South Austin Real Estate Blog,

Reading the monthly issue of TEXAS REALTOR® I ran across an article that answered some questions for me, just how much does one save in some of the energy saving ideas we hear so much about. Some of the answers were surprising to me and others not... SO here we go, according to the Texas Realtor® magazine of July 2009.

*A homeowner of a 10yr old 2 story, 2000 sq ft single family home could save up to $250 a year by upgrading the original air conditioning system.

*The annual water bill could be reduced by $50 a year by changing to a new front loading washer from the old top loader.

*Compact fluoresecent light bulbs can reduce energy from a incandescent light bulb by 75%.

*It is TRUE that frequently turning off and on a compact fluorsecent light bulb can shorten its life.

*About $30 over the lifetime of a compact fluorscent bulb will be the savings over using an incandescent blub for the same amount of time.

*A TopMount Freezer is usually the most energy efficient style.

*A single family household using the 4setting programmable thermostat can save about $180 a year over using the manually adjusting temperature control. (Many of these thermostats will cost less than $80 so a huge savings the first year)

*About 20% of cooled or heated air is lost thru duct leaks in the typical home.

These issues are addressed on the Austin Energy Audit that is now mandatory if you are selling your home inside the City of Austin and if it is serviced by City of Austin Utilities. Look for this energy audit to become standard throughout many states soon. The Austin program is being followed by many cities as a model for energy savings.

There are many rebate programs available in the City of Austin plus add the Federal IRS tax advantages it could be time to make some upgrades.

If you are looking to Buy or Sell your home in Austin, South Austin, Dripping Springs, Buda or Kyle give me a call and let's chat about your Real Estate GOALS. Gail Tassey, Realtor®, 512-217-9482 http://austincomeshome.com

Austin Texas is a sprawling city, the overall Austin area includes areas to the east Manor, to the west Dripping Springs, to the South the cities of Buda and Kyle and to the north large growing Round Rock and Pflugerville. This doesn't even include the outlying areas of the Lakes, like Spicewood, Lago Vista and the outlying areas of Hutto, Elgin and Bastrop.

In my first years of doing real estate sales I was all over the map. Showing homes for sale one day in Leander & Cedar Park and the next in Manor and the next in Kyle. It was a grueling drive from where I live in very Southwest Austin to Round Rock, and to meet a client at 10:00am meant I would drive thru am traffic that could take me an hour to get there.

Realtors do a lot of driving. Much of the time that's OK with me, I don't mind and I try not to push the clock or the speed limit. My goal is to get there on time and safely. I sometimes listen to motivational CDs or good soft oldie rock or sometimes flaming talk shows. I try to keep it positive on my way to a client meeting and I probably know every Taco Cabana and McDonalds from here to Waco.

After a while in business I was able to chose to do business more in South Austin real estate since that is where I lived and it left me with more time per client and not just getting from here to there. Now, the clients are fewer and business demands that I go back to servicing the whole area and not just the Southern areas of Austin, Buda, Kyle and Dripping Springs.

I feel in a quandary here ... IF I let go of business that is not in my selected areas and refer out clients who are North and East of me, wouldn't that be the right thing to do? I guess I am asking my Active Rain community how do you handle those sprawling metropolis? All ideas are welcome.

All my life I have heard  "You can't teach an old dog new tricks!"  After this year of learning many new tricks I have come to face this is not my reality. 

 This weekend I learned to make my own video, yes its not professional, its rough around the edges, but you know it gets the point across.  So if I can get it on here properly you will get to see it in its entireity.. all 56 seconds.  But its a start, right !

Who knows I could become the next Martin Socrese..  well, probably not but one never knows whats around the bend in this life.  Change is for certain, thats for sure.  Soooooooo  here ya go, debuting on Active Rain.....

South Park Meadows homes in South Austin is a developing area with currently two good builders, Buffington Homes and Saltana Homes.

Buffington Signature Homes

9300 Bentley Garner Lane
Austin, TX 78748

Buffington Homes has 6 homes available
From $249,850 - $297,960

Pricing and availability is per the builders weblistings today, July 11,2009. With many sites available where a custom home can be built for you. Stop in and visit with them soon.

Saldana Homes are also in the subdivision featuring unique exteriors and interiors. Stop in and have a look around, close in South Austin and ready for your viewing.

Here in Texas we have many areas that are rural. Some near large cities, like Austin Texas or San Antonio. Just down the road from South Austin is a small town known as Buda then just a few miles further is the City of Kyle. South Austin real estate is a popular place for shopping and great food.

Both Buda and Kyle are growing by leaps and bounds, but still these areas are eligible for the USDA Loan Program that will give a loan of 102%. Are you a first time home buyer and can qualify for the $8,000 Tax Credit this year?

Maybe its time to check out some of those new subdivisions like Whispering Hollow and Garlic Creek to see about a new home. And there are many resale areas too, Hometown Kyle? Silverado? Coves of Cinnamon?

Almost all of Hays County, excluding the City of San Marcos is eligible for the USDA Loan Program. The income limits are good sized and the credit scoring is reasonable.

If you are looking for a home in Hays County, that includes Dripping Springs too, find out about the USDA Loan Program and see if it is suitable for your needs.

If you are looking to purchase a home and need someone to help you realize YOUR GOALs in real estate call me.. I can Help YOU. Gail Tassey, Realtor® http://austincomeshome.com 512-217-9482