One of my favorite builders is Toll Brothers. The reason is they are very consistent about the high level of quality in their homes. Granite counter-tops are standard and they use beautifully handcrafted wrought iron on the stair railings and crown molding, and the list goes on. They have recently dedicated themselves to becoming a more 'green builder'. They are focusing on using more green and recycled materials whenever possible. They are building homes that get excellent marks for water conservation and energy efficiency. Many of these new Toll Brother's homes also feature a 'walk-out basement/game-room. They also have lovely state of the art amenity centers and the developments are well laid out. One of their communitys, The Enclave at Alta Vista is in the "close out" phase. Which m... 09/24/2008

After touring several Toll Brothers communities, I made a surprising discovery. Toll Brothers is going GREEN! I must admit I was shocked, as they never struck me as being a very green company, high end yes, but not green. That is the way it used to be, but now they are riding the 'green' wave of the future. They are well known for being America's Luxury home builder, so this turn of events left me reeling!  My preconceived notions were dashed as I learned what Toll Brothers is now doing to be a better builder. Here are a few examples of what they are now doing on their new homes. Their HVAC systems all use Puron which is environmentally the better choice. The homes all have energy star appliances. High performance windows with Low-E glass. All homes have water conserving toilets and sho... 09/21/2008

We just received the school ratings for 2008 and wanted to share them with you.  Some good news and some bad news for Lake Travis ISD...Good news is that all of the elementaries in the district are rated either Recognized or Exemplary.  This bodes well for the future of Lake Travis ISD because as logic would have it, the elementaries are the feeder groups for the Middle Schools and then the High Schools, so as their ratings increase so will the upper schools as the kids move up.  We did see that Hudsen Bend Middle School lost its Recognized status, while unfortunate we would expect that they get it back next year. So all in all I'd say that it's a good report card for Lake Travis ISD.      Across District TAAS Rating Comparisons for the last 3 years In case you're wondering how the othe... 08/29/2008

It's hard to describe Lakeway Texas Real Estate in a few words...and that's a good thing!  If you don't want a cookie cutter neighborhood, if you like lake living, if you want great schools, if you want a community with tons of amenities and three golf courses and close to shopping...then look no further.  Lakeway Texas may be the place for you.   This is largely due to the fact, unlike many areas around Austin that are new, as a community Lakeway started building up around the 1960s.  Many of the original homes were weekend getaways or second homes on Lake Travis.  Then through the years building continued and the community grew, schools were built and began to have solid programs.  So it's a community in which  homes were built literally across the decades.  From the 60's, 70s, 80s, 9... 08/27/2008

Whenever I drive through Lakeway and see a group of deer, especially a momma and her babies, okay so their called 'fawns'.  I can't help but think of Disney's movie "Bambi".  I pause as I'm driving and watch them, many times I swear we are looking eye-to-eye, and if I'm with a client, especially if they are from out of state, usually we all ooh and aah over the deers majestic beauty.  But I was with a resident of Lakeway last week who had a different view of these lovely creatures.  She  just had all of her recently planted flowers eaten by a group of these deer that I was oohing and aahing over.  Believe me she was not thinking of Bambi...or if she was she would have been thinking of the part of the movie that made me cry... So whether you love'm or hate'm you do have to find a way to... 08/27/2008

 Lake Travis is shaped much like a dragon, when looking from a bird's eye view. There are numerous coves and inlets which are great to explore.  Lake Travis has 271 miles of shoreline and an average depth of 62 feet, with a max of 210 feet.              Lake Travis is 63.75 miles longand 4 miles wide at its widest point.Lake Travis covers 18,929 acresLazy days on the lake, great fishing and of couse Austin downtown as close as 30 minutes. Great food and fun nearby at Carlos and Charlies, Shades, Johnny Fins, Aunt Tillies,  lakeside restaurants all offer food and drink with live music for your enjoyment       04/06/2008

Lakeway is an Austin suburb located on the prestigious south shores of Lake Travis in what is considered to be the Lake South area. Lakeway is a breathtakingly scenic city with a population of 8,000 as of the 2000 census. Lakeway offers unsurpassed privacy with rolling hills, and wildlife such as deer and waterfowl. Year round, residents and visitors relish life on the shores of Lake Travis. Along these crystal clear waters, you can indulge your passion for sailing, windsurfing, cruising, and fishing. Ashore, discover world-class golf and tennis, dining, and shopping to dream about. For more photos and information, visit our website: Lakeway Real Estate 04/02/2008

The Lake Travis area in located about 30 minutes west of downtown Austin, Texas. It includes the communites and towns of Bee Caves, Lakeway, Spicewood and Volente. As the name implies, Lake Travis is a lake community with many marinas, high-end luxury waterfront communites, and lots of beautiful boats. That's not to say you can not find affordable homes near Lake Travis. Neighborhoods like Apache Shores and Cardinal Hills still have single family homes starting under $200,000. However, if you want to be on the water, be prepare to spend at least a million for something respectable with no roof leaks. Here is a list of a few home searches in the Lake Travis area: Bee Cave Homes for Sale - The City of Bee Cave, TX is located at Hwy 71 and RM 2244 and RR 620. The Village of Bee Cave only ... 08/23/2007

Lakeway is a thriving small town on the East edge of Lake Travis. Lakeway offers many things to do for those with a busy life style or a simple lifestyle. One can wake up and chose to golf, play tennis, swim at the local pool get in a boat and cruise Lake Travis, or just about anything you can imagine. Lakeway is in the heart of the Lake Travis School District and offers many well planned communities for families to chose from. Real estate in Lakeway TX is diverse in style and has a wide range of prices. When looking for Lakeway TX real estate a Sky Realty agent can help. We have agents who live and work in the area and know the inventory well. Thank you and enjoy Lakeway TX. 08/21/2007

 List PriceSquare Feet$/SFBedroomsFull BathsLiving AreasYear BuiltSales PriceLP:SP%CDOMMin232500174690.57221196921900083% 3Avg5252372928165.22321199049688795% 92Max19500007276552.4955320071794500101% 701These are the stats for Lakeway Tx Real Estate. These stats are based on single family homes sold throught the Austin Mls through the month of july 07 All information is deemed reliable, buyer or seller must verify 08/11/2007

West of Austin about 25 min. is Lakeway.  The prices range from $175,000 to $7,000,000.  The showings are slowing down fairly quickly.  Why are the buyers holding back?  Title company orders are down, showings are down and there has been a large number of price reductions in the last couple of weeks.  We have a great economic outlook with good employment but they are not coming.  Any ideas?  The only "types" of properties being shown a lot are the waterfronts and lakeviews and they are over $1 million!! 07/25/2007

A little follow-up to my earlier posts about the January, 2007 Austin ice storm.  I just (at 11:15AM) took a drive from my neighborhood to Lakeway.  The temperature is approaching 32 for the first time in 48 hours and the roads were looking pretty good.  It is amazing what just a little more feet of elevation does.      This is RM 620 at Lake Travis Middle School.  There is room in both lanes to drive on wet, but not icy, pavement.  But take a look at the road going into the school.  No wonder the kids stayed at home another day.  You can't tell from the picture, but the ice is probably between 1/2 and 1 inch thick.      This is in Apache Shores, where I live.  There is a tree down and many more were hanging quite low because of the ice. The clouds are thinning and I think some of the s... 01/17/2007

The city of Lakeway has seen a rise in lot prices.  There are several factors responsible for this.  The first is simply that "old" Lakeway has very few lots left.  By old I am referring to the majority of Lakeway, which is west of RM 620.  The increase in prices is a simple supply and demand thing. The other reason is the development of the Preserve at Lakeway.  The Preserve is on the east side of 620 just south of where Lakeway Blvd. intersects with 620.  The Preserve offers some excellent views looking over the Balcones Canyonland Preserve and looking toward Mansfield Dam.  Anohther reason is that lots in Flintrock Falls, which is in Lakeway, demand a much higher price.  So back to Lakeway lot prices...In 2006, 40 Lakeway lots sold according to what I found in the MLS.  There must ha... 01/16/2007

Want to know another reason people move to Austin?  The temperature two days ago was about 80.  This morning it was 24.  Right now (about 3:42 Central Time) it is about 60 and the sun is shining.  The reading of 24 is pretty low for here.  I have lived in the Ausitn area since 1988 and have seen it colder perhaps 10 times.  For people from anywhere north of Kansas or so, winters are quite mild here.  Just another cool reason to live here! 12/01/2006

Recently I was approached on a fairly new concept that apparently started in the South Beach area of Miami, but is steadily expanding to other areas. The concept is the Hotel/Condo Complex. Apparently it's takes a bit of the 2nd home market, the timeshare market and the vacation rental market and slaps it into a Hotel.If someone else has better information, by all means....But since we are getting one of these in the Austin/Lakeway area, I thought others might want to know about this boom.Here's the jist of what I know. In an attempt to make buying and qualifying for a 2nd home easier and more affordable, the Association will "rent" your condo out "Hotel style" when you are not there. If you are going to be there, you just let them know when and they consider it "occupied".The concept s... 10/04/2006