Austin Real Estate Blog

As if Austin didn’t already have enough to offer to its citizens, the Austin Park and Recreation Department is now offering a summer archery program.  This is the first year the program is being offered and it already has 36 people signed up.

The classes, which are being held in Packer Arena, are meeting twice per week.  Interestingly, participants range from young kids all the way to adults.  In addition, approximately 90% of the participants are taking an archery class for the first time thanks to the new program.

“The thing about archery is, you could be 80-years old and 600 pounds or 10-years old and 80 pounds and still be just as good at it,” instructor Steve Scott told the Austin Daily Herald.  “You could be in a wheelchair.  Anyone can shoot

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Chaparral Ice Rink Goes Green – Saving the Environment and Money at the Same Time

In an effort to become more energy efficient, Keye TV reports that the Chaparral Ice Rink has recently undergone some major renovations. 

One of the changes made at the ice rink was a new Zamboni.  According to the president of the rink, Charles Collins, the Zamboni is capable of saving 100 gallons of water each time the rink is resurfaced.  Considering this happens ten times a day, every day of the year, that is an impressive amount of water being saved.

The walls have also been insulated, which helps to maintain the 56 degree temperature that remains constant within the rink.  Not only that, by implementing green building techniques, the rink has doubled in size

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Austin prides itself in being at the forefront when it comes to cultural experiences.  But, as any Austin resident knows, this sometimes means venturing into the land of strangeness.  Of course, the unusual little events that are hosted by and within the city are all part of the charm of this amazing city.  The annual Veggie Dog Eating Contest is just one more example of how Austin offers more than what can be found in most other cities.

The event is already in its second year running and is held at the Scholz Garden located on San Jacinto.  Here, those interested in competing in the contest can enter as either solo competitors or they can enter the doubles category in teams of two.  Those that are not interested in competing can come and enjoy the

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According to the Dallas Business Journal, the Austin City Council has made its decision about developing the Green Water Treatment Plant area.  In a unanimous decision, the Council selected partnership through Trammell Crow Co to complete the amazing transformation.

This redevelopment initiative will be the largest one to ever take place in the downtown Austin area and is expected to have quite an impact on the Austin economy.  In fact, the development is expected to offer numerous employment opportunities and will bring in up to $700 million in taxes.

The new development, which can be seen in the rendering above, will include lodging, retail space, apartments, condos, and offices.  In all, the development will comprise of 2.6 million square feet of

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Although the housing market has slowed down a bit in Austin when compared to last year’s market, the city still continues to go strong when compared to other cities around the country.  In fact, according to the Austin Business Journal, the construction of new homes in the area actually went up by 22% when comparing the first and second quarters of 2008.

According to Residential Strategies Inc, which is located in Dallas, area builders started construction on 2,814 homes during the second quarter this year.  Despite being 19% less than the number of homes started in the first quarter of 2007, that is still significantly more than the 2,303 homes that were started during the first quarter of 2008.  In addition, while the annual number of new home

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Although Austin’s housing market has managed to remain strong when compared to other markets throughout the country, the city has seen a little trouble when it comes to the office space market.  In fact, many landlords have been looking at the possibility of having to lower rent in order to draw in and retain tenants.  While this may be good news for businesses looking to save some money on office rental, it is not particularly good for landlords.

Fortunately, some experts believe that Austin may be on its way to bouncing back from its minor stumble.  In fact, the Austin Business Journal reports that vacancies within the central business district went from 16.1% in the first quarter to 15.5% in the second quarter.  In addition, the average rent for

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Austin is known for being on the cutting edge in a variety of ways, and this is certainly true when it comes to the medical practice within the city.  In fact, Austin doctors are teaching other doctors around the world about an innovative new technology that allows them to perform surgery without even needing to be in the same room as their patients.

With the help of this technology, surgeons can save time by performing delicate procedures on patients without having to actually travel to where they are located.  According to KEYE TV, the Heart Hospital of Austin is one of just five hospitals in the entire world that are able to transmit live surgery to other doctors in order to help them improve their medical knowledge.  In fact, one of the hospitals

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If you are a fan of tap dancing, you will be thrilled to learn that the International Tap Association has recently moved its headquarters to Austin.  In the process, it also named Acia Gray as its new president.  Gray, who was the co-founder and Artistic Director of Tapestry Dance Company, is well-known within the tap dancing community and is viewed as one of the most innovative tap dancers in the industry.

It is quite an honor for the City of Austin to become the new headquarters for the International Tap Association, which has over 1000 members located throughout 28 different countries.  The goal of the association is to promote a greater understanding of tap while also preserving the art form and further developing the special type of dance.  Another

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Newsweek recently listed Austin as among the “Hot New Tech Cities.”  According to the magazine, many new places around the country are popping up and giving Silicon Valley a challenge for the title of tech headquarters of the country – and Austin is among the cities leading the pack.

Of course, the fact that Austin is home to Michael Dell has certainly helped Austin snag this recognition, but the honor wasn’t bestowed upon Austin simply because of Dell’s presence.  Rather, the fact that nearly 2,000  high tech companies can be found in the region and that nearly 20% of the areas workforce is employed in the high-tech field certainly has something to do with it. 

“It takes an entrepreneur to think there’s life outside of Silicon Valley,” Joseph

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The sixth annual Keep Austin Weird 5k recently took place, and it was certainly a grand celebration and tribute to the weirdness of the city that was enjoyed by many.  In fact, according to Statesman.com, 3,000 runners participated in the mini-marathon and they were decked out in a wide variety of fun, interesting and, well, weird costumes.

Despite the 100 degree heat, the runners came out to Auditorium Shores to let loose and have a little fun.  Of course, there were some serious competitors as well. One of these was this year’s winner, Derek Yorek, who wore nothing but a race bib and a green Speedo.

Yorek, whose best 5k time is 14:22, was on his way to completing the run at under 15 minutes once again until a spectator got in his way.

"This lady

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