AL CANNISTRA
Broker, Licensed in Texas since 2005.
Texas Property Tax Arbitrator
“Focus on the User and all else will follow” is a way of doing business at Google. And it works! What better company can serve as our role model?
We have chosen those words as our own mantra in all we do. Starting with this blog and our website, both designed and maintained with our users in mind, followed by our commitment of Service and Excellence in all we do. We make every effort to minimize the stress of buying, selling and moving and helping to resolve problems that may occur along the way.
We truly believe in the American Dream - owning a home is a measure of success and a fundamental strategy to increase personal wealth. Buying or selling a home should be a pleasurable experience and our goal is to do our very best to make that happen. We would like the opportunity to help you too.
Thank you for visiting.
If you love dogs...
Meet a special friend.... Joshua was a Briard
Sometimes he was a little too smoochie - but if you like dogs....
I was born and raised in Chicago! This is perhaps the best video of Chicago that I have ever seen....
Chicago Timelapse Project - Windy City Nights from Max Wilson on Vimeo.
Often talked about, but how much is it really understood? In the most simple terms that I can share, meeting people around the world has taught me that we all pretty much care about the same things. Our family and our homes matter. Religious and social beliefs vary. We should talk to each other more!
“Focus on the User and all else will follow” is a way of doing business at Google. And it works! What better company can serve as our role model?
We have chosen those words as our own mantra in all we do. Starting with this blog and our website, both designed and maintained with our users in mind, followed by our commitment of Service and Excellence in all we do. We make every effort to minimize the stress of buying, selling and moving and helping to resolve problems that may occur along the way.
We truly believe in the American Dream - owning a home is a measure of success and a fundamental strategy to increase personal wealth. Buying or selling a home should be a pleasurable experience and our goal is to do our very best to make that happen. We would like the opportunity to help you too.
Thank you for visiting.
Our real estate business welcomes clients of all generations. Maybe we helped your mom or dad – or even the grands – but we want to help this next generation of home buyers get off to a good start. Call today and let’s explore the options. Everyone should have the opportunity to have a home you own!
Generation Alpha
Gen Z, iGen, or Centennials:
Millennials or Gen Y
Generation X:
Baby Boomers:
Silent Generation: Greatest Generation (G I Generation)
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Born 2013 – 2025
Born 1997 – 2012
Born 1981 – 1996
Born 1965 – 1980
Born 1946 – 1964
Born 1928 – 1945 Born 1901 – 1927
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I was born and raised in Chicago! This is perhaps the best video of Chicago that I have ever seen....
Chicago Timelapse Project - Windy City Nights from Max Wilson on Vimeo.
Visited the USA
I have been to all the states except the ones marked (to do) - and hopefully time will allow me to visit them too!
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Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho (to do) Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky |
Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana (to do) Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota |
Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming (to do) |
Cultural Diversity
Countries and Territories I Have Visited
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Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Belgium Canada Chile China Denmark Egypt Finland Germany Greece Hong Kong Hungary |
Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Kenya Korea, South Liechtenstein Luxembourg Mexico Netherlands Norway Puerto Rico Rarotonga (Cook Islands) Russia |
Seychelles Saint-Martin
- French Sint Maarten
- Dutch Singapore Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand United
Kingdom United States
(Home) USSR Vatican City Virgin
Islands - US Virgin
Islands - British |
USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Former Soviet Union)
I visited the Soviet Union in the 80’s. When the plane landed in Moscow, it did not pull up to the terminal. It was a few hundred feet away, under very bright lights, and promptly surrounded by soldiers – no guns. We proceeded on foot into the building and processing lines where you were interviewed – not unlike what we might do to USA visitors.
We had access (restricted) to meet university educators, students and locals (visited Moscow, Volgograd and Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg)). No photo taking from airport to hotel – or anywhere at the airport. Visually, hi-rise apartment buildings everywhere, with shanties along the way – a newlywed couple could expect to wait 5 years or more for their own small 1 bdrm apartment. A year’s wages to buy a full-length leather coat – if you could get one. Beautiful tour guide – Irena.
GUM (Red Square) stock was sparse and drab – ladies showing up wearing the same dress style and color was the norm, not unexpected. Everyone worked but you were told what you would become by test or need – or party connection. A “job” could be sitting on a stool - in a museum – watching visitors – all day – every day. Or you could be lead engineer at a damn project or a doctor – but you were not paid much in any case and must always maintain political favor. There was little incentive to excel other than for Mother Russia, The Party – or survival. Students were brainwashed – the brave would ask questions – carefully. I was offered cash for the jeans I was wearing (a crime if you dare). The list goes on. Americans were treading dangerous waters.
You were given a temporary ID card. If you wandered and realized you were lost, you were required to show the card to any citizen – and they were required to get you back to your assigned hotel. You were treated with absolute respect as was your home country. Your nation’s flag was on the dinner table each night. You did not discuss anything of relevance in the privacy of your room – or anywhere else. Yet I spoke my mind when answering the student’s questions - and enjoyed watching the expressions on the faces of faculty as I did (I am certain the students were privately informed of my misdirected capitalistic views later that day). I would not have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.
We had access (restricted) to meet university educators, students and locals (visited Moscow, Volgograd and Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg)). No photo taking from airport to hotel – or anywhere at the airport. Visually, hi-rise apartment buildings everywhere, with shanties along the way – a newlywed couple could expect to wait 5 years or more for their own small 1 bdrm apartment. A year’s wages to buy a full-length leather coat – if you could get one. Beautiful tour guide – Irena.
GUM (Red Square) stock was sparse and drab – ladies showing up wearing the same dress style and color was the norm, not unexpected. Everyone worked but you were told what you would become by test or need – or party connection. A “job” could be sitting on a stool - in a museum – watching visitors – all day – every day. Or you could be lead engineer at a damn project or a doctor – but you were not paid much in any case and must always maintain political favor. There was little incentive to excel other than for Mother Russia, The Party – or survival. Students were brainwashed – the brave would ask questions – carefully. I was offered cash for the jeans I was wearing (a crime if you dare). The list goes on. Americans were treading dangerous waters.
You were given a temporary ID card. If you wandered and realized you were lost, you were required to show the card to any citizen – and they were required to get you back to your assigned hotel. You were treated with absolute respect as was your home country. Your nation’s flag was on the dinner table each night. You did not discuss anything of relevance in the privacy of your room – or anywhere else. Yet I spoke my mind when answering the student’s questions - and enjoyed watching the expressions on the faces of faculty as I did (I am certain the students were privately informed of my misdirected capitalistic views later that day). I would not have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.