I received this e-mail from Beverly Polynaik with Old Republic Home Warranty and thought it was worth passing on.
Summer’s here, and energy costs are rising! Here is some timely information to help you keep your cool and save money on your energy bills this summer.
Cooling Tips
· Whole–house fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. They are effective when operated at night and when the outside air is cooler than the inside.
· Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
· Don’t set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.
· Consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.
· Don’t place lamps or a TV set near your air–conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
· Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units without blocking the airflow. Place your room air conditioner on the north side of the house. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.
· Keep in mind that increasing insulation and sealing air leaks will help your energy performance in the summertime by keeping the cool air inside.
$$ Long-Term Savings Tips:
· If your air conditioner is old, consider purchasing a new, energy–efficient model. You could save up to 50% on your utility bill for cooling. Look for the ENERGY STAR® and EnergyGuide labels.
· Consider installing a whole house fan or evaporative cooler if appropriate for your climate.Tips courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. For more information, please visit EERE: Energy Savers Home Page.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Williamson Co Real Estate Statistics
I got an interesting e-mail from the Williamson County Assocation of Realtors (WCAOR) a few days ago and wanted to pass along a few stats:
Number of Homes Sold (wk of 5/25): 172 (we are still waiting for the final count - this number might rise)
Number of Homes Sold (wk of 4/47): 226
Does that look like a housing slump to you? Things are selling in Williamson County!! That is the number of homes sold for that week - not the entire month!
The number of new home listings for the week of June 1st was 289, and that is with in 15 (or so) homes of the listing numbers for the 1st week of May and April.
The number of listings continues to rise - but fairly proportionate to the number of homes selling each week. We do have a great selection of homes and properties on the market - are you ready to take that next step and start looking?
Despite what we hear in the national news (and I emphisize national), the market in our area is still a strong market for Real Estate. There are new lender options coming about almost daily - they are loosening up again, and lenders are ready to work with buyers again. Now is also a great time to purchase an investment property - there are some wonderful options on the market!
Number of Homes Sold (wk of 5/25): 172 (we are still waiting for the final count - this number might rise)
Number of Homes Sold (wk of 4/47): 226
Does that look like a housing slump to you? Things are selling in Williamson County!! That is the number of homes sold for that week - not the entire month!
The number of new home listings for the week of June 1st was 289, and that is with in 15 (or so) homes of the listing numbers for the 1st week of May and April.
The number of listings continues to rise - but fairly proportionate to the number of homes selling each week. We do have a great selection of homes and properties on the market - are you ready to take that next step and start looking?
Despite what we hear in the national news (and I emphisize national), the market in our area is still a strong market for Real Estate. There are new lender options coming about almost daily - they are loosening up again, and lenders are ready to work with buyers again. Now is also a great time to purchase an investment property - there are some wonderful options on the market!
OPEN HOUSE 2715 Greenlee
I am doing an open house this coming Sunday, June 22nd from 2-5 PM at an adorable home in Block House Creek, Leander. This home is just beautiful! It has designer paint colors, extensive crown molding, boxed out windows, 2" faux wood blinds, laminate wood floors. Plus it is in a nice neighborhood with 2 in-ground pools, clubhouse, hiking trails, play ground with an in-community elementary school. Close to all the "new" stuff coming to Leander - Lowe's, Kohls, 1869 Ranch (shopping development). Come by and take a look at this well kept home!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Hwy 29 re-alignment
Here is the article from the Austin American Statesman regarding the realignment of SH 29.
Williamson offers Texas 29 expansion plans
Residents speak up on various route options in first of two meetings.
By Melissa MixonAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, May 13, 2008
LIBERTY HILL — Liberty Hill residents got their first look Monday at possible routes for a major Williamson County road expansion that could affect hundreds of property owners.
Engineers hired by the county have been studying ways to expand almost 19 miles of Texas 29, a heavily traveled east-west thoroughfare in the county that serves as a gateway from Georgetown to Liberty Hill.
Engineers presented about a dozen alternate routes to Liberty Hill residents during a town hall meeting Monday night. Another meeting will be tonight in Georgetown.
No cost estimates were attached to the routes. The county has already agreed to pay the engineers as much as $4 million for their work on the plans.
County officials said they started the study last year because they wanted to avoid congestion on Texas 29 that's already bogged down similar roads in the county, such as RM 620 in Round Rock.
With 20,000 new homes already platted near Texas 29, 50,000 to 60,000 more people are expected to use the four-lane road in coming years, County Commissioner Cynthia Long said.
Some of the proposed routes call for expansions along the current road; others would bypass the road.
The proposals are being broken into two sections, one closer to Georgetown and one closer to Liberty Hill:
The Georgetown section is a seven-mile portion that runs west of the city, from D.B. Wood Road to Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The four alternatives proposed for that section all would widen the existing road, either on the north or south side or a combination of the two, said Justin Word, the deputy project manager for the expansion study.
The second section is almost 12 miles from Reagan Boulevard to the Burnet County line. That section runs through Liberty Hill. Some proposed routes call for expanding the road; several others call for a north or south bypass. Three of the proposed northern bypasses would run through mostly residential areas.
Word, who works for the engineering firm Chiang, Patel & Yerby Inc., said his firm does not yet have a preference for a particular route but will likely present one to the county over the summer. Cost estimates will be included in the recommendation, as will feedback from Monday's and tonight's meetings, he said.
The effects on the environment, residents and businesses were all considered in the route proposals, county officials said.
Residents and property owners along Texas 29 like Irene Hieber raised concerns Monday about some of the proposed routes.
Some also questioned the need to expand the road at all.
"We don't want them to do this, nobody in Liberty Hill does, but they'll do what they want to do," said Hieber, who owns an animal boarding kennel with her daughter, Laura Collins, on Texas 29.
Under one of the options, a portion of the road would cut into their property. They said they would prefer that over a route that bypasses the city because they don't want Liberty Hill to become a "ghost town."
Clyde Davis, a real estate broker in Liberty Hill who owns land on Texas 29, questioned how the county, which is strapped for road funding, would pay for the project.
"They have no money," he said.
To pay for parts of the right-of-way acquisition, said Long, the county commissioner, the county will use money from a $228 million road bond package that voters approved in 2006. She said other costs might have to be paid for through a future bond referendum.
mmixon@statesman.com; 246-0043
The county's second open house about a proposed expansion of Texas 29 is tonight in Georgetown. The meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Georgetown Church of Christ, 1525 W. University Ave.
For more information, contact Kathy Grimes in Commissioner Cynthia Long's office at kgrimes@wilco.org or (512) 260-4280
Williamson offers Texas 29 expansion plans
Residents speak up on various route options in first of two meetings.
By Melissa MixonAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, May 13, 2008
LIBERTY HILL — Liberty Hill residents got their first look Monday at possible routes for a major Williamson County road expansion that could affect hundreds of property owners.
Engineers hired by the county have been studying ways to expand almost 19 miles of Texas 29, a heavily traveled east-west thoroughfare in the county that serves as a gateway from Georgetown to Liberty Hill.
Engineers presented about a dozen alternate routes to Liberty Hill residents during a town hall meeting Monday night. Another meeting will be tonight in Georgetown.
No cost estimates were attached to the routes. The county has already agreed to pay the engineers as much as $4 million for their work on the plans.
County officials said they started the study last year because they wanted to avoid congestion on Texas 29 that's already bogged down similar roads in the county, such as RM 620 in Round Rock.
With 20,000 new homes already platted near Texas 29, 50,000 to 60,000 more people are expected to use the four-lane road in coming years, County Commissioner Cynthia Long said.
Some of the proposed routes call for expansions along the current road; others would bypass the road.
The proposals are being broken into two sections, one closer to Georgetown and one closer to Liberty Hill:
The Georgetown section is a seven-mile portion that runs west of the city, from D.B. Wood Road to Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The four alternatives proposed for that section all would widen the existing road, either on the north or south side or a combination of the two, said Justin Word, the deputy project manager for the expansion study.
The second section is almost 12 miles from Reagan Boulevard to the Burnet County line. That section runs through Liberty Hill. Some proposed routes call for expanding the road; several others call for a north or south bypass. Three of the proposed northern bypasses would run through mostly residential areas.
Word, who works for the engineering firm Chiang, Patel & Yerby Inc., said his firm does not yet have a preference for a particular route but will likely present one to the county over the summer. Cost estimates will be included in the recommendation, as will feedback from Monday's and tonight's meetings, he said.
The effects on the environment, residents and businesses were all considered in the route proposals, county officials said.
Residents and property owners along Texas 29 like Irene Hieber raised concerns Monday about some of the proposed routes.
Some also questioned the need to expand the road at all.
"We don't want them to do this, nobody in Liberty Hill does, but they'll do what they want to do," said Hieber, who owns an animal boarding kennel with her daughter, Laura Collins, on Texas 29.
Under one of the options, a portion of the road would cut into their property. They said they would prefer that over a route that bypasses the city because they don't want Liberty Hill to become a "ghost town."
Clyde Davis, a real estate broker in Liberty Hill who owns land on Texas 29, questioned how the county, which is strapped for road funding, would pay for the project.
"They have no money," he said.
To pay for parts of the right-of-way acquisition, said Long, the county commissioner, the county will use money from a $228 million road bond package that voters approved in 2006. She said other costs might have to be paid for through a future bond referendum.
mmixon@statesman.com; 246-0043
The county's second open house about a proposed expansion of Texas 29 is tonight in Georgetown. The meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Georgetown Church of Christ, 1525 W. University Ave.
For more information, contact Kathy Grimes in Commissioner Cynthia Long's office at kgrimes@wilco.org or (512) 260-4280
Monday, May 12, 2008
Banana Pudding
I received this recipe from a past client and friend, and since it sounds so good, I wanted to pass it along. She recieved it from a lady in her church. I will be making it in a few days, so I can't wait to pass along how good it tastes!
Banana Pudding
1 small box instant vanilla or french vanilla pudding (french is a bit sweeter – which is what I always use.)
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cool whip
1 tsp vanilla
3 bananas
1 box vanilla wafers
Mix pudding and milk with mixer just until smooth.
Add one at a time, mixing after each; condensed milk, sour cream, cool whip and vanilla.
Layer a 9 x 13 inch pan with vanilla wafers, 1 1/2 sliced bananas and pudding mixture. Repeat once.
Lightly sprinkle top with crumbs from vanilla wafers (She just uses the crushed ones from the bottom of the box) for decoration. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. (She usually makes it the morning of the event and it's always good, as long as it can sit in the fridge for a few hours I think is key.)
Banana Pudding
1 small box instant vanilla or french vanilla pudding (french is a bit sweeter – which is what I always use.)
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cool whip
1 tsp vanilla
3 bananas
1 box vanilla wafers
Mix pudding and milk with mixer just until smooth.
Add one at a time, mixing after each; condensed milk, sour cream, cool whip and vanilla.
Layer a 9 x 13 inch pan with vanilla wafers, 1 1/2 sliced bananas and pudding mixture. Repeat once.
Lightly sprinkle top with crumbs from vanilla wafers (She just uses the crushed ones from the bottom of the box) for decoration. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. (She usually makes it the morning of the event and it's always good, as long as it can sit in the fridge for a few hours I think is key.)
Friday, May 9, 2008
Marketing Material's available to you
In this day and age, there are numerous marketing options available when selling your property. Virtual tours, open houses, Realtor tours, fliers, and especially an amazing web presence are just a few of the things that it takes to sell a home. Not to mention - the home has to be priced right. In this market, an over priced listings, even by just a bit, can leave it sitting there for months. Now I must say that not everything in that short list is the right marketing aspect for every listing. Take for example, a listing on a barely traveled road would not be an ideal candidate for an open house. It takes an experienced Realtor to know what it will take to properly market your property when selling. I have many fliers and pamphlets available that can help you when preparing to sell your home. If you are interested in seeing a list of what we have available, please e-mail me at Candice@ShinOakRealty.com and I will be happy to get those to you.
Friday, May 2, 2008
New Listings galore!
Man, this has been a busy month. We, here at Shin Oak Realty, have taken several new listings - and let me tell you, they are some great ones! I know, I know. We are hearing all this hype about the Real Estate market and this so-called recession. But I have to tell you - if the property is priced right - it is selling. Now, what we are not seeing, is the over priced listings getting much action. But if they are priced to sell, they are selling! Anyway - if you are interested in seeing a list or previewing any of our new listings, or anything else in the area, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at candice@shinoakrealty.com or call me at 512-635-0404. Until next time....
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