Hello from Austin, Texas

Websites for Bargain Hunters...

2006-11-06T19:52:57Z

I am a sucker for a sale, and will hunt down a bargain like a pro! The following websites have been a staple on my laptop for some time now.

http://www.PriceGrabber.com - compare prices from an array of retail outlets.
http://www.eDealInfo.com - a site that compiles coupons, like the Sunday paper (only better!)
http://www.FatWallet.com - Get cash back by shopping online at one of these rebate type sites.
http://www.Overstock.com - This one is great for gifts. They have cheap, fast shipping and lots of stuff to choose from.
http://www.FareCompare.com - Just discovered this one recently...Check here before booking your ticket!

Have any I have missed? Send them over!

East Austin is a hot area...Long time residents are not too happy about it!

2006-11-03T12:48:09Z

Some East Austin residents and activists are fighting to keep a wave of condos and lofts from sweeping away their neighborhoods' culture and affordability. East Austin is the hub of the new revitalization project. Investors have been snatching up bargains for years now. The long term residents are getting ancy as their property values (and taxes) are rising.

The residents wants city leaders to establish a 90-day moratorium on new construction of trendy lofts and shops that would increase home values and taxes and could price residents out their single-family homes. During that time, they want officials to investigate establishing an affordable housing district, new homestead exemptions and a 15-year tax freeze.

East Austin is the bedrock of many Latino families. If the council can create laws to protect birds and salamanders . . . they can come up with laws to protect East Austin. The announcement comes on the heels of another condominium project, Este, headed for East Sixth Street, which is being developed now. The pace of high-priced development in the area is pushing residents out to areas such as Del Valle, close to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

There are benefits to the development for people intersted in Real Estate. Homes and condos purchased in this area 5-6 years ago are now selling for 4-5 times their purchase price. Not everyone will make nice profits on their homes, he said, but instead they will be forced to pay more to live farther away on tight incomes.

Better Slow Down Austin! You're on Candid Camera...

2006-11-03T12:37:32Z

Better Slow Down! You're on Candid Camera...

Next time you run that red light, you might want to take the latte/cell phone away from your grill and smile big, cause you could be on not-so-candid camera. Actually, it’s only your license plate that gets photo’d, but you get the idea.

The real bummer part about all of this is that if you let a friend borrow your car, you better write down the date and time, because if you get a ticket in the mail, you’re gonna need some proof when beginning your tirade about your friend’s lack of responsibility.

But hold the phone, Nervous Nelly. It seems Operation: Red Light Running Camera (unofficial name) is just a 60-day trial to test the functionality of the process but police will not distribute tickets to violators.

The cameras, part of a 60-day pilot program approved today by the Austin City Council, will be installed at some of Austin’s busiest intersections beginning in February.

So it’s just a program to see if cameras will keep people from running red lights even though they won’t get tickets?

To get an idea of where these cameras might be, check out a list of red light facts about the most dangerous intersections in town.

Austin Adults Add Halloween as their Favorite Holiday!

2006-10-25T15:45:56Z

Halloween is becoming steadily bigger business, it's second only to Christmas among consumers — and that's largely credited to adults.

According to a study by the National Retail Federation on Halloween spending, 47 percent of people ages 45 to 54 said they would participate in Halloween this year, and a quarter said they would dress in some sort of costume, each spending just over $30 a costume. With costume companies across the country reporting that their adult lines have overtaken or are about to overtake their children's lines, it appears that Halloween has grown up.

The U.S. Census Bureau says the number of young trick-or-treaters across the country is declining. The estimated number of 5- to 13-year-olds decreased by 381,000 from 2003 to 2004. In Austin, the number of 5- to 14-year-olds slipped from 78,335 in 2000 to 76,354 in 2004.

Earlier this year, the head of the Toy Industry Association told its members that "Halloween has expanded from a one-day event for mostly younger children (trick-or-treating) to a celebration that involves teens and adults as well. Halloween parties in homes, schools and offices allow all age groups to 'act like kids again.' "

Halloween "gives people who are normally stressed out and/or emotionally restrained a chance to let loose, get spooky, scary, naughty and even sexy without being judged," notes the Web site of the Reno-based Halloween Advertising Agency.

Hook Em Horns! New Condos Will Target UT Fans...

2006-10-25T15:41:36Z

A developer plans to build a luxury condominium complex near the University of Texas campus, aiming for Longhorn fans who want a home-field advantage during game weekends.

The Texas Gameday Center, at Dean Keeton and Red River streets, will include 51 units in a converted apartment building, with another 136 units in a new building nearby. The developer is in negotiations for the site of the new building.

The first part which is expected to open by next season's kickoff, involves converting the Windsong Apartments into upscale condominiums. The units will be professionally decorated and furnished with Longhorn themes.

Work is expected to start next spring on the new building, which could be ready in fall 2008.

The new building will have studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom suites ranging from 350 square feet to 2,000 square feet. Amenities will include on-site management, private parking and a clubroom for tailgating before games. Prices will range from $160,000 to $1 million.

Owners will be able to rent out their units when they're not using them.

Anybody else having issues with Dell?

2006-10-21T20:19:20Z

Last September I purchased a new Dell computer. It came in a cool box, sleek and gunmetal gray. Everything on it was wireless and worked seamlessly with this little box in my office with the blinking lights. I was happy as a clam for almost a year, and that is when the computer developed a mind of it's own.

It would freeze...alot. Sometimes it would decide it wanted to shut itself off and would do so smack dab in the middle of a very long typed letter or something. Then it would make odd "whirring" noises for hours on end.

The last straw was yesterday morning when I tried to turn it on for the day and a very loud, piercing, continuous beep came out of the box housing my computer. Seriously, I have no clue why. The computer itself never did turn on.

After waiting on hold for 30 minutes for a Dell technician I was given the news...Alas, I did not purchase the Dell extended warranty...and it has been a year since purchase. A year and a week actually. Bummer!

No more Dell's for me. This is 2 now that have died in a years time.

Steady Flow of Californians Moving to Texas

2006-10-21T19:48:41Z

Looking for a house in the country? Many people find just that in Austin.

Central Texas is still so undervalued, you can get a couple of acres on a creek with lots of space for your kids for around $150k. Areas such as Bastrop and other wide open spaces in far east Austin are still quite affordable.

Lured by Central Texas' natural beauty, similar climate and cultural diversity, Californians are heading southeast of the Golden State. What's driving these Californians west? The sky-high cost of real estate.

While Austin residents grouse about rising real-estate values and property taxes, Central Texas looks like Bargain City to someone moving from California.

Less than 14 percent of Californians can afford to buy a median-priced home; the national rate is 50 percent.

And the trend isn't likely to abate: in the past few months alone, at least three California companies have announced plans to move to Austin, including a major money management firm, an online learning company and a company that makes components for the electronics industry, according to the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. All are bringing with them employees with money to spend in homes.

Californians are among the most affluent buyers in the Central Texas market. The dollar goes so much farther here, that they are simply giddy over the amount of property they can buy for what they have to pay. Sometimes they are buying 3 times the size of the home they just sold back in California. A home purchased here for around 300k would sell for over a million there.

Austin Texas MArket Statistics for September

2006-10-21T19:35:08Z

September was still going strong in Austin! Real Estate single family sales up 3% from last year and 15% more pending sales it seems Austin is still defying the odds.

I can only hope that with less homes on the market this time of year, that the buyers will still come out of the woodwork and buy them! Less homes = more competition, so if you are selling your home it may be a pretty good time to do it.

Current Market Summary
September 2006

All Single Family Sales

2006
2005

2,341
2,280

+ 3%

All Active Single Family Listings

2006
2005

8,203
7,835

- 5%

Single Family Median Price

2006
2005

$167,000
$161,750

+ 3%

Single Family Pending Sales

2006
2005

2,332
2,030

+ 15%

Austin is Getting Another High Rise Building?

2006-10-19T21:03:41Z

CLB Partners plans to build a 32-story condominium high-rise at West Seventh and Rio Grande streets, extending the downtown residential development boom.

Pending approvals from the city, the project could get underway next spring, with its 160 units ready for residents in late 2008.

It seems as though Austin is destined to become a big city afterall. There are so many enormous cranes downtown right now and so many new high rise buildings going up that the occasional Austin visitor would not even recognize our skyline.

Free Night of Theatre Across the US...Oct. 19th

2006-10-17T21:24:14Z

Put your hands together for my "Pick of the Week"....A Free Night of Theatre! Not just one, but a whole bunch of completely free shows in Austin, and across the nation. (That’s right, jetsetter – even if you’re out of town, no worries, because the metro area you’re closest to is probably doing their own free night!)

People like free stuff. People like theatre. Put the two together and their respective popularities are multiplied exponentially. Get all the info and find out what shows are still available (for free!) at the Free Night of Theatre Website.

http://www.freenightoftheater.net/index.cfm

Small African American Community in Rural Alabama - Gee's Bend Art Exhibit

2006-10-17T21:14:27Z

Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts and Beyond exhibit celebrates the women artists of Gee's Bend, a small African American community in rural Alabama where, even today, only a single road leads in and out.

Accordingly, the region's quilts reflect the passing of time slowed to a trickle; local creative traditions have persisted without interruption since the 19th century. The aesthetic visions of "the Benders," as they are known, borrow as heavily from West African textiles as from modern, bold jazz refrains.

Last evening, nearly a dozen of these fearsome needle-and-thread talents arrived in Austin. Spanning generations, they traveled from Alabama by bus (a few of them are afraid to fly). And, though probably exhausted from the journey, they still managed to hug everyone in sight when they made their first official stop at AMoA this morning.

Consider joining in their good-vibe fest. A virtual olympiad of Gee's Bend activity descends upon our city until Nov. 5 at the AMOA.

http://www.amoa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ex_CurrentDowntownExhibition

Austin's New Green Energy Power Plant is Cool!

2006-10-17T21:08:55Z

Our own Austin Energy will snip the ribbon to their newest, most greenest power plant on Tuesday. Christened the Mueller Energy Center, part of the gigantic Mueller redevelopment project, the design and function of the building sports some pretty radical new fuel-saving developments. Utilizing the best technology available, the capabilities of this project point down exciting new avenues in energy conservation. Then again, this is what people have come to expect from Austin. This is how we roll. Greenstyle.

Apart from the fact that the onsite plant will provide 100% of all the energy requirements of the new Dell Children's Medical Center, it will also serve as an auxiliary power station for other Mueller facilities if the grid goes down. Exhaust fumes from the natural gas-fueled station will be used to both heat the hospital and chill water for air conditioning. A breakdown: the plant will produce 4.3 megawatts of the good stuff, but produce 40 percent less in carbon emissions, and use 20 percent less fuel than equivalent operations.

See, energy conservation can be cool!

Big fan of off-beat horror shows? You will love this home!

2006-10-15T10:55:29Z

Sandra McKee is such a huge fan of the '60s-vintage TV horror sendup The Munsters that she decided to build a new house that looks just like the one on the show. And now she's living in it with her husband Charles. Remember the Munsters? The main characters were a collection of horror-movie rejects.

It's not an exact replica. The kitchen looks pretty normal since they have to actually live in this home. The TV show kitchen had cabinets falling down which isn't too user friendly.

The suit of armor at the top of the stairs doesn't rotate yet like the one on the TV show, and the creepy stairs leading up to it don't lift up yet, either. But one day the stairs will rise eerily when the pneumatic equipment is installed. And eventually the suit of armor will twirl. Sandra and Charles, a plumbing contractor, still have a lot of work to do before the 5,825-square-foot house is finished. So far they've invested $250,000 in the project.

They do have the dungeon installed (which is a storm shelter and sunk in the ground.)

Sandra came up with the design for the interior of the house by rewatching episodes of the show. She and Charles started building the place in 2001, and they moved in in 2002. On Halloween 2002 they had a big Munsters party. Al Lewis, who played Grandpa Munster, and Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster, were invited and showed up, along with 500 to 600 other folks in costume.

Oh, that downstairs closet door that appears to be made out of a coffin isn't really made out of a coffin. A funeral home wanted to donate a coffin but they decided they coudn't handle looking at that every day!

Flipper: Pretty on the inside but ugly everywhere else!

2006-10-15T10:26:16Z

A client of mine purchased a house back in June with the intention of flipping for a quick profit. She called me on Thursday to come and check out their work and to get pics and info for the new listing.

After walking around in there I have to say I was impressed with what they had accomplished in such a short amount of time. They put in new tile flooring, appliances, paint...all the usual stuff. Everything looked great. This house was painful to look at just a few months ago. Now it was as nice or nicer than the others on the street and would command a great asking price.

I asked her if the foundation work was costly. She looked at me with that "deer in the headlights" look. "You did fix the foundation, right?"I said. Again, weird silence. Turns out, the only stuff that was "pretty" about this house was cosmetic. They had fixed nothing underneath, and worse, had not planned on disclosing that to me or anybody else. I explained to them that no Realtor (including myself) would take this listing under false pretenses.

They wanted top dollar for this home and I am guessing were hoping the buyer did not have an inspector.

Some of Austin's Needy Families Need Your Help!

2006-10-13T22:02:19Z

I really can't believe it, but its that time of year again. The holidays are coming, like it or not! Austin's Brown Santa Organization is looking for a donations of the monetary kind and also for a 35,000+ sqft warehouse to use over the holiday season. They also need volunteers. Cal 512-24-Santa for more info or go to their website @ http://www.brownsanta.org/index.html for more info.

This is the 25th year Brown Santa has operated in Travis County. Brown Santa strives to help 1500 families with a Holiday Dinner - complete with turkey and fixin's, and toys for the kids.

You can also donate online here: http://www.brownsanta.org/html/donate.php

Every little bit helps! The holidays will be here before you know it!

Congress Avenue Honored at the Austin History Center

2006-10-13T21:49:02Z

The Austin History Center Association exhibit “The Avenue, Austin’s Main Street since 1839” is now open and runs through January 10, 2007.

Congress Avenue is the heart of Austin. It has served as the city’s center of commerce and staged our city’s most soulful demonstrations – from street parties celebrating the end of wars and the new millennia to demonstrations opposing the Vietnam War and supporting civil rights. The Austin History Center Association will present the “The Avenue: Austin’s Main Street Since 1839,” a major exhibit celebrating the history of Congress Avenue at the Austin History Center. The exhibit will feature more than 75 photographs from the acclaimed history center collection.

Congress Avenue has been described as “Gateway to the Capitol and the City,” “Austin’s Main Street,” “The Avenue,” a “royally wide highway” (by Amelia Barr in the 1850s), and “Austin’s Milky Way” (after merchants installed new electric signs over the sidewalks in 1913).

The Austin History Center is located at 810 Guadalupe Street, on the southwest corner of Guadalupe and 9th Streets in downtown Austin. The exhibit is free and open to the public Mon–Wed: 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun: 12 noon –6 p.m. (except holidays).

Austin's Bat Colony Providing a Valuable Insect Service

2006-10-12T22:38:25Z

Austin might not have any theme parks or large zoos, but America's largest urban bat colony has become the city's best-known (and ecologically correct) tourist attraction.

It all started in 1980, when the team of engineers designing the Congress Avenue bridge unknowinlgly created the crevices that would soon become the home to the largest urban bat colony in North America.

More than 1.5 million bats emerge each night at dusk as they have for more than two decades from the bridge's underbelly. The bats blacken the otherwise red sky as they take off in search of food.

The hotter and dryer the weather is, the hungrier the bats are, and the earlier they must emerge to hunt. During the best flights, up to five columns of emerging bats can be seen for miles as much as 45 minutes before sunset.

Bats consume their body weight in insects nightly, including vast numbers of yard and garden pests, from moths to mosquitoes. Depending on the season and colony size, these bats consume between 10,000 and 30,000 pounds of insects nightly! We love bats!

Whn in Austin you must try the Amphibious Austin Duck Adventure Tour...

2006-10-12T22:28:44Z

The Austin Duck Adventures tour, which takes about an hour and 15 minutes, is probably the most light-hearted and the most fun of Austin's tours. The tour has the advantage of carting tourists through the streets of Austin with a fleet of three amphibious, jet-propelled 23,000-pound Alvis Stalwart NATO troop transport vehicles.

The tour winds through downtown Austin and ends when the tour guide plays "Wipe Out" on the sound system, and the vehicle you're riding in splashes into Lake Austin at Walsh Boat Landing, at the west end of Enfield Road.

Most of Austin Duck Adventures' drivers are Austin firefighters because their 24-on/48-off schedules allow it, and they're emergency trained. By the way, this ride isn't Sea World. So you won't get real wet — unless you sit right up front. If you sit up front you'll get a bit wet when the rubber hits the H2O.

The Austin Duck Adventures tour is all it's quacked up to be. Before you head out you get a yellow plastic duck-billed shaped toy. Blow on it, and it quacks.

No fair quacking without word from the tour guide, however. No quacking while they're speaking. The tourists quack at various passersby during the tour, when the tour guide instructs them to do so.

http://www.austinducks.com/index.html

Austin's Popular "Spin" on Golf - Ever Tried it?

2006-10-12T22:19:33Z

Austin has had a love affair with disc golf for some time...we are just waiting for the rest of the world to catch on!

A note to those unfamiliar with disc golf: It's a lot like traditional golf, but more laid-back and way cheaper. Collared shirts are not required. Actually, shirts of any kind aren't required. Discs — basically highly engineered pieces of plastic — cost around 10 bucks. And most courses are in public parks, and most of them are free.

The rules of disc golf are simple: Get the disc to the basket — a chest-high metal pole fitted with a shallow cage draped in chains — in as few throws as possible. The etiquette? Common sense. For example, don't talk during some else's throw and don't walk past someone else's shot.

The stereotypes of disc golf are simple, too: hippie slacker types, possibly under the influence. (Not all disc golfers fall into this category, but I can attest that I have seen at least a few that fit entirely.)

Timeless Tips For An Easier Life...

2006-10-11T23:15:00Z

I stumbled across this site recently and instantly had to bookmark it. There are 100's of tips on how to clean any surface in your home. Even tips for those days when you need to get chewing gum out of your hair. (Baby oil, incidentally. Didn't know that one.)

You do have to scroll through a few ads at the top of the page, but the answers are all there...I am off to see if I can find out how to get wine out of a cotton shirt...

http://www.tipking.co.uk/Cleaning/Cleaner_home_tips/

Austin City Limits is Getting a New Home After 32 Years

2006-10-11T22:58:13Z

My first thought is "Cool! Maybe now we can get tickets!"

For over 30 years, Austin City Limits has presented live music to audiences across the world. The award-winning series spotlights artists of every musical genre — from rhythm and blues to rock, jazz, and alternative music. Austin City Limits runs on PBS.

When the 35th season of "Austin City Limits" debuts in 2009, the acclaimed music show plans to be in new downtown quarters, with room for an audience of 1,000 people. The new venue, part of a major development on the block north of City Hall, will have other live performances year-round, not just when the famous public television show is being taped.

Austi City Limits is currently housed on the University of Texas campus where it has been for 32 years. Some things won't change after the move: Admission and beer will be free, at least for now, and the backdrop will still show the Austin skyline.

Ballet Austin is building its headquarters across the street, and directly across Town Lake, the Long Center for the Performing Arts is rising on the old Palmer Auditorium site, with symphony, ballet and opera performances expected to begin in 2008.

Austin Gets Heated Over The Bicycle Helmet Law...Again!

2006-10-11T22:49:49Z

The debate over whether to require Austin bicyclists to wear helmets is being revived. Two of the main hospitals here in Austin are doing a year long study on head injuries from bike accidents.

The City Council will review these finding and consider an ordinance to require bike-helmet use...again. We used to have a helmet law, but it was ruled out. We used to have a helmet law for motorcycles too, but it was overturned. Both ideas at reinstating these laws drew staunch opposition from some cyclists. (People 17 and younger are still required to wear helmets.) Opponents say the law will discourage bicycling by sending a message that it's unsafe.

Studies already have shown conclusively that when helmet use increases in communities, severe brain injuries after bike accidents decline. There is already a moutain of evidence that bicyclists should be wearing helmets.

At no cost to the city, the study will track whether bike-injury patients 18 years and older who show up at seven Austin hospitals were wearing a helmet or not. It will also track the rehabilitation time and cost of care for those patients.

Some people agree that helmets are necessary, but just don't like being told what to do!

Hello Metro! A Great Site for Relocation Clients

2006-10-10T21:22:44Z

Every once in a while I stumble across something that makes my life so much easier! Today I found "Hello Austin". This is an online site that has all of the info you could possibly want to know about Austin, Texas. (Restaurants, weather, music, art, where to shop etc.) This is the absolute best thing for clients who are relocating.

They even put together this great little pdf with a enormous amount of info that I can email to clients.
http://www.helloaustin.com/PDF_Files/AustinTX_Brochure.PDF

Then, after tooling around on the site I realized that they do 550 different cities and 7 continents. Go to www.HelloMetro.com and see if your city is on there.

Single and Relocating? Austin is Rated One Of the Best Cities For You!

2006-10-10T21:08:55Z

Single professionals relocating to Central Texas are in luck. According to relocation industry groups, Austin is among the best cities for relocating singles.

For a third year, the two industry groups have paired to identify the cities with the most to offer relocating singles.

The groups used statistical profiles of the largest 100 U.S. metro areas, focusing on criteria most relevant to singles, to define the rankings of cities with the highest probability of a smooth transition and a successful relocation.

In addition to Austin, other top cities for relocating singles include Nashville, Atlanta, New York and Houston.

Relocation experts take glamorous factors, like nightlife and sports, and pit them directly against everyday concerns, like rent, to identify places where the quality of life is both exciting and sustainable. Other statistics used in ranking the best cities include population criteria such as the local percentage and growth trends of unmarried residents ages 25 to 34, male-female ratios, the number of newcomers to the area, and diversity and density; as well as economic criteria and quality-of-life criteria.

One MAn's Treasure is Another Man's...Trash?

2006-10-10T20:58:25Z

I had the oddest experience today showing a fairly high end home. All of the "upgrades" that the majority of people would find exceptional, this couple did not like...even a little bit.

Wife: "Whats up with these granite counters. I hate them The speckles make them look so dirty. Those have got to go."

Husband: "This tile (Travertine) sucks. This would have to come out asap and we could slap some wall to wall carpet in this sucker".

Both: "These stainless appliances look so "commercial-ey". We like white. Yes, let's redo in white cabinets and appliances".

Husband: "We really like this one out of all that we have looked at. We will get back to you this evening with an offer..."

Have you ever had such a weird experience? I am hoping that they don't ask for money at closing to for their "improvements". I know that people all have a different idea of what is home, but this was a beautiful house with above average construction materials.

Breathe...Deep Breath...