We had a men's retreat at church planned for this weekend and I was secretly hoping to go down to SE Texas instead to help with the Hurricane Ike mess. Lo and behold, God answered my prayers!
Apparently, the retreat center is going to use their facilities to house refugees from the hurricane, and so a couple of men are going down to the Houston area to provide some debris clean-up relief as part of a ministry team called Thirst No More.
I'll be leaving Fri-Sun and Autumn and the kids had already planned on going up to Arlington, TX to visit with her family so it's perfect timing. I'm assuming outdoor accommodations and a huge shortage of food and water as well. Basically, what I faced in Iraq without the heat...but replace the heat with water and you have Galveston.
If you have anything to donate for this trip it would be much appreciated by those who are going and those who are affected in SE Texas. You can drop off at my home at 125 Village Park Drive if you can donate or lend anything. Here's a list of suggested items:
Gas containers
Gas containers filled with Gas! (no gas in that area is available)
Camping-type equipment (stovetop, lanterns, tents, mosquito nets,etc)
Light construction-type tools (sledge hammers, shovels, crowbars,etc)
Equipment (generators, pressure washer, chain saws,etc)
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You hear a lot about how Georgetown, Texas is such a great place to live for people who work in Austin. But what about 30 minutes in the other direction North? Well, that would land you right in Temple and the entire Killeen/Ft. Hood area.
Don't be scared off by the picture on the left...that would be more like your commute to Austin, then Temple. You see, if you're heading north, there rarely is any traffic! Heading south into Austin, well, that's another story.
I have recently had an influx of clients who are working in Temple/Ft. Hood/Killeen and one thing that is important to all of them is the drive time. So here's a little research I put together thanks to the power of Google maps. These calculations were done to the entrance of the neighborhood to the Hwy 195 exit 268. You'll want to add another minute or two to get to the actual home.
These are all close to 10 minutes or less:
Shady Oaks = 4.1 Miles (6 Minutes)
Berry Creek/Logan Plateau = 4.5 Miles (8 Minutes)
Falls of San Gabriel = 5.8 Miles (9 Minutes)
Georgetown Village = 5.4 Miles (9 Minutes)
Historic Georgetown Square = 5.4 Miles (9 Minutes)
River Chase = 6.7 Miles (9 Minutes)
Wood Ranch = 7.5 Miles (11 Minutes)
These are all 15-20 minutes:
Fountainwood Estates = 8.4 Miles (14 Minutes)
Cimarron Hills = 11.9 Miles (15 Minutes)
Woodland Park = 9.1 Miles (15 Minutes)
Teravista = 12.2 Miles (15 Minutes)
Mayfield Ranch = 13.7 Miles (15 Minutes)
Gabriels Overlook = 12.6 Miles (16 Minutes)
Behrens Ranch/Walsh Ranch 14.1 Miles (16 Minutes)
Escalera Ranch = 12 Miles (17 Minutes)
From the Hwy 195 exit 268 to Temple exit 301 is 33.8 miles or 30 minutes. So you can get to Temple from any of these neighborhoods in 36 - 47 minutes one way. If you drive faster you can probably deduct another minute or two. Driving like a Grandma? Well, add another 5 minutes. Anyways, you get the point. I'd be interested in some actual results! Do you live in one of these neighborhoods and work in Temple? How accurate are these times? Post your results!
Property taxes are pretty high in Georgetown, Texas. Anywhere in Texas for that matter. The last thing you should do is pay more than you need to.
In a previous post on property taxes in Williamson County, I revealed the actual value that the Williamson County Appraisal District appraised some homes for:
Boxwood Loop - Appraised for $171,607
Westbury Lane - Appraised for $160,324
Rosebud Lane - Appraised for $214,193
Greenside Lane - Appriased for $182,535
Well, here are the resuts:
Boxwood Loop - Adjusted to $153,600
Westbury Lane - Adjusted to $152,400
Rosebud Lane - Adjusted to $184,000
Greenside Lane - Adjusted to $158,300
That's a total reduction of $80,359.
Assuming a tax rate of 2.4%, I just saved $1928/year in taxes. Now that's worth fighting for! I believe that service happens before and after every transaction so I provide this tax-fighting service free to my clients every year. Did you get good results fighting your taxes this year? If so, let us know your experience. This blog gets more interesting when you give your feedback!
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I thought this was pretty neat: Our local board of Realtors (Williamson County Association of Realtors) is having an educational convention centered on technology for all real estate professionals. This is especially important in this day when everything we do requires a battery or a plug. If you're a real estate agent and not in tune with the way people are using technology to communicate and work, it's time for a TUNE UP!
So, they're doing something new this year called a PEER PANEL. These are real estate professionals who will be speaking on a certain aspect of technology such as Websites, Search Engine Optimization, etc. Well, they asked me to speak on the topic of BLOGGING! I'm pretty humbled since this is the first full year I've been blogging, but it just goes to show that you don't have to BE an expert to be CONSIDERED an expert. Taking the slogan from Nike (with a little adjustment): "Just Blog it!" Or, in other words, if you're new...just keep blogging and soon it will pay off and soon you'll find your "writing style." Before you know it, others will too.
The Technology Peer Panel is a group of Real Estate professionals just like yourself. They will discusss how they use technology in their businesses and tips on things you can do in your business. Each speaker brings his/her own unique spin on technology and what impact it has had on their profession. - September 5; 1-2:30PM

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Why Georgetown, Texas ofcourse!
Texas Monthly magazine recently ranked the Creative Playscape in Georgetown's San Gabriel Park as the best in state. I asked my wife what she thought about it and, although she likes it, she mentioned that it was actually a little too big for our little kids and she would have a hard time keeping track of them. Maybe a great place for the older kids...or mom's who are a little more care-free. Anyway, the Austin American Statesman wrote an article on it and I've included it below for your convenience:
Georgetown playscape ranked best in state
Texas Monthly magazine praises San Gabriel Park playscape.
By Bob Banta
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, July 17, 2008
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