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You are here: Home / Archives for local

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Why Having a Local Real Estate Agent Can Make a Difference

March 3, 2016 by khproperties 5 Comments

Local Real Estate Agent

A recent post in a real estate Facebook group reminded us why having a local real estate agent matters. As agents licensed in Texas, we are allowed to conduct real estate business anywhere in the state, but what happens when we leave our local market and help someone buy or sell real estate? Does it matter? The contract forms are the same throughout Texas, so technically if we put a house under contract here in San Antonio or over in El Paso, things should be the same…right? Why does it make a difference if you choose to use a local real estate agent or not? The story posted in Facebook was somewhat anecdotal (although not to the homeowners that chose the out of town agent), but it reminds us that we should always focus locally when it comes to real estate.

The story went something this: a local real estate agent showed a home in Shavano Park to their clients. The home was listed by an agent out of Austin. When the agent finished up with their buyers, they turned off the lights and locked up. After arriving home, the agent received a call about the sellers being locked out of their home. Turns out the sellers had left a door unlocked for their access, but the agent unknowingly (and smartly) locked all the doors so as not to leave any potential liability for a break-in. There was no indication from the showing service or inside the house that they should leave any particular door unlocked (we do not recommend this by the way). The listing agent, being in Austin couldn’t come down and help the owners unlock the home, so the agent who had just shown it thought they’d be helpful and run back to the house and open the house for them with the key from the lockbox. Of course, there is a lot of potential liability in this decision, but that’s a topic for another day.

Because the sellers chose an agent from another city, their agent was unable to help them. We unlock doors all the time for our clients. When your house is on the market, things happen and your agent is a great resource to help you – whether you’ve locked yourself out of the house or the electrician showed up early and you can’t get free from work. We do these things for our clients because we care about them and know that the stresses of having your home for sale can sometimes make you forget things like your keys when you leave the house. It happens. And we’re there to help whenever we can.

A Local Real Estate Agent Does More

But there’s more to having a local real estate agent than having someone who can unlock your doors for you in a pinch. There’s knowledge and experience. A familiarity with local customs and standards. An in depth knowledge and insight into your local real estate market. Dallas and San Antonio are two totally different markets. Agents work differently, the way homes are marketed differs, the actual houses themselves differ. Doesn’t it make sense to have someone with that knowledge and experience on your side? Sure, the contract forms are the same, but forms aren’t the only thing we do as real estate agents.

We know that your cousin who lives in Lubbock has his real estate license and you want to give them their first big chance at a sale, but do they know about the foundation issues common in San Antonio? Do they know that it’s quite common for sellers to pay for a home warranty? Can they tell you who the best title company and closer is for your needs? Can they recommend an electrician or plumber? Do they have access to the local MLS or are they just searching for homes on the internet (and potentially missing some of the available inventory)? A local real estate agent will help you with all the facets of the transaction, not just the documents that need signed.

Local does matter and whether it’s your lender or your real estate agent, you should always choose to work with someone that has the knowledge, experience, and local connections that can make your experience an excellent one.

image courtesy of Damian Gadal

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: san antonio, real estate agent, local

Fall Festivals and Pumpkin Patches

October 10, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Fall Festivals and Pumpkin Patches

While Texas may not have what others around the country call true “seasons,” there is no doubt that Fall is in the air around these parts. Temperatures dip into Texas cold territory (below 75 degrees), ragweed pollen permeates nasal cavities, and hay bales are in their peak selling season. But if there’s one thing we do share with people around the country, it’s our love of good pumpkin patches!

So, just in time for Fall, we’ve rounded up some of the area’s top pumpkin patches and Fall festivals:

Northwest

Fiesta Farm Pumpkin Patch – Admission $7 for those 2 and up, it includes pumpkins, pumpkin painting, a haunted house, and free pony and hay rides for the kids! 8497 FM 1560N, San Antonio TX 78254. Open 7 days a week.

New Braunfels/Gruene

Gruene Pumpkin Patch – Just a short trek north of San Antonio and you’ll find yourself in pumpkin heaven. Boasting over 10,000 pumpkins in their selection piles, this gigantic gala of gourds is one of the best around. The patch is open 7 days a week, but features special kid-friendly activities (bounce houses, food, and crafts) on Saturdays. Plus, once you’re finished there, you can stroll the streets of downtown Gruene, visiting a plethora of craft and antique stores.

Hill Country

Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch – Love Creek Orchards may be known for their apples, but oh boy do they know how to put out a pumpkin patch! Celebrated as one of the best pumpkin patches in Texas for over 20 years, this celebration has got it all! With everything from a petting zoo to unlimited hay rides and hay bale mazes, all of the staple activities are there for the low admission price of $6. For a bit extra, you can engage in face painting, pony rides, barrel train rides, and numerous craft projects. It’s well worth the trek out to Medina (13558 State Hwy16 North, Medina TX 78055) with all that it’s got to offer. Open every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in October.

Devine

Devine Acres Farm – For just $8, you can head on down to Devine (an easy drive out I-35 West) and take part in the biggest batch of fall fun activities around: farm hayride, catch-n-release fishing, duck races, scarecrow dressin’, pumpkin painting, playground, mazes, tin bucket golf, animal barnyard, hippity hops, horseshoe and washer toss, bean bag forest, hippity hops, sack races, barnyard bowling, volleyball, and trike track. Wowza! Open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays – it’s a chance to get into the season, have a ton of fun, and check out a real working farm!

San Antonio

Classics Elite Soccer Academy Pumpkin Patch – A little closer to home, you’ll be thrilled to find the Classics Elite Soccer Academy Pumpkin Patch. Located behind the Blossom Athletic Complex at the corner of Jones Maltzberger and Bitters, this patch will feature over 1,500 giant gourds for you to pick from. Pumpkins are being delivered on October 13th!

Fall Festivals

Circle Fest – Saturday, October 27, 4PM to 8PM. Come enjoy a unique evening of great food, live music, kids activities, world storytelling and more! This unique family run co-operative school is located just north of downtown, near the Witte Museum, and holds this festival annually as a fundraiser for its diverse students. Most famous is its annual Pumpkin Path, in which visitors are led through a candlelit trail of mystery and world cultures.

Baketoberfest – Saturday, October 20, 4:30PM to 11PM at AT&T Center. In partnership with the St. Mary’s University Alumni Association, creators of the Fiesta Oyster Bake Heritage Festival, the AT&T Center is hosting the first annual Baketoberfest at the Bud Light Courtyard on October 20th. The Baketoberfest fall festival will feature all your favorite Oyster Bake foods, plus a stellar country music lineup including Roger Creager, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, Texas Tornados, and Jack Ingram.

BOOtanical Fall Festival October 28th at the San Antonio Botanical Garden from 9AM to 4PM. Features kids costume parades, gak slime wars, face painting, and botanical crafts. For the adults in the bunch, there will be a massive plant sale (the last one for the year) with plants ranging from $3 to $5, depending on quantity purchased. All activities are free with paid admission to the Botanical Garden. San Antonio Botanical Society members enjoy free admission year round.

Milberger’s Nursery Fall Extravaganza – This local nursery at 3920 North Loop 1604 in San Antonio features a monster maze! Come and join them on Saturdays and Sundays from 10AM to 2PM for train rides! They also have elaborate decor and a large pumpkin patch open with all sizes of pumpkins available. The nursery is open to the public 7 days a week.

image courtesy of RichardBowen

Filed Under: Local Events Tagged With: san antonio, pumpkin patch, fall, festival, local, events

The Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery

April 4, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery - San Antonio

Real estate agents love a good celebration and Kimberly Howell Properties is no different. When it comes to office celebrations, we head to The Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery to satisfy our sweet tooth. I’m not sure how or when Kim Howell discovered this place, but in our office, there is no other place in town that compares.

Don’t let the name fool you, I have yet to even have a slice of cheesecake from The Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery, but if it’s even half as good as their cake and cupcakes, it must be heavenly. Their cakes and cupcakes get high marks for the consistency of the cake itself – moist and packed with flavor. Their “plain” (if you could call them that) chocolate and vanilla cupcakes are absolutely the best in simplicity. For more complex tastes, try the lemon cupcakes (filled with a zesty lemon filling) or the orange creamsicle cupcakes. I have multiple cakes on my personal “must try” list and I intend to get to them as soon as possible.

Next time you’re looking for some decadent deserts, give The Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery a try – you can thank me later. They also do wedding and specialty cakes – so if you have a need, they’ve got the delicious treats you’re looking for.

The Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery

The Arbor Park Shopping Center
17700 San Pedro Ave., Suite #308
San Antonio, TX 78232
(210) 494-5496
Monday – Friday 10AM-6PM
Saturday 10AM-5PM

They also have an Alamo Heights location in the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center at 999 E. Basse Rd., Suite 138 San Antonio, TX 78209.

Filed Under: San Antonio Places Tagged With: cake, cupcakes, bakery, san antonio, local, cheesecake

South Texas Heritage Pork Farm Dinner

April 3, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

South Texas Heritage Pork Farm - Floresville

“From farm to table” is a phrase we don’t hear often enough. This weekend, I had a chance to experience it…on the farm itself. Slow Food South Texas hosted a Farm Dinner at South Texas Heritage Pork in Floresville. Thanks to my trip to Jason Dady’s Pop Up Farmer’s Market and Feast, I was able to attend this incredible dinner designed and cooked by Chef Steven McHugh of Lüke. In addition to the amazing food, guests were able to wander the farm, talk to the owners, have a few beers, and enjoy the gorgeous scenery laid out before them.

While the guests mingled and enjoyed beers from Alamo Beer Company, plates of appetizers started making their way around. Deviled eggs with crabmeat, oxtail sliders, and fried oysters were a definite hit with people trying to spot the next round coming out in order not to miss the tasty treats. While the band began to play, we took our seats and the food began. Lüke’s famous pretzels with a twist – instead of mustard or butter, a whipped bacon fat with apples and jalapeno. I know my heart probably didn’t love it, but the whipped bacon fat was amazing. Soon, a selection of various pates (made from pork of course) and pickles appeared. I’m not a huge fan of pate, but I did taste them all – they tasted good, I’m just not over the top with my love for pate. The pickles were delicious though, particularly the mustardy cauliflower pickle.

The main course was a Chef McHugh masterpiece. A spicy gumbo made with smoked pork (probably the best smoked pork I’ve ever had), andouille sausage, and rooster. Served with rice, corn bread with tasso, and some amazing collard greens; this dish was awesome. The smoked pork alone would have been enough for me, but everything combined was mind-numbingly delicious.

What made the dinner extra special for me was being seated next to Kelley Escobedo, owner of the farm. The hospitality is always best when you’re with the hosts! Kelley was fun to chat with and learning the story behind the farm and their decision to become farmers (she didn’t grow up a farmer) was really cool. I peppered her with questions about pork and pigs and she was more than happy to answer them all. It was also fun to watch her enjoy Chef McHugh’s take on her product. A seat like that usually gets reserved for VIPs, so I’m not sure how I wound up with it, but I certainly felt like one!

So check out South Texas Heritage Pork (they’re on Facebook too) and check them out at the Pearl Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. They’re great people with a great pork. I’ll be picking up some for the summertime grill season, it’s worth it.

Filed Under: Local Events Tagged With: event, farm, floresville, local, steven mchugh, luke, south texas heritage pork farm, slow food south texas

Pumpkin Patches and Fall Festivals

October 3, 2011 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Pumpkins

Please see our Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival post for 2012 for updated info.

Love Creek Orchards – The Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch is listed as the top pumpkin patch in Central Texas! Pumpkins, apples, fresh cider, hay rides, refreshments, petting zoo, hay bale maze, and more. 13558 State Highway 16 North, Medina TX 78055 (about an hour west of San Antonio). Open every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in October from 10-4. Admission: $5/person

South Texas Maize – Wind your way through the elaborate maze at South Texas Maize. Carved into seven acres of corn stalks, you can wrap up the day celebrating your victory with barrel train rides, corn cannons, bouncing corn poppers, food, pumpkins, refreshments, face painting, and more. 911 US Hwy 90 East, Hondo TX 78861. Hours: Friday 5-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday Noon-5pm. Cost: Adults (12+) $10+tax, Kids (3-11) & Seniors (65+)- $8+tax, Under 3 – Free

Good News Lutheran Church – Annual pumpkin patch in San Antonio. 11020 Old Corpus Christi Rd. The patch is open Monday through Friday 11am-8pm, Saturday 9am-8pm, and Sunday Noon-8pm through Octover 31. Special events include “Fire Truck in the Pumpkins,” the “Trunk-or-Treat Classic Car Show,” and movies in the patch Saturdays at 8pm. Fall Festival on October 30th, 5pm-8pm with hay ride, costume contest, trick or treating, maze, and laser tag (call 210-549-7133 for availability). Cost: FREE!

The Pumpkin Patch at Helotes Fairgrounds – With its fall fun theme, the patch boasts rides, games, live music, food and drink vendors, a petting zoo, and more. Pony rides, a train, and hayride also provide great sources of entertainment for the whole family. Each Saturday The Pumpkin Patch at Helotes Fairgrounds will host a talent show for dance teams, vocalists, magicians, and congressmen; with two winners advancing each round until the finale on October 29. 12210 Leslie Rd in Helotes. Open Thursday 5pm-10pm, Friday 5 pm-12am, Saturday 10am-Midnight, and Sunday 10am-10pm. Admission: 3 and under free, 4-12 yrs – $3, 12+ yrs – $5. Train and hay ride are $2. Petting zoo and all day inflatables (4 different ones) – $3, pony rides – $5. Sno-cone – $1. Various snacks and food vendors $2-$5.

St. Marks United Methodist Church – Kids and pets welcomed to peruse the plump pumpkins. Story times for kids. Free pictures (bring your own camera). Price varies depends on size and variety of pumpkin. 1902 Vance Jackson San Antonio TX 78213.

St. Thomas Episcopal School – Pumpkin patch, hay bale maze, face painting, and photo-opportunities galore. 1416 North Loop 1604 East, San Antonio TX 78232. Tuesday through Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm. School trips and groups welcomed during the week. Admission: FREE!

Bracken United Methodist Church – Hay rides on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Income from selling pumpkins during the Bracken Pumpkin Patch support the Navajo Indians who grow the pumpkins, corn, and gourds; as well as the church’s mission work. There is also a Fall Festival on Saturday, October 29 to include bounce houses, games, music, food, and music. 20377 FM 2252, San Antonio TX 78266. Hours: Daily 9am-Sundown. Admission: FREE!

image courtesy of Kam’s World

Filed Under: Local Events Tagged With: festival, local, events, things to do, corn maze, hay bale maze, pumpkin patch, fall

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