I had one of the weirdest meetings recently during a listing appointment.  I met a series of people, including the owner and friends, along with some other folks who just kind of showed up before I left.  Never before have I had so many people forget my name in the span of 45 minutes.  It just seemed to happen so quickly! 

Keep in mind that this was not a cold call appointment.  Instead, we had been planning to meet for well over a week.

First, the owner was speaking to her friend and referred to me as “James”.

“Actually, my name is Jason,” I considered saying, then decided it wasn’t really worth it.

Later, the friend addressed me as “Jeff”.  I have several close friends named Jeff, but none of them were with me, as I was travelling alone that day. 

“Actually, it’s Jason,” I thought of stating.

After the other people arrived, they called me both “Jesse” and “Jack“.  What the….?

At that point, I stopped correcting them mentally altogether. 

Just call me James Jeff Jesse Jehosephat Jumpin’ Jack Crouch.  Glad to meet all of you!  Perhaps to make it a bit easier to remember my name, I should wear a hockey mask and carry a machete next time (think about it - it will come to you).

Despite all of the random comings and goings of friends and relatives, and the fact that no one could retain my name in their memory banks even for a few seconds (maybe they were ALL hard of hearing?), I did get the listing.

On a related but somewhat divergent note, my mom and I took a trip to San Antonio when I was 14 years old.  We still talk about one of the days that we were there and there was someone who couldn’t remember my name, but it was actually flattering.

We were visiting the Espada Aqueduct, which is the oldest Spanish aqueduct in North America, having been built in 1745 (thanks, Google!).  Although I was never really interested in history when I was growing up (thanks, bad teachers!), this was a cool experience and I enjoyed getting to see it. 

While were we enjoying the nearby park, there was an old woman that we noticed sitting in the shade.  My mom and I struck up a conversation with her.  Looking back, she reminded me a LOT of the old woman in “The Stand” by Stephen King (she is pictured at right). 

At any rate, my mom introduced me, and the woman thought that my name was Jesus.  Not “Jesus” the Hispanic name, but Jesus as in, the Lord.  My mom tried to correct her once, then we just thought it was humorous and endearing, and we haven’t ever forgotten that day.  In fact, for some reason that made the day crystal clear in my mind. 

Admittedly, my memory is somewhat cloudy for specific details and events in the past, with the notable exception of my wedding day (and honeymoon in St. Lucia years later), my conversion to Christianity, and the births of my three children.  I’m not saying that I don’t remember anything else, but those particular events seem to be etched in my mind permanently.  Of course, there are plenty of other days that are more embarrassing, but I won’t get into that right now.

So, what was the point of this post again?

Oh, yeah.  Nice to meet you.  You can call me whatever you like, as long as you call ME, not another agent.

Thanks for reading this silly post!

According to an article in this week’s local Community Impact newspaper, a developer is planning to break ground on a mixed-use development this summer in Pflugerville.  

This will be the first development of its kind in town, covering approximately 38 acres just south of Pecan Street between Windermere and Heatherwilde. 

Having lived in this area for about 13 years now (11+ in real estate), I have often noticed this wide open land, wondering when someone would eventually step up to the plate and make something interesting happen in that vacant parcel.

Cid Galindo, who is heading up the project, was quoted as saying that one of the reasons they chose Pflugerville was its proximity to both Austin and Round Rock, both of which have been growing steadily since the early 90’s. 

With Dell Computer headquartered to the north, and Samsung just to the south, along with the recently opened toll roads that have dramatically improved access to many major destinations, Pflugerville is uniquely positioned to support a project like this.

The project, which is tentatively named Pecan Street Plaza, could include a hotel and banquet center, family health club, restaurants, cafes, 50,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 300,000 sq. ft. of office space.  Plans are not yet finalized, however, so some elements could change over the upcoming months.

In theory, Galindo hopes to bring a traditional neighborhood design, which will allow people to live, work, and play without driving.  Considering the fact that there are few areas like this in the Austin area unless you live in the heart of downtown (which is pretty expensive these days), I am sure that this concept will have a ready and willing audience of potential buyers.

I must admit that I am really looking forward to seeing this particular project take shape.  As I noted in a recent post, Pflugerville is very much coming into its own, and this is further confirmation in my eyes.

I have written a number of articles which I hope you will find helpful as you are researching the Austin area.  I tried to cover many of the major questions that I receive on a day-to-day basis as a real estate broker working with buyers who are relocating from other cities and states.  This is really a work in progress, as I intend to update and add to this package often. 

As with anything you find on my blog or website, feel free to contact me anytime with questions or for clarification.  My cell phone number is 512-796-7653 and my email address is jason@austintexashomes.com.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!

THE BASICS - SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (ABOUT ME AND ABOUT AUSTIN)

Are You Considering Relocating to Austin, Texas? An Open Letter - I would recommend reading this one first.

“High Property Taxes, Heat, and Tornadoes, TOO? Why would I want to move to Austin, Texas?” - This one tackles some of the potential negatives about Austin, while also providing a LOT of good reasons to make Austin your new home.

Top Employers in Austin Texas - Looking for a job? These may be worth considering - This seems to be a popular question for those who are not relocating with a specific company.  I hope you find it helpful, too!

Austin Texas School Districts - How are the schools in the Austin area? - This includes information on public and private schools, as well as resources for Austin homeschooling. 

Austin Texas Area Hospitals - An Overview - This covers all of the medium and large hospitals in and around the Austin area, including a top-notch children’s hospital which recently expanded and relocated to a brand-new facility.

Austin Texas Golf Courses - Private Courses - If you enjoy golf, these courses offer a premier experience for you.

Texas Looks Like That? A Native Texan’s Perspective - Check out some photos that I took in order to give you some idea of what it REALLY looks like here, as opposed to the stereotypes you may have seen in books or movies.

AUSTIN IS FAMOUS NOW!  LISTS THAT AUSTIN HAS MADE RECENTLY

Austin Texas Named as Top Place to Buy a House by Entrepreneur Magazine - Austin has made it onto a lot of cool lists lately, but none are more important to me than this one.

Austin Texas Named Fastest Growing Large Metro Area in the U.S. - This is another honor that bodes well for any purchase that you decide to make in Austin.  Our robust economy serves as a springboard for home appreciation.

Austin Texas is Named One of the Least Stressful Places in the U.S. - Another list?  Wow!  Having lived here for about 20 years, I can attest to the truth of this claim.

SURROUNDING TOWNS

Pflugerville Texas is Coming into its Own - My current hometown seems to be growing by leaps and bounds.  We have lived here since 1995, and we’ve enjoyed watching the growth occur in Pflugerville.

Hutto Real Estate - Fastest Growing City in Texas! - This suburb of Austin to the northeast has seen some great growth lately.  Find out why!

FAMILY FUN AND STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS

Family Fun in Austin, Texas - I suppose the title here is self-explanatory.  Here are about 20 terrific ideas for things to do with your children when you come to Austin. 

Texas Jumping Beans - A great place to take the kids! - As the veteran of several kid birthday parties at Texas Jumping Beans, I highly recommend this place, and not just for parties. 

Austin Children’s Museum - Fun for the Whole Family! - The local children’s museum in downtown Austin has been a staple of Crouch family fun for years now.

Tukong Moosul Martial Arts, Austin Texas - A great place for kids! - The titles of the post above and this one clearly indicate that my children are a big priority for me.  Tukong Moosul is where my son has studied martial arts for the past several years, starting when he was just five. 

PLACES TO EAT

Most Entertaining Restaurant Review Ever? EZ’s on Lamar - Austin, Texas - EZ’s is a great place to check out during your visit, and kids love it, too!

Austin, Texas Restaurant Review - Waterloo Ice House - My wife helped me write this review of her outing with our kids to two separate Waterloo locations. 

Austin Texas Restaurant Review - Café Mangù in Pflugerville - This small, cozy restaurant has become one of our favorite “date night” locations.

Round Rock Restaurant Review - Zorba Greek Restaurant - You are probably thinking that we eat out all the time by now, but I really tried to save the reviews for places that have good food, believe me.

As you can see from the above articles, Austin is an absolutely terrific place to call home.  I hope you decide to join us here!  If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I hope to have the opportunity to help you find the right home when the time comes.

As I mentioned above, my cell phone number is 512-796-7653 and my email address is jason@austintexashomes.com.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Jason Crouch, Broker/Owner - Austin Texas Homes, LLC

Dear Potential Austin Home Buyer,

Austin is a beautiful and eclectic town with an optimistic and youthful spirit.  I can understand why you would like to live here with us.  I was born and raised in Dallas, but I have lived here for almost 20 years now.

If you are considering relocating to the Austin, Texas area, I would love the opportunity to help you find the right home.  I don’t normally write “look at me” articles in my blog, but I realized that not doing so might actually be a disservice to relocating buyers who are unfamiliar with Austin.

I have been selling real estate full-time in the Austin area and the surrounding towns since early 1997, and I have sold homes in almost every single MLS area that we have in our system (there are a LOT of them).  My agents and I are able to assist you with ANY type of home or multifamily property that you are interested in purchasing.

Over the past couple of years, I have personally represented home buyers from $62,500 to $3.4 million.  I handle homes, condos, townhomes, downtown lofts, ranches, duplexes, fourplexes, and more. 

I have never had any complaint with the Texas Real Estate Commission against me or any of the agents who work for me.  I have never been involved in a mediation or a lawsuit in over a decade of high-volume real estate practice, which is saying a lot in this day and age. 

I am known among my peers and past clients as an honest broker/agent.  There are certainly others who have sold more homes than I have, but you would be hard-pressed to find an agent with more integrity than me.  I would rather talk you out of a home purchase or an offer on your home than to assist you in making a bad decision.

I haven’t yet had a client that I couldn’t get along with (please don’t feel the need to test this, however).  The same goes for other agents, although I have certainly had my share of challenges. 

I am a devoted husband of fifteen years and a doting father of three terrific kids.  If you’re nice to me, I might even show you some pictures or let you meet them while you’re here in town. :-)  I’ll even take you to lunch if you like.

I have heard many potential Austin buyers say to me, “I haven’t really had a good experience with agents before.”  ME NEITHER, and I am in the business!

When you get right down to it, I want your business and I am not afraid to ask for it.  Why not give me a call and let me earn it?  I hope to hear from you sometime soon!  I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.  In fact, you might just make a new friend.

You can call me at 512-796-7653 (cell) or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.  Thanks for taking a minute to read my spiel.

While we were out and about enjoying some phenomenal weather yesterday, my wife mentioned that she would like to check out the new IKEA store in Round Rock.  I had been there once, and I cringed inwardly a little bit, because I was familiar with the layout there.  However, they do have a massive number of inexpensive products, so I was game.

When we first arrived, my wife attempted to sit in a chair that looked to be made of nylon on a frame made of plastic or perhaps metal, and it sort of dumped her onto the floor on her behind.  We mocked the chair and its odd design, along with the name, which was probably a Gurkel or a Haafendag or a Klonturv or something similar.  My son (who gets his smart aleck gene from his dad) quickly said, “Are we just here to make fun of the furniture?” Then, as I was laughing, he followed up with, “Are you going to put that in your blog?”  I told him that I just might.

Since I haven’t been to any other IKEA stores previously, I’m not sure if they are all laid out the same way or not.  In the case of “our” location, however, it reminds me very much of being lost in a corn maze.  Once you are inside and browsing, there is a specific path that you must follow in order to (eventually) find the exit. 

Walking at a brisk pace, I would estimate that it takes 10 minutes or more to get out once you are trapped inside.  I had to leave before the rest of my family in order to get home and meet an electrician, but my wife later mentioned that, although they stopped for a snack at the in-store cafe, she still felt like the proverbial man crawling through the desert by the time they reached the exit safely.

Despite their best efforts at merchandising, IKEA didn’t manage to convince us to purchase that much yesterday, although my wife did pick up a few items.  I have thus far steered clear of any bigger ticket purchases there, mainly because any time I am visiting a friend or client’s house, I can typically pick out the IKEA furniture with ease, if I’m being honest.  That being said, they seem to have some excellent values, so I’m sure that others will easily be able to pick out our stuff soon, too.

Speaking of corn mazes, please enjoy this clip from “Human Giant”, which is probably among my favorite comedy shows:

MTV Human Giant: Corn Maze Leak
Uploaded by wiredset

There is an old saying in our state, “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait five minutes - it’ll change!”.  This is sometimes completely true, and never more so than this week so far.

Yesterday, my mom was in town, so we took the kids out shopping and to lunch at Chuy’s, where we had some of their incredible creamy jalapeno dip.  My mom hadn’t tried it before, so she was in for a special treat.  While we were out, we commented on how unseasonably warm it was.  Everyone seemed to be in a great mood - the shoppers, the waitstaff at the restaurant, fellow motorists, etc.  You get the picture.  Although I am not a great golfer (or even really a good golfer, or a serviceable golfer), I wished that I were on a golf course somewhere, or perhaps in a park.

I found out last night while watching the news that yesterday’s high temperature was 92 degrees in Austin.  Let me say that again - NINETY TWO degrees!  In the “winter”.  I spoke with my friend Adam in Long Island and while we were on the phone he was admonishing his son not to play in the snow right then because he wasn’t wearing his boots.  SNOW?  What is that?  I laughed as I told him that I was wearing shorts.

Well, I guess it’s time for us to get a taste of winter after all, and a mere 24 hours after that balmy day.  Tonight, we are predicted to have a low of around 20 degrees, a full 72 degrees colder than yesterday.

So, I’m not sure if that gives you any idea of what we deal with here, but there are days when I wear a polo shirt but take along a jacket or coat for the evening.  Or, I must turn on the A/C during the day, then the heat at night to keep it from getting too chilly.  As a native Texan, having lived my entire life in this great state, I am certainly used to it now, but I also know that it takes some getting used to. 

As a side note, the funniest question that I am asked by people looking to relocate from out-of-state is, “Does this home have A/C?” 

For the record, I can assure you that EVERY home has air conditioning here.

Copyright 2008  Austin Real Estate   Jason Crouch

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to actually see ANY of the movies up for “Best Picture” this year.  This is no longer an unusual phenomenon for me, as the father of three small children.  In fact, I only saw two movies this year (”Ratatouille” and “The Bourne Ultimatum”) that warranted consideration by the Academy at all, and those were in lesser categories, such as sound and editing.  The last time that I made a sincere effort to see the nominated films while they were still in the theater was probably 1989 when I was a freshman in college. 

However, for the benefit of my loyal readers (and even disloyal ones), I will not let that deter me from reviewing these fine films, based exclusively on the title of the film and from photos or posters that I was able to cull from the internet.  Keep in mind that I have NOT seen these movies, but I feel that these reviews are probably dead-on accurate:

“No Country for Old Men” - In this finely crafted epic dramedy, an unknown actor stars as a semi-depressed, out-of-work mechanic who is forced to wander the land with a compressor offering air for tires to unsuspecting travelers, much like those guys who want to clean your windshield for a few coins. 

After experimenting with a rainbow afro wig, a mohawk, and a crew cut, he finds that his pageboy haircut helps him to garner the most tips from drivers.  The title refers to the fact that he uses Grecian formula to maintain his youthful appearance.  Also stars Gary Coleman as his hilarious sidekick.

The film ends with a raucous send-up of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”. Soundtrack by Elton John and Tim Rice.

“Juno” - Clearly, this is a family comedy with a sci-fi twist.  As I recall from my extensive knowledge of astronomy, Juno is one of Jupiter’s sixty-three moons, and the young girl pictured here with her parents (let’s call her Sally) wants to be an astronaut.  While everyone around her is condescending yet kind, the girl strongly wants to visit space, but is only able to do so in her dreams.  This movie is a great combination of the best elements of “Curly Sue” and “Zathura”.  With Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman starring as Sally’s youthful and cool parents, how can you go wrong?  Soundtrack by Yanni.

“Atonement” - This film stars Keira Knightley along with a guy that I haven’t heard of before.  It is a boring period piece set in another country, and it likely involves lots of scenes of the countryside. 

It drags on interminably until the third reel, when Rip Taylor makes a surprise appearance as Knightley’s estranged father.  This is the most poignant scene in the entire film,  but it also leads to a series of plot twists and turns and a zany surprise ending.  Soundtrack by the late Spike Jones.

“Michael Clayton” - Based on the tag line I saw on this poster, “Don’t be at the Service of Others”, this movie is clearly based on some of the agents and brokers that I have had the displeasure of working with over the years here in Austin. 

Michael Clayton is actually an amalgam, rather than a specific person, but this film exposes real estate at its core. 

Soundtrack by Willie Nelson and Britney Spears.  Yes, really.

“There Will be Blood” - This film is a lighthearted sequel to 1992’s “Far and Away” which starred Tom Cruise as a barefisted boxer.  Daniel Day-Lewis portrays the aging pugilist with charm and grace.  The story follows Day-Lewis as he trains and prepares for his final bout, this time with silent film star Buster Keaton.  Inspiring?  Oh, yes.  In the photo here, you see the townspeople gathering to congratulate him on his knockout of Stephen Douglas a few minutes prior.  Soundtrack by Bill Conti (who else?).

So, I hope you found this public service to be helpful.  I look forward to reviewing each of the Grammy-nominated artists, although I haven’t heard any of their music yet.

Today, my nine-year old son Brandon celebrated the culmination of several months of effort by attending and completing the “Final Mile” ceremony for Marathon Kids.  In essence, Brandon completed a full marathon’s worth of running over a period of many weeks, and this final event was held at a stadium in south Austin with a party atmosphere and tons of encouragement, cheering, and music.  The kids felt like rock stars.

After they ran the final mile (which was actually about ½ mile), they were awarded with a nice gold medal and a t-shirt.  In my son’s case, he will also be getting the video game of his choosing today when we go to GameStop.  That was my contribution to help get him on the right path toward regular exercise.  So far, it seems to be working well as an additional incentive.

He completed his final run for the marathon this past Monday evening, and he is already working toward a new goal, which is a subscription to Nick Magazine.  The subscription is about $20, so Brandon has agreed to run 20 miles for this.  Not a bad trade for either of us.  He has already gone about 1.5 miles toward the new goal. 

While traveling to the stadium this morning, we ended up taking a longer route than I had anticipated (thanks, Google Maps!) so we were cutting it closer on time than I had planned.  If it weren’t for the terrible traffic congestion from the hundreds of people attending the event, we would have been about 10 minutes early. As it turned out, we got there about 15-20 minutes late.  However, this ended up being perfect timing as it was a few minutes before the 4^th graders were set to run, so it worked out well.

I am a proud dad today, and I am hoping and planning to run more often with him in the upcoming months, as I also need to get back on track when it comes to exercise. 

I asked Brandon how he felt after completing such a cool feat, and he said (in his typical mature-beyond-his-years way), “I feel like a new man.” 

Later, when we were discussing the event at lunch with my mom (pictured at right), Brandon said, “When we were in the stadium, it felt like I was passing a test with flying colors.” and, “I feel like I could fly.”

What more could a father want for his son?

If you would like more information about Marathon Kids, please visit their website at http://www.marathonkids.com/.  They currently have programs in a number of cities and I believe that they are looking to expand further. 

The Austin Children’s Museum in downtown Austin serves as a great outing for the entire family.  My wife and I have had a membership there previously, and it is well worth the money.  With a recent influx of funds, the museum has completely revamped many of the learning areas, and our kids, ages 9, 6, and nearly 2, had a terrific time on a recent excursion. 

Their hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 12pm-5pm (Closed Mondays).  Wednesday nights from 5pm-8pm are “community nights”, which means FREE admission for everyone during that window of time.

The normal admission prices are as follows:

Adult: $5.50
Children 2 yrs.and up: $5.50
Children 12-23 months: $3.50
Children under 12 months: FREE

They accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Memberships are only $75 for up to four visitors, and $125 for 5-6 visitors.

I must admit that during our last visit, I had at least as much fun as my children.  The theme was “Play it by Ear”, and it focused on making and experiencing sounds, and how sound waves travel.  One cool exhibit was the 100 foot sound tunnel which is capped on one end.  You can put your head inside and speak, yell, snap, or clap and listen as the sound echoes back to you a split second later.  I also got to wear a series of funky headphones that altered the sound dramatically. 

One of the permanent exhibits is an “Austin City Limits” stage complete with costumes for kids (and grown-ups like me who have no shame) to play along with a series of taped live music performances by Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, and a host of other stars.  They also have a few “instruments” and a set of bleachers for the “fans”.  They also have a small kid-sized store with a cash register, and a really cool train exhibit in a tower above the main floor of the museum.  I always like going up there, since it includes some great tunes as well.

They have a large exploration/crafts area upstairs with gears to play with, small electric motor experiments, gravity lessons, and more.

I highly recommend checking out this museum for residents and visitors alike.  It is located at the corner of 2nd Street and Colorado, in the heart of downtown, so you can expect to pay $5-7 for parking.  Enjoy your trip to this great facility!

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or email jason@austintexashomes.com.  My Austin real estate website is at http://www.austintexashomes.com/. 

I was 9 years old when I started listening to the Beatles.  My mom bought me some of their albums, and others I purchased with lawn-mowing money.  I would study the lyrics as I played the records over and over again, since precision was important to me for some reason.  Even difficult and intricate lyrics like this one from “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” remain a part of my memory vault:

Picture yourself on a train in a station,
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes…

As a side note, yes, this song is about LSD.  Don’t let anyone convince you differently. 

At some point, lyrics must have become less important to me, or they stopped providing lyrics to read along with while listening.  For example, R.E.M. used to be notorious for never putting any lyrics with their CD’s. 

Recently, I realized that there are some other tunes that I have enjoyed for many years, even though the lyrics in my mind don’t mesh with reality at all.  In fact, while I was writing this post, I even discovered some new ones that I didn’t even know about before.

One example comes from my junior high days, from Van Halen’s exceptionally popular “1984″ album.  Yes, I said album, not CD or even cassette tape.  I have the vinyl album (somewhere).  So, the song “Jump” came out when I was 13 or 14 years old, and it was among my favorites.  However, I later realized that one portion of the song had utterly eluded me, and it seriously changed the meaning of the verse in question.  Here’s the real lyric, which appears just before the chorus:

Oh can’t you see me standing here,
I’ve got my back against the record machine
I ain’t the worst that you’ve seen.
Oh can’t you see what I mean ?

And here’s the Jason Crouch version:

Oh can’t you see me standing here,
I’ve got my back against the record machine
I eat the worst things you’ve seen.
Oh can’t you see what I mean ?

As you can clearly see, this is a bit different from the original.  I always wondered why in the heck that line was in there, since it was such a cool song.  I learned the real lyric later, but I still stubbornly sing along about eating junk food.  Incidentally, I just learned TODAY that in “Hot for Teacher”, they are singing “I’ve got it bad” rather than (my version) “I’ve got it made”.  Just another example of my auditory ineptitude.

With apologies to my friend Paul Slaybaugh, who is a big-time fan of reggae and Bob Marley, I must admit that over the last couple of days I learned that Marley was actually singing “Stir it Up” in his early 70’s hit rather than “Still in Love”.  I even managed to mess up the title in this instance! 

I actually like my version better, so I think I’ll just stick with it rather than changing.  I guess I am getting more set in my ways as I age.  As the reader, you have the benefit of knowing the lyrics already, but here’s the song I am referring to:

I wrote another post back in October about my “lazy ear syndrome”, if you are interested:
MORE song stuff - Am I hard of hearing? My Lazy Ear Syndrome

P.S. I still maintain that the most widely misunderstood song ever written is Manfred Mann’s “Blinded by the Light”, and even though I included this link back when I wrote on this topic in October, I think it bears including it again, partially because I have more people reading my blog now, and partly because it is hysterical.  I won’t go into all of the variations that I have heard, but these guys did, and it is probably one of the funniest and most memorable sketches that I have EVER seen (give it time - the funny part starts at around 0:50 on the video):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6U29S–wn8