There are many points of interest in Amarillo, TX, but too many to list here. However, I have several that are top points of interest that are great for the whole family. Whether you live in Amarillo, TX or you are visiting Amarillo, you will have plenty of fun things to do to keep you entertained and happy year round. Points of Interest in Amarillo, TX: Bar Z Winery – Featuring wine, tours and a great party location. Location: 19290 FM 1541, Amarillo TX Cadillac Ranch – The world famous nose down, buried Cadillac’s in a wide open field. Location: Arnot Road on the south side of 1-40, Amarillo TX Carl Farley’s Boys Ranch – This ranch was founded by Cal Farley, a world-champion athlete, in 1939. The boys ranch began with only nine boys but has grown to almost 5,000 boys and girls who ha... 02/25/2013

When you’re ready to buy a Texas home or sell your Texas real estate, we have a few reasons as to why you should use a Texas Realtor®. A Texas Realtor® will simply save you stress, time and money. Why use a Texas Realtor®: Faster Sale: Rather than trying to sell your home yourself with very little resources, use an agent who has plenty of resources at their hands. A Texas Realtor® can do a comparative-market-analysis to help you list your home for the right price the first time. Your property will be displayed to a vast audience to attract more buyers through print ads, the MLS, personal networks and social media. They can also give you tips for getting your home ready to sell. Best Price: A Texas Realtor® can help you negotiate the best possible price when buying a home. They will have... 02/18/2013

Amarillo, Texas USDA home loans, 100% financing with Amarillo Home Mortgage Loans.USDA mortgage Loans in Amarillo are excellent mortgages to help with your home buying needs.A 0% down option payment is available to home buyers looking to purchase homes in Amarillo,Texas. Find out more below: -Interest Rates are still competitive compared to both FHA and Conventional Loans. There is 100% financing available with small monthly mortgage insurance (consists of about .30% of loan amounts per year). There are 2 great benefits to a USDA loan: 1. No down payment with 100% financing and 2. A 30 year fixed interest rate. You can get very low Mortgage Insurance rate (MI) when compared to FHA and Conventional loans and you'll see the savings!  Some qualifying requirements for a USDA home loan are a... 02/14/2013

Downtown Amarillo, TX has been seeing sharp growth over recent years. The city’s value as a whole has gone up nearly 29% in the last year, which makes Amarillo one of the most sought after cities to relocate. Overall, Amarillo’s value has grown over 167% since 2006 according to Amarillo’s assistant city manager. One of the biggest contributing factors of the sharp growth in downtown Amarillo, TX is from the “tax increment reinvestment zone” that was created in 2006 to help fund improvements to downtown Amarillo. The boundaries of the zone include I-40, Adams Street and the railroads tracks located just north and east of downtown Amarillo. The tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) is funded by the property taxes collected since 2006 from the city, Amarillo College, the Panhandle Ground... 01/28/2013

As an Amarillo, TX Realtor®, I know that a place of employment is just as important as the perfect home when you are relocating. And Amarillo has many companies to choose from; therefore, I have compiled a list of the top 20 major employers in Amarillo to give you an idea what to expect with your relocation needs. Amarillo Texas’ Top 20 Employers: 20. Owens Corning: 433 full-time employees Service type: Manufacturing Contact Information: 1-800-GET-PINK 19. United Supermarkets: 466 full-time employees Type of service: Grocery store Contact Information: 1-877-84UNITED 18. Hastings Entertainment: 510 full-time employees Type of service: Entertainment Contact Information: 1-877-HASTINGS 17. Amarillo National Bank: 558 full-time employees Type of service: Banking Contact Information: (806) ... 01/21/2013

Buying a home in Downtown Amarillo, TX can be a great choice for many families looking to relocate. The downtown area of Amarillo has more than 800 single-family residences, which includes the Plemons Eakle neighborhood; a prestigious Historic District. The entire area is diverse and has homes dating back to the early 1900s. Another good reason to buy a home in Downtown Amarillo is because a Strategic Action Plan was adopted by the City of Amarillo to outline a vision for the downtown urban area where people could live, play and work. The plan sets goals for the financial, business, and entertainment sectors of downtown. There are also plans to attract urban living. Here are some of the key goals in the plan: * Maintain Downtown Amarillo and the Panhandle as the financial, government a... 01/01/2013

  Many potential buyers that are retired wonder if they would qualify for a mortgage. Well the good news is yes, you can still qualify for a mortgage loan even if you are retired. Thanks to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, no matter how old you are, your age will not be a factor in your mortgage loan approval. Mortgage lenders will look at your retirement income to determine whether you will be approved for a loan or not. You will just need to provide them with proof of continuance for at least three years. And if you get pension, you will need a letter from your pension administrator state that your pension will be guaranteed for life or for the amount of time you have the loan for. As someone who is retired, you have a slight advantage over full-time workers. So, now comes the question, ... 12/10/2012

The new rock garden trail in Amarillo’s Palo Duro Canyon State Park is now ready for visitors. And since Amarillo, TX is having such a mild winter, it’s the perfect time to get immersed in the canyon’s natural beauty. You will find some of the most amazing plants and wildlife in the areas of these spectacular red cliffs. The trails were created by a large group of volunteers made up of mountain bikers and trail runners who have a personal interest in the trails and their maintenance. The trials took six months and over 1,500 hours of hard work to complete. It takes around seventeen minutes to reach the top of the canyon from the bottom of the rock garden trail. The rock garden trials can be found between Park Roads 5 and 6 just across from the southern entrance to the Sunflower day use ... 12/03/2012

I love this article in Home by Design magazine about choosing a paint color!     Sunny Disposition   Written by Maresa Giovanniniin Home by Design Magazine   Selecting the perfect interior paint color can be a lot like choosing a spouse: it should make you feel unreservedly happy. Granted, you can always trade in a can of paint for a new shade if it doesn’t work out, but invest time in identifying the perfect hue, and that won’t be necessary. “When you wake up in the morning, if you can’t just sit down with your coffee or tea and just exhale, then it’s not the color for you,” says designer Natalie Umbert.   Seeking a place and a palette that would make her feel calm and blissful, Umbert moved into this 1,000-square-foot home in Corona del Mar, California, in 2007 with her young daughter... 11/30/2012

The 17th annual Center City Electric Light Parade will be in Amarillo, TX on November 30th, starting at 6pm. The event is sponsored by Xcel Energy this year. So, if you want to start your Christmas season off right, bring the whole family for the Nutcracker themed parade. The Lone Star Ballet will have a very special float to promote their upcoming performances of the “The Nutcracker”, which will be held at the Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium. And all floats will compete for cash prizes that are donated by Golden Spread Electric Co-Op. There will also be $350 for best of show. You can catch the parade route starting at Southwest 11th Avenue and Polk Street. It will continue north to Southwest 5th Avenue and go towards the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. There will be a shor... 11/19/2012

The Working Ranch Cowboys Association’s World Championship Ranch Rodeo will be in Amarillo this week on November 8, 2012.  Based in Amarillo, this rodeo will celebrate its 17th anniversary with several teams competing and trying to win.  There will be 24 teams from all over the country, three of which are from the Texas Panhandle. This year’s defending champions include T4 and Wilson Cattle from Hereford and Canyon, Crutch Ranch from Borger and High Card Ranch from Amarillo, TX.  Teams will be wild cow milking, which is much more dangerous than milking cows on the ranch.  Cowpokes will have to corral very large and unwilling cows and get a few drops of milk from them. The milking of the wild cow is just one of the top events and it’s a crowd favorite.  After the cow has been roped, at ... 11/05/2012

Have you ever thought of becoming your own employer?  Well, Amarillo TX is the perfect place to make that happen.  Whether you want to sell upscale products or start your own service company, Amarillo is among the top cities that helps serve each business as well.  There are many good reasons why Amarillo, TX is a great place to start your business.  The community has a good size population that means there’s a healthy market for most businesses.  Around 200,000 people call Amarillo home, so you will have people that need an array of products and services.  A small fact that many people don’t know is that Amarillo is the 14th largest in the United States.  Amarillo is also important to many smaller communities such as Canyon and Bushland, TX.  Many people stop in Amarillo as they trave... 10/29/2012

The Youth Choirs of Amarillo, TX will be performing their annual Fall Concert.  You can catch the big event on October 30 at 7pm in the Globe-News Center for Performing Arts.  This concert is a popular Amarillo event that is open to the public.  There will be well known classical composers such as Gabriel Faure and Johann S Bach along with many other contemporary composers who will be performing. History of the Amarillo Youth Choirs: The Amarillo Youth Choirs is a non-profit organization that began in the fall of 1989.  The Choir was originally an all boys group from the Amarillo and Texas Panhandle area.  The Amarillo Girls Choir began in the fall of 2001.  Now, the group is organized of over 200 voices from the Amarillo Boy Preparatory Choir, the Amarillo Girl Concert Choir, the Amar... 10/22/2012

If you’re looking for Halloween activities and fall fun in Amarillo, TX, you have come to the right place.  Here, you will find several things happening around Amarillo for the whole family to enjoy. Amarillo Halloween and Fall Fun: ◘ Boo at the Zoo – Looking for a fun and wild way to celebrate Halloween?  Join the no so scary animals with a high-spirited Halloween event at the Amarillo Zoo.  Enjoy theme nights, treat stations, games, crafts, costumed characters, and much more. Days & Times: October 26 from 5:30 to 9:00pm October 27 from 5:30 to 9:00pm October 28 from 12:00 to 5:00pm Cost: $5 per person ◘ All Hallows Eve Hustle – This virtual run event lets you run your favorite route on race day.  100% of all proceeds will go to support Hold in the Wall Camps. Date: October 29 – 31 ◘ ... 10/15/2012

Amarillo, TX has many attractions for kids and adults to enjoy.  Are you looking to relocate to a community that is family friendly with lots of activities and attractions?  Amarillo is the perfect place to be when you want to enjoy an active lifestyle.  Therefore, I have a couple of attractions you may be interested in the next time you’re in Amarillo. Don Harrington Discovery Center – Come explore, learn, create, play and invent at Amarillo’s science and technology center.  This museum lets you interact with the exhibits while you get educated in a fun way.  There are also special events often and this is the only planetarium in the Texas Panhandle.  The $1.2 million digital space theater takes you to new heights with each show.  Exhibits explore optical illusions, structures, weather... 10/01/2012

Amarillo, TX will celebrate Martha’s Home 25th Anniversary Banquet and Budding Artists Show on September 27 at 6:30 pm in the Grand Plaza of Amarillo Civic Center.  They will have a wonderful display of artwork that was submitted by students from the Amarillo area middle school for a silent auction.  Proceeds from the event will be split between Martha’s Home and the child artist who wins. You can also enjoy great food catered by Joe Daddy’s, music by Mary Lyn Halley, a screening for the new Martha’s Home video and a guest speaker.  For those of you who are not familiar with Martha’s Home, they provide temporary support and shelter for single women and mothers with children.  They help women with education, employment, personal growth and management skills that they can use in ever day ... 09/24/2012

Now that fall is fast approaching, it’s a wonderful time of year to get out and enjoy many of the fun things to see and do in Amarillo, TX this September.  Events include the Tri-State Fair & Rodeo, AMOA-Amarillo Museum of Art and the new Pioneer Town.  See all the details for each event below. Amarillo, TX September 2012 Events: Tri-State Fair & Rodeo – This event is the Texas Panhandles biggest annual event.  The Tri-State Fair & Rodeo has been around annually since the 1920s.  The event is packed full of concerts, rides, special shows and events and of course the professional PRCA Rodeo, which makes the event great for the whole family.  Date: September 22, 2012 Time: 9am Location: 3301 SE 10th Avenue in Amarillo AMOA-Amarillo Museum of Art – Come see permanent and temporary exhibits... 09/17/2012

Amarillo, TX still maintains a low unemployment rate.  While there were nearly 96,000 jobs added around the nation in the month of August it wasn’t enough to get everyone back to work.  And according to Workforce Solutions in Amarillo, this area continues to have a lower unemployment rate than the national average. In July, Amarillo’s unemployment rate was at 5.5 while the state of Texas had an unemployment rate of 7.5 and the national unemployment rate was 8.6.  Simply put, Amarillo has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the entire state of Texas. Word from Workforce Solutions is that the unemployment rate usually rises during the summer months due to natural business cycles.  However, Amarillo’s overall economy has done much better than the rest of the nation for years.  Amarillo... 09/10/2012

The community is excited to have the new Amarillo College-Hereford campus in town.  Now, students won’t have to leave town to attend classes.  The new Amarillo campus will also make college classes more affordable for hundreds of students that attend Hereford to get a college education. The school will provide an opportunity for many Hereford residents and surrounding area residents as well.  They can get the education they need right in Amarillo. It’s a much needed opportunity for many local students. This $5 million dream come true college is a decade in the making.  By spring, they college will have available classes for new technology and programs.  The college is growing by leaps and bounds already, which shows just how much the school was needed in the area.  Donations from Mr. Bi... 09/03/2012

Wanting to Join the Coupon Craze?  I thought I might, but where to start?  I found this article by Ashley Gartland in Homes by Design Magazine very helpful.  Now to put it to the test and start saving some money!    You need only watch an episode of Extreme Couponing to recognize that everyone from moms to busy professionals has caught coupon fever—and with good reason. In these lean times, couponing helps shoppers save on groceries and household items and “buy” products without actually paying for them. In just a few hours a week, you too can start couponing to reduce your household expenses. Whether you want to trim your weekly grocery bill or score free toiletries, couponing can help you shop smarter and stretch your hard-earned dollars further. Here’s how. Find a mentor. The quickes... 08/24/2012