Austin Real Estate Expert

The neighborhood of Brentwood in north central Austin was originally a cotton farm until about 75 years ago, when the City of Austin annexed the land and land was purchased to build a school, Brentwood Elementary, which opened in the early 1950s. Brentwood is the name used to refer to the area of Austin between Lamar, Justin Lane, Burnet Road and 45th Street, and the school is in the middle of the neighborhood. There is also a tree-lined street called Arroyo Seco which runs through the middle of Brentwood and divides the neighborhood in half, forming what are jokingly referred to as Northern Brentwood and Baja Brentwood.

The median household size is smaller than average in Brentwood than most in Central Texas, at 1.9 people per household on average, and the demographics of the Brentwood neighborhood suggest a professional population of the age group most likely to be employed, with 45% of the residents being between the ages of 25 and 44; in addition, 50% of the homes in Brentwood are occupied by a single adult, many of whom are professionals in the high tech industry or U.T. grad students and professors.

There is a smaller percentage of school age children in Brentwood than most neighborhoods in Austin, and most of the residents of the neighborhood are slightly older than average, with 86% of the residents being over the age of eighteen, yet only 17% reporting being over the age of 65.

74% of the residents in Brentwood report Caucasian ancestry, with about 20% reporting ethnicity including both Hispanic and Caucasian roots, with the remaining population being comprised of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, so Brentwood has a fairly diverse population as well.
Students who attend school in Brentwood go to Brentwood Elementary, Lamar Middle School, or McCallum High School, and 95% of those who are employed in Brentwood work within Travis County. The median family income in Brentwood is around $47,000, and the residents are well-educated, with 57% having a college degree and 28% currently reporting working on their graduate degrees.

Since the University of Texas is in close proximity to the neighborhood, there are numerous housing opportunities for students, professionals, and young families, with a plethora of new condominium projects and apartment complexes as well as many single family homes. The average price of a home in Brentwood was about $170,000 in 2003, with the higher end of home prices being around $385,000. This is roughly about average for the Austin real estate market. Home values have risen dramatically in the area since the closure of Mueller Airport, since the flight paths of planes travelling to and from the field are no longer directly over the homes in the area, eliminating a great deal of the noise.

Brentwood is a very scenic area with a creek meandering through most of the neighborhood,along Arroyo Seco,and the neighborhood is known for old-fashioned hamburger joints and taverns, as well as the farmer’s market, which has been in operation since 1947. At one point, the Stallion, Frisco Shop, and Threadgill’s all offered a down-home chicken fried steak or juicy burger with home made fries in or very near the neighborhood, for a workingman’s price.

There is a large, peaceful park in the neighborhood, Brentwood Park, which included nine acres of green space along with tennis courts, hike and bike trails, soccer fields, a baseball diamond and a playscape. There is also a festival called the Violet Crown Festival which is held on the lawn in Brentwood Park every year, and the neighborhood takes pride on its lights and decorations during the holiday season, especially on Arroyo Seco.

There are many churches and institutions, as well as city and state facilities in Brentwood, with choices of Faith Lutheran, Austin Bible, and Crestview Methodist Church for churchgoers, among many others, and some of the facilities in the neighborhood include the Texas School for the Blind, the Texas Department of Health, and the Austin Community Gardens, where residents can grow their own fresh produce.

For dining out, residents and visitors can choose between the Korea Garden, Fonda San Miguel, Phil’s Icehouse, the Omelettry, and Jalisco, all of which are in or very near the Brentwood area, as are quite a few other restaurants and clubs, as well as fast food joints.

Brentwood offers something for everyone, and with its scenic beauty and history, yet urban, hip reputation, it is the perfect place to just visit or move in and settle down!

Ki works as a real estate agent in Austin Texas. His site is filled with information on the Austin real estate market. It also provides information on neighborhoods like Brentwood Austin along with a search of the Austin MLS.

After falling from 5.59 to 5.38 the previous week it looks like mortgage rates for the most part held steady this week. Of the four major mortgage products two fell and two rose. But for all four the movement was minimal. Thirty year mortgage rates rose from 5.38 to 5.42 and the 5 year arm rose from 4.97 to 4.99. The 15 year rate dropped slightly from 4.89 to 4.87 and the 1 year arm fell from 4.95 to 4.93. Below are rates for the last few weeks.

Jun 25, 2009
30-yr 5.42 15-yr 4.87 5-yr ARM 4.99 1-yr ARM 4.93

Jun 18, 2009
30-yr 5.38 15-yr 4.89 5-yr ARM 4.97 1-yr ARM 4.95

Jun 11, 2009
30-yr 5.59 15-yr 5.06 5-yr ARM 5.17 1-yr ARM 5.04

Jun 04, 2009
30-yr 5.29 15-yr 4.79 5-yr ARM 4.85 1-yr ARM 4.81

May 28, 2009
30-yr 4.91 15-yr 4.53 5-yr ARM 4.82 1-yr ARM 4.69

Dec 24, 2008
30-yr 5.14 15-yr 4.91 5-yr ARM 5.49 1-yr ARM 4.95

So while the 30 year rate has dropped from its recent peak of 5.59 on June 11, 2009 we are still up from the extremely low rates we saw in May. One interesting thing to note is that in the last 6 months 30 year rates have increased from 5.14 to 5.42. On the other hand 5 year arms have dropped from 5.49 to 4.99. Even with these changes I would still look for fixed rates over arms. There is a good chance that rates could be much higher in a year or 5 years when the arms would expire.

In addition to rates we also like to look at actual mortgage payments. Using our mortgage calculator we took rates from this week and converted them into a mortgage payment on 200k loan. We also did the same thing with rates from June 18th and from December 24th (6 months ago).

Jun 25
30-yr $1125.55
15-yr $1568.07
5-yr ARM $1072.42
1-yr ARM $1065.1

Jun 18
30-yr $1120.56
15-yr $1570.15
5-yr ARM $1069.97
1-yr ARM $1067.53

Dec 24
30-yr $1090.82
15-yr $1572.22
5-yr ARM $1134.32
1-yr ARM $1067.53

So as we can see the movement in the last week is minimal. Compared to 3 months ago a mortgage payment today would be $34.73 higher or 3.18 percent. Even though mortgage rates are higher than what they were before current rates are still low by historical terms.

Mortgage rates only provide part of the picture for how the lending environment is affecting the real estate market. The other part is that lenders remain very strict in their policies on when they will give out loans. So lenders are offering loans with low mortgage rates but they are not offering them to everyone.

This of course is having a serious dampening effect on the real estate markets potential recovery. Freddie Mac is particular is enforcing a number of new rules. While the government has spent significant resources on keeping mortgage rates low and easier and more effective method to help the real estate market would be to look through Freddie Mac’s loan restrictions.

Ki is a realtor in Austin Texas. His site is a resource on Austin Texas real estate. It also provides a mortgage widget along with mortgage calculator code

Perhaps it’s all those years of summer vacations from school, or maybe the heat just makes it harder to focus on work. Whatever it is, there seems to be an inherent need to have some fun during the summer months. Here are some ideas for having an entertaining Austin summer without blowing the budget:

Restaurants
There is something about a sultry summer night that makes people want to find a fun restaurant with a patio and order some chips and salsa. Fortunately, Austin is neither lacking in great restaurants or great deals on eating out. Whether it’s the free nacho car offerings at Chuy’s happy hours or the $2.99 meal deal at Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, cheap food and drinks abound in Austin. Some great patio spots that offer terrific food and prices is Doc’s Motorworks on Congress Avenue and El Arroyo on Fifth Street.

There are also some upscale options that are budget friendly. The trendy French restaurant Aquarelle on Rio Grande offers half priced dishes off the bar menu in its wine bar or on the patio. Enjoying a nice glass of white wine and a plate of mussels makes feeling cosmopolitan a great bargain. Or, head to the up and coming Olivia on South Lamar on Sundays and Mondays for discounted food and drinks from the bar menu. McCormick & Schmick’s offers incredible happy hour deals every day of the week and Sullivan’s Steakhouse is the place to go on Thursdays for half-priced bar entrees and cigars along with $5 martinis.

Entertainment
The summer months also offer some cheap and interesting places for watching movies. Deep Eddy Pool has Splash Party Movie Nights on Saturdays at dusk throughout the summer. Many of the city’s libraries offer free movies throughout the summer and Alamo Drafthouse has a free
Kids Camp movie every weekday at 11 a.m.

There is also the Zilker Hillside Theater, which is presenting The Music Man this summer. Shows run July 3 through August 15, Thursday through Sunday starting at dusk. Also, there is nothing as American as a beer and hot dog at a summer baseball game. The local minor league team, The Round Rock Express is a great family outing that won’t break the bank.

Outdoors
The Austin area has an abundance of swimming holes that offer a chance to cool off and commune with nature on the cheap. From the centrally located Deep Eddy and Barton Springs Pool to Hamilton Pool and Blue Hole in the Hill Country, there are enough places to try a new one each week of the summer. For the kids there are free splash pads in Butler Park, The Hill Country Galleria and Brushy Creek Lake Park in Cedar Park.

Family Fun
For some fun family mini-vacations, there is Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Branfels, as well as Sea World in San Antonio. While these are not necessarily cheap outings, they do offer a vast array of entertainment for the ticket price. Consider that it is far cheaper than airline flights and hotels and probably just as much fun as a big vacation.

Escapesomewhere Real Estate is a small real estate company in Central Texas. His site has information on Austin Texas real estate. It also provides a free graphical search of the Austin MLS and a blog covering market updates for the Austin real estate market.

The national savings rate is up to a 15-year high and more Americans are getting serious about getting out of debt, rather than spending beyond their means. When staring down a pile of debt that includes mortgage, credit cards and school loans, the question becomes: Where to begin?

One way to pay down debt that appeals to many people is making an extra mortgage payment. The math seems almost irresistible when looking at the amount of money that can be saved over the life of a mortgage loan by making extra payments. For example, paying an extra $100 a month on a $250,000 mortgage at 6 percent saves over $50,000 and pays the loan off a few years early. That’s a smart thing to do, right?

Not necessarily, says MSN financial analyst Liz Pulliam Weston. “Most people still have better things to do with their money, even in this economy, than to pay down a low-rate debt that’s often tax-deductable to boot.”

Weston points out that if someone is carrying credit card debt, say at 12 percent, every dollar put towards paying off that debt earns an instant 12 percent return. That is a great return considering the hit most retirement funds have taken over the last year and home values are shaky these days. Even a one-year certificate of deposit only averages around a 2 percent return.

A 2007 study found that an estimated 16 percent of American home owners pay extra on their mortgage. But that might not be the smartest use of funds. Financial planners all sing the same tune when it comes to paying off debt: tackle the debt with the highest interest rate first.

The debt with the highest interest rate is usually credit cards. Financial guru Dave Ramsey suggests trying a debt snowball. He instructs people who want to pay down their credit card debt to make a list of all credit card balances and then tackle the smallest balance first. Like the snowball that starts small and gains girth and speed as it rolls down hill, Ramsey touts the psychological benefits of watching the number of balances diminish along with the total dollar amount.

If credit card debt is not an issue, paying down the mortgage still may not be the smartest financial move. Unless retirement is right around the corner, using extra funds to invest in a retirement fund will give a greater return on that money. One study found that most people who make an extra mortgage payment each year would have gotten 11to 17 cents more on the dollar if they had invested in a 401k instead.

Should you pay down the mortgage or invest in the stock market? “Even with the recent turmoil, over the long term your money can earn better returns in the market compared with paying off low-rate debt. Based on historical returns, a mix of 60% stocks, 30% bonds and 10% cash would earn an average of more than 8% a year in most 20- to 30-year periods, according to market researcher Ibbotson Associates. You may doubt we’ll ever return to the days of positive returns in the stock market, but we will,” says Weston.

In these times of economic uncertainty, building an emergency savings plan is also a smarter thing to do than making that extra mortgage payment. Most financial planners suggest having enough in savings to cover at least three-months’ expenses, and the smarter safety net is six months’ of expenses in savings. While the paying-down-the-mortgage math seems sound, double check the numbers before writing that check.

Ki works as a realtor in the Austin real estate market. His site has a search of Austin homes for sale It also provides information and statistics on Austin real estate and Pflugerville real estate.

Your bedroom should be a reflection of coziness and comfort, which can mean a variety of things based upon preference and style. People also want bedrooms to be crisp and clean, as a general rule, in addition to coziness. One way to marry the two concepts is to focus on the lines of the room and ensure they reflect elegance and simplicity. This can be done by focusing on three basic concepts: Texture, color and balance.
Texture plays a key role in making the bedroom cozy from the perspective of linens, carpeting, rugs, fabrics, walls and furniture surfaces. Textures can vary from soft to coarse, patterned to nubby, and shimmering to flat. Focus on textures that reflect your style and what makes you feel serene. However, adding a variety of textures can add dimension to your room. The most interesting decorative approaches often include a wide variety of textures meshed together in one cohesive approach. There are a variety of ways to incorporate texture from furniture styling to a throw on the bed. Some designers recommend using soft chenille or cotton fabrics for the duvet cover or coverlet. And, a must for some, is crisp sheets, which provides that “hotel-like” feel. Another element to keep in mind is the texture used for the floor. Avoid tough surfaces like sisal, which can feel like the equivalent of walking on sandpaper. Soft surfaces or rugs add to the coziness of the bedroom.

Color is also a key element in the overall feel of your room, primarily because it is most often linked to an emotion response. Warm colored rooms automatically seem warm, regardless of the contents or accompanying designs or furniture. However, don’t be afraid to use cool colors. Cool colors can be warm and cozy if done in a soft or deep color and accented with a warm neutral tone or warm stain color for wooden accents or furniture.

Balance is the third element of style that is fundamental to creating a cozy space. It entails a point and counterpoint approach to designing a room. For example, if your tastes tend to be modern or transitional, you might consider adding a sleek piece of furniture and contrast it with a textured fabric with a warm color. In spite of how sleek or contemporary you may like your spaces to be, adding enough detail in the right balance can add warmth to the typically sterile feel of modern styles.
Regardless of what elements you decide to incorporate, the most important element is that you feel as if you can retreat to your bedroom at the end of the day. Some designers recommend having lots of down pillows for propping up in the bed. Another suggestion is to have a chair or ottoman in the room (and not for the purpose of throwing laundry on to). Having a chair creates a nice relaxing place to curl up and read or relax. Adding a bright light next to this chair also prevents from having to have bright lights throughout the room. In doing so, you can have various levels of soft lighting in the room, creating a more romantic and intimate feel. If you lack the space for a chair, an alternative suggestion is to have swing arm lamps on each side of the bed, which frees up space on night stands for a book or glass of water.

Ki lives near Shoal Creek. He started working with Austin real estate after graduating from UT. He maintains a website where potential buyers search for Austin homes. It also has information on mortgage rate trends.

Somewhere, somehow 600,000 jobs are going to be created and/or saved by the end of summer. In fact, the White House announced recently that 150,000 jobs have been saved in the last few months. Maybe it was yours; maybe it was mine. The problem is that all this job saving is a little difficult to pin down.

President Obama announced recently that this summer will see a ramping up of spending from the $787 billion stimulus fund and create or save 600,000 jobs. According to the Associated Press, the President spoke to his cabinet about “modest progress” in the economy. In particular he cited that fewer jobs were lost last month than expected. There have also been some admissions from this administration that their original economic forecasts made at the end of last year were too optimistic.

“At the time, our forecast seemed reasonable,” said Vice President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, Jared Bernstein, explaining that the White House underestimated the scope of the recession.

By the White House’s earlier estimates the nation’s unemployment rate should be about 8 percent, not the 25-year-high 9.4 percent. It seems everything is on the rise these days from the President’s un-approval rating for how he is handling the economy to gas prices to the national deficit.

But the Obama administration is trying to make things better. According to Recovery.gov, in the next 100 days the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will save or create jobs in the following areas
* Department of Health and Human Services — Enable 1,129 health centers in 50 states and eight territories to provide expanded service to approximately 300,000 patients
* Department of the Interior — Begin work on 107 national parks
* Department of Transportation — Begin work on rehabilitation and improvement projects at 98 airports and at more than 1,500 highway locations throughout the country
* Department of Education — Fund 135,000 education jobs, including teachers, principals and support staff
* Department of Veterans Affairs — Begin improvements at 90 veterans medical centers across 38 states
* Department of Justice — Hire or keep on the job approximately 5,000 law enforcement officers
* Department of Agriculture — Start 200 new waste and water systems in rural America

The government will also be flush with money in the weeks ahead as ten banks have been given permission by the Treasury Department to repay money they received from the government bailout of the banking industry. According to the Associated Press, $68 billion of the nearly $200 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program funds will be returned from banks such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and American Express.

There are other signs that the economy is slowly starting to improve. Granted most of the good news is really in the category of less-bad-news, but job losses are down, the economy is sinking at a lower rate and consumer confidence is starting to return. What is nearly impossible to track is if the improvement is a result of government intervention or just a part of the economic cycle.

Ki bikes Shoal Creek when he is not working. He has focused on real estate since graduating. His website is focused on Austin Texas real estate, where future owners can search for listings in the Austin MLS. His website has a blog devoted to Austin real estate with current market stats and information.

Austin is a big, beautiful city; there is no doubt about that. But, there are several small towns within 50 miles of Austin that are filled with charm and beauty. Whether you want to get out of the city for a weekend or move to a smaller town.

Smithville is a small town in Bastrop County, about 41 miles from Austin. Its population is just at 5,000. It is mostly famous for the 1998 movie “Hope Floats” that starred Sandra Bullock. Smithville is most proud of its recreation center. The center has a large gym, basketball court and has events for the entire community throughout the year.

Smithville also has many family owned restaurants, grills and antique shops. Visitors can always find something interesting while visiting.

Coupland is east of Austin on Highway 95, between Elgin and Taylor. This small town is most famous for its dancehall. The dancehall also has an Inn and a restaurant. There is always something going on here, and the band is always live. They have featured such acts a Kevin Fowler, Moe Bandy even George Strait’s band has played there.

Coupland’s last population was about 150. If you want to get out of the city, this is the place to visit.

Lexington is about 50 miles east of Austin, in Lee County. Its population is just under 1,200. This small German community was named after Lexington Massachusetts. The community has bed and breakfasts and each year, the first weekend in May, they have a “Homecoming” celebration. The celebration begins on the first Friday in May and runs through Sunday. The town holds a parade, food booths, arts and crafts and a BBQ cook off.

Lexington has a heritage center showcasing two log cabins that were built in the 1850’s. They have pioneer furnishings, and are open for tours.

Lexington is also home of “Texas Monthly’s” number one BBQ joint in Texas, Snows BBQ. It made the top spot in the magazine last summer and is open on the weekends.

Bastrop is a town south east of Austin. Their is a lake called lake bastrop. Over the last several years Bastrop has been slowly growing. With cheaper prices the Bastrop real estate market is becoming an alternative the sky high prices scene in Austin.

Giddings is just 18 miles south of Lexington, on highway 77 and is the county seat of Lee County. This little community’s population is just under 6,000. The city has bed and breakfasts, hotels, antique shops. They also have the Lee County Junior Livestock and Rodeo each year at the fair grounds.

Dime Box is also located in Lee County, with a population of just 400. Dime Box received its name by a resident in 1877 when locals would use a wooden box to forward and receive mail. They would leave a dime in the box for payment.

This small town has a winding road through downtown, covered with trees. The community is so small, everything is within walking distance. Residents like to keep the German and Czech heritage alive with the Dime Box Heritage Museum.

There are not any hotels in the small town, but there are small towns nearby that have places to stay. Take time and visit a small town near Austin.

Ki loves to bike the Austin hill country. He has worked with Austin real estate for almost a decade. His website has a search of Austin MLS listings. Along with information about Bastrop real estate and Austin real estate.

So for the previous two weeks we saw sizable gains in mortgage rates. Between May 28th and June 11th 30 year mortgage rates jumped from 4.91 to 5.59. This week we saw rates drop down to 5.38. Although we are still above what we were at two weeks ago it’s nice to see mortgage rates moving back down. The other major mortgage products all went down as well. The 15 year dropped from 5.06 to 4.89. The 5 and 1 year arms dropped from 5.17 to 4.97 (5 year arm) and 5.04 to 4.95 (1 year arm). Below are rates for the 4 major mortgage products since May 21st.

Jun 18, 2009
30-yr 5.38 15-yr 4.89 5-yr ARM 4.97 1-yr ARM 4.95

Jun 11, 2009
30-yr 5.59 15-yr 5.06 5-yr ARM 5.17 1-yr ARM 5.04

Jun 04, 2009
30-yr 5.29 15-yr 4.79 5-yr ARM 4.85 1-yr ARM 4.81

May 28, 2009
30-yr 4.91 15-yr 4.53 5-yr ARM 4.82 1-yr ARM 4.69

May 21, 2009
30-yr 4.82 15-yr 4.50 5-yr ARM 4.79 1-yr ARM 4.82

Dec 18, 2008
30-yr 5.19 15-yr 4.92 5-yr ARM 5.60 1-yr ARM 4.94

So why are mortgage rates dropping? Basically for the last few weeks the economy has been improving and consequently we have seen mortgage rates increasing. In addition to that the government held a few bond auctions that went poorly which also provided upward pressure on mortgage rates. In the last week we have seen some signs the economy might not be recovering as cleanly and quickly as first hoped which has the effect of pushing mortgage rates down.

In addition to mortgage rates it’s always nice to look at actual mortgage payments. We took today’s rates and used a mortgage calculator and turned them into mortgage payments for a 200k loan. We also did the same thing with rates from June 11th (last week) and rates from December 18th (6 months ago).

Jun 18
30-yr $1120.56
15-yr $1570.15
5-yr ARM $1069.97
1-yr ARM $1067.53

Jun 11
30-yr $1146.89
15-yr $1587.84
5-yr ARM $1094.51
1-yr ARM $1078.53

Dec 18
30-yr $1096.98
15-yr $1573.26
5-yr ARM $1148.15
1-yr ARM $1066.32

As we can see payments based on 30 year mortgage rates the monthly payment on a 200k loans is about $26 dollars lower than they were last week.

So what is our advice? First of all I would still recommend 30 year mortgages. While rates on 5 and 1 year arms are lower I still expect rates to be much higher in 1 year and 5 years from now. So basically it’s not worth the risk of having to refinance in a few years. Although rates are higher than they were a few weeks ago they are still near historical lows.

As always it’s hard to predict what is going to happen moving forward. I would expect volatility in rates over the next month as we figure out whether the economy is one the road to recovery. Once the economy recovers we expect rates to increase rapidly. The government borrowed 50 cents of every dollar it spent this year. That mountain of debt should lead to higher interest rates.

Ki works as realtor in Austin Texas. His site is filled with information about Austin Texas real estate. It also provides information on mortgage rates along with a free mortgage calculator.

Is the recession near the end? Is the American economy on its way to recovery? The answer is probably yes. That’s good news, right? Not so fast, say some economic analysts. And they mean, literally, that the stock market may be rebounding a little too quickly.

According to a recent report at Yahoo Finance, the stock market’s rally in recent months is a bit of a mixed blessing. The hope that the economy is on the rebound “has lifted the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, a benchmark for many investments like mutual funds, an enormous 39 percent from a 12-year low on March 9. Those kinds of gains might normally take four years to materialize.”

Both being too quick to call it a recovery and not cautious enough in investing could cause this budding economic upturn to wither on the vine. The numbers remain mixed, with the number of job losses in the month of May are down, but unemployment is up. While the government’s report of 345,000 jobs lost is the lowest since September, the actual unemployment rate is 9.4 percent. This indicates that although less people are being laid off, it is still very tough to find a job out there. In fact, the overall number of job seekers rose as college graduates flood the job markets.

Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has said, even once the economy begins to recover, jobs will be the last sector to rebound. But there are still other troubling signs out there. Recent Commerce Department data shows that May retail sales were mixed, but in general analysts were surprised that more shoppers hadn’t returned to stores. Wall Street may be throwing caution to wind, but Main Street seems to be holding onto their cash, with the savings rate up again last month.

One of the biggest downfalls of overzealous investing is that investors are helping push interest rates higher. According to Yahoo, investors have been selling off Treasury bills because they feel they are no longer in need of the safety of government debt. This causes mortgage rates and other kinds of loans for consumers to rise. Interest rates are still historically low, but they have been creeping up in the last few weeks. As the interest rates goes up, borrowing is falling off. The Federal Reserve reported last week that consumer borrowing in April fell by twice as much as analysts had been expecting.

The latest results of the AP’s Economic Stress Index, which tracks the economic strains in 3100 counties across the country, show that many areas of the country are struggling more than they were a year ago.
“The AP calculates a score from 1 to 100 based on each county’s rate of unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy, with lower numbers indicating less economic pain. The average Stress score dipped to 9.7 in April, from 10.3 in March. In April 2008, the national average was 5.9.”

So while most indications show improvement in the economy in the first part of 2009, a slow, steady recovery is more likely to help this nation that has been stressed in so many ways over the last year and a half. After all, exuberant investing is what got us into this mess in the first place.

Ki lives and works in Austin and has worked in the Austin real estate market for 10 years. He maintains a search of Austin MLS on his website. It also has general information on Austin real estate and current mortgage rates

If a trip to visit the famous vineyards of Napa Valley, California isn’t in the budget this summer, try a scenic drive through some local wine country. Central Texas offers a number of locally produced wines, from the nationally recognized to smaller family owned operations.

A trip down Highway 290 West not only offers rustic Texas landscapes with its own kind of beauty, but also several vineyards along the way. Johnson City has the Texas Hills Vineyard, with soil considered to be like the coveted Tuscan countryside in Italy. Becker Vineyards in Stonewall boasts 46 acres of grapevines and three acres of lavender, which blooms in May and June. Also in Stonewall is the Grape Creek Vineyard with the only completely underground wine cellar in Texas. Continuing west on Highway 290, Fredericksburg has a number of vineyards, including Bell Mountain Wine Cellars in business for 33 years and Chisholm Trail Winery.

If taking in lake views while tasting Texas wines sounds nice, head north on Highway 281 to the family owned Spicewoods Vineyard in Marble Falls. Fall Creek Vineyards on the shores of Lake Buchanan is composed of 65 acres of vineyards making award wining wines in the “French tradition combined with California technology.” Take in some Lake Travis views at Lago Vista’s Flat Creek Estate Vineyard and Winery.

Heading south a wine lover can find the Sister Creek Vineyards in Boerne, which is housed in a historic cotton gin. Or, in New Braunfels try the Dry Comal Creek Vineyards and one might as well stop in Gruene Hall while in that area.

All these wineries offer tours and tastings and visitors are encouraged to taste the lesser known wine varieties that Texas is gaining a reputation for producing. Ever heard of a sangiovese or malbec? How about a syrah? Texas soil is better suited to some of these more obscure wine varieties. While one can certainly find a Texas chardonnay, a viognier made in Texas may taste better. The Austin-American Statesman recently picked some favorite local wines like the Becker Vineyards Malbec 2006 or the Tuscan-style red Flat Creek Estates Super Texan 2006.

If wine tasting without the driving sounds a little more appealing, there are a number of local wine bars that offer a unique tasting experience. From the trendy to the cozy to the ostentatious wall of wines, Austin-American Statesman’s XLent section recently highlighted some local spots for a good glass of wine. Cork & Co. on South Congress was described as cozy while Cru: A Wine Bar has a “plush ambiance.” There is also Taste on Cesar Chavez Street and Uncorked Tasting Room and Wine Bar on East Seventh. An impressive wall of wine can be seen at Vino Vino on Guadalupe Street.

Whether hopping in the car to head downtown for the evening or driving west for the day, Austin and the surrounding Hill Country can offer something from the mildly curious wine-drinker to the passionate oenologist.

Ki works near downtown Austin. He has been involved in Austin real estate for ten years. He has a graphical Austin MLS search on his website. His site also has updated news and stats on Austin Texas real estate on his blog.