Looking Back

May 12, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Flashback Thursday:

In April of 2008, a beaver family built a large den underneath theconcrete spillway below Bream Lake (#2). Without that support, the spillway caved in and the water began to eat away at the dam itself. Over the next two months, L&L Construction brought in  tons of riprap and rebuilt the spillway. I snapped this photo of Ken Terrell, CPCA president at the time, surveying the project, which wound up costing more than $20,000. They’re amazing animals, but beaver can cause some very expensive damage.

Filed Under: CPCA, Outdoors, Your Dues At Work

CP Real Estate: Property Tax Shock

May 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment

I had a call on Saturday from a friend who had received her property tax notice. She was upset, near tears,  because her home’s value had been more than doubled in the past year. While hers is an unusual case, I have spoken to several neighbors whose appraisals appreciated by 15-30%. If you are planning to protest your appraisal, you may want to take a look at this page and take a moment to look at the data behind these increases. (The document can be downloaded here: 2022-04-30_Country Place Comps.)

If you look at the average and median numbers above (highlighted in yellow), you’ll see that the list price is lower than the sold price. These sales include several homes in need of extensive repairs and/or updates.

While Tyler’s numbers aren’t as dramatic as Austin’s (median price now at $499,995), they are unprecedented for East Texas, where home prices have typically increased 3-5% a year. In the infographic below, you can see that 2021 saw an almost 14% increase in the median price of a Tyler home.

With the big wave of metropolitan and blue-state refugees flooding into our area, Smith County is going to have a hard time expanding the infrastructure to accommodate all this growth, so they are being aggressive with property taxes.

 

Filed Under: Real Estate

CPCA Directory: Info Update Underway

April 13, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Friends & Neighbors,

I am working on a new CPCA directory. I know that several of you had recommended putting the directory online because the constant turnover here makes the information outdated so quickly. However, in researching this I have come across a number of warnings regarding security. It seems any information published online, even behind a password, is vulnerable. The directory has always been an internal book, a primary tool of our informal crime prevention, and a great way to keep in touch with neighbors, confirm social engagements and set up play dates for kids. I have one on my desk, carry one in my car, and have used both to let neighbors know about loose dogs, trees across the road, broken sprinkler heads, and misdirected UPS and Fed-Ex packages.

Over the next week or so I am will be sending emails in waves to everyone to confirm the information on record (I’m now up to the H’s). Many of you have already replied with confirmation and/or updates. For those who haven’t replied, I’ve begun texting. If you haven’t received either by this time next week, please feel free to text me at 903.484.4797. If you are new and haven’t filled out the form, it is available through this link: New Residents’ Info Sheet.

We offer advertising in the directory and residents are given priority. If you are interested, please text me. I have print production expertise working in Adobe InDesign and will be happy to help you create your ad.

Filed Under: CPCA, Directory Tagged With:

Thanksgiving 2021

November 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Rea & Sharon Boudreaux (3033 Great Oak Circle) keep a beautiful yard and often decorate their mailbox for the season. Here’s their Thanksgiving 2021 adornment. Andrea and I would like to wish all our neighbors a happy Thanksgiving.

Filed Under: Neighbors