Voting Time! *Register before October 2*

Right now it is that time of year where fellow citizens should register to vote if they haven’t already done so! For me, voting has always been something that I enjoy doing, because I know that with my one vote I can help try to change the way we all live.

Voting is even more important to me now that my dad is a judge here in Houston, Texas for Harris County.  I will honestly say, not just because he is my dad, but truthfully he has been one of the most thoughtful, helpful, and justifiable judges I have ever witnessed in my entire life.  He was an attorney for over 30 years, and growing up I was able to go behind the scenes in the courtrooms downtown, meeting many different judges in Harris County.  I have learned over time different traits of what a justified and well-intentioned judge has and what a wrong and ill-intentioned judge has.  These traits are very apparent to the attorneys, staff of the courtroom, and to the people who are in front of these judges.  Typically when a judge is the type that is well liked you will hear about it from every person working with them, and my dad is that type of judge.  The people who work every day within the Harris County judicial system and know my dad, respect him for who he is and the work he does.

When I go from courthouse to courthouse everyone from the police officers, to the prosecutors, to the attorneys and to anyone else who finds out that I am Glenn Devlin’s daughter, immediately gets a huge smile on their face and treats me like I am someone who is really special to them without ever having met me before!  Once I tell them who I am they almost always tell me how much they love my dad.  My dad is an amazing judge, he knows right from wrong, and you may be thinking, of course he knows right from wrong he is a judge that is his job, but quite frankly there have been many judges in Harris County that have absolutely no idea what is right and what is wrong.  It is disappointing to know that people sometimes vote for someone who has no clue how to be a judge, let alone a good one.  People don’t always take the time to learn about who they are actually voting for.

My dads opponent has never been a judge before and has absolutely no idea what it takes to be one.  He has zero experience in the juvenile judicial system and is now running to be a very important juvenile judge in Harris County.  I can honestly say that he could not possibly be able to match up to my dad as judge of the 313th District Courthouse.  My dad has done more good for countless children’s lives that it would be a mistake to take my dad away from us, the people who vote for him as well as the families and children who he judges fairly on a daily basis.  This is my dads passion in life, to be the greatest judge he can possibly be for the citizens of Harris County.

I am asking you all now, to please take the time to go out there and vote, my dad is Glenn Devlin, part of the Republican Party and the incumbent for 313th District Courthouse in Harris County.

*Register to vote before October 2, 2014*

*Early Voting begins on October 20, 2014*

*Voting Day is on November 4, 2014*

http://www.glenndevlin.com/about.htm

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Design & Architecture Photo Collection

Over the years I have collected photos that I have found to be beautiful in architecture and design.  I wanted to share with everyone a few of the photos I have saved, and wanted to know what you all thought about them.  Would you like any of these concepts in your home now or possibly a future home for you? What are your likes and dislikes of each photo? I want to know! Comment below and I will reply! Also, I will credit the photos when I can.

Enjoy!

Pond by Ong & Ong

Rooftop putting green.

Swan.

Glass. 

Space Invaders on the wall. Love.

Entry perfection.

Bold colors and pattern placement.

This view.

I could do a few laps in this pool. 

Grand scaling and height.

This concept is great.

In love with this grass. Natural elements.

Incredible show garden. “The Pavilion”. By Natural d_sign.

Alila Villas in Uluwatu, Bali.

Alila Villas in Uluwatu, Bali.

Yes please. Pool perfection.

Modern meets nature.

Conservatory dining.

By Hecker Guthrie. 

Plants dream.

Transparent flooring.

Amazing kitchen and dining room.

This porch. 

Glass wall by Fernanda Marques. 

Pivoting glass panels.

Naka Island Resort, Thailand.

Cozy in winter.

Maybe that was more than just a few.  I really wanted to show everyone my taste in design and architecture.  It is a passion of mine, and something that I don’t ever want to lose sight of.  I am looking forward to reading what you all have to say.

If you want to rent a property, there are a few things you must know

Since I began doing real estate full-time, I have come across many different people wanting to rent a property in the Houston area.  Rentals can be very difficult and are a lot of work for a Realtor to deal with for very little money.  In fact many Realtors do not take on clients looking for a rental, they usually refer them to someone else.  Don’t get my wrong, I happily help people find rentals because I enjoy the challenge, I am establishing my business, and my hopes are that when my rental client is ready to buy something they will use me as their trusted Realtor. The application process is long and tedious, each property is different and each owner has different requirements for applicants.  Sometimes owners will work with the applicant, but for the most part in today’s housing market, owners are EXTREMELY strict on what they want and will not budge for anyone.  Why?  Because there aren’t enough houses to supply the amount of people moving to Houston.  Resulting in rentals gaining more than one application to choose from, and you better believe they will choose the one that is outstanding and better than the rest.

Rental properties do thorough background checks to make sure that the information an applicant provides is 100% correct.  I wanted to share with everyone what a typical rental property requires.  And when I say “requires”, I mean each applicant better be completely truthful, have met the requirements or even exceeded them, and be prepared to wait longer than expected to find out whether or not you’ve been chosen to rent the property.  It is not at all an easy process, contrary to what almost everyone thinks.  It is easier to rent an apartment than it is to rent a house/townhouse.

While no one is perfect, and most Landlords realize this, and are willing to work with different credit situations, they will likely take into account your Income, Employment Status, Rental History, Credit Report, and Criminal History in determining whether or not to approve a rental application.

These are the typical requirements that an applicant MUST be aware of in order to rent a house/townhouse:

Income Requirement: Most Landlords require that the tenant earn 3X the rental amount to qualify. If the rent is $1,000 per month, then the tenant will need to earn $3,000 per month gross. Most often, child support, spousal support, and governmental support, such as social security income, can count towards the income requirement.

Rental History: The landlord will likely verify your rental history to check to see that in the past you have paid rent on time, not had excessive bounced checks, have not had evictions, or caused excessive damage to a property. The Landlord will normally also check to see that the addresses provided in your rental history match the addresses in your credit report.

Employment Status: You will need to show your employment history and current employer on your application. Additionally, you will likely be asked to provide recent pay stubs indicating that you meet the income requirements. If you are self-employed or can meet the income requirement independent of being an employee, you may be asked to provide recent tax returns or bank account information. You should expect to sign a release allowing the Landlord or their representative to verify your employment information

Credit Report: The Landlord will likely run a credit report. They will use the information in the credit report to verify your rental history (check to see your addresses match your rental history) and to see if you have a history of making payments on time or have any evictions, or liens. Your credit report may be a key determining factor in the Landlord making a decision to approve or reject your application. The landlord may also require an additional deposit based on information in your credit report.

Criminal History: Many Landlords will not rent to tenants with certain criminal histories. You should expect the landlord to run a criminal history report.

If you are in the Houston area and are looking for a rental property, just know that I have much experience with rentals and I know exactly what it is each property is looking for.  I will work hard and put in the time that is required to help each of my clients get the rental that they are looking for.  Houston’s housing market is extremely fast-paced and things go very quickly for the most amount of money.  If you see something you like, don’t hesitate to move forward on it, because it probably will not be there for very much longer.  Just be sure you are qualified!

Life of a Houston, Texas Real Estate Agent.

The death of Joan Rivers, what it means to me…

The death of Joan Rivers came as such a shock to me.  I had just been watching Fashion Police a few nights before, where she was poking fun of celebs, holding nothing back.  I always got a few good laughs out of every episode of that show.  I know she was always a hard worker, and she took her passion for making people laugh then turned it into a lifetime career, even up until 81 years old.

When I found out she died, I think it was one of the few times I actually got really upset about the death of someone who I didn’t know personally, since the death of my brother Harrison Devlin 3 years ago.  Even when Robin Williams died, I was of course upset but I did not cry.  I cried when Joan died.  I think that I cried because I had just seen her alive and well on Fashion Police and had grown to love watching her every week on that show and then out of nowhere she was gone.

Just like Harrison, I left for a meeting around 6PM on a Tuesday night, saw him getting back from the gym as I was leaving the house and he waved at me and I waved back.  I had been in my meeting for maybe 10 minutes when my other brother Charles called me.  I could barely understand him because he was crying so hard and when I finally understood, I think my heart might have stopped for a quick second.

I got super light-headed, I’m surprised I didn’t pass out, and I got up immediately said I have to go over and over and left my meeting running.  I literally ran through the hotel to my car, where my meeting was held.  Maybe I was thinking that I could get there and save Harrison some how, so I did not slow down for one minute all the way home.  But, just like that, Harrison was gone.

My brother, my friend, my family, and someone who I was extremely close to was gone in an instant.  My entire life had changed that day, and it was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through and probably will ever have to go through.  Dealing with Harrison’s death isn’t ever going to go away, it has been 3 years and I still struggle with it on a daily basis.

People die every single day, and I think that in a way I am immune to death and the pain it brings.  But when I found out Joan had died, I truly broke down and got really sad about it.  I had not gotten that upset over a death in a very long time.  It is something I felt the need to write about and to share with you all.

It is healthy to write things down, talk about your own feelings, and to not hold anything in.  Suppressing your feelings only makes things worse in your life.

I have had this idea of writing a book about my experience of losing my brother.  One day I will do it, so that maybe I can help other’s going through the same thing.

Dealing with a death can be extremely difficult, but I want everyone to know that you will get through the darkest of days.  It is possible, I know because I am doing it.

Rest In Peace Joan Rivers 1933-2014 (81 years old)

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27024592

My angel in heaven, Harrison Devlin May 15, 1992- July 19, 2011 (19 years old)

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?pid=152671325

(Me, Harrison, Charles)

(Harrison, Charles, Dad, Me)

Thoughts of a Real Estate Agent + 10 things I promise to my clients

The other day I saw a friend of mine had put up her status on Facebook as “Why is house hunting such a chore?!”.  I couldn’t help but think that it is astounding to me how many people really don’t understand how much work house hunting truly is, and that is why there are Real Estate Agents!

I do not understand why people wouldn’t use a Real Estate Agent to begin with.  It is our job to research and find people homes, it takes time, and it isn’t always easy breezy like some may think.  People do not have to pay their agent at all until their home has been found.  Even then, unless you have listed your home with an agent, you do not have to pay your agent at all, unless the listing agent does not pay for them.  99.9% of the time the listing agent will always pay the buyers agent their part.

This is a referral business, every single referral means more to me, as an agent, than anything else.  It is the ultimate compliment to have current clients refer me to their friends and family as a Real Estate Agent.

As an agent I have 10 things that I promise to give to each and every client of mine, these include:

1. Provide you with 10+ customer service during the entire buying process.
2. Organize and schedule your home search process.
3. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each home in relation to your specific needs.
4. Provide you with ongoing updates on available homes.
5. Help you compare homes and make a decision.
6. Advise you on the terms and issues of the offer, and fill out the purchase order contract.
7. Present your offer, and negotiate on your behalf.
8. Coordinate and supervise the preparation of all closing documents, and guide you through the closing process.
9. Help you resolve any closing issues.
10. Coordinate move-in, and assist with any post- closing issues.

You get so much more out of having a Real Estate Agent like myself, than you would ever get from finding your home by yourself.

So next time you or anyone you may know needs a home, you know who to call!  I will be there with you until the end.

Sarah Devlin, Keller Williams Memorial, 713.819.6332, sarah.v.devlin@gmail.com