San Marcos Texas Real Estate

Interesting article about companies banding together to profit from tourism in the Austin area. Having traveled more than my share, I can tell you from first hand experience how difficult it is to find interesting things to do when you’re away from home on short notice. An idea like this could definitely work in the Austin-San Antonio Corridor as well. Read on….

A visitor in an Austin hotel or motel might have a little time to kill the night before a meeting or in between events. One could find something to do by laying back and watching the local information channel or reading the room’s complimentary guidebook. Both offer advertisements and stories about Austin’s entertainment options.

The scenario may become more common as Austin attracts a growing number of visitors, who spent $1.68 billion in 2006, according to economic analysis firm Global Insight. Downtown’s 5,200 hotel-room capacity is also expected to increase by 2,000 rooms in the next few years.

The growth could mean more revenue for a new partnership that combines the rooms’ 24-hour informational television component, CityView TV, with the guidebook Celebrate Austin. The partnership aims to combine the pair’s advertising sales strengths.

CityView TV owner Carlos Benavides and Celebrate Austin owner Judy Barrick started discussing a possible partnership in October 2007 at a networking luncheon. Benavides had run his company alone since starting it in 2001. Barrick bought a stake in the 28-year-old guidebook from a previous owner in August. The television programming and the guidebook reach about 17 million viewers per year, Benavides says.

Benavides and Barrick met again a few days after the initial discussion, and soon began the legal process of joining the two companies. Barrick bought a minority stake in CityView TV, and Benavides renamed it to Celebrate CityView TV. The partnership sells ad space on television, in print and on the Web. Excluding Benavides, the partnership employs a six-person sales staff, which came from Celebrate Austin.

Barrick says advertisers have reacted positively to the union. It now offers bundles of television, print and Web advertising at discounted rates. The television and print entities cross-promote each other.

“Most people who do advertising, whether it’s a retail business or real estate or whatever, have set aside budgets for each one of the media,” Barrick says. “Cost-wise, it’s great because TV commercials are very expensive and … read full article in the Austin Business Journal

Income taxes, state taxes, business taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, personal taxes….for some, it seems like it never ends. For most of us, federal income taxes and property taxes are the two with the largest affect on the ordinary person. In San Marcos, approximately 65% of all property taxes paid to the county go to fund the local school system. 65%. The remaining 35% goes to fund the minority of governmental costs like police, fire, roads, and so on, and so on. 65%….sorry, that’s a tough percentage to get a grasp on. So apparently, we can provide emergency and routine services for every person in the city for 35%….services for nearly 50,000 people - 50,000.  But providing primary education for our young people costs nearly twice that much, and that doesn’t even include the millions spent on constructing new schools over the past few years.

As it seems, we’re in the norm when it comes to school taxes within the state of Texas. Everyone feels the need to have great schools, no matter where they live, and rightfully so. Yes, if we don’t educate our young people by exceptional standards, then we all feel the consequences. For the 2007-2008 school year alone, San Marcos CISD’s operating budget is a staggering $67 million. With 7239 students (+/-) in attendance, that’s an average of more than $9000 spent each year - PER STUDENT. Granted, that $9000/student covers maintenance and operating costs and does not directly Continue Reading »

By Anita Miller
San Marcos Daily Record News Editor

San Marcos — Plans for San Marcos to annex nearly 600 acres south of town for a high-end development that would feature resort-style homes, a golf course and limited retail space could be set for a first council vote soon. No one showed up at the second of two public hearings scheduled on the annexation of portions of the Hillert Tract at Tuesday’s council meeting, meaning the annexation could get the first of three readings as early as next month, Mayor Susan Narvaiz said on Wednesday.

But citing the volatility of the market, the owners who requested the area be annexed are now seeking new buyers for the project.

“We have got some interested purchasers,” said Diane Langness of The Anderson Group, which represents property owners Rick Anderson and Bob Mayo. She said a conceptual plan featured on the Web site of the engineering firm Loomis Austin “has changed.”

Loomis Austin requested the annexation involving 563.199 acres, more or less, stretching from Staples Road to the San Marcos River. Its borders run roughly parallel to CR 266 (Old Bastrop Road) and Scull Road, though abutting neither.

It includes a significant stretch of riverfront.

The tract straddles the Hays/Guadalupe county line with about half the property in each jurisdiction. It is located about two miles east of the present San Marcos city limits and when fully built, according to the original projections, could contain up to 900 homes, according to the city’s proposed service plan.

It would put people living in what’s now suburban Martindale a literal stone’s throw from San Marcos proper, across the river from portions of Spring River Estates.

Last November, the Martindale City Council, on request from Loomis Austin, released the area from its Extra Territorial Jurisdiction.

The tract is also being billed as being along the future course of the San Marcos Loop, though that would be the second portion of the planned roadway, not the first portion from McCarty Lane to Hwy. 123 that city and county authorities are now working to jump-start.

According to Jonathan Rosenblum of Loomis Austin, the original concept was for resort style homes and a golf course, not “cookie-cutter” style. “The parcel on the river is too nice of a property for a …. read the full story in the San Marcos Daily Record

A long-simmering water issue in western Hays County has been kept from reaching the boiling point.

On Thursday, State Rep. Patrick Rose said residents in the Deer Creek Ranch, which includes portions of Hays and Travis counties, had negotiated a solution to their water needs that should last a long time, dealing both with the state and a private utility.

“Deer Creek families finally have a clean and reliable source of water. We’ve reached this milestone because of the neighbors’ dedication and our partnership,” Rose said. “As we approach another Texas summer, these families have the clean water they need to live their lives. Many infrastructure improvements are still needed and I am committed to helping this community. Today proves that when communities and the state partner, the system can work.”

In the Summer of 2006, Deer Creek Ranch families went weeks without water. Neighbors called Rose for help and an initial, two-week deal to supply them was reached via a donated 5,200-gallon HEB tanker. During the duration of that patch, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) supplied the water and a driver.

“We called Rep. Rose, he took charge of our situation, and today we have clean water when we turn on our faucet,” said Stephanie and Brad Weaver, long-time Deer Creek residents. “Just two summers ago we were a neighborhood of over 200 homes in crisis with a dry well.”

A Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) report released at that time showed 29 alleged violations from July 24 through Aug. 8, 2006 by the private water utility; including a failure to provide minimum well capacity and a failure to provide a continuous and adequate supply of water.

Realizing that the neighbors needed the security of regular water deliveries while a long-term solution could be …. read the full story in the San Marcos Daily Record

Facing a future with a $438 million Seton Hospital just up the road in Kyle, Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) in San Marcos announced today a $35 million expansion and renovation project.”I see their expansion here as another segment of providing good quality care for the Central Texas community,” said Ray Hernandez, executive director of the Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce.

The 64,000 foot expansion will include a childbirth center, a Level II neonatal critical care unit (NCCU), a new cardiac telemetry inpatient nursing unit, and an expansion to the facility’s surgical suite. The expansion will be constructed on the current CTMC campus, behind the professional offices.

“With nearly 1,200 births at the hospital last year alone, it is clear we need to expand to meet the needs of our growing community,” said Gary Jepson, CTMC President and CEO, at a press conference today. “…The hospital is …. read the full story at the Hays Free Press

San Marcos — A proposed city project will not only make meter readers a thing of the past, but could result in substantial savings for San Marcos residents and the city.

A consulting firm hired by the city is currently negotiating with a vendor to provide a centralized system monitoring the amount of water and electricity consumed by every individual home in San Marcos.

It’s called automated meter reading, where meters are outfitted with a transmission device that sends a home’s water and electricity use data through a Local Area Network, ultimately landing in the city’s system for analysis.

“The impact is quite dramatic,” said Dale Pennington, managing director for UtiliWorks, the consulting firm that’s working on the project. “For the first time ever, a mass balance report could tell the city every day how much water they are producing and how much they are selling and what they can do to reduce costs to the city.”

Through the Internet, residents will be able to view how much water and electricity they use every hour. Pennington said this will result in a dramatic drop off in customers who complain their electric or water bill is too high. He said when they see the data on the Internet, it will be too strong for the customer to argue against.

He said customers complaining about water or electricity issues in their home will also be reduced because any disruption will automatically appear on the network, allowing the city to …. read the full story by Nick Georgiou in the San Marcos Daily Record

RISMEDIA, Feb. 14, 2008-Despite all of the negative commentary about the housing and credit markets, 64% of Americans believe that for those with good credit and a down payment “this is an ideal time to buy a home,” according to a study commissioned by Beazer Homes, one of the country’s top-10 homebuilders. Perhaps with an eye toward the future, 24% of survey respondents-from Gen Y to Baby Boomers-say they plan to buy a new home in the next two years either as a primary residence or second/vacation home.

“We know the American consumer believes with great conviction that home ownership is a smart investment over the long term,” said Ian McCarthy, president and CEO of Beazer Homes. “Savvy consumers realize that housing is a cyclical industry and some appear to be waking up to the opportunities that do exist in today’s marketplace. Whether they act on this conviction remains to be seen, but the underlying sentiment bodes well for the industry.”

Indeed, 65% of survey respondents agree that given the current supply of homes for sale and special incentives this is “truly a buyer’s market.” And, 39% believe that tentative buyers who are waiting for home prices to go lower risk “missing out on one of the greatest home-buying markets in recent history.”

As in most areas, experience brings additional confidence. The survey found 70% of experienced home buyers-those who have purchased at least one home-urging renters to purchase a home as soon as he or she is financially able to do so.

The company says that this sentiment seems to resonate with prospective first-time buyers, with 30% citing they are “looking to make an investment” as their primary motivation for purchasing a new home. This is followed by the desire for a better location (22%) and the need for a bigger home (21%). Experienced buyers, on the other hand, ranked a ‘desire for less maintenance and up-keep’ (35%), better location (27%) and investment (14%) as the primary motivations for their next home purchase.

Across the board, consumers appear optimistic about the availability of home mortgage options. For experienced buyers, 75% believe there are plenty of mortgage options available for those with good credit compared with 53% of first-time buyers. When it comes to securing a home mortgage, 24% of total respondents report they are currently saving for a down payment.

“While this is clearly a challenging time for the homebuilding industry, for those who are financially grounded, we believe it is an ideal time to buy a …. read full story at RISMedia.com

By Nick Georgiou
Staff Reporter
San Marcos Daily Record

San Marcos — The future is uncertain for a controversial draft ordinance requiring San Marcos rental property owners to be held more accountable for their tenants’ actions.

The City Council decided Tuesday to halt all further actions taken by the rental registration task force, saying the group was lacking direction and that it needed input from city staff, particularly the city attorney.

“What’s missing is city staff answering the tough legal questions,” said City Councilman John Thomaides.

Though City Council members had varying opinions on what the exact charge was they gave the task force and why the group was created, the overall objective was to study rental permitting in coordination with the Fire Marshal’s Office, which is in charge of code enforcement. Fire Marshal Ken Bell and the task force were to then present their findings to the council.

For more than a month, the seven-member task force has been revising a draft ordinance that would require rental property owners to register for a permit with the city, follow a series of rules and guidelines and pay an annual fee.

City officials had previously said the purpose of the draft ordinance was to regulate single family homes and duplexes and make the …. read the full story in the San Marcos Daily Record

Read some great articles last week about how the Austin area seems to be recession-proof right now and about how many are amazed.  Coming from an economic standpoint, I’m not about to state that our market is recession-proof, but it has done very well while the rest of the country seems to be on a downgrade.  Most of what I’ve read has been based on 3 main reasons….

1. Approximately 21% of all people in Austin work for some form of government, which is not largely affected by recessions or market trends.

2. The Austin area was typically undervalued prior to the fall of the California and Florida markets.

3. Austin is a lifestyle city, meaning that most people consider it a bit more socially progressive and people-friendly.

4. Austin’s economy has a high-tech base.

All of these make sense, but one thing remains true.  Just about everything you read and everything we’ve experienced tells us that the real estate markets in the Austin area are still very strong.  Sure, there have been some changes in during the past 2 years, but all of them seem to be for the better.  Fewer listings, better quality listings, and real estate values have been mostly retained or improved for the better.

Here’s an example from Entrepreneur.com last week.  Look where Austin ranks.  What’s been your experience in your area?

From Texas State University News Service

The Nanomaterials Application Center of Texas State University and Composite Ceramic Technologies, LLC [CCTech] of Austin announced a collaborative effort expediting the commercialization of CCTech’s advanced ceramic composites.

The center’s director, Walt Trybula, said, “This technology incorporates passive components into electronic assemblies in a manner that is similar to the developments that created the integrated circuit. The overall potential for lower cost, higher reliability circuitry will benefit the end consumer and change the manufacturing dynamics in favor of the better educated workforce.

“The US microelectronics industry has been steadily losing high-value manufacturing and design jobs to lower cost labor markets overseas,” he said. “The development of this materials integration technology, which requires a well educated workforce, will enable high value manufacturing to return.”

The collaboration will support several graduate students initially and, ultimately, has the potential to revitalize segments of the U.S. manufacturing base.

The patented technology to be commercially incubated with Texas State allows advanced ceramics to be endowed with the exotic …. read the full story at Newstreamz.com