You can always tell garbage day in areas of town. Which subdivision, which day. We don’t hold
even Realtor open houses on collection day. It is the single garbage cart that can give a subdivision a black eye. Remember, if you are going to be out of town, ask a neighbor to retrieve your garbage can.
Subdivisions usually have HOA rules as far as trash bins, and they won’t hesitate to act on it.
HOA’s can get a bad reputation some times, but they are there to keep your subdivision looking
its best and keeping your property values high. Check your rules, or better yet, just put them out after dark the evening before and first one home picks them up that day.
Below is the rules for most cities in Austin and surrounding area.
Garbage carts should be placed at the curb by 6:30 a.m. on collection day but not prior to 8
p.m. the evening before. Garbage carts must be returned to their storage area on private
property by 10 p.m. on the designated collection day.
Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512‐925‐8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee
Caves, Dripping Springs

I overheard someone the other day saying they were going to have another garage sale. They
still had stuff leftover from the last sale, and had some new stuff to get rid of.
Depending on where you live, you might want to check into the rules of having a garage sale.
Some areas out in the country have no rules. They could have one 365 days a year and never
break a rule. But this usually isn’t the case in most cities.
Austin residents may only conduct two garage or yard sales within one year. In addition, signs advertising garage sales may only be posted on the property where the sale is occurring for a
maximum of three consecutive days. The sign must indicate when it was posted. If you conduct
more than two garage sales a year, then you are considered to be running a business from home in violation of the City Code.
Many folks say the day they have their sale, someone always comes around to see if they have
a license posted, issued by the city, to have a garage sale. So check your local rules, and make
sure you don’t need a garage sale license.

Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512‐925‐8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee
Caves, Dripping Springs

A Day at Your Local Café and a Life Lesson.
Do you know how much a waitress makes an hour? I bet a lot of you think…minimum wage.
Well you would be wrong. They make $2.11 an hour. They depend on our tips to make up the
rest. They may be busy rolling silverware, filling up the salt and pepper shakers, replacing sugar
packets, sweeping up after messy kids or adults, busing tables, washing windows or the many
other things done to keep an establishment clean and presentable…and still make $2.11 an hour.
If you have ever had to work as a waiter or waitress, you know what a hard job it is. Heavy
lifting, on your feet all day, and getting blamed for something the cook did, and not always getting the praise for correcting those errors.
Would you like to try and support a family on $2.11 an hour plus tips? Could you put yourself
through college on that with no help from anywhere else? Well, they are. So, stop leaving a dollar a person, or blaming the wait staff for something the cook did. If they did an excellent job, reward them. Did they go out of their way to make sure you were taken care of? Reward them. If they didn’t, then maybe they need to find another line of work. But remember they are working hard for $2.11 an hour.

Now for the Life Lesson:
I often tell young women who are interested in a young man (and this goes for those that are not too young either)… Be very observant and watch how your gentleman treats a waitress, as this is how he will treat you.
Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512‐925‐8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves,
Dripping Springs

2011 Year‐End Totals for the Austin, TX area

•  19,220 – Single‐family homes sold, seven percent more than 2010.
•  $193,000 – Median price for single‐family homes, unchanged from 2010.
•  84 – Average number of days that single‐family homes spent on the market, seven days more than 2010.
•  30,668 – New single‐family home listings on the market, 12 percent less than 2010.
•  8,609 – Active single‐family home listings on the market, 15 percent less than 2010.
•  21,002 – Pending sales for single‐family homes, seven percent more than 2010.
•  $4,931,910,843 – Total dollar volume of single‐family properties sold, nine percent more than 2010.

Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512‐925‐8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves, Dripping
Springs

Floor Plans For Every Home
I know…I am dreaming again!
Wouldn’t it be great if builders filed a floor plan when they built a home?
I would guess about 99% of the time sellers don’t have the floor plan to their home. Not everyone gets one even when they buy a brand new home. Wouldn’t it be great if a floor plan was put on file, just like a survey with every property? Perhaps just include it in with the tax info. This is another way to make sure a property is being taxed for the correct square footage. Any additions made to a home would require a new floor plan, just like a new survey when additions are made.
This also makes it easy to find the builders and the floor plan should you find a home you like and would like to build. I am amazed that usually about 5 years from the time a builder has a model home, that no one in the company can remember where or what model
they had or what subdivision. I always try to keep a floor plan with my new home buyers, so should they decide to sell one day they will have it in their packet. Can you imagine the time it would save in looking at homes when the buyer can look at the floor plan and either rule it out, or choose it to see.
Photo’s just don’t tell the story of how a home is laid out.

• Sherry Scales    Austin Real Estate Specialist
• HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
• 512-925-8928
• Contact me or Find your home here
• Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves, Dripping Springs

Why would I let a hairdresser do my hair when they can’t fix their own?

Why would I let a hairdresser do my hair when they can’t fix their own…
In real estate, with our crazy schedules…sometimes it is hard to schedule a hair appt 6 weeks in advance. I am fortunate to have a very understanding hairdresser. I have had to cancel the day before an appointment due to something important I can’t ignore for a few hours. And there have been times she can’t reschedule me quickly. So, I am left to find someone else if I can’t wait.

We do have nice salons here that welcome walk‐ins. But I refuse to let someone work on my hair, who can’t seem to fix their own. How can they show up to work this way?

That would be like me showing up to show homes, and not having my listings or my key with me. I wouldn’t give the impression of being qualified to sell homes. So, if you’re a hair stylist and can’t even fix your own hair…don‘t be offended if I choose someone more qualified?

Just like a home we show or a job interview… first appearances are everything.
Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512‐925‐8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves, Dripping Springs

Orinally posted at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2841014/why-would-i-let-a-hairdresser-do-my-hair-when-they-can-t-fix-their-own-

Do you own a clothespin bag?

I think this may be another item going to the way side. I showed a home the other day that had
clothesline poles in the back yard. The young couple I was showing was trying to figure out what they
were for. I explained what they were…and got …”Oh, yeah…my grandmother’s old house had those.”

Depending on your age, and what part of the country you were in, and perhaps the wage level your parents or grandparents fell into, would determine if you recall the days before washer and dryers.

I can still remember my grandmother washing clothes in an old ringer washer on her back porch. Fire was built to heat the water in the back yard, add there was a well we would draw the water from. I remember the excitement she had when her first washer and dryer were delivered to her home. But she still hung the sheets and quilts and rugs out to dry on the line. Nothing smelled as good as sheets hung out in the sun to dry.
Although this is a great energy saver, I just don’t see it coming back.
Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512‐925‐8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves, Dripping Springs

“ Home by Four”

12621 Sky Harbor, Del Valle, TX 78617
3 Bedroom – 2 Bath – 2 Car Garage
ML# 5655292
Home by Four is a unique home purchase program which allows families to obtain home
ownership within four years with no money down and without the need to qualify for a 30 year
fixed rate mortgage payments.
Families participating in the Home by Four program need only to demonstrate their
ability to make on time lease payments for 36 months.
There is no cost to participate; the family merely qualifies and signs a 3 year lease at
market rents of $1,150 per month. Payments for the lease are made through automatic electronic
payments (ACH) and must be made on time for 36 months. The lease requires the first monthly rent payment and $1,150 security deposit. Security deposit is refunded at the end of the lease or upon purchase. At the end of the third year the owner of the property enters into a sales contract with the potential home owner. The monthly lease payments for the last 12 months are adjusted to reflect what the new homeowner payments would be. The new payments will include principal & interest calculated at 7.875% fixed for 30 years. Taxes, hazard insurance and homeowners association dues will be included to reflect the total amount the homeowner will be required to pay once the sale is closed. The lease for the last 12 months will require the potential homeowner to pay for all home maintenance.

After 12 months of making on time payments at the new higher full payment level, the owner will sell and transfer ownership. The owner will provide a 30 year fixed rate wraparound mortgage all due and payable in ten years. Closing will occur at Independence Title who will
also issue a title policy to the new owner. Total closing cost to the buyer will be limited to $5,000.00 which will include title insurance and all broker commissions.
The difference between the new higher full payment level collected for last 12 months of the lease will be applied towards the $5,000.00.
The purchase price is established at the time the original lease is signed. The purchase price is the same price as Centex Homes of similar in size sold for in 2007.
How does “Home by Four” compare with all other non qualifying sale programs?
Home by Four is superior to all other programs because of the following features”
1. Buyer pays nothing to participate. No upfront cash down payment required.
2. Buyer receives a very reasonable 7.875% 30 year amortized loan for 10 years.
3. At the end of 3 year lease, buyer DOES NOT have to purchase.
4. If buyer purchases they pay a market amount established prior to the original lease.

For further information please contact me.
Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512‐925‐8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves, Dripping Springs

If you want new…buy new.
A good real estate agent will always advise you to get a home inspection on any home you are thinking about purchasing. Inspectors try to note everything in their report. They don’t want a customer to come back later and say you missed this, or why didn’t you note that. So they will usually even note when the light bulb in the garage is missing the safety cover. Of course they don’t mention you can pick them up for about 89 cents.
Often the buyer wants the seller to fix everything on the list. Plus they will ask for paint, carpet, flooring, etc. This is where your agent will usually jump in and tell you…if want new, buy new. The inspection is catch things that don’t work, and sometimes gives you idea on how old the HVAC unit and hot water heater are. They do have a life expectancy. Perhaps there is a septic system that hasn’t been pumped in 12 years. Works now and has no problems, but this is something a buyer wants to know.
You would be hard pressed to find a resale home that came up with no problems of any kind and with
almost new appliances and HVAC and hot water heater. Few will have fresh paint and carpet and a new
roof.
Be reasonable when you ask the seller for repairs or concessions. If you are worried about
something, perhaps getting a home warranty will ease your worries. Home warranty’s will generally repair
or replace systems and some appliances in the home should they fail. This is something you could even
ask the seller to pay for.
Home warranties are all different and I advise going over what it will and will not cover very
carefully. Some will not replace the unit if the filter is found to be dirty. So read the fine print. But a
home warranty’s can be renewed yearly, and I have had people swear by them!
The homeowner can tell you they won’t fix anything and if you back out of the deal, you are still out
the cost of the inspection and the money for the option period. Most sellers want to sell, and if you are
reasonable in your requests, they will generally agree.
So, remember when purchasing a resale home…if you want new…buy new.

Sherry Scales Austin Real Estate Specialist
HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI
512-925-8928
Contact me or Find your home here
Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves,
Dripping Springs

 Why is recycling not mandatory?

 I am happy to say our community is active in recycling.  Our City Trash leaves a large green bin for trash, and a large blue bin for recycling.  Our personal recycling is usually just as large or larger than our trash. 

Not every city or town does this, and I don’t understand why not.  I have heard the excuse that it is expensive.  Well a lot of things are expensive, but it is the right thing to do. We only have one planet, and no one wants a trash dump next to their house.  Plus it adds jobs, and we know we need those.  Good for the economy also.

According to a study by Men’s Health magazine, the city of San Antonio is ranked third in the U.S. for recycling. Even though Texas is the second largest by population, Houston, the largest city in Texas (by population), only recycles 2.6 percent of its waste.   Texas has been slow in getting involved in recycling.  However in 1990, the state of Texas operated 790 landfills.  By 2002, the number of landfills had been reduced to 190.

Did you know that  recycling one aluminum can saves the equivalent of enough energy to run a television set for three hours? Aluminum can be recycled and reused indefinitely without a decline in material performance or quality.  About 566 steel cans are recycled every second. Every day, Americans use more than 100 million steel cans. Glass is 100 percent recyclable- there are no waste by-products. Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. They have come a long way in finding other uses for rubber tires.

I know a local grocery chain in Kansas has collection bins for customers to bring in paper, glass and plastic.

 What is your town doing?  What can you do to help?

Sherry Scales, Austin Real Estate Specialist

 HomeNet Realty, REALTOR, ABR, GRI

 512-925-8928

 Contact me or Find your home here

 Serving Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Caves, Dripping Springs