TEXAS HOME TO 41 LARGEST LANDOWNERS

TEXAS (The Land Report) – The Land Report has ranked the top 100 landholders in the country according to number of acres owned, and 41 of them are in the Lone Star State.
Nine Texas landholders are ranked in the list’s top 20. The King Ranch heirs are sixth in the nation with 851,642 acres.

The Texas ranches included in the top 20 have a combined acreage of over 4.6 million. Texas’ largest landowners reach as far north as the Panhandle’s Four Sixes Ranch and as far south as Victoria County and Kingsville.
To view all of the Texas landholders included in the list, visit "The Land Report’s 100."

TEXAS TOPS IN JOB GROWTH

TEXAS (St. Paul Business Journal) – Texas was top in job growth last year, according to a recent analysis by bizjournals.com.

Five Texas cities ranked among the top ten, with three securing the top three spots.
Houston added 57,300 jobs in 2008, giving it the best year of any U.S. market. Dallas–Fort Worth was next with 43,300 additional jobs, then San Antonio, which was up by 14,900 jobs.
Austin ranked fifth with 9,600 jobs added, and El Paso’s 5,300 additional jobs landed the city at ninth.

Bizjournals.com examines markets that have at least 250,000 nonfarm jobs and compares employment figures for the final month of the past two years. Seventy-two of the 88 markets studied suffered declines in employment in 2008.

Pet Vaccination Clinic TODAY (1/20/09) 5-7 PM

Pet Vaccination Clinic with John Y. Tarlton, DVM
Tuesday, January 20th 5 – 7 p.m.
at Liberty Hill Foundation Park Pavillion

Benefiting Liberty Hill Youth Football and Cheer

Rabies: Dogs and Cats - $5.00
Dog vaccines: DHLP/Parvo/Corona - $15.00
Bordetella (Kennel Cough) - $10.00
Cat vaccines: PRCC/Feluk - $15.00

Complete yearly vaccine - $20.00
Flea & Heartworm preventative will also be available.

For additional information, please call:
Lana Tarlton ~ 238-1093
Dr. Tarlton ~ 512-863-5319
Tessa Sowell ~ 512-507-2007

Simple Home Improvements for Function and Flair

1. Securely weatherizing your home—sealing windows, doors and other gaps with acrylic caulk and weather stripping saves energy and decrease utility bills—by as much as $275 to $300 a year by some estimates.

2. A new coat of paint on a home’s exterior is functional—it protects the home from rain, snow, wind, and sun damage. In addition to improving the life of its ‘skin,’ paint revives curb appeal and pumps up the value of a home.

3. Properly insulated walls and ceilings saves 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, and can generate about $250 in annual energy savings, according to www.stopglobalwarming.org.

Courtesy of Fidelity National Home Warranty (FNHW) February 2009 Newsletter

ECONOMY STILL BETTER IN TEXAS

COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – More than two million U.S. jobs were lost from November 2007 to November 2008, representing 1.5 percent of its labor force. The Texas economy fared much better during the period, gaining 222,900 jobs and increasing its labor force by 2.1 percent.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 4.2 percent in November 2007 to 5.7 percent in November 2008. The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 4.7 percent to 6.7 percent over the same period.

Despite recent oil price decreases, the state’s mining industry continues to gain jobs. It ranked first in job creation, followed by professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, education and health services, and construction.

All Texas metros experienced positive employment growth rates from November 2007 to November 2008. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ranked first in job creation followed by Laredo, College Station–Bryan, Longview and El Paso.

The state’s actual unemployment rate in November 2008 was 5.6 percent. Petroplexes Midland and Odessa ranked first and second in lowest unemployment rate followed by Amarillo, Lubbock, Abilene and College Station–Bryan.

The complete economic report is available on the Real Estate Center's website.

Pet Vaccination Clinic - in Liberty Hill 1/20/09

Pet Vaccination Clinic
with John Y. Tarlton, DVM

Tuesday, January 20th
5 – 7 p.m.
at Liberty Hill Foundation Park Pavillion
Benefiting Liberty Hill Youth Football and Cheer

Rabies: Dogs and Cats - $5.00
Dog vaccines: DHLP/Parvo/Corona - $15.00
Bordetella (Kennel Cough) - $10.00
Cat vaccines: PRCC/Feluk - $15.00

Complete yearly vaccine - $20.00
Flea & Heartworm preventative will also be available.

For additional information, please call:
Lana Tarlton ~ 238-1093
Dr. Tarlton ~ 512-863-5319
Tessa Sowell ~ 512-507-2007

Home sales are up!

WOW! 100 homes sold the week of 12/14/08, that is the highest sales count since before November!

And more homes are selling then are being listed, so if you are intersted in selling your home with a leading Real Estate firm in Liberty Hill, please call Shin Oak Realty at 512.515.6565.