Suzanne Gantner, GRI, E-Pro, SRES, SRS, ABR

I love the Forest Creek community in Round Rock, TX I live there and have many friends and great neighbors there as well. I have a great home with a fantastic view, covered patios, balcony and back porches. My husband and I love to sit out back listening to the birds and the hooty owls. It is usually all serene and peaceful.

Even when it is cold we sit outside because we have a patio heater. So, with that said, yes its 40ish degrees and yes I am sitting outside with the heater but I have my house shoes and sweats on. Yesterday, I came home and was headed to sit outside and noticed my house shoes were not there. I looked high and low, inside and out and they are gone. We aren't talking flimsy little house shoes we are talking heavy and thick. I never found them.

Having an extra pair, I went upstairs and got the other pair to wear thinking I have set the other pair aside somewhere and have had a senior moment. BUT NO...I caught Mr. Squirrel hauling off one of the other pairs that I took out last night....Why would they do this? The other pair was so heavy, I would be surprised if they could take it into a nest or tree. But there he was running off with the second pair. ARGH! These little sneakers are so smart, guess I will have to start hiding my stuff. I still love Forest Creek even if I have to put up with Crazy squirrels.

I am so excited, I am fixing to list a gorgeous home in the 78704 zip code in Austin, TX. What's so great about that you say? Well, this house is so cool I can't even begin to describe the wonderfulness of it. First, for those that don't know 78704 zip code is on the south edge of Downtown. It is an ecclectic neighborhood of new and old homes with nice size yards framed by loads of established trees. Location is key here and it is great, minutes to DT, where there is boutique shopping, recreation like Zilker Park, Lady Bird Lake, the hike and bike trails, The Long Center, The Erwin Center, UT Campus and stadiums, upscale restaurants, music venues, coffee houses and taquerias...Some of the best food and food trailers are located minutes away.

Ok back to the house...there are 3 large bedrooms plus a study/office. The home is 3 stories, with the master located on the 3rd floor with 2 balconies that has views of Austin DT Skyline and St. Edward University on the other side. You can see forever, it is gorgeous!! The First floor has stained concrete floors, designer paint, high ceilings and great windows that look out to your covered wrap around porch. Kitchen is open to the den and dining area and has been updated by recent granite counter tops. It is hidden away in a culdesac. Look for more pictures and information in the upcoming weeks.

Dance, dance, twirl, bow, swing around a lamp post. Ta Dahhhh. Can you tell I am a happy camper this morning? I am happy, the market is good here in Austin, TX. It was like January 2nd hit and the gates were open!! I guess people finally realized HELLO....rates have never been lower, homes are priced reasonably, you will never know if you will be at a certain job forever and you can't predict the future...

It is going to be a great year for Real Estate!! Hope you enjoy it...

In Austin, we have a huge party downtown for New Years Eve. Start at 6th street and work your way down thru 2nd and 3rd Street. There is so much good food to be had with the many restaurants and then toast at the hundreds of bars along the way. One of my favorites is Maria, Maria on 4th. This restaurant/bar is owned by Carlos Santana (my fav)...great food and ambiance.

Anyway, the point of this post is to say Happy New Year to all my AR friends and to suggest that if you get a little loose downtown tonight, have a DD, take a taxi, stay in a Hotel. SoberRide has been shut down so that is not an option...have extra money tucked away for your alternative... Happy New Year.

Austin's new home sales is rebounding due to demand and lot scarcity which in 2012 will create a housing recovery and higher priced homes. This is great for re-sales and new homes and hopefully will turn into a seller's market as opposed to a flood of homes on the market that we have seen in the past couple of years. What that tells me is that any potential Seller should be preparing their homes to put on the market. Your competition will be new homes, so your property needs to shine and have the WOW factor that will be needed to compete. If you need a market analysis and someone to come take a look at your home to get it ready to put on the market. I specialize in that.

Sellers don't believe it when your friends tell you everything in your home is just fine. You need a new pair of eyes from an unbiased party also from someone who does these critics day in and day out. Hire a local Realtor to get top dollar for a top property. Happy New Year!!