Sweetwater Lifestyle | Yamilia Halfron

YAMI

WHETHER YOU’RE A FIRST-TIME BUYER, RELOCATING TO HOUSTON, OR LISTING AN ESTATE, LET YAMILIA PUT HER EXPERTISE TO WORK FOR YOU. A long time Houstonian, Yamilia Halfon has in-depth knowledge of Houston’s finest neighborhoods and evolving marketplace. Yamilia specializes in luxury residential sales in Houston’s most distinctive neighborhoods including Tanglewood, the Memorial Villages, River Oaks, West University, Bellaire, and Sweetwater.

A dedicated professional who is totally committed to her clients, Yamilia’s reputation for market knowledge, quality service and professionalism precedes her.

Her dedication, attention to detail, and light hearted attitude combined with her drive and enthusiasm to surpass her client’s expectations have ensured her excellent reputation in the real estate industry. With a service-oriented philosophy, Yamilia always puts the interest of her clients as her first priority. Her integrity is unquestionable and she brings professionalism and commitment to every transaction.

Completely bilingual in English and Spanish, Yamilia is adept at working with foreign nationals who make Houston their new home. She enjoys showing them the city and all that Houston has to offer and, in the process, building life-long relationships with members of Houston’s international community.

Clients who work with Yamilia have access to Sotheby’s concierge services, auctions, and relocation services.

Affiliation with Sotheby’s International Realty offers enhanced market exposure and distinctive benefits, including access to a global network of buyers and auction house clients along with a website which allows for property searches by both location and lifestyle.

www.HAR.com/YamiliaHalfon Yamilia Halfon Million Dollar Guild, CLHMS

832.247.7618

YHalfon@MarthaTurner.com

L I F E S T Y L E

Sugar Land Town Square

vents E

Friday, November 13 - 7:30-9:30pm Opry on the Square Saturday, November 14 - 10:00-3:00pm

Corvette Owners Club of Houston “Open” Car Show Friday, November 20 - 6:30-10:00pm

Houston Rockets Viewing Party Saturday, November 21 - 6:00-8:00pm & Sunday, November 29 - 4:006:00pm Holidays in the Plaza Sponsored by Sterling McCall Buick GMC Sunday, November 29 - 1:00-5:00pm

Photos with Santa Thursday, December 3 - 5:00-8:00pm

13th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Event Friday, December 4 4:00-8:00pm

KHOU 11’s Secret Santa Toy Drive Sunday, December 6, 13, & 20 - 1:005:00pm Photos with Santa Saturday, December 12 - 11-4:00pm

Holiday Dance Showcase Thursday, December 31 - 7:00pm1:00am

Ready, Set, Holiday!

CREATING THE PERFECT TABLE

New Year’s Eve on the Square

SugarLandTownSquare.com

Activity In Sweetwater and Maranatha Farms ADDRESS

BED

BATH

SQFT LIST/SOLD PRICE

ACTIVE 34 Hessenford St 10 Dartmoor Ct 39 Glen Eagles Drive 19 Dartmoor Ct 4122 Hyde Park Dr 91 Heathrow Ln 21 Orkney Isle Ct 30 Du Pont Cir 27 Du Pont Circle 18 Legend Park Dr 47 Du Pont Circle 22 Farrell Ridge Dr 14 Cheshire Bend Drive 35 The Oval St 3540 Maranatha Drive 5324 Palm Royale Blvd

4 4 3 5 4 5 5 5 4 5 6 5 4 6 5 9

3/1 3/1 3/2 3/1 3/1 4/3 5/1 6/1 4/0 4/2 5/2 5/1 3/2 6/3 6/1 10/4

3,943 4,520 4,025 5,031 4,017 4,921 6,770 6,032 6,594 6,020 6,249 6,002 6,071 8,472 9,268 19,180

$589,000 $698,000 $849,750 $849,900 $877,000 $950,000 $988,500 $1,198,000 $1,250,000 $1,325,000 $1,398,000 $1,498,800 $1,598,000 $2,098,000 $4,488,000 $11,888,000

SOLD 4110 Saint Michaels Ct 4103 Thistle Hill Ct 3 Legend Park Dr 16 Windsor Place

4 4 5 6

3/1 3/1 3/2 6/1

5,120 4,208 5,471 8,000

$584,000 $807,000 $1,200,000 $2,100,000

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The properties on this list have been listed/sold by various members of the MLS. If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2015

Yamilia Halfon

Produced by UpscaleRealEstateMarketing.com • 877.660.0996

Real Estate Update

Limited Supply Continues to Fuel Growth

Morton’s Delightful Double Chocolate Mousse

Sweetwater Real Estate Report Presented By Yamilia Halfon

In Good Taste

DINNER IS

Nothing says the holidays more than a beautiful dining table set for a feast lovingly prepared for family and friends. Whether you’re throwing your first family fete or just looking for some new ways to spice up your table setting this season, it’s easy to find plenty of inspiration in the modern world. No more tearing pages from magazines at the doctor’s office. After all, a wealth of (free!) ideas is just a click away online.

Mortons.com | 713.659.3700

Double Chocolate Mousse INGREDIENTS 1½ c heavy cream 6 oz semisweet dark chocolate,

in small pieces 4½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 c pasteurized egg whites 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 c sugar Whipped cream, for serving

First place to go for drool-worthy tips and tricks?

Pinterest will keep you entertained for hours (and hours!). Just type in “holiday table settings” and you’ll find a plethora of ideas, from tutorials on where to put all the plates, glasses, and silverware, to homespun projects for table runners, centerpieces, candles, chargers, and place markers. You’ll be inspired to decorate places you may have otherwise left unadorned … the chandelier, the sideboard, the chairs, even the walls. These pinners love to craft and decorate! Overwhelmed with ideas? Narrow your search by adding in what specific holiday you’re celebrating or the theme or color you are working with (for example, add key words such as “red,” “simple,” “Hanukkah,” “elegant,” or “winter wonderland”). For help with those tricky cloth napkins, just type the words “folding napkins” and you’ll be greeted with numerous elegant and fun suggestions (we warned you,

PREPARATION In a saucepan, bring ¾ cup of the cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Put the chocolate and cocoa in a heat-proof glass bowl and pour the hot cream over them. Let the mixture stand for about 1 minute and then whisk until blended. Be sure to break up any clumps of the cocoa. Set aside at room temperature for about 45 minutes, whisking occasionally to keep the mixture smooth. The chocolate needs to cool to 80°F. In a chilled, dry bowl beat the egg whites on high speed for 10 to 20 seconds or until they begin to foam.

Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat for about 1 minute longer or until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the sugar over the whites and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes longer or until the peaks are stiff but not dry.

Fold the whites into the cooled chocolate (make sure it’s no warmer than 80°F before adding the whites).

Pour the remaining heavy cream into the bowl of the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve the mousse spooned on dessert plates or in bowls. Top each serving with a little whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Served

Event Calendar NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2015 The Phantom of the Opera

there are lots of options!). Pin the pics you want to use at your own table and you’ll have all the elements you desire in one easy-to-reference spot. Now that’s convenient (and way less expensive than buying all those food and home magazines).

Hobby Center | November 18-29 Houston.Broadway.com | 800.952.6560 Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera comes to a city near you as part of a brand new North American Tour. This production, which retains the beloved story and thrilling score, boasts exciting new special effects, scenic and lighting designs, staging and choreography and has been hailed by critics as “bigger and better than ever before.”

Houzz, a popular home design website, is another good table setting resource. Here you’ll find photos from interior designers with links to products you can add to your table settings. Instagram also offers up pics posted by users of their past and present table settings for your viewing.

And don’t forget those rightin-the-mailbox resources: Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, and many other popular catalogs, which offer up beautiful ideas for the taking. Whether you shop for a whole new look or mix and match using items you’ve owned for years, you’re sure to find a new way of presenting your table you never thought of before. Now all you need is the cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Hmm …

Maybe your sister-in-law can bring those? Oh, and don’t forget the kids’ table.

Boris Kaplun – Painting RCC Our Texas | Through December 1 OurTX.org | 713.395.3301 Boris Kaplun is a painter and scenic designer based in Houston, Texas. He works with different media such as oil, acrylic and tempera on canvas and cardboard. As a scenic designer, Boris completed more than fifty productions in Houston theaters.

“My interest is not focused on a particular subject but rather on a particular feeling that a subject can evoke. Everyday mundane subjects, which often have bigger meanings, catch my attention. Then I try to find the adequate form to translate that feeling into visual language,” said Kaplun.

Dickens On The Strand

Real Estate Market Update Over the past year we have seen several factors that have stimulated housing demand: • Mortgages for 30-year fixed rate loans remained at or below 4 percent • Household income was supported by the labor market adding 3 million jobs across the nation • Consumer confidence rose to the most optimistic level in eight years

These three factors have worked to increase the number of households that are

looking to buy homes.

But, turning to supply – the number of homes offered for sale has remained relatively low. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average supply of homes in the second quarter 2015 was 5.1 months, down from 5.5 months a year ago.

In the Houston market, however, inventory rose from a 3.0-month supply last August to 3.5- month supply in August 2015. That is slightly above the 3.4-month supply in July 2015, but remains well below the current national housing supply continuing to make Houston a sellers’ market.

“The Houston housing market has been robust in 2015, keeping pace with last year’s record-breaking numbers and August 2015 turned out to be flat, by and large,” said Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) Chair Nancy Furst with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties. “We’ve started seeing signs of more sustainable inventory levels as more new listings come onto the market.”

The real estate analytics firm, CoreLogic, reports that of the top 100 real-estate markets in the U.S., 14 are now overvalued – more than double the number that were at the end of the first quarter 2015.

Q3

The primary driver behind the overvaluation of more housing markets is supply. The factors keeping supply tight is a high number of owners who still owe more on their homes than they are worth and a pace of home construction that is still well below the rate of the early 2000s. The homes that do get built tend to be at higher price points, causing affordability issues for entry-level buyers.

The key to more choices for home buyers is new inventory, but it’s coming slowly.

In 2014, construction of rental apartments and condos returned to pre-boomand-bust levels. But construction of single-family homes made it just halfway back to the normal annual average of 1.3 million starts according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The NAHB forecasts that single-family-home starts won’t hit a million until 2016.

30-year fixed rate loans remain steady at or below

4% interest

3 million new jobs nationally supports household incomes

3

million

consumer confidence is at 8-year high

8

REAL ESTATE

corner

Galveston Island | December 4-6 GalvestonHistory.org | 409.765.7834 With a nod to the ghost of Dickens past and an eye towards the future, Galveston’s world famous Victorian holiday festival returns to Galveston Island.

The annual holiday street festival, based on 19thcentury Victorian London, features parades, nonstop entertainment on six stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and a host of other entertainers. Costumed vendors peddle their wares from street stalls and rolling carts laden with holiday food and drink, Victorian-inspired crafts, clothing, jewelry, holiday decorations and gift items.

The Nutcracker Wortham Theater November 27- December 27 HoustonBallet.org | 713.227.2787 A wonderful ballet for the entire family, The Nutcracker is the perfect way to introduce young children to the power and beauty of classical dance. Join Clara on her unforgettable journey as she travels to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets, and marvel as the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Nutcracker Prince dance a pas de deux of crystalline beauty.

In Good Taste

DINNER IS

Nothing says the holidays more than a beautiful dining table set for a feast lovingly prepared for family and friends. Whether you’re throwing your first family fete or just looking for some new ways to spice up your table setting this season, it’s easy to find plenty of inspiration in the modern world. No more tearing pages from magazines at the doctor’s office. After all, a wealth of (free!) ideas is just a click away online.

Mortons.com | 713.659.3700

Double Chocolate Mousse INGREDIENTS 1½ c heavy cream 6 oz semisweet dark chocolate,

in small pieces 4½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 c pasteurized egg whites 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 c sugar Whipped cream, for serving

First place to go for drool-worthy tips and tricks?

Pinterest will keep you entertained for hours (and hours!). Just type in “holiday table settings” and you’ll find a plethora of ideas, from tutorials on where to put all the plates, glasses, and silverware, to homespun projects for table runners, centerpieces, candles, chargers, and place markers. You’ll be inspired to decorate places you may have otherwise left unadorned … the chandelier, the sideboard, the chairs, even the walls. These pinners love to craft and decorate! Overwhelmed with ideas? Narrow your search by adding in what specific holiday you’re celebrating or the theme or color you are working with (for example, add key words such as “red,” “simple,” “Hanukkah,” “elegant,” or “winter wonderland”). For help with those tricky cloth napkins, just type the words “folding napkins” and you’ll be greeted with numerous elegant and fun suggestions (we warned you,

PREPARATION In a saucepan, bring ¾ cup of the cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Put the chocolate and cocoa in a heat-proof glass bowl and pour the hot cream over them. Let the mixture stand for about 1 minute and then whisk until blended. Be sure to break up any clumps of the cocoa. Set aside at room temperature for about 45 minutes, whisking occasionally to keep the mixture smooth. The chocolate needs to cool to 80°F. In a chilled, dry bowl beat the egg whites on high speed for 10 to 20 seconds or until they begin to foam.

Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat for about 1 minute longer or until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the sugar over the whites and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes longer or until the peaks are stiff but not dry.

Fold the whites into the cooled chocolate (make sure it’s no warmer than 80°F before adding the whites).

Pour the remaining heavy cream into the bowl of the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve the mousse spooned on dessert plates or in bowls. Top each serving with a little whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Served

Event Calendar NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2015 The Phantom of the Opera

there are lots of options!). Pin the pics you want to use at your own table and you’ll have all the elements you desire in one easy-to-reference spot. Now that’s convenient (and way less expensive than buying all those food and home magazines).

Hobby Center | November 18-29 Houston.Broadway.com | 800.952.6560 Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera comes to a city near you as part of a brand new North American Tour. This production, which retains the beloved story and thrilling score, boasts exciting new special effects, scenic and lighting designs, staging and choreography and has been hailed by critics as “bigger and better than ever before.”

Houzz, a popular home design website, is another good table setting resource. Here you’ll find photos from interior designers with links to products you can add to your table settings. Instagram also offers up pics posted by users of their past and present table settings for your viewing.

And don’t forget those rightin-the-mailbox resources: Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, and many other popular catalogs, which offer up beautiful ideas for the taking. Whether you shop for a whole new look or mix and match using items you’ve owned for years, you’re sure to find a new way of presenting your table you never thought of before. Now all you need is the cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Hmm …

Maybe your sister-in-law can bring those? Oh, and don’t forget the kids’ table.

Boris Kaplun – Painting RCC Our Texas | Through December 1 OurTX.org | 713.395.3301 Boris Kaplun is a painter and scenic designer based in Houston, Texas. He works with different media such as oil, acrylic and tempera on canvas and cardboard. As a scenic designer, Boris completed more than fifty productions in Houston theaters.

“My interest is not focused on a particular subject but rather on a particular feeling that a subject can evoke. Everyday mundane subjects, which often have bigger meanings, catch my attention. Then I try to find the adequate form to translate that feeling into visual language,” said Kaplun.

Dickens On The Strand

Real Estate Market Update Over the past year we have seen several factors that have stimulated housing demand: • Mortgages for 30-year fixed rate loans remained at or below 4 percent • Household income was supported by the labor market adding 3 million jobs across the nation • Consumer confidence rose to the most optimistic level in eight years

These three factors have worked to increase the number of households that are

looking to buy homes.

But, turning to supply – the number of homes offered for sale has remained relatively low. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average supply of homes in the second quarter 2015 was 5.1 months, down from 5.5 months a year ago.

In the Houston market, however, inventory rose from a 3.0-month supply last August to 3.5- month supply in August 2015. That is slightly above the 3.4-month supply in July 2015, but remains well below the current national housing supply continuing to make Houston a sellers’ market.

“The Houston housing market has been robust in 2015, keeping pace with last year’s record-breaking numbers and August 2015 turned out to be flat, by and large,” said Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) Chair Nancy Furst with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties. “We’ve started seeing signs of more sustainable inventory levels as more new listings come onto the market.”

The real estate analytics firm, CoreLogic, reports that of the top 100 real-estate markets in the U.S., 14 are now overvalued – more than double the number that were at the end of the first quarter 2015.

Q3

The primary driver behind the overvaluation of more housing markets is supply. The factors keeping supply tight is a high number of owners who still owe more on their homes than they are worth and a pace of home construction that is still well below the rate of the early 2000s. The homes that do get built tend to be at higher price points, causing affordability issues for entry-level buyers.

The key to more choices for home buyers is new inventory, but it’s coming slowly.

In 2014, construction of rental apartments and condos returned to pre-boomand-bust levels. But construction of single-family homes made it just halfway back to the normal annual average of 1.3 million starts according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The NAHB forecasts that single-family-home starts won’t hit a million until 2016.

30-year fixed rate loans remain steady at or below

4% interest

3 million new jobs nationally supports household incomes

3

million

consumer confidence is at 8-year high

8

REAL ESTATE

corner

Galveston Island | December 4-6 GalvestonHistory.org | 409.765.7834 With a nod to the ghost of Dickens past and an eye towards the future, Galveston’s world famous Victorian holiday festival returns to Galveston Island.

The annual holiday street festival, based on 19thcentury Victorian London, features parades, nonstop entertainment on six stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and a host of other entertainers. Costumed vendors peddle their wares from street stalls and rolling carts laden with holiday food and drink, Victorian-inspired crafts, clothing, jewelry, holiday decorations and gift items.

The Nutcracker Wortham Theater November 27- December 27 HoustonBallet.org | 713.227.2787 A wonderful ballet for the entire family, The Nutcracker is the perfect way to introduce young children to the power and beauty of classical dance. Join Clara on her unforgettable journey as she travels to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets, and marvel as the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Nutcracker Prince dance a pas de deux of crystalline beauty.

YAMI

WHETHER YOU’RE A FIRST-TIME BUYER, RELOCATING TO HOUSTON, OR LISTING AN ESTATE, LET YAMILIA PUT HER EXPERTISE TO WORK FOR YOU. A long time Houstonian, Yamilia Halfon has in-depth knowledge of Houston’s finest neighborhoods and evolving marketplace. Yamilia specializes in luxury residential sales in Houston’s most distinctive neighborhoods including Tanglewood, the Memorial Villages, River Oaks, West University, Bellaire, and Sweetwater.

A dedicated professional who is totally committed to her clients, Yamilia’s reputation for market knowledge, quality service and professionalism precedes her.

Her dedication, attention to detail, and light hearted attitude combined with her drive and enthusiasm to surpass her client’s expectations have ensured her excellent reputation in the real estate industry. With a service-oriented philosophy, Yamilia always puts the interest of her clients as her first priority. Her integrity is unquestionable and she brings professionalism and commitment to every transaction.

Completely bilingual in English and Spanish, Yamilia is adept at working with foreign nationals who make Houston their new home. She enjoys showing them the city and all that Houston has to offer and, in the process, building life-long relationships with members of Houston’s international community.

Clients who work with Yamilia have access to Sotheby’s concierge services, auctions, and relocation services.

Affiliation with Sotheby’s International Realty offers enhanced market exposure and distinctive benefits, including access to a global network of buyers and auction house clients along with a website which allows for property searches by both location and lifestyle.

www.HAR.com/YamiliaHalfon Yamilia Halfon Million Dollar Guild, CLHMS

832.247.7618

YHalfon@MarthaTurner.com

L I F E S T Y L E

Sugar Land Town Square

vents E

Friday, November 13 - 7:30-9:30pm Opry on the Square Saturday, November 14 - 10:00-3:00pm

Corvette Owners Club of Houston “Open” Car Show Friday, November 20 - 6:30-10:00pm

Houston Rockets Viewing Party Saturday, November 21 - 6:00-8:00pm & Sunday, November 29 - 4:006:00pm Holidays in the Plaza Sponsored by Sterling McCall Buick GMC Sunday, November 29 - 1:00-5:00pm

Photos with Santa Thursday, December 3 - 5:00-8:00pm

13th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Event Friday, December 4 4:00-8:00pm

KHOU 11’s Secret Santa Toy Drive Sunday, December 6, 13, & 20 - 1:005:00pm Photos with Santa Saturday, December 12 - 11-4:00pm

Holiday Dance Showcase Thursday, December 31 - 7:00pm1:00am

Ready, Set, Holiday!

CREATING THE PERFECT TABLE

New Year’s Eve on the Square

SugarLandTownSquare.com

Activity In Sweetwater and Maranatha Farms ADDRESS

BED

BATH

SQFT LIST/SOLD PRICE

ACTIVE 34 Hessenford St 10 Dartmoor Ct 39 Glen Eagles Drive 19 Dartmoor Ct 4122 Hyde Park Dr 91 Heathrow Ln 21 Orkney Isle Ct 30 Du Pont Cir 27 Du Pont Circle 18 Legend Park Dr 47 Du Pont Circle 22 Farrell Ridge Dr 14 Cheshire Bend Drive 35 The Oval St 3540 Maranatha Drive 5324 Palm Royale Blvd

4 4 3 5 4 5 5 5 4 5 6 5 4 6 5 9

3/1 3/1 3/2 3/1 3/1 4/3 5/1 6/1 4/0 4/2 5/2 5/1 3/2 6/3 6/1 10/4

3,943 4,520 4,025 5,031 4,017 4,921 6,770 6,032 6,594 6,020 6,249 6,002 6,071 8,472 9,268 19,180

$589,000 $698,000 $849,750 $849,900 $877,000 $950,000 $988,500 $1,198,000 $1,250,000 $1,325,000 $1,398,000 $1,498,800 $1,598,000 $2,098,000 $4,488,000 $11,888,000

SOLD 4110 Saint Michaels Ct 4103 Thistle Hill Ct 3 Legend Park Dr 16 Windsor Place

4 4 5 6

3/1 3/1 3/2 6/1

5,120 4,208 5,471 8,000

$584,000 $807,000 $1,200,000 $2,100,000

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The properties on this list have been listed/sold by various members of the MLS. If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2015

Yamilia Halfon

Produced by UpscaleRealEstateMarketing.com • 877.660.0996

Real Estate Update

Limited Supply Continues to Fuel Growth

Morton’s Delightful Double Chocolate Mousse

Sweetwater Real Estate Report Presented By Yamilia Halfon