iTexas Realty Co. Blog

People always want to know what is happening in the Stone Oak area of San Antonio- up in the north-central part of town, the start of the Texas Hill Country.  We get a lot of comments on "the traffic situation" from prospective buyers.  Please consider: San Antonio is about 407 square miles in size and is the 7th largest city in the US by population (1.3 million), ahead of Dallas, San Diego, San Jose, Detroit and San Francisco.  Ever try driving in those cities?  Driving in San Antonio is a relative dream!

What most buyers who are new to San Antonio don't know:  Getting around San Antonio is pretty darn easy- we've shown new clients how to get from one side of town to the other, during "rush hour" traffic in as little as 25 minutes. 

 Here's some current information:                              

The Blanco Road Expansion Project will have significant effect for the Stone Oak area, helping to relieve congestion and draw traffic from Stone Oak Parkway. Stone Oak and Vineyard residents living near Blanco Road north of 1604 can expect about another 7 months of construction activity, Bexar County engineers said, but those inconvenienced could see two additional lanes opening by January of 2010.

According to Bexar County engineers the $29 million project to widen the road from 1604 to Timberwood Park is more than 70 percent completed, and actually ahead of schedule. Construction work on the Blanco Road expansion began in June 2008 and has a target completion date of June 2010.

The new Stone Oak Library will be open in 2011. To be built on a 10 acre site on Wilderness Oak, just east of the newly expanded Blanco Road (near Wilderness Oak Elementary School in the North East Independent School District).  The new library is a source of great excitement for area residents and provides just another reason for home buyers to gravitate to buying homes in Stone Oak.  

This public library will serve the Stone Oak and North-Central area of San Antonio, Texas.  Initial funding is provided by a generous donation from the Parman family.

Other information, as it becomes available, can be found at the new library's web site:  www.StoneOakLibrary.org

It's interesting to watch what happens around The Holidays:

Businesses close early

People talk about the stress of the Holidays

People plan endless shopping

People make all kinds of plans - Yes! That's the interesting part. Not just plans, but delayed plans...

I'll start exercising after The Holidays

I'll spend some time volunteering after The Holidays

I'll work on my business plan after The Holidays

I'll plan vacation after The Holidays

I'll start a diet after The Holidays

I'll quit smoking after The Holidays

To me,  these items all represent just another day of delayed gratification.  Not the usual gratification (ice cream, iced beer and iced cupcakes), but the kind that makes you feel fulfilled about yourself and your life. 

What's wrong with today?

Let's redefine what is truly gratifying to us and not just a short-term indulgence.  Let's do something for ourselves, our families, OUR LIVES.  AND let's stop waiting for a better time. 

Have you considered?  Today may be the best time.

Happy Holidays! --Sara

 (images from GIFanimations.com used by permission.)

My mother always said it was because I was born in November that Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, but in truth, I love everything about this time of year: 

It starts with such promise;

perfectly

at the end of an Indian summer that quickly begins to cool to the slightly crisp weather that makes you think of apples baking - hot and fragrant, bubbling over onto a cinnamony crumb top. 

The way that the fading sunlight hits the trees, magnifying the autumn palette: The greens, russets and golds of the changing leaves, some swirling through the air on a current made newly visible

Then falling to the ground where they crunch under my step.

Time always seems to go more slowly and in that, there is reflection on all those people for whom I am truly grateful.

--Sara

So, Steve and I have arrived in fabulous Eagles Pass, Texas - just across the border from Piedras Negras.  Since we're afraid (at 7pm) that they'll roll up the streets at any minute, we headed out to locate dinner.

Aha! Fuddruckers:

Bastion of burgers and cerveza! At the order counter I notice a sign proclaiming that the burgers are made with "vegetarian-fed beef".  I had no idea that there was another possibility.

Aren't all cattle vegetarians or are there some carnivorous cows out there?

Really, some things you just don't want to know!

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It was so sweet of a local Realtor to bring me the perfect Birthday Gift today! -

A nice offer for one of our Sellers.  Instead of a card, she sent a pre-approval letter - How thoughtful!

We all hear that the market has slowed, but we do see sales during the holiday months, especially here in San Antonio, Texas where our weather is so nice all winter long.  We have a lot of year-round transfer activity, both from the military and with corporate moves, so it can get pretty busy at some unusual times of the year.

Maybe my Seller will think it's a great gift, too! 

--Sara

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This evening, Steve and I were baking some low-carb cookies - that sort of experimental baking that you do when you are feeling a little tired of Carb-Smart ice cream after every dinner.

I fished out a new low-carb cookbook and whipped up a batch.  I baked a couple to see if the recipe needed adjusting.  It did. They were pretty "short" - downright crumbly, not very interesting, and not nearly sweet enough for anyone's taste.

So, I adjusted the recipe.  Steve watched with great interest as I added more Splenda and some peanut butter (one fast way to change a sugar cookie).  For good measure, I added a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon. 

We baked up a full batch (Steve being out of patience and needing any sort of cookie BADLY at this point), and set them aside to cool a bit.

Steve couldn't wait any longer and bit into one.  He said "They're still pretty crumbly". 

I asked, "How do they taste?  Do we need to add anything?"

He replied "Elmers".  

Effective immediately, with the President signing the bill to extend and expand the tax credit for home buyers, many more Homebuyers closing after November 7, 2009 (but before July 1, 2010), will potentially qualify for a tax credit. 

There are conditions and exclusions (of course), but this new law will be effective for many more San Antonio, Texas Homebuyers.

The main points are-

• The maximum $8,000 "First-Time Buyer" credit remains the same ($4,000 for single or married filing separately).
• Income limits (maximum to qualify for the credit) have been RAISED to $225,000 (married) or $125,000 (single).
• Purchase price now CAPPED at $800,000.
• The BIG NEWS is that the credit is no longer just for "First-Time Buyers", it will now extend to Current Homeowners who are selling in order to purchase a home.  The "new" home must be 'under contract" by April 30, 2010 and CLOSE on or before July 1, 2010. The maximum credit is $6500.
• Sellers buying a 'new' home do not have to buy a higher priced home, than the one that they have sold.

Link to Q and A from the National Association of Realtors (NAR)

A funny thing happened on the way to get more exercise:

I was on a Southwest flight headed back to sunny San Antonio, Texas. In a non-home-selling moment , I was scanning the in-flight magazine. In the back of my mind, I've been thinking of taking a bit more time to myself and (gasp!), getting "some" (unfortunately, the commonly-used term "more", is simply not applicable), exercise.

That segued into a thought that all of my athletic shoes need to be replaced. (My daughter, Darcy, a former high school track champ, could no doubt give me some stats on how I am abusing my feet by inadequate shoe replacement.). There are several great running shoe stores in the area and I would have taken the time to buy a new pair, but I have happened upon a truly shocking article.

Christopher McDougall has written a book called, "Born to Run" in which he declares that the SHOES are BAD for your health.

It isn't enough that he gives a vague statistic that more than 60% all runners are injured (we have no idea of the origin of the statistic), every year; making me feel that my office chair is a better choice of exercise equipment than I had previously thought.  But now, I can't even participate in a ritualistic exercise beginning by buying the shoes!

Aaaarrrggghhhh!

Maybe I should just stick to wearing slippers on my elliptical rider?

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The San Antonio, Texas housing market continues to be resilient.

In the best-selling price range of $125,000 to $200,000, the pace of sales has been steady, but the 'Months of Housing supply' has dropped from 14.48 in the first quarter of this year to 7.79 this most recent quarter (ending September 30, 2009).  (fewer homes are being put on the market - down 12% from Q2 to Q3).  Meanwhile, the median DOM (days on the market) numbers have dropped from 53 in the first quarter, to 43 in the second quarter, to 38 this most recent quarter- good news for Sellers.  Also, sales prices have averaged in a slight increasing trend this year.

One cautionary note however: Buyers are almost universally asking for (and getting), seller contributions for closing costs of anywhere from 1% to 4% ‘at close'.

The $8,000. "Tax Credit" has been most effective in the best-selling price range ($125,000 to $200,000), which also points to the figures remaining steady.  There has been some talk that the market is being artificially sustained by the tax credit, (Which has just been extended). We will now see if there is a ‘carry-over' effect on sales as we look for Buyer sentiment to improve as with the stock market rebound of over 50% since March.

San Antonio continues to be one of the best places in the US to buy a home and we expect more activity as the military relocates all of their medical training to local bases, companies continue to move their operations to this favorable business climate, and retirees from everywhere flock to San Antonio (although more slowly than in 2005), for San Antonio's lower cost of living and high quality of life!

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