South Austin Real Estate Blog

Vintage Place is a unique part of Circle C Ranch here in Austin Texas, while much of Circle C Ranch is reknown for its large brick and stone facades the homes in Vintage Place are to a throw back era, when Austin was a smaller City.

Vintage Place homes in Circle C Ranch have exteriors of Hardee Plank Siding remininsece of a day gone by of old Downtown Austin. Drive thru the meandering streets of old Downtown Austin and you will see some of these types of homes on Castle Park Drive and nearby streets.

This enclave of homes has its own park with swing sets for the children and good walking areas for everyone, driving down the streets of Vintage Place one is reminded of the old town America where you see children on bicycles riding down the streets.

While the flavor of the community of Vintage Place in Circle C is oldtime the interiors are not.. one sees hardwood flooring, travertine tiles, granite countertops, stainless appliances, all the amentities you would expect to see in a home built after 2000. This area was developed by Capital Pacific Homes the homes are ranging in size from 2,300 square feet to just over 3,800 square feet.

With the new Escarpment Village very nearby for Shopping at the nearby HEB market with its aisles of International menu items or eating out at Waterloo Ice House or the Satelitte Cafe or delivery of some of the finest pizza around at Mangieri's Pizza Cafe, everything is at your fingertips here. A part of the Circle C HOA including the Circle C Swim Center has one of the only heated Junior Olympic Pools in this part of Texas. Homes in the Vintage Place at Circle C Ranch do not stay on the market very long. Its a unique looking part of the community and a wonderful place to raise your family.

For more information about buying or selling your home in Vintage Place in Circle C Ranch call me or visit my website Http://www.austincomeshome.com Gail Tassey, Realtor, 512-217-9482

The video tour is of many neighborhoods in South Austin, it gives you a tiny taste of what to expect or what to see in my neck of the woods. Call me if you wish to find a home in any of these or other neighborhoods in South Austin Texas. I live here, I work here and I can help you discover the South Austin flavor.

The 5th Annual Maudie's Moonlight Margarita Run is about to happen... now is the time to register and join the fun on August 6th. This run supports the Trail Foundation and is from the streets along Lady Bird Lake at THE ROCK underneath Mopac and finishes at the American Legion Hall on Veterans Drive.

Following the race is a post race party and Gala under the live oaks at the American Legion Hall grounds. Dinner and Margaritas under the stars. Quite a fun event and a great way to support your Trail Foundation.

Keep up with South Austin events and home buying, call me for your real estate Goals... let's chat about your Goals. Gail Tassey®, 512-217-9482, http://www.austincomeshome.com

Energy Audits In Austin Texas

June 1, 2009 the new Ordinance became effective for many residents of Austin Texas. I saw a post where the tip of the iceberg was covered on this subject and many readers wanted more information so here is my take. (the orginial post was by Crystal Kilpatrick).

Originally the City of Austin wanted to make these upgrades Mandatory before selling a home that was 10 years old or older. The Austin Board of Realtors fought long and hard to compromise with the City and have Voluntary upgrades. The new Ordinance is the resulting compromise.

The Austin Energy Audit requires home sellers who live in the City of Austin and use Utilities provided by the City of Austin, and have homes 10 years old or older, are single residences, not an REO.. to comply with a new disclosure. There are City of Austin Inspectors who will conduct the Audit costing from $250-450, depending on the square footage and number of air conditioning units. The Inspectors have been certified by the City of Austin. The Audit has a 10 year life.

The purpose of the Audit is to let Buyers know what types of upgrades to the home could improve their usage of electricity. The Audit does not mandate doing repairs, or upgrades, at this point in time it is informational. Required disclosure, if the seller does not comply they can be fined up to $2,000. The Audit will not delay a closing.

The City of Austin is hoping enough people will voluntarily do the upgrades and repairs and enough energy savings will occur and the building of a new power plant can be postponed for years. At this time, per the City Meeting in May, the City Utility Manager said, if enough energy is not saved by Voluntary compliance within 2-3 years (sorry I can not recall exactly that date) then the Upgrades and repairs will become MANDATORY.

This plan is being watched by many cities in the Nation, San Antonio was one mentioned at the meeting, and this plan could become a model for many cities. I suppose we will be deemed a test case, there are several cities on the West Coast that are now using similar Energy Audits.

The Energy Audit plan has been submitted to the State of Texas as legislature to become law for the whole state but as of this time it has not been passed into law.

The Audit is for duct leakage, windows having some type of solar deflection or dual pane or trees to shade them during the heat of the day, the amount of insulation in the attic and a few other things. The Inspection Companies have invested a large amount of money into being certified to become Auditors, the new equipement that detects leakage is quite expensive. The infra red cameras are also costly.

I hope this has answered a few questions some may have about our Energy Audit for sellers. Feel free to ask further questions or email me directly. Gail Tassey 512-217-9482 http://www.austincomeshome.com

This morning on the front page of the Austin American Statesman newspaper the BOLD TYPE HEADLINE says: