Ki Gray - Austin Real Estate

While the Austin City Council is not giving home sellers a break this year, the federal government is coming through with some tax breaks for the energy-conscious homeowner. For 2009 only, homeowners can get certain tax credits for making energy efficient improvements on a primary residence.

What does this have to do with the Austin City Council? As of June 1 homes older than 10 years are required to get an energy audit and disclose the results to prospective buyers. So along with the new coat of paint and fresh flowers in the yard, homeowners have an added expense to get their homes sold.

The idea behind the city council ordinance is a noble one of keeping Austin green, but the timing is lousy with job losses and a slower housing market looming over the city. "There's never a good time to add fees to a transaction," City Council Member Mike Martinez said in the Austin-American Statesman, "but I think this requirement is a good thing. It allows the consumer to fully understand the purchase they're about to make. If you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on an investment, you would want to know how efficient that investment is going to be for you."

Fortunately recession-strapped homeowners are not required to make improvements as a result of the $200-500 audit, however the idea is to encourage sellers or buyers to make their houses more energy-efficient. An audit can help pinpoint exactly what needs to be done to make a home greener.

This is where the tax credits come in. Under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, also known as the Obama stimulus package, Congress has provided two tax credits for homeowners making energy efficient improvements. There is a $500 lifetime credit, which gives a 10 percent credit for improvements such as new insulation, windows, skylights, energy-efficient roofing or exterior doors.

The other tax credit is a 30 percent-of-cost credit for energy improvements. This would include $50 for each advanced main air circulating fan; $150 for qualified furnaces, such as natural gas or propane; and $300 for qualifying energy-efficient heating and cooling systems or hot water heaters.

In a buyers market, sellers wanting an edge may go ahead and make some of the improvements indicated by an energy audit, which focuses on things like insulation and the condition of the heating and cooling systems. This year's tax credits may help offset some of those costs. Also, according to the Statesman, "Austin Energy offers rebates or zero percent loans for energy upgrades."

Of course, these tax credits and Austin Energy incentives aren't just for those wanting to sell their home. According to Austin Energy, in the past five years homeowners have made improvements that have collectively saved $3 million by reducing kilowatt-hours by 38 million.

It's a good idea to get the exact details on the tax breaks from a tax professional. The Austin Energy website also offers information on the audits, rebates and loans, along with energy saving tips.

Ki lives in Austin Texas. He created a site which has detailed information about Austin Texas real estate. It allows buyers to search for homes in the Austin MLS. He also maintains a blog with monthly statistics on Austin real estate.

Sun City is a retirement community located in Georgetown. It is not the normal retirement home or community. This community offers its residents small town charm, but just minutes from Austin. Sun City was also recently named one of the nations top retirement communities by Retirement Places Rated, a guidebook for seniors wanting to relocate upon retirement.

Its location is excellent, and has extremely affordable cost of living and tax advantages. Currently Sun City has about 5,500 homes and plans to expand to 7,500 homes by 2012-2013.

Most of the homes in Sun City range in price beginning around $100,000- up to $500,000. The sizes vary, but average size is between 1300 square feet to 2800 square feet.

Sun City has many amenities for active seniors to enjoy upon their retirement; tennis courts, three championship golf courses, swimming pools, miles of walking trails and much more.

Sun City also has a community center for residents. The Village Center spans an amazing 86,000 square feet, and is home to many indoor amenities such as art classes, a woodshop which is equipped with all the tools and machinery needed to build something simple or something more complex.

There is also a 5,000 square foot open air legacy pavilion, called Legacy Hills Pavilion. This pavilion over looks Berry Creek Lake and is where many neighborhood gatherings happen. There are many hiking trails in the area and the views and scenery make it very popular.

There is also a computer lab and over 30 clubs. Residents can play dominos, crochet, play bingo or just sit back and visit with other residents. The community also has its own lifestyle director to help residents adjust to their new life, whether they just moved to Sun City or if they have been here for awhile and just never had time for activities.

Sun City also has its own restaurant, Sparky's. It is perfect for residents who are too busy to cook or just want to grab a quick bite to eat without having to drive far.

For residents who are concerned with health issues and transportation the community has nearby medical facilities such as Scott & White Medical Clinic and Georgetown Hospital. Transportation is provided by CARTS, and provides curb side service on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The community also has many parks for residents to enjoy, with plenty of places to sit and have a picnic or just enjoy the Texas scenery.

Sun City is for adults age 55 and over, and is an alternative to living in a retirement home or living alone in a neighborhood. Sun City gives its residents the security they need, while living an active lifestyle.
For seniors who are not sure if Sun City is right for them, they also have a two night weekend getaway. Potential residents can visit the community and see if it is something they would enjoy, without the pressure to move in.

Ki's office is in Central Austin. He also has a website devoted to Austin real estate. There is a search of Austin homes for sale as well as information on the Sun City Texas real estate.

If Abraham Lincoln's house can go green, anyone's can. President Lincoln's Cottage, his family's summer retreat during the Civil War, has been completely renovated during preparation for the compound just a few miles from the White House to be opened as a national monument. But it wasn't done as just any restoration of an old house, it was kept as green as possible.

To that end, Time magazine recently reported that renovators kept 98 percent of the existing structures and used recycled material for the rest. The buildings earned a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, thus proving that going green doesn't mean it has to be a completely new house. In fact, greening an existing home is far more environmentally viable.

The Austin real estate market ranks in the top ten nationwide for building green homes. According to a recent Austin-American Statesman article, more than 20 percent of the homes built in Austin are rated green by Austin Energy's Green Building Program. And that's not expensive homes. "One of the interesting things that's happening in Austin is, early on back in the 1990s, everybody assumed green building would be for high-end custom homes, but now probably about 90 percent of what we rate are built by production builders. In most places, it's the custom builders doing green, but here, the production builders have really adopted green. And that is something that's unique to Austin," said Richard Morgan, manager of Austin Energy's program.

Of course not everyone is going to go out and buy a newly built green home. While a new home is more energy efficient than an older home, those who own an older home don't have to give up on being green. As reported in Time, homes built before 2000 generally use 50 percent more energy per square foot, largely do to all the heating and cooling that escapes through the multitude of tiny cracks and crevices in older homes. A good place to start being green, as well as saving some green, is by getting out the caulking gun.

If it's time to replace any bathroom fixtures, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a WaterSense certification system, which can help consumers choose toilets and other products with better water efficiency. The Energy Star program helps consumers choose energy-efficient appliances and other products.

Both green building and green renovations have the potential to create thousands of jobs. The Obama administration included $8 billion in the stimulus package for weatherization of low income homes. That will only scratch the surface of covering the costs for greening a homes across the country. The National Trust is working with members of Congress to create legislation that would offer rebates and incentives for things like installing better insulation or energy efficient windows.

However, if you don't want to wait on Congress, there are small things homeowners can do now to make houses more energy efficient. A good place to start is a home energy audit. The website energysavers offers do-it-yourself tips.

In Austin, Ki works with buyers interested in the Austin real estate market. He helps them with a search function of the Austin MLS on his website. The site also features general information about Austin real estate along with a real estate blog

April 12 millions of Christians will be celebrating Easter. After church service, many children will be on the hunt for colorful Easter eggs. Just how did the Easter Bunny appear in the Easter holiday?

The Easter Bunny hides painted eggs in the garden for children to find. It all began with the German and Dutch immigrants. The Easter Bunny was known as the Easter Hare. The name changed from "Hare" to "Rabbit" and this is how the name "Easter Bunny" came to be.

Spring is a new time of birth and both eggs and rabbits are symbols of new life. Rabbits, because this is when they are seen the most. Eggs are symbols because that is what they contain.

Many families celebrate Easter the same way. They prepare eggs for the children to hunt. The most popular way is to hard boil the egg and then decorate them with food coloring.

There are also plastic eggs that you can open and fill with candy. It has become a popular tradition. There are ways to make the plastic eggs a bit more exciting. Instead of placing candy inside the eggs, try customizing the eggs.

Easter egg hunts have been geared for small children, but anyone can enjoy an Easter egg hunt. Try filling plastic eggs with things you know each family member likes. You can put anything into plastic eggs. If someone in your family enjoys the movies, place movie tickets into the eggs. Loose change is always a good idea too. You can even create a basket full of plastic eggs with gifts inside the eggs for a specific person. This way, you know this person finds the correct eggs.

There are many different ideas on the Easter hunt. Just be creative and have fun.

Many hotels and resorts have planned Easter celebrations for their guests as well. Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop hosts an Easter egg hunt for the community; you do not have to be a registered guest to enjoy this celebration.

The Stephen F Austin Hotel has special packages for Easter weekend as well. Visitors can enjoy Easter brunch and many other amenities at the hotel.

There are many places families can go to enjoy and celebrate Easter. One place is Bastrop State Park. The park is open to the public and has shaded picnic areas available. There are also over night camping sites available for guests.

There are many ways to celebrate Easter in Austin. Whether you choose to dine out with your family or just stay home for a quiet Easter lunch, Austin has many choices available.

The hill country has many vacation homes and bed and breakfast's available for guests to enjoy. You can spend a quiet afternoon watching the wildlife from your front porch while the kids hunt eggs in the yard.

What ever it is you decide to do this Easter, Austin has variety and beauty. Take the time to spend with your family and enjoy what Austin has.


Ki has lived in Austin since college. He now runs a company focused on helping buyers searching for Austin real estate. His site has a comprehensive list of properties in the Austin MLS along with information on River Place Austin Texas.

Hidden in the midst of the hike and bike trails that lead through Zilker Park is an Austin jewel: the Austin Science and Nature Center. The nature center offers many educational and interesting features, including interactive displays, hands-on exhibits, science trails with recorded information at each stop, and a live wildlife collection.

The center also is home to the Discovery Labs, which include seven mini-labs that explore the study of mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, and geology, and there are collections of butterflies, bats, and bones along with the labs and other displays. There is also an authentic Texas cave to explore, and eco-detective kits for children and young adults to study and make conclusions based on evidence they obtain while on the trails regarding the different sciences and ecologies in and around the center, reinforcing the participant's learning abilities and critical thought processes while having fun.

There is also a Small Wonders exhibit with different insects, reptiles, bugs, and other small creatures, and the live wildlife exhibit features over fifty different types of wild animal life native to the central Texas area, including a large collection of owls, hawks, eagles, a red fox, a wolf, an alligator, and many other species, some with their young.

In the summer, there are many different camps held at the center for kids with emphasis on marine life, biology, and other scientific disciplines, and a breakfast with the birds series for younger children too. Currently, there is an interactive exhibit called the Naturalist Workshop and Trade Counter where children and young adults can study, view, experiment and trade among themselves the different rocks, bones, shells, fossils, and other interesting flora and fauna that they find, including microscopes and reference materials for their use, and staff members to assist and monitor them while they study.

An interesting feature which was fairly recently added to the center is the dino-pit where a simulated dinosaur environment has been set up for study of fossils, and other pre-historic finds, such as ancient bones, fossilized leaves and the like. Another very educational facility at the complex is the Beverly Sheffield Education Center which is housed in the old bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool, named for one of the first lifeguards at Barton Springs who went on to become the first director of the Austin Parks and Wildlife Department years later. Mr. Sheffield remained active at the center even after retiring from the city position, and he was commemorated for his many years of service and outstanding contributions to the Science and Nature Center and the Zilker Park area as well.

One of the most educational and interactive exhibits at the center studies the Barton springs ecology system along with the Edwards Aquifer and its many distinctive features, and the exhibit is called the Splash into the Edwards Aquifer. This exhibit also includes the study of conservation and the interactive exhibits include real life phenomena, live specimens, and working models so youngsters can study ways to contribute to the environment that relates to their community and lives.

The Austin Science and Nature Center is located at 301 Nature Center Drive, and the center is open most days until shortly after sunset, so if you want to see some really creepy crawly things, and find out how they work, where they live, and many other interesting bits of nature-related information, be sure to visit the center soon!

Ki graduated from UT, and stayed in Austin to work. He has a buyer focused website on Austin Texas real estate. There is a searchable database of the Austin MLS. He also writes a blog focusing on Austin real estate with statistics and market commentary.