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HACIENDA DE LOS MILAGROS IS CLOSING. YOUR HELP IS CRITICAL FOR ONE LAST MIRACLE. It is with deep sadness and regret that I inform you that we have decided the only course of action for us is to close the sanctuary. We do this recognizing economic reality, and also celebrating the huge difference we've made in the lives of the residents. Many have expressed a choice of going forward to carry on the love, healing and teaching that they did here, and that which they received. Tons of miracles have happened here. We are asking for one more. It is critical that we receive funding to provide the care they require and deserve until they go to their new home or homes. We are talking to a sanctuary that will be able to take the burros and need at least three months to complete the transfer. We are currently placing horses. If there are any animals you are interested in, please let me know. I can be reached at milagro@commspeed.net or by phone at 928-636-5348 or 928-533-0684. If you had plans to help the animals later this year, now is the time so we can avoid forced and unsavoury placements not in their best interests. We know you all feel they deserve that. Checks are best (please mail to: 3731 North Road One West, Chino Valley, AZ 86323). PayPal donations can be made through the link on our website at www.hdlmsanctuary.org. Donations for feed can also be called in to Warren's Hay 'N More at 928-636-1303. We must do more than immediately feed, however. Continuing the operations of the sanctuary for these next few months is essential and critical during this transition. We need the time to stay afloat while new homes for the animals happen. All assets are the property of the sanctuary, and not mine. PLEASE help us finish this part of our shared journey doing the best we can for them. We will endeavour to keep you informed as we are able. Bless you and thank you for absolutely everything you have done. Your kindness and generosity is deeply acknowledged. This is the final challenge we face together. Warm regards, Wynne Zaugg, Director Hacienda de los Milagros, Inc. IRS 501 (c)(3)
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This last weekend my grand daughter was visiting from Florida, and we had record breaking heat, which stifled the plans we had for a lot of outdoor activities, but one of the must do items on her list when she visits each summer is a trip to Schlitterbahn in New Branfels, Texas. So with the temps rising quickly on Saturday morning we headed out from our ranch in Bastrop for what has been called the best water park in the country! As you can imagine we weren't the only ones with this idea! Schlitterbahn was packed all day long. We got there early enough to get parking fairly close in to the entrance. We had purchased our tickets on line so we just handed our printed receipt to the entry attendant for our wrist bands and in we went. One of the great things about Schiltterbahn is you can bring in your own coolers with food and drinks which cuts down on the costs for families. We had our cooler packed with picnic goodies and we raced down to the lowest level by the big pool to set up on a picnic table under the Cyprus trees down on the Comal River. Another great thing is you do not need to wear shoes, everything is cool decked and outdoor carpeted between rides! If you don't want to go barefoot you can always wear water shoes. Everyone is always in such good spirits, and I am sure it is because we are all in our bathing suits and all carrying tubes. Who could get upset or be in a bad mood in those circumstances. Even thought it was one of the busiest days of the season and Schiltterbahn was probably at maximum capacity everyone had a good time even waiting in lines for the tube rides. And the lines went fast. I am always amazed at the engineering that went in to the water park, especially the older side that uses the cool, cool water from the Comal River for many of its rides. There are fast tube chutes, lazy to fast river floats, a great little kids water park area, and plenty of tubes. Something for everyone! And in my estimation one of the best summer investments for a good time there is in Central Texas!
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ColoVista Country Club, Bastrop - Announcing a price reduction on 000 McAllister 14, a single story. Now $125,000 - Reduced. Property information
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If you are looking for a vintage home in one of the many small towns within an hour of Austin Texas consider coming to our open house at this darling remodeled/updated home at 805 Mills in Smithville about 40 minutes outside of Austin. Some of the highlights are a front yard raised vegetable garden (all the rage in Smithville right now!), a nice sized covered front porch (bring your swing), hardwood floors, tall windows creating lots of natural light, country kitchen, breakfast nook/home office area, formal dining room, living room and family area. This home was originally built as a three bedroom with one bath ( access to all three rooms ) but is now being used as a two bedroom ( with family room ). The back yard is fenced and has some nice mature shade trees. There is a water catchment barrel for rain water for the garden. The detached one car garage has great potential for use as a shop or craft area. There are lots of wonderful homes in Smithville that rival popular areas and homes that you would find listed in the current Austin Texas Real Estate market, just a little further out and a little less expensive. Contact me if I can be of any assistance with Smithville or Austin Texas Real Estate.
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Market prices are set by Buying clients who have purchased "like" properties and those closed transactions are what are called comparable in the real estate industry. Your Buyers Agent should compile a list of comparable for you to review when you are preparing an offer. Some comparables are harder to determine than others on specialty type properties. A comparative market analysis is not a formal appraisal, rather a gathering of information, to establish a value but the steps that your Agent will take generally mirror the same steps an appraiser hired by a lender would do. Please keep in mind that in this area of Central Texas not all listed property's are hard luck cases, short sales, pre forclosures, or people who are forced, or "have to" sell. You may not be able to get a "steal" but there are good value purchases out there. A high list price might be a Seller who does not need to sell looking for that "pie in the sky" cash buyer, or a Listing Agent who has not done their homework right, or a Listing Agent just taking listings to beef up their inventory. A below market list price may indicate that the Seller is looking for a quick sale, or it could be a Listing Agent who is just looking for a fast pay check. The Listing Agent works for the Seller and (should be) working in that Sellers best interest to get the highest and best price possible. On the other hand your Buyers Agent will be working for you and working in your best interest to get you the best purchase price possible. It is a lot to think about and your Buyers Agent will help you with the dissemination of all of the factors involved. That is what professional Realtor do. So when it is time to present an offer on a property you have found, work with your Agent to learn as much as you can from comparable information. Together you can come up with a game plan or strategy. Of course there are many ways to negotiate a purchase of a property, and experienced Agents bring those talents to the table. Many Buyers want to "low ball" ( present a very low and most times unrealistic offer ) in hopes of getting that "steal". If you do have your Agent present a low offer be prepared to pay a reasonable price for the property you want in case your low offer is rejected. Remember that no matter what the numbers and history reveals in a comparative market analysis, the Sellers acceptable sales price is exactly that, the Sellers, and it might take some work to determine what the price is. Please feel free to contact me if you are in need of the services of a dedicated Realtor, be it buying or selling. I would love to help you!
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• single story -  MLS® $90,000 Cricket Hollow, Smithville - Ten acres recently completely fenced. Seller has cleared the underbrush leaving the pines and oaks. Ground is being top dressed with soil to prepare for pastures. Seller has had a stock pond excavated and is filling currently. The property has an electric drop just inside the fenceline ( will need new loop). AQUA water line at road. Will need septic. No restrictions. On a dead end road just about six miles outside of Smithville. Property information
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• 1,818 sq. ft., 3 bath, 4 bdrm single story - MLS® $159,900 Circle D East, Paige - Darling 4 bedroom 2.5 bath gambrel style home nestled on half acre lot in the pines in Circle D subdivision just outside Bastrop0. Whate picket fence. Great curb appeal. Interior is finished nicely. Bright, animated, inviting. master on main floor. Recently renovated with low E windows, new roof, siding, carpet, windows, doors, cabinets. Great tile work. Back deck is in the works. Property information
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I just returned back to my offices this morning in Bastrop Texas from a short visit to my old stomping grounds (as THE horse property specialist) in Prescott Arizona. Back in 2005 I moved my horses and my real estate business from the Prescott area to Bastrop which is just southeast of Austin approx. 30 miles, and I am so glad that I did. The decision to move was based on a lot of factors but a few of them were the proximity to great cities like Austin and San Antonio, and towns like Gruene, Round Top, La Grange, bodies of water like Lake Travis, Lake Bastrop, and of course the gulf (which is only a couple of hours away), rivers like the Colorado, Comal, Guadalupe, historic western towns such as Coupland, Gruene, and Bandera, pastures and sandy loan soils, and of course being in the same state as the home base for the American Paint Horse Association which is up in Ft. Worth. My visit back to Arizona only confirmed what a good decision I made. Since I made my move to Texas the real estate market changed drastically in Arizona ( and the rest of the country ) and in the Prescott area it still seems to be changing. There are a lot of good buys for horse properties there, but after looking at what was on the market, and talking with my local Realtor friends, it seems to me that property on the market is still more expensive than what Central Texas has to offer. And although there are foreclosure properties I found that a lot of the NICE horse properties listed in Prescott and surrounding areas seem to still be overpriced and not reflective of the adjustments the market has made. If someone is looking for a horse property in that area I would highly suggest that they get the services of a good Buyers Agent to help them find the best property for the best price. If by chance you are considering that area I still have strong connections with some very talented Buyer's Agents in that area that I would be happy to refer you to. Please feel free to contact me. Using a Buyers Agent ( like me ) here in Texas to purchase horse properties is also a good idea since Texas is an Agency state. Central Texas horse properties and farm and ranch land, especially in the smaller rural areas, didn't seem to experience the radical price increases that areas like Prescott experienced before the market fell. Although it was nice to see friends and relatives in the Prescott Arizona area I am really glad to be back home! The trip back there confirmed that our move was made for all the right reasons. Please feel free to contact me if I can help you in your search for residential, farm and ranch, or horse properties here in beautiful Central Texas!
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Yesterday I took Clients to see two lovely ranch properties on was located in Elgin and the other in just outside of Thorndale both within an hour radius of Austin TX. Both properties fit my Clients criteria but we have a few more to look at before they make their short list and get serious. The Elgin property was on a paved road just a bit north of town. It was approx. a 20 acre property that had a wet weather creek and a couple of stock tanks. Nice tree cover by the creek and some nice pastures. The house is pretty big with the addition that the current owners put in ( needs some finish work ) but is an ample three bedroom home. It was a little dark inside so it did not show as good as it could have. There is a substantially built pole barn (equipment now), a dog run, and small storage building. The list price was under 300k. The Thorndale property was beautiful. Approx. 20 miles outside of Taylor the brick home is well kept. The floor plan is split with a large kitchen and a formal living room as well as family area. You really could appreciate the landscaping that the current owner had lovingly done over the years. The property offers deeded access off of a private road with only three other "neighbors" and it is surrounded on two sides by the San Gabriel River. The property has wonderful native grass pastures that they hay and there are some big pecan trees down at the rivers edge. There is a detached shop with it's own one bedroom apartment. The current owner has two large goats and one mature donkey that they say they would like to leave with the property. The list price was under 370k. If you are looking for ranch land and you would like to see either one of these properties or others in or around the Austin Texas area please contact me. I would love to help you as an Accredited Buyer Representative.
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Yesterday was an awesome day. I am working with Clients who are in the market for a property that will some day become their "organic" farm. Amazing how much is involved such as the soil content, PH balance, slope of the land, amount of water needed, length of growing seasons from area to area, types of fruits and veggies that can be grown. We looked at one 20 acre property with a 4000 plus square foot home in a metal building on 20 acres of farm land just north of Seguin which is in potential short sale status. It had a small orchard of young pecan trees on drip and open fields that might work. We also went a little south east of Seguin and looked at a fabulous horse ranch on 20 acres partially cleared with beautiful oaks and a deep stock tank. The highlight there was the beautiful custom house decorated to the nines in "country" with concrete floors, on demand gas water heater, three stall barn with hay storage for 100 bales. The last stop we made was a functioning organic farm just outside of Moutlon with an adorable albeit small vintage home recently renovated. I still have about 7 more properties to show my Clients through out this area of Central Texas but we certainly saw lots of possibilities in the diverse listings we saw yesterday. I even came home with organically grown green beans, beets, and squash. Can't wait for the next round of showings! If you or anyone you know is looking for rural residential, farm and ranch, or horse property in Central Texas please contact me I would love to help.
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This weekend my husband and I drove up to Pflugerville Lake to check out kayaking possibilities. This "lake" is actually a fairly new man made resevoir. With the recent rains it was very full and it was a popular place as the tempuratures climbed up to 93 degrees! There is a walk/jog gravel path that follows the shoreline the whole way around the lake and it is landcaped with nice sloping grass that provides lots of space to throw down your towel or set up a shade and folding chairs. There were a lot of kids swimming in the water and there were a few people out in kayaks and canoes. All in all I think it is a great destination if you are in that area.
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Last weekend, on Saturday, my husband, my youngest son, and I threw some towels, a couple of folding chairs, and a cooler in the back of the truck and headed south from our ranch in Bastrop County. Final destination.....the beach! And in just under two hours we were there! The drive is an easy one with lots of pretty country to look at. We had decided we wanted to go back to Matagorda County and Matagorda Beach just outside of ( of course ) Matagorda! This particular stretch of Texas coastline is 22 miles long. For an annual pass of $6.00 you have access to the beach. Unlike other beaches we have been to on the east and west coasts you can actually drive out on to the beach! The fees collected go to beach maintenance and it was surprisingly clean so they definitely spend the money where they say they are going to! We got down to the beach at about noon and it was not crowded ( of course school isn't out yet!). We found our spot and backed our truck down by the water and set up. The beach sand is fairly fine, there is a bit of an undertow that beach goers need to be aware of, and the water has a bit of a muddy look to it vs. the Caribbean waters further south but that is probably due to this being Gulf waters. We spent the day playing in the waves and walking up and down the beach. Lots of people were fishing with poles or nets. Kids, dogs, families lined up in front of the waves. There are no lifeguards so you are on your own when you swim. We had an awesome day and plan to go back as often as we can this summer as it is so close! One thing to remember is to bring your sunscreen.
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I went up to the Paint show last weekend in Waco. Tons of beautiful horses in the classes. Great facility to show at! While I was there I picked up flyer's on two upcoming shows. STPHC Summer Show will be July 25,2009 at the Guadalupe Fairgrounds in Sequin, TX. It will be a "double club points" show with High Point Awards in All categories. There will be special awards for Grand and Reserve, Grand - SPB Halter Grand and Reserve, Grand : Color Classes. Entry fees for all SPB classes will be half price. Office will open at 7 am and show starts promptly at 8 am. contacts: Charlie Sasser, show manager 830-401-4593 email sasserspainthorses@yahoo.com and Janet Steifel, show secretary 281-331-3216 www.paintshowsecretary.com They will have a bar b que lunch available and funds raised from selling the lunches will go toward the STPHC year end awards. CTPHC Horse Show in Belton Texas is this weekend - May 9,2009. It is a Super Horse High Point Competition. There will be a saddle for overall highpoint, headstall and buckle for reserve high point, and buckles for 3rd, 4th, and 5th places. Standard 6 point system will be used. 1 point available for every horse shown in a class up to 6 points. Each exhibitor may enter and count two divisions which must be declared at the beginning of the show. Exhibitors mush show in halter and at least two performance classes. If a youth choses to use their age group youth division and open they must show in both for hatler points to count in each division. Sounds like two good horse shows to attend!
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Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in Austin. We drove in from Bastrop mid day and went right for Lady Bird Lake where we rented a two man kayak and headed out upstream. The weather was slightly overcast but still quite warm and very humid but we had prepared ourselves with lots of sunscreen and some bottled water. There was a slight breeze which was refreshing but also a bit of a headwind on our way upstream. Of course we had to paddle up Barton Creek to the Barton Springs dam and the "dog water park" to watch all the happy dogs romping in the water. We were out for about an hour and during that time we saw about four different kinds of water birds, a racoon foraging for grubs and crawdads, ducks, geese, turtles, and fish. After our kayak trip we drove to Hula Hut just above the dam for lunch. This is a very popular hang out on the weekends but mid week it was not too crowded. The food as usual was awesome. I had the pecan crusted Mahi Mahi. Yum! From there we drove up to Lake Travis up past Mansfield Dam and we went for a quick swim. The lake level is down but the water was beautiful albeit a big chilly. We finished off the perfect day with a sunset cocktail at happy hour at the Oasis.
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