Cool Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

I was on my way home today via a different route, and there was a sign that caught my eye - "Book Box".  As a voracious reader, I rarely pass up the chance to visit a used book store, and this was no exception.  

I am happy to report that Pflugerville now has a quaint, comfortable used book store.  Frankly, this is the kind of place where I am likely to become a regular customer.  With prices on the discount shelf at $1 or $2, and most other prices in the $5 and under range, this is my kind of place.  They also purchase and give store credit for used books.  My wife and I are known to spend entire Saturday mornings perusing garage sales for books, so this store is a dream come true.  

While I was there, I spoke for awhile with Beth Lee, the owner/manager.  She is an engaging, down-to-earth lady and I love the fact that she is following her passion with this business.

There are a few extras that will surely grow the business over time, including free coffee, free wifi access, a kids' section with some toys, and some VERY comfortable chairs set up for reading.  The store features art from locals and kiddos, too, and Beth told me that they repaint the ceiling tiles (currently featuring kids' artwork) every few weeks.  They offer a storytime that is geared to kids 2-6 on Thursdays and Saturdays at noon, and they are open to having church, scouting, and other community events or meetings.  

In a nutshell, Beth has done a very nice job of providing a casual atmosphere that could become a terrific venue or hangout for smaller groups.  While I was there, Beth accepted some items for donations to our troops, which reinforced the fact that she is making an effort to be an integral part of the community with her venture, and I applaud this.

Beth's Book Box first opened about six months ago, and my sole complaint is that I didn't manage to find it sooner.  Books are my vice, and I left with a couple of good reads today.  

Beth's is located near the corner of Windermere and Pecan Street, on the north side of Pecan.  There used to be a Greek restaurant in the space, which makes for some interesting architecture with the store layout.  The physical address is 15803 Windermere, and they can be reached at 512-989-7324.  Their primary website is http://bethsbookbox.com.  

They are closed on Mondays, open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sundays 12-5pm.  

If you are a book addict, I highly recommend checking this place out.  

I have traced the progress of Stone Hill Town Center since before it opened in 2008.  I live in nearby Blackhawk (just across 130) and I was very excited to see that Cinemark has decided to move forward with placing a new theater in the center, no later than the first quarter of 2011.  24-Hour Fitness will also be opening next to the Home Depot by the end of 2010.

This is terrific news, and perhaps it serves as a bellwether for the local economy, since both companies had been part of the original plan, then held off.  The fact that they have now decided to proceed is certainly encouraging.  

Having lived in the northern part of Pflugerville since 1995, I can tell you that we've been waiting a long time for some of the amenities that Stone Hill has brought, including the Best Buy, Office Depot, and Super Target stores.  

There's also a Ross Dress for Less which has opened in the center recently.  

If I had one complaint for the developer, it would be the lack of real restaurants (i.e. not fast food).  Currently, there's a Chick Fil-A and a Whataburger, with a Taco Bueno on the way as well.  While these options are fine sometimes, they are not exactly healthy either.Chili's was part of the plan when they started, but they opted not to open at the location, unfortunately.  I would love to see some places that I could take my family for a "sit down" meal in the upcoming year, since it's about 3 minutes from my house.

At any rate, I look forward to the added convenience of having "first-run" movies so very close, and who knows?  I might even lose a few pounds by joining the fitness center.  I might need it based on the present dining choices, right?

Here are my last two posts about the center, both of which include video, as you can see.  :)

Stone Hill Town Center - VIDEO UPDATE

Stone Hill Town Center - Pflugerville - UPDATE! (Video Included)

I just listed a home today in the Estates of Blackhawk in Pflugerville which I expect to sell very quickly.  In fact, I don't think I have seen a home in this price range with the upgrades that this one has to offer.

Take a quick look at some of the features:

• 5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms
• 2623 square feet per tax records
• Built in 2006
• Large formal dining room fits table that seats twelve!
• Highly upgraded kitchen with Jennaire stainless appliances (including a double convection oven)
• Undermount sink
• Granite countertops
• Large ceramic tile flooring
• Master down
• 4 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms upstairs
• Large lot (.232 acre)
• Very convenient to 130 & 45 (toll roads)
• Dedicated gas stub for grill  (Jennaire gas grill also stays!)
• Neighborhood amenities include pool, clubhouse, workout facility, and more!

If you have any questions at all or if you would like to set up a time to take a look at this home, feel free to give me a call anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.  If you are interested in searching all Austin homes for sale, visit my website at www.austintexashomes.com.

I first moved to Pflugerville in 1995 with my wife when we bought our first home.  We bought our second home here in 2002.  When we first came to this area, our swimming possibilities were limited to the small neighborhood pool, which was really little more than a glorified bathtub, if memory serves.

After moving to the Blackhawk subdivision, we were pleased to have access to a much nicer pool which is two short blocks from our house.  Later, a large clubhouse was built, which includes a splash pool, lap pool, and kiddie pool, along with a workout room.  Last year, my wife wrote a post about taking the kids to the Rock'n' River water park in Round Rock:

A "Guest Post" from My Wife Pam - Read about her visit with our kids to the Rockin' River Family Aquatic Center

In a move that will dramatically expand our water-related entertainment choices, developers are planning a full-scale $16 million water park about five minutes from our house, at the southwest corner of 130 and Pecan Street.  It will be called Blu Bambu, named after the world's fastest growing plant.

The plan calls for a 14-acre park, which will be much larger than Volente Beach (a popular local destination).  It will have the following:

• Large wave pool
• Stage fo after-hours and off-season concerts
• Action River (not sure what that entails, but it sounds fun)
• Lazy River
• 8-10 Large water slides
• Activity areas for younger children
• Sand volleyball courts
• Group & birthday pavillions
• Concession stands
• Hot Tub & swimup bar
• "Wet walks" with sprays and fountains to prevent hot pavement

Blu Bambu could open as early as next summer (2010).  As the title of this post indicates, they are hoping to attract over 300,000 visitors in the first year of operation.  The approximate one-day ticket prices will be $22 for adults and $18 for kids.  They plan to offer season passes, although the price has not yet been set for those.

As a longtime resident of Pflugerville, I am hopeful that this park will attract other businesses, and it should further reduce our property taxes, both of which make me happy.

Thanks for reading!

Image courtesy of Community Impact newspaper site.

Last year, we were having a garage sale, and one of the potential buyers asked me if our neighbors had a lawn guy, since their yard was (frankly) not looking that great, because there are absentee tenants.  I told him the situation, then asked if he was in the business himself, because I was looking for someone to help with some basic landscaping stuff at my house.

I am thankful that I asked, and I made a new friend in the process.

Darrell Williams is our yard care specialist, and I would highly recommend calling him if you live in the Pflugerville / Round Rock / Hutto area.  He works doing landscaping for the school district during the day, and he provides very reasonable lawn mowing (and edging, trimming, etc.) on the side. 

When we originally met, Darrell helped me a great deal by trimming all of our trees and bushes, along with mulching five different flowerbeds, all for around $200!  This price even included the materials!  He now handles our weekly mowing. 

The very first time he was working here at our house, I was surprised to return home and see that he cleaned up some of the neighbor's yard along the sidewalk.  "I didn't think you would want to see that every day", he said plainly.  He was right!

Darrell is a man of his word.  He has never missed an appointment with us yet.  If he says he will show up to handle something, he will be there.  He's a very hard worker, and I have seen him work until it was almost dark (which happens around 9pm these days).  His slogan is appropriate, "Leave the sweating to ME, save your time and energy!"

I've never had to pay him upfront for his work, and he will allow me to pay once a month if needed, or I can pay as we go.  He accepts cash and checks.  Darrell services Travis, Williamson, and Bell counties.

Darrell can be reached via cell at 512-773-8686.  Call him today - you'll be glad you did!

I haven't ever tried to use my blog in quite this manner, but I will be interested to see what kind of response this brings.

The house next door to us is on the market now.  I sold it for the previous owners about two years ago, and an out-of-state investor purchased it.  With the relatively high rent that he was charging for the place, I thought that would help to ensure that we would get a decent neighbor. 

I was wrong.

Without going into great detail, let's just say that I'm happy it is for sale now, rather than for rent.  The last tenants didn't speak to us ONCE, even though they lived there for 15 months.  Before that, the tenant admitted to me openly that they were racist.  Yes, really.  I think you can see the reason that I am trying to promote and sell this place quickly.

The picture to the right was taken a couple of years ago when I had it listed.

I haven't had a chance to check it out inside yet since it just came back on the market, but it's a nice home, with almost  2700 square feet, red brick, large cul-de-sac lot, covered patio, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and it's priced $45,000 under the current tax assessment, at just $190,000!  The home was built in 2002 by Ryland Homes. 

We live in the Meadows of Blackhawk community in Pflugerville, about 1.5 miles from the intersection of the toll roads (45 and 130).  It's a very short walk to a nice community pool/playground area.

So, here is my offer to you, if you are reading this post:

• If you are an agent and you send me the buyer for this home, I will pay you 50% of my commission if they purchase it and I serve as their agent for the transaction. 
  
• If you are reading this and you think you would like to be our neighbor and you buy this home yourself, I will credit 50% of my commission to your closing costs.  This would be about a $2850 savings.
  

We have been praying for good neighbors for awhile now.  My kids would love to have other kids to play with, rather than absentee tenants who do not maintain anything.  Frankly, the yard needs a bit of work.  It doesn't look as appealing as the photo, although it could easily be made to look that way with a bit of attention.

A LITTLE ABOUT US: We are a Christian homeschooling family with four kids, ages 10, 8, 3, and 3 months (the oldest is a boy, and we have three girls).  We are supremely easy to get along with, and we love where we live.  My wife is a stay-at-home mom and has done that for eight years now.  She has a degree in Education - she is certified to teach English and Biology.  I am a somewhat rabid fan of the Dallas Cowboys, and I am very actively involved in starting a new Presbyterian church in Georgetown, about 15-20 minutes away.

ABOUT OUR IDEAL NEIGHBORS: Friendly and easygoing, mainly. If you think we would be a good match, you're probably right.

For more specific details or to set up a time to take a look, please call me at 512-796-7653 (cell) or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.  Thanks!

I listed a house yesterday for some very good friends of mine.  I hope to have it under contract within the month!  We have priced it competitively at $139,990.

Features:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms
• 2 dining areas (formal dining and breakfast)
• 1772 s.f. per tax records
• Built in 1994
• Immaculately maintained!
• Recent interior and exterior paint
• Fence fully replaced in July 2009
• Open floorplan
• Large kitchen with skylight and lots of storage!
• Rear-entry garage
• Super-low tax rate
• Pflugerville ISD
• Lots of natural light
• Community pool/park/playground
• Very convenient to I-35 AND 45 Toll Road

If you are interested in this home or in making a move to the Austin, Texas vicinity, please give me a call anytime at 512-796-7653 or email jason@austintexashomes.com.  I hope to have the opportunity to help you find the right place.  My Austin real estate website is at www.austintexashomes.com.  Thanks!

As a seven-year resident of the Blackhawk area and a 13-year resident of Pflugerville, I like to keep an eye on the market values here in the area.  When the toll roads opened about a year ago, the prices started trending upward and they have flattened out somewhat since then, with some tough economic factors at play.  As a fellow homeowner in Blackhawk, this stuff is important to me, too! 

Currently, there are 11 resale homes available on the MLS in the Fairways, with an average asking price of $231,252.  The average square footage for these homes is 2,724, for an average price per square foot of $86.05. 

Presently, there are 4 homes under contract in the subdivision, with an average listing price of $247,747 and an average square footage of 2,849, yielding an average price per square foot of $86.96. 

Over the past three months (June through August 2008), there were 11 sales closed within the Fairways of Blackhawk.  The average listing price was $226,188, and the average sales price was $220,286, which means homes sold for 97.4% of the asking price.  The average square footage was 2920 s.f. for these.

In other area news:

Located at the southwest corner of the intersection of the aforementioned toll roads (45 and 130), Stone Hill Town Center is slated to fully open within a few months, and it promises roughly 1,000,000 square feet of shopping and entertainment.  Home Depot, Best Buy, SuperTarget, Verizon Wireless, Mattress Firm, Chick Fil-A, Bealls, Rack Room Shoes, Dick's Sporting Goods and several others are open now!

To read more details about this center and to see a list of stores and restaurants, check out my recent article here:

Stone Hill Town Center - Pflugerville, Texas Shopping - UPDATE!

If you would like to see the entire layout, you can visit the developer's website and see the site plan here:

http://docs.newquest.com/brochures/stonehill.pdf

If you are a consumer living in another area around Austin and you are interested in seeing the trends in your particular neighborhood, please don't hesitate to contact me, and I can create a custom report for you.  All of my contact information is below. 

If you are considering selling your home in the Fairways of Blackhawk (or anywhere in the general Austin area), please feel free to give me a call.  I would love the opportunity to help you get it sold quickly.  Also, You can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com.  You can also reach me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or via email at jason@austintexashomes.com.  Thanks for checking out this brief analysis!

As a resident of the Meadows of Blackhawk for almost seven years now, I like to keep an eye on the property values in the area.  Ever since the toll roads opened a couple of years ago, demand has remained reasonably strong despite a rocky real estate market in 2008.  

Currently, there are 24 homes available in the Meadows, with an average asking price of $214,461.  The average square footage for these homes is 2,651, for an average price per square foot of $81.93.  

Presently, there are 3 homes under contract in the subdivision, with an average listing price of $185,333, and an average square footage of 2,204, yielding an average price per square foot of $84.21.  This is about $8/s.f. higher than 2008 prices.

Over the past six months (January 1st through June 30th), there were 21 sales closed within Meadows of Blackhawk.  The average listing price was $185,633 and the average sales price was $181,715.  This means that homes sold for approximately 97.9% of the list price.  This number does not account for any seller-paid closing costs, nor does it include any price reductions.

The average number of days on the market for the first half of 2009 was 89, which is similar to the average for the entire Austin MLS.  The square footage of the homes sold averaged 2,370, and the price per square foot for the sales was $78.38.

In other area news:

Located at the southwest corner of the intersection of the aforementioned toll roads (45 and 130), Stone Hill Town Center is slated to fully open within a few months, and it promises roughly 1,000,000 square feet of shopping and entertainment.  Home Depot, Best Buy, SuperTarget, Verizon Wireless, Mattress Firm, Chick Fil-A, Bealls, Rack Room Shoes, Dick's Sporting Goods and several others are open now!

To read more details about this center and to see a list of stores and restaurants, check out my recent article here:

Stone Hill Town Center - Pflugerville, Texas Shopping - UPDATE!

If you would like to see the entire layout, you can visit the developer's website and see the site plan here:

http://docs.newquest.com/brochures/stonehill.pdf

If you are a consumer living in another area around Austin and you are interested in seeing the trends in your particular neighborhood, please don't hesitate to contact me, and I can create a custom report for you.  All of my contact information is below. 

If you are considering selling your home in the Meadows of Blackhawk (or anywhere in the general Austin area), please feel free to give me a call.  I would love the opportunity to help you get it sold quickly.  Also, You can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com.  You can also reach me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or via email at jason@austintexashomes.com.  Thanks for checking out this brief analysis!

With its newest marketing slogan, "Pflugerville: Between a Rock and a Weird Place", my current hometown seems poised for even more growth now that it has been named as one of the "Top 100 Places to Live" according to Relocate America.

To briefly explain the saying, Pflugerville is located between Round Rock and Austin, whose city slogan is "Keep Austin Weird".  This refers to efforts to support local small businesses as opposed to large chain stores.

I have lived in Pflugerville for over 14 years now, so I know firsthand how great the town is for raising kids.  It's quiet, safe, friendly, and affordable.  What else could you ask for?

When we first moved here, the census sign (from 1990) said, "Population: 4,444".  The current population is approaching 50,000, making Pflugerville one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.

Speaking of the desirability of our community:

"Pflugerville is just 20 minutes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and with two new state highways traversing the city, Pflugerville will soon be an essential hub for people making their way in and around Central Texas. Perhaps most importantly, Pflugerville is committed to families. Located minutes from technology giants Dell, Samsung, Motorola and IBM, and from the State offices in downtown Austin, the City attracts a highly educated population in search of quality housing, excellent schools and a safe, healthy environment."

The entire text of the article appears here:

http://www.relocateamerica.com/texas/cities/pflugerville

If you are looking to make a move to Pflugerville/Austin, or if you need more information, please feel free to contact me anytime.  I would love the chance to help.  I can be reached anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or by email at jason@austintexashomes.com.

I have also gathered some previous posts of mine which you may find helpful as you are making decisions:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

My primary Austin real estate website is www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks for checking out this post - I hope to hear from you soon!

Photo above courtesy of Pflugerpfotos - located on Flickr.com.