San Antonio Parade of Homes 2011

The Home Girl went to the Parade of Homes this morning! 

Every year the Greater San Antonio Builders Association puts on a show featuring the biggest, brightest and best homes, decorating, landscaping, pools, outdoor kitchens, outstanding craftsmanship, awe inspiring designs and ooh la la  that they have to offer. 

And OOH LA LA, it was!  They sparkled and shimmered with contemporary features. Silver metallic, or textured faux paint finishes added drama and elegance.   Beaded chandeliers were in abundance.  In most any home, the lighting fixtures were refreshingly different from those we have seen in Parades past.  There were sparkling glass accessories and lighted onyx sinks .There were crystal knobs on cabinet doors.  Glass tiles, marble flooring, marble, granite, Silestone, or under lit honey onyx counters could be found almost anywhere you looked.  It is truly amazing what a million or so will do!

There were outdoor living spaces so grand that you would never want to go inside.  One home even had disappearing glass walls that actually opened to the outdoor living areas, literally bringing the outside in.  Or the inside out, I'm not really sure, but it was quite nice and one of my  favorites. 

All of the houses but one had pools.  Two had fire and water features which kind of made me think of the fifth element.  High on the hill, we had wind, some of the most expensive earth in San Antonio,  fire, the negative edged pool had a gas line just beneath the negative edge so you saw a line of fire just above the edge.  It took my breath away! The other pool had a water fall flowing over an outdoor fireplace. I guess the fifth element would be a buyer for any of these homes.  I would be happy to assist and can be reached at http://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com  :-)

With most of the homes in the million dollar and up range, that I nor most of my clients would be able to afford the extreme luxury that was shown at the parade of homes.  What it does for us is open us up to new ideas, style changes and the opportunity to pick the minds of some of the best builders in the business. 

The Parade of Homes will be running through Sunday, September 11, 2011
For More Information: Schedule, Ticket Information and Map



I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com  Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me at http://sanantoniohomequest.com .

The Value of a Greenbelt

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. 

I don't think I'm dead, but you can have the money anyway

I am a Realtor.  When not showing, selling and marketing houses, I am cleaning out the junk box on my email.  Hundreds and thousands of emails seem to accumulate there and I guess I am not smart enough or just haven't figured out how to delete them in a more efficient manner.  My husband/partner tells me to set up my inbound privacy settings better and I will - in my spare time.  In the mean time, I pretty much just delete, delete, delete ( kind of to the tune of The William Tell Overture). Occasionally, just out of curiosity I will open a piece of SPAM from some very creative writers. I get about a dozen or so of these a week and I really haven't looked at any in a long, long time.   Today, I opened this and I know that the people in the office next door must have KNOWN I had finally lost my mind because I was in here, all by myself rolling on the floor laughing. Feel free to respond to any of the emails they listed below - maybe you can be lucky enough to be on their mailing/reading list too. 

Courtesy of Pastor David Garry of who knows where?

"ARE YOU ALIVE??

Attention,

I am Pastor David Garry, General manager of Eco Bank , this note was taken in my office where i was serving verification documents to the White men Mr Albert Evans and Mr Mark James  who stormed my office with the black man,Sam udo claimed to be your representative and they said that you were dead and before your death, you appointed them as the next of kin to your contract fund presently under our custody these two white men and the black gentleman quickly applied that your Inherited fund should be presented to them at the spot.

Please be informed that any silent to this massage means that you were dead, therefore we highly need your urgent response for more confirmation that you are not the one that appointed them to come and claim the fund on your behalf, but we will not hesitate to continue the payment transmission to them if no response comes from you.

Contact Address as follows;

Name of Manager;Pastor David Garry.

Email: ( mr-davidgarry@hotmail.com <mailto:mr-davidgarry@hotmail.com> )

Awaiting for your response immediately and call me once you reply,but your silence will be a clear indication that you authorized them to effect the above claims.

Regards,

Pastor David Garry.

<mailto:mr-davidgarry@hotmail.com> "

We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley and Missy McBee, Realtors® , sanantoniohomequest.com at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas.

Contact us at (210) 863-2661 for Randy,

or (210) 867-8763 for Stephanie,

or (210) 288-9810 (se habla español) for Missy,

or E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com, or kelleybus@aol.com, or missymcbee@kw.com (se habla español).

 Our broker is Steven Gragg at (210) 482-3200.

Your SanAntonioHomeQuest.com  Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with all your home buying or selling needs.