The Most Beautiful Town Square In Texas

With its restored Victorian architecture, brick sidewalks and the charm of antique streetlamps, downtown Georgetown is a magnet for active adults attracted to outdoor dining with friends, theater, and specialty shops. Recently cited as the most beautiful downtown square in Texas, buildings are outlined in lights at night, celebrating their preservation.

Activities And Interests For Every Body…And Mind!

Active adults will enjoy many events here, while sharing them with family or friends. Southwestern University, a major educational institution dating back to 1873, provides lifetime learning opportunities as well as a constant flow of musical, art and literature events open to all residents. Parks and trails, recreational facilities, golf courses, tennis and all the wonders of our Texas landscape abound. Houses of worship of all faiths and fabulous medical facilities serve the spirit and body.

The Charm Of Georgetown Makes It Special Throughout The Year.

In December, The Christmas Stroll fills the Square with holiday sounds, shopping, and treats. Fourth of July is a day-long party in San Gabriel Park along the river, featuring a petting zoo, vendors, train rides, entertainment and, of course, fireworks. Each April, The Red Poppy Festival welcomes spring and Georgetown’s signature red poppies with music. The Georgetown Festival of the Arts offers concerts and talks by nationally recognized musicians and scholars in late May. The Georgetown Grand cycling race turns downtown into a racetrack for hundreds of pro and amateur cyclists, also in May. And from March through November, the second Saturday of every month is Market Day.

Find out more about Georgetown, its attractions, its residents and its home ownership opportunities at www.GeorgetownTXRetirementLifestyle.com. If you are interested in making Georgetown, TX your hometown, contact me, Virginia Lazenby.

Until next time,

Virginia

Southwestern University – Enriches the Georgetown, TX Community

Have you heard of Tom Friedman? Tuesday evening my husband and I attended the Shilling Lecture Series on the Southwestern University campus. This year’s speak was Thomas Friedman, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, speaking about his new book, That Used To Be Us:  How America Fell Behind In The World It Invented And How We Can Come Back.”  The presence of Southwestern University, an outstanding liberal arts college, certainly enriches the Georgetown community.

Georgetown, TX Retirement Community Gives Back!

Thursday evening  the Georgetown ISD Mentor Program hosted Mentor Movie Night at the local City Lights Theater. Over 500 students accompanied by their mentors were treated to a special showing of The Karate Kid.  Looking around as I filed into the theater with the fourth grade student I mentor, I was struck by the number of volunteers who generously give of their time to make a difference in the lives of youth in Georgetown, TX. And, a large number of the mentors appeared to be baby-boomers — myself included. Georgetown certainly benefits from retirees and baby-boomers living here who so generously give of their time to service the community in a variety of ways. If mentoring is something you would like to be involved with, just let me know and I will be glad to connect you with the Georgtown ISD Mentor Program.

First Friday Fun for Georgetown, TX Residents of All Ages!

Friday evening my husband and I joined friends for Georgetown’s First Friday.  It was fun to see the activity downtown. Musicians played and shopkeepers welcomed guests strolling around the historic square. Theater-goers made their way to The Palace Theater for the evening’s performance of Singing’ in the Rain. Diners made their way to  favorite restaurants.  We opted for pizza at The Uptown Social atop the Tamiro Plaza, a block north of the square.  The owners of  The Uptown Social envision it as “a modern and sporty venue for drinks and food” and indeed it does offer a nice complrment to the historic square.

Put The Georgetown Swirl on Your Calendar!

And then Saturday night was “The Georgetown Swirl:  Sip, Savor, Shop, and Swirl Around the Square,” a fundraiser for the Georgetown Main Street Program. With special wine glass in hand attendees were invited into ten downtown shops to dine on local restaurants’ cuisine, sample Texas wines, and check-out the one-of-a kind gifts at participating retailers including:

• a spa
• a bookstore
• women’s clothing
• toy store
• florist
• antique shops
• glass shop
• a variety of interesting gift shops.

It was definitely a fun evening, a great reminder to me of how fortunate I am to live in Georgetown, and a real affirmation of Georgetown’s new logo:  “The Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas.” You will definitely want to put The Georgetown Swirl on your calendar for next year.

If you are interested in making Georgetown, TX your hometown, contact me, Virginia Lazenby.

Until next time,
Virginia

Sponsored by the Georgetown Festival of the Arts, the Georgetown Symphony Society, the Georgetown Independent School District, Fine Arts Division, and the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra, the concert program will include music by W. A. Mozart, J. Turina, and R. Schumann.  Bruce Williams, Principal Violist of the Austin Symphony; Hai Zheng-Olefsky, Professor of Cello, Southwestern University, and Toby Blumenthal, Steinway Artist, will perform with Pitcairn.

Enjoying Retirement in Georgetown TX

For more information or to order tickets, visit www.Gtownfestival.org.  One of the advantages of enjoying retirement in Georgetown is the variety of cultural opportunities.  For more information about the retirement lifestyle in Georgetown TX and the neighborhoods popular with Baby Boomers including Sun City TX,  contact expert Georgetown TX real estate agents.

Until next time,

Virginia

Sun City Retirement Community Model Homes

While there have not been significant changes to the floor plans, the new models do have new looks, including the replacing of sliding patio doors. Fireplaces have returned as options in the models in the Classic and Estate Series. Perhaps most notable are the shower options in the master suite in the Classic and Estate Series. With the new models there are more options for cabinets, flooring, and other fixtures. Options vary with the different series:  Gardens, Classics, and Estates.

Sun City Real Estate Designs

Houses in the Garden Series range from 1157 square feet to 1532 square feet. Classics range from 1696 square feet to 1970 square feet.  Estates range from 2210 square feet to 2932 square feet. For information on new homes or resale homes, contact Sun City REALTOR ® Virginia Lazenby and be sure to check out the Georgetown TX Retirement Lifestyle Real Estate Blog to learn the latest information about Sun City real estate, Georgetown TX real estate, and to find expert Sun City real estate information to make your home buying or selling smooth and successful.

Spend Your Future In Sun City Texas

Are there features you desire in your Sun City Adult Community real estate ? Let me know what you want and I will find the perfect Boomers and Beyond neighborhood for your desired lifestyle!

Until next time,

Virginia

Sun City Real Estate Sales

Similarly there was a significant increase in the number of sales. The number of sales rose from 287 in 2010 to 352 in 2011. Of course the number of homes in Sun City increases each year. Currently there are approximately 6100 completed homes with 1300 lots remaining. The expectation is that Sun City real estate will be built out in four to five years.

Contact Virginia Lazenby Sun City REALTOR®

Are you ready to learn more about Sun City Texas home buying? Are you a member of the Baby Boomer Generation ready to live your new Sun City retirement lifestyle of relaxation in one of the Sun City Retirement Communities? Be sure to check out my Sun City Retirement Relocation Package and let me know what you are searching for in your dream home.  I’ll help you identify your homes and reams for the future and then match you to the best 55+ communities in the  Sun City TX area and Georgetown Texas real estate area.

Until next time,

Virginia

2011 was a wonderful year for the Georgetown real estate market, and I am excited for what 2012 holds for the real estate market locally, as well as nationally! It is no secret that the real estate market as a whole has taken a huge hit these last few years, but Georgetown TX has remained relative strong.
A review of the real estate market in Georgetown for 2011 indicates sales have been the highest since 2007. The graph of Georgetown TX real estate sales per month for the last five years  shows a rather consistent pattern of activity with the highest number of sales occurring in the summer months.

The average sales price for 2011 was $220,104 which is down from $225,280 in 2010, a 2% decline. For the last five years, the highest average price was in 2009 at $229,262 which was 4% higher.

Considering Georgetown as Your Retirement Destination

If you are looking to relocate to Georgetown Texas, you will be interested to learn that Georgetown has been voted as the number two place in the nation to live and start a business-which is why we are such a great place for active adults enjoying retirement or second careers.

Expert Georgetown TX Realtor

If you are wanting to learn more about opportunities for retirees in the Georgetown area, please visit: Every Day in Georgetown TX is Full of Opportunity for Active Adults To Learn, To Grow, To Discover, and Have It All!

Until next time,

Virginia

a close and friendly neighborhood where people share the dream of an active and fulfilling lifestyle, a meaningful place in life, inspiration that brings about intellectual and physical growth, and most importantly, time for the important things like grandchildren, lifelong learning, volunteering and friendship.

Oaks At Wildwood Retirement Real Estate

Gracious, spacious and open floor plans at the Oaks at Wildwood Georgetown TX neighborhood blend together all the elements of an exceptional home and add this twist – everyday living and entertaining are simpler and easier, and they are maintenance-free. All outside maintenance is taken care of by grounds keepers and 24 hour security gives you the peace of mind to know that while you are off traveling or following your passions, your home will be well taken care of by the Oaks At Wildwood Georgetown TX community.

Retire To The Oaks At Wildwood Georgetown

The unique pinwheel community plan means you have your own patio or veranda and enjoy the buffer offered by a well-designed driveway arrangement. Privacy is of the utmost importance, but you are also close enough to create great bonds and friendships with your fellow neighbors. Each building has no front door that faces the same direction, the two-car garages all have a private remote entrance, and every home is insulated for comfort and tranquility.

The Oaks At Wildwood Retirement Lifestyle

The Oaks at Wildwood features a convenient prime real estate location that brings you close to shopping, restaurants and main thoroughfares, as well as beautiful downtown Georgetown Texas, which was recently voted the Number Two Place to Retire in America by Money Magazine. Yet, along with this convenience, you enjoy the peaceful setting of your home nestled away in its own distinguished neighborhood designed specifically for active adults. Sit by the pool, relax and visit with your friends. Use the clubhouse for your private parties as well as neighborhood parties. Balance your life with a custom fitness program and classes in our fitness center. This is what Retirement is all about; this is retirement life at the Oaks at Wildwood.

Oaks At Wildwood Georgetown TX

The Oaks at Wildwood Boomers & Beyond Condo Neighborhood offers a wonderful sense of community that is strengthened by all of the monthly activities and events. When you choose to buy Georgetown TX retirement real estate in Oaks at Wildwood condos, you get to enjoy dance classes, Pilates, book clubs and pot luck dinners at the clubhouse. Come home to the Oaks at Wildwood, an Epcon retirement community designed for active adult retirement.

Do you currently live in The Oaks at Wildwood? What are your favorite community features and what would you tell a neighborhood newcomer is the best part of your community lifestyle? If you have other questions about The Oaks at Wildwood, or would like to arrange a tour of this amazing retirement community, feel free to contact me, Virginia Lazenby, your expert Georgetown TX Retirement REALTOR.

Until next time,
Virginia

Those of us who are in the Baby Boomers era are well known for our dedication, ingenuity, and creativity.  Entering the next phase of life doesn’t mean any of your skills needs to go to waste, especially if you retire in Georgetown Texas.

Georgetown TX Retirement Lifestyle

There are many things to love about spending your silver, golden and platinum years living in Georgetown TX Retirement Communities. Not only is our Georgetown TX area a wonderful small town atmosphere, but it is additionally a hub of activity featuring Georgetown TX fine arts, concerts, clubs, plays, festivals, music, community events, Georgetown TX recreation and more! One of the best parts of spending your well earned retirement years in Georgetown Texas neighborhoods? Your learning never has to stop, thanks to the Georgetown Texas Senior University.

Baby Boomers Communities

As part of the Georgetown TX Baby Boomer generation, you already realize how innovative, hard working, and energetic your fellow retirees can be! You certainly are not the retirees of your grandparent’s generation, and when you become part of the Georgetown Texas retirement areas, you will be able to enjoy a whole world of activities, ranging from trail blazing hikes to pottery class, to Italian festivals and dance lessons.

Senior University Georgetown Texas

The Senior University also adds depth to your Georgetown retirement life by offering you the ability to explore a wide variety of topics.  Senior University offers programs that provide lifelong learning to people age 50 and over in the Greater Georgetown area. The programs involve neither examinations nor academic credit but are designed for enjoyment, intellectual stimulation, and active discussion of important issues of the day. Prices for classes are waived in lieu of a $50 annual membership fee.  For $50 you are able to take as many classes as you want, on whatever subjects you have always been interested in learning about. Registration for Senior University Georgetown starts on Dec 2 for the 2012 school year and you can contact the Senior University during their office hours from 9:00am-noon and 1:00-4:00pm, Monday through Thursday.  You can also contact them via phone or email at: 512-819-7680 admin@senior-u.org

Georgetown Real Estate

Ready to start your retirement adventure in lovely Georgetown Texas retirement real estate? Be sure to contact me, your expert Georgetown TX REALTOR to get a tour of amazing  Georgetown TX Boomers and Beyond communities.

Until next time,

Virginia

Georgetown Texas Real Estate

Located 26 miles north of the state’s capital, Georgetown has welcomed 270 new businesses over the past two years. The state’s lack of individual and corporate income taxes is just one reason Texas is considered business-friendly.  Along with the amazing tax benefits for businesses, Georgetown charges relatively low water and electricity rates, and its property taxes are among the lowest in the region-making it a prime choice for anyone seeking to buy Georgetown real estate, or start up a new business in the Georgetown area. As part of the Greater Austin area, Georgetown entrepreneurs in the city’s growth industries – healthcare, life sciences, and technology – can seek out additional support from the region’s business-development efforts. The Georgetown convention center slated to open next year will additionally encourage more entrepreneurs to Georgetown’s up-and-coming business scene.

Georgetown TX Retirement

The Georgetown area is widely considered one of the prettiest cities in all of Williamson County, and it is especially easy to see why during the spring and summer months when thousands of poppies and wild flowers are in full, bright bloom. What makes Georgetown Texas another great choice for living is the fantastic Georgetown real estate communities, including the popular Sun City Texas real estate active adult communities . Compared to many of Austin’s other suburbs, housing costs for Georgetown are a bit  higher; however, there is a level of lifestyle that is attained with Georgetown homes for sale that you can not find in those other suburbs.

Active Adult Communities Georgetown

Georgetown TX  activities, beautiful local parks, local clubs, community events, Senior University and great public school systems, as well as the breathtaking neighborhoods geared for baby boomers and beyond, provide a relaxed, yet entertainment filled lifestyle that allows you to choose how busy you desire to be. Georgetown home buyers have the option of living along the banks of the San Gabriel River when they buy one of the city’s restored Victorian homes or new Tuscan villas  and the five local golf courses provide a fantastic day for delegating business or just working on your swing. The popular walking and biking trails around Lake Georgetown lead riders to the edge of Texas Hill Country.

 Relocate to Georgetown TX Real Estate

Austin may be the the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World,”  and offers the best selection of performing arts in the region; however, Georgetown’s annual food and arts festivals, independently-owned restaurants, rodeo, nearby wineries,  neighborhood social events, and Georgetown TX community activities keep residents close to home.

Until next time,

Virginia

Are you ready to sell Georgetown TX area real estate? If you’re interested in putting your  home on the market during this holiday season, here are some tips on things you should do to make your Georgetown real estate selling a success:

Georgetown TX Home Selling Information

One of the most important things you can do when selling a house is to present a pleasant first impression to prospective home buyers. Make your home as neutral as possible by staging properly. That means you need to take down family photos and store as many of your rarely used items or nick nacks as possible. The more a Georgetown neighborhood home buyer can picture their family in your home, the better. By clearing up space and taking down photos, you enable a potential buyer to begin envisioning how they would decorate and where they would hang their family photos.

Georgetown TX Real Estate Holiday Staging

Holidays can always be tricky when it comes to selling in the Georgetown TX real estate market. You still want to celebrate and put up decorations; however, you don’t want to turn off potential buyers. Here are some of my tried and true tips when it comes to your Georgetown TX property for sale during the Holidays:

1. Create a warm ambiance by capitalizing on the magic of the holiday season during showings. These kind of details will help make a buyer feel comfortable in your home:

• Hang a natural wreath on your front door
• Place a candle or two on the dining room table
•  Turn on the fireplace
• If you have time, bake cookies (the ready to bake kind are great for last minute needs) and let the wonderful scent greet home buyers

2. Be flexible with a buyer’s schedule. During the holiday season you probably have a million and one things to do and places to go, but when a prospective buyer wants to tour your house or meet with you on a certain day, try your best to be accommodating. Remember that they are also busy during the Holidays and while other home sellers are cutting back showings during the holidays, you’ll have a steady traffic of potential buyers grateful to have a chance to tour your beautiful Georgetown real estate on their own schedule.

3. Use light to capture what makes your home great. Open window coverings, clean light fixtures, replace burnt out bulbs. Winter is dreary enough with its shorter days and lack of sunshine.

4. Help potential buyers feel comfortable and welcome in your home by using porch lights, Christmas lights, open curtains and any other light source you have to accent the fine details of your Georgetown neighborhood area property. Even leave all the lights on if a buyer will be coming to tour after sunset; don’t make a buyer wander from room to room in the dark looking for light switches.

Selling Georgetown Texas Neighborhood Real Estate Holiday DON’TS

These are some good rules of thumb for what to avoid doing if you  have a Georgetown home for sale during the holidays:

1. Don’t go overboard when decorating your home for the holidays. Tacky Reindeer on the roof of your Georgetown real estate for sale, enough Christmas blinking Christmas lights to rival The Griswold’s, and Christmas music blaring from your home stereo system linked to a riveting light show are NOT going to help your home show well. Those types of things are only going to distract potential Georgetown TX home buyers from envisioning themselves in your home. You want to make sure that potential buyers are talking about where they would put their items in your home and not talking about you taste in decorating.
2. Don’t over-do seasonal home aromas either. Ah, who wouldn’t love the smell of peppermint mixed with pine and some ginger apple cookies during the holiday season, right? Believe it or not, there’s a good possibility one of the prospective buyers who come to tour your home won’t. The mixed aromas might be at best distracting and at worst, off-putting. While a light smell of cookies, cinnamon and pine can be attractive, don’t over do sprays and avoid a fragrance overload! In fact, the best approach would be to actually simmer a little cinnamon on the stove for a short bit before a house showing and leave it at that. The single scent will be noticeable, but light and more in line with home cooking rather than a spray.

3. Don’t cover every inch of your house in holiday decor. As much as you may love all the blow up, light up, singing, and sparkly decorations available, remember that your home, once on the market is not really your home, it is an investment you are trying to cash out.  Remember that we want to clear out clutter, not add to it. Keep your decorations light, neutral, and simple. If you need help with staging your home, don’t hesitate to ask your expert Georgetown TX Realtor to help.

Put Your Georgetown Area Homes on the Market

If you’re considering selling your Georgetown real estate, make sure you take advantage of my Georgetown TX Selling tips, and read Georgetown TX community tips, information and advice. I’d also encourage you to request my comprehensive Georgetown TX real estate selling guide.

Contact Virginia Lazenby, your expert Georgetown TX real estate agent today to help make your home selling easier and your holiday season brighter.

Until next time,
Virginia