78704 Property Tour

Last week I went on a tour of homes in zip code 78704.  The tour covered Travis Heights to Barton Hills.  I saw some pretty interesting properties including a 1904 farmhouse which was moved here from Trall, Texas.  If you like older homes, it was absolutely amazing from the beaded trim on the doors, to the soaring ceilings.  It is truly something special.  Here is the link, along with some of the other properties I viewed. 78704 homes The pictures do not do the farmhouse justice.

On Sunday, June 27th, I will be holding one of the homes open on the tour, from 1 – 4pm.  500 E Mary street is located in the Travis Heights area of Austin, and has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and is 1,394 square feet (tax record.)  The house sits on a large corner lot with live oaks trees and carport. Click the tour link above for more details.

Movin’ On Out

Last weekend, I went to Brenham, Texas for the first time to attend the wedding of a former client and now friend.   She will be sharing her first home with her wonderful new husband.  I have a few clients having babies right now, and it is an honor to watch their families grow and homes be filled with joy.

No, I don’t sell houses in Brenham.  The furthest I’ll go east is Elgin, but I did find myself in Jonestown, Buckingham Estates, Sunset Valley, and Rob Roy last week.  Where’s that plane?  Maybe I’ll just settle for helicopter, then I could do roof inspections at the same time.

I also, helped someone move last week.  Let’s talk about moving.  I promise you have 3 times more than you think.  When you pack, it’s like adding water to a sponge.  It grows. Take vases for example.  In your cabinet, they take up 4 cubic feet.    When you wrap them in newspaper and pack them, they now take up 8 cubic feet.  They only things you own, that really don’t expand when packing are linens.

So here’s my advice.  Purge first.  If you haven’t finished that project in 3 years, you probably won’t.  If you haven’t worn it in a year, you probably won’t, unless it’s a special occasion outfit.  Oh – and if you still haven’t opened it, just bring it to Good Will.  Think about it, just because you are moving to a new house – doesn’t mean you are going to wear it, use it or even open it.

Also, it will take you 3 times longer to move, and 12 more car loads that you think.  I always recommend you hire a mover.  They really do take the stress off at the end of the day when you are out of steam from packing.  You’ve spent thousands of dollars on your new home, spend the extra $500 on movers. Get grandma’s desk delivered in tact, instead of loading it in the back of Uncle Harry’s pick-up truck praying it will get there in one piece, and hating on him when it doesn’t.

The Week That Was

Last week, I saved two lives by giving blood.  If you haven’t given blood before, it takes about an hour.  The only thing you really have to do is have a good meal before you go.  Unfortunately for me, I did an open house directly afterward.  In the 90 degree heat, that probably wasn’t the smartest thing I have ever done – but hey I’m an overachiever and it all worked out.  I spent some time in Hyde Park, Western Trails and the Woods of Westlake last week.  

Located between the Lost Creek and Parkstone subdivisions, the Woods of Westlake sits along the west side of 360. The Woods of Westlake has a similar feeling to Lost Creek, only with smaller lots.  It offers direct access to the Barton Creek Greenbelt, making it a desirable location.

The Woods of Westlake is within the City of Austin, and is in the Eanes Independent School district.  Its kind of hard to tell what my picture in the left hand corner is, but its of a walking stick I saw on a house.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before, and it was kind of cool.