Parents Push Through Day 1 of Back to School Schedules

Many schedules changed Monday for students heading back to school as summer comes to an end. Now, parents are left with the chore of planning around the new agendas. Some parents in the coastal bend told us what items were topping their back to school “To-do” lists and how the school year affects their routines.

“Running late, having to make them breakfast every morning,” a mother of two said.

Adam Young, a father of 5 agreed, saying a hot meal is a good way to send off the students.

“Eggs, oatmeal the whole thing, we just make sure that they have a good hot breakfast usually, you know something not too high in sugar,” Young said.

Young says adjusting schedules is just one thing on the back to school list that most parents, he works out, with at Flex Fit 24/7 can agree on.

“I schedule around picking my kids up and dropping them off at school,” Bert Ramos said.

Marlene Pineda followed that with her early bird wake up call now that she is a mother of three, including twins.

“I’m up at 6 o’clock in the morning, just really getting them out the door and the twins along with the ride,” Pineda said.

Rides to school are accompanied with heavy traffic around campus, causing another hiccup in the morning commute that parents try to combat.

“I dropped my daughter off who just started preschool and it was chaotic, it was crazy,” Annalaura Perez, mother of two, said.

“The school zones, the traffic, the school traffic it’s horrible,” another mom said.

Young says, “If you get up early enough and get them there soon enough not too bad, that the trick.”

For some parents though, the real trick is getting the kids out of bed before they can get the wheels in motion.

“My son doesn’t like getting up in the morning,” one mom added.

Overall, parents are happy to be in the early stage of their post-summer agendas.

“I think it gives me a little bit more free time to kind of get to work, do more things, maybe get to work out,” Pineda said.

“Be able to run errands without having to pull two kids in and out of the car,” another parent added.

via KrisTV

Corpus Christi Real Estate Market Rebounds Since 2007 Slump!

CORPUS CHRISTI REAL ESTATE PRICES

Gains in existing home sales and median prices during the past three months have lifted the Coastal Bend’s housing market to its highest levels since the local housing slump began in 2007.
Sales closed between April and June numbered 1,172 units, or about a 19 percent increase compared to the same time in 2011, according to figures from the Corpus Christi Association of Realtors.

The median sales price also has risen by more than 8 percent compared with 2011 to $145,367, figures show.

Housing inventory — measured as the amount of time it would take to sell all available existing homes — has dropped almost by half to 5.6 months in June compared with 10 months in June 2011.

There was a monthly average of about 2,200 homes for resale on the area’s housing market during the period, figures show.

The increased buying activity spans all price ranges, said Char Atnip, a residential Realtor and chairman of the realtors association board.

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“There’s a lot more people who are looking simply because interest rates are so low and prices have not skyrocketed, and it’s a great time to buy a home,” Atnip said.

New home construction activity has also increased compared to 2011.

In Corpus Christi, data from the city’s Development Services department shows there have been 449 permits issued this year for new residential construction through June, up 61 percent from the first six months of 2011.

The permits have an associated project cost of more than $82 million, figures show.

All but one of those permits is for single-family homes, with one being issued for an eight-unit building.

In all of 2011, the city logged 660 new construction permits for projects totaling more than $118 million

The local figures are similar to momentum building in many areas of the country, with builders beginning to respond to growing buyer interest.

U.S. builders broke ground on the most homes in nearly four years in June, The Associated Press reported this week.

MARKET OUTLOOK

The housing inventory of less than six months is approaching the five-month mark, which is what the area experienced during the housing boom between 2004 and 2006, said Jim Lee, economics professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

A normal inventory for the Corpus Christi market is about seven months.

Low inventories typically trigger increased prices as supply dips and demand increases.

Home building can also increase, which is good for local economies, because it generates activity that isn’t exported to other areas, Lee said.

During the area’s most recent housing boom period, construction outpaced the area’s growth rate, which contributed to the slump, Lee said.

Source: Corpus Christi Association of Realtors via Caller Times. Read the original at housing market or housing or home sales, – Google News.

North Padre Island School Choices

Local School Options for Padre Island Residents

If you’re considering relocating to North Padre Island, one of the biggest considerations is the quality of life and community. Nothing adds to that community like our schools and of course North Padre Island Real Estate is blessed with choices not found in other Coastal Areas.

north padre island schools seashore learning centerSeashore Learning Center / Seashore Middle Academy
The jewel in the crown of North Padre Island’s education option are the Exemplary Charter Schools operated by the Island Foundation. Started by a group of parents in 1995 after a failed bond election, Seashore Learning Center was a “First Generation” Charter School, and remains the only school in the state to have maintained Recognized or Exemplary Ratings every year since it opened. Charter schools are public schools, tuition free and open enrollment. They adhere to the same standards as other public school, but have the added layer of accountability and requirements set forth by their charter – meaning the hopes, wishes and needs of the parents! Charter schools are free to innovate, and you’ll find no shortage of that around campus. Combined classrooms, family style lunches teaching manners and etiquette and unique teaching styles are all part of the “Seashore Way”.

With the great success of Seashore Learning Center, the Board of Directors of the Island Foundation in 2005 saw a way to expand and create a Middle Academy – college prep, with a strong math and science curriculum.  Partnering with the community to secure land donations, and after privately raising the start up capital, the Academy opened to rave reviews and happy students.

In addition to K-8 Education, the Island Foundation also offers Pre-K school and childcare. Visit their website at www.islandfoundation.com.

READ THE PARENT REVIEWS OF SEASHORE LEARNING CENTER

78418 Schools Flour Bluff Schools
Just over the bridge from the Island is one of the largest and most respected School Districts in the Coastal Bend. The Mighty Hornets are the home to some of the finest athletes, scholars, musicians and actors and some have gone on to National success!

Six campuses and athletic facilities are located on a single 170 acre site which supports 5,600 students in prekindergarten through 12th grades. The district is extremely competitive in academic and athletic programs and has participated in the district, regional, or state competitions for many years. A list of the 2007-2008 district accomplishments is listed on the website. The University Preparatory High School Program was launched in 2006 as part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a program for high school freshman to complete two years of college credit upon completion of their high school diploma.

The Board of Trustees was selected by the Texas Association of School Administrators as the Outstanding School Board of the Year 2000, and is the only school board in Region 2 who are continually commended by State Board of Education for completing Level II and III Complete Board-Superintendent Leadership Team training.

The district and the City of Corpus Christi have developed a partnership in 2000 with the opening of the Janet F. Harte Public Library located on school property which serves as both the high school library and the city public library.

READ THE PARENT REVIEWS OF FLOUR BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL

Private School Options
Rounding out the school choices for Padre Islanders are the many fine Private and Parochial Schools that Corpus Christi has to offer. College-prep Annapolis Christian Academy offers Pre-K through 12th grade education, with a Classical Christian emphasis. 100% of graduating Seniors have been accepted to prestigious schools like Texas A&M, Baylor, Trinity University, MIT and others. (Read the Parent Reviews of Annapolis Christian Academy)

Incarnate Word Academy is a respected and renowned Catholic K-12th grade school with emphasis on academics and the newest High School, John Paul II, has already distinguished itself as an athletic powerhouse in South Texas.

Relocation to any new place can be unnerving, but Moms and Dads on Upper Padre Island can relax, knowing that their education choices are varied and exemplary. If you have any other questions, be sure and ask one of your Coastline Properties Associates.