Shay Hargus

Voting in this election may prove to be one of the most vital ballots you will ever cast. No matter where you stand on the issues and the candidates Your Vote is powerful.

Early voting will begin on Monday in Travis County . An early vote may be cast between Monday, October 20 and Friday, October 31, 2008.

Early voting allows you to vote conveniently at a time that works best for your schedule. If any of the times and locations do not match your schedule, then be sure to clear your calendar and vote on November 4th!

Your vote counts not only in this very important presidential election, but also in matters affecting our state, county and local matters.

Most polling locations will be equipped with electronic voting machines. Personally, I think the new machines make voting easy. When casting a vote electronically, you may change your vote. However, this must be done before you select the "CAST BALLOT" button.

If you have any question about electronic voting, call the Travis County Clerk's Elections Division at 512-854-4996.

Voting Locations:
Early Voting Locations
Early Voting Mobile Locations
Tuesday, November 4 Voting Locations:
Election day polling places.

Quotes to Remember:
Lyndon B. Johnson:
"The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men."

John Quincy Adams:
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

In Austin you can two-step, step to the beat of a different drummer or step back in time.

A visit to Pioneer Farms will allow you to step back in time and view the pioneer lifestyle of Central Texas . This outdoor museum depicts three diverse lifestyles' of the 1880's. Featured are a Homestead Farm, a Tenant Farm and a Commercial Cotton Farm.

Pioneer Farms presents various aspects of pioneer living to be featured each weekend of the month. The month of September will be highlighting cotton clothing from Field to Fabric, Artisans, and Life on the Praire. On October 11^th, there will be a special Halloween presentation: A Lewis Carroll Halloween.

Pioneer Farms, a registered landmark, is located near the famous old Chisholm Trail and was once the real 2,000 acre working ranch and home of the Jourdan family.

If you would like to make stepping back in time, up close and personal, you may participate in any one of several classes and workshops held here. You can make the traditions and workmanship of the past yours for a lifetime. Classes include such crafts as spinning, weaving and rope making. You can learn skills such as blacksmithing, wood-turning and Dutch oven cooking to name a few.

Step back in time and appreciate what it took for the pioneering families of Austin to make the Lone Star State one of the greatest states in our nation.

Everyone Finds Austin Real Estate on their Best Place List

Austin, as well as the state of Texas, has fared very well on many "best place" lists. Another survey by BizJournals.com, has named Austin as #2 on its list of best places for young adults. The main factors looked at in this survey were based on job opportunities, income levels and quality of life.

BizJournals.com is being proven correct by the many young professionals who have moved back to the Austin area for those very reasons. These buyers are the 30-somethings that moved away but are now returning home.

The "returning buyers" have chosen such areas as Downtown Austin, South Lamar, Hyde Park, South Congress and East Central Austin as their favorite areas to buy a home. They are very savvy buyers and prefer homes that feature green living as well as convenience to parks, green spaces, and shopping. These buyers want to be close to mass transit or have the ability to walk or bike to shops and work. Some of these 30-somethings are from areas such as Seattle and Portland where this way of life is quite common.

The Baby Boomer generation is also moving to Austin for its lifestyle, climate and affordability. While these buyers may not be as interested in green living, they are definitely interested in living in green areas. In light of increasing gas prices and their fixed income, proximity to shopping and other conveniences has also become an area of importance to them.

Investors are finding the Austin area a very good place to invest their real estate dollar. Although, Austin is not experiencing a depressed market and prices are holding steady these same groups, Baby Boomers, Young Professionals and "returning buyers", will increase the demand in the rental market.

No matter where the buyer is coming from, they are coming because Austin is one of the Best Places to live in the nation.

Time for an update on Austin Real Estate.

In early December I told you that we were still in a good market here in Austin, Texas (see my December 10 blog ‘Tis the Season to be Jolly - There's no bubbles but only water in Austin! . That statement was my opinion based on what I know about the Austin real estate market.

Well, in December our sales fell off. So, you may be hearing some buzz about the Austin market not fairing so well. You may be listening to all the media hype on real estate bubble burst and the sad situation the real estate market is in.

Lets look at some facts. 2005 and 2006 were record breaking years for Austin Real Estate. So, if not quite as many homes have sold recently in comparision to the same month in the last three years, that is not an indication of a market slow down or impending doom.

Austin real estate is still a good investment. We have been rated as not only one of the best places to live, but also one of the top 10 cities to invest in real estate either as an investor or a home owner for the year 2008.

This is a great market. Sellers are still able to sell in a reasonable timeframe. A great market is 30 days or less. A strong market is 60-90 days. A declining or Buyer's market is 6 months or more. Here in Austin , depending on the neighborhood, our timeframe ranges in the great and strong days on market.

Depending on location, sellers are still able to sell their homes for more than what they purchased them. Austin is seeing anywhere from 7% to 20% increase in home value once again.

Sales may have been off slightly in December from the record breaking years, but they were certainly back up there in February. Ahhh, I was right after all. It is a great market in Austin and it is still the the season to be jolly!

This is great market. There is a large pool of qualified buyers from the Boomerang group (Texans returning to their home state), first time buyers, those relocating to the Austin area to real estate investors.

This is a great market. Buyers are still able to get loans at low interest rates. We may see another drop in interest rates shortly.

This is a great market. Buyers have a good selection of standing inventory.

This is a great market. The Austin real estate market offers one of the best selections of undervalued homes in America . Undervalued simply means affordability for buyers and that our market is no where near over inflated prices.

My report does not give you all the statistical facts and figures but it does give you the facts. It is a great market for buyers and sellers in Austin Texas Real Estate. This fact is unusual in itself but I will tell you more about that next week.

Austin is still one of the most desirable areas in the country due to our weather, strong economic base, low unemployment and some of the best schools in the nation.

If you are considering a real estate investment email me. I will be glad to help you determine your buying power and the best area for you to invest your real estate dollar whether for your own home or as an investment for the future. To visit my website for more about Austin Real Estate

Want to learn more about the Austin Economy? Here are some recent articles.

Another famous Austin street is Guadalupe Street aka "The Drag" This portion of Guadalupe Street is a busy section running north-south along the western edge of the University of Texas campus between 21st and 25th streets. Businesses are found on the west side of the street with University buildings located on the east side

Guadalupe Street was named for the river that runs South of Austin. In the 1920s people would "drag" when they would drive up and down the street to see and be seen as they showed off their motor machines thus the students of UT dubbed it "The Drag", the name caught on and has stuck all these years. The pronunciation of Guadalupe Street has been anglicized to gwah-da-loop (correct Spanish pronunciation is wah-dah-loo-pay).

The Drag serves, for the most part, the students of the University with a mixture of stores, dining and entertainment. It is home to assorted shops, underground and mainstream bookstores, some tattoo parlors, internet cafes and even churches.

The Drag is also knows as a place to find good food for a reasonable buck. On The Drag students can shop clothing stores which feature everything from funk to high-fashion, shops range from gifts to cookware and trendy furniture stores as well.

The Drag like any other area has changed since its early days evolving from local shops, to hang-out soda shops to corporate logos. The students have a great influence on what businesses flourish or perish in the district, after all this is their stomping grounds.

Back in the late 60s street vendors became very popular with the students and Austinites as well but not so popular with the shop-owners. not because of the competition but because the vendors crowded the streets and blocked the doorways to their businesses. To service the needs and wants of the populace and business-owners, as well as aesthetics and safety, the City of Austin created the Renaissance Market at 23rd Street in 1978. This Artisan market is still as popular today as it ever was with its handcrafted items and art pieces.

The Drag may cater to the UT students but the district has something for everyone. If you are looking for a book you don't think exists then be sure to visit the Europa Books store because it if what you are looking for isn't here then it probably doesn't exist! For great coffee try Mojo's Daily Grind. Be sure to stop in at Scholz Garten, the oldest beer garten in the great state of Texas . It is also the site of the University of Texas' first victory party and still home to many of the Longhorn fans. The Wurst Band, 33 members strong, has been entertaining the students and Austinites since 1871! And on some Thursday drag your little self over to the Guadalupe Third Thursday events.

Well, folks this concludes my little tour of the more popular Austin Hot Sots and Quirky Shops entertainment districts. I hope I have piqued your interest and have made you want to come to my little corner of the world. I feel the more you know about Austin the more you will want to know and the more you know will make you want to relocate to our great city. I really don't know of a better place to live because if I did I would be there. Remember as a relocation specialist I have the information you need when relocating to the greatest city in the world, Austin Texas.

Renaissance Market: http://www.austinartistsmarket.com/index.htm