Austin TX Real Estate - Hill Country Austin Lakeway Homes for Sale: May 2009

let's see how far this can go.  Brad asked for a reblog so here it is!!!

Falconhead West in Bee Cave, TX, a suburb just West of Austin, TX, is have their first big Social event tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, 2009 from 4-7pm!

There will be bounce houses for the kids!!

There will be Mexican food catered by Taco Cabana!

There will be live music with a DJ!

You need to bring your own drinks and chairs to sit on, but everything else is right there.  The party will be on the street with the model homes, so the restrooms will be provided by the builders!

There is absolutely NO parking on the street of the model homes so there is room for everyone to gather.  There are brand new streets where they just poured the concrete, and you can park there... or just walk on over!!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

A few days ago, I sent out messages and also blogged about the TopTenRealEstateDeals.com page for Austin, TX.  I wanted to thank those of you who got back with me.

Here is the link to Austin's current deals.  Yes, there are many more "deals" out there, and the list will be updated every couple of weeks.

If you hear of a deal, please let me know and I'll try my hardest to include it.

If you're from a different market, and you would like to see your market featured within this list, let me know as I've got "connections" with the guys in charge.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

Many of you saw my previous blog about the Topsy Turvey and you asked to keep you posted on the progress.

Well, it's now been three weeks!!  This is the LONGEST that I've ever kept a tomato plant alive!!  My thumb is so green right now!!

I still only have the two tomatoes, but look at the size of them compared to three weeks ago in the above link.  There is also a small one that has been budding all week, but it's still smaller than a petite pea.

There are several other places where it looks like the beginnings of new tomatoes are starting.

The weird thing is that the plant is not actually growing down as it hangs upside down.  Look back up at the picture and see how the leaves are touching the bottom of the holder?  The main "branches" are growing upwards.  My husband says this is because it's growing towards the sun, but the sun circles around it all day. 

Does anyone else have any theories as to why it's growing "up" instead of "down"?

Three weeks and it's alive, so I'm a firm believer... for now.

Do you use the Popcorn button on your microwave?  Are you one that says, "Yes, I use it, but it doesn't really pop the popcorn very well"?  Is your bag usually not full?  Do you have lots of kernels left over?

If so, you're not using it properly!  I'm going to assume you don't know the little trick.  Every time I tell someone, they're so appreciative...  Most times, when you hit the popcorn button, you have to hit the 30 second extender, and sometimes you have to hit it twice as the corn is still popping. Who wants to leave all those kernels in the bag?

Granted, I only know the trick to the GE microwaves, but I'm sure all the other brands have something similar if you want to google it, but the most common is GE and that's what I've had in my last 3 houses.

When you hit the Popcorn button, immediately push the 9 button twice.  You should see two + signs if you did this properly. This automatically extends the time so you don't have to worry about waiting to see if you need to extend it or not.

Most of the time, when I hit the 9 twice (as you can just hit it once if you want), I stop the microwave with about 10-15 seconds left on it. That means, I definitely needed the first extension and needed only part of the second, but you get so much more popcorn in those 15 extra seconds you give it to pop.

Next time you're popping corn in the microwave, hit the 9 and see if you can make some better popcorn!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

There is a restuarant in Austin called North by Northwest (NXNW). Outside on their marque, they have it posted:

FREE AIR CONDITIONING WITH PURCHASE OF BEER

Would that grab your attention?  It did mine. I wish I had a picture to show you but the picture on my camera phone didn't turn out well as I was across the street in the turn lane when I took it, and I couldn't zoom in very far.

I've seen signs like these before, but not usually as the main advertising for a place.  I guess many places are using humor to get people in and spend some money.  So many restaurants have closed lately, it's sad to see them go.

From their website:
Conveniently located behind the Gateway Shopping Center at Capital of Texas Highway and Stonelake Boulevard.
We serve Central Texas's finest and freshest handcrafted beers and ales.
We bring together our quality beers with outstanding lunch and dinner selections. Try our famous herb crusted rotisserie chicken, pepper crusted beef tenderloin, or choose from a variety of steaks, New American entrees, oven roasted pizzas, fresh seafood, salads, and desserts.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

Property Tax values were mailed out to every home owner through the first week of May.  You have until the end of the month to make it known that you want to fight your value... That's only 1 week left!!

Many people think it takes a lot of time and money to fight your tax value, but that's certainly not the case.  I say it every year, and I'll repeat your options again below.

There are 3 things that you can do.

The first, and easiest, is walk into your county appraisal district's office and ask to speak with an appraiser.  Depending on how many people are waiting, this could take 5 minutes, or it could take a couple of hours.  It's FREE, except for your time.  Explain to the appraiser why your value should be lowered and they'll either lower it or not.

The second thing you can do is file for an Arbitration Review Board.  This is also FREE.  They will schedule you in the next month or so, and you will come in with your evidence and display it in front of 3 people. They will review your information and either lower your value or not.

The third option is not free, binding Arbitration with the state of Texas' Comptroller's office.  It could either cost you $500 or only $50.  Why the difference?  It costs $500 to file for Arbitration.  If you win your case, you get $450 of it back.  If you lose your case, you lose the entire $500.  You better truly believe in your value if you don't want to be out $500!  I went into further detail here.

Remember, Monday is a Holiday so nothing is going to get done, so it's a short week, so you really have less than a week to make your case known.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

Usually "Tax Free Weekend" is in August, but this year, there's nothing new... Tax Free Appliance Weekend and it's this weekend!!

Memorial Day weekend, starting today, May 22, 2009 and going through Monday, there will be no taxes on Appliances.  The catch?  The appliances must be ENERGY STAR appliances!

The point?  Helping people become more energy efficient within their homes and helping them save some money with the expense of upgrading their current appliances.  Even ceiling fans are included.

If you've been wanting that new washer and dryer or that new refridgerator, now's the time to get out and get one!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

What do you think of Thank You letters?  When do you deem them important to send out?

I usually send out a Thank You card when I receive gifts like for a Wedding, Birth of a Baby, or Birthday.  I don't send Thank You cards at Christmas or Hannukah or Anniversaries.

Before I moved last month, I was posting a lot of items on Craigslist, some for free.  In today's mail, I received a Thank You card from one of the ladies who received a free ceramic planting pot.  I could have probably gotten $5 for it, but for me, it wasn't worth the hassel of setting up appts with potential buyers for only $5, so I listed it for free.

I got tons of emails for it in under 5 minutes. It's like people scope out Craigslist for the keyword "FREE" and just bounce when they see it. 

This lady, Josephine, was the first to respond, so I told her she had an hour to show up or I was giving it to the next person in line. She showed up with barely 2 minutes to spare!

Never, in a million years, did I expect to receive a Thank You card from her showing her appreciation!  It kinda melted my heart.  We sometimes forget how far a little personal mail can go, so instead of emails, I'm going to continue to hand-write my Thank You cards when I receive gifts.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

I was at the Women's Council of REALTORS® luncheon today, and I heard a very interesting statistic from the guest speaker.  He said that, on average, 45% of the 11,505 listings currently on the market in Austin, TX are vacant. 

Why are they vacant?

Two months ago, this number was 52%.

For the most part, "people" are saying they can't afford to buy a new home without selling their current home first, but is that actuality?  Are people really waiting to sell their current homes before buying?  If they are, why are there so many homes vacant?

Then, the question was how many of these homes were new construction.  Ok, so the numbers go down from there. However, new construction makes up approximately 20% of the listings in the MLS.  That means, you still have approximately 25% of homes vacant.

Why does this matter?  It gives the buyer leverage!!

If a buyer walks into a vacant home, the first thing they think is that the seller is desperate.  Many sellers will say that they're not desperate.  Another thing people say is that the home owner must be paying two mortgages.  That's not necessarily true either.

Even though the seller isn't desperate and doesn't have to pay a mortgage payment on that vacant home, isn't he incurring costs month after month it sits there?  He's paying taxes, insurance, utilities, upkeep, etc...

So, in essence, the seller is paying on two different homes, if not three or four homes.

It boils down to the buyer's agent putting those expenses in perspective for a buyer and showing the buyer how long it's been on the market, vacant, and how much longer it could continue to sit on the market, and then the buyer can write an offer accordingly... probably lower than a home that is occupied.

I'm not saying sellers need to live in their home until it sells, but make sure you're not giving off "desperate" vibes if you're going to buy a new home first.  You could always stage the property with people or furniture.  That's what I did, so perspective buyers have no idea that the people living there don't actually own the home.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

Don't we all ask about the Woulda Coulda Shoulda every once in a while?

If I woulda taken this short cut, I coulda saved a couple of minutes...

If I coulda met with the buyer on this day instead of that day, they shoulda gotten an offer accepted...

If I coulda talked with this person, I woulda saved a lot of time and energy...

If I woulda locked in my rate on this day, I coulda saved so much over the life of the loan...

Every situation has a Woulda Coulda Shoulda, but you can't live your life always thinking back.

When I first found out last summer we were going to move, rates were at 6.75%.  YIKES!  Those are high rates!!  Comparatively speaking. When I first got into real estate back in 2000, an 8% was considered a good and "low" rate.  The rate on my first house was 7% and I thought that was awesome.

But to have to "suffer" with a 6.75% was a lot to take. 

Back in the summer of 2005, I bought a house and eTrade was offering a loan that you could take with you on your next purchase. There was no time frame in using this rate.  If you moved in 2 years, you could take it with you.  If you moved in 20 years, you could take it with you.

At that time, in order to obtain the movable loan, eTrade was charging about 1/2 point.  Then we had to run all the scenarios as to why we would want to pay $X amount each month for the "just in case" rates went up when we bought in the future.  The rate was "only" 5.5%.

Last summer, my husband and I were kicking ourselves over and over again about "We SHOULDA taken that movable rate!  We COULDA saved so much money if we WOULDA done that!"

It took 9 months for our house to be built.  Do you know what happened in those 9 months?  Rates dropped and dropped and dropped.

Even though we beat ourselves up over and over again during all these months, we watched rates drop below the movable rate, and even below the rate on our last house.  Between the original rate of 6.75% and the rate we locked in at last month, we're saving approximately $500 a month!

Once rates dropped below the movable rate of 5.5%, we then "flip-flopped" saying how glad we were that we didn't spend the extra money each month to be able to move that rate.  The difference between the movable rate and the previous rate we locked in was about $400 a year.  We were in that house for 3 1/2 years.  That's $1400 extra we would have paid to NOT be able to use it for that "just in case" scenario.

So, even though we spent months kicking ourselves, it turned out to be the better decision in the end.  Second guessing every decision and choice you make is not good. You can't go back in time and change them.  You can't run every "just in case" scenario and expect to always come out ahead.  Just listen to your instincts, and you SHOULD be fine.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

Our day at the Austin Children's Museum was fun, but I must admit, it was also part boring.

Either Alyssa didn't understand the different activities and stations, or she was completely bored by them. I know I was bored with most of them, but I'm an adult. I still tried to get her to play at each station.

Every Monday morning, the Austin Children's Museum has Baby Bloomer's time. It's from 9am-12noon.  It was a good time to not have bigger kids running around and knocking the little kids over.  Many of the kids go every single Monday, so they knew the lay of the land.

Alyssa had the most fun with the "interactive" stuff like the story time, sing along, finger painting, and parachute time!  She was a little stiff at the first activity, but once she felt the people out and got comfortable, she was clapping, dancing, and popping bubbles with the rest of them. 

Her favorite??  Banging on the drums in the back room where it talked about Mexican Heritage.  This was the best room as she was the most playful in here.  Along with the drums, she liked the ladybug step-stools and the tunnel to crawl through.

Overall, I'm not sure this could be an every Monday event like some of the other kids,  but maybe once a month as her likes and dislikes tend to change.

If you're a non-member, it's $8 for the museum and $4 for parking.  Members pay only $4 for the Museum and $3 for parking.  Sounds like a nice perk if you go fairly often.

The next venue?  I heard to check out Zilker Park's kid section and their Choo-Choo Train! 

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

I met with some nice people Sunday afternoon.  They were foreclosed on about 2 weeks ago.  The problem?  They were never once late on their mortgage payment!

What?  They made their mortgage payments on time every month?  YES, they did...

The thing is, they fell upon some hard times a few months back and missed paying their property taxes.  The lender decided to pay their taxes for them, and instate an escrow account. 

The problem this time?  The home owners didn't get the notice that they were to pay an escrow until the bank already noted them as 6 months behind on the escrow.  Can they do that?  I had never heard of this before.  They didn't even know they were being foreclosed on until their March mortgage payment was sent back to them.  Yes, it was sent back!  The bank didn't even want to cash it.

That was the end of March and the foreclosure went through 6 weeks later. Yes, that fast!

The story will have a happy ending. The lender is wanting to work with them and help them with a loan modification to let them buy back their property.

However, there are many people where this is not possible. In order for this to work, they must show documented income. Many people can't do that. Many people are doing odd jobs here and there just to make ends meat and some people are self employeed. Those types of jobs would not work for this program. 

These people were so glad I was able to get them in touch with the right people to talk with. 

Funny twist, the husband was a Realtor...  Many of us pretend to know how things work, but do you really?

Don't let a foreclosure get you down, especially if you know it was wrong. Many banks are working with people to help resolve their mistakes.  Granted, some people are being foreclosed on for a good reason.  Others just slipped up and deserve a second chance... if they qualify.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

Do you ever see signs or warning labels and wonder what they really mean?  I'm not talking about the label on the hair dryer that tells you not to use in the shower.  I'm not talking about the label for peanut M&M's that says to be careful because there might be peanuts in them.

Look at this sign below.  This is from the playground equipment at the local park.

It says, as you can read, "2 to 5 OR 5 to 12 years old".  What does this mean?  Does this mean that a 2 year old can't play on the equipment while a 12 year old does?  Does this mean a 5 year old can pick and choose who can play with him while he's playing?

What kind of instructions are these?  You know there are warning signs on everything because of lawyers wanting to protect the companies they represent... what is this one all about?  Maybe there should be a disclaimer in tiny print at the bottom explaining what they mean.

What signs and labels do you see around that make no sense?

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

Many people ask me why they should put gutters on their home.  In the Dallas area, it's easy.  The answer is because of the expansive, clay soils and the gutters help maintain a more equal balance of water distribution around the foundation.

In Austin, the answer is a little more complicated as most foundations are sitting on rock and not clay soil.  However, you still need to have a consistant amount of moisture around the foundation to make sure the house is breathing and moving properly.

So, the easy answer to why you need gutters is because you don't want this to happen or your yard to flatten out like this:

My new house only has partial gutters and we haven't put up full gutters yet, and this is just a reminder that the full gutters will make a huge difference once installed.

And even when you have gutters, sometimes they need to be adjusted.  Look at the below picture of how water is pooling around my house as it's trapped in the flowerbed instead of on a slope.

I'm excited about the rain as we really need it. If we're going to wakeboard this year and take Alyssa out on the boat, we need more water in the lakes around here.

Plus, my Topsy Turvey Tomato plant could use a good soaking.  Those tomatoes are getting pretty big!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.  

Hi everyone!  My mommy took a break, so I thought I would give everyone an update about me.  I turn 18 months old today!!  Happy year and a half birthday to me!!

This was me 18 months ago... I was so little way back then.

Can you believe how fast the time has gone by?!  I've read some of your comments when my mommy blogs about me.  You people are so nice, you make me blush sometimes!

I had my 18 month doctor appointment yesterday. It was with a brand new doctor since we moved to a new city.  The doctor was nice. She gushed over me, but who doesn't!

I got weighed (23.6 lbs), measured (31 inches), and poked with 2 shots (OUCH!).  My weight dropped from the 45th% at my 15 month appt to 30%... we think it's because I never stop moving and I burn more calories than I eat.  However, my head is still at the 50th% (46 1/4 cm").

My doctor said I should know 5-15 words by 18 months, and that I should know around 50 words by 2 years old.  You will never guess how many words I know... come on, guess... and then let me know how close you were in your comments below... my new doctor was amazed... ready? 

I know 68 words!!  I actually know more than that, but my mommy says they don't count if they aren't complete words or if I don't repeat them at least 5 times.  My mommy started writing them down last week when people didn't believe her that I talked so much. They say things like "it's inherited", but I don't know what that means.  My new neighbor is 15 1/2 months old and only says "hi".  It's hard to hold a one-sided conversation, though I do see my mommy talking to herself quite a lot!!

It's been a very busy month.  I'm still waiting for my very busy mommy to paint my room the pretty lavender color that my last room was.  She bought the paint already, but it just sits there.  Maybe I can call a painter. 

I also started a new daycare last week.  I'm not so sure I like it yet.  I cry whenever my mommy drops me off.  My mommy likes that she can log in on her computer at home and watch me, so I'm always having to watch my P's and Q's.  What are P's and Q's?  My old daycare didn't make me do P's and Q's.

Some of my favorite foods right now are PEAS, pasta, and grapes.  My mommy always looks at me like I'm crazy when I ask for more peas.  She thinks they're smooshy and gross, but I like them!  She also gags when I eat fish sticks, but she keeps saying that just because she doesn't like something, that she's not going to prevent me from trying it.

"Oh no, oh no" (one of my favorite phrases), she's coming... she doesn't like me playing on the computer because I'm usually just looking at pictures of myself.  She says I'm "egocentric".  Does that mean I like eggos, because my daddy gives those to me sometimes in the morning and I prefer pancakes?

Gotta go.  My plan is to just swat at the computer like there's a fly on it because she thinks it's funny when I yell "GO AWAY" to the flies!!

"Bu Bye"!  See you at 2 years in November!!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

Released a couple of days ago, Austin TX tops Forbes.com's list of America's Best Bargain Cities.  All 5 of Texas' largest cities made the top 10, Dallas, Houston, Ft Worth, and San Antonio.

Not a single Texas city made the most overpriced list.

Whhy did Austin TX top this list?  Several reasons.  The main one is that Austin has the lowest unemployment rate in the entire country at only 5.5%.

Not only is Austin the Capital, but it's also steered by the Technology industry and the University of Texas.

When I talk with people about the market in Austin, the biggest response was that they don't like being put on all these lists because it's bringing in too many relocation people.  Many people joke about how it's hard to find a true Austinite because they're all coming from other places.

To round out the top three, you have Phoenix, AR and Washington, DC.

So, if you're looking for a newer home, at least 2500 sqft, and don't want to spend more than $200k, give me a call! There are literally HUNDREDS to choose from... until you narrow down the areas.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

A new street is opening that will connect Lakeway, TX to Spicewood, TX.  The initial grand opening was slotted for May 2009, but they are a couple of months behind, but for those thinking Spicewood might be too far of a drive for you, I wanted you to know about this short-cut being created!

Currently, if you need to get to Spicewood, you have to drive all the way down 620 until it deadends into 71, hang a right, and go 9 miles before you reach the first Spicewood community.

Now, instead of driving past all those schools and their school zones, you can bypass all that traffic by cutting through Lakeway and getting all the way to 71, just past Bee Cave.  Yes, you'll have slower, residential speed limits, but you'll have less traffic, until more people catch on, or more people move out there.

Of course, this doesn't help my drive since the 71 connection is about 2 miles the opposite direction, but it's going to help open up the area and bring more buyers out to Spicewood where you can buy a 3000+ sqft home in the $200's!  And yes, there are several higher-end communities, up over a million, but there are also the lower end to accommodate all types of people wanting to get out of the city and live a more country-style lifestyle.

For more updates about land development in Lakeway TX, you can stay up to date with this map.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

** Lakeway graphic courtesy of Lakeway's city webpage.

Starting June 1, 2009, houses for sale within the City limit of Austin, TX, must complete an energy audit on their home.  This includes homes currently under contract, so if they're slotted to close sometime in June, you better get your audit complete NOW!

For the Energy Audit, you must use someone on the Austin Energy approval list, shown below.  Austin Energy doesn't warrant any of their work and doesn't prefer one over the other, but these are the people who have applied to be approved and have gone through the training as to what the audit should cover.

To clarify who needs an audit, it is only homes within the CITY of Austin, not everyone who uses Austin Energy.  There are many areas that have an "Austin" address but are actually outside the city limits, like Steiner Ranch.  These people do NOT have to do the audits.

The easiest way to know if you are within the actual CITY limits of Austin is to go to the Travis County Appraisal District's website, look up your property, and if it says you pay CITY OF AUSTIN taxes, you have to have an audit if you plan on selling your home.

If you're still unsure, there is a phone number (512-972-STAR) that you can call, and they'll ask you a series of questions that will give you a answer.

Here are the exemptions, courtesy of the Austin Energy website:

The cost for this audit will be, on average, $200-300 depending on age, size, and company used.  Your audit results will need to accompany the seller's disclosure that you provide your buyer.  As a homeowner/seller, you are not obligated to "fix" anything on the audit, unless you want to.  It is just for informational purposed for the new prospective home owner to know what they should do and how much it might cost, in order to get their home more energy efficient.

By the way, Austin Energy is expecting many people who are not selling to actually obtain audits as well, so they can work on making sure their homes are energy efficient. Just be prepared for the homes trying to close to get priority.

This is a brand new ordinance coming into effect in just a couple of weeks, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll answer your questions as best as I can.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

Falconhead West is one of Bee Cave, TX's newest communities.

Once you drive past the PGA Golf course, you'll run right into the Community Park.

This is not a one-size-fits-all playground.  The community took into consideration that there would be bigger kids and smaller kids, so they actually created two separate sections a few feet away to accommodate both agents.

Here is the big kid section:

Here is the smaller kid section:

I've heard some people say that they wished the playgrounds were separate, but the way this one was designed is perfect for those families that have both a bigger kid and a smaller kid.  So, if a mom takes her 7 year old and her 3 year old to the park at the same time, she can watch them both play on the right sized equipment for them.  PERFECT!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.