On Tuesday October 6th, 2009 The Cinco Ranch Property Assn will be hosting its third annual National Night Out. It will be held this year at the LaCenterra Mall in Cinco Ranch in the Heritage Square (middle of the mall by the fountains).

The event is designed to be a community wide effort to keep neighborhoods and neighbors safe. Members of the local police, firefighters, and sheriff departments will speak about personal safety and crime trends in the Fort Bend County area as well as Cinco Ranch specifically.

Groups that will participate in this years event are the American Red Cross, Sunrise Senior Living, LaCenterra Mall, and local Insurance, Fire Dept, Police, and Fort Bend County Sheriff's Dept.

If you have any questions about Cinco Ranch or Katy TX real estate contact Team DiMuria at 281-492-5916 or jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com

on the web at: www.KatyHomeFinder.com

If we ever hear a complaint about the Katy area it is the lack of trees Katy has. This is not to say we do not have some sections that are nicely wooded...Kelliwood, Nottingham, Parts of Cinco Ranch, Green Trails, and Windsor Park all have large shade trees. To this end add Pin Oak Village.

Pin Oak Village is a subdivision in the Katy area just south of I-10 that is not only heavily treed...it also has a large variety of home styles...something that is unusual in the Katy/Houston area. If you are looking for a neighborhood that does not limit itself to traditional south Texas homes (read: 4 sides brick with some siding) you will like Pin Oak Village. You can find Tudors, Victorians, Colonials, and of course Traditional Texas Brick homes as part of the Pin Oak Village Landscape. The beautiful large trees and close proximity to I-10, The Katy Mills Mall, the new Memorial Hermann Hospital, the Houston Energy Corridor, and the Award Winning KatyISD School District make Pin Oak Village a good choice for those moving to Katy from another part of the Country or City.

Prices in Pin Oak Village range from around $200,000 to over $400,000 with home sizes ranging from around 2000 sqft to over 5000 sqft. If you like a neighborhood that does not have a cookie cutter feel to it with lots of shade trees...while still remaining close to all the amenities Katy has to offer....make sure to add Pin Oak Village to your home search!

If you have any questions about Cinco Ranch or Katy TX real estate contact Team DiMuria at 281-492-5916 or jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com

on the web at: www.KatyHomeFinder.com

If you have never had lunch at the Brookwood Community, a large residential complex for those with functional disabilities...you need to take the drive to Brookshire...it is a wonderful place with great food and a large retail shop that sells gifts made by the Brookwood residents.

The Brookwood Community has just opened a retail shop in the LaCenterra Mall in Cinco Ranch. It will carry many of the same gifts sold at the community itself. We have purchased many items at the Brookshire location including candles, Christmas gifts, and beautiful flowers.

The items they sell are amazing and the proceeds go to a great cause. On your next trip to LaCenterra stop by and check out what they have at Brookwood Community Gift Shop. It is located next to Eddie Bauer. The hours of operation are 11-7 Monday-Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday.

The LaCenterra Mall is located on the corner of the Grand Parkway (Hwy 99) and Cinco Ranch Blvd in Cinco Ranch, Katy TX.

For info about LaCenterra Mall or any Katy Real Estate questions contact Team DiMuria at 281-492-5961 or jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com

We are on the web at: www.KatyHomeFinder.com

The very successful Party on the Plaza promotion at Villagio Town Center has been extended through the entire month of October. Now that the temps are a bit lower and the sun goes down a little earlier this will be a great place to bring the family and have the kids run around the fountain!

here is the schedule of events each Thurday in October (entertainment starts around 7:30):

10/1 Headliner is Lost Together

10/8 Headliner is Grateful Geezer

10/15 Headliner is The Revelators

10/22 Headliner is Rico Jazz

10/29 Headliner is San Jaleo...also come for Spooky Salsa Night!

The Villagio Town Center is on the corner of Peek Rd and Westheimer Pkwy in Cinco Ranch, Katy.

If you have any questions about Villagio or any Katy Texas real estate questions please contact Team DiMuria at 281-492-5916 or jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com

Team DiMuria is on the web @ www.KatyHomeFinder.com

The Cinco Ranch modifications meeting is set for Tuesday October 20th at 6pm.

The meeting will be held at the Association office at 4025 S. Mason Rd, Katy, 77450 (just south of Westheimer on east side of Mason Rd).

If you are going to attempting to do any modifications like adding a pool or a deck or patio...you must present your plans (you...not your contractor) to the Association Office no later then October 16th by 5pm. If you miss the deadline you will need to wait until the November meeting.

If you have any questions about the Master Planned Community of Cinco Ranch...or Cinco Ranch or Katy real estate please contact Team DiMuria at jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com or 281-492-5916.

on the web at: www.KatyHomeFInder.com

The Texas Children's Hospital West Campus in Katy is quickly taking shape and is on schedule to open in 2010. The massive growth on the west side of Houston has many Hospital and medical facilities opening branches in the Katy area. Research has projected that the West Houston/Katy area will be the epicenter of Houston in short order with a 51 percent pediatric population growth between 2000 and 2015.

Other hospital chains with plans in the Katy area are Methodist Hospital and St Luke's. Memorial Hermann has a new Katy campus and Christus St Catherine has been open for a few years. MD Anderson also has a new cancer center as part of the Christus St Catherine campus.

The Cinco Ranch High School PTSA will be holding the "The Cougar Community Garage Sale" on Saturday, October 3rd.

Here are the particulars:

Location- Cinco Ranch High School Parking Lot

Time- 8am to 12pm

Cost- Community at large $25, KatyISD Employee $15, School Clubs $15

To Reserve Space- Contact Magda Saiz @ msaiz@comcast.netor 281693-0825, or Maria Sobarzo @ sobarzo@comcast.net or 713-299-2332

If you would like to donate- Contact Sandy Edwards @ sibedwards@att.net or 281-395-2593

You can also get additional info by visiting www.crhsptsa.org

If you have questions about Cinco Ranch or Cinco Ranch Real Estate please contact Team DiMuria at jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com or 281-492-5961. On the Web at www.KatyHomeFinder.com

Oak Park Trails is an interesting option for buyers moving to the Katy area south of I-10. It has a great location (on the corner of Mason Rd and Highland Knolls), is halfway between I-10 and the Westpark Tollway for easy commutes, feeds award winning schools in the KatyISD, is close to shopping, malls like the LaCenterra Mall and Villagio Retail Center, and home values that will not bust the bank!!

Homes in Oak Park Trails run from around $140,000 to about $250,000 and range from about 1500sqft up to over 3000sqft. This family oriented community includes a great central park and pool that gives the kids plenty to do all summer long!

Now the issue: some of the top builders in the area built and sold homes in Oak Park Trails, but about halfway through build out KB Homes (not my favorite builder by a long shot) got involved and finished out the development....and about mid decade the foreclosure rate in Oak Park Trails went through the roof. This situation corrected itself after the final homes were completed and now Oak Park Trails is a very good alternative for those wanting to be close to Cinco Ranch....but not pay Cinco Ranch Prices.

Bottom Line: if you are looking for a family home in the mid 100's to low 200's and need larger square footage Oak Park Trails is a good alternative with stable values and nice amenities.

This Saturday, September 26th The Wine Next Door in the LaCenterra Mall in Cinco Ranch will be holding their Cabs, K-Bobs, and Country Music wine tasting event. You will have two choices to enjoy the wine...for $18 you can do the appetizers and wine, for $30 you can do dinner and wine.

Justin vanSant will be providing the live entertainment with country hits young and old. This was one of the top events at The Wine Next Door last year and promises to be a great success again this Saturday.

The event will be held from 7-9pm. The Wine Next Door is located in the south side of the LaCenterra Mall on the corner of The Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Blvd.

Contact The Wine Next Door at:

23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd.
Katy, TX 77494
(281) 395-4100

For Information about this event or any Katy area real estate questions contact Team DiMuria at 281-492-5916 or jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com Team DiMuria is on the web at: www.KatyHomeFinder.com

If you are looking for great new place for Mediterranean food in Katy you must check out the new restaurant that just opened on 510 Mason Rd called  EPHESUS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL.

The atmosphere is very cozy, and the staff very accomodating. This is a true sit down restaurant that offers both a lunch and dinner menu.

They offer a lunch special for $8.95 that allows you to mix and match the foods that you like, which is great as it allows you to try more than one item. Some of the items to choose from include Hummus, Grape Leaves, Filet Mignon, Chicken,or Lamb Kabobs, Stuffed Cabbage Roll, Tabuli, and Babagannus. These specials are offered every day from 11-3.

Dinner items include Lamb chops, Kabob platters, Gyro platters, Vegetable Stew. They offer al la carte items that range in price from $10.50 to $19.50 for dinner , as well as Combination  platters that would allow you to choose two different meats, and come with salad, and rice.

Of course no meal would be complete without dessert, and they offer al of the traditional favorites such as Baklava, Keskul, Kazandibi, and Kunefe.

It is a family owned, and the food, as well as the service was very good.

They also offer catering services.

So stop by for a taste, at the EPHESUS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL, located at 510 Mason Rd(near the Whataburger), the phone number is 281-391-4477.

If you have any questions about Katy, or Katy Real Estate please contact Jeff or Mona at Team DiMuria

www.katyhomefinder.com                      281-492-5961

The Brookings Instituteput out their list of the top 100 U.S. Cities for home price increase for the second quarter of 2009....adjusted for inflation. Houston Texas topped the list with an increase of 4.9%.

This statistic helps justify the claims we have been making that Houston and Katy have one of the top real estate markets in the entire Country. Houston was followed on the Brookings Institute list by Wichita, Dallas-Ft Worth, Buffalo NY, Pittsburgh, Columbia SC, Syracuse, Baton Rouge, Rochester NY, and San Antonio.

Katy and Houston also have much lower unemployment then the National average which may also help housing market when compared to the rest of the Country.

26907 Sandy Arbor Ln, Katy, TX 77494

This is a beautiful 1.5 Story home in the master planned community of Cinco Ranch. 4 Bedrooms, 4 Full Baths, Granite Counters, Wide Plank Floors, Stainless Steel Appliances and much more!

With over 3400 sqft of living space, a large 3 Car Garage, and the Award Winning Katy ISD School District this home is everything you have been looking for.

Directions: Take I-10 west to Hwy 99 (Grand Parkway) south, to Cinco Ranch Blvd and head west. Go to Enchanted Meadow and make right, go to Aspen Villa and make left, go to Autumn Orchard and make left...this street turns into Sandy Arbor...house is on the left.

For more info go to our Team DiMuria website: www.KatyHomeFinder.com

We wrote a blog post about the speed limit change in 2008. It seems the City fathers decided to change the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph. The reason for the change was based on a study done some years earlier suggesting the lower speed limit would be needed for safety.

Well...one year later we are changing our speed limit back to 30 mph. Seems that the lower speed limit did not enhance the safety in and around the Katy Mills Mall...it just slowed everyone down a little from getting to their next destination.

...another example of our paid government officials doing the important work of the day!

We really enjoy living in the Katy area south of I-10. We have a large amount of subdivisions and master planned communities to choose from. Some of our communities have lots of amenities like pool, tennis courts, golf courses, and walking trails. Some have stately homes in gated communities while others have easy highway access but limited amenities...the point is you choose what fits you best.

Parklake Village is a community bordered by George Bush Park. It is a gated community just east of Fry Rd. Houses in Parklake Village range from around $300,000 to just under $1,000,000. The community offers a variety of homes from production built to semi-custom and custom built homes.

This all sounds good...but here is my issue:

You just have better choices in neighborhoods here is Katy! The limited amenities, less then stellar community layout (in my opinion), and the fact that you must drive through other neighborhoods (and past a school that fronts the community...especially in the morning or afternoon) to get to Parklake Village takes away from what should be a custom feel.

In Katy, at the same price-point you can buy in neighborhoods like Windsor Park Lakes, Cinco Ranch, Avalon, Lakes of Buckingham, and WoodCreek Reserve...all offering custom and semi-custom homes at similar price points...all wrapped up in a what I feel is a much nicer package.

The Katy Texas area south of I-10 is loaded with beautiful communities. Cinco Ranch, Seven Meadows, Kelliwood, Green Trails, Nottingham, Westheimer Lakes North, Avalon, WoodCreek Reserve, Firethorne, etc...

Each of these communities has a special feel and taste. With all the competition...what makes Grand Lakes so popular? For starters Grand Lakes has a beautiful and natural feel. The layout of Grand Lakes and the large array of amenities is do to the planning of the original developer, Trendmaker Development. Each of the five sections of Grand Lakes have a central park theme. The homes, lakes, walking trails, pools, and tennis courts wrap around the central park. These amenities and parks allow neighbors to quickly become friends!

Grand Lakes also benefits from its amazing location. The community backs to the Westpark Tollway to the south and straddles the Grand Parkway for easy commute to Sugar Land, the Med Center, Downtown, or the Houston Energy Corridor. This also helps explain why Grand Lakes is so popular with transferring energy executives from companies like BP, Shell, Conoco Phillips, Exxon, Citgo, and more.

The appeal Katy and Grand Lakes has to families is obvious. The award winning KatyISD school district helps ease the transition into life in this wonderful Houston suburb! The amazing amount of medical options that has Katy being dubbed Med Center West allows a transferring family know they will be able to find a family doctor and nearby hospital!

Prices in Grand Lakes start from well under $200,000 to around $650,000 with a wide array of styles available from small patio homes to large executive homes on half acre plus lots.

The Cinco Ranch Treatre Company has announced their first production of the year, Daughters of Atreuson October 22nd to 24th at the Cinco Ranch High School Performing Arts Center. They need our help to make this play as well as their two other productions a great success.

The CRTC is in the middle of their fund raising drive to raise the $20,000 they need to put on the full production of these wonderful plays. They are taking donations of $25 or more. Please call or e-mail Wendy Schiele (she is the CRTC Patron Coordinator) at 281-395-2816 or e-mail her at schieleclan@comcast.net

The productions the the CRTC put on each and every year are amazing. Your support will be greatly appreciated by all who are involved in these productions.

If you have any questions about Cinco Ranch real estate or any of our fine Katy subdivisions or Master Planned Communities please contact Team DiMuria at 281-492-5916 or jeffreydimuria@garygreene.com

You can also reach Team DiMuria on the web at www.KatyHomeFinder.com

My son Anthony and I went to Isabella's Italian Ice in Cinco Ranch a few nights ago. We wanted something a little different from the normal local choices...like ice cream, cookies, pastries, etc...

Isabella's Italian Ice hit the spot! For those who do not know what Italian Ice is...it is made the same way as ice cream...except they do not use milk...they substitute ice. For those looking for a delicious dessert with less calories and fat...but still satisfying your ice cream sweet tooth...Isabella's may just do the trick!

They have quite a few flavors (I would say a couple of dozen) and they also have sugar free choices with virtually no calories. I chose the chocolate and Anthony had lemon. Both were great and we will be back.

Isabella's Italian Ice is near the corner of Cinco Ranch Blvd and Westheimer Pkwy just west of the Grand Parkway in CInco Ranch. It is in the same strip center as New York Pizzeria.