Written by Darren Morris 

Mortgage Buying Power:

It may seem complicated, but doesn't have to be:

When you pay your monthly mortgage payment, some of it goes to interest and some goes to principal.

Here's one example:

• Let's say you are at a 4% interest rate, and you can only afford a $2,000/month payment.  This means you can afford a house that is $379,000.
• What happens if you can get down to 3% interest?  Now, with that same $2,000/month, you can afford a house that is $414,000.  That's is HUGE! 

So, as you can see, just this very small drop (1%) interest could mean the difference in a better location, more updates, a bigger yard-the possibilities are endless!

This could be the perfect time for you to buy a house.  In

By Darren Morris

In the middle of this Covid situation, there are so many things that are in flux.  One of these might be your finances.  And a big part of your personal finances might be a mortgage.  This is the PERFECT time to make plans for the future of your mortgage.

• Are you in Forbearance?  Forbes magazine is reporting over 4 million mortgages are in forbearance.  Kind of great that your mortgage holder is giving you a break on payments, but what happens when the break is over?  Most are going to require those payments to be brought back to current.  That may be an increase in payments to pay off the difference or maybe they will extend the length of the loan. 
• Have you thought about Refinancing?  Record low mortgage rates have been

By Darren Morris

Learning to fly was not easy.  

It was frustrating, it took patience (from my instructors, too), and I never thought I'd get the hang of it.  

Then-I had an AHA moment!  My Dad, who just happened to be my first flight instructor, was teaching me how to land.  It was probably something he said before, but this particular day I was ready to hear it.  Just before we touched down, he told me to look all the way down the runway.  It went against all the cells in my body to change my gaze from looking directly in front of the airplane, where we were about to land, all the way to the end of that runway.   You can guess what happened?  I had the best landing I had ever had up to that point.  

This was in a small Piper Cub, on a

Did you know that The Woodlands hosts one of the top art festivals in the world?

Every year, the Waterway and Town Green Park are transformed into an outdoor art gallery. The Waterway Arts Festival, presented by The Woodlands Arts Council, is celebrating its 15th anniversary on Saturday April 4th and Sunday April 5th.

From 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on both days, over 200 artists from Texas—spanning a multitude of disciplines—will gather together and sell their work. There will be art of all kinds: drawings, paintings, photography, pottery, woodwork, metalwork, glasswork, fiber art, jewelry, mixed media, and more.

The festival also features live art demonstrations and workshops on Town Green. There will be entertainment stages for live

Looking for a fun date night idea? Dinner and a movie is always a good idea...but sometimes we crave a little something new and exciting! There is so much to do here in The Woodlands and Houston, whether it be with a special someone, a group of friends, or with your family! 

Check out our list of the best date ideas for a night out on the town.

 Main Course Cooking School

Cook up some fun at one of the cooking classes offered by Main Course Cooking School in The Woodlands. The hands-on classes offer something for every interest- you can make this date spicy or sweet! Check out their schedule on their website...a couples night would be romantic or even try a family friendly cookie decorating class! 

Learn More

Axelrad Beer Garden

What is Compass Concierge?

"I keep hearing about Concierge, but what exactly is it?!"

Exclusive to Compass, our Concierge program helps you easily prepare your home for sale by fronting the cost of home improvement services, so you can sell it faster and for more money. Whether you’re facing basic wear-and-tear or your home requires more significant upgrades, Concierge has the power to transform a property — and the price it can claim.

Just take a look at some of our incredible results in a few of the kitchens in our HGG listings below!

-The kitchen in this Houston home had great bones. Plenty of cabinet and counter space, a big beautiful island, and a big window letting in lots of light. The whole home was updated, but the

Do you ever see all these exotic places online, and get caught up daydreaming about the places you want to visit, explore, and experience? We sure do. It’s easy to forget we live in Houston, the most diverse city in the United States. Houston is a vibrant and thriving community, with unending things to discover. So this year, we created our Houston Bucket List…things we want to do and experience in our own backyard. We are committed to trying everything on this list in 2020, and will be sharing our experiences with you! We’re always looking to add to our list…let us know what’s on yours, or if you have a recommendation!

Here’s our list of things we can’t wait to try in the Houston/The Woodlands area in 2020!

Sawyer Yards

Houston: Sawyer

A new decade is upon us! 2020 is here, can you believe it? Like many people, we have taken this new decade as an opportunity to focus our energies and realign with our goals and priorities.

We aren’t making New Year’s Resolutions. Resolutions are binary, and are usually forgotten by the time February rolls around. Science tells us that a mere 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. Does that mean 92% of us are failures? No. We need to reframe how we define success so we can make positive and long-lasting changes in our lives. So how do we do it?

We do it by being mindful with the little decisions we make every single day, focusing on the choices in front of us, and making the right choice in that moment, even when our

On July 10th, I attended a 1 year recap of life after Harvey put together by Fidelity National Title. It was held at the Junior League of Houston. Panelists included Ed Wolff of Wolff Realtors, Lee Martin of Martha Turner, Mike Brubaker of Burbaker and Associates, Leash Yu from Yu Insurance, and Lori Ford with Cornerstone Mortgage.

Wolff started off by comparing Harvey to other flood events, including Allison. There seems to be a trend of values dropping for the quarter after the event, then a quick rise. After that rise, there is a second dip due to the remodels hitting the market. Then the market is normalized in 18-24 months, citing lack of memory as the biggest contributor to that normalization. Harvey was different, he says, because of the