Well, all the buzz around OKC over the past couple of weeks has been about the return of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to Oklahoma, to work with Ideal Homes on their next project.

Our local RE pro, Richard Mize printed a nice summary of the festivities, as they ‘moved that bus,’ and here’s a nice little video about the project:

For the local Extreme Home Makeover fans, there’s a nice little surprise coming soon. The popular TV show is joining up with Ideal Homes to build a home for a family to be revealed early in February, so stay tuned!

Steve Lackmeyer of the Oklahoman just put together a very cool video about the history of Bricktown and the surrounding area. Call me a geek, but I kind of enjoy hearing about what used to be and how we got to where we are, as well as where we could be going. Enjoy!

Each time I witness a fire, flood, or any other devastation to property, it gets me thinking about my insurance coverage, and with the high-profile media coverage of yesterdays (and today’s) fire at the Enclave at Covell Village, I would guess there are many more folks thinking about the same thing.

Thankfully, this complex is under construction and unoccupied, but the fire could have easily spread into the adjoining neighborhood, as well as the neighborhoods and middle school north of it, thanks to the 30mph+ winds. Now would be a great time to call your insurance agent and review your policies to make sure you have adequate coverage because, as we all know too well, these things happen without notice and have the potential to turn your life upside-down without the proper coverage in place.

According to Marketwatch, Tulsa and Oklahoma City are tops in the country, due to stable local economies and strong housing markets.

Of course this is no surprise to us, but I think some folks around the country might be caught a little off guard, and by the looks of some of the comments, maybe even offended.

One of my many iPhone shots from the live Town Hall For Hope broadcast last night
Originally uploaded by rhukill

Last night was a great, encouraging time. My Wife and I had the pleasure of attending the live ‘Town Hall For Hope‘ event at Lifechurch.tv and hearing directly from the man, Dave Ramsey, about his take on the current economy. I, of course, love to have my own beliefs validated, but I think my wife might have thought she was listening to me in a Dave Ramsey costume or something

The common thread running through his hour-and-a-half talk was that the world is NOT coming to an end, that we are NOT in a depression greater than the great depression, and that if you want things to turn around, you have to take personal responsibility for your own finances and your own situation and make things happen. In other words, QUIT listening to the doom & gloom media, QUIT being scared, QUIT making excuses, and QUIT waiting on the government or the President to fix things.. it’s not their job, and even if it were, they couldn’t possibly do it! It’s up to each of us individually!

I’m hoping to have some video to post up on here soon for those of you who missed it, but for now, I’ve got a few quotes from Dave to leave you with, that directly addressed the real estate market:

• “Housing will lead us out of this recession.”
• “It’s the best time in 30 years to buy a home.”
• “I’m continuing to invest in real estate.”

Follow the smart money. Dave knows his stuff, and he’s right on the money about the real estate market.

According to News9, the Oak Tree Golf Club, under it’s new ownership, is making a dramatic change, and will now be called “Oak Tree National.” If you’re wondering WHY, as I was, check out this video of Owner, Ed Evans discussing the coming chages.

This is BIG! In today’s changing world, this is HUGE! Like so many others who’ve bought into the wrong ways to live, I need help, and I’m looking for ways to break free from debt and get ahead of the recession.

If you’re in the same boat, I encourage you to take advantage of Dave Ramsey’s upcoming ‘Town Hall of Hope.’  He’ll be LIVE @ Lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma City/Edmond on April 23rd @ 7pm, so mark your calendars now, and SHARE THIS (see the ’share this’ icon at the bottom of this post) with everyone you care about, because the reality is that probably 90% of the people you know need this just as much as you and I do!

Yesterday was a miserable, storm-ridden one for many folks in Oklahoma. Tornadoes can be fickle, and these were no different. Doing extensive damage to one home, while leaving the one next door untouched is a common characteristic, and while driving a few Edmond neighborhoods today, I saw a wide range of damage.

You’ll see pictures here of trampolines that were misplaced throughout neighborhoods, as well as homes with the roofs literally ripped off of them. I’ll add more photos throughout the week as more of the damage is uncovered.

Our prayers go out to those families who were effected by this storm, and we hope for a speedy recovery process.

As I pointed out yesterday, Brass Brick Homes filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this week.  Now it appears they’re playing the blame game, pointing the finger at their banks.

This situation is far from ideal, and there are more than a few people hurt by it, but is it any surprise that the banks aren’t willing to extend any further credit to an already failing, seemingly mismanaged company?

[where: Edmond, OK]