My job - being a realtor in Houston

Being a real estate agent in the US is so completely different from what the job entails in the UK or in France that it may be worth a post...and a bit of explaining.

I started in the job in early 2008 (after doing the required training and passing the exam to obtain my Texas Real Estate Licence) and I am happy to report that it is the best job I have ever had. It simply feels right. I look forward to going to work, I like my colleagues, I like the firm I work for, I like the atmosphere in the office, and the vast majority of the time I like the clients I work with. I like being their guide, I like taking them all around Houston and sharing my knowledge. Is it stressful? Oh yes it can be, even very much so, but with experience this can be dealt with efficiently and as quickly as possible.

Here, a buyer or a renter chooses an agent who will represent them in the transaction from beginning to end and do not need to be in contact with any other agent. When I have a new client (most of them are expats relocating to Houston for the first time), I work with them from the first house or apartment they view until after they move in.

All agents have access to all properties on the Houston market thanks to a very clever system of electronic keyboxes, so once my clients have decided which properties they wish to see, I organise the viewings, plot a logical itinerary (including a nice lunch break), take my electronic key and off we go. 

Many times I will pick people up from their hotels, as very often they are only here for a few days when they come to choose a home. I find that if we are well-organised a rental can be sorted in 48 hours. A house purchase can also be very quick, especially in the current market, and offers put in immediately after seeing a home.

Now, the viewings are the easy part (and probably the most plesant). After the viewings, here's what I do... I deal with lease applications and all the documents that need to be sent to the landlord's agent, I organise picking up checks and taking them to where they need to go, I write up residential leases and pool and spa addenda, I prepare offers for my buyers, I deliver them, I negotiate them, I pick up more checks, I take them somewhere else, I hold my client's hands while they anxiously wait for a response, I attend home inspections, I renegotiate prices after the inspector has told us that the house is falling apart/the foundation is cracked/the roof is shot/the air conditioning isn't any good/the pipes are leaking under the house/whatever else can go wrong... I write up amendments and get them signed, I write up more amendments and get them signed too, I follow up with lenders, I follow up with bank appraisers, I renegotiate (again) when the appraisal comes in low, I stress out that the deal might fall apart just when I thought it was all in the bag, then everything goes right again, and then, one day, a few weeks later, I finally attend my buyer's closing, they get their keys and sign their life away on a mortgage promise, and I get my commission.

In a nutshell, that's how it goes, and I enormously enjoy it.

Wholesale

The first three years that we lived in Houston, I did not think a Costco membership would be worth it for our small family. Turns out, now that we have been members for nearly a year, that it is actually probably worth it, as the 55" TV, kettle, toaster and kitchen towels bought in huge packets show.

So today, here is a photo summary of a trip to Costco!

You need one of those to shop here! I am 'executive' but you can be a 'normal' member too :-)

Giftcards of various sorts can be bought

Piles of jeans

A large bag of sugar, anyone?

Something to make the French governement happy! Buy 2 large jars of Nutella in one go!

I really want to try this for Christmas... It's a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey. Very good apparently...

A large Costco pizza

They have croissants too but they're not particularly good.

I got this large tin of Scottish shortbread

Christmas decorations. Do we go for a LED tree or a snowman for our front lawn?

5 tubes of deodorant in one packet

Or maybe a Costco holiday?

Or a giant Nativity scene?

At the air show

Look look! Here's a new post and it's only been 2 weeks since the last one!

We took a trip to the Houston air show yesterday ("Wings Over Houston" as it is called) and had a brilliant time. Well not so much for M at the start as she got scared during the WWII re-enactment part, but she was ok and really enjoying the show once that part was over. She got to climb onto a cargo plane (twice), look at lots of other aircafts on the ground and see lots of acrobatics being performed. We had good seats booked facing the middle of the airfield, and the weather was very mild and sunny, which made it pretty much perfect for a day out like this.

Here are a few photos of the day:

Little ears needed ear protection

Inside the cargo plane

The Blue Angels demonstration

The bad blogger

It's official. I'm a bad blogger. So, if anyone still comes this way, I would like ideas as to what to write about that could be of interest!

In the meantime, I can show a few pictures of our new place... The move went smoothly, even though we realized once the previous owners' furniture was out, that the whole of the upstairs carpet needed replacing... a trip to Carpet Giant followed, and two days later we were the proud owners of a brand new thick carpet. Three bedrooms were also repainted, a pool fence installed, and a built-in microwave added to the kitchen. We have met a few neighbors, and the area is very international: we are surrounded by Argentinians, Chinese, Azerbaidjanis, Indians, Poles and even a few Americans too. Sounds very promising for when Madeleine goes to the local elementary school and gets to meet children from all sorts of cultural backgrounds.

Beautiful pool and deck. We even get our very own palm trees!

Family room (with pool view)

Kitchen before the microwave was added above the hob.

Front of house

The formal areas, which we turned into an office and playroom for M.

Towards the breakfast room

Apologies

I can only apologize for the very poor frequency of these posts. It should really be a my August resolution to do this twice-monthly, put the date in my diary, and just do it. So I'll try. No promise but I will try.

The main news since my last entry is the fact that we are in the process of buying our very own American-dream house (we're talking POOL here), in our favourite school district (2 minutes' drive from a fab elementary). Everyhting is in place and we should be getting the keys on Monday, moving in the following week.
Otherwise M is starting school full time next week at a French-speaking pre-school, the cats have put on weight after being fed too much by the cat sitter during the 3 weeks we were away, we saw practically all the family in Europe during our trip there, we got cold on a beach in France (retreated to a cafe for a warm crepe), but right now it is warmer in Northern France than in Houston. Go figure. Oh, and we also spent a week in Iceland on the way back to Houston.

In Iceland, at Lake Myvatn

Road Trip part 1

One of the great things about North America is the fantastic road trips that can be had pretty much anywhere. Just pack the car and drive. It's as simple as that (well maybe not THAT simple when you travel with a toddler, but still, because you can take all you need in the car, including built-in entertainment for your daughter in the shape of two willing grandparents it remains very doable).

So last month we packed my car (aka the tank) and headed towards New Mexico for a couple of weeks. We decided to drive there from Houston, rather than fly and then rent a car. It took 3 days to reach the TX/NMbordr, and we then had 9 days to explore the state before driving back home in a couple of days.

Here is a first slideshow of the first few days...

Click to see road trip slideshow

Rodeo time

The rodeo is an event not to be missed in the annual Houston calendar. It lasts for about 3 weeks at this time of year, and involves quite a lot... It is an agricultural show with cows, sheep and pigs, a carnival with lots of rides, a huge food court where you can eat anything (including deep-fried oreo cookies and pizzas on a stick), pig races, a pop concert, and a rodeo competition, all rolled into one big day out.

Highlights of yesterday included:
-an enormous long horn cow
-chicks hatching from their eggs right in front of our eyes
-mutton bustin (involving kids riding on running sheep and trying to hang on as long as they can-probably would be banned in the UK because of health and safety!!)
-calf scrambling (basically, teenagers running after calves and trying to pin them down)
-saddle bronc riding (cowboys trying to stay as long as possible on a horse going crazy)
-bull riding (same as the above, but on a mad bull!).

-

Settling in

The settling in process has started. We moved into our new home about two weeks ago, and it is pretty much all in order. I think there are only about 3 cardboard boxes remaining to be sorted out. Everything else is tidied up. Well-done me (and hubby, of course, especially as his bit of the closet was tidied a lot faster than mine. he's got less stuff though).

The weather has been yo-yoing quite a lot. One day it's 27 and you eat outside thinking it's summer, and the next it's pouring down. That's winter in Houston. Warm enough on most days for M to play outside with water, which is something she hardly ever got to do in Scotland.

On an American note, my lovely cupcake maker (curtesy of my MIL) has arrived and is going to be tried this very afternoon. Looking forward to that.

And of course it's the superbowl this weekend. We are not into it at all (should probably try to I guess)... Apparently we are supposed to sit on the couch and eat wings whilst watching an advert with David Beckham in it. Should be interesting.

Sunshine, cookies, and a garden (ooops I meant backyard). Pretty good so far.

First impressions

We made it to Houston a few days ago. The search is on for a house and a second car (we managed to lease one already) whilst we stay at a furnished apartment and then at a friend's house next week. Our container should be delivered in about a week, as it is now clearing customs at the port.

Time to share those "first" impressions after 14 months away...

-Houston still smells of Houston. There are places with a particular smell (or, more likely, all places have a smell) and this is one of them. H reckons it is the smell of humidity in the air. Quite possibly. I like the smell of pine trees you get in some areas here.
-Everything is still very familiar, including driving an automatic. I can still find my way!
-The sunshine we were after is here indeed. Our daughter has been playing outside in the park, in a beautiful warm sunshine. We even had lunch outdoors on Tuesday.
-Country music on the radio!! Yay!
-I'm waking up very early and I don't even seem to mind too much. For those who know me that's a huge thing.

Maylis
________________________________________________________________________________

It all seems so familiar. In fact it IS almost as if we haven't been away. Settling back has been helped a lot by knowing the way around - where the major routes are, the supermarkets, where things are in the supermarkets, what the brands are, even little things like the times of news and weather on the local TV stations.

There don't seem to be many differences from the last time we were here. The most noticeable things is the trees - I'd read about the drought and how it had affected them, and there do seem to be a fair number of dead-looking trees around. It probably won't be until spring that this really becomes obvious, when those perished will be missing new green foliage.

Hugh

New year

Tomorrow, we are emigrating.

Suitcases filled, online check-in done, outfits for tomorrow ready.
Many feelings gone through, and probably many more tomorrow morning.
Excitement, hopes, dreams, some anxiety and nervousness too.

It's a special new year for us, the start of the next chapter in our lives.
We wish everyone something new and positive in their lives too.