The mercury wasn't the only thing that soared in the month of August in Houston. Single-family home sales shot up more than 30 percent when compared to August of last year. August marked the third consecutive month of increased sales and the fourth time in 2011 that sales volume entered positive territory.

National Night Out promotes police-community partnerships as well as neighborhood spirit. When neighbors know each other, communities are safer and crime decreases. National Night Out Community-Wide Kickoff will be on Saturday, October 1, 2011, from 1 - 5 p.m. in Northshore Park in The Woodlands.

Strong home sales continue in Sienna Plantation! Currently, Sienna Plantation is home to over 22,000 residents since opening in 1997. With over 5,600 single-family homes at an average sales price of $325,000 and a $1.8+ billion tax base, Sienna is ranked #3 in Houston MPC sales. Sienna has also been in the RCLCO Top Ten Selling Communities in the country for the past five years.

Make plans to visit Bridgeland neighborhood in Cypress for the annual Howl-O-Ween Fest, set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in Bridgeland’s Oak Meadow Park.

Starting September 1st, there will be new requirements in order to apply for a homestead exemption for tax purposes.  These changes apply to all types of homestead exemptions, including over-65, over-55 surviving spouse, disability and disabled veteran exemptions.The Texas legislature will now require applicants to submit a copy of their driver's license or state issued i.d.

This letter comes to us from happy homeowners in West Ranch neighborhood in Friendswood, TX:We just moved into our house and want to express our feelings about the builder, David Farrar.  David was one of the most detailed and professional people we have ever dealt with in the building industry.  David built our house from start to finish in just over 4 months, and we could not have been happier.

This letter comes to us from happy homeowners in The Village of Creekside Park in The Woodlands, TX:Now that we have been in our home for a couple weeks, we are starting to get settled and wanted to take a minute to give you some feedback on the building process.  Though it has been a long and stressful road, we are pleased to say that we think the house turned out beautifully.

This letter comes to us from happy homeowners in Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX:

Having had some time to settle down in our new house, we want to take some time to describe our delightful process of having had our new home built by Partners in Building.

A midyear report from Metrostudy holds good news for Houston's real estate market, with overall new-home sales up by 8% in 15 of the city's largest master-planned communities. The news was even better for Summerwood and other Houston developments by Newland communities.

Houston-based Metrostudy, a national housing research firm, reported cumulative net sales of 2,473 new homes in the 15 communities for the first half of 2011, compared to 2,290 net sales in the same period last year.

Woodforest in Montgomery's inaugural Monster Dash, an obstacle race through the community set for Oct. 22nd, promises to be a frightfully good time.