The Heart of Austin

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Thank you so much for reading our blog at HeartofAustin.com! The West Austin Properties Team loves sharing information with you, and we will continue to share events, real estate news, stories and more at our new site www.WestAustinMarketplace.com. This new site will feature video blogs, as well as our traditional written blogs, enabling us to better inform you of what is going on in and around Austin, Texas! We can't wait to see you there and encourage you to leave comments and questions!

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An Austin - Dallas – Norman Tradition – Red River Rivalry Weekend!

Pack your bags and get on the road with your burnt orange or crimson and cream, because it is Red River Rivalry time at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas!

Formerly known as the Red River Shootout, this annual football game is one of the greatest rivalries in college football. The Red River itself lies along the Texas-Oklahoma border; representing a dividing line between two states and two states of mind. 

This year’s game will be the 104^th meeting of the two teams and will determine the future of the Texas Longhorn’s National Championship hopes. The Oklahoma Sooners come into the game plagued by injury, youthfulness and two heavy loses. Their goal for the Sooners is to salvage what is left of their season. A win against Texas might be their saving grace.

This blog post is not an analysis of the match up or a prediction of the results. It is a celebration of the tradition. Both schools represent the pinnacle of public school education. Just visit the websites for each school (www.utexas.edu and www.ou.edu) and you will get a feel for how hard hitting both schools are academically.

The Cotton Bowl, in which the game is played, is more storied than the rivalry itself. Visit their website to view the history of the stadium, http://www.attcottonbowl.com/stadium/, and you will be awakened by the spirit of the game of football.

The beauty of the game is that it is always on neutral territory. The stadium sits almost exactly 3 hours from both Universities. Come mid-afternoon today, I-35 Northbound out of Austin and I-35 Southbound out of Norman will be clogged with fans making the trek to Dallas. Checkout the map below for a better idea of how ideal the location really is.

View Red River Rivalry in a larger map

Upon arrival in Dallas awaits the largest State fair in the United States. The Texas State Fair surrounds the stadium and to gain entrance to the game you must pass through roller coaster rides and vendors serving up a plethora of fried concoctions. To learn more about the State Fair of Texas, visit www.bigtex.com.   

 

If you are traveling to the game this weekend, please drive safely. We will see you there!

Patrick Birdsong, West Austin Properties, (512) 345-1252, patrick@westaustin.com.

Buying a Home Just Got Easier for First Time Home Buyers

First time home buyers, or those who have not owned a home in the past three years, can now receive a 10% of the purchase price credit up to $8000 toward the purchase of a home at closing as a down payment.  Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the US Housing and Urban Development made the announcement yesterday at the Real Estate Summit: Advancing the US Economy here in Washington, DC in conjunction with the National Association of Realtors May meetings. Several thousand Realtors and I applauded the move to stabilize and energize the housing market while providing an opportunity to homebuyers to realize the American dream of home ownership and all of the benefits it affords.

The Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow home buyers to use this credit as a down payment. Donovan said, "We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a down payment."   The president of the National Association of Realtors, Texan Charles McMillan, championed the role Realtors are playing in promoting stability in the housing market and the U.S. economy. A group of distinguished panelists discussed the housing market, the economy and the role of the federal government in the recovery and as well as its reponsibility to the taxpayer

With interest rates still hovering around 5% and this added incentive to purchase, there has never been a better time to purchase a home. While my daughter saw a 30% drop in her investment account a few months ago, she was able to sell her home this week and net over $12,000 in less than two years of homeownership. Not every market is going to return those kinds of results, but right now prices are low and it is a great time in any market to get into a home, not only for the enjoyability of owning a home, but the opportunity to build wealth through equity. Search for homes in the Austin area at our website, www.westaustin.com  We are happy to help you realize your dreams!

Posted by Laura Duggan, West Austin Properties, May 14th in Washington, D.C.

Family Christmas on the San Antonio Riverwalk

San Antonio is one of those unique cities in the United States made popular by its rich Texas history with the Battle at the Alamo, the Spanish missions, and the River Walk that winds through downtown punctuated by restaurants, bars, galleries, and hotels. At Christmas time, the River Walk turns into a fantasy land. The little river boats that carry tourists through the maze of shops and eateries are piloted by river guides wearing Santa hats as they steer their boats past native Indians playing carols on their wind chimes, a Hispanic Santa on his Christmas throne and beneath the towering cypress trees with mulit-colored lights hanging like stars from their branches. Luminares, white sacks filled with sand to anchor them from the wind and a little candle lit inside, line the river guiding the way for the Holy Family . School and church choirs sometimes fill the boats and serenade diners and tourists along the route with carols and pagentry. The Posada, or procession, is a special Mexican celebration along the River in early December that marks the search of Joseph and Mary for shelter. This is a real special treat for those lucky enough to see it.

This weekend our family and some friends made our traditional hour and a half trek south to San Antonio to wander through the Mexican market, take in the delights of the River Walk and eat our fill of Mexican food at Mi Tierra Cafe and Bakery where we enjoyed the mariachis singing, "Feliz Navidad" and oggled the ornate decorations and the array of baked goodies. The Mexican nachos with beef and guacamole were the biggest hit, followed by the authentic chile con queso and traditional tamales. They have fantastic margaritas too, but this was a family day, and we still had to drive back to Austin. Brad and I have been coming here for more than 30 years to fill ourselves with these Mexican dishes and see the Christmas decorations of old. Open since 1941, they used to have tableside juke boxes, and the garland and Christmas lights would stay up year round. We always left with a sack full of traditional Mexican cookies to munch on the way back to Austin. This time, we ate too much and the counter was too crowded to buy them so we left the calories behind. Colorful pinatas lined the ceiling and Mexican vendors peddled their goods from Mexico in the Mexican market next door. Children were dancing on stage, a photographer was selling his photos and a wood carver was making toys in the promenade. It was so festive!

We made our way downtown to the River Center Mall, one of two places along the river where you can embark, where we boarded one of the little riverboats to tour the river. Unlike the arctic chill covering most of the country, the weather was mild and the day inviting for our adventure. Our guide pointed out all of the famous old buildings and we marveled at the amazing and well-preserved architecture of them, some over 100 years old. Christmas lights and decorations added to the enjoyment as we wound our way through the city enjoying waterfalls, winter hardy perennials, mosaics, and statuary. Ice cream at Marble Slab finished our day (and our calorie count!) as we left the Alamo City once again for our short journey back to Austin. It was truly a memorable day, and one of our family's holiday traditions!

Posted by: Laura Duggan, West Austin Properties, December, 22, 2009

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Like turkey and all of the trimmings, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a staple in our family since our girls were small. With the smell of turkey wafting in the air, we gather in our jammies in front of our telly early each Thanksgiving morning to watch each float and wait for the musical numbers to be performed by the hottest celebrities and, of course, our favorites, the Radio City Rockettes. There are big balloons of popular cartoon characters managed by teams of balloon handlers as they make their way down the parade route dipping and swaying with through the buildings with each gust of wind. The weather can be treacherous with freezing temperatures and icy rain or snow, and the crowds always bundle up as they gather predawn for the start of the Parade. We always feel sorry for the band members who have to march hours on end in that cold weather, but we are grateful for their efforts as it is joyful to watch, and the arrival of Santa at the end of the Parade marks the beginning of the holiday season and all of its blessings.

Last year, precious friends, knowing our love for this tradition, invited us to be their special guests for the Parade. After losing both parents last year, holidays in the Big Apple seemed like a good way to divert the pain of their loss. I know that Mom would have loved it too as she watched many a Parade with us while the turkey roasted.  We had fabulous seats in the grandstand right in front of Macy's. Clowns entertained us, store employees served hot chocolate and croissants and being so close to the floats, musicians, and yes, Santa, was thrilling! Unbelievably, the weather was cool, but comfortable and a day that could have been blue, turned out to be joyful.

This year, we will be back in our jammies in front of our telly to watch the frivolity. As an added bonus, we will be watching for the Bowie High School Marching Band to perform. The weather in New York City looks like it might be cold and possibly wet, but we know the Parade will thrill all of those that see it.  We will wait for the Rockettes, oooh and aaaah over each passing float and eagerly await the arrival of Santa, thankful that we have seen another Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and that God has blessed us deeply with each other. From our home to yours, we wish you a Blessed Thanksgiving!

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS!

     Laura, Brad, Kerry, and Katy

The Last Day of Summer

 

Summer of 2008 meant travel to Ephesus in Turkey and a visit to the Turkish bath in Istanbul to celebrate my sister, Ellen's, 50th birthday.  Our journey began in Athens with a stay at the Grande Bretagne on  Constitution Square where we dined on the terrace overlooking the Acropolis and drank Lemon Drop Martinis on the patio. We shopped in the Plaka, took a private tour through the Acropolis and finished the day with dinner on a hillside in the Plaka. We couldn't decide on a dish, so we ordered samples of fish that we handpicked from the kitchen (no joke!), some traditional Greek appetizers of hummus and stuffed grape leaves and a tasty lamb dish baked in pottery. The next day, we boarded a small cruise ship, the Silver Sea Silver Whisper, where we checked into our suites. Brad and I have enjoyed a number of memorable cruises with this popular Italian Line, but this was Ellen's first adventure. She was the life of the party for the entire cruise, quickly popular with passengers from all over the world whose names she learned quickly and whose attention they would seek at practically every cruise function. We had a spectacular time!

We arrived first in Istanbul where we took in a tour of all of the highlights of this fabulous old city that  uniquely joins two continents, Europe and Asia and is divided by the Bosphorous River. We toured the Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and finished our day at the Turkish Bath immortalized in the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die.  If you've never been to a Turkish Bath, it is a true adventure! Ellen and I were sure when we left that we were the cleanest that we had ever been! For over an hour two large Turkish women scrubbed the skin off of us as we laid on a steamy marble wheel with nothing on but a dish cloth.  Neither of them spoke English, but both were determined to scrub us clean. We laughed uncontrollably when we left. What were we thinking??? And, can you spell "staph infection"? Anyway, we checked it off of our list. Over lemon drops that evening, we exchanged stories with our husbands who were in another section of the bath house about their experience. It was just as funny, only they took a photo to share their experience. Brad said that he and Byron had a terrible time walking in their soapy wooden sandals. We all agreed that we would never do it again, but Ellen wanted to try it, and afterall it was HER birthday!  The next day, we were off on a half day cruise of the Bosphorous River, a fascinating river because it divides the two continents and the homes that line it are really magnificent to view from the water. There is also a lot of boat traffic as the Turks use the waterway as a means of travel because the traffic is so bad in the city. 

We also visited Patmos, the Greek island where St. John was exiled and wrote the Apocalypse.  Then we sailed to Mykonos, famous for its straw topped wind mills standing like sentinels on the hillside, a bit touristy with all of the cruise traffic, but a fun place to eat and shop for gold jewelry. Then, on to gorgeous Santorini, the presumed lost city of Atlantis and one of my favorite places on the earth with its white washed buildings lining the caldera. Sailing in, these buildings looked like icing being drizzled down the sides of a cake. The sunsets were spectacular!  On each island, we did some exploring, shopping and lots of eating.  Each place held its own special place in our hearts when we said goodbye and came back to "the real world".

All of us agreed, this trip together made for a memorable birthday and a memorable summer!