Last night I cried myself to sleep...I learned of the passing of my friend, fellow REALTOR and awesome person, Mike Carl who along with his wonderful wife and my good friend Kathy made up Team No Limits of Keller Williams Heritage.  Many of us are mourning the unexpected passing of someone who always had a great positive attitude, always had a warm smile, always made you laugh and loved working as a REALTOR with his wife and spending time with his kids and grandkids. I was particularly shocked...because I was just talking to Mike at the ribbon cutting ceremony for our new board of REALTORS office.  I walked in the door to a crowded room of Chamber of Commerce officials, local dignitaries and fellow REALTORS and the first person who smiled, waved and called me over for a hug, was Mike. ... 08/02/2009

New Braunfels, TX Real Estate - The Heights of Oak Run - close to Schlitterbahn & Float the river!   On the North West side of town right off Hwy 46 and Loop 337 you will find the glorious neighborhood of The Heights of Oak Run.  Minutes from Randolph AFB, Guadalupe River, Schlitterbahn, Gruene Hall.            This neighborhood is a mix of homes that age anywhere from 14 years to brand new!   The Heights of Oak Run boasts of the newest homes built in the back end of the neighborhood.   The Sunset from the back end of the subdivision is absoutely beautiful!   The Heights of Oak Run is a conveniently located near 35 North, Loop 337 and right off of Hwy 46 that runs from Seguin through New Braunfels all the way to Boerne.   The Heights of Oak Run is in the New Braunfels School District an... 07/29/2009

I know if you live in Texas you will recognize this logo and probably at one time or another spent a few dollars at H-E-B                                                             I bet you have also had some of that Creamy Creations Peach Ice Cream. Have you been sitting in traffic at Loop 337 and Hwy. 46 in New Braunfels? That entire area is booming with heavy equipment. That piece of land is being developed for retail space and now another H.E.B. The Texas 46 store, which will be the city's second H.E.B  and currently is scheduled to open its doors in the fall of 2010.  I would say with Walgreen's across the street and The Scooter Store behind Walgreen's and New Braunfels High School on the other corner this will be a very busy intersection in New Braunfels. We won't even have to g... 07/15/2009

    They  are knocking on the door, ringing the door bell and coming in through  cracks.                                                           I guess this Texas heat is getting to them and they want in. Scorpions are on the move. Have you had an encounter with one of these innocent looking insects. I guess they are an insect, please correct me if the scorpion is not an insect. Multiple stings - Yes they can get you more then once. Local burning pain - Oh Yes, it hurts Swelling - Yes and it hurts Numbness - Yes Nausea and vomiting - Yes Irregular heart beat - Absolutely Blood pressure change - A sting can do that Blurred vision - From crying because it hurts so much Difficulty swallowing - Yes                             If you should encounter an attack by one of these try putting ... 07/11/2009

You can also go to the link below to register. New  Braunfels is part of the S.A. Chapter. Click on the link and choose your area and fill in the application or if in New Braunfels you can call Sharon McAllister at 830-608-9876 Meeting needs by volunteering -  You'll be glad you did - God Bless America!                              Red Cross seeks volunteer's - New Braunfels, Texas  NEW BRAUNFELS - The American Red Cross is seeking volunteers to receive training in preparation for disasters.There are just a few steps needed to volunteer. Begin by filling out an applicationon on line. From there, you will need to attend a volunteer orientation, complete some required documentation, and then begin working and training in disaster services.Volunteers with the Red Cross perform a number of ... 07/10/2009

Telephone Etiquette It is part of us. What would we do without it? It is as common as apple pie and summer sunshine. As much a part of our lives as learning to walk and talk. I remember one of my first jobs was a telephone operator for a finance company. I was trained by someone from Southwestern Bell (that is when they would come out to the business and train the operator). It didn't look like this, it was one that you had to pull the cord and actually plug it into the office extension (now I'm dating myself). Then we all had the dial phone, it went by different areas of town, like Pershing, Lehigh,Cypress,etc. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. When we first moved to Canyon Lake we were on a party line, believe me there was no privacy. We took the game warden's calls when h... 07/07/2009

This was posted this morning in an article I received from the Key West Citizen Newspaper in Key West Florida. That is where I was born and my dad owned the first Standard Oil station in Key West. Back then not everyone was fortunate enough to own a car. This is when our family purchased our first family car that was a Kaiser (I believe was a Mercury Brand). I remember we as a family  all worked at the service station. (My job was to carry my box out to the car at the pump, step up and clean the windows). My dad usually pumped the gas.That is back when someone would come out, pump your gas, clean your windows, check your tires and oil; have a soda and gossip for awhile. If you didn't have money to pay my mom would keep a record of money owed in a little hand-written log book. Back then ... 07/01/2009

Have you noticed that some of the tree's are dying from lack of water? Both the oak tree and cedar that are popular in this area can usually go without water for a substantial length of time. Stress is beginning to catch up. We noticed this year not as many leaves in the spring and the trees are beginning to look pale. What once had a huge canopy is now sparse. Pray for rain so we won't loose our trees.                                                                                    Worst hit is Central Texas and the Hill Country, where exceptional drought, the most severe designation, has persisted for months and is the driest area in the U.S. Mineral Nutrients Function Magnesium Produces green chlorophyll Calcium Gives rigidity to cell walls Potassium Regulatory functions Nitrogen1 ... 06/22/2009

Okay, okay.  I know I said speechless Sunday.... But sometimes Texans are so proud of our State, you know "everything is bigger in Texas".  I pass this on my way to the river and chuckle every single time!  So, hope you get a kick out of it too!       We have been serving the real estate needs of San Antonio, New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo since 1987!  For a proven results oriented team call 210-325-6962.   Sheila Moran, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Access.  Buy or sell a house with me, use the truck to move for free !  www.SistersThatSell.com   06/21/2009

I had the privelege of spending the day with EXIT Realty President of US Operations Tami Bonnell and EXIT Realty International's Technology Guru, Jeff Lobb.  I am the broker/owner of EXIT Hill Country Realty and one of the things that I love about EXIT Realty is that the leadership all the way to the top is real and in touch with their franchisees, brokers, regional owners and agents.  We see the CEO and President of the company several times a year...today they were in my community, a rural market outside of San Antonio, Texas. Tami Bonnell gave a very inspirational and motivational presentation in the morning session to the broker/owners and was accompanied by Jeff Lobb, who is our Technology Director.  One of the first things he asked the broker/owners was how many had heard of Activ... 06/17/2009

I'm tired of talking home inspection news, tired of talking economy but when I saw this it made me think how little things in life can brighten your day (even if it is a sausage on a stick). It makes me think of summer, fun, good food, family, vacation and writing a Friday Night Blog on Active Rain. It's Friday night and Ceil is waiting for Facebook something or other to get a name. I came across this photo and thought how German and how Texas could you get. Now this is right now my alley, a meal on a stick but with a Tater Twist. I would call it a                                        TEXAS GERMAN SAUSAGE TATER TWIST...                                                                      From your Texas Hill Country Home Inspector http://www.home-inspection4u.com             *******  ... 06/12/2009

  Not taking my first MCE Class but teaching my first MCE Class of which I authored the curriculum!!!  I am so stoked about teaching my own class and it's in front of the home crowd! The topic..."Online Marketing...FREE and Cheap!" and it includes a huge plug for Active Rain and blogging plus social networking, video, and creating a strong online presence!  I have taught the class as a company trainer for two years now and I submitted it recently and got it approved this week.  I get the privilege of presenting it at the Texas Association of REALTORS Region 7 Meeting next Friday in New Braunfels, Texas for attendees representing the 8 REALTOR Boards of our region.  There were 34 seats available in the class per fire marshall standards and as of Wednesday we were at 29 and reservations w... 06/12/2009

I just came in from our backyard vegetable garden and thought I would write a blog.                               What does a backyard vegetable garden have to do with real estate?                                                          Could be the Deal Closer                                             Memories of one more thing they liked about the property                                                     Backyard Vegetable Garden is making a come back                                                                           Even at the White House                                                           (The Obama's Even Have a Vegetable Garden) I believe the outside is just as important as the inside. A beautiful flower garden is wonderful but how about a vegetable garden. Tho... 06/10/2009

  Nestled in the midst of historic New Braunfels, Texas is a beautiful Hill Country oasis known as Landa Park.  I remember back to growing up in the Hill Country and one of the things you did as a kid was swim in the ice cold waters of the giant spring fed pool.  You arrived hot from the South Texas summer heat and jumped into the pool which was so cold it took your breath away.  Back in the day before all the hyper active safety awareness, they had high dives and all kinds of fun things that you could possibly maim yourself with...but man did we love it.  Today they have a rope swing and a really cool huge slide for the kids (big and small) to enjoy!  For those who are into a more climate controlled experience, there is the regular pool at the top of the hill and the childrens pool and... 06/09/2009

Has New Braunfels been fighting change and growth? Everyone knows that right now (yes, it's grown in leaps and bounds), but that it's (New Braunfels) still has that "quaint" old town feel from the town square, seeing neighbors at the grocery store, to floating the river on a lazy Sunday. A recent article in the Express News shows the struggle that New Braunfels is having with growth.  Read the article here: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/state/New_Braunfels_is_planning_anew.html It seems that New Braunfels is seriously fighting change so it doesn't turn into San Antonio with the outer loop. One questions posed was did San Antonio change because the outer loop was built OR because it was inevitable? Question is to anyone that lives in a smaller community....do you live there for the co... 06/08/2009

We hope homes will sell so home inspectors can inspect, appraisers can appraise and folks can have jobs.                                                                                                                                                Maybe some jobs are coming to  San Antonio, Texas                                                                                 and surrounding counties When I turned on my computer this morning this was the first thing I saw. This is good news and when is it going to happen is my question?  Soon we hope so folks can get back to earning money, buying cars and buying homes. "Obama promises more than 600,000 stimulus jobs (AP) ". "AP - President Barack Obama promised Monday to deliver more than 600,000 jobs through his $787 billion stimulus pl... 06/08/2009

This Thursday the New Braunfels Recreation Department's starts their Concert in the Park summer music festival.  This year will mart the 27th year of the festivities.  It starts at 7:30 every Thursday at the Landa Park Dance Slab. The concerts are free and there is a ton of different musicians that will perform. Bring your family, refreshments, lawn chairs and blankets, and start or continue a great summer tradition in the beautiful outdoors of Landa Park.Here is the 2009 Concert in the Park schedule:June 11 - Tom Teboe BandJune 18 - Korey Free & Fore of a KindJune 26 - HIS PraiseJuly 2 - TexannaJuly 9 - Clint Taft & the Buckwild BandJuly 16 - One 4 the RoadJuly 23 - Union StreetJuly 30 - The Good Ole BoysAug. 6 - KnuckleheadAug. 13 - Carlton Pride & Zion   Hope to see you there!   We h... 06/07/2009

Hot, Heat, Summer....does that make you think Texas? Here are a few tips that may help with your electric bill, keep a few pennies in your pocket and help you stay cool                                                                     1.Heat is constantly lost or gained in a home. Keeping this loss or gain to a minimum is very important. Insulation can be a big help because it creates a barrier of resistance. The amount of resistance each insulating material has is called its R-factor. The higher the R-factor, the better the insulating power of the material.2.Approximately 30 percent of heat is lost through the attic or roof. If your attic already has insulation, check its condition. If the insulation is water damaged, settled, compressed, or incomplete, consider adding additional ins... 06/06/2009

SHOPPING...EVERYONE LOVES SHOPPING!  OKAY...WELL MAYBE NOT EVERYONE... But a lot of people do and this is one event that the Texas Hill Country has to offer that is sure to make even the most reluctant shopper re-think their stance.  Gruene Market Days is a recurring event held in Gruene, Texas that occurs every third full weekend February through November and the first weekend of December from 10am to 5pm. GRUENE MARKET DAYS IS A ECCLECTIC COLLECTION OF ARTS, CRAFTS, CREATIONS, FOODS, AND CLOTHING... that is sure to grab the interests of almost anyone that wanders through the area.  Just a sampling of items you might see are candles, jellies, jams, jewelry, plants, ceramics, needlecrafts, woodwork, furniture, clothing, accessories, glass, metal arts, stone art, and much more.  If you ... 06/02/2009

  It's not pronounced "groo-inn" or "groo-nee" it is GREEN just like the color! This little town has charm plus...Gruene, Texas at the edge of New Braunfels on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country of Texas.  Probably the most famous feature in Gruene is the crown jewel of the community Gruene Hall...aka...Texas' Oldest Dance Hall. Gruene Hall is without a doubt the home of Americana music where many big name artists got their start and often return for concerts.  It is a great place with tons of character, a laid back atmosphere, good times, good friends and always a good time for everyone.  It is located in the heart of Gruene right next to the Grist Mill restaurant which has fabulous food and a great open air dining experience overlooking the Guadalupe River. Gruene Ha... 06/01/2009