7 June 2011 Grilling On The Lot For The San Antonio Children's Shelter

If you're in north San Antonio in the area of 1102 East Sonterra Blvd around noon on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, you're invited to a cool event on a hot day.

It's GRILLING ON THE LOT, a charitable event for San Antonio's Children Shelter.

For a reasonable price you'll enjoy the best brisket lunch under the sun and have the opportunity to buy a yummy homemade desert prepared by a member of Keller Williams Legacy's stellar realty services team. Proceeds go to the Children's Shelter.

Enjoy our YouTube Flyer for this year's event and video of last year's grilling great time.



This year promises to be even better. See you there!

SanAntonioHomeQuest.com
Realty Solutions Team
Randy & Stephanie Kelley
Realtors®
Keller Williams Legacy
(800) 201-9145
(210) 867-8743 (Stephanie)
(210) 863-2661 (Randy) Visit Our Blogs At:

http://www.trulia.com/blog/stephanie_kelley/

sanantoniorealestate.blogspot.com/

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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. 

The Resta Fiesta

I can't believe it is almost over!  We've had so much fun and there has been something for everybody!  The San Antonio Home Girl took a little time off from showing houses and went to the Witte to see all the beautiful trains . . . the kind on the back of dresses, not the choo-choo kind. There were trains from before I was even born! Some looked like flappers from the roaring 20's and some were more like Miss America in the 1960's, and some even resembled stained glass windows in churches, but they were all gorgeous.  There were mariachis and of course Mexican food to be eaten in a courtyard.  The sun was shining and the weather was perfect. 

Check out the video from "A Taste of New Orleans".  The dancing was almost a flash mob!  We  do know how to have fun in San Antonio.  This event has some of the best jazz around during Fiesta.

 Today was the Battle of Flowers parade, and tomorrow you will find the home girl at my favorite event, the King William Fair and Parade.  You can use the link to make sure you don't miss anything . . . just two more days.



IT'S FIESTA FINALE TIME

Saturday April 16 8am - 12pm

Fiesta Pooch Parade - Alamo Heights Swimming Pool, 250 Viesca

Saturday April 16 10am - 12pm

King William Fair and Parade - King William Historic District

Saturday April 16 7:45pm - 11pm

Fiesta Flambeau Parade - Downtown

Want to know more?  Go to http://www.fiesta-sa.org/

Outside Schooling!

Think back to elementary school, and to those early spring days when the sun was shining, the flowers were beginning to bloom and the trees were turning green.  It was just NOT a good time to be in the classroom. 

In the spring a young kid's mind turns to thoughts of . . . . FIELD TRIP! 

This week San Antonio Home Girl got to join the kids at a local elementary (An exemplary school) on a field trip to Live Oak Park.  I haven't had so much fun since I was in elementary school. 

The kids and I got to meet June, the cow.  The nice dairy farmer who transported her there explained that 1 farmer feeds about 100 people in the U.S.  He taught the kids a little about nutrition, a little about technology( they got to see the milking machine in action), and gracefully handled the inevitable question about where the baby cows come out.  Ah, spring!

Next the nice folks from SAWS (San Antonio Water System) provided a presentation in which the third grade class that I was accompanying "built" a water system.  They had to learn to inspect the pipes, budget, and build a water system to carry water from a well (bucket) to the city ( another bucket) . It was an engineering marvel!  Playing in water is always fun on a warm day, but it was also educational, the children loved it and they learned a valuable lesson in preparation and teamwork.  I was truly impressed. 

 There were other activities and the kids settled under a shady tree for lunch before boarding the buses back to school. 

This is just one of many excellent schools in the San Antonio area.   I was so happy to be a part of this day and I know many parents and grand parents who would enjoy the same opportunity.  If you want to learn more about the schools in and around San Antonio  you can enter a street address at : Great Schools Report to get a report for nearby schools or you can click on the links provided below for several of the Independent School districts.

• Judson I.S.D.
• North East Independent School District
• Schertz Cibolo Independent School District
• Northside Independent School District
• Comal Independent School District

We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, 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 E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com, or kelleybus@aol.com,

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

Check out our  real estate blog @ sanantoniorealestate.blogspot.com

What's Cookin' at Legacy ??

I have something yummy in my car!  I'm sitting at my desk thinking about it. 

Most marketeers know that a way to a Realtors heart (and clients) is through their stomach. . . or something to that effect.  So, they feed us.  When we are not selling houses we get to go to coffees and lunches and dinners,  to great buffets and grand openings and even networking events.  All provide  great food and munchies.  They wine us and dine us.  It's a marvelous life for an agent/foodie.

Now if that were not enough, most agents also like to cook.  I mean, if home is where the heart is and the heart of the home is the kitchen. . . . I think I mean that you will find lots of agents in the kitchen, cooking their little hearts out when they are not out working with a client. 

With that thought in mind, the agents at my office (Keller Williams, Legacy) conceived a great opportunity to share our love for food with our clients, and give the proceeds to The Children's Shelter.  We would create our own cookbook! 

This morning, feeling very Paula Deen and inspired by Guy Fieri,  I made my very first vlog/cooking show.   First,  I selected the 1 dish Easy Cobbler Recipe provided by JJ Arida .  The recipe can be found in the KW, Legacy cookbook, and it's a piece of cake to make! Ha!  Watch the video - it took less than 5 minutes to throw together and cooks in 45.   It smells absolutely heavenly and I can't wait to try it. 

If you come by the Keller Williams, Legacy office on Sonterra, you can have a bite.  Oh, you can get a cookbook, too.  They are $11.00 and the proceeds to go to The Children's Shelter.  If you are not in San Antonio, let me know if you want a cookbook and we can make arrangements to get you one.  I apolgize for not being able to get you a bite of the cobbler, but I'm sure that will all be gone this afternoon. 

We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, 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 E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com, or kelleybus@aol.com,

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

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.

 

Looks like we are headed toward being an "Auction" town. We tried it a few years ago, but the market was hot and it didn't go over so well. Now with buyers looking for a deal. . . or a steal of a deal, it just might work. Auctions on many homes taking place today.