More on what to do while in Austin. 2 Amazing resources for the residents and visitors of Austin. If you have not been you need to go.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photos : Bob Kenney
 Source:http://www.veloway.com/
Developed in the area of Circle C just south of Slaughter Lane and East of MOPAC (1). Development at them time was controversial but many will agree that the additions of these 2 unique venues adds  to the Austin appeal of outdoor activity and the beauty of Central Texas native plants and landscapes.

History of the Veloway
The Veloway has controversial roots. 
One of Austin's prized natural features is a spring fed pool known as Barton Springs. Barton Springs is filled year round with almost unbearably cold water and has provided a much needed respite from our brutal summers for thousands of years. The watershed that feeds the aquifer that fills the Springs is a relatively attractive rolling land with small trees and brush. 
Only sparsely developed in the early 80's, the land in southwest Austin above the aquifer became the target of development, some chaotic and some well-planned. One of the best planned developments created during the boom years of the 80's was Circle C. The mastermind behind Circle C is Gary Bradley, who is either the devil incarnate or the most forward thinking community creator to ever live in Texas.
Jeff Latimer of Gus' Bike shop in New Hampshire recently emailed this interesting background on the Veloway's founding: 

"Back in the 80's I was a real estate broker working for First Austin Properties.  I was am also cyclist and today I own a bike shop in New Hampshire.  A friend of mine worked for Gary Bradley. She told me that Gary was interested in doing a bicycle project and wondered about building a velodrome on his new development, Circle C Ranch. I think the velodrome came up because another Austin developer (whose name escapes me at the moment) had formed a committee to make a bid for the Pan Am games to be in Austin. Anyway  I pulled in Richard DeGarmo, who at that time was the director of the Tour of Texas. He was also president of the United States Cycling Federation, which later became USA Cycling. The Tour of Texas was  a  week long stage race held every March in Central Texas.  Richard was years ahead of his time with the race, this was way before Lance. It brought in all the great teams of the time including 7-11 with Bob Roll, the big Raleigh team and several European junior teams.  At that time the Tour was still going on and Circle C became one of the sponsors of the event.  The Velodrome actually got some serious consideration, I remember going down to the Houston Velodrome to take a look at the one that had been built there.  Richard and Gary thought a Veloway made more sense then the Velodrome as it could be used to hold the criteriums that were part of the Tour. They traditionally had been held on 6th street or on the big loop in Zilker Park. Sadly the Tour came to an end due to lack of sponsorship before a race could be held there, but the Veloway is indeed a jewel."

Circle C incorporated many unique features for its time, including a wonderful swimming facility, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the Veloway. Much to the consternation of the road cyclists of Austin, public money that had been earmarked for creation of urban bike lanes was diverted to help fund Gary Bradley's bike path way out in the middle of nowhere serving his subdivision's residents, who weren't even in the city limits at the time.
Fast-forward 15 years and you'll find the Veloway becoming surrounded by development. The rapid loss of bike friendly roads makes its existence seem most fortunate, even to those who pooh/pooh the idea of riding a short 3 mile loop over and over again. A decision was made a while back to allow the rollerblades to legally use the facility ... they now comprise about half the users.  The City of Austin repaved the Veloway in 2004. We are alarmed at the deterioration of the pavement surface, and hope the city will add a protective topping before the pavement becomes dangerous again.

Thus, a combination of optimistic investors, over-reaching developers, political opportunists, and creative visionaries gave the citizens of Austin a great recreational resource that, unfortunately, might outlive our constantly threatened Barton Springs.


source: http://www.wildflower.org/about/

Wildflower Center Mission

The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.

Lady Bird Johnson, our former first lady, and actress Helen Hayes founded an organization in 1982 to protect and preserve North America's native plants and natural landscapes. First as the National Wildflower Research Center and later as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, this special place exists to introduce people to the beauty and diversity of wildflowers and other native plants. Every day, the Wildflower Center brings life to Mrs. Johnson's vision in its public gardens, its woodlands and sweeping meadows as well as in internationally influential research. In 2006, the Center became an Organized Research Unit of the University of Texas at Austin.
Decades ago, Mrs. Johnson recognized that our country was losing its natural landscapes and its natural beauty. As much as 30 percent of the world’s native flora is at risk of extinction. The Wildflower Center was intended to help preserve and restore that beauty and the biological richness of North America. Since then, the Center has become one of the country’s most credible research institutions and effective advocates for native plants.
The Center’s gardens display the native plants of the Central Texas Hill Country, South and West Texas, while the Plant Conservation Program protects the ecological heritage of Texas by conserving its rare and endangered flora. The Native Plant Information Network is a database of more than 7,200 native species available online.
The Land Restoration Program applies knowledge of ecological processes to restoring  damaged landscapes. The Center’s education programs for children and adults teach people about their natural surroundings and how to grow native plants in their own backyards.
Wildflower Center Chronology
Susan Rieff, Executive Director
2011-2012 Annual Report

About Reilly Realtors, Austin TX

Source: http://www.austinhomelistings.com/about-reilly-realtors.php

The Experts in Austin Real Estate 

Founded in 2005, Reilly Realtors is a full service, Austin based real estate brokerage made up of expert agents who have demonstrated a commitment to outstanding customer service, personal integrity and sales success.

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Our Clients Come First

At Reilly Realtors, we promise to put you first. Whether you're buying or selling a home, you can trust our expert agents to listen, work hard and focus on helping you achieve your real estate goals. We hire only experienced agents who are committed to placing their client's best interests above their own.

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A Full Service Real Estate Company

Located in the west Austin area known as Bee Cave, in the beautiful Hill Country Galleria, our team of experienced agents serve buyers and sellers all over Austin and the surrounding areas. From East Austin to Lakeway, up to Round Rock and down to Buda, or right in middle of Central Austin and downtown, we've got you covered. When you are buying a home or selling a home, Reilly Realtors offers full service real estate solutions backed by 42 full-time, experienced agents dedicated to helping our clients achieve their real estate goals.
Buying a Home: Our expert buyer agents can help you find the perfect property, negotiate the best deal and oversee a smooth closing. We've successfully represented thousands of buyers all over the Austin area in every price range. Whether it's a starter home in a new suburban community or luxury estate on the lake, we have the local knowledge and experience to help you succeed.
Selling a Home: Our expert listing agents combine innovative internet marketing tools with timeless sales skills to help you sell your property quickly and for the highest possible price. With today's buyers doing their own online home searches, we employ best in class internet marketing techniques to ensure your property is found online and generates the highest turnout of potential buyers.

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Reilly Realtors: Our History

When Michael and Shae Reilly started their own real estate brokerage in 2006, their vision was to create a company that provided unparalleled service to their clients. As part of that effort, Michael and Shae created one of Austin's first easy to use, map based Austin home search tools at AustinHomeListings.com. Along with the new map search, the original site also offered one of the first comprehensive reviews of all Austin areas and neighborhoods, known as the Austin Neighborhood Guide. The original site was one of the first local real estate websites designed to truly empower a consumer's online home search. In fact, early clients loved the powerful new site so much that they shared it with friends and family, causing the site, and the business, to take off in a way that Michael and Shae could have never imagined.
Within a very short time, hundreds of new users were visiting AustinHomeListings.com every day. The immediate popularity and interest in the new website produced so many leads that it propelled Michael Reilly, who had been an agent since 2002, to immediately join the elite ranks of agents who sell more than $15 million each year.  "It was a very exciting time and incredible way to start a new business - to be blessed with so many opportunities right out of the gate," said Michael Reilly.  Since that time, Michael has continued to perform as a top agent with over $100 million in career sales.
As website visits continued to grow, Michael saw the need to add additional agents to help with the amazing overflow in leads, but he was wary of growth at the expense of great service.

Michael's goal was to find only experienced agents who would maintain the professionalism and integrity that Michael set out to achieve from the beginning. "We interviewed a lot of agents to find high quality professionals, and to this day, we still maintain one of the highest bars in the business as we evaluate candidates to join our firm," commented Shae Reilly.

Today, Reilly Realtors is made of 40+ top producing agents and 3 full-time employees and our website is still one of the top destinations online for searching homes and information about the Austin area. We make continual investments in training, technology and tools that help our agents better serve our clients and achieve success. We are fortunate to serve clients in a town that rewards our commitment to customer service. While we continue to grow, the vision for Reilly Realtors and AustinHomeListings.com is - and will remain - a steadfast focus on providing unparalleled service to our clients.

Did you know that Austin has a light rail service called MetroRail? or as some may call it Kiss and Ride!

Austin's Metrorail service (Kiss and Ride)  connects some of it's northern and western neighborhoods with downtown. This is the 1st of many proposed lines that conceptually will tie in many of Austin's neighborhoods into a convenient Metrorail or light rail service that will help ease congestion on our roadways and make for safe convenient travel for Austin commuters.

MetroRail

MetroRail offers comfortable and reliable passenger service Monday through Friday between the City of Leander and downtown Austin, and from Lakeline to downtown on Saturday. We have nine convenient stations and three Park & Ride facilities, in addition to many MetroBus coordinated routes to make taking the train fun and easy! Whether you're commuting to work, heading to school, seeing the sights or just out for a night on the town, MetroRail can take you there.
Check the MetroRail schedules or plan a trip today.
MetroRail no longer operates with zoned fares. Find out more on fares and passes.


Source: http://www.capmetro.org/metrorail.aspx?id=53

 Want to find out what is going on in Austin real estate market? give me a call and I will be glad to discuss particular areas with you and let you know the beat of the market place.

12 years experience representing buyers and sellers of Real estate in the Austin area.

 Photos: Bob Kenney


Robert Kenney, Realtor

®  Mobile/Text: 512-922-4922

Reilly Realtors

13500 Galleria Circle, Suite U-115

Austin, TX 78738



Ever wonder who was the Zilker in Zikler Park? and how it bacame a public park? Read on!

 source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson_Zilker

Andrew Jackson Zilker (1858–1934)^[1] was a political figure and philanthropist in Austin, Texas, after whom Zilker Park was named. He was the last private owner of Barton Springs.
Andrew Zilker was born in New Albany, Indiana. In his youth he'd read Henderson King Yoakum's two-volume History of Texas,^[2] and was inspired to head for its capital to make his fortune. In 1876, at the age of 18, he arrived in Austin with fifty cents in his pocket, immediately acquired work as a dishwasher, and doubled his money by shift's end. His next job would be on the construction of the Congress Avenue Bridge. But the real money to be made in the Texas heat, he discovered, was in the manufacture of ice, and he quickly climbed the ladder from new hire to foreman for one icemaker in a matter of months. He was quick to learn the value of business connections, joining Austin Lodge #201 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks shortly after its founding in 1891.
Soon he owned an ice plant of his own outright, and in 1901 began buying land between the Colorado River and Barton Creek. He had soon acquired 350 acres (1.4 km²) surrounding Barton Springs, including the Springs themselves from John Rabb, and used the land to pasture the horses and mules that pulled his ice wagons, and the clear, clean Barton Springs water to make the ice itself. There he also built a small concrete pool and amphitheater for members of his Elks Club organization at the site of one of the three springs.
Zilker also found the time to be a volunteer fireman, Director of the First National Bank, Water and Light Commissioner, and served both as alderman from the old Tenth Ward and president of the Travis County School Board. He would own a variety of businesses, including a brickyard (perhaps to spite his rival neighbor, and brickmaker, Michael Butler^[3]), a wood and coal concern, the Austin electrical system, and the water supply systems in Llano and Taylor counties. He even became the first Coca-Cola bottler in Austin.
The year was 1917 when, in his role as head of the school board, he cut a curious deal giving Barton Springs, and, over the next seventeen years, the surrounding acres, to the Public Free Schools of Austin (i.e. the school district) to sell to the city, which in turn paid for a $100,000 school endowment with the proceeds. This trust fund still pays for what is known today as the school-to-work program. In 1950, nearly two decades after Zilker's death, the district opened Zilker Elementary in his honor. The area itself, of course, became Zilker Metropolitan Park.
He is also remembered for his disdain for Austin mayor A. P. Wooldridge, and for encouraging Tom Miller to enter municipal politics and run for mayor in 1933.^[4] Nicknamed "the Colonel", Zilker's contribution to Austin was quite substantial.

Source: http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/pen-pals

 Designed by noted Santa Fe sculptor Glenna Goodacre and put in place in the fall of 1994, the statue commemorates a trio of writers—J. Frank Dobie, Roy Bedichek, and Walter Prescott Webb—who did as much as any in Austin’s history to define the city’s special qualities. In the rich synergy that developed among the three men over many decades of public life and private friendship, they became the spiritual godfathers of Austin.  The philosophers Rock

 If you want to read a book, play some ball, fly a kite, take a train ride, Swing in a cool (cold) springs or walk for miles you can do all this and more just minutes away from down town Austin!

My kids spent hours and hours on the playscape with the Fire Truck and watching the little train The Zephyr (above) pull it's carloads of riders through the park.

 

 

Robert Kenney, Realtor

®Reilly Realtors

13500 Galleria Circle, Suite U-115

Austin, TX 78738

 

 

Source of all photos: Bob Kenney

I am buying a condo and no one can tell me exactly what the HOA fees pay for.

Hi Lori,

Hopefully you have a real estate agent representing you in the purchase. Your Realtor® needs to ask the seller and or their agent for a copy of the CC&R, The covenants, conditions & restrictions, are the governing documents that dictate how the homeowners association (HOA) operates and what rules the owners, and their tenants and guests, must obey. These documents may also be called The bylaws, The master deed, The house rules or another similar name.

These documents will spell out what dues or obligations exist between the owners of the units and the associations. Each association has a different set of operating rules regulating things such as parking, 3 of guests permitted and how long they can stay. Also such things as special assessments that may be required by the owners of all the units that comprise and association. Usually special costs that may not have funds in reserve like replacing a controlled gate access or repaving of drive way.

So there may be no one answering because they are not familiar with what is in the CC&R. These are typically provided to a prospective buyer once a property goes under contract with in a specified number of days from the executed date of the contract. However most selling (or listing ) agents should have this information available because their clients have been paying the same assessment since they have lived in the unit assuming it is a resale.

For new construction then the builder is responsible for these documents and the accounting of the dues. It is not common for a builder , especially for “pre construction”, not to have that information defined. Crazy as it seems they wait for the project to be completed to define those costs. A lot of people are caught off guard by larger than expected obligations.

Hope this helps point you I the right direction. Congratulations on your real estate purchase I hope your transaction is a successful one.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have additional questions.

Bob Kenney, Realtor®

Reilly Realtors

Mobile/Text: 512-922-4922

http://www.austinhomelistings.com/agents/robert-kenney/

I have a home that is under contract to be sold and it was broken into last night! will this affect the sale of the home?

I know a real estate agent that is inquiring about what they should do about a vacant listing that is under contract that got broken into and is scheduled to close in 10 days.

First time she has encountered this and was not sure if it was going to make the sale questionable.

OK if I was in the situation 1^st thing I would do is contact the seller and advise them of the situation. Have them contact police and file a report then contact their insurance company to report the break in and request they send an adjuster to the property.

In this case the seller canceled his homeowners insurance when they moved out! Please never cancel coverage on a property you own till the property has closed! This is just one of many scenarios that could happen to a home while it is under contract and having coverage on the property for incidents such as this case or in the case of one of my clients where there was a severe water leak from water heater that resulted in $50,000 damage.

In all these scenarios there is one golden rule. Inform and disclose all issues to all parties as soon as possible. In Texas there is a clause dealing with property condition at time of sale. In the case of the break in the seller has the right to repair the damage to the same or better condition that it was in at the time the contract was effective.

There are all kinds of things that can happen to people and property during a sales contract. 1^st thing all the parties involved in the transaction have to remember is that most issues can be resolved as long as everyone is involved in the facts and have access to any information about the incident.

So 2 important lessons

A) Never cancel insurance on a property till the property closes. Talk to your insurance company explain facts. If you move out prior to sale you may be able to adjust the coverage on the home to cover structure but may not need the personal property coverage anymore. Take an experts advice!

B) disclose, disclose, disclose – honesty and a clear representation of the facts are the best remedy for all issues that may arise during a sales contract.

Regards,

Bob Kenney, Realtor®

Mobile/Text: 512-922-4922

Home market status? What all the abbreviations mean..

Jeff from Fresno asked: What does Pending taking back up mean?? I am from California and not familiar with the term.

Great Question Jeff, All over the country there are different terms used in real estate transactions. I will try and out line the major ones here.

Texas area status abbreviations and definitions

A = Active – A property is active and a seller wants to sell

AC = Active contingent – A property has an accepted offer however the property is contingent on the sale of another property by the buyer.

PB = Pending taking back up – A property has an accepted and executed contract in place but there are option periods that the buyer has negotiated and the seller has reserved the right to accept back up offers on the property. Once another offer is accepted the seller notifies the buyer in position A that a back up offer has been accepted on the property.

P = Pending – After all option periods expire and the contract is still in place this status change just lets the market know that the contract is proceeding to a closing.

S = Sold – The transaction has closed and funded.

W = Withdrawn – Property has been with drawn by the seller from MLS

X = Expired – Listing contract has expired and the property is not being actively marketed on MLS

T = Temporarily withdrawn – seller has asked that the property be removed from active ststus but intends to resume marketing at some point in the future.

L = Leased – A property has been leased for a contracted period of time.

Some markets will have variations of these statuses. In California they refer to a contract as being under “Escrow” that means the funds are with tht title company or attorneys in an escrow account to be distributed on the closing date of the contract. In Texas we use title companies to transact 95% of the residential transactions. They set up escrows for each individual property as well we just do not use it in our language.

In Massachusetts and some of the New England states. Real estate transactions are closed with attorney offices that do the title work and sellers and buyers go to the attorney's offices to sign the paper work.

I hope this answers some of your questions Jeff. Please feel free to contact me directly if you need more information.

Bob Kenney, Realtor ®

Mobile/Text - 512-922-4922

I need to lease a home, can my Realtor help me?

Hi Loni,

Thanks for the question.

In most cases your Realtor® will be very happy to assist you and very appreciative that you thought to seek their advice and assistance.

Leasing of homes and apartments is handled different all over the United States. Each market seems to have it;s own system in place. In Austin, Texas your have either a leasing company or management firm, apartment owner leasing, Listing agents (Brokers) that will list your unit in MLS for all realtors to see.

Some Realtors® prefer not to assist clients in leases. This is always an individual decision by the agent. I have found that telling a client they are no interested in assisting them but “hey don’t forget to call me when you are ready to buy”, is not a very good business policy!

If I have a client in need of assistance on any type of transaction I will do my best to handle the transaction or if not qualified find someone with the experience needed to give them the best representation.

For a Realtor® they earn a commission from the leasing transaction after the client has been approved for the lease and lease the terms are negotiated and the lease is signed and funded (security deposits and rent payments made). Typically the Realtor® will receive a % from the leasing company or listing broker between 30-50% of the 1^st months rent.

There is a lot of paperwork associated with the lease process , at least here in Austin, and it is very chaotic as every company/broker has their own sets of rules in order for an applicant to be accepted. I personally think there is a better way to handle leasing process but think until a more efficient process is introduced there is just no way to get around the pain of the leasing process.

The majority of agents will assist you in this transaction so please make that call!

I will point out that in some markets around the country the leasing market is very tight with available inventory. There are usually multiple lease applications on desirable properties and how you present your application is essential in obtaining the lease. So work with your agent and let him/her find out exactly what is required to present a strong application. Do not assume that this is any easier than buying a home! Sometimes it seems to be even more difficult to get approved for an application than a mortgage.

The main reason is that the owner of the unit is trying to get his monthly cost of carrying the property covered by the rent. Any disruption in the rent payments could be costly for them so they want to make sure they are not having to re list the property every couple of months and gamble that they might loose income for any period of time.

So emotions run high in these transactions. Don’t be put off bu being rejected, a lot of lease negotiations fall off prior to the finale leases being signed so it is good practice to keep in touch with leasing agent for the next 5 days or so after they have decided to go with another applicant. Don’t stop looking just keep it in play until it becomes more finale.

What to have prepared for a lease application:

1.You will need to approve the leasing entity access to your credit and criminal history. This is usually included in the “application fee”. They will access an on line service that costs between $30-$50 per applicant (You will need separate applications for each adult that will be named on the lease) It is usually required that this application fee be paid with application in certified funds (money order or cashiers check) and made out to the leasing entity. This fee varies but runs between 40-75 depending on the company. Yes more than the costs of the reports!

They will send you an Online approval from the credit checking service asking for permission to access your records. Be prepared to check spam box if you do not get anything w/in 24 hours

2. You are sometimes required to also submit security deposit (typically 1 months rent) by either cashiers check or money order. It is usually made out the owner of the property but some leasing companies have escrow accounts so from time to time you make these out the leasing company. You really need to know this info up front so make sure your agent asks!

I know – "WHAT!  I have to give them security deposit before I know that I am approved? " What happens if I am not approved? This is one of the broken features of the leasing process in Austin market. I cant tell you the number of times I have had to fight with the listing entity to get these funds back. Some will just hand you back the cashiers check/money order and your client can return to where they purchased it to convert it back into dollars. Some will actually cash the check and then wait 7-15 days for the funds to clear then issue you a refund check, some very unscrupulous companies will tell you you lost the funds and you need to get very argumentative to get funds returned. If nothing else this is a great reason to have a Realtor® involved.

  
3. Read the lease carefully (as with any legally binding document) and make sure you know the terms of the lease. Make a copy of it and keep it handy because after the term of the lease there are certain time deadlines you will be responsible for and you will want to have a quick reference

Hope this answers your question Loni. Please feel free to contact me if you have any firther questions or need a referral!

Regards,

Bob kenney, Realtor®

VP Turnquist Partners Realtors

Mobile/Text: 512-922-4922

MLS what is it and how does it matter to me?

Hi Ashley, great question.

From Wikipedia:  A multiple listing service (MLS, also multiple listing system or multiple listings service) is a suite of services that enables real estate brokers to establish contractual offers of compensation (among brokers), facilitates cooperation with other broker participants, accumulates and disseminates information to enable appraisals, and is a facility for the orderly correlation and dissemination of listing information to better serve broker's clients, customers and the public. A multiple listing service's database and software is used by real estate brokers in real estate representing sellers under a listing contract to widely share information about properties with other brokers who may represent potential buyers or wish to cooperate with a seller's broker in finding a buyer for the property or asset. The listing data stored in a multiple listing service's database is the proprietary information of the broker who has obtained a listing agreement with a property's seller.

 

In the city you live in there may be an organized MLS. These MLS’s are typically run by a Realtor organization. For instance in Austin Texas, ABOR Austin Board of Realtors is the organization and administers, enforces and maintains the MLS for the greater Austin Real Estate area.

All Realtors and Brokers must maintain a membership separate from any State required licensing boards to participate in the MLS. This gives Realtors access to the listings maintained by the MLS and allows them to compile comparable sales information and trends in the market place so you are the best advised in the negotiation process.

Not all cities have their own MLS’s.  Some areas are combined with larger metropolitan systems simply because of economy of scale. These systems are complicated and expensive to develop and maintain and funded by the membership they service. Some larger cities have been slow in developing MLS’s simply because of fragmentation of a service area or the area Brokers desire to maintain and protect it’s clients listing information.

The consumer greatly benefits from these investments by their locale Realtor associations. Having the relevant sales information and all of the attending property information helps the consumer have better and more accurate data when making a buying decision.  

I hope this information is helpful.

Kind Regards

Bob Kenney, Realtor

Mobile: 512-922-4922