beckybochniak

We have several new listings in Rockwall, Sunnyvale, Mesquite, Rowlett and Arlington! If you are looking for a new home in any of these areas and want to schedule a showing, contact Becky Bochniak today at (972) 672-6138.

Homes for sale in Dallas/Ft. Worth

The Town of Sunnyvale Lighting will occur Friday December 4th from 6:30pm - 9:00pm at Town Hall. This event will include refreshments, performances from the Sunnyvale middle school Choir; and may even include a special visitor from the North. The actual tree lighting will occur at the conclusion of the Choir singing.

109 Windmill Ridge, Rockwall

The results are in- Becky has been the top producer for Coldwell Banker Apex’s Rockwall office for June and July 2009!

The results are calculated for each agent’s monthly Gross Commission Income. This GCI is the total of all sales, including buyers, sellers, and leases.

Becky’s love of real estate and her genuine interest in helping clients with their needs is paramount in the current market. Her dedication and drive is what makes her the top choice for picking a realtor.

Congrats, Becky!

Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce presents the first annual Sunnyvale Pecan Harvest Festival November 14, 2009.

Becky has volunteered to head the committee for local developers. She will be working the information booth for area real estate developers.

For more information, go to Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce.

Rockwall County commissioners do not propose to change the current tax rate of 37.5 cents per $100 valuation.

In a record vote during special meeting Aug. 4, they unanimously approved the same proposed tax rate as the current fiscal year, even though less revenue is to be generated by properties which were on the tax roll last year.

Making up for that valuation drop will be properties which hit the rolls for the first time on Jan. 1, 2009, according to information from the Rockwall County Central Appraisal District, said county auditor John Blackwood.

When considering the general operations budget, pre-existing and new properties should garner, through current, on-time paid taxes, about $16.5 million. That is about $1 million more than on-time tax revenue expected for the current fiscal year.

However, in other areas of taxation, lower revenues are projected in Draft 1, so that total tax revenue into the county general operating budget is down $126,000 from current fiscal year.

All tax revenue into general operations for the 2009-10 fiscal year is projected to be neither significantly greater nor less than all tax revenue in the current fiscal year.

The Draft 1 shows just $300 more in total tax revenue than that of the current fiscal year — $20.2 million.

The release of the certified tax roll on July 27 created slight changes to be reflected in Draft 2, which will be released prior to Sept. 8.

Another $4 million is expected from other sources, giving general operations, in Draft 1, a $24 million revenue.

With revisions on the expense side being made — some corrections and some optional — the final difference between revenue and expenses is yet to be seen. A deficit of between $1.5 to $2 million could be seen, Blackwood said, after a Monday workshop, even though, expenses in Draft 1 were about $2 million less than expenses in the current budget year.

County Judge Chris Florance will be releasing the Draft 2 budget prior to the required public hearing on the budget, which is set for 9 a.m. Sept. 8. It will be held in the commissioners courtroom, third floor, Rockwall County Historic Courthouse.

Two other funds are supported directly through property taxes: Road and Bridge, and Debt Service.

Road and Bridge is expected to be funded, in Draft 1, through just under $170,000 in taxes, as well as money collected via auto registration, fees, fines, and sale of fixed assets, to total $1.3 million in revenue, countered by $1.6 million in expenses.

Draft 1 did not reflect the recent issuance of the Rockwall County Road Bonds passed in 2004 and in 2008, nor the refunding of the bonds which are financing the being-planned Rockwall County justice center. Draft 2 will contain those amounts.

Prevention, safety and education are among Sunnyvale Fire Rescue’s primary goals. To help meet these objectives, SFR has established a new partnership with the Sunnyvale business community.

SFR’s approach is to work with local business owners to help rescue their liability and to assure their customers that Sunnyvale businesses are safe.

“The most important thing our department can do for our business community is to help keep them safe,” SFR Chief Joe Plumlee said. “We also want our community to be aware of how safe our businesses are in Sunnyvale. We feel that making Sunnyvale patrons aware of this is of value to the businesses in our town.”

The program, which began earlier this spring, will focus on training and education for Sunnyvale merchants during its first year. The department has provided each Sunnyvale business with a copy of the inspection form that will be used to ensure compliance with the International Fire Code.

Representatives of the department have begun meeting with business owners in an effort to familiarize themselves with each business and to alert business owners of any safety concerns or potential violations of fire code. Inspectors are reviewing inspection results with business owners, and are making recommendations on corrective measures. The department is also actively following up with business owners ten days after the inspection process. The follow-up may be extended by an additional ten days, if necessary.

The goal of this program is not to conduct ’surprise visits’ or issue citations. This program is based on SFR’s goal to educate and keep Sunnyvale business owners and citizens as safe as possible. As the department conducts inspections in the second year of the program, business owners may use the previous year’s inspection form to help address or correct any fire code or safety issues.

The department’s hope is that this process will eliminate any existing safety hazards and/or non-compliance issues related to fire codes.

It took a national magazine to reveal what Rockwall residents have known all along – Rockwall is a great place to live and raise a family. In fact, according to Family Circle magazine, Rockwall is number one in Texas and one of the 10 best cities in America.

The August issue of the magazine hit the newsstands July 7; it rates Rockwall and nine other U.S. cities as the perfect places to call home, citing exceptional public school systems, affordable housing, good neighbors and green spaces. Other factors considered include low crime rates, financial stability and access to health care.

Family Circle senior editor Paula Chin said the survey’s focus was on schools, and only the highest-rated were considered. The article highlights the fact that Rockwall ISD was the first district in the nation to adopt “Rachel’s Challenge,” a K-12 education program encouraging random acts of kindness and compassion. A nonprofit Web site, greatschools.net, provided the monthly magazinewith the public school ratings used in the town rankings.

According to Family Circle, which boasts 21 million readers, each honored city consists of forward-thinking parents, teachers and students who are “passionate about their hometown; dedicated to bettering their children’s futures; and involved in advancing their local school systems.”

Data for the annual listing of perfect places to call home was compiled by Onboard Infomatics, a research firm in New York City, from a list of 1,700 cities and towns with populations between 15,000 and 150,000. The list was then reduced to 800. Family Circle selected which places best fit their family-friendly criteria and the final 10 were ranked from top to bottom.

Top 10 Perfect Places to Call Home:

• Rockwall, Texas
• Evans, Georgia
• Sherwood, Oregon
• Indian Trail, North Carolina
• Edina, Minnesota
• Noblesville, Indiana
• Perrysburg, Ohio
• Hendersonville, Tenn.
• Kenmore, Washington
• Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Uncertainty about the economy is resulting in more families staying closer to home and nestling in their own backyards. Millions of people are using their resources more wisely and transforming their home into a special place. The travel industry has slowed, resulting in an interest for many to recreate at home—designing a place of relaxation, or having that creative space to entertain family and friends, all within the comforts and convenience of their own backyard.

“Outdoor Living” is on the rise and is one of the greatest trends of the 21st century. Within the last five years, we have gone from the traditional patio and decks, to the point of creating state-of-the-art backyard luxury living resorts. The inside has gone outside, literally. Outdoor rooms and patios are becoming the favorite areas of the home.

People are staying put and finding within their homes that ideal place of relaxation. Homeowners are increasingly reconnecting with their families, friends and communities through the use of outdoor living areas. These great outdoor get-a-ways make great social hives, where entertainment enthusiasts can have informal gatherings as often as they desire.

People everywhere are finding the outdoors to be part of their daily lifestyle. For some, it’s all about outdoor opulence; for others it is backyard entertainment, or even a weekend getaway; and for many it’s a daily escape to reflect and enjoy tranquil moments away from it all.

More homebuilders are incorporating quality outdoor living areas into their building plans, and valuing outdoor living rooms as an important design feature to residential home landscapes. Outdoor living areas with fireplaces and kitchens are gaining better returns on equity investments than that of swimming pools and spas.

The backyard is a simple space that brings together families and friends and warrants an investment to reflect personal or family style. Comfort, entertainment and escape continue to drive this ‘inside goes outside’ trend into our future.

Outdoor living has increasingly demanded the best products—outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, gas torches, Italian ovens, sinks, wine cellars, island bars, coffee baristas, etc. More elaborate scenes have incorporated waterfalls, spas, pools, ponds, or just a water feature to balance the feng shui.

A mixture of natural material textures and finishes are also gaining popularity—a patio with tumbled flagstone is highlighted with hammered natural cedar columns; a natural dry stake stone kitchen grill is complimented with granite counters and wrought iron accents. A myriad of landscapes, hardscapes, boulderscapes and waterscapes can create an outdoor space that skillfully embraces exotic destinations of various architectural/cultural expressions. Now homeowners can enjoy their very own ultimate backyard experience.

Everyone loves outdoor excitement, especially if the outside compliments the social and luxury lifestyle of the homeowner. This can be a result of a creative mixture of Old World Tuscan stone opulence, highlighted with beautiful sounds of flowing water and accented with natural plant life in a surreal oasis in your own backyard. Traveling the world of possibilities for your own outdoor area is what it’s all about. Whether it’s an outdoor covered kitchen island, or a glamorous combination of stone grilling, wine chilling and coffee baristas on granite counters. All-inclusive functionalities are what make the outdoor living rooms so enjoyable.

Outdoor patios and living rooms are becoming much more user-friendly and attractive. Outdoor versions of traditional indoor appliances are abundant and easy to find. Virtually everything you have inside your home is now available for outdoor living. As outdoor rooms gain popularity, manufacturers are providing new outdoor appliances—barbecue grills, kitchen ovens, stainless sinks, refrigerators, cabinets and lighting.

The more elaborate outside structures have all the amenities—HD TVs, heated and air controlled ceiling fans, wine cellars, wrought iron furniture, remote surround-sound, gas teak torches, fiber-optic lighting and more. These items give your simple backyard that special touch, creating a world of possibilities.

Bright colorful spring tones are popular accents, as well as earthy tones that enhance the appeal for the rustic designs. A few small stylish pieces can go a long way—your goal should be to create a retreat that nurtures your personal lifestyle.

For homeowners who are budgeting, think fabric, rugs, plants and other structural elements to create comfort and intimacy in your space. You can dress up any porch or patio with pots and wall art or iron hangings. Anchor a trellis in a large plastic planter for a walled environment; dry stack stones for sitting areas or planter columns; hang small pots of colorful flowers with hooks anchored in the overhead structure.

As the trend grows, so too do outdoor accessories—upholstered furniture, prefabricated water features and fountain displays, miniature reflecting pools, fire features and so on. So, too are the outdoor baths and showers and cabo-canopy beds available in all styles. Coffee tables, candelabrums, lamps, outdoor Lazy-boy recliners, curtains and hangings are popping up everywhere.

The “Inside goes Outside Trend” has doubled every year for the past few years and shows no signs of slowing down. Join the trend and create for yourself a great outdoor living area.

This article is from The Dallas Morning News on June 1, 2009. Becky is currently marketing 1 lot in St. James Park. For more information, go to www.StJamesParkEstates.com

Harwood International managers have ‘a white-collar and a blue-collar job’

08:00 AM CDT on Monday, June 1, 2009
By CHERYL HALL / The Dallas Morning News
cherylhall@dallasnews.com

Don’t tell Gabriel Barbier-Mueller that the up-and-coming generation is lazy or indulged.

The 53-year-old owner and chief executive of Harwood International surrounds himself with young, eager managers because they’re willing to hunker down to move ahead in this recession.

Heavy lifting at the huge development company is just that.

Employees plant trees, park cars, pick up trash, drive tractors, clear lots and mow fields in addition to building, managing and selling Harwood properties spread from California to Switzerland.

“We basically retooled the company. Every one of these guys has a white-collar and a blue-collar job,” Barbier-Mueller says, referring to the sampling of men and women he’s assembled in the model unit of the Azure condominium tower on McKinnon Street.

Austin Conway, an assistant project manager of a new office tower, also gets to play Bob the Builder. “Whenever we put up the cranes, raise them or take them down, I go on site and help the guys.”

The corporate mantra: Do whatever it takes – not just to outlast the recession but to take advantage of it.

It seems incongruous for a company known for adorning its swank office and residential buildings with the personal art and antiquities of the Swiss-born, sophisticated and extremely rich Barbier-Mueller. He has the second-largest collection of Samurai art in the world.

Some wealthy families have significant collections. His family owns museums in Geneva and Barcelona.

Harwood has always had an unusual culture, thanks to him. This is the guy, after all, who disguised an underground parking garage by planting a park on top of it.

Still, it’s hard to imagine a dressed-down Barbier-Mueller braving the heat at a farm in Mexia, Texas, as he picks out hundreds of trees for his projects. But he’s picky that way.

His favorite task?

“Mowing with a big tractor. Love that,” he says.

Harwood International controls more than $4 billion in development in progress and more than $1 billion in operating properties with domestic and foreign investors and clients.

It also has parking, landscaping, equipment and crane rental companies, and provides services such as capital structuring for real estate private equity, leasing, property management, construction management and asset management.

Uptown property

Its holdings include a mammoth section of Uptown between American Airlines Center and the Crescent.

“Over the years, we’ve assembled more than 800 parcels of land into 17 city blocks that are located between the State-Thomas and Crescent areas on the east and Victory on the west,” says Barbier-Mueller, who founded his company in 1988.

He named it Harwood International after the street that runs through the middle of the area, which is now designated as the Harwood District, replete with its own street lamps and signs.

When the city wasn’t moving fast enough with sidewalks, Harwood put them in.

The 31-floor Azure condominium tower and the nearly completed Saint Ann Court, a 26-story office building on the site of the historic school, bring the total number of Harwood buildings to seven.

Kimberly Geary, 37, markets the 156-unit Azure. Sometimes that means she cleans the sales condo for a showing or tends bar for a tour.

“When you work for a company that you have passion for, you don’t mind doing both jobs,” she says.

Frankly, these Harwood employees say they’re happy to still have jobs.

Harwood recently cut its staff 25 percent.

Today the company employs about 100 people, most of them here, but also in small offices in Beverly Hills, London, Geneva and Zurich.

Sensing trouble

Barbier-Mueller, who’s survived several boom-to-bust cycles in Dallas, sensed trouble brewing in January 2007.

He went into crisis mode, determined to cut costs, raise revenue and pay off Azure’s $100 million-plus loan, which at the time was one of the largest condominium construction loans in America.

By March of this year, almost all of that had been paid back.

Harwood turned vacant fields into four parking lots.

They’re bringing in so much money that acquisition and disposition manager Adam Kanneman, 28, has been given free rein to sell $48 million in underused property to buy bargains for several more lots.

Parking lot duty

That will give Spence Sowa even more to do. In addition to being vice president of development and working to complete Saint Ann Court, Sowa is head of the parking company.

One of his duties: collecting cash at two huge surface lots near American Airlines Center and Victory.

Sowa hires nightly cash-takers instead of paying a parking operator, which cuts costs by 35 percent but also means hands-on supervision.

“I live close, so I’ll usually spend an hour or less on the lots,” the 32-year-old says. “It’s important for me to be there so that they don’t put any of the bucks in their pockets.”

Is this fun, drudgery or just the reality of life?

“All of the above,” Sowa says. “I have a job. That’s the reality part of it. But I’m proud to be part of a group that’s growing and creating cash flow.”

Harwood has gotten into homebuilding at a time when many builders are abandoning it.

It just started building infrastructure and the first of three homes in St. James Park, a high-end residential project in Sunnyvale near Lake Ray Hubbard.

That’s Chad Lavender’s domain as president of Harwood Luxury Homes.

Last summer, Lavender’s idea of dressing for success was starched shirts, blue jeans and steel-toed boots – suitable for both construction work and sales meetings with homebuilders who might buy the $270,000 minimum, two-acre-plus lots.

Tilling up sales

“I’d see my sales appointment show up and [I'd] jump off the tractor,” Lavender says. “But they’d drive off thinking no one was there. I’d have to chase their Mercedes down in my tractor.”

Geary chipped in and posted big price tags on the mature trees in the 124-acre development. A bulldozer driver backed into two $5,000 trees, and the subcontractor boss had to pay the penalty. So far, there hasn’t been a second offense.

Lauren Vaughn puts on fancy events for Realtors to help market St. James Park. Beforehand, she helps set up tents and chairs. “I like it because you’re putting your heart into it all,” says the 25-year-old.

“She’s such a country girl,” Barbier-Mueller says. “When we were planting trees, there was this huge coyote watching us, and she says, ‘Look at the dog.’ ”

Even the not-so-youthful have been called into action.

“Last year, people were starting to live in the bottom floors of this building while we were still doing heavy construction in the top floors,” Barbier-Mueller says. “There’s not a person in the company – not an accountant or a bookkeeper – who did not do some tour of duty of bathrooms and kitchens or didn’t work on hands and knees finishing and touching up the units.”