Do you remember the Mueller Austin Parade of Homes way back in 2009? If like me you toured all of the homes, you probably remember that one stood out for a number of reasons - and that one was 4213 Camacho Street. There were five homes in the parade, and the theme was greener than green - energy efficient homes that represented the peak in performance, features and of course pricing in East Austin.

This home was voted best-in-show and the favorite home by the public, and won nine builder awards. According to my wife and several people I showed it to, it also looked the coolest. It has a craftsman feel on the outside and a really interesting flagstone facade on the exterior. It's large front porch had an outdoor TV and shade screen which allowed the parade visitors to catch the game while they were eating barbecue - I remember that well!

All of the parade homes front onto Lake Park, as do the new David Weekley Estate homes - custom homes at Mueller on Mattie Street. There are also two more lots on Camacho Street itself to build on - Alan Muskin is building one of them right now. So what's different about this home? Here are a few things that I think differentiate it from the other large custom homes:

• Guest accommodations - a full living quarters is on the back of the home accounting for a 5th bedroom. I like the fact that it's called a caretakers cottage too.
• 4 bedrooms - this may sound like a superfluous observation with a 3000+ sqft home, but if you look at some of the parade homes they have just 3 bedrooms.
• Great outdoor entertaining setup - from kitchen to patio to porch
• It's coming up for sale. Again, a bit of a shocker, as only one other of the parade homes is for sale
• It has the second highest value of any home ever sold in the MLS in East Austin. The most valued home was a 1012sqft home on Tillery Street, which happened to have a 4.0 acre lot. So that's a bit of a special case.

I pass this home at least twice every day, and it's been a few years since I saw the inside. I'm eager to see what it looks like 2.5 years after the parade, and will share photos when I do.

Thought you couldn't "afford" to go to SXSW here in Austin? Thought you were going to have to miss all the music, food and fun? Well, check this out - there are actually a few complimentary events! Mark your calendar and visit www.sxsw.com for more information.

The Austin and Central Texas areas are an amazing place to Live, Work, Play and Invest!

Austin is looking at changing their MLS program, and they've asked the membership for help in the decision. There are 3 programs we're looking at. I attended the meeting on Monday to go through the overview of the systems. The meeting was open to anyone who is a member.

The gentleman in front of me was asking question after question about a system to share data in the different MLSs in the state, which was not what we were there to talk about. At one of the breaks, I find out that he's an appraiser. There's this program called Data Co-op that is used in many areas where MLSs overlap, like New York. In Austin, we have our main system. NW of Austin about 1 1/2 hours, there is a different system, and then San Marcos, about 45 minutes south of Austin has it's own system before you get to San Antonio with its own system.

These areas are very distinct areas so I would not consider the Austin MLS having an overlap of systems. This Appraiser started talking about how it's so expensive to join all the different boards in order to have access to all the data he needs for his appraisals, and wouldn't it be great if the Texas systems would participate in the Data Co-op like other areas? (Most systems do participate, they just don't share the data with other systems)

All of a sudden, it clicked what he was really talking about...

I said, "No offense, but I want my appraisers to be local. I'm sick and tired of appraisers in one area thinking they can do an appraisal in another area that they're not from. It's people like you that are causing problems on many transactions because you're not familiar with the areas."

I told him about an appraiser coming up from San Antonio to do an appraisal north of Austin. I told him about an appraiser that I accidentally got black-listed from a lender because I asked him about his CA area code and how long he had been in the Austin area, and he threw a temper tantrum. This appraiser agrees that my concerns were valid.

This appraiser doesn't admit that he's doing anything wrong, however he does tell me to continue to report appraisers that I feel aren't doing good jobs. How could he think my concerns are valid, but continue to do what he's doing? The Data Co-op system isn't supposed to be used for people to do their job outside of their market. Why don't appraisers understand that real estate is local, and it's not possible to know everything about every neighborhood in a 200 mile radius? I'm licensed in the entire state of Texas, but I don't go sell houses in Abilene or Corpus or any other area I'm not familiar with. It's a disservice to the clients.

Appraisers, don't bid the job just because you're free that day. Bid the job because you're capable!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com
austin-texas-homes-for-sale.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, CedarPark, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way.

For real time Austin TX listings,click here.

** Multi-Million Dollar Producer Year after Year **
** Platinum Top 50 Finalist 2011 out of almost 9000 agents in Austin TX**
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Copyright© 2012 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Appraisers Need to Stay in Their Market Areas! * was first published on donnahomesblog.com.

There is no short list of things to do during March in Austin, Texas. The weather is beautiful, the slight winter rains have moistened the ground enough for the Bluebonnets and other wild flowers to begin popping up making a drive though the area (in spite of the traffic) picturesque. Simply put, it is a perfect time of the year to be out and about andbusy having fun.

Go through this list of events, pick your favorites and go have some March joy.

Radiohead with Special Guest Other Lives - March 7, 2012

Frank Erwin Center

http://www.uterwincenter.com/

Texas Performing Arts presents AngeÌlique Kidjo - March 8, 2012

Bass Concert Hall

http://texasperformingarts.org

Romeo and Juliet - March 8, 2012 (Repeats 3 Times)

The City Theatre, Austin

http://www.citytheatreaustin.org

Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo - March 9-24, 2012

Travis County Expo Center, Austin

http://www.co.travis.tx.us/exposition_center

South by Southwest - March 9-18, 2012

Interactive March 9-13/Film March 9-17/Music March 14-18

Various Locations in Austin

http://sxsw.com

The Austin Symphony: Ray Benson & Asleep at the Wheel - March 9, 2012

Michael & Susan Dell Hall, Austin

http://www.austinsymphony.org

Texas Stars vs. Grand Rapids Griffins - March 7, 2012

Cedar Park Center, Cedar Park

http://www.cedarparkcenter.com/

Austin Film Society's Texas Film Hall of Fame 2012 Awards Announcements - March 8, 2012

Austin City Limits Live, Austin

http://acl-live.com

Dr. Dog - March 9, 2012

Stubb's Bar-B-Q and Waller Creek Amphitheatre, Austin

http://stubbsaustin.com

Disneys Imagination Movers - March 9, 2012

Bass Concert Hall, Austin

http://texasperformingarts.org

SxSw LANFest - March 9, 2012 (Repeats 3 Times)

Palmer Events Center, Austin

http://palmereventscenter.com

Young Frankenstein - March 10, 2012

Michael & Susan Dell Hall, Austin

http://www.austinsymphony.org

Tech Career Expo @ SXSW - March 10, 2012

Austin Music Hall, Austin

http://www.austinmusichall.com

Music @ the Umlauf: Concerts in the Garden - March 11, 2012

Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, Austin

http://umlaufsculpture.org

For the Record: Tarantino in Concert - March 14, 2012

Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin

http://www.thelongcenter.org/

Texas Rock Fest - March 14-17, 2012

Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau

http://www.austintexas.org

The Mexican American Experience 2012 - March 14, 2012

Mexican American Cultural Center, Austin

http://austinmacc.com

Texas Performing Arts presents Batsheva Dance Company - March 20, 2012

Bass Concert Hall

http://texasperformingarts.org

Ballet Austin's Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project - March 23-25, 2012

Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin

http://www.thelongcenter.org/

The Naked And Famous - March 23, 2012

Stubb's Bar-B-Q and Waller Creek Amphitheatre, Austin

http://stubbsaustin.com

Texas Performing Arts presents SpokFrevo Orquestra - March 24, 2012

Bass Concert Hall

http://texasperformingarts.org

Young The Giant - March 24, 2012

Stubb's Bar-B-Q and Waller Creek Amphitheatre, Austin

http://stubbsaustin.com

Austin Restaurant Week Spring - March 25, 2012 to April 4, 2012

New and seasoned hotspots in Austin

http://restaurantweekaustin.com

Saxophone and the Sea with the UTSO - March 26, 2012

Bates Recital Hall, UT Austin Campus, Austin

http://www.austintexas.org

Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays - March 28-31, 2012

UT Austin Campus, Austin

http://www.texassports.com

Homes at Balcones Village

Balcones Village real estate is an excellent and attractively structured area in the Northwest Austin area.

This community is even more attractive with features like hiking and biking trails, pools, playgrounds, golf courses, community centers, and even an outdoor amphitheater. The total community area is 1800 acres and is well maintained. The community is situated in a prime location, where you have access to tons of recreational fun. All the streets in this community are lined with beautiful trees and there are plenty of parks and public places where you can sit and relax.

The Avery Lake is a great location to fish or enjoy a scenic view. Next to Balcones Village is a trail running 8.5 miles across the Texas Hill Country. There is provision too for children to attend new community-based schools that offer excellent education. There are universities and colleges nearby; Austin Community College, Southwestern University, University of Texas, and St. Edwards University. Lakeline Mall, The Arboretum, Gateway Shopping Center, Lake Creek Festival, and Balcones Woods Shopping Center are some of the excellent shopping areas nearby. Moreover the community has major employers nearby.

Balcones Village boasts it all, except you, so stop by today and become a part of this wonderful community.

www.HomesAndLoansAustinTX.com