Leander Texas has recently received Hollywood attention.  A movie titled “Dadgum, Texas” chose Leander as a location for some of its scenes, thanks to the Texas Film Commission program “Film Friendly Texas”.  The “Film Friendly Texas” program is helping to make smaller Texas communities prepared for issues that may arise during the filming of movies, television programs or commercials.

There is no better exposure or advertising than that offered by Hollywood and the choice to use Leander as a film location was great PR for the city that lies five miles north of Austin Texas.  The film will be released sometime next year and will surely be a draw to Leander’s residents as well as to those from all around the Austin Texas area.

Contact Todd Smith today for up to date information about Austin Texas real estate as well as free access to the Austin Texas MLS and all properties currently for sale in the Austin area.

Great tips when considering an addition to your home.

This recent article by Paul Bianchina offers seven great tips for people considering an addition to a home. With an eye on how “aesthetics, access, and open space affect resale,” this is a great article. And who knows, if it sparks a conversation about trading up rather than adding on, I’d love to chat!

Be sure to check out the article to learn more about Paul’s thinking on these seven rules:

1. Know why you’re adding on.
2. Good additions never look like additions.
3. Out, up, down or a combination.
4. Don’t let the interior become an afterthought.
5. Create convenient access.
6. Don’t overwhelm your lot.
7. Understand the legalities.

Read the entire article, “7 Rules For Room Additions” on Yahoo! Real Estate:
http://realestate.yahoo.com/info/experts/7-rules-for-room-additions

According to the Austin Business Journal, Austin Texas was  listed among the country’s healthiest cities on two rankings released last week and Monday.

The Texas capital city fell one spot to No. 10 fittest city on the American College of Sports Medicine‘s American Fitness Index. The ranking, which analyzes statistics from the U.S.’s 50 most populous cities, said Washington D.C. was again the most healthy, taking 73.5 points out of a possible 100. Boston, Mass. took the No. 2 spot, followed by St. Paul, Minn.; Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Denver, Colo.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Francisco, Calif.; and Hartford, Conn.

The report factors in preventive health behaviors, chronic disease levels, access to health care and community resources and policies that support physical activity. The D.C. area was cited for having a relatively low smoking rate, higher-than-average population eating recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables and lower-than-average rates of obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The report said education levels were a large factor in top health-rated cities. Areas with high ratios of high school or higher education graduates were more likely to be physically active and have access to care through health insurance.

Texas’ other large metros were all ranked among the worst 10 largest metros for health. Dallas fell five spots to No. 40, taking 39.5 points out of 100. Houston was No. 42 with 37.6 points and San Antonio was No. 43 with 36.9 points.

Austin was also ranked the 10th fittest last week by Shape Magazine. The publication attributed the ranking to the city’s large number of parks, 220, and its young, highly active community. Low chronic disease rates were also considered along with famous health advocates, such as champion cyclist and Austin resident Lance Armstrong and Whole Foods Markets Inc. headquartered in Austin.

According to the Austin Business Journal, Austin was ranked among the top 20 Memorial Day vacation spots, per the results of a survey from Web booking engine Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN).

The Texas capital took the No. 18 spot, ranked according to a survey of more than 30,000 hotel booking requests for May 29-31. Specifically downtown Austin was cited as the 18th most booked destination.

 ”You can still see the economy reflected in Americans’ travel plans for Memorial Day,” said priceline.com’s in-house travel expert Brian Ek.

 ”Higher international airfares have made overseas cities a bit less popular with American travelers this Memorial Day. There are a number of smaller U.S. cities on the list this year, possibly indicating an uptick in driving trips for the long weekend.”

 Chicago’s Millennium Park area took the top spot followed by the North Michigan Avenue region of the same city. New York City Times Square District was ranked No. 3, while San Francisco’s Union Square West was No. 4. San Antonio was the only other Texas city on the list, ranking No. 21.

Austin Texas named best city in the USA for the next decade

The May 25th edition of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine named Austin THE BEST city for the next decade, due to its forward-thinking culture, entrepreneurial climate, can-do spirit and lively arts and entertainment scene creating a vibrant, energized community.

According to the editors, “Austin is arguably the the country’s best crucible for small business, offering a dozen community programs that form a neural network of business brainpower to help entrepreneurs. Now overlay that net with a dozen venture-capital funds and 20 or so business associations, plus incubators, educational opportunities and networking events. Mix all these elements in what many call a classless society, where hippie communalism coexists with no-nonsense capitalism, and you’ve got a breeding ground for start-ups.

Don’t discount the fun factor: In the self-proclaimed live-music capital of the world, music and business creativity riff off one another. The city’s famous South by Southwest festival, where concerts, independent film screenings and emerging technology overlap, is a prime example.”

Placing first on the magazine’s list of the Top Ten cities, Austin beat out such venerable favorites as Seattle, Washington DC, Boulder, and Salt Lake City, which rounded out the top five.

Looking for the perfect community for your family and your horses?  Look no further than Bear Creek Oaks. This established community was created in the late 1970′s and has been popular ever since for its equestrian-allowing laws.  Buy one of the many lovely homes that have already been built or build your custom dream home on one of the many available acreages.  Lots here range in size from 1 acre to more than 9 acres.

If you have children rest assured that they will enjoy a quality education with the award-winning schools of the nearby Dripping Springs Independent School District.

This unique neighborhood has everything you would expect in an equestrian community.  Green rolling hills and miles of white fencing complete with grazing horses. The community enjoys big, mature trees,  wide open fields as well as a sense of privacy and seclusion that is priceless.

Bear Oak Creek is just minutes from Escarpment Village shopping area and the Y at Oak Hill.

Bear Creek Oaks is the perfect place to call home in Austin, Texas.

Use the Todd Smith Fine Austin Living featured Property Search to find more equestrian communities in Austin, Texas.

Are you and your family searching for a single family home with acreage around Austin, Texas?  Situated in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, the views from Lewis Mountain are spectacular.  Wildlife is abundant and this area is the perfect place for bird watching. There are many wide greenbelts and open spaces scattered throughout the community.

Lewis Ranch is only 15 minutes from the downtown metro area yet feels like a world away. The community boasts many executive style homes in a quiet country setting. Many of the homes sit on 1-5 acre lots, with big, mature trees and some with views of the river.  There is also a gated section of Lewis Ranch that has even larger homes with more than 7,000 square feet of living space.

Children of the Lewis Ranch neighborhood attend the schools of Austin Independent School District. It is also just a short drive to restaurants, shopping,entertainment and everyday conveniences.

Use the Todd Smith Fine Austin Living Featured Property Search to find more homes and land in Austin, Texas.

Belterra is a friendly residential community that is comprised of 1600 acres and boasts more than 400 acres of dedicated open space. Homes here are nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country and enjoys breathtaking views. This desirable neighborhood is located midway between Austin, Texas and Dripping Springs on 209 West.

The community of Belterra offers many amenities to its residents. Enjoy a dip in one of two refreshing swimming pools. There is also several hiking and biking areas as well as pocket parks within the community. There is also an elegant clubhouse, a fitness room and a meeting/conference room. Kid’s will enjoy the playground, basketball court and big open fields that are perfect for soccer, softball and football.

Come and enjoy all that Belterra has to offer for your single family home in Dripping Springs outside of Austin, Texas.

Use the Fine Austin Living Featured Property Search to find more homes in Dripping Springs.

According to a new article published in Forbes Magazine, Austin is ranked in the Top Ten as one of the best places for business and careers, and picked to recover quicvkly from the economic recession.

Austin was ranked #2 on the list for projected overall economic growth, #2 for projected job growth over the coming year, and #6 for “net migration”, which refers to the net impact of residents moving in and out of the city over the coming year.

This further validates what we already know about Austin:  it’s a great place to live, work and stay!

See the full article in Forbes magazine here.

View the full article here.