Things you should know about driving Texas roads.. changes are coming! - 12/31/08 08:30 PM
I have long been a fan of AAA Texas. I remember their old slogan, "Stay Alive Drive 55". My grandfather was a Defensive Driving Instructor for about twenty years. So I was raised to respect the road and other drivers. I think AAA Texas generally does good things to keep Texas roads and drivers safe. Here are a few of the latest safety related proposals that will be considered during the upcoming session.
 
1. Requirements for Child Passenger Safety Seats- This will require children up to age 8 to use a child safety seat until they are at least 49 inches tall. The … (3 comments)

Never trust a skinny cook - 12/25/08 02:55 PM
Everybody loves creamed spinach with a perfectly grilled steak. It is full of real butter and lots of full fat cheese, yummy. Well some of us love the taste but not all the extra calories. I don't eat full fat anything anymore. So I came up with a better for you version. Give it a try and tell me it tastes like diet food.
Take one package chopped frozen spinach OR One large bag of fresh leaf spinach, two pats butter or margarine to saute two sliced/diced shallots and a teaspoon of diced/crushed garlic and add the spinach. Once its cooked add … (26 comments)

Austin's affordable homes are not just a dream, they do exist! - 12/17/08 09:47 AM
During these challenging economic times many people are downsizing. You may think it is impossible in Austinwhen the median home price is $229K. The good news is there are some very lovely homes under $200K and some of them are much closer to $100K! I want to tell you about two communities that fit that description: Parkridge Gardens and Thaxton Place. 
Parkridge Gardensis located close to Interstate 35 and Slaughter on Ralph Albanado. Live close to all the great shopping at SouthPark Meadows. The homes in Pakridge Gardens are priced between $130-180K. There are several Inventory homes that are ready to move into … (2 comments)

Austin's Light Rail is here! It was a long time coming, but well worth the wait! - 12/16/08 12:38 PM
 
It has been about eight years since Light Rail was first voted down However Austinites have now seen the light and the Light Rail is finally here! Austin's Light Rail is starting to run to downtown Austin before the end of 2008! The new Capital Metro Rail line  will start in Leander and run to Downtown Austin.  The route will be known as the RedLine and will just under an hour for the full run. They will have several stops along the way. If you start in Leander the stops are: 183 North & FM2243, LakeLine Boulevard, Howard Lane & … (2 comments)

Calling all Realtors or those considering a career in real estate! - 12/16/08 11:23 AM
 

If you are an experienced Realtor, new agent or an individual considering getting into the real estate industry please read this. This is also a good reason for any potential Buyers or Sellers to consider speaking with a Keller Williams Realtor before making a purchase or listing their current home. I want to give you the insight into why Keller Williams agents are so successful. We have some core values that show why we are the number one real estate office in Austin Texas. Our mission is based on this acronym, WI4C2TS. This stands for:WIN/WIN or no deal (each deal must … (0 comments)

Pawsitively great news and a great opportunity to help! - 12/15/08 09:18 AM
This years fundraising events for the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs. Join us won't you! 
 

Texas Hearing & Service Dogs is a great organization that pairs dogs with people with disabilities. THSD does such a great job they were recently awarded "the Best in America", which signifies they are one of the nations leading charities. This group rolls up their sleeves and spends over a year to train each dog to be a good assistant and companion to the disabled people they serve.
Upcoming events to benefit the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs: 
Dec. 13th, 2008 Holiday Open House 11-2 … (1 comments)

Texas Service Dogs speak pawsitively about people who donate to the cause! - 12/14/08 09:36 AM
 

Texas Hearing & Service Dogs is a great organization that pairs dogs with people with disabilities. THSD does such a great job they were recently awarded "the Best in America", which signifies they are one of the nations leading charities. This members of this group roll up their sleeves and spend over a year to train each dog to be a good assistant and companion to the disabled people they serve.
  Melchers Bliss and her trainer Sondra Parris
Each dog is trained in a one on one environment. At the moment there are ten Service dog Teams in Training. … (2 comments)

OMG!! I just got the best Christmas present ever!!! I am taking a sleigh ride to the top! - 12/13/08 11:50 AM

Oh my goodness! I just received the best Christmas present, I am now the number four Realtor in Austin!! Woo Woo! I am so excited about this milestone! OK, reality check. I am sure it will be short lived because once the old #4 realizes it happened, he will blog his brains out to get the spot back. I am simply going to enjoy it as long as it lasts! Be it thirty minutes or thirty days. They say the best things in life are free, and this little gift was! Thanks for spending the time with me as the number … (9 comments)

It must be Christmas because there are so many twinkeling lights everywhere!! - 12/12/08 11:30 PM
The holiday season means different things to different people. To me it means Christmas shopping and Christmas lights and lots of them! I am the Christmas elf married to The Grinch. My husband is not fond of  what he calls "Hallmark holidays". I think it has to do with growing up in a big family where Christmas is a month long ordeal. However this time of year he will go with me to see the Christmas lights around town. So I wanted to share some of them with you.

You should stop by downtown Austin to see the new $140K LED … (7 comments)

What do Studio 54, Area 51 and Hanger 25 have in common??? - 12/11/08 06:11 PM
What do Studio 54, Area 51 and Hanger 25 have in common? Why they are all cool places to hang out with space age innovations!! Most of you know Studio 54 was the hip happening disco and party ground zero in New York in the 70's. Area 51 is/was the secret space station where aliens were supposedly studied and a secret alien aircraft was stored. Hanger 25 you ask, why that is the cool new "green" airport hanger in Los Angles!
                                 
Hanger 25 reportedly cost about $17 million dollars and has the latest space age"green" technology! … (3 comments)

Big problems for homeowners... Austin is fairing better than most. - 12/11/08 05:26 PM
It seems that everywhere you look people are talking about foreclosure. Bankers and the media seem to always have this topic on their lips. I hate to jump on the bandwagon, but it does seem to be a reality for most large American cites. Luckily Austin is not on the top of the list. To see foreclosures in your neighborhood check out www.Hotpads.com.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association the problem is big and the $700 billion dollar bailout has not done much to fix this problem. Before September 30th there were about 10% of homeowners that were behind on their mortgage. The … (1 comments)

Approaching 100K Woo Woo! - 12/11/08 04:58 PM
Numbers have significance in our lives. They are milestones if you will. Everyone remembers turning 18 and "becoming" an adult. Often turning 30 or 40 is considered a milestone. Fifty used to be "over the hill, but now its just another number. Thank goodness! It is closer than I would care to think about.

I remember a long time ago the boy I dated in high school took me for a joy ride in his black 1967 Camero. He had bought the car used and spent every spare minute fixing it up. It was like an obsession for him. Getting to … (13 comments)

Austin is eating local..... - 12/11/08 12:37 PM
"Eat Local Week" is basically a challenge to see if you can only eat locally grown food for one week. in Austin we are lucky to have several local "urban farms" to supply produce. "Rain Lily" and "Boggy Creek Farms" sell produce at the local Farmers Markets each weekend. "Eat Local" starts Sunday as a fundraiser for Urban Roots, which is a development program for youths. These teens learn about gardening to educate the children about sustainable agriculture. To find out more you may go to Edible Austin's website: www.EdibleAustin.com/eatlocalweek.
Personally I try to do my part everyday to eat local. … (2 comments)

What to do for the holidays??? Let me help! - 12/08/08 03:28 PM
Are you looking for some hioliday fun this season? I know where you should go to have a good time! Check out the list of a bunch of holiday events that are happening in the Austin area.I promise you will have a good time if youattend any of these events!
 Throughout December: The 37th Street Neighborhood Lights.  A famous Austin neighborhood street known for its outstanding display of lights. Walking through is suggested as the traffic is very bad. Lights are typically on until the day after Christmas.37th St. at Guadalupe 1st and 2nd weekend in December: Main Street in Bethlehem.  Burnet … (3 comments)

Angie's List is giving Realtors a gift this holiday season!! - 12/07/08 03:55 PM
If you have not heard of www.Angie'sList.com, brother you are missing out! This is a great website to find a contractor o to work on your home. What makes this site different than any other is the contractors have to be nominated by customers to be listed. You heard that right, contractors get on the list because satisfied clients nominate them to be included. The contractors are graded on a variety of factors: punctuality, price, quality of work, time to project completion on time or not. When a contractor really goes above and beyond some customers nominate them for a "Page … (4 comments)

Designations, do they really make a difference? Why? - 12/07/08 12:47 PM
As a Realtor I must continually educate myself on what is new in my industry. Loan programs change, what buyers want changes, building standards change, what is expected of Realtors changes, educational requirements change. OK "the only constant in life is change". Actually these were great words of wisdom from my Mother. You know what she was absolutely right, change is the only constant in my life and that is a good thing.
The reason I embrace change is I am constantly working to improve my education and my skills as a Realtor. To that end I am working towards my goal of obtaining … (14 comments)

New Blog Auto Save feature!! AR IT guys I totally love you!! Thank you AR Gods!! - 12/07/08 10:33 AM
I blog a little and as a newbie I was so excited by the "posting" or publishing of my ideas . To think somebody wanted to read my thoughts was kind of thrilling. I love to share so putting my thoughts out there was very gratifying. As a Realtor I feel it is part of my job to help first time home buyers learn the process. I loved that I was helping others be more prepared to buy or sell a home.
The thing is sometimes I would slave over writing the blog in AR format and include some pictures and spell … (17 comments)

Local Austin Musicians given Grammy Nominations, we really are the live music capital!! - 12/05/08 12:06 PM

Living in Austin the "Live Music capital of the world", we are truly blessed. Finally the rest of the country realizes it, by nominating some Austin homegrown musicians for Grammy's. It was just announced that the following local Austinites were nominated:
Redd Volkart for Best Country Instrumental In fact I had dinner last Monday at the wonderful Evangeline Cafe on Brodie Lane and Redd was sitting at the next table having dinner too!  Redd is a regular performer at Evangeline about once a month. He just played there last Friday!
Pinetop Perkins and Friends were nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album. He … (0 comments)

Refinance now or wait for the interest rates to drop to 4%?? - 12/05/08 10:21 AM
 

In these challenging economic times more people are trying to save money. If you are a homeowner one way to save is to refinance your home. You may be able to save a few hundred dollars a month by utilizing this option. Some homeowners elect to take some cash out to pay off credit card debt or school loans.

 The interest rates have dropped all summer and are between 5-6% for most. The Fed is talking about dropping it to 4% which has not been seen since the 1960's! this could be a great thing for every homeowner... … (2 comments)

Holiday fun in Austin on the cheap and opportunities to give something to someone less fortunate. - 12/05/08 08:54 AM
In these difficult economic times we are all looking to save a few dollars. Austin has a few free events or opportunities for speading some good cheer. Most do offer music and the opportunity to shop if your so inclined.

The Austin Chord Rangers are having a Carol Fest to be held at the Capitol again this year. They will be singing all the old classic holiday songs in a barbershop quartet style starting at noon on Sunday December 7th! This free event will take place in the Capitol Rotunda.
Classic tv holiday specials will be running through the season. … (1 comments)

Do you want to save money and energy today?! - 12/02/08 09:48 PM
Do you want to start saving money today? Call MTH GreenHomes to receive a comprehensive energy audit so they can help you achieve a more green and efficient home. They can show you how to improve your quality of life and save money and energy. MTH GreenHomes will test a number of things on your home with a Comprehensive Energy Audit.
1.Electrical Appliance Energy Usage
2.Gas Inspection
3.Infra-red Thermography "State of the Art Technology"
4.Door Blower Test- Place a vacuum on the house and check for total air leakage.
5. Evaluate natural radiant barriers such as trees and various vegetation.
6. … (5 comments)

 

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