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The small city of New Braunfels, on the Guadalupe River, was established by German immigrants led by Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels in 1945. German immigrants had been urged to leave Germany and settle in Texas by the Noblemen's Society, of which Prince Carl was an officer, and he named the town for his German hometown, Braunfels. Settlers began arriving from Germany in March of 1945, and at that point, they divided the land, built homes, and began planting crops in the New Braunfels area, parti... Read Full Post

Most visitors to Austin notice the unusual streetlights strategically located throughout the city known as the moonlight towers, but most are not aware of the history of the towers. Probably the most well known of the moonlight towers is the one in Zilker Park which is used every year to represent a huge Christmas tree, when it is encircled with multi-colored lights and can be seen from miles away. There are actually 17 moonlight towers in and around Austin, including the Zilker tower, and th... Read Full Post

Travis Heights is one of the most eclectic Austin neighborhoods. The neighborhood was originally an exclusive suburb south of the Colorado River, now known as Lady Bird Lake, and the neighborhood was established in 1913 by the Newning and Swisher families, along with General Stacy, for whom the parks in the area are named. The neighborhood was actually originally settled in the late 1900s, informally, but did not really expand or become fashionable until the early twentieth century, when it g... Read Full Post

The Bryker Woods neighborhood in Austin is actually a collection of small housing developments and subdivisions, and the earliest known residents settled in the area around 1886, thus it is a very historic neighborhood, located in west central Austin. The neighborhood is roughly bordered by 35th Street, the MoPac Expressway, Westover, and Lamar, and this neighborhood is adjacent to some of the most historic neighborhoods in Austin, including Pemberton Heights and the Old Enfield neighborhoods... Read Full Post

One of the coolest neighborhoods in the Austin real estate market has to be a cute little neighborhood called Travis Heights. Featuring historic houses, charming shopping streets, great restaurants, and an unbeatable central location, this area is one of the most sought-after in Austin. The streets ramble and roll, curving over hills, through ancient trees, lending an air of serenity to a neighborhood in close proximity to Downtown Austin, as well as the bustling Soco shopping area. The borde... Read Full Post

"The Live Music Capital of the World." That's what Austin, Texas is best known for. Every other Wednesday evening during the summer Zilker Park becomes the mecca for all Austin music lovers. Blankets are spread out, families are relaxing, people are dancing, and everyone is having fun as they all listen to the great musicians that are playing. For eighteen summers, 107.1 KGSR has sponsored Blues On the Green, Austin's largest free concert series. The shows are held every other wednesday from ... Read Full Post

Ok I just ran stats on my market and found this pretty intereting. First here is the months of inventory. Whats interesting is not just that the months of inventory is improving. But for the last two years at this time Months of Inventory was actually increasing and this year its decreasing. Ok so now lets look at prices Basically whats happening here is that prices had one of largest year over year drops in Austin for the last few years. Wierd? So basically the fundamentals of the market are... Read Full Post

Though the heat of the summer in Austin can be a real drain on exercising or any outdoor activity, the city is blessed with several public pools in which to cool off. Probably the most well known pool to Austinites, and those visiting, is Barton Springs Pool located near the Barton Hills neighborhood. The pool sits on a lovely 3 acres of hillside, with a nice shallow end for children, and a deep end for those who brought their floats, as well as others who want to swim a lap or two. The pool ... Read Full Post

Mortgage rates on 30 year and 15 year mortgages stayed pretty constant they week. In fact for 4 weeks in a row now 30 year fixed rates have stayed between 6.01 and 6.06. But 5 Year and 1 Year Arms stayed relatively constant. May 15, 2008 30-yr 6.01 15-yr 5.60% 5-yr ARM 5.57 1-yr ARM 5.18 May 8, 2008 30-yr 6.05 15-yr 5.60% 5-yr ARM 5.67 1-yr ARM 5.29 May 1, 2008 30-yr 6.06 15-yr 5.59% 5-yr ARM 5.73 1-yr ARM 5.29 April 24th, 2008 30-yr 6.03 15-yr 5.62% 5-yr ARM 5.68 1-yr ARM 5.29 Below is what ... Read Full Post

Just east of IH-35, in the center of Austin, lies an area that is becoming a popular destination for Austinites looking for a central location that doesn’t come with the price tag one would pay in other centrally located areas. They also don’t lose any of the historic charm or lack of small local businesses within walking distance by moving to East Central Austin. There are several small central east side neighborhoods, such as Blackshear and East Cesar Chavez, but the Cherrywood area is ... Read Full Post