Crazy Ass MLS photo, whaaaatt?

This is a photo of a bedroom in a property for sale in the MLS. For real. Does the giraffe convey?

Austin Film Festival or A fun thing to do when it will not be 105 degrees outside

The high temperature in Austin today is going to be 105 degrees. This is not news. We have hot summers here and every year it's like I somehow forget how hot it gets. The same way women have evolved to forget the pain of childbirth so they will continue to procreate---I forget how hot it gets in August and do not plan accordingly. I guess my evolutionary path is meant to keep me in Austin. So, when it gets this hot I like to think about the other times of year here when the weather is so nice and then that got me to thinking about October.

The weather is awesome here in October. Breezy and cool and sunny. October is also when the Austin Film Festival happens! In recent years Austin has become a hotbed of film making activity and we count some pretty famous directors and actors among our permanent residents. I hear a lot of folks talk up the SXSW film festival, but I am telling you that the AFF is not to be missed.

I have gone for the past 3 years and plan on attending this year as well.  I have participated (and by participated I mean sometimes I was just present---sometimes I had a question) in Q. and A. sessions with Danny Boyle, Jason Reitman, and Diablo Cody. In my opinion, often the most interesting post film discussions are actually at many of the smaller narrative films and documentary screenings.

I am a huge film dork and I love going to the movies. During the AFF many of the screenings are at the Paramount Theater  and while the leg room may be lacking for this one and her tall self, the theater makes up for this small discomfort with it's gorgeous design and turn of the century pedigree. Screenings are also held at other theaters around town, so there are a lot of options.

The AFF also makes me reconnect with my city. During the 7 days it happens I find myself downtown more than I usually do and walking more from place to place. People are always really friendly and eager to talk about films they have seen or plan on seeing. All in all it's a great experience that I look forward to every year.

You should totally come get on my film dork train, there's plenty of room---and get yourself passes to the film festival.

My First Place TV Show Filming in Austin!

Hey first time home buyers! If you want to have your home buying process chronicled for a T.V. audience and get a free gift -check this out! I am working with some clients presently and we are looking into this, but if you or anyone you know is interested and they need a Realtor---send them my way!

From the Press Release:

BUYING YOUR FIRST PLACE?

Then HGTV is looking for you!

MY FIRST PLACE, HGTV’s hit series, is coming back for a ninth season and we’re looking for first-time homebuyers (and their agents!) in the Austin area RIGHT NOW!
We are looking for fun, high-energy people who are just starting the home-buying process for their first place and would like to share their story with HGTV! Our goal is to capture all the trials and tribulations of looking for, bidding on and buying your first place.
Taping takes place this summer. Ideal candidates will be enthusiastic buyers with a great story to tell and a desire to share their experiences. Singles, couples and families are all invited to apply!
Candidates who complete taping will receive a surprise housewarming gift as part of the show and also a DVD copy of their episode to document their first home buying experience for all time!

Request an application by emailing:

cbaggish@highnoontv.com

Or call cindy baggish at (303) 712-3093

East Austin Neighborhood Profile: French Place

Where can a food trailer selling BBQ and a 1900's Victorian coexist? French Place in Austin TX, that's where!

Geographically French Place is defined as the area between Manor and 38 1/2th, west of Airport Boulevard and east of I-35. French Place is also sometimes referred to as Cherrywood. Whatever you want to call it--in my opinion, this neighborhood is one of Austin's coolest places to live.

The houses here are older (30's and 40's mostly), charming and have good sized lots. Prices range from $250k-$375k.

The proximity to both Concordia University and The University of Texas makes this neighborhood attractive to students and professors and also makes it a good option if you are looking for a property to run as an income generating investment. The proximity to downtown is also very appealing to young professionals and really, anyone who wants to be close to the cultural centers of Austin.

The tree lined streets and eclectic architecture make this a great walking/biking neighborhood. You could never describe French Place as homogenized or ordinary. All along Manor Road you can find many great restaurants and coffee shops. There's Eastside Cafe where they serve vegetables grown in their awesome garden that you can stroll through while you wait for your table, Thunderbird Coffee has a great outdoor patio, good coffee and is a great place to work. I often schedule meetings there. El Chilito's tacos and agua fresca are so good and so affordable. And then, of course the new addition of Franklin's BBQ food trailer---get there early, they sell out fast.

In December, the Cherrywood Art Fair is a great place to get holiday gifts that are made by local crafters and artists. The Vortex Theater has youth programs as well as regular performances. All in all there's just a lot going on in and around the French Place neighborhood.

So, if you are looking to be in a neighborhood that is in a great urban location and has tons of personality, consider French Place!

Contact me if you would like more information about French Place or other Austin neighborhoods.

South Austin Neighborhood Profile: Southwood

I am working on a series of  Austin neighborhood profiles. Those of you who know me, know that South Austin is where I live and often work---so it seemed like the best place to start!

Do you like to avoid IH 35? Do you like Sno Cones? Do you like to go to a corner store that is not corporate owned? Would you like to have a couple of chickens? Do you value space over status? If so, Southwood could be the neighborhood for you!

Geographically, Southwood is defined by Ben White Boulevard to the North, Manchaca Road to the west, W. Stassney Lane to the west (to the RR tracks) and to the east, South First Street including the greenbelt surrounded by Williamson Creek east of the intersection of South First Street and Emerald Wood Street .

You see a lot of bumper stickers around town promoting the virtues of South Austin and their corresponding zip codes and there is an undeniable sense of neighborhood pride that exists south of the river. South Austin represents a lack of pretense and harmony for many of it’s residents and I am really proud to count myself among them.

In recent years,  home values in the Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek, Zilker and SOCO neighborhoods have increased greatly, pricing out many first time home buyers. In my experience, those buyers are heading south of Ben White and it’s easy to see why.

In Travis Heights a 2 bedroom / 1 bath house under 1000 sqft can cost $350,000 and up. It will probably be really awesome and charming. It will be within walking distance to all kinds of cool stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love Travis Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods, but for many folks this is not a viable financial option.

In the Southwood area you can find a 3 bedroom / 2 bath house, 1200 sqft + with some good yard space for under $225,000! A majority of the houses were built in the 60’s and 70’s. These eras  don’t always conjure up charm and style for many folks (much like the 30’s and 40’s era houses do), but these properties have great potential and many creative folks are making great design choices and are realizing that you don’t have to sacrifice style for space.

This neighborhood is also shaping up to be a good place to invest. We have seen very healthy appreciation in this area in the last 5-7 years and there is no indication that it won’t continue.

People who want to buy in the Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek, Zilker and SOCO neighborhoods, but can’t--don’t want to go north, so south of Ben White is where they are choosing to live. It's easy to get to downtown and avoid IH35, Central Market and a Newflower Market are nearby, there are many parks and public pools around, and lots of taco stands and sno-cone trucks.

Contact me if you would like to know more about Southwood or other South Austin neighborhoods.

Austin is voted super bad ass, again.

Kiplinger's magazine, the source for all things financial, loves to make best and worst lists. I really love these lists because I, much like many of us in this day and age find that I suffer from information overload and lists are a great way to present information in a concise way. The quality of life in Austin is something that is often mentioned in the media and those of us who live here understand why. There's lots to do here indoors and out, the people here are friendly and the local economy has weathered the recession very well.

Well, look out decade to come because Austin is on track to own your ass! Read more about Austin being voted the top city to be in the coming decade here!

Also in recent "Austin is rad" news, yesterday the Austin City Council voted to rename 2nd Street after Willie Nelson. Look, I know that there are bigger and more important issues before our city council, but the fact that we live in a city that will name a street after a pot smoking, tax evading musician is fine by me! Read more about the street name change here. I hope we get a Kris Kristofferson Avenue next!

And the "Thanks for Nothing Award" goes to---LOST!!!

Let me begin by saying the only television shows I have ever watched in their entirety are Freaks and Geeks and The Wire, and now LOST.  I like T.V., but I am also very aware of the dangers it presents (time wasting, brain rotting, Fox News, weight gain, etc.), so I don't have cable and only watch television shows on the internet or on DVD. I try to limit the amount of television I watch so that I can avoid the previously listed dangers, but also so that I never feel like a slave to a show. My free time is really important to me and I don't want the way I spend my free time dictated by the T.V. Guide. Then LOST happened and all my high-minded personal philosophies went out the window. I was hooked on LOST from the beginning, like crack, or cake, or late night trips to the CVS (I really love going to CVS, a lot.)

Oh LOST, you were so intriguing and mysterious in your infancy. In the early days LOST was a perfect mix of science and mysticism with really interesting characters that you cared about. There was a potentially science (?) based cult/subculture (The Dharma Initiative), characters named after philosphers (Hume, Locke, Rousseau), polar bears, a smoke monster and flashbacks! The flashbacks to the characters lives pre-crash were always super interesting making this viewer get really invested in what was to become of these castaways.

Granted, it got really weird into the later seasons. Time travel, dead people coming back to life, shifting allegiances that made no sense, the island disappearing! I, much like other folks, got the sense that the writers did not have a grand mythology that they had planned out and would conclude in a way that--for the viewers would be revelatory, but instead they were making it all up as they went along. Many people quit watching for just this reason, but not me---oh no, this sucker was (as I mentioned earlier) hooked, and I was not ready to quit--I had not yet hit my bottom. If I had known what the LOST finale had in store for me I think I would have been able to quit LOST cold turkey. Cold turkey people.

When I was in the 4th grade I read all of the books in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series and when I got about halfway through the series I had a sneaking suspicion that the stories were allegorical but I wasn't certain. At this moment you may be thinking "It was so obvious that those books were about God and C.S. Lewis was a theologian, duh." Well, 4th grade me did not know about Mr. Lewis and his other writings and their theological significance.  Anyway---when I finished those books and had a very in depth conversation about their deeper meaning with my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Olmstead, my suspicions were confirmed and I felt tricked and manipulated. The conclusion of LOST makes me feel the exact same way!

(Spoiler alert--if you have not seen the final episode of LOST and you still want to be suprised stop reading now)

They are all dead. Dead, dead, dead.  The final scene takes place in a church with all of the Oceanic "survivors" we came to know over the course of the series reunited and hugging and smiling and blah blah blah. Jack is the last to arrive, as it was hardest for him to "let go". This whole "letting go" theme was very prevalent in the episode's lead up to this final scene. The room which Jack uses to enter the church is decorated with stained glass and objects that are meant to represent the symbology of many of the world's religions which I found to be such a pandering move on the writers' part.  I know that there are a lot of viewers and pop culture journalists that really liked this ending, but this viewer had hoped for more. I don't think that the writers were purposefully trying to put forth a religious agenda, but while I was watching it unfold---it felt that way for a moment, and I was thrust back to 4th grade and the indignation I felt at being tricked by Mr. Lewis and realizing that Aslan was not just a talking lion, but a representation of Christ. I hope that the writers just got in over their heads and maybe got lazy or maybe they could not in good conscious assign a scientific explanation to polar bears in the tropics and smoke monsters.  Regardless, tying the conclusion to the afterlife with some nods to religion just feels cheap and easy to me.

In conclusion I will contradict my post title and say- thanks LOST for the good stuff and for helping me hit bottom.