Caswell Lofts offers downtown real estate in an unprecedented location in the heart of Austin, Texas. These unique loft units enjoy an amazing list of high end luxury features such as sophisticated French balconies, soaring ceilings, unique wood ceilings, Italian plumbing fixtures, natural stone counters, walk-in closets, ceiling fans, big windows and lots of natural light.

Caswell also offers many green environmentally friendly features such as a high efficiency aqua-therm heating and cooling system, double lazed windows, native landscaping throughout the development,natural exterior materials.

Come and enjoy the contemporary modern design of Caswell Lofts in downtown, Austin, Texas.

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Soltiva is perfectly located within the University Park Development, just minutes from the University of Texas , St.David’s Hospital and historic Hyde Park district.

Since the townhome units at Sotiva enjoy a wonderful downtown location, they offer a wonderful alternative to driving, jut walk to where you need to go.  Each townhome offers a wide variety of sophisticated finishes and amenities such as modern design, roof terraces, two car garages, three bedroom and three bathroom floor plans, custom kitchens and upscale Miele appliances.

Soltiva is also a leader in green environmental initiatives with refined interiors an eco-friendly development with a four-star rating from the City of Austin’s Green Building program.

Come and find out why everybody loves Soltival in Austin, Texas.

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The East End District of Austin, Texas is a vibrant place to live, work and play.  Located in the heart of the East End District are the environmentally, contemporary condos of The East Village.

The entire ground level of The East Village is huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which is a dramatic solution that allows the use of less energy and more natural light. The residential development also has a lovely, secluded rooftop garden that adds to the enjoyment of its residents and further insulates the building.

Choose from a variety of floor plans including efficiency, 1 bedroom lofts, 2 bedroom flats and 2 bedroom lofts.

These lofts offer a true urban lifestyle that is close to shopping, dining and all the conveniences of Austin, Texas.

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Austin TX and USA home sales data drops

Existing-home sales fell from December to January but were still above year-ago levels, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Friday. NAR’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun said the monthly decline was discouraging and raises concern about the strength of a recovery. According to NAR, existing-home sales declined 7.2 percent to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million units last month.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said most of January’s sales were based on contracts from November and December. He explained that potential buyers who got into the market after the homebuyer tax credit was extended in November have only recently started to offer contracts, and due to the delay between shopping and closing, it will take a couple of months to complete those deals.

“Still, the latest monthly sales decline is not encouraging and raises concern about the strength of a recovery,” Yun said.

NAR reported that existing-home sales varied by region. The smallest month-to-month decrease was seen in the West, where sales declined 5.2 percent to an annual rate of 1.28 million. The most notable monthly drop was in the Northeast, where sales plummeted 10.9 percent to an annual pace of 820,000. However, sales in this region were 22.4 percent above January 2009 levels, marking the largest year-over-year increase.

Facebook jobs might be headed to Austin

Austin could gain more than 500 new jobs with proposals by a Chinese solar energy company that is considering building a $20.7 million manufacturing plant here and by Facebook to open a sales office here.

Gov. Rick Perry announced the Facebook proposal this morning, and said the state would provide $1.4 million in incentives, conditioned on the approval of local incentives.

Facebook, the top social networking site, would create a 200-employee sales and operations center in Austin, with about 180 of those jobs filled locally. The average wage would be $54,000 a year.

The city is proposing an incentives package totaling $200,000, tied to job creation targets, said Brian Gildea, Austin’s economic development manager.

The city also is proposing property tax breaks for Yingli Green Energy Associates, which is considering Austin for a solar-panel manufacturing plant that would create more than 300 jobs. Austin also would become Yingli’s U.S. headquarters.

Yingli, the U.S. subsidiary of a large Chinese solar-energy company, would get 80-percent property tax breaks for 10 years under an incentives offer from the City of Austin.

The company also has received preliminary approval for a federal clean-energy grant, said Dave Porter, senior vice president for economic development at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Yingli also is considering Phoenix, Ariz., Porter said. The company needs to choose a site by March 15 in order to qualify for the federal grant.

The Yingli jobs range from 245 manufacturing workers who would make $13.50 an hour to 45 staffers at $50,000 a year and 2 executives at $125,000 a year.

The City Council will have public briefings on both proposals next month, with public hearings and votes to follow on March 11.

Details on both proposals are on the city’s Web site, at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/

Austin, Texas is a forward thinking and no where is that more apparent than in its ever-growing environmentally-friendly home designs. There are many energy-efficient residential developments throughout Austin that boast recycled materials,energy efficient appliances, use of passive solar heating and advanced water conservation features.

There are also a few net-zero concept buildings that have begun to spring up in Austin a well.  The SOL Development in East Austin and the The ZeroHouse are both projects that are designed to save as much energy as it consumes.

The ZeroHouse utilizes a composting unit, solar panels, installation without excavation and energy and water-saving devices.  The concept is to focus on self-sufficiency and minimal environmental impact.

The ZeroHouse is still in the planning stage but is now “shovel-ready” but it is another example of just how forward-thinking Austin, Texas really is.

Use the Fine Austin Featured Property Search to find more environmentally homes in Austin, Texas.

Austin's robust economy great for small business

According to a new report in Portfolio.com/bizjournals, Austin ranked #1 as the place for small business vitality, based upon a complex metric of population growth, employment growth, and small business development.

See the full article here.

With population growth of 19.5 percent between 2003 and 2008, employment growth despite the economic downturn of 15.6 percent between 2004 and 2009, and the increase in the number of small businesses in Austin between 2006 and 2007 of 5.6 percent when most comparable metro areas grew at an average of 1.4 percent, Austin’s the place to be for small business creation and development!

View the full article here.

Environmentally-friendly Austin living is at its peak can be found as SOL (solutions oriented living).  This affordable zero-energy community is located in popular East Austin, just three miles from the bustling downtown metro area. SOL is a new, very modern development that features the perfect combination of value, quality and environmental awareness.

This is Austin’s first affordable, genuine net-zero energy consumption residential development. The unique design of these contemporary homes provides spacious open floorplans, large carports private balconies, decks and shaded outdoor areas to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Homes at SOL average approximately 1800 square feet of living space and start around $350,000.00.

Come and experience the 5-star green homes of SOL in Austin, Texas.

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Schlitterbahn Waterparks representatives recently announced the company’s intentions to build a water-themed resort in Cedar Park, Northwest of Austin, TX. The plan is currently under review by the Cedar Park (TX) Community Development Corporation. 

Schlitterbahn owns four water parks, including Schlitterbahn Vacation Village—a $749 million retail entertainment center made up of multiple shopping, dining, lodging and entertainment venues. A man-made river system carries guests between lodging units, a summertime water resort, a marine park, stores and restaurants. A covered riverwalk also crisscrosses the development.

Recently rated the #1 Water Park in the USA by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, TX (between Austin and San Antonio) remains as one of Texas’ top tourist attractions. The company also has parks in Galveston Island, TX, South Padre Island, TX and Kansas City, KS. The Cedar Park location is expected to generate close to 1,000 new jobs.