Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Things To Do In June In San Antonio

Sometimes it gets hot in and around San Antonio, Bulverde, & the military bases.

Why not take a cool trip to the Witte Museum for

AMAZING AMAZON FAMILY DAY
Saturday, June 11
1 - 4 p.m.

Join your neighbors for an afternoon of hands-on activities for the entire family. Create fish prints, get up close with skin and scales and even design a one-of-a-kind fish during It’s All About Fish; encounter live birds, snakes and more animals of the jungle during Amazon Animals Alive!; and finish the day at Family Fish Tales, storytelling for everyone and an opportunity to tell about the BIG ONE that got away! Included with museum admission.

Supported by a generous contribution from the Boening Corporation.

To learn more about this event and other June 2011 events at the Witte go to


Looking to buy or sell a San Antonio area home, visit the number one site for unexcelled realty services.





Thursday, May 26, 2011

San Antonio Homes With Greenbelt Land



MacMillan online dictionary describes a greenbelt as an area of land around large cities where no buildings are allowed in order to protect the countryside.

Another definition that I like calls it an area of undeveloped land around a residential area created by covenant, deed restriction, or city zoning with the intention of preserving the open space and natural environment.

Here in San Antonio, for real estate purposes we have a lot description called "GREENBELT". I think that sometimes that description is rather loosely interpreted and what some folks consider greenbelt may not exactly fall into ANY of the categories listed above. What you can pretty much guarantee is that there is some undeveloped or unused land behind or adjacent to the home that is being offered for sale.

There are currently 36 properties listed as backing to greenbelt in the area where I live and specialize. Now this is a huge area and we do have some wonderful parks with walking and riding trails, some river authority owned property , some flood plains, some golf courses, and even some power lines. All of the above can fall into the greenbelt category, so it is a good idea to have a good look at the pictures of your real estate if you are looking online or even better idea to have your agent take a look for you. I just looked at the pictures of all 36 of these properties. I KNOW these houses and I KNOW these neighborhoods. Some greenbelts are absolutely fabulous! Some, not so much.

My house backs to property that I think belongs to the golf course. It may be owned by the River Authority because there is a part of the 500 year flood plain running through it, but it makes no difference to me. It is my own personal "BACK 40". It's a rough area of the golf course, far enough away from the fairways and greens to make it appealing, because we don't like golf balls hitting the back of the house. My next door neighbor has a path through to the course. Our greenbelt affords views of the wildlife, and we have a great place to walk the dogs. We can encroach with a sacrificial garden that feeds only the deer and rabbits. (The one thing they don't eat is parsley.)

TAAD (Texas Association of Appraisal Districts) gives appraisers "wiggle room" when it comes to value for views, but I can't find anything that discusses a distinct value for greenbelts. My experience has been that a buyer will usually pay much more if the greenbelt is a nature preserve or golf course, a little more if it is a drainage easement, and less for an electrical easement if there are power lines involved. So, I guess the value can be compared to beauty and all considered in the eye of the beholder. Or you can ask those that own property adjacent to the greenbelt. Greenbelts afford privacy and spitting room that is hard to come by in urban areas. Go on, ask someone who lives near one. They will tell you . . . it's priceless. --

Looking to buy or sell a greenbelt lot home -- visit us here:  SanAntonioHomeQuest.com

Posted By Stephanie Kelley to San Antonio Homegirl Report at 5/06/2011 01:09:00 PM

Sunday, May 08, 2011

May 2011 San Antonio Home Sales Report

Where do we go from here?

That's the question on everyone's mind as we approach the height of San Antonio's typical home buying and selling season. Will we have a fantastic realty year like 2006 or will it be a so-so year like 2010?

It's hard to say and we won't know until September, but some things are certain.

Spurred on by the Federal home buyer tax credit programs, San Antonio's home sales market was driven hard during the first quarter of 2010. Homes sold fast - especially lower priced listings. Then, when the credits ended, the market faded hard and fast, leaving 2010 sales ranking low when compared to the previous five years.

Now, the data for the first quarter of this year reveals average to slightly above average home sales activity.
Some analysts see the market picking up significantly during May through July period.

Here's why.

San Antonio's economy is healthy and vibrant.

The nation's 7th largest metropolitan area was only lightly touched by the late Great Recession. Our state and local government policies and military, medical, and service industry activities successfully kept the Alamo City on a stable and steady course through some very choppy economic waters.

Population growth and expansion of the metropolitan area is steady.

San Antonio continues to enhance its reputation as Military City USA. This year, the city is scheduled to receive an influx of new military arrivals as the area's much heralded base realignment and expansion projects are completed.

Arguably, there's no other city in the nation with a larger complex of uniformed services training and intelligence units allied with associated defense research, development, and contracting activities.

Of particular note is the enormous San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) - the home of the Wounded Warrior Program, center of excellence for military medical education and training, and a major treatment center for our uniformed service members and their families worldwide.

SAMMC has added "The Home of Military Medicine" to the proud list of noble names for San Antonio.

What about the private sector?

Hardly a week goes by without a major corporation announcing plans to relocate to, or expand in, the San Antonio area. Also, there are small business startups or expansions underway in every sector of the city.

Such positive signs of growth and stability bid well for The River City's home buying and selling market.

What about the Alamo City's home loan industry?

Mortgage interest rates remain at historic lows. For those who can qualify, there's no better time than now to acquire a fantastically reasonable mortgage loan.

Who do these conditions favor?

San Antonio's long and strong home buyer's market continues. There's an ample supply of reasonably priced well prepared resale homes. On the other hand, new construction home products are in short supply.

Lender owned and short sale listings are selling particularly well.

As for home sellers, the advantage goes to the sellers most willing to reduce their price expectations and expend the money, time and effort to improve their property's condition and appearance.

That's all for our May 2011 San Antonio realty market report.

We're Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions, need San Antonio realty or mortgage loan advice or assistance, or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8743, or email us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com. Our SanAntonioHomeQuest.com Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs.