Austin TX Real Estate - Hill Country Austin Lakeway Homes for Sale: October 2007

Yes, you read the title right.  I just saw this story and I thought it was very unusual and unique.  This couple in Pittsburgh have been trying to sell their  home for a year, and the market is not that great in that area, so they had to come up with something that no one else was offering...

They are asking $399,900 for the house and since they have no heirs to leave anything to, the people who agree to buy the house can have the entire purchase price refunded back to them upon their death.

WAIT, it gets better!!!  If the new owners agree to take care of the couple in their old age, they could also get the vacation home in Arizona AND an estate worth over $2.5M!!!  Is that a deal or what?!

The problem is, how old are these people?  The article doesn't say.  What if they live another 20+ years.  Will the people who buy the house now still own it when they die?

Here's the story I read.

This is very cool.  I just read about TeleFlip.com.  This is a service that allows you to send an email to some one's cell phone number and it will convert it to a text message. 

For me, it's so much easier to type an email than use the itty-bitty keys on the Treo, but I can't always do it because I don't know what service they use.  Is is tmomail.net or att.net or cingular... or whatever.  This Teleflip.com will find it and send it.  Also, if the person hits reply, the answer goes back to your email inbox since you're stilling at your computer.  I even received a returned receipt when I got the message on my phone.

Just type the 10 digit number with no spaces or anything and send @ teleflip.com.  For example:

9725551212@teleflip.com

This is FREE to the sender.  The only charge to the recipient is whatever plan he or she has with their service provider.  Pretty cool!

The annual Turkey Bowl for the entire DFW area group of Realtors is going to be help on November 8, 2007 at the Plano Super Bowl in Plano TX at 2521 Avenue K, east of 75.

The cost is $35 a bowler.  The event will be from 2:30-5:00pm.

The proceeds will benfit the Genesis Women's Shelter, Open Arms Home, Inc., and REALTORS® Fighting Fires.

I will not be able to participate as I won't be able to pick up a turkey, muchless roll one down a lane... well, maybe a 3 pounder, but that wouldn't even knock any pins down!

If you would like more information, call 214-540-2720 or go to the MetroTex website at www.dfwrealtors.com.

The latest numbers have come out from the largest Association of REALTORS® in the DFW area, MetroTex.  The numbers show some very interesting information that should be very useful, especially to people who are relocating to the area thinking they're going to get a "deal" and even the investors who think they can come to our area and scoop up tons of properties at dirt cheap prices...

Here's what the numbers tell us:

2007 DFW Single Family Home Sales (so this excludes condos, but DOES include townhouses):
Year to Date compared to same period last year

Number of Sales: 61,746
Percent Change: -6%

Average Price: $204,813
Percent Change: +5%

Median Price: $150,500
Percent Change: +1%

Active Listings: 47,750
Percent Change: +8%

With these numbers, you can see that the Dallas/Ft Worth area is still going strong.  We do not follow the average trends of the rest of the Country.  We have a very strong economical base right now with many companies still relocating people to the area.  Many areas across the country are seeing double digit depreciation, and we've had appreciation.  Is the appreciation high?  No, but it shows we're in a fairly steady market.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

A big campaign started a couple of days ago that bans saggy pants to be worn around Dallas.  Previously, there have been banned at some of the schools, but this is actually a city-wide ban.

There are two dozen billboard signs around the city reminding people they need to pull their pants up.  This campaign is being faught by many people saying it is a violation of their expression.  There have even been some violent attacks on prominant people throughout the city, which is scary.  Here's the link to one such story.

Personally, I can't believe it's taken this long to get rid of the saggy pants.  Saggy pants were popular about 10 years ago, and I remember thinking that it wasn't going to be long before the fad disappeared and people were dressing normally again... well, for the most part, people are dressing normally again, except a small few who still think it's a cool look to show their boxers.  They walk all bow-legged just to keep their jeans above their knees.  It looks ridiculous.

Here is the link for the song that was written to help the campaign.

Another incident where a Home Inspector freaked people out, but this time it was not only the buyer, but also my sellers!!

I had an inspection on one of my listings a couple of days ago, and the Dallas area is actually seeing "Fall-type weather".  This means, it's in the low 70's by about 3pm, but in the high 50's and 60's throughout most of the day.

Most inspectors will NOT turn on the AC unit at a house unless the temperature is above 65 degrees.  Some say Texas law is 60 degrees so they go by that number.  Either way, it cannot be "cold" when testing the AC unit or you'll freeze the entire unit.  Something about freon and freezing the coils.  I'm not exactly sure of the process since I'm not an HVAC person, but I know it's bad to turn it on when it's too cold.

This inspection started at 7:30am Tuesday morning.  It did not reach above 60 degrees until about 1pm that day.  I know this because it was just slightly warmer when I walked the dog at 2pm and it was 63 degrees at that time.

When my seller gets home at 12:30pm, the inspector informs her that her coils are frozen and he takes her to the unit to show her.  She freaks out!  I call the inspector that evening to ask why he turned on the AC when it was so cold this morning.  He said he didn't turn it on until after 1pm when it was warmer.  I told him what my seller said, and he stumbled over his words and reiterated that it was after 1pm.  Yes, this inspector was actually at the house for over 7 hours, running an inspection on a 1700 sqft house.  Ridiculous!!  Me thinks he's an idiot!

Anyway, the buyer hired him, not me...

I call the sellers that evening and let them know what the inspector said.  I also told them to write down everything they recalled about that afternoon with the most exact times so if the unit is now broken, we can go after the inspector to replace/repair it.

Bottomline,  if it's too cold to run certain equipment, DON'T TURN IT ON!!  I don't care if it's a first time home buyer and he can't wait until next Spring to know if it's working or not.  It shouldn't be my seller's problem that you opted for a morning inspection instead of an afternoon one when it would be warmer! 

Needless to say, my sellers turned the AC on yesterday afternoon, and it looks like the inspector ruined the unit, and they are having to call an HVAC technician to come out and figure things out.  That could be a very costly lesson for that Home Inspector!!

Today was my 36 week appointment for BabyHarris (still no name, but we might be getting closer).  We're right around the corner now!!

My blood pressure is still low, at 98/56, even after all the stresses of this past week.  I'm very surprised!

My blood work came back from last week's appt and my white blood cell count is out of range, high, and so is something else.  The nurse said that white blood cells go up when the body is trying to fight off infection.  My doctor is not worried because he said that it's typical for someone at this stage of the pregnancy to have a higher white blood cell count... maybe my body is fighting the flu shot I received a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, he checked the cervix for the first time, and I'm dilated at 1 cm and 50% efaced.  This means, I have a LONG way to go to get to 10 cm dilated!!

He also noticed that I'm very swollen.  He walked in the room and was just staring at my face asking if everything was ok.  He said my face was very swollen, so he immediately checked my legs and feet for preeclampsia, but I don't have that, which is good!  Apparently I'm just retaining a lot more water than he's used to seeing in such a short time.  I also noticed my "chubby" face a couple of days ago when I looked in the mirror.  I just figured it was all catching up to me and my face was finally seeing some effects.... it must be water retention!!

Anyway, next appt is next Friday at 9am.  Hopefully I'll be more like 4 cm dilated so we can get this train a movin'!!!

This is the last Consignment Sale of the Season (that I'm aware of).

I have found such great deals at the others, that I'm going to make this a biannual event with all of them.  It seems there is a system and all the consignment sales tend to stay around the March-April time and the Septemberp-October time with a few dates staggered outside those months.

These times will be considers my new "Black Friday"!!

Carousel Children's Consignment is tomorrow, October 19, 2007 starting at 8am until 3pm and then the 1/2 sale is Saturday at 8am-3pm.

It's located at:
Christ United Methodist Church in Farmers Branch.

2807 Valwood Parkway
Farmers Branch, TX 75234

Here is a link for further information.

Look, another consignment sale for baby infant and toddler things!  I'm enjoying buying all these things for my little one and NOT having to pay full retail price!!  I've got most everything I need, but still looking for a high chair and more books to keep at Grandma's house.

It's today starting at 5pm and will also be tomorrow and Saturday, but I suggest doing tonight before all the good stuff is taken!!

Here is the link for the website that gives all the information for times and dates and location stuff.

605 S Greenville Ave.
Allen, TX 75002

Brand New Home in Shenandoah, the new Gated Community in Cedar Hill.  Have you ever wanted to live in a Tree House?  That's how you'll feel with all the Mature Trees that surround the property.  The views from the Upstairs Covered Balcony is to die for!!  There are 5 bedrooms, 4.5 Bath, and a 3 car split Garage.  There is a Family Room, GameRoom, and Media Room.  There are also 2 Dining areas along with a Study that has Built-in Shelves and Beamed Ceiling.

The Kitchen has a Island, Granite throughout, Stainless Steel Applianes including a Side-by-Side Fridge and 6 Burner Gas Stove with Pot-Filler Faucet.  The Exterior Elevation is Brick and Cast Stone.  So many features, you must see the Virtual Tour to appreciate further...

The house Appraised for $785,000 and the seller decided not to move to the Dallas area and is "GIVING" the house away for $725,000!!  INSTANT EQUITY UPON MOVE-IN!!

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

I got a frantic email from one of my past clients yesterday.  My initial thought is, "YEAH!  Another Listing!!"

But, then I had to pull out the "human" card and talked with them about their situation.  They want to sell because they're having hard times with their payments.  I'll set the scene...

Thanksgiving 2004, these Buyers closed on their first house, and it was a brand new house.  We went to the design center several times to pick out just the right colors for things within their house.  It was very personalized.  Their car even broke down on the way to closing and I had to go pick them up from the side of the street in order to get them to sign the documents.

While going over their loan details, I reminded them SEVERAL times that their first year's payments would be based on unimproved land only since the tax district didn't know there was a house there yet. We discussed several times about how they needed to put an extra $500 a month aside as they wait for their new breakdown at the end of the year which would show their real payments for the next year.  I explained this is great detail so I could prevent the email I got yesterday.

It's now 3 years later, and they're having problems making their payment.  Apparently they talked with the mortgage company and they wanted everything caught up within a couple of months and split the payments to where the owners would actually be paying over $2000 a month just to catch up.

Yes, I could have told them I could help them sell, but all that does is put them into an apartment as their credit is screwed for being late so many times this past year.  I talked with them for a long time yesterday about who to call at their lender and what to say.  I told them over and over again that I would not sell their home unless they jumped threw every hoop from the lender first.  They were VERY grateful that I didn't see them as a lost cause and just list their house.

Just another reminder that I'm about education and not about closing a deal just to close a deal.  If it doesn't sound like a good situation, I'm going to talk you through it and find the best solution for you.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!! 

 ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

I had my 34 week appointment yesterday.  Everything is still going along very smoothly.  This appointment consisted of the final blood test and also a swab test for Strepp.

I was measuring at 35 weeks so a few days larger than I should be, but it's all an estimate unless the measurements are further off.  Yes, I gained MORE weight, but not gonna tell you what it is.  I figured that at this point, I'll just give a final number on the last day, but let's just say the number is MUCH higher than I ever expected!!!

My next appt is Oct 25 for my 36 week appt.  After that, I'll be going weekly until she decides to make her presense known, though she does that everyday all day by kicking me as much as she can.  Shouldn't she be burning calories for me with all the movements she makes?? 

I think it's funny when I get on the scale as I have one of those that tries to tell you your body fat calculation, and since the scale doesn't know there's another human in me, it's saying I'm at 41% body fat!!  Doesn't that number sound atrotious??!!

Anyway, there are just a handful of things left to do, including packing the bag for the hospital, but I'm procrastinating as I'm not really sure what to take.  It's been so warm lately, I don't know if it'll actually be cold when I deliver.  Will it be Fall weather or Winter weather??

Back next week for the next installment of the BabyHarris (NO, we don't have a name yet) story.

The White Rock Lake Artists Studio Tour is this weekend, October 13-14.  From reading the name "White Rock Lake", you would think this tour would be a bunch of booths set up by the different artists around White Rock Lake.

However, this is not the case.  It should be named the White Rock AREA Artists Studio Tour.  This is not an ordinary art festival.  You basically go, in your car, from house to house, rather it's studio to studio.  Sounds like an interesting concept.  I'm probably not going to go because I wouldn't feel comfortable getting in and out of the car so many times, and also insulting an artist if I walked in and walked out, but my mother in law is coming in town this weekend to go to it, which is how I heard about it.

Here's a link to the information.

Here's a link to the map of everyone's house.

Have fun, and stay out of the rain that they claim is coming this weekend!

The Bi-Annual Cottonwood Art Festival is this weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 9am - 6pm.

This is the Festival's 39th year here in Richardson.  There is always a great turn out.  There is not just the traditional booths with art, but there is also live music, great entertainment, and lots of food!  Great fun for the old and young alike.

Parking can be a pain, so I recommend getting there early.  While you're over there, take a look at my listing at 1001 N Cottonwood which is a 3/2/2 with many updates and ready for a new owner.

I had another doctor's appointment this morning as I'm now at an every two weeks schedule.  This is week 32.  My blood pressure has increased a little, up to 100/60.  It's still normal, but higher than what I have been at.

I broke the scale, but that's ok because I'm sure they have another in the back... the number is getting very scary, but don't feel so bad when people keep telling me I look like "all baby", though I can definitely feel it all over!!

The heartrate has dropped, but I think it's because she decided to take a nap right before I entered the room since she was kicking a lot while in the waiting room.  She's gone from a consistant 154 down to a 143.

She is measuring right on target at 32 weeks, so we're all good.  The doctor did note a little swelling in my legs, but he said that as long as I still have ankles, I'm in no danger.  I think extra swelling is more of a sign for pre-eclampsia which I would like to stay away from.

And I also got the flu shot today so I have less to worry about once she's born.

We had the Couple's Baby Shower this weekend and got lots of things...  I spent a couple of hours this morning returning all the duplicates to Target... I still have several duplicates to take to Babies R Us, but that's on the other side of town, and will head there on Wednesday.

Here's a picture of the diaper cake we got:

Bottomline, BabyHarris is still healthy and doing fabulously!  About 7 weeks to go!!

Countdown to the Red River Rivalry.  The Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners are at the Cottonbowl during the State Fair of Texas at 2:30pm on this Saturday, October 6, 2007.

Both teams are entering this game with losses from this past weekend.  They'll both have some frustrations to vent out.                                  

Any thoughts on who is going to win this one?  I'm not sure I want to be home during the game since my Husband is still livid from the loss on Friday. 

OU Fans, don't hesitate to state your opinion, however, for both Texas and OU fans, please keep it clean, and no attacking people and/or their integrity.  Your comments will be deleted if I deem it to be rude. 

The Tollways in North Texas have instated an increase effective today, October 1.  This includes the North Dallas Tollway and the George Bush Turnpike.  I was astonished yesterday when I went into Frisco on the new stretch that opened on Friday and it was $1.30 for the Eldorado exit... WHAT??!!  $1.30!!  That's crazy!

To go see my client in Frisco yesterday, it cots me $0.50 to get onto the Bush.  $1.00 is charged at the Coit overpass.  When I get onto the Dallas North Tollway, it's $1.00 at Parker.  Then it was $1.30 to exit at Eldorado.  That's $3.80.  That's $7.20 round trip.  This is getting ridiculous!!!

However, I do have the Tolltag on my car, so the rates are slightly less, so let's look at it with the tolltag.  $.40 to get on at Renner. $.70 at the Coit overpass.  $.70 at Parker and then $1.05 at the Eldorado exit.  That's $2.85, which is $5.70 round trip.

I saved a whopping $0.95 to have a tolltag.  You can't even by something off the $1 Value Menu at any fast food restaurant!!!  However, going round trip saves me $1.90 so that gets me almost a $1.99 Happy Meal!!

Personally, I think the discount should be much more substantial to have the Tolltag rather than cash.  It's the cash people who are making people do extra work and it's more inconvenient for those drivers.  The Tolltag saves people a lot of time and energy, especially the North Texas Tollway Association (www.NTTA.org) and they should charge Tolltag users less!

Here's the site that shows you the fees at each and every exit up and down all North Texas Tollways.