Lights in the Heights

Deck the halls with boughs of holly and let the fun begin! It's that fabulous time of year when Woodland Heights hosts Lights in the Heights. I was driving around the neighborhood this weekend and saw so many people putting up their Christmas lights. This is going to be a great year primarily because the organization has made some changes to improve the event.

This year's Lights in the Heights will be held on Saturday, December 10 beginning at 6:00 p.m. and end at 10:00 p.m. No vendors will be permitted on the Norhill esplanade and security will be tighter. And since they haven't been widely publicizing the event, there may be fewer people attending. These changes promise to make it a cozier event.

So for those of you who do not know what this event is, here's the scoop. Woodland Heights is comprised mostly of Victorian and Craftsman Style homes. Beginning about 25 years ago, the residents began heavily decorating their homes for Christmas. They would then block off a couple of streets one evening to allow the people within the community to celebrate with one another. Each year it grew from just one or two streets to several. Recognition is offered for houses with the best decorations.

During the event itself, many homes throughout the community will be hosting musicians who will be playing Christmas music from the front porch. The style of music will be anything from 4-string quartets to jazz to a cappella. This year, rock music will not be permitted as the community wishes to keep the noise level down.

Please note, that there will be several private parties throughout the community; so be careful not to crash any of them.

Should you find you are unable to attend Lights in the Heights, take a leisurely drive through the community any night in December and enjoy the beautiful decorations; many are worth seeing in daylight as well.

Corporate Housing - Houston

Corporate housing is basically a furnished apartment. Initially, they were leased by corporations for their employees who were temporarily residing in Houston. Now, anyone can lease furnished apartments for a variety of reasons.

The process of acquiring a corporate rental can be rather complicated and boring. So, I'm not going to put you to sleep with a bunch of details. However, there are some basics you need to know.

1. Houston does not have an inventory of furnished rental apartments just waiting for someone to lease. These days, you pick your property and a third party converts it into a furnished unit.
   
   
2. Your options include two different types of properties: Apartment communities and privately owned properties. Sometimes private owners will have their property set up specifically as a furnished apartment or home. These are rare but they do exist.
   
   
3. Most properties require 1 year leases. There are some apartment communities that will accept shorter term leases. Most condo and hi-rise buildings do not allow short term leases. This really limits your choices.
   
   
4. A furnished unit may or may not include utilities and maid service. When negotiating for a furnished unit, it helps if you know what you need. Expect to pay about $2000 above the base price of an unfurnished apartment or home. This number can be lowered by placing utilities in your own name, hiring a maid or even reducing the number of televisions in the unit.
   
   
5. Once you find your property, you'll need to allow up to 5 business days for it to be converted to a furnished apartment.
   

Finding a furnished apartment can be a lot of work and very frustrating. Use a Realtor who is experienced in leasing. They can make this process easy for you and prevent you from wasting a lot of time.