Filed under: Austin Texas, Austin Texas Real Estate | Tags: Austin, Texas, Texas Hill Country, Texas Wine Country
Where To Go?…Napa California or Texas Hill Country.
Spring is here and the wildflowers are blooming in the Texas Hill Country. Time for a picnic basket and a glass of wine.
Napa, California is known for its fine wineries and beautiful countryside and I am in the mood for both. But California is a long way from Texas and I don’t want to plan a vacation trip. I just want to relax so I will head to the Texas Wine Country.
Five million visitors a year come to the Texas Wine Country located just outside of Austin. Five million people sounds like a lot. Yet, overall, it is a little known fact that Texas Hill Country is also wine country and is ranked as the #2 wine destination in the nation, second only to Napa, California
Spring time is a wonderful time for visiting the wine country; roadsides are filled with colorful windflowers and open fields make for a wonderful scenic drive. You can follow the wine trail from the privacy of your own car or you can schedule a tour and sample all the wine you want and be safe. Safe you will want to be as there are 22 winaries along the trail. Wine country tours range from limos to hot air ballon rides or candlelight dinners.
Well, gotta go now. My private limo just arrived for my day in the beautiful Texas Hill and Wine Country. I will toast you at my first stop. “See” you next week.
Shay
Wearing Green again
I’m still in a green mood so I thought I would share a little more about living green.
Here are some quick and easy ways that we can all do our parts:
Put you computer to sleep – turn it off or put it on standby. Screen savers cause your computer to run at full power.
Turn off the TV and radio when not in use. Here’s an idea read more!
Keep your thermostat at 76 during the summer and 68 during the winter. Lower or raise it about 10 degrees accordingly when away from home. Changing your thermostat by even one degree can reduce your costs by about 4%
Use real napkins instead of paper, same with paper towels and plates. There are many inexpensive alternatives to these items which are not only costly to the environment but to your pocket book as well.
Carry your own grocery bags. Whole Foods Markets has recently banned using plastic bags in their stores. Don’t trade plastic for paper – save that tree!
Use fluorescent bulbs through out the house, including lamps. They last longer, use less energy and give off less heat.
Recycle – Recycle – Recycle
Saving our environment is important to all of us which is why I have posted a blog on the subject. As a real estate agent I know today’s buyers are looking not only at a home but also at the cost of maintaining it. Energy efficiency has become part of the real estate world both in features like double pane windows and in utility bills. Buyers are now asking what the utilites run per month. This is especially true for buyers relocating to the Austin area.
Keep these tips in mind for your personal enrichment but also remember that energy efficiency can influence a person’s decision when they are buying a home.
Wearing the Green For Life……No Blarney ! I thought in honor of good ole St. Pat’s Day instead of telling you all about the party spots and celebrations here in Austin , I would touch on “Green for a Lifetime”.
You can “green” up your life in countless ways from the food you eat to the roof you put on your house. I am not going to try and tell you about every aspect of green living, I am a real estate professional not an environmentalist. I simply know that green living is becoming more important every day and a growing movement throughout our nation.
Green living means having the opportunity to live a better quality life while taking care of our environment. The Native American tribes in our country lived a very good life while practicing this principal. It has taken the rest of us several centuries to get it.
Green living is one place where you, the individual, really matters. This is one area in which “one small step” is a “step for mankind”
There is a new wave in home and commercial building to be more environmentally aware and to build accordingly. Steel roofs may be a thing of the future; bamboo and cork flooring are becoming more popular. Straw Bale buildings are also new on the market. There is even a new company which offers glass countertops made from recycled glass that is reported to be better than granite. Energy efficient appliances and lighting have almost become a standard in new home building. Solar systems are once again gaining attention. Waterless water heaters are also gaining favor in the market place.
Cities and water companies are offering free information on how to design beautiful landscaping that is water efficient. Many utility companies are offering discounts and rebates when homeowners upgrade their appliances, heating and air systems. Some will weatherize their customer’s home or give free consultations .
Green living may also become a marketable feature for resale homes. Before your next improvement project, you may want to look at the various alternatives being offered today to make your home more marketable in the future.
Speaking of improving your home, the next time you paint you may want to consider paint that has insulation added to it and remember to only buy what you need.
I am proud to say the City of Austin has established the Austin Sustainable Communities Initiative (aka SCI) among its goals is to attain ecological health both on a global level and locally. There is also Austin ’s Energy Green Building Program which has been named as the nation’s most successful utility-sponsored sustainable building program.
This is Shay signing off until next time.
If you are looking for a forward thinking and green thinking community then think about Austin Tx homes. Moving across the street or the nation I will be honored to help.
