Filed under: Green Homes, Real Estate | Tags: Austin, Austin homes, Austin real estate, green built homes, Green Homes, Real Estate
Every year the Home Builders Association holds a Parade of Homes which benefits local charities. This year the Parade is being held May 23-June 7 at Mueller (pronounced Miller), the subdivision built where the old airport used to be. Proceeds will benefit the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Austin Children’s Center and Austin Children’s Museum. It costs $15 to walk through the five homes on Camacho Street. These homes are all priced around $1M, and showcase the talents of five local custom builders.
In past years, I’ve worked at the Parades as a greeter and builder representative. This year I simply attended the Parade as a guest. It was a lot of fun to walk through these homes and see what green features they’ve incorporated. The City of Austin has strongly encouraged all builders, not just for the Parade homes, but for all homes in the subdivision, to be green. Four of the Parade homes have received the highest green rating the City of Austin awards, a 5-star rating.
My favorite house is the one by Streetman Homes. It takes advantage of the view of the park and pond across the street from several rooms in the house, including the formal dining room and the master suite. It also has a really cool third floor which they call the “sunset floor”, from which you can see downtown skyline. This floor is intended for sipping drinks at sunset! Even the sink is shaped like a martini glass. Another of my favorite features is the water fountain in the yard. Besides the yard, the home has two covered patios, a covered balcony off the master suite, and the covered but un-airconditioned sunset floor. The decorating is flamboyant and unique, not your everyday home, but fun and idea-inspiring!
What I enjoy about going to these Parades is seeing new trends and new materials. Two of the homes incorporate an entertaining area in the garage, which I know may be hard to imagine, but seeing it shows a clever use of space. These homes are on very small lots, so the builders had to be creative in making plenty of outdoor living space. One builder put a garden on the second floor, which is neat, but may not be so practical (how do you mow a second floor lawn?).
All of the homes on the Parade are available for purchase, as are other, less expensive homes in Mueller. Other homes in Mueller are selling for $239K and up.
Vikki Goodwin
REALTOR®, GRI, SRS
EcoBroker®
Homes ATX
512-426-9090 cell
www.vikkigoodwin.com
Filed under: Green Homes, Real Estate | Tags: green built homes, Green Homes
This week I visited 3 homes, two 5-star and one 3 or 4-star rated homes by Austin Energy. They were all beautiful homes in North/Central Austin. The first home dazzles you as you enter the house with a decorative stone wall with contemporary art niches. The colors and materials throughout the home are well chosen. The backyard is also really nice – big and backing to a wet weather creek. The rooms are all spacious and the floor plan is very usable. The second home is also a great home with a nice floor plan and yard. Being smaller, this one is not as expensive, and might be a great home for someone trying to stay under $500K. The third home was extraordinary. I really liked the large gameroom overlooking the beautiful yard full of trees, and the balcony off the master bedroom. There are some wonderful surprises in this home, from the shower in the master bathroom on down to the huge fridge in the kitchen. The seller says electric bills have run around $60/month in this 5-star green home!
Last week I viewed this home in the Westlake area. This home has so many great features, it’s hard to know where to begin. First, it has wonderful views. The family room and master bedroom have huge windows looking out on the panaramic views of the Barton Creek area. Second, the home is super energy efficient due to solar panels and energy efficient appliances. The home sits on over an acre, and although it was built in 1960, it has been completely renovated. The kitchen is marvelous – I would love to cook in this kitchen! All the rooms are large, especially the master which has a large sitting room or connected office. The bathrooms are also very large, perhaps maybe a bit too large for my taste. I also like the carpet choices for the bedrooms. However, I’m not as fond of the cork flooring in the entryway and living room. But, with an area rug, even that would be ok. The home is in a smaller neighborhood with a voluntary HOA. The front yard is basically grassless. It makes for easy maintenance, but in my opinion, it still needs something. I’d have to leave that to a landscaper. The backyard is plenty large for a pool, or just green space for whatever you desire. If you’d like to see this home, please contact me! Vikki Goodwin, Realtor, Homes ATX, 512-426-9090.
Filed under: Green Homes, Real Estate | Tags: Austin, green built homes, Real Estate
The new Mueller development (pronounced “Miller”) has a number of new green built homes. The city of Austin must have given the builders encouragement to include green features in their homes! The first phase sold pretty well, so now the builders are working on the second phase of what was once the Austin airport. Now it is home to the new Dell Children’s hospital and some nice looking homes. See homes for sale in Mueller, or contact me for more details.
Filed under: Green Homes, Real Estate | Tags: Austin, Real Estate, solar power
This home has some really nice features – including a solar system that generates the power for the home along with natural gas. The owners took an older home, built in 1945, and completely remodeled it. It now has wood floors, granite counters in the kitchen, a large master suite and a luxurious master bath. It also has a rooftop terrace providing views of downtown Austin! The home is listed for sale by EXIT Exceptional Properties. See pictures and information about this home, or call me to view the home in person. Or search for other properties that meet your criteria. Call me for real estate advice: Vikki Goodwin, Realtor, Homes ATX, 512-426-9090.
Filed under: Green Homes, Real Estate | Tags: Austin, Green Homes, Real Estate
Not too many Realtors are paying a lot of attention to this new growing market, but I am! There are a number of “green built” homes in the Austin area, but very few Realtors list them as green built in their remarks. I have several buyers who are looking for existing green built homes, or lots where they can build their own. Right now there are two homes for sale in the city of Austin which have been labeled by their listing agents as green built. One is 6905 Crosby Circle, listed by Austin Silent Market. The other is 7901 Agarita, listed by the Hill Country Green Team. If you’d like to see either of these homes, contact me! Vikki Goodwin, Realtor, Homes ATX, 512-426-9090.
