My lucky husband won a cruise to Hawaii online from Princess cruise line. The first place we went after four days at sea was Hilo, Hawaii. Our second stop on the tour was the Ahalanui Beach Park. It has a geothermally heated lagoon for swimming. Although it can be like a hot tub, when we were there the water was just tepid, since sea water is washed into the lagoon when it is stormy, as it had been the previous week.
After sitting quietly for 10 minutes, I got a photo of this shy creature venturing out to see what he could find to eat.
Our first port of call on the cruise to Hawaii that my lucky husband won in a contest was Hilo on the Big Island. We went to a botanical garden at the Pana'ewa Rain Forest Zoo first. It's on our list to go back to when we can spend more time than the tour allowed.
These are red sealing wax palms, so called because of the lipstick-colored new growth on their trunks. It peels off as the trees grow. They look rather like bamboo, but they're palm trees. They are originally from Malaysia and can grow to 20 feet.
I took these photos in my back yard on a warm, sunny morning in January. I wandered over to my raised bed of rosemary and found it to be a popular place.
A damselfly basking in the sun on a sprig of rosemary.
This bee has gathered a good supply of pollen already, helping to keep its hive going over the winter.
Several hairstreak butterflies were gathering nectar from the rosemary flowers. This one opened its wings and held still long enough for me to get a photo.
Universal City, part of the San Antonio MSA and located on the northeast corner of Bexar County, starts at Randolph Air Force Base's north gate. The main drag through the city from the entrance to Randolph is Pat Booker Road, which connects Loop 1604, San Antonio's "outer loop," to State Highway 78 and the all-important Southern Pacific Railroad that parallels 78. The city was named by a developer to designate the universal importance of the air base, which opened in 1931.
The photo shows workers sprucing up the "Taj Mahal," the control tower at Randolph AFB.
Pat Booker Road (SH 218) was named after Capt. Francis Booker, a pilot who served at Randolph. You can get just about any service or product on Pat Booker Road, from auto parts to cars, from tattoos to dental work, from fast food to family restaurants.
Speaking of restaurants, one of the most popular ones in the area is La Fiesta Patio Cafe. It's a Mexican restaurant that offers vegetarian options and uses peanut oil instead of lard for cooking. Prices are reasonable for delicious food (especially their hot sauce!) and generous servings.
Universal City is located near several thoroughfares that make it convenient to commute not only to Randolph AFB, but to Fort Sam Houston, Brooke Army Medical Center, and downtown San Antonio. At the intersection of Pat Booker Road and Loop 1604 is the corner of the Forum Shopping Center, a collection of big box stores, such as Kohl's, Home Depot, Target, Ross, and Borders books, as well as restaurants including Macaroni Grill, TGI Friday's, and Sea Island Shrimp House.
The owner of Acme Lumber Company built the first homes in the Rose Garden area in the '50s. However, Universal City didn't begin to really grow until the transfer of the Air Force Manpower Personnel Center from Washington in 1963.
Thus, Universal City has been estimated to have 90 percent active and retired military residents. Training jets from Randolph AFB fly overhead just about every day of the week. If you're on SH 78 in front of the base, they will come in for landings right over your car--very exciting!
Universal City comprises two school districts: Judson Independent School District, centered in the nearby town of Converse, and the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District.
Two of the six public parks in Universal City are situated in the heart of the community, near the Rose Garden and Red Horse neighborhoods. Red Horse Park has two playgrounds, a softball field, a covered pavilion that can be rented for parties, shady walking trails and picnic tables, a basketball court, two tennis courts, and restrooms.
Universal City Park is almost four times larger than Red Horse Park, with 32 acres. It includes three lighted softball/baseball fields with dugouts, bleachers, and score-keeper's box. There's even a concession building with restrooms. It also features walking/jogging paths, a large pavilion, two sand-volleyball courts, a regulation-size football field, and two playgrounds. There is also a disc golf course. I'm not sure what disc golf is, but it's bound to be fun.
The city hosts two annual events. There is a Veterans' Day parade, naturally, and an annual Children's Christmas Party, sponsored by the Universal City volunteer fire department. The photo below is of the V-day +50 celebration in 1995.
A bit of trivia: Universal City holds the distinction of being the first community in Bexar County to get cable television.
Photos from the Department of Defense
San Antonio's housing market should get better in 2009. This prediction is based on reports made at the annual San Antonio Board of Realtors' Housing Forecast on January 6. However, the median home price in San Antonio and Bexar County is expected to stay pretty much the same.
Chief Economist Mark Dotzour of the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center noted, "In 2008, San Antonio had job growth, cheap mortgages and positive price appreciation but declining volumes. It tells me local economics are not the issue. It's a lack of confidence in our government. And when that is repaired, buyers will start buying again."
For the whole city, the appreciation was 1% and the median sales price was $150,400 for 2008. Plus, home sales declined 18 percent. However,, some neighborhoods actually s
aw appreciation of 5% during 2008, including:
- Colonies North, a mid-century suburb near the city's Medical Center ripe for updating, as was the one in the photo
- Rogers Ranch, just north of Loop 1604, with both custom and high-end tract homes, some still under construction
- Cordillera Ranch, a horse-friendly neighborhood with 5-acre-and-up homesites, situated between Boerne and Canyon Lake
- Terrell Hills, near Fort Sam Houston and downtown, undergoing remodeling and teardowns to rebuild
More good news is that foreclosures were at 0.6% statewide. Nationally, 1.1% of homes on the market in the third quarter of 2008 were foreclosures.
The San Antonio market, although still a buyer's market, has come closer to balance as new-home inventory has decreased. The strong economy of San Antonio and Texas in-migration has helped, too.
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I specialize in residential properties in the north San Antonio metro and Schertz - Cibolo areas, second homes near the Guadalupe River, military relocations, and rehabbing older homes
I was born in Texas and grew up in San Antonio. I came back to my hometown in 2003 after moving to Hawaii in 1990 and then England in 1996. I managed a rental property in Hawaii and invested in real estate in England, so my market niche became property management and sales of single- and multi-family homes. San Antonio changed a lot in the 14 years I was away, and continues to grow and diversify--geographically and culturally. Despite its healthy economy, the cost of living here is still low compared to similar-sized cities, and real estate is very affordable.
I enjoy working with international clients who are attracted to San Antonio and the Hill Country for their excellent investment possibilities and vacation properties, especially waterfront homes. I am an Advisor for the National Association of Residential Real Estate Investment Advisors (NARREIA). I also work with military transferrees, relocations, and foreign buyers who are delighted to find out how much real estate they can buy in affordable San Antonio. I'm a Certified Residential Specialist and an Accredited Buyers Representative, and have a Transnational Referral Certification.
I work mainly in the northwest, north-central, and northeast sections of San Antonio, Bexar County, as well as in the Cibolo/Schertz area, where I live. I also help buyers and sellers in Guadalupe and Comal counties, and I love the Guadalupe River area around New Braunfels and Lake McQueeney.
I recently joined the By Referal Only network, becoming a real estate consultant for my clients' lives!
I specialize in buying and selling single-family homes, many for residential investment as rental properties, and helping with relocations, including military, to the San Antonio area. I also help with rehabbing and remodeling in some of San Antonio's beautiful older neighborhoods. I mainly work with buyers, since I love finding the "right" property, but also really enjoy the marketing side of listing homes for sale or rent.
I especially enjoy welcoming people to San Antonio who are relocating here in the military or with a job transfer and need to find a home in a city they may not be familiar with. San Antonio has several military installations, including Fort Sam Houston Army Base, home of the world-renowned Brooke Army Medical Center; Lackland AFB, where most of the Air Force trainees go at one time or another and Wilford Hall VA hospital is located; Randolph AFB, with its pilot training; and the former Brooks AFB, now Brooks City Base and host to a Centers for Disease Control facility.
For my investor clients, I take the long-term approach to invest in single-family homes for break-even or positive cash flow and/or future appreciation. Rehabs and remodeling projects can be rewarding; especially those that could be rented after, or even during, rehabbing to take advantage of lower capital gains rates after one year's ownership. All of the properties I help my clients acquire must have features that would appeal to both good-quality tenants as well as future home buyers for resale purposes.
I look for good investment properties in the northeast and northwest parts of the San Antonio metropolitan area, near major employers and the Medical Center, which is where I grew up and where I still work with a lot of my investor clients. Neighborhoods close to Fort Sam Houston and Randolph AFB are others that attract tenants. The city is growing in practically every direction now, but I still have a fondness for the older neighborhoods with lots of trees.
For sellers, I am a convert to staging to make a vacant home more appealing and I offer this service. Most buyers--and prospective tenants--are unable to see past the cosmetic issues of a house. I'll give my recommendations for preparing a home for sale or lease, and I have assembled a terrific team of people who do excellent work for a reasonable price. I want every home I list for sale or lease to look better than the competition.
From the buyer, and then later the seller, of a duplex:
I wanted to share the fantastic experience I had working with Robin Rogers buying my first investment property in Texas. I found Robin's contact information from an article, gave her a call and within a day or so we were in action over phone and e-mail looking for my investment property. Robin is a fantastic communicator, always quickly answering my questions via e-mail. She connected me with extremely helpful folks (inspector, appraiser, property manager) who all worked closely with Robin and myself to make my long distance investment process very smooth.
From a couple in the Air Force who saw the home I found for them for the first time when they arrived to move into it:
We love the house and the area. We couldn't be happier! We very much appreciate all your help in finding it.
From the sellers of a home I managed and subsequently listed for sale (a couple of my many clients whom I've never had the pleasure of meeting):
We have truly enjoyed working with you and we truly appreciate all of your hard work. I know you are moving away from the property management business but if any of your clients ever ask for a business reference, don't hesitate to give them my name.
From the sellers of a home and lot, both near the Medical Center, who transferred out of state:
Where do we begin? We will start with a huge thank you for making the real estate business simplified! You made everything seamless! From our very first interaction as buyers a few years ago to our recent transaction as sellers, you have been not only a wealth of resourceful information, but also courteous, patient, and determined. With everyone's busy schedule these days, what a client wants and needs is someone who can break down the complicated real estate jargon, set reasonable expectations, and possess good follow-through. You absolutely shined in every one of those aspects!
From the buyers of two rental homes so far, the second of which they have not seen (and since they moved out of the country, they may never see):
If there's a Robin Rogers fan club, sign us up! When we found Robin's name through an internet search for San Antonio Realtors, we had no idea what a terrific experience was in store for us. As out-of-towners, we depended on Robin's expertise to guide us through the San Antonio real estate market. Both times we worked with Robin to buy rental properties, Robin steered us to winner houses that quickly generated income for us. Her advice was unbiased and spot on, and her commitment to us and our expectations was unsurpassed. You would be hard pressed to find a more competent and caring Realtor in San Antonio.
From anxious first-time home buyers from California who wanted to move closer to the kids' grandparents in Schertz:
I want to say thank you so much for all of the help you have given us. You were so wonderful throughout the process and found us great lenders as well. We couldn't have made it without you, so thank you so much!
From an investor in the military from Chicago whose wife is from San Antonio:
What was I looking for in a Realtor? I'm concerned about a few things. They have to deal with a lot of investors. I think it's a completely different thing for a buyer's Realtor to deal with someone looking to buy a house they will live in compared to a house they will rent out. They have to respond to your calls, emails, questions and concerns in a timely manner. This goes without saying, but I was surprised that I have called or emailed at least three other active Realtors and did not receive calls back from them. Obviously a Realtor needs to be familiar with the area, neighborhoods, schools, crime statistics, where appreciation is most likely to occur, and basically which neighborhoods are improving and which are declining. My other requirement is that the Realtor doesn't agree with me all the time. I would like my ideas to be thoughtfully challenged. I don't want to be surrounded by people who do nothing but agree with me. Why do I need another me? I require someone who ultimately carries out my will, but who helps to clarify my thoughts and plans by not blindly agreeing with me on everything.
I was lucky to find Robin Rogers. I Googled San Antonio investment Realtor and found her blog as well as some articles she had written for the National Association of Residential Real Estate Investment Advisors (NARREIA). Got that? It's a mouthful. I liked her right off the bat for a few reasons: she responded to me very quickly and we opened up with a very nice conversation about my investing goals and what she was able to provide; she understands the area; she spends time blogging and connecting with other bloggers which, I think, is like a form of continuing education; she owns investment properties herself; and she independently offers her advice even when she knows it is different than my thoughts.
Robin has been great about dealing with the seller, sending me listings that I may be interested in, and having a great network to recommend to me. She recommended a great inspector, which helped me to get a new roof from the seller, as well as a mortgage broker, accountant, and handyman. These were particularly helpful since I was new to the area.
If you're looking for a Realtor that focuses on investment properties, I would recommend looking for someone that has these traits. If you're in the San Antonio area, you should contact Robin and see if she would be a good fit for you. Check out her blog at activerain, and check out her Web site for more information.
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