Exciting times at Chandler Crouch Realtors! We've been featured in a number of recent stories via local news outlets. We're happy to be in a position to help so many people.   Lauren Zakalik with WFAA Channel 8 interviewed Chandler on May 17th about the tax increases in Tarrant County, and what Chandler Crouch Realtors is doing to help the local community. You can read that story in its entirety and watch Chandler's interview with Lauren by clicking here.   When some folks found out that their homestead exemptions dropped from their TAD appraisal without warning, CBS's Jason Allen stepped in to help get the story out. Click here to read more and watch Chandler's interview.   In a follow up to WFAA's story on what Chandler Crouch Realtors is doing to help out local homeowners, Jason Wheeler invited Chandler to do a live interview on WFAA Channel 8 to discuss what homeowners should do to get their taxes lowered. To view that video, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page, and play the last video on the page titled "Is it worth it: How to fight your property taxes assessment."   We're thrilled to be able to provide a service like this to our local community!

Click here to get a home repair checklist or scroll down for brick repair secrets.     Brick Mortar Crack Repair   The Problem If you're selling your home and have a crack in your brick, buyers will assume the worst and go buy another house. They don't assume they can fix the issue. They just move on. This can cost you thousands.  What to Buy   Use pre-mixed sanded tile grout, not mortar repair. Mortar repair usually has only 3 different color options. Sanded tile grout usually offers 20+ color options, which allows you to color match to near perfection. Also, sanded tile grout is suitable for swimming pools, showers, and exterior uses because it is highly weather resistant, and the texture is virtually identical. Brand doesn’t matter much. Any home improvement store will have a nice selection, however each store will carry different color selections due to available inventory. They come in quart or gallon size buckets. Get quart size. See the image below for colors we have found work well on most homes. The colors below with arrows are ones that work well on most homes. Purchase a few good colors. The biggest time waste is driving to the store. If you see all the ones I marked, buy them all. If you don’t see them all but you see something else that looks close (linen, earth, or another), by all means grab it too. Home Depot and Lowes have excellent return policies.   Application Instructions Put your artist hat on. Get an empty shallow sturdy container to serve as your palette. Scoop a spoonful of a brownish color and grey color onto the palette. Next mix the colors together in portions that would help you achieve the best match. Keep mixing the colors until it matches to 80% perfection. The color will appear slightly different after it has dried. Effective blending will mitigate any color match imperfections. Next, begin a test area by finding an inconspicuous area of the house, dip your finger in the mixed solution then run it along the mortar area (between the bricks). If you have several cracks, you may need gloves. As you drag your finger down the mortar line, the mix will naturally taper off and blend really well with the existing mortar color.   Cracks Running Through the Middle of a Brick Most of the time the thing that makes a crack stand out is the shadow inside the crack. If there is a small crack in the brick, fill the crack with a very small amount of the mortar solution. Just use a minimal amount so its not caked on. Then wipe off any excess. It’s always best to test a little area to see how it looks before covering a large area. Keep in mind, you know where the cracks were before you attempted to fix them, so you’ll always know exactly where to look to find the patch job. Someone that didn’t know where the crack was before your repair job likely won’t be able to find the repaired area if you did a good job matching colors and blending. Other Solutions: Sell As-Is - Get a Free Cash Offer on your Home Today: call or text 817-381-3800 Get our checklists and strategy on how to invest a little to get top dollar: call or text 817-381-3800 Plan ahead by getting an instant free home valuation      

Poorly Rated Schools in Keller ISD First, I just have to say, there really isn't such thing as a bad school in Keller ISD. Some may not be rated quite as high as another, but if you've ever been to a truly bad school, you'd this article is just focused on the difference between GREAT schools and BEST schools... lets proceed. School District Affecting the Heritage Subdivision Among Others Several people have contacted me recently asking about elementary school redistricting. I thought other people might appreciate the information so, here it is: Redrawing Cape Cod from Lonestar Elementary to Friendship Elementary Old news: Plans to redistrict the attendance zones were discontinued. The reason the plans were discontinued is because of your involvement at the public forums. Find forum agenda and the presentation they used here: https://goo.gl/eqEV2r Lonestar is however very full and the area is still growing, so they may propose this change again in the future. If I want to appeal to have boundary lines redrawn, what do I do? Waiting until the redistricting is proposed then attending the public forum will be the most effective route. Less effective (and possibly counterproductive) would be to contact Billy Kidd (contact info below). When do they notify of changes? One person told me it takes 1 year to fully pass. Previous meeting where the board of trustees voted on it was Nov 30. Previous dates for public forums were mid to late January held in the evening. How do they notify of changes? They do a press release, so news organizations pick it up and disseminate widely. If you have personal experience, please share how you found out and I’ll update this. Can I transfer my child? List of schools accepting transfers: https://goo.gl/DJuMCu Transfer application: https://goo.gl/1ygxSR Dates to submit application for fall semester: March 1 - April 30 (reviewed by June 21) Dates to submit application for spring semester: Oct 1 - Nov 30 (reviewed by Jan 14) They only allow transfers to certain schools. The list changes periodically. Even if your school is listed, transfers may still be denied. If the child has disciplinary issues or is trying to transfer to a school far away, odds are less likely they will be approved. Transferring from one school district to another (not just from one school to another inside the same district) requires a different process. If your child is granted a transfer, it can be rescinded due to academic issues, behavior issues, or changes in overcrowding. Communicate with the school principals about transfers For elementary: If class sizes are at 90%+ capacity, requests will likely be denied For questions email: leanne.shivers@kellerisd.net Address lookup - Which schools would this address go to?: https://goo.gl/jfroHU Feeder pattern - Which middle school and high school does my elementary schools feed to: https://goo.gl/74UXsx Who to talk to: You’re more than welcome to call me (Chandler Crouch). My team is happy to research to find answers. 817-381-3800 broker@chandlercrouch.com Billy Kidd is in charge of analyzing demographics and proposing redistricting billy.kidd@kellerisd.net, 817-744-3971 Hudson Huff was in charge until Billy took over, so he is familiar with the history of any redistricting that took place. hudson.huff@kellerisd.net Karen Davis is Hudson’s assistant: 817-744-3955 March 4, 2017 Update Lone Star rezoning. The change they were proposing wouldn't have immediately changed the overcrowding at the school. It was designed as a phase out that really wouldn't have had an impact for 5 years. They were basing it on saying homes were going to be built in the land next to the YMCA. That was proven to be false information because that land belongs to the Catholic church which still has plans to build a High School there. The demographer was basing his projection on A5 residential going there in about 5 years. It did not change just based on complaints If you're curious whats going on with the Catholic High School plans that you may have heard about for years, just wait, but don't hold your breath. The Catholic Diocese is still raising funds for it, and they don't plan on selling the land. March 3, 2017 Update: I just got some more information from the gentleman that is in charge of proposing changes. He has been very helpful: Boundaries are decided by the need to meet TEA requirements for number of students per class based on the population of the district.Boundaries can be adjusted to address highly populated areas, when space is available at existing campuses or by adding a new school and making adjustments.The conversation begins in house, is shared with the school board, and is presented to the community through public meetings. The School Board will vote on the boundary changes, if passed, it is put in place and communicated on the district website.Parents can request a campus transfer, those transfers are dependent on space availability K-12. A parent could send a request for a boundary change, but it’s subject to the information above #localcommunity #heritagesubdivision