Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

One of the primary reasons you want to purchase an office condo rather than rent is the flexibility you’ll have as an owner. You’ll be able to expand if need be, redesign when desired and make any other necessary changes under your own discretion. However, in order to properly do that you’ll have to start with a space conducive to a future of growth - one that has the potential to fit your business no matter what happens. That is where Shoal Creek Office Condos, located at 8500 Shoal Creek Boulevard, comes in handy.

The condos in this office building can be purchased separately or together. When you purchase single spaces, you have a size range that stretches from 792 square feet to more than 18,000 square feet. That means that regardless of what size your business is you can find the office for you. And if you need more than one - you want a suite, perhaps - you can buy more than one space. They are sold with you in mind, making the entire process infinitely more convenient than you had ever imagined.

Once you own them, well, you own them. You can do what you will to the interior of the condo (or condos). You can paint, rearrange, add and take away from the structures that have already been created. Of course, you may not want to do any of that. The sleek design of the Shoal Creek Office Condos could be exactly what you were looking for, as they combine reputability with a welcoming atmosphere, making any individual feel immediately confident and comfortable. They are offices built to appeal to the masses but ready to modify for you. They are a variety bag of potential. The only question is why haven’t you purchased one yet?

Purchasing an office condo is a logical investment, giving you the opportunity to profit from your business in more ways than one. As the property grows in market value, so do the funds you use to obtain the space. You gain from the buy, making more money and continually accruing equity. But that’s only true if the property you have is able to grow in value. If it’s an old outdated structure in a dwindling community, that won’t happen. On the other, if it’s a modern, up-to-date building with all the latest conveniences, it will. And that is part of what makes Shoal Creek Office Condos such a sound investment. They, after all, were just recently remodeled.

The offices now offer beautifully renovated interiors, with sparkling common areas as well as state-of-the-art private areas awaiting your stamp of personality. The security system allows you and only you to enter the building whenever you please, using a fob after six to get in. This means you can work according to your own schedule not the building manager’s and not fear that a stranger will get near your work or assets. The newly furbished building assures you that nothing disastrous will happen to the structure and the developer’s obvious concern for quality guarantees that in the years to come, Shoal Creek will only improve with the times.

The offices at Shoal Creek are the perfect place for you to start or revitalize your business. They are an investment you can make knowing that it is an investment that will benefit you for years to come - growing as your business does, in leaps and bounds.

The last week of June is a time for expos and events world wide that focus on low impact living. Here are just a few:

June 20 and 21: Las Vegas, Nevada, plays host to the Green Living Expo. The whole family is admitted free from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. There’s entertainment, seminars, an eco-fashion show, and a Green Kid’s Zone.

June 22 to 24: St. Louis, Missouri, is the site for the regional U.S. Green Building Council Conference. Promoting eco-friendly construction and design, the council encourages collaborative leadership in both the private and public branches. The highlight of the conference will be the latest innovations in green building, aiming toward a zero carbon footprint, as well as environmentally responsible construction and demolition standards. The conference will also focus on incentives for building green, emphasizing profitability, benefits to people and the environment, while reducing the depletion of resources.

June 22-25: National Harbor, Maryland, hosts Sustainability 2008 – a four-day conference that covers green municipal practices in infrastructure, energy use, storm water management and climate change adaptation. The conference addresses the three goals of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social performance. Sponsored by the Water Environment Federation, and supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the main focus of the conference is, of course, water resources.

June 24-27: Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) announces their 101^st Annual Conference and Exhibition – attracting A&WMA members and associates from all over the world for networking and educational opportunities.

June 24 and 25: In London, UK, the Ethical Corporation is sponsoring a Green Supply Chain Summit. Combining an awareness of carbon footprint, the summit explores ways of reducing emissions, conserving water, and eliminating toxic chemicals in the procurement industry.

When selecting your office condo, you’ll want something in the city - something with a steady traffic flow that will enable you to maintain a constant stream of business. But you won’t want something overly urban. Too much of a metropolitan environment could crowd you and keep away some of your best potential clients. Therefore, you need an in between, an area with a slightly subdued but still healthily active urban atmosphere. Fortunately, the Shoal Creek Office Condos, at 8500 Shoal Creek Avenue, offer you just that.

The property itself combines a modern, city design with artful landscaping. The building has sleek, straight edges as well as classy curves. Giant windows open up the interior and up-to-date indoor amenities affirm the fact that you are in a state-of-the-art metropolitan structure. But so as not to overwhelm the visitor with city, the lawn and lot around the building are bursting with trees and well-groomed shrubs. The manicured landscaping tones down the urban feel, making it more comfortable and welcoming.

The surrounding area does the same. Shoal Creek and nearby Allandale are a part of Central Northwest Austin. As such, the areas are bustling with business. More and more companies are finding their way into the previously quiet neighborhoods, adding new life and vigor. But even as they grow, they retain their original attraction, with beautiful homes, peaceful streets, private schools and large parks, such as the Beverly Sheffield Park, which has an Olympic-size swimming pool, a children’s wading pool, playgrounds, picnic areas, tennis courts and a pond. It is, as the property is, the perfect combination, making Shoal Creek Office Condos, the perfect location.

It may come as a surprise that the Environmental Protection Agency has determined most homes contain air that is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. The chemicals used in carpeting and other flooring, furniture of pressed wood products, cleaners, molds, pesticides, and – of course – tobacco smoke, all contribute to a poisonous atmosphere inside today’s well insulated and sealed homes. This recent article

summarizes ten ways the home owner can reduce and even eliminate these pollutants and ensure a healthy house.

The easiest way to improve air quality inside the home is to simply open the windows. Of course, this may not be an option during the cold winter months or when there’s a raging rain storm going on, but on good weather days, it’s great – and free – way to clear the air. Changing the furnace and/or air conditioner filters at least twice a year is the general recommendation.

Eliminating the amount of artificial chemicals you spray about the house is a no-brainer and easier than you may think. Many air fresheners, cleaners, and those scented candles are loaded with toxic chemicals. There are cleaner alternatives on the market these days – natural oils, soy candles, and non-toxic cleaning solutions can be found easily at many common grocery and department stores. You don’t have to go hunting for the local health-food store anymore as a lot of mainstream manufacturers are recognizing the desire and, subsequently, the market for non-toxic products. There are also a number of cleaning solutions you can make yourself from common household products such as borax, baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice. That old reliable castile soap, made of vegetable oil, is a great all-purpose cleaner.

The buzz-words for today’s environmentally conscious consumer are “low impact”, as in do your best to leave the planet a better place than how you found it. This article outlines ten neat gadgets on the market today that can help an average person maintain a sustainable lifestyle while enjoying some modern day conveniences.

Most of the devices run on solar power, some on wind, some on a little bit of elbow grease and one incorporates the laws of thermodynamics. All are ingenious and convenient and easy to use.

My favorite has to be the sand-powered refrigerator. Put a vessel of food in a larger one, pack the space between with wet sand, and cover the whole thing with a damp cloth. As the sand dries, it draws heat out and keeps the contents cool enough to store the food for days.

That giant ball of gas in the sky, our sun, can provide the energy necessary to power lighting fixtures, heat water, and even cook your food more safely than with the open flames of a barbecue pit or grill. The solar water heater is one device with a myriad of uses and rolls up to fit in a backpack. The kinetically powered MP3 player may also come in handy in emergency situations when the electrical grid fails and you’re in desperate need of a cell phone or flashlight. There’s the added bonus of the extra exercise you’re getting as well.

Prices for some of these gadgets range from pocket change to a second mortgage, but most are within reach of your average middle-income consumer. The knowledge that these conveniences are drawing on renewable and sustained energy sources coupled with the “it’s so cool” factor make most of them well worth the initial cost.

It’s all very well to recycle your plastic grocery bags, or foreswear them altogether for reusable canvas bags, toss your incandescent lights for fluorescent, and cut water use with low-flow toilets, but that’s not all a home owner can do to minimize the impact on the environment. Stephen L. Kapp, technology manager for the San Diego Center for Sustainable Energy, offers several additional suggestions for reducing energy and resource use.

Appliances are a first consideration. Older refrigerators, washers, dryers, and water heaters tend to require more energy to operate than their newer, “Energy Star” rated counterparts. Front-loading washers use less water, dryers with moisture sensors shut off automatically when clothes are dry. Refrigerators with fewer bells and whistles, like ice makers, use less electricity. Electronics such as computers, televisions, and video games, should be plugged into a power strip and this power strip shut off when the machines are not in use.

It’s not just energy use a green homeowner should be concerned about. Environmentally friendly paints and construction materials are available. Flooring and carpeting should carry a green label to certify they are free of volatile compounds. Natural flooring should be considered – slate, bamboo, cork, or flooring made of recycled materials are all possibilities.

Double pane windows, proper insulation and porous driveway materials are all green ways of keeping your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

A last thought should be for garbage. There are better ways to get rid of the refuse a family generates. A simple and beneficial way is composting organic waste such as vegetable and paper waste. Non-meat wastes can be dumped into a compost bin which, if done right, creates a rich top soil for use in the garden or lawn.

There’s a house in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, that’s worth $3 million. It’s been empty for over two years, there’s a large hole in an exterior wall, and the interior is riddled with mold. It originally cost Roman and Jennifer Cosner $219,000 in March of 2005 and was supposed to be their dream house, built to specification of quality materials with a one year warranty. Instead, they got a house full of toxic mold that made them so ill they needed to move out.

The builder, Maronda Homes, promised to fix the problems and pay for their lodging costs. The Cosner’s claim repairs were never made and their lodging never paid for and, in fact, the company treated them with “hatred and ill will.”

Although Maronda ranks fairly high in customer satisfaction and construction quality, it’s been reported that the quality fluctuates from development to development. The Cosner’s house apparently did not pass muster and defects began to appear shortly after they moved in.

The main trouble showed up after a rainstorm sent a cascade of water down the inside of a garage wall and left puddles on the basement floor. Shortly after, it was discovered that one side of the house wasn’t attached properly to the foundation or the other three sides, the wrong windows were installed, and waterproofing and drainage around the foundation was inadequate. Leaks caused by the ill fitting windows coupled with the badly attached south wall encouraged the toxic mold to grow in the basement and in the heating and air-conditioning system.

The judge apparently agreed the situation was an egregious failure of Maronda to provide the promised product and awarded the Cosners $2.2 million in compensation. The jury seconded the judge’s decision by awarding an additional $1million in punitive damages.

When you are looking at a home, make sure you receive full disclosure. If you are a seller, have an inspector give you a full report on everything, even the stuff you didn’t know was in the house. By doing this, both the buyer and the seller avoid the predicament that the Cosners endured.

Two years ago, the State Legislature of Texas passed a school finance reform law, lowering school property taxes over a three year period by nearly $7 billion. This has raised questions about homeowners as to what this translates into in terms of benefits or detriments.

First of all, the tax cut applies only to public school taxes and reduces the amount paid by 17c per $100 of the home’s value for 2006 and another 33c for 2007. Many school districts had hit their tax cap of $1.50, so the decrease is necessary.

A concern among homeowners is the appraisal on their property will rise to compensate for the smaller amount of tax collected for public schools. However, even if a property’s value rises 10% a year, the homeowner will still be paying less in taxes.

In this example, a property appraises at $150,000 in 2005. Take away the homestead exemption of $15,000 and the taxable value is $135,000. At $1.50 per $100, the homeowner pays $2,025 in the 2005 tax year. In 2006, the home is appraised at $165,000, with $150,000 of that value taxable. So, at $1.33 per $100, the homeowner pays $1,995. And, in 2007, the house is appraised at $181,500, $166,500 of which is taxable. At $1.00 per $100, the homeowner pays a mere $1,665, $832.50 less than without the reduced taxes.

Still, if homeowners suspect the district is boosting home values to recover lost taxes, they can file a protest with the appraisal review board. Then, if the homeowner still feels they are being treated unfairly, they can submit their case to arbitration under a fairly new law, enacted on January 1, 2006, written to give homeowners an alternative to the district court route.