Well, so Lehman Brothers could not find a buyer in the 11th hour and filed for Bankruptcy.  No big surprise - we've been saying "Garbage in - Garbage out" for a couple decades now...In this case, we're not talking about computers.  The "garbage in" is the ridiculous loans that have been made. You can always expect this kind of thing when people are making big money without having to be smart.  Think about it.  During the height of the real estate boom, my phone was ringing off the hook with people identifying them as "real estate investors."  They were always looking for property where they could borrow 103% and cash flow with a tenant in the house.  Never once did I take a bite of the tempting fruit of the out of state "investor."  Californians were amazed at how cheap homes are here i... 09/16/2008

I am excited to announce that there is a new church that we have formed in Georgetown, Texas.  Not long ago, we decided to become involved in a new church plant with the associate pastor from our previous church.  I knew that he would eventually have his own congregation, and I feel blessed that it ended up being close enough to our home that we could participate. Whit Anderson is a terrific teacher, and having spent the past year in a great discipleship group with him, he is a loyal friend as well.  I look forward to watching the church blossom and grow under his dynamic leadership style.  That is a photo of him to the right along his wife, Heather, along with their cute daughter Abbey. We had our first "official" meeting and Bible study this past week, and we will be meeting on Sunday... 09/11/2008

You hear a lot about how Georgetown, Texas is such a great place to live for people who work in Austin. But what about 30 minutes in the other direction North? Well, that would land you right in Temple and the entire Killeen/Ft. Hood area. Don't be scared off by the picture on the left...that would be more like your commute to Austin, then Temple. You see, if you're heading north, there rarely is any traffic! Heading south into Austin, well, that's another story. I have recently had an influx of clients who are working in Temple/Ft. Hood/Killeen and one thing that is important to all of them is the drive time. So here's a little research I put together thanks to the power of Google maps. These calculations were done to the entrance of the neighborhood to the Hwy 195 exit 268. You'll wan... 09/06/2008

Property taxes are pretty high in Georgetown, Texas. Anywhere in Texas for that matter. The last thing you should do is pay more than you need to.   In a previous post on property taxes in Williamson County, I revealed the actual value that the Williamson County Appraisal District appraised some homes for: Boxwood Loop - Appraised for $171,607 Westbury Lane - Appraised for $160,324 Rosebud Lane - Appraised for $214,193 Greenside Lane - Appriased for $182,535 Well, here are the resuts: Boxwood Loop - Adjusted to $153,600 Westbury Lane - Adjusted to $152,400 Rosebud Lane - Adjusted to $184,000 Greenside Lane - Adjusted to $158,300 That's a total reduction of $80,359.   Assuming a tax rate of 2.4%, I just saved $1928/year in taxes. Now that's worth fighting for! I believe that service hap... 09/03/2008

Why Georgetown, Texas ofcourse!Texas Monthly magazine recently ranked the Creative Playscape in Georgetown's San Gabriel Park as the best in state. I asked my wife what she thought about it and, although she likes it, she mentioned that it was actually a little too big for our little kids and she would have a hard time keeping track of them. Maybe a great place for the older kids...or mom's who are a little more care-free. Anyway, the Austin American Statesman wrote an article on it and I've included it below for your convenience:Georgetown playscape ranked best in stateTexas Monthly magazine praises San Gabriel Park playscape.By Bob BantaAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFThursday, July 17, 2008GEORGETOWN — When Raoul Perez drove into Georgetown on an errand last week from his home in Marble Fall... 08/20/2008

These days you mention anything with the word "gas" and you can get all sorts of attention...so I'm cheating with this blog post to get some additional readership If you searched for GAS PRICES, GAS STATIONS, GAS IS GOING UP, GAS IS GOING DOWN and/or GEORGETOWN, TEXAS I hope this blog comes up.  Don't worry, I will actually write something relevant: My parents and my older sister, Jennie and her whole family, came down from Maryland to visit us a few weeks ago.  It was nice, we stayed in a time share at San Antonio and then spent a few days in Georgetown, Texas.  Well, since all things must come to an end, it was soon time for me to drive them back to Austin Bergstrom International Airport (just 40-50 minutes from Georgetown).  I left at about 4-5 AM since it was an early flight and I n... 08/18/2008

I have previously alluded to the fact that my family and I are going to be part of the core group of people involved in planting a new church in Georgetown this fall.  We have our first real planning meeting tomorrow night, and we have established a place to begin meeting for our Bible studies, which will begin September 7th.  Along with our pastor Whit Anderson and another friend, I am one of three trustees for the new church, which is called simply Christ Church.  Denominationally, we are PCA (Presbyterian Church in America), which includes a "Reformed" Christian theology. Thanks to a good friend of mine who has a lot of contacts in the running world (he is in charge of the Texas Independence Relay race), we will hold our initial meetings at the Run-Tex store, which is on the square i... 08/09/2008

Our local newspaper here in Georgetown, Texas, is the Williamson County Sun.  It has news about the area (rarely national news, unless it pertains to a local), when and where the next fundraiser with good food is going to be, news about local businesses - your typical small town newspaper.  For quite some time now, there's been a column in the Sun that I read religiously.  It always perks up my week - frequently I'll read it out loud to my husband as we're driving down the road and we'll both smile or laugh at the familiar goings-on being described.  That's one of the joys of the column, that it is something we can relate to.  Being word people, the excellent writing is another pleasure.      Now the columns of Eggs In My Pocket, by Mary Fenoglio, local writer who lives outside of Flore... 08/07/2008

Craftsman-style home by Green Builders in Georgetown Texas A few weeks ago, I helped one of my favorite clients, Rod and Carol, purchase a home by Green Builders in my neighborhood Georgetown Village. This was very special for me because it now meant that I have sold every major builder that has been built in this neighborhood! That would include Perry Homes, Bowen Homes and Origin Homes; which are the current builders, and also some past builders like David Weekley, Lennar and Morrison. That seems like a lot of builders for a small neighborhood of around 500 homes like Georgetown Village, but as we move forward, it seems as though only Green Builders and Perry Homes will be doing the bulk of the building. After I showed the home to Rod and Carol I jokingly told them that I liked the fl... 08/06/2008

Austin: Georgetown neighborhoods (edit/delete) Georgetown Georgetown offers us a glimpse into the history of Central Texas with architectural treasures that set it apart from other communities in the Austin area. It is the county seat of Williamson County and is home to Southwestern University. It was named after George Washington Glasscock, the man who donated the land for the town. The development of Georgetown accelerated around 1960, with adaptive restoration becoming common practice. Special emphasis has been directed towards a Main Street program as well as the private restoration of older homes. Downtown Georgetown features one of the best-preserved Victorian and Pre-WWI downtown historic districts around, with the Beaux-Arts Williamson County Courthouse as its centerpiece. Georg... 07/31/2008

Thie weekend's newspaper contained an article about a new Major Medical Center slated for Georgetown. the newspaper states that negotiations are in progress for a 90,000 SF, three story complex designed for medical professionals located 1.5 miles south of downtown on S. Austin Avenue. The Medical Triangle map has been updated which, in addition to the facilities noted previously, now has the location of the proposed medical center. Click here for The Medical Triangle Map which shows the following: Texas Life Science Center, Georgetown St. David's Hospital, St. Davids's Rehab at Sun City, Scott at White at Sun City, The Fountains at Georgetown South, Scott and White, Seton Hospital, Proposed Texas A&M Medical School, Seton Regional Hospital, Texas State (Nursing) School, Tamiro Plaza, an... 07/21/2008

As those who have been around a while may know, my new name, after frying two hard drives (and making an external backup hard drive not work) within five months, is "Dances on Hard Drives".  So you can imagine my chagrin when I went to turn on my computer yesterday morning, the computer that had been functioning perfectly well the night before when I shut it down, and nothing happened.  It wouldn't even TRY to turn on!  Thoughts of terminal embarrassment (never mind lost data) went flitting through my mind.  I had floor duty, on top of that, and an appointment right after that.  I quickly packed up my computer and headed to Friendly Computers in Georgetown, Texas.  I'd first met the owners at a Schmoozoo gathering (Schmoozoo being a social/business networking group then active in George... 07/12/2008

There is over 6 months of inventory in Georgetown, TX. Yeah, I'd say it's a buyer's market. So, if you're looking to change your surroundings and buy a home now is a good time. Advice to sellers: Don't sell if you don't have to. If you have to sell, price AHEAD of the market or else your home will just sit there. Or if you want to upgrade, then sell. You might not make as much as you wanted, but hey, if you're staying in the area you'll be able to take advantage of the market as a buyer Advice to buyers: It's time to buy! Prices are expected to continue to decline, but many analysts are expecting that to taper off by the end of the year. Buy an investment home. Or buy the home you've been wanting to get, but have been holding off....or do both! This market is solid and for long-term ow... 07/10/2008

There are so many medical facilities in the area including those that have been recently built and proposed that I thought it would be helpful to map their location. It's interesting to note that many of them are actually quite close to each other and seem to form a triangle from hwy 1431 in Round Rock to Senic Drive in Georgetown. This "Medical Triangle" contains the following facilities: Texas Life Science Center, Georgetown St. David's Hospital, The Fountains at Georgetown South, Scott and White, Seton Hospital, Proposed Texas A&M Medical School and Texas State (Nursing) School. While other facilities certainly exist outside this Medical Triangle, the majority appear to be in this area and is a strong indication that there is enough growth to sustain medical services and related medi... 07/10/2008

My lifetime experience in golf consists of 9 holes at Avery Ranch and 9 holes at Forest Creek. I guess if you added them together I have played a full round of golf. Suffice it to say, I'm not your next Tiger Woods. However, if you are trying to raise the next Tiger Woods, Georgetown, Texas can be the place for you. There are enough golf courses in the Hill Country to keep occupied for the rest of your life.   This recent article in the US NEWS AND REPORT by Luke Mullins mentions Georgetown, Texas as one of the 10 Great Retirement Spots for Golf Nuts: For genuine golf junkies, there's nothing like retirement. With your schedule cleared of the 9-to-5 grind, you're finally free to pass the days as you always wished: taking extra swings at the driving range, lining up that perfect putt on ... 07/01/2008

One of the fastest appreciating neighborhoods in the Georgetown real estate market has been the downtown area.  There is always an investor/builder doing some type of major renovation on an old home in the Georgetown historic district.  Just drive through the streets downtown and you'll see many beautiful homes that have retained their historic charm next to fixer-uppers that are just waiting to be purchased by the next visionary.  The downtown area is Georgetown's best kept secret for attracting new business and residents, but it looks like we have once-again caught national attention and the secret is out! In the July issue of THIS OLD HOUSE magazine, Georgetown was identified as one of 12 neighborhoods nationwide that is considered the best old-house neighborhoods in the United State... 06/30/2008

Looks like they're bringing it back by popular demand: Free movies every Tuesday morning! What parent wouldn't like another free activity to take their kids to in the summer? I know we'll be going to some of these movies and taking the kids. Doors open at 9AM and movies start at 9:30AM. Better stand in line, I have a feeling there will be a good showing. Here is the linup: June 17 - Ice Age: Licensed to Chill June 24 - Garfield July 1 - Alvin and the Chipmunks July 8 - Happy Feet July 15 - Open Season July 22 - Surf's Up July 29 - Shrek August 4 - Horton Hears a Who I will make sure I'm at Happy Feet and Horton Hears a Who...two thumbs up in my book:) City Lights Theatres is located at the Rivery Shopping Center right off I35 in NW Georgetown, Texas. Take the Williams Drive/Sun City/La... 06/23/2008

Ok, it's the only Greek restaurant in Georgetown, Texas. Seriously though, this is a restaurant I can brag about. That only takes me 10 minutes to drive to. That I can bring my kids to. That doesn't break the bank. What more can a father want? On Friday, Autumn, myself and our good friends, David and Melissa, went on a double date to check this place out. PLAKA GREEK CAFE is the newest restaurant in Georgetown, Texas so we just had to find out how good the food really was. The first thing you'll notice as you pull in to the restaurant is that there is plenty of parking. If every table in that restaurant was full, I bet that parking lot would still have space. That's not something you see everyday! David, Melissa and Autumn ordered the Gyro Wrap Combo, which is sliced lamb and beef in a... 05/29/2008

Hooray for the little guys!  Well, I guess they're not that little if they're on the American stock exchange.  However, Green Builders is not somebody you hear about all that frequently, yet they just got recognized by the National Association of Home Builders for being the "2008 Single Family Affordable Home of the Year" at the National Green Building Awards.  Nice to know that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to have something environmentally friendly eh? Congratulations to their President and CEO, Clark Wilson, and the whole Green Builders crew.  To learn more about Green Builders or to visit their homes in Georgetown or the Greater Austin area, give me a call.  We'll car pool and make it an earth friendly day as we shop for earth friendly homes. They're literally building 2 h... 05/12/2008

I am a real estate agent. Let's face it, when it comes to nest egg options, I doubt my broker has a 401k prepared for me. Therefore, I'm also a real estate investor. I buy homes and hold them for the long term. But what happens when these two roles collide? What should I do if, during the course of listing a home, I tell myself, "Gee, this is the exact type of home I'm looking for!" (Note: I really don't use the word "Gee" in real life.)   Real World Situation I just got off the phone with a nice young lady in my neighborhood, Georgetown Village, and was following up after a listing presentation I gave a few weeks ago. I was just about to finish the phone conversation when she made a comment that went something like this:   Some of my neighbors mentioned that you might not have my best ... 05/11/2008