Sylvie's Blog

Every year, when June comes around I take my family on a trip to Fredericksburg where we go to peach orchards and pick our own fruit - not just peaches but blackberries, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables too. The flavors are unbelievable! Picked fresh and ripe, the produce tastes the ...

If you happen to be driving north on Highway 16 from Helotes to Bandera, you will be passing the Junction Cafe. It's on the left at the traffic light in Pipe creek. While you're there, take the time to run in and buy a pie. You can choose from a very nice selection of freshly made blackberry, che...

As any loan officer or broker can tell you, the interest rate on your mortgage is just that - the raw interest you pay. In addition to disclosing interest rates, laws require us to disclose the Annual Percentage Rate (APR). When I first heard about this, I was taking the required classes for my T...

This is a group I created for those of you who, like me, try to live and work by environmentally and ecologically sound principles. I live in a recycled Styrofoam house without air conditioning (in South Texas!) drive a Toyota Yaris, collect rainwater, compost and recycle, shop for food at local ...

Late January/early February is the beginning of the most dangerous season for our oaks-red oaks especially and live oaks. Oak wilt is an infectious disease that kills trees in a relatively short time by destroying their ability to take in water; the trees die of thirst. Fungal mats form under the...

Don't overlook the possible environmental problems a property might have. If your client buys a property that has been contaminated with hazardous/toxic materials, he's also buying those materials and he may have to clean up the site even though he's not responsible for the contamination. Remedia...

If you live in Bexar County, your property tax statement for 2008 will arrive soon. For many people in Bexar County the increase in appraised value has been of the legal upper limit: 10% every year. But for others, it doesn't change even though houses in their neighborhoods are selling for high p...