Team DiMuria Katy Texas Blog: May 2009

Are you looking forsomething to do outside while you are enjoying these beautiful summer nights? Villagio Town Center in Katy has the answer! Villagio has many different restaurants to choose from in which you can dine "al fresco" or inside, and afterward, starting May 28 and going through August 28th, you can then sit down, relax, and enjoy live music too!

Villagio will be starting their Summer "Party on the Plaza" series. Beginning May 28th, every Thursday evening through August 28th, they will offer live music along with promotional giveaways. What a great way to spend an evening! No matter what kind of fare you are looking for , Villagio has it! Restaurants include Berryhill for Mexican fare, Santorini for Greek fare, Tokyo Steak & Sushi for Japanese, Sadia Sports bar & grill for casual dining, Angel & Ox for Irish drink and fare, and soon 3 Olives for Italian fare,  plus Spalato for authentic Italian Ice Cream. If you are looking for a relaxing place for just a drink or a glass of wine, you can sit and relax at the e Bar.  AS you can see, there are many restaurants right here in Katy, all in one location, to choose from ! You no longer have to travel downtown to experience great cuisine!

Villagio is walking distance to many of the residential areas surrounding it as well. You can also find a great used or new book to read at The Bookworm, shop for trendy cloths at YaYa. There is a full service salon as well.

Be there Thursday evenings this summer for a fun evening that you can enjoy with your family or friends! Go online to www.New2Katy.com under the Arts & Entertaiment category to get details on what bands are playing and other Prty on the PLaza details. See you there!

Grand Lakes in Katy Texas is one of the most beautiful Master Planned Communities in the State of Texas. The unique design of the sections within Grand Lakes add to the wonderful lifestyle choice that homeowners make when the choose to live this Houston suburb.

Many Master Planned Communities tend to follow a similar path, nice sections, pocket parks, pools, tennis, and a lake or two. Grand Lakes and renowned developer Trendmaker decided to make each section a separate meeting place. Each of the five distinct sections have large central parks in the middle of the section to allow an easy stroll to meet neighbors or just have a seat and watch the world go by. Lakes wander through each section with large walking or jogging trails that surround the neighborhoods to give each resident access to the beauty of the water. Trendmaker also used wood exterior fencing instead of brick to give a more natural feel to each section. The beautiful area pools, splash pads, parks, tennis courts, lakes, and walking trails allow residents the ability to enjoy the great outdoors alone or with neighbors.

To say Grand Lakes is a community friendly to families would be an understatement...lots of kids here...all ages! Award Winning KatyISD schools are part of the family appeal and make this an even easier choice for those moving to the area.

Homes in Grand Lakes are priced from under $200,000 to over $600,000 with lakefront, half acre lots, and park view lots all available within the price range. Many of the top builders within the Katy area built homes in Grand Lakes so buyers will have a great choice of options and features.

If you are relocating to Katy from out of state...or doing a local move you should add Grand Lakes to your shopping list.

For more information about Grand Lakes or any of our beautiful Katy are subdivisions or Master Planned Communities call Team DiMuria at 832-687-0706 or e-mail Jeff or Mona at jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com

You can also visit us on the web at: www.KatyHomeFinder.com

Mona runs a local area book club for the Cinco Ranch Ladies Club. They always held the meeting at the home of one of the book club members. Usually they would rotate from member to member, that months host would supply some snacks and wine (as most of you already know...a book club is really a disguise for a wine club)...and also get caught doing all the clean up after everyone left.

About a year ago Mona got the idea to start holding the book club at accommodating local establishments. Two great reasons to do this: Help local businesses out...and reduce clean up for the host. Here are a couple of places in Katy you can go and have a great book club meeting:

1. The Wine Next Door:

The Wine Next Dooris in the LaCenterra Mall in Cinco Ranch. They will be very accommodating to your book club (you can usually section off a small part in the corner and grab come comfy chairs). No need to bring wine here...they have great prices on a wide assortment of wines and a wonderful dessert menu. Call ahead to let them know you want to hold a book club meeting at (281) 395-4100 or go to: www.thewinenextdoor.com

The Bookworm Shopis in the Villagio Town Center in Cinco Ranch. Why not hold your book club meeting in a book store? They have a back section that is perfect for a medium sized group...and if you call ahead they can get your group the book you choose to read...sometimes even re-sale! You can BYOB (remember this is really a wine club) and please call ahead to set it up at (281) 693-READ or go to: www.thebookwormshop.com  

If you are one of the many bloggers who has taken the time to ask why Azzarelli's moved from Villagio Town Center to Grand Lakes we have some new news. The corner spot that was occupied by Azzarelli's will be the new home of 3 Olives Italian Restaurant.

3 Olives was previously located on Westheimer in Houston. The restaurant had good food and some wonderful reviews...so if it translates well to Katy we will have another fine offering for those interested in good Italian food (my favorite) at a reasonable price.

We do not have a set date for opening...so more news to follow. 

The Wine Next Door, located in the LaCenterra Mall in Cinco Ranch, Katy Texas is hosting a wine tasting Saturday night May 9th. The tasting is called "Spring Around the World." Spring and Summer wines will be featured from Italy, Argentina, France, Australia, and the U.S. These wines will be fruity and refreshing.

The tasting will be held from 6-8pm and the cost to participate is only $12. The Wine Next Door is located in the southern part of the LaCenterra Mall located on the corner of Cinco Ranch Blvd and the Grand Parkway (Hwy 99) in the Master Planned Community of Cinco Ranch.

Thinking of a move to the Katy area?

Katy is one of the top relocation destinations in the United States. The proximity to the Houston Energy Corridor, the incredible amount of medical facilities, and the award winning KatyISD school district are all large employment bases that consistently move in...and out potential buyers and sellers.

For those relocating to the Katy area for work, quality of life issues, or retirement you will have a wide array of subdivisions and master planned communities to choose from. You should base your decision on what your needs and likes are. We concentrate our business on the Katy area south of I-10...so here is a short breakdown of the different options you will have. (If you choose to delve further into any of the potential neighborhood options you have see our tags for subdivision and master planned community series).

The difference between a subdivision and master planned community is that in a master planned community all aspects of the plan are controled by the developer. Commercial, residential, street signs, even the trees and plants on the streets are designed and approved.

Cinco Ranch, Grand Lakes, Seven Meadows, Westheimer Lakes North, Green Trails, and Pine Mill Ranch are all examples of master planning. Subdivisions tend only to design residential areas within the confines of the development. They also tend to be smaller...although this is not always the case. Nottingham, Kelliwood, Memorial Parkway, West Memorial, Cimarron, Governor's Place, Windsor Park, Katy Creek, and Mills Point are all examples of Subdivisions.

The Highlights:

Cinco Ranch, Grand Lakes, and Seven Meadows are three of the top Master Planned Communities in the entire Country. They run seamlessly into and around each other...so you really only need to decide which flavor of community you like best!

Cinco Ranch is the largest and one of the best known master planned communities. It was second in new home sales in the U.S. in 2008, and is well ahead of that pace in 2009. Cinco Ranch boast many pools, parks, playgrounds, a nature preserve, boating, lakes, fishing, tennis and basketball courts, the Cinco Ranch Water Park, The Golf Club at Cinco Ranch, and the Beach Club...a man made beach, all for the use of Cinco Ranch residents.

Grand Lakes is smaller then Cinco Ranch with more of a natureal feel. The neighborhood fencing in Grand Lakes is wood instead of the more formal brick used in Cinco Ranch. Multiple pools, parks, a putting green, lakes, fishing, and walking trails highlight the many amenities offered by this world class community.

Seven Meadows falls in between the natural feel of Grand Lakes and the more formal feel of Cinco Ranch....but they offer a wide range of amenities in the beautiful community. Pools, parks, walking trails, a movie theater, and exercise building are part of the amenity package.

When it comes subdivisions a few stand out. Kelliwood, Windsor Park and Nottingham give a wide selection of price range and amenities.

Kelliwood has many sections and price ranges. While the amenities in Kelliwood tend to be limited, the homes are beautiful with many gated sections like LakeForest and Lakes of Buckingham. Patio homes, golf course lots, and custom homes all dot the landscape.

Windsor Park and Windsor Park Lakes are two subdivisions in the eastern section of the Katy area south of I-10. Windsor Park offers large estate style homes on bigger lots. Windsor Park Lakes could easily exist in California or Florida...lots of palm trees, Spanish style homes, and surrounding lakes with boating and fishing.

Nottingham is the oldest community in the South Katy area. It started the building boom in Katy and is known for its varried architecture (from modern style to Victorian) and large trees. The amenities are limited, but you can purchase a yearly pool/tennis package that is available to the neighborhood for around $150 a year.

The Master Planned Community of Cinco Ranch is now the number one selling community in Houston and Texas...and number two in the entire nation for new home sales. In 2008, 775 new construction homes were sold in Cinco Ranch...a seven percent increase over 2007 making it one of a hand full of communities in the entire nation that saw a sales increase! Add to that statistic the fact that through April 19th of 2009 Cinco Ranch is 4.5% ahead of it's stellar 2008 pace. You can see why some many buyers are attracted to this amazing community. Another statistic that help a potential buyer realize Cinco Ranch should be at the top of their shopping list is the average sales price, which also rose by 11% in 2008...I know of quite a few communities that would love to have boasted a double digit increase in sales price for 2008!!!

For you out of area buyers who are considering moving to the Houston area, Cinco Ranch is a Master Planned Community on west of the City of Houston that you should strongly consider. It is a 7600 acre development that is full of amenities for those who own homes within community. The amenities include eight area pools including The Cinco Ranch Waterpark, man-made BeachClub, a nature preserve, numerous parks, tennis courts, basketball courts, lakes, boating, fishing, walking and bike trails, and of course the beautiful Golf Club at Cinco Ranch (a public course with reduced feed for residents).

Prices for new construction and re-sale homes start at about $150,000 to well over 1,000,000. You will have many choices for your neighborhood including private gated sections, 55+ senior only facilities, lake and golf lots, as well as sections designed for easy commutes to downtown and the Houston Energy Corridor. The award winning KatyISD school district makes it a wonderful choice for families.