Spring is in the air!

RE Insider by BlueLeaf Realty

Fort Worth Stock Show In the Know

For many, the Fort Worth Stock Show is a annual tradition.  It symbolizes Fort Worth’s heritage of cattle and cowboy culture.  Like year’s past, the Stock Show got underway with a colorful parade down Main Street, and the weather was perfect.  Here are some interesting facts about the Stock Show:

1896 — first Stock Show was held on the banks of Marine Creek

1907 — fairgoers were charged admission for the first time; it was 25 cents

1909 — parade featured 40 Comanche and Kiowa braves led by Chief Quanah Parker

1911 — Theodore Roosevelt was guest of honor

1943 — no Stock Show due to WWII

1944 — Stock Show moved to Will Rogers Memorial Center

1947 — Amon G. Carter, Sr. becomes 1st Chairman of the Board

1958 — Ft Worth Rodeo became 1st to receive complete live national TV coverage

1959 — Connie Swinford’s Grand Champion steer sold to Amon Carter, Jr.

1987 — Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show becomes official name

1988 — Will Rogers Equestrian Center opens

2002 — record 951,000 visitors attend Stock Show

Feb 2, 2013 — single day attendance record of 157,800

Join in the fun this year as Fort Worth’s cowboy culture takes center stage and become a part of history as new records are set.  See you at the 2014 Stock Show!

2014 — New Year, Same Objective — Deliver Remarkable Service

Blue Leaf Realty wants to thank its agents who were top producers in 2013. A special thanks to Blue Leaf Agents: Jimmy Ramey, Derick Townsend, and Liana Oram. All were million dollar producers and helped many wonderful North Tarrant residents buy and sell homes in 2013. We look forward to another terrific year as we strive to deliver remarkable service to our clients in 2014.

In fact, Blue Leaf Realty’s 2014 resolutions are really simple:

1) Deliver Remarkable Service to all its clients.

2) Broaden its market to include both suburban and urban dwellers in Fort Worth and surrounding cities.

We are excited about the upcoming year and hope that many of the forecasts predicting a break-out year for real estate are accurate. We believe it will be a great year for buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals! When you’re ready to get started, we are ready to help, and we never shy away from working weekends and evenings. So don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if buying or selling real estate is one of your 2014 goals.

The T’s New Park & Ride

Many projects are in different stages of construction in the bustling and rapidly expanding area north of Loop 820 in Fort Worth.  One such project is a new Park & Ride location on I-35W, south of Golden Triangle. Slated to be a 200 car lot, this will provide a great option for those who want to go green and save on gas costs.  The T has chosen a great location for its newest Park & Ride lot and it is a much needed development.   This project will be a valuable option for those who want to cut out the drive into downtown Fort Worth.  Fewer cars on the road also means less traffic and less pollution, a win for the citizens of North Texas.  This will provide another great linkage between the north part of the city and the city’s urban core.  With the new plaza opening soon in Downtown Fort Worth, it should be a great asset for people looking for alternative modes of transportation.  Welcome to the area!

Is Fort Worth Green?

Sustainable architecture and green building are gaining momentum in cities around the country as more and more people are realizing that decisions about how things are built and the materials with which they are built are very important to the overall picture.  Here in the US, green building is making strides in commercial and residential construction but it has not fully reached the mainstream yet.  The upfront costs and the payback period are important considerations when making the determination about what, if any, green features will be included in a home or commercial building.  Other important considerations are air quality, open space, access to basic services surrounding the site and walkability to those basic services, as well as specific design features such as daylighting and variable speed HVAC.  A truly green building is green because every facet of the process from material selection to waste reduction and diversion are considered up front and the design process is integrative.  Examples of green buildings in Fort Worth are Chick-fil-A’s LEED Gold restaurant in Montgomery Plaza and BRIT’s LEED Platinum building in the Botanical Gardens.  Both are good examples of buildings that include green features and an integrative building design.  As of Oct 2013, there appear to be approximately 75 LEED rated buildings in Fort Worth.  Fort Worth, like many cities, is definitely headed in the right direction but there is still room for progress, especially when it comes to mass transit options.

Urban Beat

Fort Worth has more urban living options than you might think!

urbanftw

The richness of Urban Fort Worth is evidenced by the fact that each of its distinct neighborhoods “march to the beat of a different drummer.” Downtown Fort Worth has the hustle and bustle of skyscrapers and office buildings. The Cultural District has welcomed the development of So7, adding retail and entertainment to the internationally recognized museum and theater experience that has characterized the area for several decades. The redevelopment of the Magnolia Street area has brought a trendy, artistic vibe to what has become known as Near Southside. Add the current plan of Trinity Uptown and you have a city that revels in individuality and offers a wealth of opportunities to engage, explore and experience all that is Urban Fort Worth.

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Off to the Races

The start of a new school year brings mixed emotions.  For many, summer is too long and the start of a new school year is very exciting and long overdue.  For others, summer is never long enough and the end of summer brings nothing but anxiety as the next school year lurks around the corner.  For all kids and their families, it means transitioning away from the unscheduled pace of summer to a more hectic pace that fills the calendar with to do items.  Just as schools play a vital role in the lives of our kids, they also play a vital role in real estate.  Once again this year, Blue Leaf Realty had the good fortune of helping many families get into a new home just in time to begin the school year.  For that, we are grateful and we hope that all kids who are starting school or heading back to school will be challenged to reach their full potential.

North Texas Continues to Grow

Things are really taking  shape in Texas and nowhere is this more evident than in North Fort Worth’s Alliance Corridor.  Everywhere you look, you see new residential and commercial construction.  Looking around, a person would be apt to draw the conclusion that North Texas is growing very fast, and the statistics certianly back that up.  Texas was the fifth fastest growing state by rate of increase according to the 2010 Census and much of this growth has occurred in DFW.    By 2050, the DFW consolidated area could have as many as 17 million people.  Wow – that’s a long way from today’s roughly 6.5 million people!  It will be exciting to watch areas like North Fort Worth and surrounding suburbs as well as urban locales like Trinity Uptown as they continue to evolve in an effort to meet the needs of a growing and diverse population.  For Realtors and real estate brokerages like Blue Leaf Realty, North Texas is an exciting place to be.

Harmonson Farms in N. KELLER Agent Open House

Join us this Wednesday, July 24th from 11am-1pm, to see these 5 great homes in North Keller.  Food and Drawings for Prizes.

BlueLeaf Marketing Hits the Road in North Tarrant

The new BlueLeaf VW Beetle is on the road and turning heads in North Tarrant County.  Watch for the BlueLeaf VW cruising through your neighborhood, showing properties and visiting listings.

Thanks to Scott and his great team of designers and installers at wraps1.com for helping us create the perfect design.  We really appreciate the effort you made to get it right.   See you on the road everyone!