Austin Texas Homes and More

Archive for November, 2009

People find real estate agents in a number of ways. Ask friends or family if they liked their Realtor or Broker that helped them buy their home. You can also look online, thumb through the yellow pages, scan the neighborhood newsletter to see who advertises in the newsletter, or just walk into a local real estate office. Unless your getting a personal referral from friends or family it can be a toss up as to the kind of service you receive. Big real estate companies often hire hundreds of agents and each gives different levels of service. Some are better than others, but all provide the same basic service: helping you to buy or sell a home.

So is it better to go with the biggest agent on the block, who may pass the client off to an associate after the first meeting? Or is the smart choice to go with the Realtor that is with you every step of the home buying or selling process? Personally I take a page out of Avis Rent a Car’s philosophy. “We are number two, so we try harder to earn your business.” You may ask what does this mean? It means I will personally be with you every step of the buying or selling process. It means I will be here for you long after the sale if you need a service contractor or have questions about relocation, current market values, Homestead Exemptions or anything. I have had clients call me more than two years after our closing to ask questions. I am here for them and I will be here for you too!

To buyers this means I will help you find a lender that suits your needs, find the right home, provide comparable home sales so you know your not over-paying for the home, negotiate a fair price, find a great home inspector, and be there for you during each phase of the purchase. I do not hand off my clients to transacton coordinators or associates, and I do go to the closing with you to make sure that all of your questions are answered.

For sellers this means I will put you in touch with professional photographers, stagers, and handymen if you so desire. I will effectively market your home in a variety of ways. I will: request to have your home in the Keller Williams property tour, I will create flyers to let your neighbors and people that drive by your home know its available. I will hold open houses to allow prospective buyers see your home in person. I will place your home on several websites to allow people searching for a home on-line to view your home. I will help you set the price by looking at recent sales in your neighborhood. I will help you negotiate a fair price and go to the closing with you in case you have questions.

This has always been how I do business. To me selling homes is not just about the home, its about the people and the relationship. I try to set a standard of excellence so my clients are loyal and send me referrals. Referrals are about 50% of my business. My clients know I will do whatever it takes (within the law) to help them find the right home and get a great deal. If you need help buying or selling a home, please call me to see what a full service Realtor is all about.

 

If you are in the market for an Austin area home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying or selling a home. I specialize in Relocation and I make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate    1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100    Austin, Texas 78746     512-771-6318    BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com     www.CentralTexasGreenHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, ActiveRain.com-RainMaker, Trulia-Top Realtor Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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Austin Texas is full of fun events showcasing over eighty local Austin artists. All media are represented: oil paintings, watercolors, pottery, mixed media, clothing, accessories, jewelery and more! The Cherrywood Art Fair is December 12-13 from 10-6 and admission is FREE! There will be: Live Music, children’s art activities and artist demos, WonderCraft Workshops and a huge Silent Auction! Joe McDermott and Colin Gilmore will be performing live along with many other musicians!

There will be food from: Pie Fixes Everything, Lucious Pastry, Innocent Chocolate, Mmmpanada, and Travelling Burrito!

Location: Maplewood Elementary at 38 1/2Street and Maplewood Avenue.

For more information please visit: www.CherrywoodArtFair.org

 

 

 

If you are in the market for an Austin area home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying or selling a home. I specialize in Relocation and I make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate    1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100    Austin, Texas 78746      512-771-6318    BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com     www.CentralTexasGreenHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, ActiveRain.com-RainMaker, Trulia-Top Realtor Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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North Carolina is a little out of my jurisdiction in Texas, but I want to help Charlie any way I can. I hope that re-blogging this post will help him find a forever home. Every dog deserves people who will love and appreciate a great dog.

Happy Tails!

Betina

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OK maybe this qualifies for a Freaky Friday post. While in the car on 4th Street in Austin I saw a dinosaur skeleton on wheels being propelled down the street by a five guys on bikes inside the skeleton. If you look closely you can just make them out inside the ribcage.  You had to see it to believe it. Regrettably I was not faster with the camera, so it does not show the entire skeleton. There are several art studios in the area and I can only assume it must be a work in progress.

 

 

 

If you are in the market for an Austin area home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying or selling a home. I specialize in Relocation and I make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate    1801 S. MOPAC, Suite 100    Austin, Texas 78746    512-771-6318    BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com     www.CentralTexasGreenHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, ActiveRain.com-RainMaker, Trulia-Top Realtor Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

 

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Here are some energy saving tips to help homeowners to save more money this winter.

Heating

Heating a home takes two to three times more energy than cooling a home, so the work you do could add up to savings during the winter months.

· Install plug outlet covers on any unused outlet. About 20 percent of the air that escapes your home escapes through outlet openings.

· If you have a fireplace, install a glass fire screen to keep heated air from escaping through your chimney.

· Insulate indoor water pipes in unheated spaces.

· Inspect insulation to make sure it’s not blocking ducts or vents. Blown-in insulation can settle over time and may need to be fluffed up or just more layers of insulation to increase your R-Value.

· Set your thermostat at 68 degrees. For every degree you raise the temperature, you add 3 to 5 percent to your electric bill.

· If your home uses a heat pump, raise the thermostat setting two degrees at a time when adjusting the temperature. This will avoid running the compressor and supplemental heat at the same time.

· Air can enter and escape your home through cracks and gaps around windows, doors, and other areas. Effective caulking can help prevent this heat loss.

· Caulk when the temperature is over 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If the weather is too cold, the caulk may not adhere.

· Caulking should be used only on joints that don’t open or close, such as the seam between a window frame and a wall.

· Although most caulk lasts at least 25 years, settling makes it necessary to check your home for cracks in the caulk every few years.

Lighting

· Turn off lights when leaving a room for a short time.

· Keep the dust off lampshades and light bulbs. It can reduce lighting levels as much as 50%.

· Change your bulbs to fluorescent. Fluorescent light bulbs use 70% less electricity than regular light bulbs, give off five times more light, emit 90% less heat and last 10 times longer.

Water Heater

· Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120º.

· During daily use, turn off running water when you’re not using it (i.e. soaping hands, brushing teeth).

· Wrapping your water heater with an insulation blanket can reduce its energy use by 10% to 15%.

Refrigerators and Freezers

· Set the temperature between 36o and 38o.

· Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator rather than on a counter-top. Not only is it safer, but the frozen items will help cool the refrigerator as they defrost and help reduce its running time.

· Freezers work better fully loaded, but remember to leave enough room for air to circulate.

· Make sure your refrigerator and freezer doors seal properly.

Cooking

· Microwave ovens use up to 70% less energy, cook food up to 75% faster, and produce much less heat than an electric or gas oven.

· Using covers on pots will bring liquids to a boil more quickly and allow continued cooking at lower temperatures, reducing energy use and heat in your kitchen.

Other Appliances

· Wash/dry full loads of clothes and use cold water as often as possible.

· Never put lamps, TV sets and other heat-generating gadgets beneath a wall-mounted thermostat. Rising heat from these appliances may trigger your conditioning system to overwork.

 

If you are in the market for an Austin area home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying or selling a home. I specialize in Relocation and I make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate    1801 S. MOPAC, Suite 100    Austin, Texas 78746     512-771-6318    BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com     www.CentralTexasGreenHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain-RainMaker, Trulia-Top Realtor Voices, Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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As a longtime Austin resident I have long been a strong proponent of water conservation. There is a limited supply and we need to do what we can as individuals to save our dwindling natural resources. Until “water Desalinization” becomes less costly and more widely available we all need to take steps to reduce our water usage. Some people in Austin think because we have had a little rain in the last month that they can stop conserving. This is just plain wrong. One month of rain is not enough to pull us out of a multi-year drought. Conservation is still necessary to maintain our quality of life and the natural gems around Austin; like Barton Springs, Lake Austin and Lake Travis.

If everyone participates in water conservation we can avoid the costly and un-necessary $850 million dollar proposed water treatment plant. To read more about this City of Austin proposal click here: http://www.sosalliance.org/?alerts&id=470

Today the Austin American Statesman reported that a proposal benefiting neighboring cities: Leander and Granite Shoals was narrowly defeated. This proposal would have allowed effluent from those cities to be dumped into Lake Travis. Lake Travis is the drinking water supply for many of the lake area residents. In my opinion this “proposal” should never have been considered. Thank goodness TCEQ-Texas Commission on Environmental Quality saw fit to shoot this proposal down.

You can do your part to help the conservation efforts by attending the Annual Save Our Spings Holiday Party on December 12th, 2009. This years party and Silent Auction will be held at Mercury Hall at 7:00pm. There will be plenty of live music and refreshments to get you in the mood for the Silent Auction. Please join me at the party and help raise money to protect our water. If you need more information or wish to see a list of the auction items follow this link: http://www.sosalliance.org/?page=105

 

 

 

 

If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate   1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100  Austin, Texas 78746    512-771-6318  BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com   www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

 

 

 

 

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Recently I discovered a great shop on South Lamar. I was looking for a replacement watch battery. I searched online to find a shop that could replace the battery on my watch. I saw several reviews on the Batteries Plus location in Austin Texas on South Lamar. Every reviewer had great things to say about this shop. Fast service pleasant and knowledgeable employees, convenient location, reasonable prices, excellent customer service, etc.

So I gave them a try and I am happy to report it was all true! I stopped into the store and was greeted by Andy within seconds of walking in. Andy took my watch and was installing the replacement battery within two minutes of me walking in the door. He handed it back to me and told me it would be $8.50. I was impressed that I was in and out of the store, problem solved in less than ten minutes! This place is amazing and it is because of the great staff!

 Batteries Plus is a locally owned and operate business with several locations around town. I stopped in to the location at 2300 South Lamar Suite 100. This location is just north of Artz Rib House and south of Zygmont Chiropractic. They have been in Austin about fifteen years, and at this location for ten years. The owner is Chris Patel as UT Alumni and longtime Austin resident.

Batteries Plus in south Austin has everything you need for all types of: toys, tools, laptops, cameras, cell phones, cars, scooters, motor-cycles, etc. They also carry battery chargers for many of these items. If your looking for rechargeable batteries, they have those as well in a variety of sizes. Batteries Plus offers a one year “in store” warranty depending on the item.

 

If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I  make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate   1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100   Austin, Texas 78746   512-771-6318  BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com   www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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There is a new restaurant in A-town and its called Mama Fu’s. This establishment has incorporated good design and wonderful food for an all around perfect dinner or lunch out. They cater and offer delivery and they have 4 locations in Austin.

Today I went to the Mama Fu’s location at The Triangle after visiting a condo in The Lofts. Lunch was spectacular. Everything was hot and freshly made. We would have eaten on the lovely sunny patio but today is very windy. So we stayed inside in a cozy booth.

 

Inside you will notice lots of fun graphics throughout the restaurant. The aqua circles on the walls had little hidden messages, that are only revealed when you get really close. They have modified lines out of some fine music. For example: “Wok the Casbah” is a play on The Clash song Rock the Casbah. In honor of Johnny Cash they have “I wok the line because your mine” which is a modified version of “I walk the line because your mine.”

If you want to try some quick fresh Asian food stop by Mama Fu’s. They have happy hour specials and on Sundays the kids eat free. Some locations even offer Free Wi-Fi! There are four Austin locations:

 4615 N. Lamar Blvd #307, Austin, TX 78751

100 Colorado Street, Austin, TX 78701

11301 Lakeline Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78717

9600 S. I-35, Austin, TX 78748

 

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November 14^th, I attended a local Austin artist’s show. The artist Gretchen Gardner is a native Texan that attended the University of Texas in Austin. She received her Bachelor’s of Fine Art in 1984 with an emphasis in graphic design. Twenty years later she took an informal painting class, which inspired her to begin painting. Her passion is painting her pets and the pets of friends. She is now painting pet portraits on commission. She says the joy of painting family animals inspires her to keep painting. Clients bring photographs of the family pet and Gretchen creates colorful pet portraits from these photographs. Gretchen also paints still life paintings in a style similar to Andy Warhol on occasion. You may find Gretchen’s paintings at various art galleries around Austin. Right now she has an exhibit at The Imagine Art Gallery in east Austin, 2830 Real Street running through the end of November 2009.

If you want to commission Gretchen Gardner to paint your pet’s portrait you may contact her at www.GretchenMakesArt.com

 

 

      

 

  

If you want to commission Gretchen Gardner to paint your pet’s portrait you may contact her at www.GretchenMakesArt.com. She also has select paintings available as numbered prints. Her art studio is wonderfully convenient in south Austin’s hip zip, 78704.

 

 

If you are in the market for a home in Austin and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate    1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100   Austin, Texas 78746   512-771-6318  BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com   www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain-RainMaker, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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Austin Texas is the home of many great attractions both historical and natural. We have the Texas Capitol and two great lakes and Barton Springs. If you don’t feel like driving thirty minutes to Lake Travis, Lake Austin might be the place for you. It is a narrow lake that works well for motor boats but is not so great for sailing. If you are a sailor you want to stay on Lake Travis and there are many marinas to choose from: Mansfield Marina, Rough Hollow Marina and Emerald Point Marina just to name a few. There are many waterfront homes with docks on both lakes if you choose to keep your boat closer than the marina.

There are a multitude of parks and docks and restaurants on the lake. Lake Austin runs from Mansfield Dam at Lake Travis down past the 360/Pennybacker Bridge and further to Red Bud Trail. If you go south of Red Bud Trail it becomes Lake Ladybird or Town Lake as the long time Austinites know it.

Lake Ladybird was re-named two years ago when Ladybird Johnson passed away. She was the person responsible for the lake beautification project when LBJ was president. So when you walk or ride the trails say thank you to this great lady for making it possible to enjoy this beautiful area.

If you start at Red Bud Trail and head north you will find the following attractions: Lake Austin Riverboats, Tom Miller Dam, The Hula Hut, Westlake Beach, Motzart’s Coffee Shop, Walsh Boat Landing, Laguna Gloria Museum, Lake Austin Marina, Mount Bonnell Park, The Austin Country Club, The 360 Bridge AKA The Pennybacker Bridge, The HWY 360 Bridge Boat Ramp, Ski Shores Cafe, Emma Long Metropolitan Park, Lake Austin Spa and Resort, and lastly Mansfield Dam.

 

 

If you are in the market for a home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate    1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100    Austin, Texas 78746    512-771-6318  BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com   www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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