riting and 'rithmetic Taught to the tune of the hick'ry stick......This is all I can remember.

                                                               First Day of School and Times

Well it's getting to be that time of the year. Here is some information that may be helpful for folks already living or will be new to Comal County Texas.

2010-2011 School Year Information for Comal I.S.D.
www.comalisd.org

First Day of School is Monday, Aug. 23, 2010

Meet the Teacher/Open House Dates & Times
School Hours * Meet the Teacher

Elementary Schools - 07:45 a.m. to 02:45 p.m.
 
Secondary Schools - 08:30 a.m. to 03:55 p.m. 

Open House - Visit the website for your school and specific information 

                                                                        Comal I.S.D.

                                (   Remember to always practice safe driving when in school zones)

A Grand Opening tomorrow, July 29, 2010  in New Braunfels, Texas. I'm sure you'll see some new faces, but will also get to see many friends and neighbors. One more sign that we continue to grow.

                                                                   H.E.B. New Braunfels

H.E.B. will open the second H.E.B. in New Braunfels,Texas tomorrow. This is a great day, a nice new and big store with plenty of parking. Did you hear me....plenty of parking. It will be located at the intersection of Loop 337 and Hwy. 46. Walgreen's is right across the street and behind that The Scooter Store and right down the road is New Braunfels High School. Whew! This is going to be a busy intersection.

                                                        A little about the new H.E.B. store.

The 88,000-square-foot grocery store is opening in the WestPointe Village Shopping Center, where H-E-B will serve as the anchor tenant. Once fully staffed, the store will employ more than 250 people. Yhea! Jobs.

The New Braunfels store will offer area residents new store features, including a healthy living department that will sell organic fruits and vegetables, as well as specialty cheese and wine departments, and a tortilleria.

I know this is going to more convenient for us. We are glad to see another big retail store call New Braunfels Home.

I'm sure glad I didn't have to do a property inspection on this one.

Localism News for New Braunfels, TX July 28, 2010.....See ya at H.E.B.

                                            ________Carl and Ceil Winters_______

HAVE YOU EVER FELT YOUR SELF RETURNING FROM YOU VACATION FEELING LIKE YOU CAN CONQUER THE WORLD?         

 YOU ARE REFRESHED AND ENERGIZED, JUST LIKE THE ENERGIZER BUNNY. YOUR MIND IS FLOODED WITH ALL THE TO DO'S AND YOUR LIST OF GET ORGANIZED, GET INVOLVED....YES YOU GET WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS.  
              YOU FEEL LIKE SUPERMAN OR SUPERWOMAN WITH IDEAS AND ENERGY YOU HAD NOT FELT SINCE YOUR LAST VACATION....BUT THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT...YOUR MIND IS TELLING YOU  TO

    GET

#1   GET    ORGANIZED SO I CAN SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE FAMILY
#2   GET    ON A DIET AND LOOSE THAT WEIGHT
#3   GET    FOCUSED AND CONCENTRATE GROWING MY BUSINESS
#4   GET    ON THE EXERCISE REGIME (WELL MAYBE THIS SHOULD BE AT THE BOTTOM)
#5   GET    ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES AND DO SOME VOLUNTEER WORK
#6   GET    BUSY ON REDOING THE WEBSITE
#7   GET    MORE INVOLVED WITH ACTIVE RAIN, TWITTER, FACEBOOK (NICE THOUGHT)
#8   GET    THE GARAGE AND OFFICE CLUTTER CLEANED, THROWN OWN OR PACKED AWAY
#9   WELLTHAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT....I'M ALREADY TIRED THINKING ABOUT ALL THE GET'S I PLAN ON    DOING. I'LL JUMP DOWN TO #10.
#10 GET    BUSY AND PLAN ANOTHER VACATION. (MY BRAIN LIKES THIS WAY OF THINKING BEST).

                         Ummmm Another Vacation Sounds Nice

                                               DOES ANYBODY OUT THERE EVER EXPERIENCE THIS FEELING?

 I GUESS I BEST- GET -SO I CAN AT LEAST ACCOMPLISH SOME OR AT LEAST ONE OF THESE TEN PROJECTS. MAYBE I'LL START WITH #10 another vacation sounds nice. Then I'll start on #1.

IF YOU PLAN ON BUYING OR SELLING A HOME, BUILDING A HOME IN COMAL COUNTY THEN YOU BEST GET BUSY AND CALL YOUR REALTOR, CONTRACTOR, AND HOME INSPECTOR TO GET THIS PROJECT ACCOMPLISHED.

                                   Visit Canyon Lake, Gruene, New Braunfels for a great vacation Texas vacation

                                                                                           Tube the Guadalupe

                                                      Schlitterbahn                                                     Gruene Dance Hall         

.

Look who stopped by for breakfast this morning. Noltice the horns are in velvet. These are Texas Hill Country Deer over here at Canyon Lake. Notice we have green grass since the drought ended. Yhea!

 If you find yourself moving into the Canyon Lake area expect to have visitors. Look for native plants as the white tail deer love non-native plants.

 If you are buying or building a home please remember to have a home inspection. 

 Tip: If the existing home has a septic system it is recommended to have the septic pumped before you  purchase.

Blog: July 14, 2010 Localism news for Canyon Lake Texas

                                            BEWARE: Annual skunk mating season approaches Comal County TX

They are cute and can be friendly but "hold your nose"
 
Driving around the Hill Country can be pleasurable and relaxing - until a skunk ruins the mood or you hear your dog barking because a male skunk is doing a nutsy type dance looking for his mate.

According to an article in the local paper "Skunk mating season runs from the end of February for seven to 10 weeks and biologists say this is the time the normally shy striped critters are seen searching out mates."Males are the ones that typically wander around to look for females," "During mating season, a skunk can travel about four to five miles away from their habitat, whereas they normally don't head out farther than half a mile."

All five North American skunk species live in Texas. Striped, spotted and hog-nosed varieties can be found around Comal County.

Striped are the most commonly spotted and hog-nosed are slightly rare, he said.

So next time you meet up with a skunk I suggest you turn and run as fast as you can. I suspect he or she will do the same.

________________________________Complete Inspection Service________________________________
 Your Comal County Home Inspector - Carl Winters, Advanced Inspector, Lic. #3630 for Existing home, new home phase inspections, condo's and commercial properties. 830-660-0131 or 830-899-2441 (since 1994) Licensed by the state TAREI and Registered with TRCC for new home phase inspections.

Blog Feb. 20, 2009 (Localism

                                                    Thank You Carl & Ceil Winters

I always begin to take down and put away on New Year's Day. Today is New Year's Day 2009.

I have two beautiful Poinsettias, ONE LARGE AND ONE SMALL.

The Ponsettias are the prettiest I have seen in a few years and I think I am going to give them a helping hand and let them live at our house.

 Here is some information I wish I had when I first received my Poinsettias; this is  some information that I found on E-How that is helpful.

When You First Bring Your Poinsettia Home
Light - Place it near a sunny window. South, east or west facing windows are preferable to a north facing window. Poinsettias are tropicals and will appreciate as much direct sunlight as you can provide.

Heat - To keep the poinsettia in bloom as long as possible, maintain a temperature of 65 - 75 degrees F. during the day. Dropping the temperature to about 60 degrees F. at night will not hurt the plant. However, cold drafts or allowing the leaves to touch a cold window ca injure the leaves and cause premature leaf drop. If you've ever see a gangly poinsettia in bloom, with only a couple of sad looking leaves hanging on, it was probably exposed to temperatures that were too cool or extreme shifts in temperature.

Water -(I usually over-water so be careful). Water the plant whenever the surface feels dry to the touch. Water until it drains out the bottom, but don't let the plant sit in water. Wilting is another common cause of leaf drop. A wilted plant can be revived and salvaged, but it will take another season to improve its appearance.

Humidity - Lack of humidity during dry seasons, in particular winter, is an ongoing houseplant problem. If your home tends to be dry and your poinsettia is in direct light, you will find yourself watering frequently, possibly every day.

After Christmas Care
January - March: Keep watering the poinsettia whenever the surface is dry.

April: Starting April 1st, gradually decrease water, allowing the to get dry between waterings. Be careful the stem does not begin to shrivel. This is a sign the plant is too stressed and is dying. In a week or two, when the plant has acclimated to this drying process, move it to a cool spot like the basement or a heated garage. You want to keep it at about 60 degrees F.

May: In mid-May, cut the stems back to about 4 inches and repot in a slightly larger container, with new potting soil. Water it well. Place the newly potted plant back into the brightest window you have and once again keep it at a temperature of 65 - 75 degrees F. Continue watering whenever the surface of the soil feels dry.

Watch for new growth. Once new growth appears, begin fertilizing every two weeks with a complete fertilizer. Follow fertilizer label recommendations.

June: More the poinsettia outside, pot and all. Keep it in a partially shaded location and maintain your watering and fertilizing schedule.

July: In early July, pinch back each stem by about one inch. This is to encourage a stout, well branched plant. If left unpinched, the poinsettia will grow tall and spindly.

August: By mid-August, the stems should have branched and leafed out. Once again, pinch or cut the new stems, leaving 3-4 leaves on each shoot. Bring the plant back indoors and back into your brightest window. Continue watering and fertilizing.

September: Continue regular watering and fertilizing. Make sure the temperature stays above 65 degrees

October Poinsettias are short-day plants, meaning their bud set is affected by the length of daylight. To re-bloom, poinsettias need about 10 weeks with 12 hours or less of sunlight per day. You will have to artificially create these conditions and it's crucial that you be diligent.

Beginning October 1st, keep your plant in complete darkness from 5 pm to 8 am. Any exposure to light will delay blooming. Use an opaque box or material to block out light. Many people place their plants in a closest, but if light gets in though the cracks or if you open and use the closet, it will affect the bud set.

Move the plant back to the sunny window during the daytime and continue watering and fertilizing.

November: Around the last week of November, you can stop the darkness treatment and allow the plant to remain in the window. You should see flower buds at this point

December - Stop fertilizing about December 15th. Keep watering and treat your plant the way you did when you first brought it home in bloom. If all has gone well, it should be back in bloom and ready to begin the process all over again. What about poinsettias being poisonous?

If you are buying or building a home and should need a Home Inspection please call Complete Inspection Service - Carl Winters, Advanced Inspector, License #3630 at 830-660-0131. TRCC Registered for Phase Construction and a member of TAREI

                                                               HAPPY NEW YEAR - CEIL & CARL WINTERS

Everyone Welcome!

Our Spurs are doing great. We need your help to Spur the Spurs on to another V I C T O R Y

 Enjoy some great tasting Gumbo with Rice

                                                GO SPURS GO - GO SPURS GO

Have been thinking about the olden days when my mom and grandmother wore aprons. I wear one every Thanksgiving and Christmas but got to thinking why I don't wear one more often. Do you wear aprons?

Do you remember all the pretty aprons, most were home made, made out of left over material with rick-rack and little appliques.  Some were full and some were half. You could always see an apron thrown over the door or on the back of the chair.

Here are some aprons that my bring back some really, really, good memories.

My sister sent this to me. She still often wears aprons.

Some uses for Aprons:
  It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on some instances could
even used for  cleaning out dirty ears. Mother would put out a fresh apron every morning.

•   From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs,  fussy
  chicks,  sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the
  warming oven.
• And when the weather was cold, Grandma or Mother wrapped it around her arms to keep warm.
• When company  came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
• Those big old  aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over  the
  hot wood stove.
• Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled that old apron carried out the hulls.
• When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprisinghow
  much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
• When dinner was ready, Grandma or Mother walked out onto the porch, waved the
  apron, and the  men knew it was time to come in from the fields  to
  dinner.
• It will be a long time before someone invents something that will
  replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

In today's world we would go crazy trying to figure out a way to keep germs off the apron.
 
                                      I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron---except love.

If you are building or buying a home in Comal County Texas and looking for a  home inspector, please call Carl Winters, Complete Inspection Service, 830-660-0131. Advanced Inspectors Lic.#3630, TRCC Registered and Member of TAREI

                                                                          I live and work in Comal County

Thank You Carl and Ceil Winters

                                                                       Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas