Austin Real Estate Blog | Austin Luxury Realty

How to get the Latest Designer Look in your Bathrooms

Your bathroom isn’t just a place to do your special business. Your bathroom can be a sanctuary. A place where you can relax and unwind. A place where you can be totally yourself. A place where you can get away from the kids.

And that sanctuary should be beautiful.

Luckily, we’re here to help you create the perfect space for hiding from the family/boozing in secret/lounging in long bubble baths. We hunted down the best in modern bathroom design trends—and some inexpensive ways you can implement the look in your own home. These interiors are so cool, you may never want to leave.

1. Industrial brilliance

You can’t go wrong with the black and white paint pairing of this…

Helpful tips to get your ready for the school year...

Make Life Easier!

• Pack lunches the night before and refrigerate!
• Make sure backpacks are packed and ready to go the night before.
• Create a homework center. Stock with extra crayons and supplies needed to complete homework. Make sure it’s not near a TV.
• Lay out clothes the night before.
• Remember kids need to make as many decisions as possible. Avoid power struggles by letting them make small decisions.
• Create a special hamper in the laundry room for uniforms and other rush items.
• Fold T-shirts so that the design is recognizable without unfolding.
• Each evening have a 30-minute family clean up time to get everything back in place.

Back To School Shopping!

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What determines the value of your home?

Fair Market Value is the price a willing buyer will pay and a willing seller will accept for a property that has been exposed to the market for a reasonable length of time, where neither party is under duress.  In other words, if 3 other homes exactly like yours (exact same size, condition, and amenities) sold for $300,000 the Fair Market Value of your house would be $300,000.

How do you determine Fair Market Value?  By finding sales of properties that are reasonably similar to the property. In a subdivision where there are a lot of homes that were built with the same floor plan it is relatively easy to find "comparable" sales. The problem is when there are no homes exactly like it, or there have been…

Hyde Park offers a snapshot of authentic Austin history through its gracious old homes and clapboard bungalows. It’s the oldest, and arguably the most coveted, neighborhood in the Texas capital.

The suburb's two historic districts – the rather evocatively named Shadow Lawn and Hyde Park Historic District – include many buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Walk the quiet tree-lined streets and you’ll encounter examples of Victorian, Queen Anne and Tudor Revival architecture. You'll also discover the eccentric dream homes of legendary old Austinites, which feature a mélange of architectural styles.

Elisabet Ney Museum

© image via Tomkatunion

The cornerstone of Hyde Park’s historic districts is the…

Austin's South Congress, or SoCo, is known and loved for its funky boutiques, retro stores, kaleidoscopic neon-lit signs, and gracious old homes.

Another standout feature of this popular neighborhood is its large selection of gourmet food trucks and trailers. Walking the sidewalks, you’ll find anything and everything, from burritos, barbecue ribs, and sweet and savory crepes to Phuket pork buns, kimchee fries, and oh so tempting tapas.

To help make sure you don't miss out on the best of Austin's tempting sidewalk fare, we’ve hunted down some of the top-rated food trucks that operate in and around South Congress.

Chi’Lantro

© image via 365 Things Austin

A fusion of Korean and Mexican food is the mainstay of Chi’Lantro, home of the…

I've worked as an apartment locator in Austin for over a decade, so over the years I've picked up a few tips and tricks guaranteed to make sure you get not only the lowest price on a new place, but that you also don't get any nasty surprises when you move in. So, read on if you're ready to take the apartment hunting bull by the proverbial horns.

1. DON'T go looking for an apartment on a weekend but DO plan your day

This is the most common time for people to go and look at a new place, and you'll often end up waiting for hours at popular properties, which means you get to see less places. There are even unscrupulous leasing agents who will intentionally drag out your time at each property so you can't go and see their competitor. They'll say…

The Lake Travis Independent School Distinct (LTISD) oversees nine schools in the communities of southwestern Travis County. Its focus is on providing a "comprehensive curriculum emphasizing scholastic emphasis."

The LTISD member schools include the Bee Cave, Lake Pointe, Lake Travis, Lakeway, Serene Hills, and West Cypress Hills elementary Schools; Hudson Bend and Lake Travis Middle Schools, and Lake Travis High School.

Lake Travis Independent School District grabs top honors

According to the latest ratings by independent and state ratings agencies, the LTISD has more than met its mandate.

This is confirmed by Greatschools.org, a non-profit organization that rates schools and publishes parent, teacher, and student reviews. It has given a…

Austin is known and loved for its music, food trailers, and distinctly quirky Texan culture, captured in the city's "Keep Austin Weird" slogan. It's also a paradise for shoppers.

Funky boutiques, vinyl record outlets, and independent book stores rub shoulders with contemporary emporiums, farmers' markets, and big brand department stores.

Here we review some of the most appealing Austin inner city shopping districts.

South Congress Avenue

The strip along South Congress Avenue, colloquially known as SoCo, is known for its trendy, upscale boutiques and bohemian stores, along with fashionable cafés and food trailers selling everything from cupcakes and Louisiana fried chicken to burritos and barbecue ribs.

Popular SoCo shopping destinations…

Allandale is an attractive, upscale community located minutes away from the shopping, entertainment, and business hub of Downtown Austin. Tree-lined streets, large allotments, and lovely old homes define this family-friendly neighborhood.

In addition to Allandale proper, the community includes the more petite Austin North neighborhoods of Treadwell, Shoal village, Shoalmont, Highland Village, Highland Park, Green Acres, Crestmont, and Edgewood.

Ideal location

Allandale enjoys a convenient, central location, between Burnet Road, Mopac 1, Anderson Lane, and 45th Street. It's within an easy stroll of the Austin CBD and is near the city's historic parks, the Austin campus of the University of Texas, and key entertainment and retail zones.

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