If you’re a fan of his blog, you’ll know that gardening is one of the things that I love to do in the Austin Texas area because, there’s nothing better than being outside, improving the curb appeal for my home and doing my part to help the environment by planting native species plants that also contribute to the beauty of my neighborhood.

Besides planting flowers and other useful plants to improve curb appeal, I’m also a big fan of vegetable gardening and I enjoy planting new vegetables throughout the year, this is why in this article I’ll provide you with tips that you can use for vegetable gardening in Austin.

Getting Started With Vegetable Gardening

To get started with vegetable gardening you will need to choose an area on your property that gets full sun for at least 6 to 8 hours per day. The good news about planting a vegetable garden is that even if you don’t have a dedicated space on your property for a garden, you can plant vegetables in pots or containers.

Before planting the seeds you should prepare the soil in the ground, or containers, by mixing granular plant food into the soil to give it a boost.

Regardless of the area that you choose, just make sure to set a reminder for yourself to water your vegetable garden early in the morning or late at night during the summer months to avoid getting plants getting “cooked” during the heat of the day due to watering at the wrong time.

What Vegetables Should You Grow?

Since it’s April, there are a variety of vegetables that you should be planting right now compared to other times of the year because certain vegetables won’t grow during the summer months in Austin due to the heat.

Some of the vegetables you should plant right now include:

• Black-Eye Peas
• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Pumpkin
• Snap Beans
• Sweet Corn
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes

Learn More About Austin Texas

Austin is a great place to plant a garden or buy a home. To view homes for sale contact me today at (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect with us online.

Are you searching for things to do in Austin Texas this weekend? If so, you’ve come to the right place! 

In this article I will list for you a few fun things you can do in the area this weekend with your friends and family.

1. Austin Weird Homes Tour

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 20. $35 in advance, $40 day of; $400 Ultra VIP ticket. Multiple locations. weirdhomestour.com

Yes, Austin is weird, and so are some of the homes within its city limits. This self-paced and self-driving tour features eight of the city’s most eclectic houses, including returning favorites like the OMG House with memorabilia from the Beatles and Cheech & Chong. There are new ones to explore, too, such as the Home of the Mysterious Planchette, a historian’s home filled with an expansive collection of automatic writing planchettes, Ouija boards, séance relics and a host of other occult antiquities. Ten percent of all ticket sales benefit LifeWorks.

2. Aaron Franklin at BookPeople

7 p.m. April 19. Free. 603 N. Lamar Blvd. 512-472-5050, bookpeople.com

The owner of Franklin Barbecue may be regarded as the bona fide brisket expert in Texas, but the meat he really loves to eat and cook at home is steak. In “Franklin Steak,” his follow-up to the New York Times best-selling book “Franklin Barbecue,” the pitmaster demonstrates how to make his favorite food to complete perfection. Listen to Franklin talk at BookPeople about his latest cooking guide; afterward, he’ll sign your copy of the book.

3. Pipes ‘n’ Pints at Independence Brewing

3 to 11 p.m. April 20. Free. 3913 Todd Ln. Ste. 607. facebook.com/events/436117283800820

A skate and BMX expo comes to the Independence taproom. X-Games multimedalist Mike Crum and his team will build a 40-foot-wide halfpipe in the parking lot. Attendees will have front row seats to watch some of the top riders and professional skaters in Central Texas, including Brad Simms, Auby Taylor and more showing off their gnarliest moves. There will also be live music and, because it’s 4/20, a CBD-infused IPA. And did we mention the swimming pool full of Jell-O?

4. Malford Milligan & the Southern Aces record release at Saxon Pub

10 p.m. April 20. $15. 1320 S. Lamar Blvd. thesaxonpub.com

The former Storyville frontman’s recent projects have been met with varying degrees of attention and acclaim. But last fall’s “Life Will Humble You,” recorded with an ace team of Dutch musicians, was an auspicious surprise, quite possibly the best record Milligan has made since the Storyville days. Three members of the Southern Aces crew — guitarists Jack Hustinx and Eric van Dijsseldonk, plus bassist Roelof Klijn — have made the trip across the ocean for this show. — Peter Blackstock

5. Austin’s Original Bloody Mary Fest + Crawfish Boil

12 to 4 p.m. April 21. Free; $15 to taste bloody marys, $10 to eat crawfish. 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. facebook.com/events/2213174559010893

Spend your Easter enjoying two Sunday essentials — bloody marys and crawfish. Scholz Garten is hosting a boozy competition between local chefs and restaurants, who are hoping you’ll love their bloody mary recipe the best. Two awards will be given for the winning participants: judges’ choice and people’s choice. The first 250 people who buy the $15 wristband to taste bloody marys get some swag. And what would a spring celebration be without crawfish?

Learn More About Austin Texas

To learn more about things to do in Austin, or about the ATX real estate market, contact me at (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect with me online. 

Image credit – LG

There’s no doubt that homeowners have a lot of gadgets that companies want them to buy these days but the BIG question is how many of those gadgets are really useful? The good news is that there are some really cool and useful technology that homeowners should consider buying and the LG Styler is “must have” technology.

What Is The LG Styler?

The LG Styler is a unique machine that will sanitize your clothes and reduce allergens while also reducing the number of wrinkles that your clothes may have and ensure that your “special care” clothes are ready for you to wear.

With it’s TrueSteam technology, the LG Styler can also remove odors that are known to cling to fabrics and eliminate the possibility of you transferring allergens around your home especially when you wear clothes that you haven’t put on in some time.

This machine is without a doubt one of the most useful pieces of technology that any home can have because most people suffer from some form of allergy or asthma these days and the LG Styler can remove up to 99% of allergens from clothing before someone wears it.

The Styler isn’t simply about cleaner, fresher clothes, however. The slow drying function is perfect for delicates that have to be hand washed. Brucia tells me, “The slow drying function is perfect for just-washed delicates that require air drying. By facilitating the drying process in LG Styler, fabrics not only dry much faster, but also come out without wrinkles. It’s also great for sweaters that, if you’re like us, often get spread out throughout the home to dry for nearly an entire day. LG Styler gets it done faster without taking up real estate on clothing racks, chairs, and tables.”

How much does it cost? The LG Styler costs between $1,200 and $2,100 depending on if you choose a unit that’s WiFi enabled or not.

To learn more about the LG Styler visit the LG website or you can find it in local stores that sell appliances. 

Buying Or Selling A Home In Austin? Contact Me 

Are you planning on buying or selling a home in Austin Texas? Learn more about the local real estate market or find out what your home is worth by calling me at (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect with me online. 

Image Credit – 101X ALTERNATIVE AUSTIN

One of the great things about living in 2019 is that records are making a comeback because music fans of all ages are realizing that some albums just sound better on vinyl than they sound on streaming services like Spotify. Thankfully, if you enjoy vinyl like I do, tomorrow is your chance to pick up some great albums in Austin because April 13^th is Record Store Day.

About Record Store Day

Record Store Day 2019 will take place on Saturday, April 13th. The annual event occurs every third Saturday in April, when record stores nationwide unveil limited, special releases, slash prices, and host in-store performances.

With its plethora of special releases and great prices, Record Store Day is a perfect time to spruce up your vinyl collection and discover new music. Can you think of a better way to spend a Saturday than browsing the shelves of local record stores for limited edition vinyl? Yeah, we didn’t think so. This year, Record Store Day will release countless rarities, previously unreleased singles, picture discs, rare demos, and so much more.

“Sentimental music has this great way of taking you back somewhere at the same time that it takes you forward, so you feel nostalgic and hopeful all at the same time.” 
― Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

Learn more about record store day by clicking here!

Image source – NewHomeSource.com

Planning on Buying A Home in Austin? Contact Me

2019 is shaping up to be a great year especially for home buyers in the ATX area! If you’ve been thinking about buying a home contact me at (512) 944-7378 or click here.

I can help you find the right single family home, condo, or town home that’s close to all of the best shops, stores and things to do in Austin or I can also help you find the right place that’s just outside of town and has all of the custom features that you’ve always wanted in a home.

Contact me today to learn more abut the services I can offer you.

Feeling the shock of this year’s property appraisal notice? Consider challenging the appraisal. It’s easier than you think! Below is a time line for the process and some details about how protest your Property Tax Appraisal

January 1st: Date When Your Home Value is Appraised Your home’s appraised value for the year is based on its condition + what the property could sell for – on this date. Keep in mind, the appraisal district arrives at a figure by calculating the market value of your property. And your home’s condition on Jan. 1 is key as you look at factors that may affect the value. Any damage or improvements after this date will not affect the taxable value of your home this year.

Late April-Early May: Appraised Home Value Arrives in Your Mailbox A piece of mail arrives from the appraisal district, telling you the value of your home for tax purposes. Look over the numbers carefully. If your property is not described correctly or if the value looks out of whack, you can protest it.
May 15th: Deadline to File a “Notice of Protest” This is the deadline for filing a “Notice of Protest” of your appraised value. What’s the best way to file? You have a couple of options. You can use the form on the back of the “Notice of Appraised Value” that you received from the appraisal district, since it already has your account information printed on it. Or you may be able to file your protest online.

To file online, visit your Appraisal District website:

Hays County: http://www.hayscad.com

Travis County: http://www.traviscad.org

Williamson County: http://www.wcad.org

June: Meeting With the Appraisal Staffer and the ARB Your Appraisal District will send you a letter with two dates: an informal meeting with an appraisal staffer and your formal hearing date with the Appraisal Review Board (ARB), a group of independent residents appointed to hear these challenges. During this informal meeting, the staffer will review the numbers with you. Bring all of your documentation: Information on comparable homes (records are available on the appraisal district’s website), perhaps an independent appraisal if you recently refinanced your house, or photos, repair estimates and other records showing damage that may devalue your home. Once you and a staffer have hashed it out, the district may offer to reduce your value by a certain amount. If you’re satisfied, you can accept it.

If you choose NOT to accept the newly offered amount, you can keep your date with the ARB, or technically, with a three-member panel of ARB members. Before that hearing, you have the right to see all of the information the district appraisers plan to present.

If you take your case to the ARB, come prepared and expect a rapid fire proceeding. The entire hearing will likely take 15 to 30 minutes. In that time you will be placed under oath and given a chance to present any evidence or witnesses supporting your case. You must conclude by stating the figure you believe your property is worth. Someone from the appraisal district will likely question you and provide additional evidence. Then you can question the appraiser or any witnesses presented by the appraisal district. Members of the ARB can ask clarifying questions, too. Finally, each side gets to make a closing statement, so once again you’ll want to reiterate what you believe your property is worth and why. The three-member panel will discuss the case and reach a recommended value.

Source – Texas National Title 

Sell Your Austin Texas Home

Are you planning on selling your Austin Texas home in 2019? We can sell it for top dollar! Contact us today at (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect with us online. 

It’s April 1^st, 2019 in Austin Texas; with warm days and cool nights now is the right time for you to visit the music capital of the world and enjoy everything that the ATX area has to offer you.

In this article, we will break down some of the top things that you should be doing in Austin when you visit during April 2019.

Live Music

Austin is without a doubt the best place to experience live music in Texas because so many iconic musicians stop through Austin during the year and call our city home. Here’s a list of shows that you should catch during April.

Spotlight: Western Music Festival – April 12-13

Ryan Bingham, whose latest album, American Love Song, came out in February, headlines, and curates this inaugural event in Luckenbach. Artists scheduled to perform include Old 97s, Colter Wall, and Jamestown Revival. thewesternfestival.com

Al Green – April 24^th

Possessing one of the most distinctive voices in soul music, Al Green returns to the stage for the first time in seven years, singing hits like “Let’s Stay Together” and “I Can’t Get Next to You.”

Events

April 5-7

Austin Dance Festival

Master classes with visiting artists, professional showcases, and pop-up dances are just some of the activities you’ll find at this annual festival.

Cap 10K – April 7

With more than 23,000 participants, the Cap 10K is the largest 10K race in Texas.

Fusebox Festival – April 17-21

Founded 15 years ago, this festival celebrates art, live performance, and connectivity. This year, organizers want attendees thinking about what it means “to be in a space with other people and what kinds of things are only possible in this space.”

Celebrations

Umlauf Garden Party – April 25^th

Enjoy the Umlauf’s beautiful grounds and sculptures while soaking up live music and performances by Austin Classical Guitar, Panoramic Voices, Sky Candy Austin, and others.

Eeyore’s 56th Annual Birthday Party – April 27^th

Costumes, face-painting, music, maypoles, and nature make this celebration one of the city’s most uniquely Austin events.

Search for A Home in Austin Texas

Planning on relocating to Austin Texas? Contact me today by calling (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect me online.

It’s Monarch Butterfly season in Central Texas and this means that we’re going to see more of the beautiful butterflies migrating through Austin as they make their way north to lay eggs.

If you enjoy gardening as we do, this article will provide you with some helpful tips you can use to attract more of these awesome butterflies to your garden.

How to Attract Monarch Butterflies

The one plant that you should consider planting in your garden if you would like to attract Monarch Butterflies is Milkweed. This plant is actually essential for Monarch Butterflies because they will lay their eggs on the leaves of this plant so that when caterpillars hatch, they will have something to eat.

Create A Monarch Butterfly Waystation

Attracting Monarch Butterflies is actually easy to do if you create a “waystation” somewhere in your garden. Your waystation can be anything from one small area of your garden or property to just one pot.

When you plant your waystation, you will want to plant one or more varieties of milkweed because this will attract monarch butterflies every year.

Thankfully, with the internet, you can easily purchase a seed kit online that you can plant to get your waystation started. Once you’ve planted your waystation you should also consider certifying it online because there are more than 7,500 waystations nationwide that are certified.

Monarch Butterfly Facts

Monarchs can produce four generations during one summer. The first three generations will have life spans from 2 – 6 weeks and will continue moving north. During this time, they will mate and have the next generation that will continue the northward migration. The fourth generation is different and can live up to nine months. These are the butterflies that will migrate south for winter to either Mexico or southern California.

It is predicted that one of the many effects of climate change will be wetter and colder winters. If they are dry, monarchs can survive below freezing temperatures, but if they get wet and the temperature drops, they will freeze to death. Because hundreds of millions of monarchs are located in such a small area in the Sierra Nevada of Mexico during the winter, a cold snap there could be devastating.

Search for A Home in Austin Texas

Are you planning on buying a home in Austin with space for a garden? We can help! Contact us today at (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect with us online.