Julie Nelson

When the inspector said 5′ long and a 4″ girth and used the word "exotic", we had grandiose ideas of someone's lost python under the house on S. 2nd. It went something like this ...

The inspector was just entering the crawl space under the house and the snake was right there all coiled up but quickly startled by the inspectors presence. So the big bad snake raised up in the air climbing / moving out of the way quickly. As you can imagine, the inspector did the same and backed out of the space quickly and called the inspection done for the day.

As the listing agent, I get the call from the buyers agent at 4 pm with the "request" to remove the snake asap so they can complete the inspection. After a few phone calls including city animal service (no), and an exotic pet store (no), I landed on the Austin Reptile Service and they were awesome.

They were at the house at 6 and methodically crawled around under the house looking for mr. snake and found him in about 10-15 minutes. They are coming back out this afternoon to make sure he was the only one.

The snake was neither "exotic" nor someone's lost pet nor wide-girthed but he was 4 1/2 feet long and resembled a fat water hose. Mr. (or mrs.) snake was a TX rat snake or bull snake, common and harmless (but they will bite if they're mad). This particular mr. snake will either be used in the Austin Reptile Service educational program or will be released to a more suitable natural environment.

Would love to hear your inspection drama stories. I love this business; never a boring day.

Austin Condo Review: 360 Condos

Snapshot & Observations

360

3^rd & Nueces

44 stories

First move-in 6/08; resale opens 11/28/08

General: Largest residential tower in downtown, loft style, open floor plan, concrete ceiling

Pricing: $250k - $550k

1 bedrooms are 796-1507 sqft (incl exterior sqft)

2 bedrooms are 1062-1308 sqft (incl exterior sqft)

Waiting list: well, there was one but there doesn't seem to really be one anymore with 17 listed in the MLS today (12.3.08).

Pos: walk to Whole Foods, entertainment district, it's on the hike & bike trail

Neg: elevators can be slow, if you commute leaving downtown then can have some traffic issues getting out of downtown or the parking garage, could be storage issues, noise levels could be an issue due to entertainment district (floor specific),

Owner profile: mixed from empty nesters to first-time professional homeowners (the 30-somethings), some 2^nd living

Features: high-end fitness, 24-hr concierge, café-type communal work spaces (/lobby), 9^th floor amenity floor (pool, tv lounge rm, kitchen)

Views:

North - some have view of capital

South - most have Ladybird Lake water view

East - Frost Bank central downtown view, some water

West - hill country / west Aus view, some water

Misc - City old power plant is being redesigned for mixed-use including art galleries, retail; City water treatment is going away to be redeveloped

This information is based on our research and is subject to change. Call or email us for the latest availability or showings. We have access to pretty much every condo downtown and will be happy to help you assess your options.

The Nelson Project

Keller Williams Realty - Austin, TX

800-803-1955 (press 0 to reach an on-call agent)

Austin Condo Review: The Shore

Snapshot & Observations

The Shore Condos

Austin, TX

603 Davis

Historic Rainey neighborhood downtown

192 units

20-some stories

Sales status 11/08 - abt 60% closed, 40% set to close by yr end ... but some of the 40% will not close (financing, market etc) so some will come back on the market; 12/08 update: no new listings in the MLS, guessing we may see more come back on the market this month

Cannot resale until 98% are closed (or 1 yr from your closing)

1/1's are generally all on the east side

2/2's are generally all on the west side

Units on north end (2/2's primarily) have a great view to the west and north and a little to the east) with a large rounded balcony

Features: all SS appliances, fitness, 24-hr on-site mgmt, covered parking (1 per BR), trail access, some units compressed glass counters, some external storage

6^th floor amenities - lap pool, kitchen

Incentives - 6 mos HOA credit, $1500 CA Closets credit

Currently 2 on the market:

1/1 #1806 - $360k, 809 sqft, nice view east

2/2 #804 - $520k, 1252 sqft, north face, great balcony (this is a cool unit ... the balcony makes it)

This information is based on our research and is subject to change. Call or email us for the latest availability or showings. We have access to pretty much every condo downtown and will be happy to help you assess your options.

The Nelson Project

Keller Williams Realty - Austin, TX

800-803-1955 (press 0 to reach an on-call agent)

Speaking of return on investment, landscape sells. From personal and professional experience, if the house is average but the landscape is fabulous, the house will be a hot ticket on the market. A Clemson University study found landscaping can result in more than a 100% return on investment. The report concluded that "Homeowners wanting to increase the value of their property will do well to consider the cost-effective, return potential of quality landscaping, and to safeguard their investments by hiring licensed, professional landscape contractors to perform the work."

Check this article from Landscape-America: http://www.landscape-america.com/landscapes/value.html

Kitchens pay, baths pay, fresh paint and new flooring pays but a fabulous landscape will knock the socks off the competition and get prospective buyers off their computers, out of their cars and into your home.

A gaggle of teenagers strutted into a convenience store in South Austin yesterday sporting various t-shirts...the tag line on the back of one boy left me silently applauding..."Old Austin hasn't died. It just moved South." Kudo's to the unknown author-s/he is definitely a keen supporter of the philosophy that makes Austin so appealing: Keep Austin Weird.

When relocating from Vermont to Austin in 2000, the idea of living in a city that prided itself on being weird wasn't on my list of criteria for a good match. However, having lived here for the past eight years I've come to understand, totally support and am completely hooked on the notion of Austin's "weirdness" and can't imagine living anywhere else.

Weirdness in Austin means freedom to wear flipflops on Christmas Eve and not feel underdressed or disrespectful-you belong and are more important then your footgear. Seriously.

Weirdness in Austin allows you to celebrate Spam AND Eeyore's Birthday with pure endorphin-releasing abandon.

Weirdness in Austin means looking forward to sitting with friends & neighbors on the banks of Lady Bird Lake watching for millions of bats to leave their bridge home for evening snacking (right over your head).

While this delightful weirdness occurs throughout Austin, it is especially celebrated South of the Lady Bird Lake, thus South Austin.

In real estate terms, South Austin includes many neighborhoods including Barton Hills, Bouldin Creek, Cherry Creek, Dawson, Galindo, Horseshoe Bend, South Lamar, SOCO, South Creek, Travis Green & Zilker.

The further south you go, the more lenient the Home Owner's Assocations seem to be. One of my favorite Austin columnists has lived in South Austin for 30 years and frequently amuses with accounts of his creative South Austin neighbors... one neighbor reportedly has a large peace sign on his front lawn-very large-we're talking trampoline turned on its side with a painted peace sign large.

If freedom of expression is very important to you, you may want to explore some of Austin's South Austin neighborhoods. Go online, search on "South Austin" which offers links to many neighborhood associations; read their newsletters and check out the neighborhood school(s). Check in with your favorite Austin realtor who will be a great source of information about South Austin neighborhoods.

South Austin may be your new home. You may even find yourself with your own flock of chickens.

... From our favorite south Austin contributor, Patti P ...