Westlake Lifestyle

July | August 2011

Your Westlake Neighbor and Realtor…

FEATURED PROPERTIES

If you are considering buying or selling a home, there is NO substitute for experience and proven performance. My hard work and dedication has translated into being one of the Top Producers for Capital City Sotheby’s Realty since starting with them

STUNNING CONTEMPORARY $2,500,000 • www.44Pascal.com

LAKE AUSTIN SERENITY $4,500,000 • www.4307IslandAve.com

FRENCH CHATEAU $3,495,000 • www.208BellaRiva.com

WATERFRONT LIVING $1,500,000 • www.6702Elfland.com

EUROPEAN ESTATE $2,765,000 • www.4800MiradorDr.com

PRIVATE ESCAPE $1,095,000 • www.1100ExtonCv.com

SOPHISTICATED TRADITIONAL $859,900 • www.1104Elder.com

TEXAS CHIC $630,000 • www.1109ElderCir.com

in 2007. As a long-time area resident, I have extensive knowledge of the market, neighborhoods and the area’s prestigious properties. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience, my proven sales record, business skills and innovative ideas, I am confident in being your ideal choice for a realtor.

www.StephanieNick.com

WESTL AKE REAL ESTATE M ARKET REPORT

Pending

Stephanie Nick,

Realtor®

Million Dollar Guild, CLHMS

512.426.9183

ST.NICK@SOTHEBYSREALTY.COM If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing.

# Listings List/Sold Price Approx SQFT List/Sold Price Per Approx SQFT Days On Market

Low Avg High Low Avg High Low Avg High Low Avg High

15 $510,000 $1,256,327 $3,495,000 2377 4125 7011 $138 $291 $694 2 52 217

Pending – Taking Backups 41 $500,000 $1,176,110 $6,950,000 800 4169 10902 $136 $278 $844 2 110 471

Closed Since June 1, 2011 24 $513,500 $896,570 $2,090,000 2175 4046 5646 $130 $218 $396 2 100 405

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The properties on this list have been listed/sold by various participants in the MLS.

Produced by UpscaleRealEstateMarketing.com • 877.660.0996

Save Today & Reap Benefits Later

A Wise Home Improvement Idea

Sensational Summer Side Dish Maria Maria’s Ceviche

Westlake’s

Real Estate Report

• No more crawling at 15 m.p.h. through school • Homemade peach cobbler zones – at least for a couple of months!

• Floating down the river with Jimmy Buffet tunes cranked way up!

• The way the hot sun envelops your body in warmth and sometimes makes your • The sheer bliss on your pooch’s face as he stomach flip-flop in pleasure leaps joyously into the pool

Featuring Maria Maria 512.687.6800 | MariaMariaRestaurants.com

• Fudgesicles • Collecting ladybugs • Chubby toddler hands crafting a sand castle

CEVICHE WITH MANGO AND AVOCADO MANGO SAUCE 2 mangos 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 habanero pepper 2 chile de árbol, toasted 2 garlic cloves Peel mango, remove pit, then blend all ingredients until smooth.

BASIC CEVICHE 1 pound mahi mahi 3/4 cup lime juice 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dried oregano

Mix the ceviche with the mango sauce and add remaining ingredients. Season with salt. Cut open the avocado and remove pit. Score with knife and season with salt. Place ceviche on top of avocado. Garnish with mango sauce, lime round and cilantro.

Serves four.

485 C - Bright Red 484 C - Dark Red 469 C - Brown 4525 C - Light Tan Black

• The first night back in your own bed after returning from your summer vacation

• Digging your toes in warm sand while sipping a frozen, umbrella-embellished margarita

patio misters

• Watching Fourth of July fireworks from the roof of your car, and trying to guess if it’s the Grand Finale´ yet

• No homework, no book reports, no detailed • Saturday morning Farmer’s Markets • Mouthwatering strawberries the size of displays on the habitat of the Bald Eagle your fist • Dining al fresco under the cool curtain of • Tanned legs and strappy sandals • Family reunions • Watching dandelion seed heads blow away like hundreds of tiny parachutes

Whether it’s that quintessential aroma of summer: sunscreen, or the cheerful sounds of splishing and splashing in the pool; summer has always held a special place in our hearts.

Here, we celebrate the season with all of the joys that are uniquely summer, along with little inspirations on relishing your own simple pleasures this time of year.

• Red-checked tablecloths and heaping bowls of juicy watermelon • The nostalgic smell of charcoal briquettes • Family bike rides • Icy six-pack? Check. Bag of peanuts?

Got it. Big-screen TV? You bet. Settling in with Dad for a baseball double-header • Teaching your kids to perfect a wicked Frisbee throw

Dice fish and marinate with lime juice, salt and oregano.

Let marinate four hours and drain liquid.

METHOD 4 ripe hass avocados 16 oz. mahi-mahi ceviche (see recipe above) 8 oz. mango sauce (see recipe above) 4 Tbs. mango, diced 4 Tbs. red onion, diced 4 Tbs. red bell pepper, diced 4 Tbs. jicama, diced 4 Tbs. scallions, sliced 4 Tbs. cilantro, chopped 2 Tbs. serano pepper, chopped

• Little faces coated with dirt and sweat as they tirelessly toil from sun up to sun down building the coolest fort in the neighborhood!

• The crash and flash of summer thunderstorms • Cuddling up on the hammock and marveling at the night sky to the serenade of crickets and cicadas

ADDING VALUE BY GOING

Whether it’s buying a hybrid vehicle, or organic cleaning products, there are a myriad of ways to switch to a more eco-friendly lifestyle. For many people though, the added expense that often comes with that desire can stop us in our good-intentioned tracks. With today’s anemic economy, we’re all looking for ways to save money, rather than paying a premium for green goods and services.

Yet environmental consciousness is here to stay – and for good reason. Going green is vital to our planet and its limited resources. And when you can go green and save money at the same time, good intentions and your wallet can finally live in harmony!

Your home can be a goldmine in energy savings when you take the steps to outfit it with energy-saving systems and devices. There are even companies that will perform a complete home energy audit for you, make all the improvements and installations for you and save you money from day one. It’s an absolute win-win for the homeowner and is quickly becoming one of the most popular home improvements being made.

Further, a home with documented energy savings is not only more desirable to potential buyers when it’s time for resale, but can generally demand a premium among its competition. While some homeowners make improvements to the kitchen or landscaping to add value before selling, going green will add value while saving money every month in the interim. Green is in…and it’s here to stay!

Green Monster, an energy efficiency company with offices in Arizona, California, Texas and Utah is using the newest technology to help homeowners reduce their energy consumption.

Babe Kilgore, president of Green Monster (www.GreenMonsterUSA.com), explains, “The industry has made leaps and bounds in the last two years. People will never suddenly choose to be ‘energy inefficient’…the standard has changed and the bar has been raised.”

Whether it’s solar water heaters, radiant and thermal barriers, window tinting or air duct sealing, the scores of products and solutions available are custom-designed for each individual home.

“We start with a thorough assessment of the home as well as a questionnaire for the homeowner on their energy consumption and behavior patterns,” says Kilgore. “We are then able to provide a comprehensive report on our findings and our recommended solutions. We bring in an independent third-party auditor that performs a complete energy audit on the home. Once we’ve performed the services and made the improvements for the homeowner, the independent auditor comes back to test efficiencies and document the differences.”

GREEN!

• Pig racing, demolition derbies, pie-eating contests. Nothing says summer like a country fair!

• Watching fluffy clouds drift by while contentedly sprawled out on sweet-smelling grass • Wiping the melted butter dribbling down your chin while diving into a delicious corn on the cob • Sneaking romance paperbacks into your beach bag and never admitting they’re yours • Making sun tea out on the porch • Spending all day Saturday, and Sunday, fishing • Ear-to-ear smears of BBQ sauce to match ear-to-ear grins at a picnic

On average, homeowners see a savings of 40% per month on their utility costs. Some homes as high as 55%. Green Monster performs the energy audits for free. The improvements are completed with no out-of-pocket expense if the homeowner chooses to finance the costs. And savings are generally instant as the reduction in energy bills is typically more than the cost of the financed principal and interest every month. When you add in the current state and federal tax credits available and rebates offered by many utility companies, it further reduces your costs. Kilgore says Green Monster’s clients have approximately 50-60% of their costs covered by these incentives.

New home builders are taking note of consumers’ desire for an energy-efficient home and are beginning to focus on building homes that offer sustainable materials and solar-power technologies. “Net-zero” building – a home that’s designed to produce as much energy as it uses annually – has become common in Canada and is now making its way through the US. Outfitting your property with similar green elements offers that little something extra that can actually make a tremendous difference when it’s time to sell.

JULY | AUGUST 2011 Tribute Day Wildflower Center, July 24th 512.232.0100 | Wildflower.org Join the Wildflower Center in honor of Lady Bird Johnson and all she has done for our nation’s treasured environment. Admission and full access to the center’s many beautiful trails, incredible native plant gardens, award-winning architecture and namesake wildflowers will be free.

Paul Mooney Cap City Comedy Club, July 27th – 30th 512.467.2333 | CapCityComedy.com Need some comic relief? Come out for a special event at the club as Paul Mooney delivers his stand-up.

Mooney is perhaps best-known for writing skits for Saturday Night Live and The Richard Prior Show. His wide range of story-telling and jokes are sure to garner some genuine belly laughs.

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying Irving Arts Center, July 29th – August 13th 972.252.2787 | IrvingTheatre.org One of the most engaging musicals ever, this satire of big business follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man,” the boss’ whiny, nepotistic nephew, the office party, backstabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love.

Becoming Tennessee Williams Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, through July 31st 512.471.8944 | HRC.UTexas.edu With his plays The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams reinvented the theater. This exhibition draws on the Ransom Center’s extensive collection of his manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and artwork to explore the idea, act, and process of artistic creation.

Austin Ice Cream Festival Waterloo Park, August 13th 512.480.5966 | IceCreamFestival.org I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! The 5th Annual Austin Ice Cream Festival is an event centered around family, fun, and ice cream which harkens back to a time when ice cream trucks roamed the streets and running through sprinklers was an art form. Come out and enjoy contests, music, and of course, ice cream.

Express vs. New Orleans Zephyrs Dell Diamond, August 20th – 23rd 512.255.2255 | RoundRockExpress.com Three cheers for our minor league team as they battle it out against the Zephyrs at this four-game home stand. Of course, what baseball game would be complete without peanuts and Cracker Jacks? Come early and stay late on the 21st as it’s H-E-B Kids Day loaded with fun for kids including inflatables, face painting, pony rides and a chance to run the bases after the game. What more could a baseball fan ask for?

• No more crawling at 15 m.p.h. through school • Homemade peach cobbler zones – at least for a couple of months!

• Floating down the river with Jimmy Buffet tunes cranked way up!

• The way the hot sun envelops your body in warmth and sometimes makes your • The sheer bliss on your pooch’s face as he stomach flip-flop in pleasure leaps joyously into the pool

Featuring Maria Maria 512.687.6800 | MariaMariaRestaurants.com

• Fudgesicles • Collecting ladybugs • Chubby toddler hands crafting a sand castle

CEVICHE WITH MANGO AND AVOCADO MANGO SAUCE 2 mangos 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 habanero pepper 2 chile de árbol, toasted 2 garlic cloves Peel mango, remove pit, then blend all ingredients until smooth.

BASIC CEVICHE 1 pound mahi mahi 3/4 cup lime juice 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dried oregano

Mix the ceviche with the mango sauce and add remaining ingredients. Season with salt. Cut open the avocado and remove pit. Score with knife and season with salt. Place ceviche on top of avocado. Garnish with mango sauce, lime round and cilantro.

Serves four.

485 C - Bright Red 484 C - Dark Red 469 C - Brown 4525 C - Light Tan Black

• The first night back in your own bed after returning from your summer vacation

• Digging your toes in warm sand while sipping a frozen, umbrella-embellished margarita

patio misters

• Watching Fourth of July fireworks from the roof of your car, and trying to guess if it’s the Grand Finale´ yet

• No homework, no book reports, no detailed • Saturday morning Farmer’s Markets • Mouthwatering strawberries the size of displays on the habitat of the Bald Eagle your fist • Dining al fresco under the cool curtain of • Tanned legs and strappy sandals • Family reunions • Watching dandelion seed heads blow away like hundreds of tiny parachutes

Whether it’s that quintessential aroma of summer: sunscreen, or the cheerful sounds of splishing and splashing in the pool; summer has always held a special place in our hearts.

Here, we celebrate the season with all of the joys that are uniquely summer, along with little inspirations on relishing your own simple pleasures this time of year.

• Red-checked tablecloths and heaping bowls of juicy watermelon • The nostalgic smell of charcoal briquettes • Family bike rides • Icy six-pack? Check. Bag of peanuts?

Got it. Big-screen TV? You bet. Settling in with Dad for a baseball double-header • Teaching your kids to perfect a wicked Frisbee throw

Dice fish and marinate with lime juice, salt and oregano.

Let marinate four hours and drain liquid.

METHOD 4 ripe hass avocados 16 oz. mahi-mahi ceviche (see recipe above) 8 oz. mango sauce (see recipe above) 4 Tbs. mango, diced 4 Tbs. red onion, diced 4 Tbs. red bell pepper, diced 4 Tbs. jicama, diced 4 Tbs. scallions, sliced 4 Tbs. cilantro, chopped 2 Tbs. serano pepper, chopped

• Little faces coated with dirt and sweat as they tirelessly toil from sun up to sun down building the coolest fort in the neighborhood!

• The crash and flash of summer thunderstorms • Cuddling up on the hammock and marveling at the night sky to the serenade of crickets and cicadas

ADDING VALUE BY GOING

Whether it’s buying a hybrid vehicle, or organic cleaning products, there are a myriad of ways to switch to a more eco-friendly lifestyle. For many people though, the added expense that often comes with that desire can stop us in our good-intentioned tracks. With today’s anemic economy, we’re all looking for ways to save money, rather than paying a premium for green goods and services.

Yet environmental consciousness is here to stay – and for good reason. Going green is vital to our planet and its limited resources. And when you can go green and save money at the same time, good intentions and your wallet can finally live in harmony!

Your home can be a goldmine in energy savings when you take the steps to outfit it with energy-saving systems and devices. There are even companies that will perform a complete home energy audit for you, make all the improvements and installations for you and save you money from day one. It’s an absolute win-win for the homeowner and is quickly becoming one of the most popular home improvements being made.

Further, a home with documented energy savings is not only more desirable to potential buyers when it’s time for resale, but can generally demand a premium among its competition. While some homeowners make improvements to the kitchen or landscaping to add value before selling, going green will add value while saving money every month in the interim. Green is in…and it’s here to stay!

Green Monster, an energy efficiency company with offices in Arizona, California, Texas and Utah is using the newest technology to help homeowners reduce their energy consumption.

Babe Kilgore, president of Green Monster (www.GreenMonsterUSA.com), explains, “The industry has made leaps and bounds in the last two years. People will never suddenly choose to be ‘energy inefficient’…the standard has changed and the bar has been raised.”

Whether it’s solar water heaters, radiant and thermal barriers, window tinting or air duct sealing, the scores of products and solutions available are custom-designed for each individual home.

“We start with a thorough assessment of the home as well as a questionnaire for the homeowner on their energy consumption and behavior patterns,” says Kilgore. “We are then able to provide a comprehensive report on our findings and our recommended solutions. We bring in an independent third-party auditor that performs a complete energy audit on the home. Once we’ve performed the services and made the improvements for the homeowner, the independent auditor comes back to test efficiencies and document the differences.”

GREEN!

• Pig racing, demolition derbies, pie-eating contests. Nothing says summer like a country fair!

• Watching fluffy clouds drift by while contentedly sprawled out on sweet-smelling grass • Wiping the melted butter dribbling down your chin while diving into a delicious corn on the cob • Sneaking romance paperbacks into your beach bag and never admitting they’re yours • Making sun tea out on the porch • Spending all day Saturday, and Sunday, fishing • Ear-to-ear smears of BBQ sauce to match ear-to-ear grins at a picnic

On average, homeowners see a savings of 40% per month on their utility costs. Some homes as high as 55%. Green Monster performs the energy audits for free. The improvements are completed with no out-of-pocket expense if the homeowner chooses to finance the costs. And savings are generally instant as the reduction in energy bills is typically more than the cost of the financed principal and interest every month. When you add in the current state and federal tax credits available and rebates offered by many utility companies, it further reduces your costs. Kilgore says Green Monster’s clients have approximately 50-60% of their costs covered by these incentives.

New home builders are taking note of consumers’ desire for an energy-efficient home and are beginning to focus on building homes that offer sustainable materials and solar-power technologies. “Net-zero” building – a home that’s designed to produce as much energy as it uses annually – has become common in Canada and is now making its way through the US. Outfitting your property with similar green elements offers that little something extra that can actually make a tremendous difference when it’s time to sell.

JULY | AUGUST 2011 Tribute Day Wildflower Center, July 24th 512.232.0100 | Wildflower.org Join the Wildflower Center in honor of Lady Bird Johnson and all she has done for our nation’s treasured environment. Admission and full access to the center’s many beautiful trails, incredible native plant gardens, award-winning architecture and namesake wildflowers will be free.

Paul Mooney Cap City Comedy Club, July 27th – 30th 512.467.2333 | CapCityComedy.com Need some comic relief? Come out for a special event at the club as Paul Mooney delivers his stand-up.

Mooney is perhaps best-known for writing skits for Saturday Night Live and The Richard Prior Show. His wide range of story-telling and jokes are sure to garner some genuine belly laughs.

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying Irving Arts Center, July 29th – August 13th 972.252.2787 | IrvingTheatre.org One of the most engaging musicals ever, this satire of big business follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man,” the boss’ whiny, nepotistic nephew, the office party, backstabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love.

Becoming Tennessee Williams Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, through July 31st 512.471.8944 | HRC.UTexas.edu With his plays The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams reinvented the theater. This exhibition draws on the Ransom Center’s extensive collection of his manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and artwork to explore the idea, act, and process of artistic creation.

Austin Ice Cream Festival Waterloo Park, August 13th 512.480.5966 | IceCreamFestival.org I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! The 5th Annual Austin Ice Cream Festival is an event centered around family, fun, and ice cream which harkens back to a time when ice cream trucks roamed the streets and running through sprinklers was an art form. Come out and enjoy contests, music, and of course, ice cream.

Express vs. New Orleans Zephyrs Dell Diamond, August 20th – 23rd 512.255.2255 | RoundRockExpress.com Three cheers for our minor league team as they battle it out against the Zephyrs at this four-game home stand. Of course, what baseball game would be complete without peanuts and Cracker Jacks? Come early and stay late on the 21st as it’s H-E-B Kids Day loaded with fun for kids including inflatables, face painting, pony rides and a chance to run the bases after the game. What more could a baseball fan ask for?

July | August 2011

Your Westlake Neighbor and Realtor…

FEATURED PROPERTIES

If you are considering buying or selling a home, there is NO substitute for experience and proven performance. My hard work and dedication has translated into being one of the Top Producers for Capital City Sotheby’s Realty since starting with them

STUNNING CONTEMPORARY $2,500,000 • www.44Pascal.com

LAKE AUSTIN SERENITY $4,500,000 • www.4307IslandAve.com

FRENCH CHATEAU $3,495,000 • www.208BellaRiva.com

WATERFRONT LIVING $1,500,000 • www.6702Elfland.com

EUROPEAN ESTATE $2,765,000 • www.4800MiradorDr.com

PRIVATE ESCAPE $1,095,000 • www.1100ExtonCv.com

SOPHISTICATED TRADITIONAL $859,900 • www.1104Elder.com

TEXAS CHIC $630,000 • www.1109ElderCir.com

in 2007. As a long-time area resident, I have extensive knowledge of the market, neighborhoods and the area’s prestigious properties. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience, my proven sales record, business skills and innovative ideas, I am confident in being your ideal choice for a realtor.

www.StephanieNick.com

WESTL AKE REAL ESTATE M ARKET REPORT

Pending

Stephanie Nick,

Realtor®

Million Dollar Guild, CLHMS

512.426.9183

ST.NICK@SOTHEBYSREALTY.COM If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing.

# Listings List/Sold Price Approx SQFT List/Sold Price Per Approx SQFT Days On Market

Low Avg High Low Avg High Low Avg High Low Avg High

15 $510,000 $1,256,327 $3,495,000 2377 4125 7011 $138 $291 $694 2 52 217

Pending – Taking Backups 41 $500,000 $1,176,110 $6,950,000 800 4169 10902 $136 $278 $844 2 110 471

Closed Since June 1, 2011 24 $513,500 $896,570 $2,090,000 2175 4046 5646 $130 $218 $396 2 100 405

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The properties on this list have been listed/sold by various participants in the MLS.

Produced by UpscaleRealEstateMarketing.com • 877.660.0996

Save Today & Reap Benefits Later

A Wise Home Improvement Idea

Sensational Summer Side Dish Maria Maria’s Ceviche

Westlake’s

Real Estate Report