The neighborhood has a pool, covered picnic area and sport courts. There is also a gated section with condos. It is served by Whitestone Elementary, Running Brushy Middle School and Leander High. Running Brushy Middle school is within walking distance of the neighborhood.

The home is very open and light. There is a columned formal dining room that is open to the family room and just off the island kitchen. What a kitchen! It has hard surface counters and beautiful cherry 42” cabinets. It is very user friendly and has a nice large breakfast area. You will not believe this huge walk-in pantry. Spoil yourself!

The family room is very open and large with lots of light from the windows all across the back of the home. The back yard can be seen from every room in this home except the study and secondary bedrooms. And what a back yard it is!

There is a large covered patio off the kitchen, breakfast and family room. Beyond that, is the magical entertainment area covered with pergolas. The patio itself is made of hand laid stone and it is huge. There is plenty of room for lots of furniture and pots of plants. If you entertain crowds, you will really enjoy this feature of this home.

The home has 3 bedrooms and a study.

As if that were not enough in the back yard, there is a good looking building with a front porch and this building cannot be seen from inside the home. What do you need extra? A studio, a workshop or, perhaps a man cave. The original owners needed a music studio and a place to store lawn equipment/workshop. They referred to it as a “man cave” and his rocker on the front porch made a great place to smoke his cigars.

One side of the back yard is very private and the yard is very large. Another fabulous feature of this home is the price. The sellers are negotiable even though the price of $249,900.00 is much less than they paid for it before they put all the amenities in the back yard.  So this is a deal! Give me a call  if you have any questions or would like to see it.

Patsy Snyder ABR CRS ePRO GRI

512-259-1972

The north and northwest suburbs are making these decisions as well.  In the Leander School District, the decision has been made to delay the opening of elementary school number 24, in the subdivision of Red Oaks in Cedar Park.  This opening is delayed until the fall of 2012.

The opening of middle school #18 is also being delayed  until 2012.  Also being considered are measures to save money by reducing work days plus salaries, maybe floating positions can be created and maybe a reduction of staff.  Many options are being considered at this time.

Other options might be to reduce middle school athletics, choosing different schedules, different insurance programs, teacher-pupil rations might be tightened or maybe closing a week in the summer.

Though no one enjoys making these sacrifices, I am certain that the school districts will make these changes work in the best interest of our students during these difficult economic times.

Did you know that the west side of Leander features hills and valleys with long views, a municipal golf course and beautiful gated communities?

Check out this new Leander website!

This website provides details that will help anyone who is thinking about living in this area. It will provide a glimpse of the nuances of the neighborhoods, great shopping, fun stuff, restaurants, schools and school functions, and anything else that is happening here.  Even if you have not considered Cedar Park to be your home and lifestyle, take a look at the website.  You may decide that it is a perfect fit for the lifestyle you are seeking for your family.  For me, it is a “breath of fresh air”.

Cedar Park also has another farmers market that is open on Wednesday evenings but is closed until spring. It is located at The Rock United Methodist Church at 2100 W. New Hope Drive. Their hope is to eventually be open year round. This last season, this market had 8 to 12 vendors with an average of 125 customers during its’ initial season from Oct. 27 to Dec. 8. It has plans to re-open this year in mid March to early April. Watch for this seasonal market to open this spring again.

Come on out to The Farmers to Market on Saturday mornings and in the spring, you may want to check out The Rock Farmers Market on New Hope Drive on Wednesday evenings.

This project is planned to open in 4 stages.  Stage 1 includes a 16 acre convertible water park with other attractions such as a simulated skydiving ride. May 2012 is the projected opening date for this phase of the water park.

Stages 2 and 3 include a 230 room hotel, retail space with 45,000 square feet, a conference center and to connect these features will be a river walk. How exciting is that! These stages must be completed by May 2014.

By May 2014, the 4^th stage of the project must be finished and it is simply an expansion of previous stages.

These deadlines must be met in order for the City of Cedar Park to pay an estimated $6 million in city incentives. The incentives would be used for developer reimbursement of public infrastructure. There are also capped amount of taxes based on performance of the project.

It seems that banks are requiring recourse loans for the investors. Recourse loans allow the bank to tap into personal assets of investors whereas, in the past, only assets involved in the loan were collateral for a failed project.

It is “white knuckle” time for the developers of this project. It has not been difficult finding investors who see the potential for the project but with the banks requiring recourse loans, the number of investors has dwindled.

With the new metro rail in Leander and all projected developments planned for Leander, the Cedar Park and Leander area is on the move and this little corner of the Austin area will be a great addition to central Texas.  Cedar Park officials are dreaming big in becoming a destination city and this project, along with Cedar Park Center will distinguish this little corner of the Austin area as unique in “places to go”.

Most Realtors today have areas of expertise and specialize in those areas.  This expertise is invaluable to a buyer. There is not a Realtor in Austin metro who knows everything about every area. Speaking strictly for myself, I can probably tell you who built 95% of the homes in Cedar Park-Leander and, more than likely, watched the neighborhoods as they were being built. We also know how the different neighborhoods have held their value and will know those that have not and will know why they have not. There are always reasons for one or the other. This kind of information will allow a buyer to make a more informed decision.

We live in a world of information today and with information so available on the internet, we can gather what we need very quickly. I enjoy this as much as anyone does but when buying a home, one of the largest investments that most people make in a lifetime, having some guidance from a real person who has personal information from experience in an area or a neighborhood is a real help to a buyer or a seller. Knowing the nuances of neighborhoods will allow a Realtor to do niche marketing for a seller and quickly show buyers areas that fit the lifestyle they are searching for.

It may seem that most neighborhoods are very much the same but they are not. Each neighborhood is a little different and it is these differences that determine the true value of your investment. This information is gathered by Realtors who work the neighborhoods daily in the areas in which they specialize.

Become an informed buyer and work with a Realtor who specializes in areas you have an interest in.  If you are a seller looking for a Realtor to sell your house, a Realtor who works with lots of buyers in your area will certainly have the expertise to sell your house.

If you want to know all about Cedar Park and Leander, give me a call at 512.259.1972.

Homes in Lakeline Ranch

Homes in Lakeline Ranch cover areas on each side of Osage. Osage continues from this neighborhood directly into The Highlands at Crystal Falls. Like many neighborhoods, different sections have different builders and different prices.  The condo section has the low end of the price range, making it a great choice for those who do not want to rent apartments but do not want a house and yard to maintain.

At the high end of the price range are sections at the northern most sections of the neighborhood where the subdivision ends. These sections are also more wooded.  From the lowest end of the price range to the highest end, there are homes that will meet the needs of most buyers under $300,000.00 in today’s market here at the end of 2010.

Schools for Lakeline Ranch

The Leander ISD has some great schools for Lakeline Ranch. Winkley Elementary is located just across Lakeline Blvd. and, at this time, has a rating of Excellent.  Running Brushy Middle School is about 5 minutes away on Lakeline Blvd.  It too, at this time, has a rating of Excellent. Leander High School is also 5-7 minutes away so this neighborhood is perfect for families with school aged children.

Heritage Oak Tree History

The Cedar Park Heritage Oak Tree has a history dating back to the 1940s but has been in existence for hundreds of years. I am always amazed at the long lives of trees.

The real estate where the Heritage Oak Tree is located was a donation to Cedar Park in 1997. It only took one year for the city to have the first lighting of the tree where more than 50,000 lights are strung during the Christmas season.

If you are interested, watch for a blog on the history of the Leander Christmas tree.  It has an interesting history.

Cedar Park Beauty

If you are in the area, it is well worth a drive-by to see this gorgeous tree.  It makes a magnificent addition to the Christmas season in Cedar Park.

They have, however, purchased four lots at The Highlands at Crystal Falls model location and are building four of their model homes there while the roads are being built back to the new sections.  These four model homes are not to be used for sales, they are strictly being built to showcase the homes that will be built in the four sections where they have purchased homesites.

This acquisition is the largest land buy that Taylor Morrison has ever purchased. Their belief in the area is so strong that they paid cash for the lots which, in itself,  says so much about the future of Leander as well as the Austin area. The developer, Bill Hinckley, president of The Lookout Group, was impressed with Taylor Morrison’s designs in Steiner Ranch and knew that this building company believed in Crystal Falls when they offered cash for the property.  This partnership will add more value to Crystal Falls communities.

Where Is Cedar Park Center?

Seating in the Cedar Park Center for basketball is 4,672 people.  Cedar Park Center is located at the intersection of Toll Road 183-A and New Hope Drive.

The Toros are thrilled to showcase the NBA future stars in the Cedar Park Center, a state-of-the-art-arena.  CEO, Peter Lubell said, “The opportunity to offer our fans a more balanced schedule that includes more week-end games, coupled with the convenience and amenities of Cedar Park Center, makes this a win for everyone.” Rick Pych, president of operations for Spurs Sports and Entertainment said, “The Toros’ move will allow us to improve the fan experience beyond what we have been able to offer in past years.”

Third Largest Venue in Austin Area

Once again, Cedar Park has another winner in the development of this very fine central Texas area. The Cedar Park Center is now home to hockey and basketball. George Strait, Alan Jackson and other musical artists have entertained in this venue. Cedar Park and Leander residents are enjoying having local entertainment

HOMES IN THE BOULDERS AT CRYSTAL FALLS

Boulders at Crystal Falls homes are built by Gehan and Lennar. These homes have soaring ceilings and lots of windows. The majority of them have large island kitchens that are open to the family room and families all seem to want this feature. Due to our busy lifestyles today, there is little time for “family time”.  It seems that dinner time is the most logical time to unite together. In these homes, whether cooking dinner, doing homework or just relaxing together, everyone can gather in these two areas of the home.

WHAT IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE?

This is a wooded neighborhood with rolling and curving streets. Since the streets are not level, the neighborhood definitely does not portray a “cookie cutter” look. It also has the same markings as the other Crystal Falls communities such as limestone markers. The street lights are a lantern fashion which adds a distinct look and connection to the other Crystal Falls communities.

RESORT STYLE AMENITY CENTER

You will be blown away by the amenity center in The Boulders at Crystal Falls. It has a resort type pool with a stone grotto .  It is fun to sit here with a waterfall effect. The amenity area is bordered on the back side by large slabs of limestone. This is a beautiful contrast to all the beautiful live oaks that form a canopy over the picnic area. The picnic tables and benches are made from thick slabs of limestone and there are grills to cook hot dogs and hamburgers. One thing I really like about this area is that it is a shady place to sit while the kids play on the playground equipment. What is more relaxing than to be able to sit in the shade and read a book while your kids enjoy the area, all in plain site for you! But wait, there is more………..you may also enjoy the amenity center located at The Highlands at Crystal Falls. All residents of any of the five Crystal Falls communities may use either of these two amenity centers.

Call me today at 512-259-1972 to see this fabulous neighborhood! You will be glad you did!

Homes in Cap Rock

Cap Rock homes will fall into two categories. The Portocasa Collection will have square footage in the 2,000 to 3,000 square footage range.  These homes are designed to capture the outdoor surroundings of the beautiful hill country look.  There are approximately 20 designs in this collection.

The second category, and Grand Haven’s most popular series of homes will be a great compliment to the Portocasa collection. The square footage range of these homes will be from approximately 2,300 square feet to over 4,000 square feet.  Both of these collections will have stone and stucco facades.

The Beauty of Cap Rock

Cap Rock is a gated community that is set on a plateau within the 5,000 acre master planned community of Crystal Falls. These homesites are beautiful and some will have hill country views. It is within the Crystal Falls golf course at holes 3 through 7.  If you want to have a choice of the homesites, especially those with breathtaking views, you need to make your reservation now.

I have been singing the praises of Crystal Falls since the day the first home was built.  Believe it or not, there are many Austinites who do not know about this area yet but Crystal Falls’ time has come and you certainly owe it to yourself if you are considering building a new home. From day one, I have referred to the Crystal Falls communities as Leander’s best kept secret.

Call me at 512-259-1972 if you would like to see this fabulous new community.  As a matter of fact, call me to see any of the five Crystal Falls communities.

On the third Saturday of each month, residents can haul their trash that the trash company cannot pick up to the neighborhood site where it will be hauled off at no cost to the resident. A Block House Creek resident with a pickup is a very popular guy. Like anything else, there are limitations. For instance, if you have changed the oil in your car, you cannot take that oil to this site for disposal. For details on items that cannot be delivered to the free trash disposal site, call 259-0959. Do you remember when you trimmed you trees and raked your leaves for the first time and wondered how to dispose of them? This perk is ideal for that situation and you will save the time and money it takes to drive them to a dump and pay the dump fee.

The second perk is “garage sale day”. On the second Saturday of every other month, residents are busy holding their own garage sales. So, mark your calendars and visit this huge “garage sale day”.

If you want to live in a beautiful wooded neighborhood with all kinds of family activities, you should visit Block House Creek. At the present time, there is no other neighborhood in Leander with two pools, one heated, five parks, creek with waterfalls and the beauty begins immediately when you drive into the neighborhood off of Hwy. 183. Block House Creek Elementary School, currently exemplary rated, is conveniently located in the neigborhood. Block House Creek is also very near the metro rail station. Feel free to read the many blogs about Leander and Block House Creek. Give me a call at 512-259-1972 if you have questions or want to take a look at the homes in Block House Creek.

Also coming in the 2011 fall school year is the 8^th middle school for LISD.  It will be located at CR179 between Sam Bass and Ronald Reagan Blvd. This school is a welcome addition to the residents of Leander.

With all the growth in the Cedar Park-Leander areas, it is no surprise that there is a need for new schools. The LISD schools have high ratings and is a major draw for families moving into this area.

I have lived in Block House Creek since 1990 so I know it real well. Interesting enough, when I moved here, I intended to live here a couple of years and move to another neighborhood as I learned more about the Cedar Park-Leander area. Here I am 20 years later and still here.  There are some fabulous neighhborhoods in this area but I never found a reason to move. Block House Creek is a family oriented neighborhood and I have always felt very safe here. It is very friendly and the amenities are awesome.

We have two pools, one is heated and our swim team meets here. The other is in the beautiful park at the front of the neighborhood among all those gorgeous old huge trees. This park is always “happening”. There is a baseball field, basketball, volleyball, tennis, bmx for bikes, disc golf, just to name a few.

There are homes that have the creek running behind them and you can hear the waterfalls, see all the lush trees at the creek, critters and just relax. Some of the homeowners actually have placed park benches at the creek behind their home and as I was showing a home there one morning, the homeowner was at the creek drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper. Isn’t that a beautiful picture!

You will definitely want to check out Block House Creek if you are looking for a home. Check back often for more blogs and Block House Creek real estate for sale. Also, please feel free to comment on my blogs. I would love that!

The Crystal Falls Golf course is located in the Crystal Falls community called Grand Mesa and the whole area is breathtaking.  The huge limestone boulders and native cacti fill the common areas of the community. The driving range is set in an area with limestone seating under a cluster of oak trees. The golf course winds through hilly terrain that is wooded with native oak trees. Yes, there is a clubhouse, a restaurant, pro shop, creekside park, and a pavilion. Golfers say this is a very challenging course so you may want to visit and test your skills.

I must warn you, though, that when you see this gorgeous neighborhood with homesites from 1-7 acres, you may be tempted to own a tract of Crystal Falls real estate.

Homes for sale in Paloma Park are built by some of Austin’s premiere builders. David Weekley Homes, Grand Haven Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, Taylor Morrison Homes and Plantation Homes will offer homes in Paloma Lake.

How great is it to be real close to the Round Rock Premium Outlets if you want to shop? Have you been to Ikea yet? If not, try it, you may like it. Baseball fans? Dell Diamond is just a few minutes away. The Round Rock ISD serves Paloma Lake in Round Rock and a new elementary school is planned to be in the neighborhood.

If you are planning to buy Round Rock real estate, take a look at Paloma Lake.

There will be 20 or more farmers, ranchers and other vendors. The market will be held each Saturday from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. The market will be located in the parking lot of 1890 Ranch, 1455 E. Whitestone Blvd. in Cedar Park.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of buying produce only to realize that it has absolutely no taste due to the early harvesting and shipping time from other countries. There is just no comparison to garden fresh tomatoes and those purchased in the grocery stores.  One concern many people have is the problem with illnesses from tainted produce as has been experienced here in the Austin area. I remember the illnesses from tomatoes and that problem caused me to begin growing my own. How can one enjoy summer without good tomatoes?“ With all the education regarding preservatives, people have chosen to search for fresh food and Farmers Markets provide excellent choices. Organically grown produce is also a very popular choice.

At the Cedar Park Farms to market, you will find only Texas vendors. Also available here will be products like honey, beef, shrimp, pork and eggs. It just seems to be a win-win situation for Cedar Park-Leander residents as well as the farmers and ranchers of Texas.

Posted by Patsy Snyder on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 12:42pm.

Changes coming to FHA!  Before the conventional mortgage loan market collapsed, approximately 10% of home buyers utilized FHA financing. Conventional loans were king. Borrowers who had less than perfect credit and little money down could utilize the FHA programs to purchase a home. FHA required 3 percent down and the seller could contribute up to 6 percent in seller paid closing costs. A buyer who purchased a $200,000 home with the seller paying 6% in seller paid closing costs needed only $6,000 in down payment and about $1,000 in additional cash to cover buyer paid closing costs.

Today approximately 41% of all loans originated by mortgage banks are issued and insured by FHA. The reason for the sudden use of FHA insured loans is due to the stringent conventional mortgage guidelines and lack of insurability of conventional loans where the buyer does not have 20% for down payment.A buyer today who wants to use a conventional loan to purchase a home needs a 680 credit score and the combined housing and credit debt ratio cannot exceed 41 percent of the buyers gross income. FHA will in some instances allow a higher debt ratio if the borrower has good quality risk factors such as great credit, cash reserves in the bank and job stability. FHA now requires borrowers to be on their current job at least 6 months.

Due to the number of defaults on loans in the past year FHA loans are changing. Today FHA requires only 3.5% down, however, this will be changing. FHA will require 5% to 10% down when utilizing an FHA loan. They are taking away the ability for a seller to contribute 6% to assist the buyer to pay closing costs. The seller will be able to contribute up to 3%, the same as a conventional loan. Also the upfront mortgage premium is going to be increased from 1.75% to 2.5%.

If you are a home buyer and utilizing FHA, now is the time to purchase that home before these changes go into effect! Remember you must be under contract by April 30, 2010 and settle by June 30th, 2010 to also take advantage of the tax credit!This new and important information was provided to me by Matt Spinn of Lone Star Financing. For more details, give me a call at 512-259-1972.

Patsy Snyder ABR CRS ePRO GRI

Broker Associate

Office:  512-259-1972

Mobile: 512-970-3672

Today, The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that it could be done with the changes it must make to its MetroRail Red Line in January, according to a status update released by Capital Metro.

It seems that, according to Capital Metro officials, work is under way to address the two main types of issues that remain, issues requiring programming changes to the centralized traffic control system and issues requiring operating procedure modifications.

They annouced that once those changes are complete, Capital Metro will test the full system to ensure the changes and improvements work together, officials said. They are projecting that these last steps in the preparations be complete in the first quarter 2010.

“I am committed to the successful completion of this project, and we have taken the necessary steps and put the appropriate resources in place,” said Doug Allen, Capital Metro’s interim president and CEO. “MetroRail will make a positive difference in this community and will be a major step toward a comprehensive regional transportation system for central Texas.”

So, we have another date to look forward to regarding the opening of the rail line from Leander to Downtown Austin.  If the work is completed the first quarter of 2010, perhaps they will announce an opening date at the end of that quarter.

Since it’s beginnings, Block House Creek has had a Leander address.  Cedar Park will be the correct address if a majority of the residents choose Cedar Park rather than Leander.   Block House Creek has always been in the Cedar Park ETJ.  If this is confusing to you, just think about Block House Creek being out in Williamson County and not in any city.

I have voted for a Cedar Park address when offered the survey in the past.  It just made sense to me since Cedar Park will, one day, annex Block House Creek.

If you have questions regarding a community that is not in a city, contact me.  For instance, where does the community get its’ water?  What fire and police departments service the community?

I have lived in Block House Creek since 1990 and, noticeably, there is no difference in living in a community of homes in the county as opposed to living in a city.

If you want to buy a home but do not have available money for a down payment and closing costs, USDA Loan Program offers up to 102% financing for Select Rural Areas in Central TX.

Some details of the USDA Loan Program are as follows:

• All closing costs & prepaids can be added to the loan, up to appraised value
• No Private Mortgage Insurance (No PMI)
• Loans can exceed appraised value by the 2% USDA Guarantee Fee
• No upper loan limit – loan amount offered based on Ability-To-Pay
• For owner-occupied borrowers only
• Program counts all household income to determine eligibility (even household members not on the loan)
• Subject property has to be in USDA “Rural Development” area
• Minimum credit score of 580
• Full Doc Loans and 30-year fixed rates only

This is a unique opportunity for select buyers in areas such as Leander, Hutto and other rural towns in Central Texas.  Contact me and I can introduce you to a lender who sponsors this program.

Cedar Park has great entertainment.  The VFW Hall is no longer the only game in town.  Aside from city and group festivals, there are now several venues from which to choose.

The most recent and upcoming venue is the Cedar Park Event Center.  Click here to get the specifics.

This blog is currently under construction.  Please come back for new additions on the entertainment and restaurant scene in Cedar Park.

I have been asked this question many times over the last two decades of my career.  My answer is “yes” and I hope to answer some of the Seller’s questions here.

From the Seller’s point of view:

• Who can retrieve the house key from the lockbox?

Any Realtor, Inspector or Appraiser who is a member of the Austin Board of Realtors and  Austin Central Texas Realty Information System

• Are my valuables safe in my home with Realtors and Buyers entering my home in my absence?

Realtors are very watchful while showing your home to prospects.  We are trained to advise all  Sellers to put away their valuable jewelry or small valuables that could easily be taken.  If you  think about it, a prospect could not walk out with anything larger than an item that could be  placed in a pocket or a handbag.  Any Realtor would notice that.

• Are there safeguards in place regarding the lockbox?

Yes.  Each time a lockbox is opened, an electronic record is made of the key name and number  of the person opening the lockbox.

• Are there specified times when a Realtor can retrieve the key and enter my home?

Yes, times of operation can be programmed into the lockbox.

Lockboxes allow Realtors to show your home quickly and easily.  There are some instances when a Seller might prefer an appointment with a Realtor.  In this instance, the Seller would need to be there at all daytime hours or require that the listing agent handle the appointment.

Appointments do not always allow Realtors to show the property.  For instance, an out of town Buyer who only has one or two days to find their home may not be able to see the home.  Many times, an appointment interferes with the scheduled tour of homes for the Buyer and they just do not see your home.  One thing is for sure, if Buyers cannot see your home, they cannot buy it.

Realtors work very hard to show the homes that meet the Buyer’s requirements and Sellers cannot afford to miss the perfect Buyer for their homes.

Posted by Patsy Snyder on Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 at 1:38pm.

For some time now, I have had prospective Sellers disagree with the value that I established on their home.  I do not have a problem with disagreements as long as each side proves their point with actual data. For many years, Sellers would base their price opinion on the sale of a friend’s house or a neighbor’s house.  As a real estate broker, I knew that, more than likely, the friend’s or neighbor’s house was not comparable in any way except that it was in the same neighborhood or the same floorplan in another neighborhood and assuming that they were exactly the same in every way, my prospective Seller had no way of proving the sales price.

Texas is a non-disclosure state and sales prices are not available to anyone.  Our local appraisal districts do not even know the actual sales price unless they get it from a CMA prepared for a Realtor’s client in the course of a protest to the tax evaluation assessed on their home.  If you go to the courthouse and look up records on home addresses, you will see that the home sold for $10.00 and other good and valuable considerations.  That is because Texas is a non-disclosure state. Realtors sell homes and they know the actual sales price and this information is owned by the local Board of Realtors, gathered by Realtors.  We have actual data. Today, Sellers have acess to websites such as ValueMap, Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, etc.  These websites proclaim to offer a good estimate of your home value.  Sellers also have access to tax records online and they will find a value there also.  Unless you receive your value from a realtor member of the local listings through the local board and listing service, you do not have actual value. It is my hope that members of the public will realize that websites offering value data for profit through their advertising, without proven data, are worthless in establishing home values.  They provide estimates and Zillow has admitted that their estimates can be 30% off either way. That 30% can be a lot of money, depending on home value price. I have personally seen homeowners change their moving plans because their home will not sell for the values they received from these websites. To get the true value of your home, include a market analysis from a local Realtor.

No one can deny that Austin and central Texas is beautiful.  Even though it will be one hundred degrees today, I am excited to visit neighborhoods.  My new camcorder/camera will be put to good use today as I photograph beautiful entrances, neighborhood pools buzzing with laughing children and my favorite, beautiful flower beds alive with color.

My favorite subjects to photograph are the amenity centers.  One cannot miss the pool area with all the laughing and screaming kids.  After focusing on the pool for just a few minutes, it is easy to see the future olympic candidate, the pool “bully” pushing girls into the pool, and the little girls whispering to each other, probably discussing the cutest boy there.  These scenes usually take my mind off of the heat.

The “behind the scenes” work of a Realtor can be fun but, sometimes, terribly exhausting, especially in the one hundred degree temperatures.  Just as the heat begins to seem unbearable, I remind myself that there are people in very cold temperatures that are enjoying seeing my photographs of a beautiful sunny day in Austin, Texas as they peruse home listings on our websites.

Schools and students in the Leander ISD have won another award.  This fast growing school district is “on the move”  in winning awards as well.

Wiley Middle School holds the latest award to date.  Sylvia Flannbery, Principal, believes in competition and encourages the students and staff to particpate in contests.  To promote reading, Wiley students entered the Scholastic Book Fairs Spring 2009 National Middle School Contest and won first place.

Prize for first place is two fold.  Wiley will have a $2,000 gift to purchase books and products from Scholastic Book Fairs.  I know there must be lots of excitement and anticipation of a visit in fall 2009, from Olympic Gold Medalist, Michael Phelps.

Leander ISD and its’ students just keep on winning!

Looking for an upcoming boom area?  Let me tell you about Leander.

I moved to the Cedar Park-Leander area in 1990 because I believed that it would be the next booming area around Austin.  At that time, the population of Leander was approximately 1,250 and Cedar Park had a population of approximately 6,500.  Today, the population of Leander is approximately 28,000 and Cedar Park has a population of approximately 52,000.

So, time has proved that my investment opinion of this area was correct.  Cedar Park is almost completely built out and there are already developments on drawing boards awaiting a turn around of the U.S. economy and then we can sit back and watch Leander explode with new development.

This is my professional opinion and I am stickin’ with it. For a real estate broker, areas like this are very exciting and I am anticipating the growth of Leander with lots of excitement.

If you are looking for a good future investment and want to be on the ground floor of a developing area in the heart of central Texas just northwest of Austin, we need to talk about Leander.  Contact me at 512-259-1972 and let’s talk.

Homeland Security now requires anyone who holds a license of any type to be fingerprinted and have a photo taken for the database.

I think this is a good thing and did not mind the $44.00 fee nor the couple of hours that it took out of my day as a Realtor. It was just one more thing, however.

As I stated in an earlier blog, it is time to renew my real estate license and all I have left to do is to take one more class.  After I pay the fee for the license renewal to the Texas Real Estate Commission, I’ll be a licensed real estate Broker for two more years and will be able to answer your next question.

That is a good thing!  Gotta run and take my last class.  How are you spending your Saturday afternoon?

This Friday, June 5, 2009, Block House Creek is entertaining the neighborhood with their Movie in the Park Friday evening at dusk.

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, snacks and drinks to the pavilion at Tumlinson Park and enjoy Journey to the Center of the Earth. This movie shows a quest to learn what happened to a missing brother, a scientist, a nephew and their mountain guide. In this quest, a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth is discovered.  What a great way to spend a late spring Friday night.

Movies in the Park is just one of the many amenities of living in Block House Creek. Contact me to learn more about this great neighborhood located between Cedar Park and Leander.

If  ”Avenue of the Stars” is a new phrase to you, let me introduce you to the Cedar Park Center now under construction.  It is located at the northwest corner of toll road 183-A and New Hope Drive.  This event center furthers one of Cedar Park’s goals to promote tourism.  As a Realtor specializing in Cedar Park-Leander, this event center also furthers one of my goals of introducing as many people as I can to the Cedar Park-Leander area for their next home town.

This event center is home to the Texas Stars, affiliate of the American Hockey League, Dallas Stars.  There will be 40 regular season games as well as pre-season play-off games.  The event center will have 6,800 seats in the multi-purpose event center and will host affordably priced concerts/live entertainment, rodeos, ice shows, basketball, graduations, trade shows and more.

Now, I must admit that hockey has never been very high on my list for sporting entertainment.  As a matter of fact, it would never have occurred to me to even think about hockey, having been raised in Texas where we go to the beach 9 months out of every year.  But, my curiosity has been peaking lately knowing that I can attend hockey games just 10 minutes from my house.  That is very attractive to me since I have lived in the Cedar Park-Leander area since 1990 and the only entertainment we had was fireworks in the park on the 4th of July, Tree lighting at Christmas and a few festivals here and there, even a few street dances.  And, there is the Dennis Quaid golf tournament every year, along with Friday night high school football and this helped with our enjoyment of sporting events.  But, now we will have an American Hockey League team calling our event center “home”.

My heart just leaps into my throat imagining all the concerts/live entertainment that lies ahead, just 10 minutes from my home.  Since music has been in the forefront all of my life, I am saving my money just in case a season ticket for concerts is offered to us.  I’ll certainly take advantage of that.  I’ve seen some really big name entertainers in Austin over the last 4-5 decades and they were usually in venues smaller than the Cedar Park Event Center.

A huge, huge factor for the Cedar Park Center is that there will be 2500 parking spaces adjacent to the Center.  Have you tried to find a parking space at any of the entertainment venues in Austin lately?  I will attend those again when the Metro Rail is running from Leander to downtown Austin.

The event center complex will include two interrealted components……….1.  The event center will have 181,000 square feet in the multi-purpose indoor event center.  There will be 24 luxury suites, a center-hung scoreboard, banquet space, concessions, and an ice center to accommodate professional hockey.  2.  There is a 16 acre mixed-use development that will have approximately 91,000 square feet of retail, shops and restaurants, and approximately 91,000 square feet of commercial office space.

Cedar Park’s idea was to create a pedestrian friendly entertainment destination in the heart of Cedar Park.  The coming of this event center is very exciting to the residents of Cedar Park.

Many times buyers and sellers of real estate consider purchasing or selling their own real estate without the representation of a state licensed Realtor.

I do not know how you are spending your Saturday but I am spending mine buried in rules, regulations, matters of ethics, etc. while taking required courses of mandatory continuing education in order to renew my real estate license.  In Texas, we receive two year licenses and at the end of the two year licensing period, we must take 15 hours of mandatory continuing education to renew our licenses.  This process is costly for us and the time spent in classes is not my favorite thing to do on Saturday afternoon but I realize the importance of knowing the new rules, regulations and ethics of performing a complex transaction such as the buying and selling of real estate.

In renewing my license this year, there is one more step that I must take to be approved for renewal of my license by the Texas Real Estate Commission.  I must submit to fingerprinting.  Not that this is a big deal for me, it just requires that I schedule an appointment for this and drive to the place of business where this process is administered and pay the fee.  It is just one more thing and one more expense, if you know what I mean, in our busy world today.

Course topics vary but all are pertinent to our profession.  Ethics and Legal topics are required every two years and without staying current in these subjects, a Realtor is not as valuable to a buyer or seller of real estate.  Who is going to prevent you from the legal pitfalls of a complex transaction without the knowledge of new laws, rules, etc.?

Because licensees in Texas are held to such strict compliance of these serious aspects of real estate transactions, I, for one, am very glad that the State of Texas requires this mandatory continuing education for licensees.  Having a fiduciary to our clients requires us to adhere to every rule, law and regulation of several governing entities.  This fiduciary trust affords buyers and sellers several safeguards when working with a Realtor.  Confidentiality of client information is of utmost importance and buyers and sellers should feel very safe in divulging personal and financial information to their Realtor.  In this instance, we are like a ship that never reaches a port.  We must act, in every instance in our client’s best interest.  When you sign an agreement to have Realtor representation, you will be advised of all the protections that come with Realtor representation.  Speaking strictly for myself, I do not want to be found guilty of violating my fiduciary trust to my client.  For instance, it would not be a violation to give a client an “I do not know” answer but I would be expected to do everything in my power to get an answer before my client moved on to the next issue.

This blog just begins the depth of the value of a Realtor.  If you feel that you are not up to date on every aspect of a real estate transaction, talk to a few Realtors, find one that you feel a connection with and ask questions about their qualifications.  Hire that Realtor.  And, remember, if you are a Buyer, you have no out of pocket expense in having a Buyer Agent representing you.  If you are a seller and are paying for Realtor services at closing, you should be happy that you can sign the documents without worrying about having violated the laws of the State of Texas in selling your real estate.  Since the Buyer had his/her own Realtor reqresentation, both buyers and sellers can walk away from the transaction smiling as they remember the services provided by their Realtors.

Good Realtors make the transaction look so easy because the complex actions of the transaction were handled by them and the Buyers and Sellers were not involved, thus, giving them the idea for their next transaction that they can handle it themselves.  If you know what I know after being a real estate Broker for almost 20 years, you certainly do not need me and that is assuming that you have spent many of your Saturday afternoons reading the new laws, rules and regulations of real estate just as I am doing today.

Leander ISD is working hard to raise school ratings and the latest ratings are now available.  In fact, two of the newest schools’ first ratings are Exemplary.  Those schools are Parkside and Westside Elementary Schools.  The Exemplary rating is the highest rating for schools in Texas.

Also rated Exemplary are Grandview Hills, Faubion, Block House Creek, Mason, Giddens, Cox, Pleasant Hill and Rutledge.  These are all elementary schools.

These six schools maintained Exemplary ratings:  Canyon Ridge Middle School and Cypress, Steiner Ranch, Laura Welch Bush, Deer Creek and River Place, elementary schools.

Schools earning Recognized status are:  Vista Ridge High, Knowles Elementary, Cedar Park High, Cedar Park Middle, Leander Middle, Running Brushy Middle, Wiley Middle and Whitestone, Naumann, Plain and Winkley, elementary schools.

School ratings are based on spring 2009 student performance on the Texas Asessment of Knowledge and Skills statewide test, the number of dropouts and completion rates for students.

The lowest score in 35 categories determines a district’s rating, which include exemplary, recognized, academically acceptable and academically unacceptable.

The newest rating shows 27 of 31 rated LISD campuses ranked either Recognized or Exemplary.  These ratings show an increase from last year when 22 out of 28 rated campuses ranked either Recognized or Exemplary.

The Leander ISD is just one more reason for choosing Cedar Park, Leander and the Northwestern neighborhoods near the Lake Travis area for your new home.  I specialize in all neighborhoods served by the Leander ISD.

The Seller and the Realtor must work as a team. Each one has his own responsibility. In my opinion, the Realtor’s first trip to see the home should always include discussion on what the Seller needs to do to get the most traffic from the listing and to get the highest dollar price. A Seller can make some improvements that they would enjoy but these improvements may not meet the goals of getting the highest price and getting the most traffic.  Most Sellers need advice on paint colors, floor materials, and just about anything that is installed for the purpose of a sale.  It should be stressed that this work is done to attract a buyer and not necessarily just what they (the Seller) likes. Realtors are current on trends of the day.

The Realtor’s responsibility is to make the Seller aware of his responsibilites and offer help on those issues if the Seller needs help. To establish a price for the home, the Realtor will gather information on homes that have recently sold and are comparable to the Seller’s home. Given this information, the Realtor will then prepare a market analysis in order for the Seller to feel comfortable that the price is the correct price. The Realtor will then begin all marketing efforts. Marketing efforts should be driven to attract Realtors as well as members of the public. Realtor marketing material is important so that every Buyer Agent knows that this home is available and knows all the details regarding the home, neighborhood, etc. I pay special attention to marketing to Realtors because I realize that the home will sell much faster with all the Realtors showing it, rather than just me. I also make sure that my clients, the Seller, understands this as well. Experience tells me that Sellers are under the impression that their Realtor should be the one showing and selling the home.

If the Seller and the Realtor work as partners in this manner, the home should sell quickly. I sell homes in Leander. If you want to sell your home in Leander, give me a call at 259-1972.

I had a commitment on Saturday morning and did not get to the market until just about closing time. Almost everything was sold already but the 3 piece music group was still playing and I enjoyed that. I also purchased some honey and was glad to get that. So if my clients want to see homes on Saturday mornings, they will have to go to the market with me first. I doubt that anyone will take offense at that. I’ll have a cooler in my trunk to protect our vegetables until we part for the day.

More than 3,130 people attended according to the count that I read.  There were about 20 vendors and most of them sold all their inventory.  Residents from Leander and northwest Austin came and with this turn-out, hopefully, more vendors will come.  This market will be open year round, no matter what the weather and they will be on the parking lot of the 1890 Ranch behind Gold’s Gym.  Their hours will be 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. every Saturday. It is my understanding that 7 additional farmers have committed to this market later when their crops are harvested.

I have marked my calendar for every Saturday in May and every Saturday in June when Johnny Bush Farms of Stockdale will be bringing their melons, canteloupes and tomoatoes in May and in June, Orange Blossom Farms from Carrizo Springs will be bringing organic melons, tangerines and oranges.

I think many more people will begin to shop Farmer’s Markets due to the produce in grocery stores being shipped from other countries to America. I definitely favor buying things that are made in America by Americans.

I had two homes for sale in Leander, Block House Creek, and received offers on each of them the first day of listing. The tax credit of $8,000.00 is available for first time buyers and a tax credit of $6,500.00 is for previous homeowners in the last three years. What a great deal! If you have been thinking of buying your first home or buying another home, the time is running short to receive these tax credits.

If you want to take advantage of these credits, the first thing you should do is contact a Realtor. Your Realtor will advise you to make a loan application immediately. At that point, you will know how much of a sales price you qualify for and you will know if you are credit worthy. Your Realtor can, then, begin to show properties to you.

Remember that you must have a contract by April 30, 2010 and the transaction must close by June 1, 2010. As you can see, there is enough time left to meet the April 30 deadline. I have been surprised at the number of people who do not know about the tax credit program. And that is the purpose of this blog. It is always sad when a person misses an opportunity such as this due to just “not knowing about it”.

If you want to buy a home and receive this tax credit, it may interest you to know that many loan officers will take the loan application by phone and issue a pre-qualification letter to your Realtor to enable you to begin looking now. So, if you are a busy person thinking that you do not have time to visit a loan officer’s office, do it by phone.

A good Realtor will only show properties that match your criteria so that will help you on managing the time left to meet this deadline. I hope many more people can take advantage of this opportunity to receive a tax credit when buying a home. I welcome inquiries for this program.

Since these funds are part of a newly approved bond program and this program has never been offered, my information is that there will be 500 million in available funds and when the funds are all used, the program will end. It is also believed that interest rates will be between 4.75% to 6% and will be a 30 year loan.

Since the funds will be limited, there will be some people who will miss it. The purpose of this blog is to give everyone a notice about this bond program so you you can be there first.  It will be on a first come-first serve basis. There are some great homes for sale in Austin as well as suburbs such as Cedar Park real estate, Leander homes and homes in Round Rock.

This program will be through TDHCA and should become available in the next few days. Watch my blog since I will be posting the information as soon as it is available.

Large one story homes are hard to find and a neighborhood like this is hard to find also. There are not many neighborhoods with estate sized lots that will allow a very large one story home. This home is in Travis County but has the advantage of Leander schools. Read on, it just gets better and better.

The home has a three car garage, island kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. The floorplan is just awesome. The living room, family room with fireplace, kitchen and breakfast, formal dining and study are all in the middle of the home. These rooms are all open to each other and have tall ceilings and lots of windows to the front as well as to the rear of the home. You will never feel “closed up” in this home.

To one side of the entertaining areas is the master bedroom and great master bath with two large closets, garden tub and nice separate shower.  The bedroom has lots of windows and light and is very cheerful.

To the other side of the entertaining areas are three bedrooms and two baths. This home will accomodate adult entertainment without interfering with the children’s bedrooms.  This floorplan affords lots of privacy and enjoyment for families, no matter who may be entertaining, parents or children. This home would be very enjoyable for extended families since one of the secondary bedrooms and bathroom is a little further away from the other two. It just seems that this home was designed for all types of families.

Neighborhood amenities are beautiful. There is a very pretty and accomodating playground and a very relaxing, beautiful pool area. The streets are curvey and there are circles to slow drivers rather than those nauseating speed bumps.

Watch for this listing. You will not believe the price.

Block House Creek in Leander is know for many great amenities but at this time, you may take advantage of local girl scouts’ efforts last fall where they had a wildflower planting day. Those wildflowers are blooming today and it is worth taking a look. What Texan does not love looking at our native wildflowers? After these beautiful Texas beauties have done their “thing”. the field will be mowed down and you will have to wait until next year to witness nature’s beauty of wildflowers in Block House Creek.

Don’t fret!  The pools will open the first week in June.  If you turn right at the T intersection as you drive into the neighborhood, you will see the gorgeous tree canopied park and Tumlinson Fort pool. This park gives the appearance of a post card and there are sport courts of all kinds, baseball field, basketball court, volleyball, tennis, etc. and there are picnic tables and grills so take the whole family and enjoy nature to the fullest.

Back to the T intersection at the front of the neighborhood and if you turn left, you will come to our second pool, Apache Pool. This is a heated olympic style pool and is home to the local Tidal Waves Swim Team.

So, set your GPS to zip code 78641 and take a drive to Block House Creek. Better yet, call me and I’ll either give you all the information you will ever want about the neighborhood or will also give you a tour.

Patsy Snyder CRS

Broker Associate

SKY REALTY

www.AustinSuburbia.com

Office:  512-259-1972