ACL Festival 2009
In: Cool Places to Live| Fun Things to see in Austin| Hill Country Happenings| Music venues| Texas Lifestyles| Uncategorized
1 Oct 2009
ACL Music Festival Zilker Park Outdoor Marquee
Calling All Music Fans! It’s ACL Festival time again! October 2-4, 2009, will bring 65,000 music fans a day to beautiful 350 acre Zilker Park located at 2100 Barton Springs Rd. near downtown Austin. The festival also is projected to inject some $30 million into the city’s economy! Who says music doesn’t pay? Austin City Limits Music Festival has gone from a small mostly Austin musicians festival in its inaugural debut in 2002 to one of the nation’s top music events which sells out ticket capacity months in advance. What a line-up is in store for 2009 lucky ticket holders! This year fans will have 8 stages and 130 acts to choose from including well-known headliners like Dave Mathews, Pearl Jam, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Levon Helm, Ghostland Observatory, Mos Def, and many more! Tickets sold out in August, but a few one day passes can still be had on places like Craig’s List . For a complete list of headliners for this year’s festival, click on the following link, Austin City Limits. If you are just visiting, then enjoy our beautiful city while you are here and call us if you would like to know more about the city or need a list of current properties for sale or rent in Austin! Vicki E. Phillips, Real Estate Broker/Owner of Cool Houses Austin@ 512-665-7778 for more info! We rent apartments, too! Ask us about the new move-in specials!
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- Tags: acl festival, acl line up, acl tickets, apartment homes austin, apartment renting austin, apartments to rent austin, Austin City Limits Festival 2009, bands at acl, ben harper, dave mathews, ghostland observatory, mos def, music, real estate for sale or lease, thievery corporation, zilker park
Dick Nichols Park Austin, Tx.
In: Cool Places to Live| Cool Water Places to Play| Fun Places to Hike| Fun Things to see in Austin| Living Green| Living in the Hill Country| Texas Lifestyles| Uncategorized
24 Sep 2009If you are thinking of living in Southwest Austin, do yourself a favor and check out this beautiful park where you can hike and bike on a well-kept 2 mile trail, play tennis, basketball, volleyball with a sand-pit, take the kids to the elaborate playground, and even swim in an outdoor heated pool year-round! The pool is free in the summer and has a $1 entry fee for children and seniors in the fall, winter, and spring. Regular winter adult admission to the pool is a nominal $2.00. What a bargain! There are also large reservable areas for large groups and parties. Dogs on leash are welcome in the park as well, so bring your furry companions for a run!
Hike and Bike Trail Dick Nichols Park winds through delightful oaks and cedars. A truly delightful park for southwest Austin residents to enjoy! Come out and play!
The photos below show the incredible size of the pool with its many lap lanes and for those who prefer a more leisurely pace, there is a huge open swim area that is reserved for those who prefer to do water aerobics or perhaps swim with their children. Both sides of the pool are heated in the winter swim season (October through May).
Dick Nichols Park is located at 8011 Beckett between Convict Hill and Davis Lane. From Mopac, take William Cannon West to Beckett and go (left) South on Beckett.
Dick Nichols Pool
A gorgeous fall day at Dick Nichols Pool
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
In: Cool Places to Live| Fun Places to Hike| Fun Things to see in Austin| Hill Country Happenings| Living Green| Living in the Hill Country| Texas Lifestyles
23 Sep 2009Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center is a native plant botanical garden located in Southwest Austin just off Loop 1. With its incredible array of native plants, water features including an aquaduct and viewing tower, it truly is a delightful treasure for Austin! And don’t forget to check out its art gallery to see what is currently on display. Until October 4 you will find the wonderful, magical origami of Joan Son. Some of her images are below. What a joy to behold an 8 ft. kimono made out of 900 pieces of paper!
And for you gardening buffs, be sure and mark your calendars for October 9-11. It is the center’s Fall Plant Sale & Gardening Festival! Sure to be a hit!
Earth Robe by Joan Son
HOT Tips for Selling A Home in a Cooler Market
In: Cool Places to Live| Living in the Hill Country| Real Estate News| Texas Lifestyles| Uncategorized
23 Sep 2009Everyone knows that home prices have declined this past year (yes, even here in Austin and the surrounding Hill Country). So what do you do if you are trying to sell a home in a “buyer’s” market? Here are a few tips for you sellers out there:
1. The First Impression: The rule is that the first impression is your only impression! Spruce it up to say “Welcome” as soon as they drive up. If that means, buying some new fresh bedding plants, flowers in pots by the front door, new mulch, etc. Have your home look inviting from the street.
2. Price it right! Have a current CMA done by the agents you are interviewing to list your home. We offer this to you for free at Cool Houses Austin! You will get the most showings the first 30 days your home is on the market, so the right price is very important!
3. De-Clutter! You’ve seen staged homes. How do they do it? Do yourself a huge favor and go rent a storage place and take 1/3 to 1/2 of your stuff and store it there. Big hint! Your garage is not a storage unit! Pack up the family memorabilia, photos, games, toys, Christmas decor, collections, personal keepsakes, etc. and move them to storage. Have that big garage sale before you list the house and much of your “stuff” will be gone and you will have $$$ in your pocket already!
4. Ready to Show at a moment’s notice That means putting it on a lock-box and tidying up before you leave for work. That way, an agent can show your home when you are not there.
5. Light and Bright! Make sure that after you de-clutter, you deep clean and paint! Every room should sparkle! Buyers want good light and freshly painted (neutral) walls in their new home. Not sure what neutral means (check out your local Pottery Barn store for great ideas). Replace burned out bulbs, clean your windows until they sparkle, clean screens (or remove them entirely and stack them in the garage). You want as much light coming in as possible. Voila! Your home suddenly looks newer and brighter!
6. Kitchens Sell a Home! Now is not the time to totally remodel your kitchen to get more money, but it is the time to paint the kitchen (remove any old wallpaper), paint the cabinets if needed, update the cabinet hardware, and the kitchen faucet! Some experts advise buying one brand new high-end stainless steel appliance to replace any old ones that you have. (It makes the whole kitchen look expensive).Never ignore your competition. Be a savvy, educated seller. It will pay off in the long run.
For more tips on selling your home, I always suggest to my sellers to spend a few evenings watching HGTV and see how the experts do it!
And for more tips on selling your home, check out their top 10 at HGTV.com/real-estate
Old Pecan Street Festival 2009
In: Cool Places to Live| Cool Water Places to Play| Fun Things to see in Austin| Hill Country Happenings| Living in the Hill Country| Music venues| Texas Lifestyles| Uncategorized
21 Sep 2009The Old Pecan Street Festival is celebrating its 31st year downtown on 6th Street. Great art (250 exibitions), local handcrafts, festival food, and over 80 acts on five stages to take in all in two days! Whew! There will be plenty of fun to be had for the kids, too. From a petting zoo to pony rides to flying high on the huge jumper areas, and at the last festival, there was even a climbing wall erected on the street! Just goes to show that the kids are way more adventurous than some of us attending the festival! Some of our favorites from the last festival: McClintock Photographics and the whimsical and fun folk art of Wayne Ayers. We also love the gorgeous watercolor originals by Patrick Sullivan who does wonderful portraits as well. We love art here in Austin! Don’t worry if you missed the Spring Festival. The next Old Pecan Street Festival will be September 26-27th of 2009. See their website for more info. And remember, if you want more information on living and playing in Austin or the surrounding Hill Country, just drop us an email or better yet, call us at 512-665-7778. Enjoy the slide show and the music of Austin’s own (and my favorite Latino band) Del Castillo from their same titled CD just released in 2009.
Austin Museum Day
In: Cool Places to Live| Cool Water Places to Play| Fun Places to Hike| Fun Things to see in Austin| Hill Country Happenings| Living in the Hill Country| Texas Lifestyles
20 Sep 2009
Every year the city of Austin hosts a free day to attend any and all 28 of its wonderful museums. Sunday, September 20, 2009, is the day this year! So, if you are visiting our lovely city or a local, get on out and enjoy some of these great museums. Our favorites this year to visit: The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center at 4801 LaCrosse Ave. (just off South Loop 1 past Davis Ln.), The Texas Music Museum at 1009 E. 11 Street, and the Austin Museum of Art at 823 Congress. Both are having special events all day for this free event. For a complete list, click on the following link: Austin Museums. Have a wonderful time, take the kids, take yourself! It is a treasure that the city of Austin wants to share with you and your family!
Gruene Market Days
In: Cool Places to Live| Fun Things to see in Austin| Great Restaurants| Hill Country Happenings| Living in the Hill Country| Music venues| Texas Lifestyles| Uncategorized
19 Sep 2009Have you visited historic Gruene, Tx. lately? Do you love antiques and collectibles and hidden little towns that just take your breath away? Well, if you haven’t been to this charming little hill country town located on the beautiful Guadalupe River, hop in the car for a trip back in time to this delightful litte gem located just 30 minutes north of San Antonio and about an hour south from Austin. Gruene Market Days are held on the 3rd full weekend of each month February – November from 10-5pm. Not only will you find beautiful outdoor plants and homemade jams and jellies to delight, but also wonderful local artisans displaying their art for sale. And if that isn’t enough, you can explore the shops that line the streets and eat at some of the wonderful award winning restaurants like The River House Tea Room which in my opinion is one of the best restaurants in Central Texas! Gruene also has delightful little shops lining both sides of main street. What a wonderful place to shop for those unique gifts that are sure to surprise and delight the lucky recipients. And just think, you are supporting someone’s dreams when you purchase something he or she has created with their heart and hands. And if you wander over to Gruene Hall which boasts the proud moniker of “ Oldest Dance Hall in Texas”, you can grab a cold drink and enjoy live music, too! Who knows who will be playing there? You might just be lucky and catch Lyle Lovett! What a great place to spend the day and evening!
Enjoy the slide show and be sure and visit Gruene, Tx on one of our beautiful hill country weekends!
Arbor Trails
In: Cool Places to Live| Fun Places to Hike| Fun Things to see in Austin| Great Restaurants| Living in the Hill Country| Texas Lifestyles| Uncategorized
18 Sep 2009
Arbor Trails Austin, Tx.
Locatd southwest of the William Cannon exit off Mopac is a delightful hidden jewel for runners, walkers, and bike riders, the Arbor Trails Hike and Bike Trail. With its crushed granite (gentle on our joints), beautiful landscaping, and canopy of oaks and cedars, you forget that you are just a few hundred yards off Mopac and William Cannon. It is also a pet-friendly trail where most owners do clean up after their pets, so that is wonderful as well! There is even a delightful water feature on the backside of the trail (yes, it still has water!) and the sunsets are just gorgeous from this spot. Rest benches are located in several spots along the trail and the loop goes around the Arbor Trails Shops, so you can grab a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants like Chuy’s, Cheddar’s, Dimassi’s Mediterranean Grill, Firehouse Subs, Panda Express, Red Brick Pizza, Smoothie King, etc. which are located inside the hiking trail. You can also shop at Costco and Steinmart or Wine Styles while you are there! So much to offer and right here in our very own Southwest Austin neighborhood. Local subdivisions to check out if you want to be able to just walk to the trail, Western Oaks and Westcreek.
Call us for more info as we walk this trail almost daily!
Sunset Valley Farmer’s Market
In: Cool Places to Live| Fun Things to see in Austin| Hill Country Happenings| Living in the Hill Country| Texas Lifestyles| Uncategorized
18 Sep 2009
Celebrating its 11th year serving Austin, the award winning Sunset Valley Farmer’s Market is located at 3200 Jones Road, Sunset Valley (just off the 290 W access ramp between Brodie Ln. and Westgate) in the parking lot of the Toney Burger Center. It is open every Saturday morning rain or shine from 9am to 1pm. There is even weekly live music hosted by Jimmy Joe Natoli. Recently voted as one the top 5 farmers markets in the country by Eating Well Magazine, this wonderful market is a jewel in our Austin crown. So if you are searching for the best organic produce, grass-fed meats, fresh cheeses, unhomogenized milk and butter, fabulous fresh mushrooms, look no further this Saturday. The market also features wonderful local artisans for gift shopping and great specialty foods prepared on the spot, so you can enjoy a wonderful breakfast or lunch while you shop! Truly, a delight that we are so fortunate to have right here in Southwest Austin!
Recently we noticed an upsurge in people who are choosing to rent rather than buy in our Austin metro area. Cool Houses Austin has a new feature where we can now search for apartments for our clients as well as houses to rent.
We’re really excited about the new feature. Rents are very reasonable in Austin and some of these places are like living at a world class resort. They feature resort style pools, dog parks, hike and bike trails, business centers with computers, faxes, etc, fitness gyms, even garages!
Recently, we visited more than a dozen of the complexes located in South-Central, Southwest and West Austin and found that similar properties can offer very different features and very different move-in incentive packages. A good example of this would be the “pet policy”. Most accept pets, but there is a vast difference in pet amenities such as weight limits, breed restrictions, special areas, dog parks, trails, and other pet-friendly areas. Call Vicki at 512-665-7778 with all your questions about condo or apartment living in the Austin-metro area.
Cell: 512-665-7778
About this blog
I'm Vicki E. Phillips and I am a licensed real estate broker in both Texas and Florida. I am also a certified “EcoBroker” which means that I care very much about sustainability and green living!
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- Kathy MacDaniel: Farmer Markets are great especially so close. [...]
- admin: Thanks for the update! Will definitely have to walk over and check you out! What a great location [...]
- Austin Museum Day | Austin, TX Travel - Culture and Recreation: Great post! Great site for visitors to check out your latest blogs! [...]
- Jordan: There is also a new store called Planet Beach Contempo Spa at the Shops at Arbor Trails. It is an a [...]
- Lauren Baxter: Great blog. Cool place. [...]