It's my favorite time of the year!

I always work during the holiday season!  The reason is that there are a whole lot of people visting family, traveling to interesting places (Austin and the surrounding areas...*wink**wink*) and making moving decisions during this time of the year.  I always sell a lovely home, or sell a lot for a custom build and make great memories with tons of folks.  So if you happen to be one of those folks on a home buying mission during the months of November, December or January look at what else you can do around town.

Central Texas and Williamson County make another list

Just because I love it here doesn't make the best reason to live here, but Williamson county keeps popping up in the news as the best of the best.  This time it was for job growth.  Here is a great little article from the Community Impact Newspaper.

http://impactnews.com/articles/williamson-co-makes-national-job-growth-list

Here is the link to the original article from CNN Money.

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/jobs/2012/08/20/best-places-job-growth.moneymag/3.html

On a side note, Austin City Limits is getting under way.  I am far too old to stand up for days and listen to all that great music, but for several years, I have found my saving grace.  The "local" radio station KGSR hosts live events daily during ACL.  This allows me to listen to great music from all over the world from the comfort of my car or stream it while I work.  So if you are a music lover I am providing the link below to get you plugged in.  Ben Howard was on earlier this morning and it made my day :)

http://www.kgsr.com/wheretolisten/index.aspx

Enjoy!

Southern Living House coming to Austin once again!

I am a huge fan of Southern Living.  The magazine...the website...the lifestyle, etc.  The Austin area has been selected several times for a Southern Living Home!  It looks like this time it will be on Lake Travis.  See the article below.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/real-estate/2012/08/southern-living-showcase-house-coming.html

The home before this was built in Horseshoe Bay and showcased in 2011.

http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/idea-houses/idea-house-00417000073073/

The last one I went to was in Bee Cave in the Spanish Oaks neighborhood.

http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/idea-houses/2003-idea-house-harrods-creek-00400000008867/

These homes are so fun to walk through for ideas and let you appreciate the hard work that brings all elements together.  If you live in the area or will be visiting, I encourage you to stop by.  We can all dream a little dream with a visit.

Something for everyone. Real estate choices!

It is nearing the end of July and I still have plenty of listings that I need to sell!  If I have learned one thing in this business it is patience.  I have everything from a condo, land, large country homes, to the normal, subdivision neighborhood home.  I still don't have that crystal ball that tells me what property will sell quickly and which one won't.  Some homes that I think are just great end up sitting for a while.  Others, are snapped up quickly.  Visit my website http://www.nicolescott.net/ to see everything.  Take a below at these!

Some of the properties I have left are this super cute condo in Georgetown, TX.  It is close to the square and the hike and bike trail along the river.  MLS#4442824 and priced at $179,500.

How about a lovely place in the country to get away from it all?  North of Bertram, TX this home is on 7 acres, fenced and cross fenced, plus it is lovely inside.  MLS#3417506 and priced at $325,000.

Or there is the home in a new and expanding neighborhood.  Liberty Hill ISD but an easy commute into Austin.  Rancho Sienna neighborhood, ready for quick move-in. MLS# 9317594 and priced at $230,000.

I even have one in the retirement community of Sun City, Georgetown, TX. It is darling with a lot of the desired upgrades already done!  3 bedroom, 2 bath.  MLS# 2069339 and priced at $255,000.

Float the river and catch a great concert!

Always stuff to do in and around Austin!

Float the river down in New Braunfels, TX.  That is exactly what we are doing one weekend this month.  This is a great weekend trip where you can catch a great concert and do some tubing!  Living in Texas is great :)

http://www.whitewaterrocks.com/

We had a fun time last time we visited this outdoor concert venue.  Make your plans!

Greater Austin area calendar of events for May

Sometimes, I get stressed out just because there is so much to do in Central Texas.  Take just some of the possibilities for the month of May!  The greater Austin area is a great place to live and play.  This is my favorite time of year with all the wildflowers and all the outdoor venues getting back into the swing of things. Come check it out for yourself!

What is better than a new home?

What is better than buying a new home?  Buying an almost new home!  Sometimes there are occasions when a "lightly lived in" house becomes available.  This can be to a buyer's advantage.  For  example, when a home in a new construction neighborhood goes up for sale sometimes you can get a move-in ready home for a great price.  You get the advantage of not having to live through construction, the yard is in, and you can touch and feel everything (if you are the kind of person who has a hard time visualizing things)!

It is really hard for some people to look at a builder's floor plan and understand what the house will look like.  So, if you are a person who needs to touch, feel and see the real deal this might be the way to go.

I recently listed this home in the Rancho Sienna (or Rancho Siena, since I have found it spelled two different ways) subdivision.  It is listed for $235,000 and is move in ready!  It will feed into the highly acclaimed Liberty Hill School District.  It also has a great yard for entertaining or to allow the kids and pets to run around like wild animals!  The moms will love it :)

Working with vendors

In the real estate business, you have to make it a practice to know a little bit about everything.  Having vendors that you can recommend and who will provide good customer service is key.  I recently had great experiences with two vendors that I will now tell other people about.  The first was Southern Shutters and Blinds.  They came out and measured and installed blinds for me in two stages.  Since my home was being remodeled they waited until the dust had settled in the main part of the house to finish the job.  Great customer service, great flexibility, and great installers!  Here is the link to their website.  I went through the Georgetown location.

http://www.southernshuttersusa.com/

Next, I had a water softener and filter installed.  I can't tell you how many trips these guys made out to my house but it took working with what we had, us changing our minds, and customizing to our budget to get something done.  They were great...and patient :)  We ended up installing a water softener and an under the sink water filter.  It fits where we wanted it to go and we couldn't be happier!  Here is the link to their website.

http://asipure.com/

A country drive

Today I had to go pick up some paperwork from my clients.  They live out of the city, and enjoy the country life.  It was a beautiful drive, so I wanted to share with you a little of what I saw.

My first treat...the old bridge.

Next little lovely...the Joppa Church.

Then I got to the house...aka my listing, 9990 County Road 210, Bertram, TX, 78605.

I had some new greeters!  Aren't they cute?!

I learned what a chicken tractor is from these folks.  Here is a link if you don't know

https://mobilechickencoops.com/ .  It is basically a self contained chicken coop that you can move around.  Isn't Texas great?

Advice for selling you home during the winter months.

If you ever find yourself listing your home during the winter months, don't forget to add color outside!  I know not much is growing, and the lack of green grass and flowers can be down right depressing, but here are some tips.

1.  Keep some color in pots on the front and back porches.  Even if it for just a couple of months, invest in some pretty pots and some plants specifically for the cooler weather.  Often, the first impression that someone has is the one they take away when they walk through the front door.  It doesn't hurt to reinforce that impression since they usually go and see the backyard last.

Here is a great article from Southern Living about some advice for what to plant in the winter months.
http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/15-tips-winter-pots-00400000038620/

2.  If you don't have a green thumb, think about a colored gazing ball.  Keep it very simple, but make a statement with some bold color.  For ideas check out Pinterest.  Sometimes you can use items you already have!

Here is what I have on my back porch right now.  A tall, grass-like plant in a colorful pot. 

Pinterest is so cool!

I have found a new way to share ideas and it is called Pinterest!  I enjoy pinning pictures from some of my listings, but also seeing all the other things people share.  It is addicting so I have to limit myself to only the time it takes to drink one cup of coffee or else I would be on there for hours. 

Tonight I get to go into Austin to go see Wicked!  We will eat somewhere fabulous (TBD) and then go to the show.  Even with all the surrounding communities/towns, Austin is our playground.  I just love it here!  Now all I need to do is figure out what to wear...ah, Pinterest here I come.

Resale or build? Your choice!

New listing!  A beautiful home on over 5 acres with a creek running through it.  In Liberty Hill.  Listed for $460,000.  Austin MLS# 8123479.


Not looking to buy a resale?  Want to build?  I have land/lots to choose from.  Check out the dedicated webpage for Stone House Estates.  http://www.stonehouseestates.net/.  These are acreage lots.  Here is a picture of the bluebonnets from a year ago!