Author Archive
How to Plan a Stress-Free Vacation
Planning a vacation can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be: being well prepared can make a big difference, and a little forethought can go a long way. Follow these simple tips to plan a great trip on your terms.
Plan ahead
The overwhelming number of vacation possibilities available in the United States alone can [...]
Central Texas Profiles : Elgin Texas
Elgin is a small city which is located 23 miles east of Austin and 17 miles north of Bastrop, and Elgin is also known as the Sausage Capital of Texas! Elgin covers an area of 4.7 square miles, and in the census of 2000, the city reported a population of 5,700 inhabitants. There were 1869 [...]
Mortgage Interest Rates Fall Again
For the second week in a row mortgage rates have fallen. For those that don’t read my updates regularly I wanted to give a short background on what rates have been doing. From the end of April to the beginning of June 30 year mortgage rates hovered around 6 percent. Then during [...]
How to Host a Low-Cost, No-Stress Dinner Party
Entertaining friends and family in your home is a much bigger undertaking than many people realize. While it may seem like a more “low key” option than going out, in reality there are a lot of things that go into a successful dinner party it’s no wonder that a host can easily get carried away [...]
Current News With Mortgage Interest Rates
So what has been going on in the world of finance and mortgages? Certainly the biggest news was the fall of IndyMac. Last week we heard that IndyMac had stopped giving out new mortgage loans and was going to concentrate on simply servicing the existing loans in its portfolio. Apparently this was [...]
Austin Restaurant Spotlight: Clarksville and West Lynn St
One of Austin’s most sought-after neighborhoods, Clarksville offers a close-knit neighborhood feel in a European style, pedestrian-friendly setting. With small privately-owned markets and delicious restaurants all a stone’s throw away, Clarksville residents happily enjoy the best Austin has to offer.
And while Clarksville is home to a number of distinctive shops, including award-winning locally-owned coffee [...]
Austin Neighborhood Profiles : Allandale
Allandale is the name of a lovely neighborhood in central Austin, although the area was originally considered to be northwest Austin, before Austin’s expansion into a large metropolitan area. Allandale recently celebrated its 35th anniversary as an active central Austin community, and the Allandale Neighborhood Association has been a presence in the neighborhood since 1973. [...]
An Inside Look at Five of Austin’s Top Museums
Austin, Texas, is well known for its nightlife, but there is plenty to do during daylight hours, too. With a wide variety of museums and cultural centers catering to most every interest, Austin provides visitors and residents alike with countless options for cultural outings. Here is a closer look at five of Austin’s best.
1)Lyndon B. [...]
How to Minimize the Stress of Moving
Regardless of whether it’s across the country or across town, moving is a stressful, expensive and time-consuming event. It requires extensive planning, organization, and a lot of physical activity. While there is no easy way to move house, there are several things you can do to simplify the process and reduce the amount of stress [...]
Austin Neighborhood Profiles : Southeast Austin – 78741
Charming pockets of single family homes are studded throughout this hidden gem of a neighborhood, and although certain parts of the area are given over to apartment complexes, duplexes and fourplexes, this is an overlooked area with enormous potential. Bounded by I35 to the west, Ben White to the south, Riverside to the north, and [...]
Profiles in Historical Places in East Austin : French Legation Museum
The French Legation Museum provides a uniquely historic experience. Both a historic site and a house museum, the story behind the establishment of the museum is fascinating, and helps to illuminate a way of life experienced by the residents of old Austin before Texas was a state. Visiting the house and grounds, with its carefully [...]
Austin Natural Pools: Hamilton Pool Preserve
One of the most beautiful and unique attractions Austin has is Hamilton Pool Preserve, located just a half an hour out of the city, in the gorgeous Hill Country. The historic swimming area and its surrounding grounds were designated a preserve by the Travis County Commissioner’s Court in 1990, and this idyllic, untainted spot [...]
Austin Real Estate Market Steady
After a rather neutral start in 2008, the real estate market for residential homes in Austin has increased its inventory of homes for sale, according to statistics from the Austin MLS. This is happening despite a continuation of one of the highest metropolitan growth rates in the country and a strong and growing local [...]
Austin Area Festivals: Music and More
What do music, chili peppers, bamboo, wine, watermelon, ice cream and Eeyore the donkey from Winnie the Pooh have in common?
They all have festivals devoted to them in Austin or nearby towns. In fact, there are so many festivals of all kinds in the Austin area that it is difficult to keep track of [...]
Outdoor Fun In Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas, is known for a lot of things. It’s the Live Music Capital of the World, the home of the UT Longhorns, and the capitol seat of the Lone Star State. To those who live and play here full time, it’s also widely regarded as one of the most active cities in the country. [...]
Labor Day Weekend in Austin
Labor Day weekend in Austin this year promises every imaginable kind of activity, with something for everyone, young and old, in the works. Some choices for end of summer fun locally include Texas Longhorn events, the Austin Bat Fest, and a day of yoga, among other celebrations. If you’re a sports fan, the Texas Longhorns [...]
Happy Hours in Austin
Austin is a great restaurant town, and one of the best ways to explore all the different possibilities is to take advantage of the many great happy hours. Some of the city’s finest establishments offer drink specials, discounted appetizers, and a great atmosphere to sample their fare without committing to a meal. Here are some [...]
A History Of Pemberton Heights And Some Of Its Historic Homes
Pemberton Heights is the name of a historic area of Old West Austin. The gateway to Pemberton Heights is considered to be the Keith House, at 2400 Harris, and this historic home was built in 1933 and has an unobstructed view of the Texas Capitol building from the front balcony, since it is located [...]
Mortgage Interest Rates Continue to Move Up
After rising drastically last week fixed mortgage interest rates moved up slightly this week. 30 Year notes moved from 6.42 to 6.45 and 15 Year notes moved from 6.02 to 6.04. ARMS on the other hand rose a decent amount. 5 Year Arms rose from 5.89 to 5.99 while 1 Year Arms rose [...]
Eeyore’s Birthday Party in Austin Texas
One of the most quintessentially “weird” Austin festivals, Eeyore’s Birthday party was first held in 1963, and hasn’t missed a year since. A costume party, festival, fund-raiser and all around good time, this annual event is marked by games and contests, and lots of drumming. Although a hippie-atmosphere prevails, families and lots of children always [...]
Mortgage Interest Rates: Up Up And Away
Up up and away. Mortgage interest rates continue on their upward trajectory. 30 Year mortgage rates went from 6.32 to 6.42. 15 year notes rose from 5.93 to 6.02 and 5 year arms rose almost 20 basis point going from 5.7 to 5.89. 1 Year arms rose this week from 5.09 [...]
Planting Austin Friendly Flowers : A Guide To A Low Maintenance Garden
Do you love the beauty and color of flowers but cringe at the thought of the maintenance required for their upkeep? If your colorful blooms have a tendency to turn brown and crunchy from neglect in the hot Austin sun, there may be some flowers made just for you. Flora native or adapted [...]
Restaurants In Austin With Live Music
Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the World. One of the best parts about having that distinction is that even if you aren’t necessarily into the club scene, you can still hear live music at restaurants throughout the city. Whether you feel like hearing Cajun, blues, country, Latin or rock, you can [...]
Austin Hipness Moves South
For decades, bumper stickers have adorned cars all over central Austin, proudly proclaiming “78704 More Than just a Zip Code.” The South Austin lifestyle originated there, but as Austin real estate prices rose, and fancy restaurants and shops re-energized South Congress, a migration of hip-ness began. Now, a new bumper sticker is gaining in popularity, [...]
South By Southwest Festival in Austin Texas
Every year, Austin is descended upon by thousands of music, film, and web industry professionals, artists, and fans, all attending the annual South by Southwest Festival. Although it started as a local music festival, as it now enters its third decade, SXSW has become one of the premier industry conferences, and has gained a reputation [...]
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Texas wildflowers are celebrated throughout the state of Texas thanks to the efforts of the late former first lady Lady Bird Johnson, and Austin is home to the institution she helped created, named in her honor. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a unique attraction, paying homage to the woman who helped elevate and [...]
Austin Texas Book Festival
If music festivals such as South by Southwest and the Austin City Limits festival are testament to the city’s reputation as the Live Music Capitol of the World, the Texas Book Festival is proof positive that Austin is a hotbed of creativity in the literary world as well. Founded by Laura Bush in 1995, it [...]
Another Cool Place in Austin : Austin Texas Children’s Museum
With 7,000 square feet of interactive and educational permanent exhibits, inventive traveling features, story-times and public events, this public museum serves as a hub of Austin’s family community.
Upon entering, kids are delighted to board a scaled down Austin Metro bus. Sitting in the driver’s seat or holding a strap in the passenger section, this exhibit [...]
Mortgage Interest Rates Jump Up
After several weeks of staying relatively flat mortgage interest rates jumped up this week. 30 Year mortgage went from 6.09 to 6.32. 15 Year Mortgage moved from 5.65 to 5.93. 5 Year rates went from 5.51 to 5.70. The only rate that was somewhat stable was 1 Year Arms which went [...]
Mortgage ARMs Become Attractive Again
Rates on 15 and 30 Year Fixed loans have been pretty stable the last month. In contrast mortgage rates on 5 and 1 year ARMs have been falling. 1 Year rates fell from 5.22 to 5.06 this week. This is the lowest 1 Year Arms have been since early March. Its [...]
How to Hire a Contractor
There are some home renovations that really should be left to a professional. Finding a good contractor that is trustworthy and dependable can sometimes be a challenge, but with some preparation it can be done.
Before accepting to work with a contractor, ask for a list of references. Ideally, the list will be fairly [...]
Austin’s Other Residents: The Bats of Austin
One of the most unique and celebrated attractions in Austin is a naturally occurring phenomenon and costs absolutely nothing to enjoy. The 1.5 million Mexican Free-tailed bats that live under the Congress Street Bridge from March to October emerge at dusk in a breathtaking display. This nightly (almost) occurrence can be viewed in a number [...]
Another Cool Austin Festival : The Austin Hot Sauce Festival
With almost two decades under its belt, the Austin Hot Sauce Festival is a time-honored tradition featuring some of the most defining characteristics of life in Austin: hot sauce, hot weather, live music, great food and a fantastic way to give back to the community.
A major fundraiser for the Capital Area Food Bank, the festival [...]
Local Austin Restaurants with Playscapes
One of the challenges we faced as new parents was what to do on those nights when you just need to go out and grab a quick bite no time to plan for a sitter or make reservations. Nothing in the fridge, too tired to slice and dice, or an all too common scenario in [...]
Neighborhood Profiles: Southwest Austin
As the Austin real estate market expands in all directions, areas we used to think of as “way out there” are not only seeming closer, but are getting their own infrastructure. Maple Run in Southwest Austin is just one of those areas. Located south of William Cannon, north of Slaughter, west of Brodie and east [...]
Easy Ways To Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
The average home spends a whopping $1500 annually on energy costs an energy bottom line that is much bigger than it needs to be, because a significant portion of that energy is wasted and lost. The good news is, changing just a few simple things around your house can make a big difference and [...]
The Austin Museum of Art (AMOA)
This is truly a museum for the casual and creative Austinite. With two locations and loads of interesting exhibits and programs, AMOA is a great cultural destination for students, adults, and even parents and caregivers of young children.
The downtown location is a sleek and modern space, while the Laguna Gloria campus, AMOA’s original home, [...]
Historic Neighborhood Profiles : Travis Heights
Travis Heights is a centrally located neighborhood in one of Austin’s most esteemed zip codes, 78704. The neighborhood’s proximity to downtown and Lady Bird Lake makes it a desirable place to live, and the new Emma Long Center for the Performing Arts is just a couple of blocks north of the area, [...]
Independence Day in Austin
Independence Day is quickly approaching, and there are many ways to celebrate the birth of our country in Austin and the surrounding area. There are numerous fireworks displays as well as performances by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and other musical events in different locales in the county area. Until a few years ago, the [...]
Removing Countertops – A How To Guide
One of the most cost effective ways to renovate your home is to “do-it-yourself.” From sanding and painting to digging and planting, there are many projects that a determined homeowner can accomplish. There are some jobs, however, that are better left to the professionals. These jobs are too heavy, too labor intensive [...]
