Austin Condos Benefit Low-Income Residents

May 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment

downtown austin condo developments

According to the Statesman:
Profits from a local condo project will fund new affordable housing and help low-income homeowners fix up their homes. The 62-unit Chestnut Commons at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Miriam Ave. is expected to bring in about $1.2 million for affordable housing projects, including $250,000 earmarked for home renovations in the Chestnut neighborhood.

Landowner Tom Meredith donated 30 acres to the Austin Community Foundation (ACF), which then sold it to developers Terry Mitchell and David Mahn. The two developers agreed to donate a portion of the profits from the condo sales to the ACF for affordable housing efforts in central east Austin.

Some Austinites are opposed to the downtown condo developments popping up all over the skyline which is forcing developers to find a synergy with the residents of Austin to continue their forward movement. This approach of the land seller bargaining to benefit the city is smart and we hope it becomes a trend.

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under Austin News, Blog 

Allstate Insurance Settlement

May 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment

homeowner’s insurance in austin may change

Because Allstate is one of our state’s largest homeowner’s insurance carriers, this news likely affects you. According to the Statesman:

A $71.3 million settlement between Allstate Insurance Co. and state regulators could affect up to 700,000 Texas homeowners.

After several years of tangling with regulators who claimed Allstate’s rates were unjustifiably high, the insurance company has settled on an agreement that includes:

  • $37 million in refunds for new and renewal policies written by Allstate Texas Lloyds between Dec. 1, 2004, and April 23, 2006;
  • a 3 percent rate cut for new and renewal policies written for a year starting June 2. Policyholders will get a 3 percent credit covering Aug. 20, 2007, through June 1; and
  • a freeze on premiums from June 2, 2008, to June 1, 2009. However, that provision gives Allstate an out if there are “extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances.”

If you are a current Allstate client, your agent can best tell you what the next step is in either a rebate, rate cut or premium freeze.

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under Austin News, Blog 

A Night on the Town

May 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Austin is a fun place to live and there is so much to do… there is so much more to buying a home and selecting an area of town you want to settle down in than the interior of a single home. Austin is chock full of hot restaurants and entertainment, and here are some shots of what we did tonight:

Hut’s Hamburgers

Hut’s Hamburgers has been famous for Austin’s best burgers for many years. My grandparents used to enjoy Hut’s and it’s still one of my father’s favorite restaurant as it is ours. Not only does it have a lot of great memories attached to it, they offer a bajillion types are of burgers. Would it be un-kosher to order chicken fried steak? I almost did!

Hut’s Hamburgers in Austin

It took a long time for us (well, me) to decide on what to order, but here’s what we settled on… it looks super gross but it is SO good and the burgers are still ridiculously inexpensive!

Hut’s Hamburgers are Awesome

Oooh, we snagged a shot of some of Hut’s vintage signage. I love how fun their ads were, even back then!

Vintage Hut’s Sign

Around Hut’s

There is a lot to do pretty much within arm’s reach of Hut’s, and by do, I mean eat (which is pretty much my favorite thing to do)… here are a few:

Frank & Angie’s restaurant in Austin

Molotov Restaurant Austin

 

Next Up: Whole Food’s

Downtown, Whole Foods continues to sucker us in. Their outdoor nursery is gorgeous and the vignettes inside the market with extremely artistic displays and products that seem unreal in how creatively they are presented. If you haven’t been, just go- you won’t regret it! We love enjoying walking with our mini-basket up and down every aisle discovering new products!

Whole Foods Market Downtown Austin

Whole Foods Market Nursery

 

Around Whole Foods

Whole Foods is smack dab in the middle of one of the most quickly growing blocks of the city. Cranes are abundant as are cool bars, restaurants and businesses, check it out:

cranes all over downtown… it’s growing!

GSD&M Idea City is home of some of the brightest marketing minds in the world. And even if it wasn’t, their building is really sexy. I hear that the interior is even more impressive; I’ll have to sneak in sometime…

GSD&M Idea City Campus

Book People, across from Whole Foods is one of the nation’s largest independent booksellers. There are frequently readings, author book signings, music and events here to entertain one and all (and if you end up there in between functions, there are a trillion nooks and crannies to discover here)!

Book People in Austin

Even the back of Anthropologie’s retail store is gorgeous. Attached to Book People, this clothier is one of Austin’s newer additions (with one at Hill Country Galleria also).

Anthropologie in Austin

Below is my terrible shot of The Tiniest Bar in Texas. It’s literally just that tiny green shack where you get your beer and then head out to that patio. Tonight, a great Cory Morrow-sounding guitarist was groovin’ on the outdoor patio. On Friday nights, this place gets packed and people end up in the street because there are only so many places to stand!

Tiniest Bar in Texas (in Austin)

Caddy corner to Whole Foods, this among other condo high rises are popping up. It will be nice for the new residents here to be so close to the bar and shopping action!

Downtown Condos Popping Up

You’re welcome to join us next time we zip around town! Burgers, organic groceries, lollygaggin’ (yeah, that’s a word) around the city and of course drinking at least ONE Starbuck’s drink. Gotta love Austin!

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under About Austin, Blog 

Austin Through A Photographer’s Lense

May 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This week, Dean (aka onefivedoor) took a series of aerial shots of the city of Austin and we wanted to share them with you. Not only do they have artistic merit but give you an awesome point of view of Austin that you probably have not seen before!

Zilker Park

zilker park aerial view

The Capitol & Downtown

capitol and downtown austin

Lake Austin

lake austin (or lady bird lake if you’re less stubborn than i am)

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under About Austin, Blog 

Little Pieces of Austin

May 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Recently, we moved to a new home in Pflugerville and we absolutely love it. I have lived in Austin my whole life and had never been to downtown Pflugerville (just up the street from the new place)- it seems like everyone smiles, says ma’am and sir and even driving is a friendly experience.

Case in point, there is a regular lemonade stand in our subdivision- talk about a blast from the past! We got all nostalgic passing by. These kiddos are serious business too, there’s almost always someone pulled over to buy 25 cent lemonade! This is just a little piece of how it feels to live in Austin:

pflugerville lemonade stand

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under Austin People, Blog 

3927 Lord Byron Drive

May 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

With a Diamond Brite pool/spa, grand oaks, an elevated rear patio and back yard overlooking a green on the Forest Creek Golf Course, the stage is set for this luxurious home.

Inside, you will enjoy granite countertops, travertine tile, bay windows, a full guest suite, game room and two story living room. Forest Creek is one of the most desirable areas in Round Rock and priced at only $329,900 we anticipate this home will not be on the market for long!

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under Blog, Buying, Selling 

2718 Costa Azul Cove

May 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home in Lakeline Ranch is a HOT deal! On the border of Cedar Park/Leander, this home is in one of the area’s up and coming subdivisions- you’ll love it here.

This layout is very open and is perfect for entertaining- the landscape is gorgeous, natural lighting is plentiful and the secondary bedrooms are generously sized. At $173,900 you’ll be hard pressed to find a better deal here and although it is staged beautifully, it is vacant and ready for move-in so get movin’ today! Check out http://2718CostaAzul.com for more info.

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under 78641, Blog 

Searching Austin Homes- A Snap at gosinglepointe.com

May 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Say NO to Circle Searching!

We whipped up this neat screencast to show off a few of our cool Austin home search features. Enjoy!

It isn’t always easy being the best or satisfying our Austin home finders, but this is a pretty sweet search tool. Just Try it!

Posted by Benn, Single Pointe CEO | Filed Under Blog, Buying