A holiday season like never before

Like most of the world, Austin is preparing to celebrate the holidays like never before. For some, that means drive-thru events and virtual get-togethers. For others, it is beginning to look a lot like an early Christmas as trees are already coming out of storage and being decorated, It’s “Festivus for the rest of us”, as the late great Jerry Stiller gifted us in that memorable Seinfeld episode. That grievance pole is certainly coming out this year for sure, as everyone has a bone to pick with the year 2020. Continue reading

Spring Events in Austin Texas

photo by S. Nascimento

Austin Texas:   always a constant source of entertainment, education and a platform for just about anything, but spring time certainly kicks things up a notch.

March Highlights in Austin

The City becomes a global showcase for technology, music, film and even kites. Honorable mentions include President Obama’s keynote, his trip to Torchy’s Tacos, the First Lady’s visit and a record high of 92 degrees. Highlights for the month include the South by Southwest (R) film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences, the Zilker Park Kite Festival, Rodeo Austin and St. Patrick’s Day at Fado. Last years SXSW (R) festival alone generated a total economic impact of $317.2 million. It is the single most profitable event for the City’s hospitality industry.

Attention Getting Austin hits 2 Million Residents

It was also spring break in Central Texas, so if you left town – you missed the traffic as well as the tie fighter.  Austin’s consistent global spotlight reflects the booming real estate market.  Plenty of people come for a visit for work or vacation and then don’t want to leave.  The U.S. Census Bureau just reported growth in the Austin-Round Rock metro area from 1,943,465 in July 2014  to 2,000,860 in July 2015.

For every event I mentioned, there were 2 that I didn’t. Let’s just say adults and children alike were a little sleepy last week from springing ahead along with being back to the daily grind.

Halloween Treats in Austin 2015

www.elissamariecreative.com

Photo courtesy of elissamariecreative.com

Zombies, Stormtroopers and Minions unite! Halloween in Austin is always a big day for kiddos and the young at heart.  This year it is going to be huge.  Not only is Halloween on a Saturday, but Comic Con in Austin will also be taking place as well.  Drivers need to be extra careful of bands of pedestrians like a zombie horde in The Walking Dead.

Trick-or-Treating in Austin

If you watch The Walking Dead, a band of survivors are currently living in the Alexandria Safe Zone, which is an ideal representation of a community for trick-or-treating.  The homes are situated on a low-traffic street and set within close proximity to one another, not unlike Austin neighborhoods such as Circle C, Legend Oaks, Cherry Creek, Barton Hills, Crestview, Tarrytown and Plum Creek in Kyle.  Halloween is all about time management.  Kids look for the most houses they can visit in the least amount of time.

Austin Events

In addition to candy collecting, night owls will be enjoying an evening parade in East Austin and the annual Zombie Ball downtown.

If you are: a pedestrian — stay safe, a driver — stay alert or home living in a zombie prone community — have candy.

Austin is for Lovers

Austin City Limits Music FestivalFall is one of the most diverse seasons in Austin for entertainment. Lovers of art, music, books, food, beer and even fast cars will find an event happening now and in the weeks to come.

Austin Events

Here is a list of some October/November Austin events.
For a complete list, go to: http://www.austintexas.org/visit/events/october-november/

Austin City Limits Music Festival
10/2/15 – 10/4/15 and 10/9/15 to 10/11/15
www.aclfestival.com

Texas Book Festival
10/17/15-10/18/15
www.texasbookfestival.org

Oktoberfest
10/17/15
www.germantexans.org/festivals

Formula 1 Grand Prix
10/23-10/25/15
www.circuitoftheamericas.com/f1

Austin Film Festival
10/29-11/5/2015
www.austinfilmfestival.com

Wizard World Comic Con
10/30-10/31/15
www.wizardworld.com/home-austin.html

Texas Monthly BBQ Festival
11/1/15
www.texasmonthly.com/bbqfestival

Fun Fun Fun Fest
11/6-11/8/15
www.funfunfunfest.com

Wurstfest
11/6-11/15/15
www.wurstfest.com

U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships
11/7-11/8/15
www.circuitoftheamericas.com/vintage

Ironman 70.3 Austin
11/8/15
www.ironman.com

East Austin Studio Tour
11/14-11/15/15, 11/21-11/22/15
http://east.bigmedium.org/

Turkey Trot
11/26/15
www.thundercloud.com/turkey-trot

Downtown Austin Market Data

Want to live in the heart of it all?
Here is today’s median data for active and pending single-family houses within 1 mile of downtown Austin:
Median List Price: $953,116
Median Size: 3 bedrooms / 3 baths at 2,459 square feet
Median Year Built: 1941

Median data for active and pending condos within downtown Austin:
Median List Price: $416,000
Median Size: 1 bedrooms / 1 baths at 852 square feet
Median Year Built: 2008

Austin City Limits Music Festival Real Estate Recap

Austin City Limits Music FestivalThe Austin City Limits Music Festival has come and gone for 2014 leaving a large boost for Austin’s economy in its wake. Headliners including Outcast, Eminem and Pearl Jam contributed to both 3-day weekends selling out to roughly 75,000 visitors per day. The estimated total in revenue was $175 million for Austin in 2013.

Much of the economic contribution is from out of town guests visiting and staying in Austin for the festival. Roughly sixty-six percent of ACL festival attendees are from out of town and spend an average of nearly $900 per day on food, lodging and retail.

For attendees curious to know what homes are worth near the Austin City Limits Music Festival, below lists up-to-date market data specific to real estate for sale located within 1 mile of Zilker Park:

Austin Condominiums for Sale near Zilker Park:

  • Current Number of Active Homes: 23
  • Total Number of Pending and Active homes: 31
  • Average List Price: $487,884

Austin Single Family Houses for Sale near Zilker Park:

  • Current Number of Active Homes: 14
  • Total Number of Pending and Active homes: 25
  • Average List Price: $1,465,393

Other Zilker Park events include the Zilker Kite Festival, Blues on the Green and the Zilker Trail of Lights lending it to be a source of  consistent entertainment year round.  Homes located near Zilker Park are considered prime real estate and are consistently low in supply and high in demand.

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2013

Austin City Limits Music Festival

Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park

Zilker Park took center stage once again at the 12th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival.  Last weekend marked the first of 2 consecutive weekends, October 4-6 and October 11-13, with both weekend line-ups being virtually identical.

ACL Music Festival 2013

Austin City Limits Music Festival entertains a crowd of about 75,000 each day.  Headliners this year included Muse, The Cure, Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age, Artic Monkeys, Wilco, Phoenix, Eric Church, Depeche Mode,  FUN,  The Black Angels, The National,  Dawes, Franz Ferdinand, Kendrick Lamar, Kings of Leon, Atoms for Peace,  and Lionel Richie.  The ACL Festival takes place on 8 stages, throughout the 3 day weekend with over 130 bands.

ACL-Schedule-Weekend-Two

ACL Weekend 2 Schedule

Buy a Home Near Zilker Park

Zilker Park touches  3 different areas in the Austin Multiple Listing Service.  Currently, within a 1 mile radius of Zilker Park and the ACL Music festival, there are 11 Active single family houses in the Austin Real Estate market ranging from $365,000 for 650 square feet and $2.4 million for 5,286 square feet of living space

The ACL Music festival draws attention to Austin from all over the globe with the variety of artists performing.  Visitors travels to Austin from all over the world to attend.  Many of the performances will be streamed live on YouTube for many to enjoy from the comfort of home.

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012

The Austin City Limits Music Festival began Friday, October 12th as 75,000 people began to enter Zilker Park to the theme from Star Wars.  The ACL Music Festival, now celebrating its 11th year, brings world-wide attention to Austin, Texas as the festival plays host to 130 bands over the course of 3-days on 8 stages.

ACL Music Festival

An estimated 220,000 attendees were at the ACL Music Festival, while many more were able to enjoy the bands from home this year through a live YouTube which covered 2 stages simultaneously, so viewers could choose which act to watch.  Like year’s past, the Austin City Limits Music line-up included something for everyone.  ACL Festival 2012 headliners included: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Roots.

ACL Festival brings Austin to Center Stage

Austin’s local economy certainly gets a boost during the ACL Festival to the tune of about $73 million which includes revenue from hotels and restaurants.  The Austin City Limits Music Festival supports the Austin economy in the long term as well, by giving out-of-town guests an additional reason to move here and call it home.  Here are some direct pages to specific Austin homes for sale near Zilker Park in the Barton Hills neighborhood, the Central Austin area, condos in zip code 78704 and of course Downtown.