The Gibbs Team

512-431-2403

Austin Real Estate

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Fall Home Maintenance

ID-100137369We’ve already had a few cooler days, college and NFL football games grace our televisions each weekend and it’s time to accomplish several items on our To Do List for fall home maintenance projects. Sounds like work, but you’ll sure be glad you took the time once the temperatures drop in the coming weeks and months.

The first day of fall is September 23rd and that, my friends, is right around the corner!! Time flies when you’re having fun!!

Between the DIY Network, Better Homes and Gardens, Bob Villa and MSN Real Estate, we have come up with our Top 10 Fall Home Maintenance Tips to keep your home in tip top shape.

With every season, comes its own list of complications and problems to avoid. So, don’t waste any time marking these items off of your list!

TOP 10 FALL HOME MAINTENANCE TIPS:

  1. Add weather stripping to doors and windows. Caulk as necessary.
  2. Check insulation. Replace or add as needed.
  3. Examine gutters for drainage issues and clean out debris.
  4. Call an exterminator to inspect and treat areas of concern.
  5. Execute a home safety check. Check smoke detectors, carbon monoxide sensors and fire extinguishers. Recap the fire escape plan with family members.
  6. Inspect the roof and chimney for damage. Repair as necessary.
  7. Clean and vacuum dryer vent, air vents and air returns.
  8. Schedule a maintenance check on furnace equipment.
  9. Trim tree limbs away from the home or ones that are low to the ground. Clean up leaves, prune hedges and tidy landscaping to keep critters from nesting around the home.
  10. Reseed lawn in barren areas and fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer.

If you need a reference for any of these home remedies, please feel free to contact Mary Lynne Gibbs at 512.431.2403 or austinluxurybroker@gmail.com. Of course, if you are interested in real estate in the Austin area, it would be a pleasure to earn your business!

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Drought Update

iphone pics 486At the August 20th Lower Colorado River Authority Board Meeting, a vote was set for the September 17th meeting to revise its application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to amend its current Water Management Plan due to the drought that is currently in its six year.

In the meantime, the LCRA staff is meeting with interested parties and stakeholders to consider adjustments that will:

  1. Maintain the combined storage to 600,000 feet.
  2. Add a 35,000 acre-foot per year demand associated with Corpus Christi’s Garwood water rights.
  3. Include a three-tier regime for interruptible agricultural customers that consider storage and inflow conditions, plus the use of a look-ahead test.

At this time, Lakes Travis and Buchanan which are our region’s water supply reservoirs that provide drinking water to more than a million people, water to industries, businesses and the environment hold about 706,371 acre-feet of water. These numbers indicate that the water levels are at 35% of capacity.

According to the LCRA, should the combined storage drop below 600,000 acre-feet, 30 percent of capacity, the LCRA Board would then issue a Drought Worse than the Drought of Record declaration, which in turn would then require cities, industries and other firm customers to reduce their water use by 20 percent, and would cut off all Highland Lakes water to interruptible customers.

This drop below 600,000 acre-feet is projected to happen at the earliest January 2015.

Since the drought began, LCRA has been working aggressively to conserve water and expand the water supply. In fact, the LCRA has discontinued Highland Lakes water to most interruptible agricultural customers for three years in a row with permission from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

In order to endure the present drought conditions and to be proactive, LCRA is 1) requiring its customers to limit lawn and landscape watering to once a week in the communities they serve, 2) pursuing a new reservoir in Wharton County, 3) drilling groundwater wells on its property in Bastrop County and 4) investigating other potential projects to add new water supplies.

Due to the extreme drought conditions, the Village of Briarcliff has recently enacted Stage 3A water restrictions.

These restrictions include:

  • Residential water schedule by water irrigation system or hose end sprinkler is acceptable one day a week from midnight to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight.
  1. Odd addresses may water on Wednesday.
  2. Even addresses may water on Thursday.
  3. Commercial, multi-family and HOA may water on Friday.
  • Watering with a hand-held hose is allowed at any time.
  • Washing vehicles, house or sidewalks is prohibited.
  • Filling pools with potable water is prohibited.
  • Maintaining pool levels is allowed.
  • Outdoor water features are not allowed unless to maintain aquatic life.

Please review your neighborhood or city website to find out at what stage of water restrictions you are currently under. They are not all the same.

In case you are wondering how much rain would be needed to fill up our beloved lakes a KXAN article from May 28, 2014 reported that heavy rains of 3-6 inches are far from enough to bust the drought and assuming the soil absorbed the same amount each time, filling Lake Travis would need a similar amount of rain 17 times in a row. Moreover, Lake Buchanan would require 18 similar rain events to fill the lake.

If you or someone you know is interested in buying or selling real estate in the Austin area, please do not hesitate to contact Mary Lynne Gibbs at 512.431.2403 or austinluxurybroker@gmail.com. It would be an honor to earn your business.

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The City of Bee Cave

Bee Cave, Texas was incorporated as the Village of Bee Cave in 1987 and later changed in 2006 to the City of Bee Cave. This quaint little town has grown significantly over the past 27 years, but the residents and government officials have continued to guard the true heart of the area.

As of 2013, the number of the City of Bee Cave residents had grown to 5,125. Additionally, the City of Bee Cave has developed from a two-square mile area with 8,800 acres of extraterritorial jurisdiction to having annexed 236.9 acres of the extraterritorial jurisdiction into the city incrementally by February 2014.

With all of this in mind, progress continues in this once small town, but the values stay very much the same. In fact, according to a recent survey, residents declared the following:

  • Desire for small town, Hill Country atmosphere
  • Averse to additional dense residential development
  • Averse to big box retail and car dealerships
  • Traffic congestion of paramount concern
  • Desire for better pedestrian/bike connectivity
  • Desire for enhancement of parks facilities
  • No item for which majority willing to pay more taxes

The City of Bee Cave has so much to provide residents and visitors. Between the hill country backdrop, gorgeous Texas landscape and the plethora of restaurants and shopping, the City of Bee Cave offers everyone a piece of the comfortable and laid-back atmosphere.

So, what can we do to help make sure the community matures into something we can all enjoy?

  1. Keep up with what is happening in the community.
  2. Go to city planning meetings.
  3. Vote when the opportunity arises.

Progress always has its pro’s and con’s, along with a few growing pains along the way. However, the City of Bee Cave and residents seem to be committed to preserving the quaint, little town character from long ago.

If you are interested in discovering more about Bee Cave, Texas or are interested in buying or selling real estate in the Austin area, please do not hesitate to contact Mary Lynne Gibbs at 512.431.2403 or austinluxurybroker@gmail.com. It would be an honor to earn your business.

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Homebuilder Questions

New communities pop up throughout the Austin area on a regular basis with homebuilders ranging from national brands to exclusive luxury builders. I would love to say that all homebuilders are created equal and that they are all honest and ethical, but we all know we might find a few scoundrels in the mix.

It is critical to understand the process and know the right questions to ask when signing on the dotted line for a new home. This protects you in one of the largest purchases you will ever make.

First of all, having a Realtor® is a huge benefit. Why do you ask? Well, it’s because Realtors® can represent you and all of your interests where a homebuilder represents themselves and is looking out for themselves first and you second.

Additionally, Realtors® already know the transaction and building process and can pass this expertise along to you.

I would like to share with you a list of questions buyers should ask their homebuilders before signing and executing the contract. They include:

  1. What business entity or individual will appear on the purchase contract as the homebuilder? Who is this business entity?
  2. Who owns the lot upon which the residence will be built?
  3. Who owns the title company that the Seller (who presumably is the builder) is insisting upon using? How much business does that Seller/Builder give the title company?
  4. What is the relationship of the business entities the homebuilder owns or manages to specialty independent contractors he urges the buyer to use; i.e. custom pools, tennis courts, home entertainment centers, etc.?
  5. Where relevant, who owns the third party financing agent the Seller (who presumably is the builder) is insisting the buyer use?
  6. If the buyer wants any upgrades or allowances tied to an earnest money or other payment in advance of closing, what happens if closing does not occur?
  7. Under what terms and conditions can the Seller/ Builder refuse to close?
  8. If a warranty or assurance is promised, who is issuing it and what does it actually cover?

These are just a few of the many questions that I would ask during the negotiation process if you chose me to represent you in a new home purchase. Once the purchase contract was signed, I then would be on top of the transaction from start to finish.

Don’t be overwhelmed with the questions and process. Let me help with the details! It’s hard enough just to pick out the right paint, cabinets or flooring!!!

If you or someone you know is interested in buying or selling real estate in the Austin area, please do not hesitate to contact Mary Lynne Gibbs at 512.431.2304 or austinluxurybroker@gmail.com! It would be an honor to earn your business!

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Marble Falls Lakefest

The 23rd Annual Marble Falls LakeFest Drag Boat Race is this weekend, August 8-10, on Lake Marble Falls. This three-day boat race festival takes place in Lakeside and Johnson Parks at 307 Buena Vista Drive with the main gate located at the corner of Main Street and Buena Vista Street in Marble Falls.

The boat drag race, which is similar to those of land drag racing, is an acceleration race over a quarter-mile between two high performance race boats. This particular Marble Falls Lakefest includes over 100 boats, three days of racing, and will pay out over $100,000 in prize money to winners. Additionally, boats can reach astonishing speeds of over 260 miles per hour during the races.

Each day, gates open at 7 a.m. with testing and tuning on Friday, qualifying races on Saturday and final races with an award ceremony on Sunday. Friday night will end with a concert by the Luke Williams Band and Saturday will end with a concert by Deacon Willie.

During the Lakefest weekend, attendees will also find a large selection of food, drinks, merchandise, crafts, vendors and much more at Johnson Park between the main gate and spectator area.

Seating is on a first come-first serve basis and tickets can be purchased at www.marblefallslakefest.com or by phone at 800-759-8178. Prices include:

  • Friday: $5
  • Saturday: $20
  • Sunday: $20
  • 3-Day: $40
  • Kids (Ages 6-12): $5 per day
  • Kids under 6: FREE

Event parking is along side streets and in the lot at the corner of Main Street and Yett Street.

If you or someone you know is interested in buying or selling real estate in the Austin area, please do not hesitate to contact Mary Lynne Gibbs at 512.431.2403 or austinluxurybroker@gmail.com. It would be an honor to earn your business.