Aaron Layman's Katy Texas Real Estate Forum

Building Your Own Swimming Pool In Katy, Houston Texas - Preparation & Approvals

Like most construction projects, building an in-ground swimming pool requires significant preparation.  Once we had our design on paper, we submitted the plans to our HOA for approval.  We also checked with Texas One Call for location of various utilities.  Depending on your location, you may also have to get permits for your project.  You can check your local city ordinances for specific details or regulations.  You also need to be aware of any utility easements with your pool design so as to not encroach on them.  If part of your design encroaches on an easement, you could have a problem when you try to sell the home later on.

Part of our project included a pool loan from a local bank, and this turned out to be an educational experience in itself.  When we bought the home last year, there was no mention of our home being in the flood plain, yet when the local bank pulled the flood certificate, It showed us as being in zone AE (100 year flood plain).  That seemed puzzling to me, but the bank said I would have to get flood insurance to get the loan funded.  I called my insurance carrier to order an elevation certificate from a local surveyor so that we could buy the supposedly mandatory flood insurance.

When I received the elevation certificate results, something didn't seem right because the surveyors certificate and the flood cert from the bank's vendor (Lereta LLC) both used FIRM map revisions from 1997.  I knew that our community was only 9 or 10 years old, so I decided to do some fact checking.  Fort Bend engineering pointed me to the appropriate letter of map revision from March of 2000 on FEMA's website.  Sure enough, it clarifies that our home is not in a flood plain.  Like most master-planned communities, the developers of Seven Meadows improved the drainage along our bayou to take homes out of the flood plain.

Needless to say, I was a little upset.  I contacted the two parties who prepared the bogus flood certificate and elevation certificate to let them know I was not pleased with their attention to detail.  I received a full refund on the work I paid for, and had the local surveyor correct my elevation certificate.  I am now back to where I started...out of the flood plain!  As a homeowner, it's important to verify whether you are in a flood zone or not because your designation will determine the rates you have to pay for flood insurance.  If you are in a flood zone, the rates for insurance are not cheap.

Thankfully we are now ready to proceed with construction.  I painted our pool layout last weekend.  Before my excavator came to check the site yesterday, I also staked the pool out.  This is a simple process of placing ground stakes approximately 12 inches outside your pool's water line.  This tells the excavator where the coping for the pool will be.  We also went over the various features of the pool, including the slope/depth so the excavator knows what to do.  Your subs for excavation, steel, gunite and plumbing need to be on the same page before you ever dig the hole.  You should also paint/mark your pool several days prior to excavation in case you want to modify/tweak your design.  You never know how the design will look in your actual yard until you mark it, and once they dig the hole, it's probably too late to change it.

Looking at the weather forecast, it appears mother nature is going to throw us one more delay before our project gets underway.  Fortunately, next week should be absolutely perfect for digging a pool!

Katy, Houston TX Home Prices Forecast To Remain Stable in 2010

The Case-Shiller Home Price Index has pointed to a stabilization, and even rebound in many U.S. housing markets.  Does that mean the country's housing woes are over?  Not likely.  Fiserv, a financial information and analysis firm and Metrostudy, which specializes in housing market information, both predict lower home prices in 2010.  The predictions call for double digit price decreases in some of hardest hit markets like Florida, California, Las Vegas and Phoenix.  The catalyst will be a new wave of foreclosures which have been stockpiling as a result of foreclosure prevention efforts.

The good news for Houston area residents is that we are still on one of the strongest real estate markets in the country.  Prices are predicted to be little-changed heading into next summer.  Considering dire circumstances in many U.S. markets, I'll be happy to deal with a little price stagnation.

For more details visit the Home Price Forecast For 2010 from CNNMoney.com

Proposed Extension of Home Buyer Tax Credit Serves Corporate Interests

As the $8000 tax credit for first time home buyers approaches expiration, real estate and mortgage industry trade groups are lobbying hard to extend, or even expand the credit.  While I am a direct beneficiary (Realtor) of the increased market activity generated by the tax credit, my better judgment tells me that the lobbyists pushing for the extension have little interest in protecting American tax payers, or homeowners in general.

I have witnessed first-hand the effectiveness of the credit.  Sales in the Katy area, particularly area 25, have seen a healthy rebound this year.  Both sales and average prices have recovered to pre-collapse figures.  The credit is obviously working as intended, and the economy seems to be stabilizing.

Now that the economy is on more solid footing, the merits of the credit are questionable.  Expanding the credit is simply absurd.  We are no doubt in for a sluggish economic recovery, as unemployment data continue to point to a jobless recovery.  With more foreclosures coming into the market through next year, an extension of the tax credit could certainly help to mitigate further downturns.  The question has to be asked, however, of why we should prop up or inflate the housing market any more than we need to.  At some point the housing market needs to stand on its own feet.  The sooner we let this happen, the better off we'll be.  Responsible taxpayers are certainly not going to benefit from artificially inflated prices.

The first time home buyer tax credit was a noble idea to facilitate home ownership in a troubled economy.  We should let it die a timely death and allow market forces establish realistic equilibrium prices.  We shouldn't forget that it was artificial stimulation of the market, in the form of ridiculously lax underwriting standards, that got us into this mess.  If the banks, mortgage brokers and home builders want to extend the credit, perhaps they should look within for the billions of dollars needed to do it.  They shouldn't be looking to the taxpayers for another handout.

Contracting, Constructing, Building Your Own Swimming Pool In Katy, Houston Texas

When I recently told my neighbors I was going to build my own in-ground swimming pool, I received some interesting reactions.  Feedback ranged from curiosity to healthy skepticism.  I did clarify that I wasn't actually going to "build" the pool myself, as in a DIY pool, but rather act as the general contractor for my pool construction.

My wife and I have thought about installing a pool for the better part of a year now, and it seems our original goal will soon become a reality.  We started interviewing area pool builders last fall.  We did the usual interview process and even chose a builder and came up with a proposed design.  What prevented us from pulling the trigger was the actual cost associated with building the pool.  Some 10 months later, we started looking at the project again and tried to come up with a pool design that would fit our back yard and our budget.

Although our new pool design was significantly smaller than our first draft, the price didn't seem to come down much.  I was also a little concerned with the way the typical pool-builder contract was structured.  It seems most area pool builders like to get the majority of their fee before your pool is even half complete.  That doesn't sit too well with me since I've seen what happens to homeowners when they get stuck with a hole in the ground and/or have trouble getting subs to finish work on time.  I wanted more control over the process, and I wanted to know exactly what was going into my project as far as the materials and costs were concerned.

That's when I decided to take matters into my own hands.  It occurred to me that when we interviewed pool builders most of them seemed to be using the same design software.  I thought to myself, Why can't I just buy this software and design the pool myself?  I figured if I could design the pool, I could probably handle getting the appropriate sub-contractors together to complete the project.  After all, I shop vendors as a regular part of my job selling real estate.  I also happen to know a few trustworthy individuals who clean and service pools for a living.

A few weeks later, here we are awaiting our HOA approval for our proposed in-ground swimming pool.   Based on the latest quotes and information, it looks like we should save about 25% over our original pool builder's quote.  My objective will be to aim for a 30% savings off that original price tag, so I'll be saving my receipts to see how we fare.  We're going to take the money we save by going it alone and put that towards a nice covered patio and outdoor kitchen!  I plan on using this post as a documentary of sorts complete with photographs and details of the various stages of the pool building process.  Good, bad or indifferent, I'll let you know how it goes.  Stay tuned!

Katy Texas & West Houston Real Estate Market Update - September 2009

Download Oct 2009 Newsletter