Shirley's San Antonio Real Estate Blog: February 2008

Let's all give Active Rain newcomer Laurie Mah a big welcome.

Laurie is a licensed REALTOR® in Ennis, Ellis County, TX. She is with RE/MAX Bluebonnet Country. Laurie has a very interesting background that she has shared on her website http://www.lauriemah.com/  I find the article on Laurie and her family featured in the February edition of Ennis Now Magazine very interesting.

Laurie-would you care to share with us how you came to live in Ennis, Texas?</p

Recently, I had the pleasure of representing a young couple in the purchase of a beautiful new home in The Forest of Garden Ridge located, of course, in Garden Ridge TX... just outside San Antonio. These outstanding homes are built by Rialto, formerly known as Sheridan Homes. For the quality provided, these homes provide outstanding value. The designs, materials, upgrades, custom options, and construction reflect high standards of excellence and the staff is committed to customer satisfaction.

If you are looking for value and affordability in an exclusive area, I highly recommend a visit.  Natural Bridge Caverns is nearby. Garden Ridge is one of my primary areas and I will be happy to provide any information on schools, restaurants, and homes to anyone who is interested. This area has convenient access to Ft. Sam Houston, Brooke Army Medical Center or BAMC, and to Randolph Air Force Base.

 Luxury Homes from the $360's

To search for home listings in San Antonio go to www.shirleyparks.com or call me at 210-414-0966.

Renaissance is located in the Northeast Independent School District.

The current school assignments are:

Wilderness Oaks ES,

Jose Lopez MS

Ronald Reagan HS

To search for home listings in San Antonio go to www.shirleyparks.com or call me at 210-414-0966.

Homes in Shavano Park range in price from apprx $350,000 to appx. $1,250,000.  The school district is Northside Independent School District or NISD.

Schools in the area are:

Elementary
Heubener Elementary School
(210) 408-5525
16311 Huebner Rd
San Antonio, TX

Huebner Elementary School
(210) 408-5525
16311 Huebner Rd
San Antonio, TX

Child Montessori School
(210) 493-6550
2829 Hunters Green St
San Antonio, TX

Oak Meadow Elementary School
(210) 408-5500
2800 Hunters Green St
San Antonio, TX

Locke Hill Elementary School
(210) 561-5055
5050 De Zavala Rd
San Antonio, TX

Judson-Montessori School
(210) 492-3553
17722 Rogers Ranch
San Antonio, TX


Middle
Judson-Montessori School
(210) 492-3553
17722 Rogers Ranch
San Antonio, TX

William Hobby Middle School
(210) 690-6300
11843 Vance Jackson Rd
San Antonio, TX

Concordia Lutheran School
(210) 479-1477 Web Site
16801 Huebner Rd
San Antonio, TX

Alamo Montessori Learning
(210) 690-3400
10918 Wurzbach Rd
San Antonio, TX

St Matthew's Catholic School
(210) 696-7433 Web Site
10703 Wurzbach Rd
San Antonio, TX

Castle Hills First Baptist
(210) 377-3030 Web Site
2220 NW Military Hwy
San Antonio, TX


High
Thomas C Clark High School
(210) 561-5150
5150 De Zavala Rd
San Antonio, TX

Blessed Hope Academy
(210) 697-9191
4944 Research Dr
San Antonio, TX

Winston Churchill Senior High
(210) 442-0800
12049 Blanco Rd
San Antonio, TX

Castle Hills First Baptist
(210) 377-3030
2220 NW Military Hwy
San Antonio, TX

Cornerstone Christian School
(210) 979-6161
4802 Vance Jackson Rd
San Antonio, TX

Health Careers High School
(210) 617-5400
4646 Hamilton Wolfe Rd
San Antonio, TX

Destiny Christian Schools
(210) 349-2321
8635 Callaghan Rd
San Antonio, TX

Holmgreen Jr Sr High School
(210) 617-5460
8580 Ewing Halsell Dr
San Antonio, TX

Northside Vocational Program
(210) 615-2401
4711 Sid Katz Dr
San Antonio, TX

Winston School San Antonio
(210) 615-6544
8565 Ewing Halsell Dr
San Antonio, TX

To search for home listings in San Antonio go to www.shirleyparks.com or call me at 210-414-0966.

I am not a fan of flying and I will probably never own a home in a residential airpark.  That being said, it is a form of residential home ownership I find fascinating.  Airparks are becoming surprisingly more common across the U.S.  There are more than 400 airparks nationwide, approximately 35 in Texas, and 6 in San Antonio.   Some are located in remote areas with ownership shared by a few people.  But some are much larger, such as Spruce Creek in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Spruce Creek has 1,200 homesites and multiple runways.  One benefit is that instead of keeping a plane at a public airport and paying up to $1,000 for hangar space, an airplane owner can use the money to pay for their own home and airpark.  Many of the people who choose to live in airparks are, of course, people who can afford it and either use their planes for business or simply enjoy the lifestyle that having their plane in their own backyard affords them.  Although many airparks do not have air control towers, they have an excellent safety record and must receive the necessary approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration for the airstrip.  I have friends who live in an airpark here in San Antonio and they love it but I am too much of a Fraidy Cat to venture into this type of homeownership.  I prefer Terra Firma with my feet planted firmly on the ground.  

More information can be found at www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio .

Refrigerators, sinks, stoves in Avacado Green or Harvest Gold.  Shag carpeting, also in avacado or gold, kept fluffy by a carpet rake. Dark panelling in the den, carpet in the bathroom. Lava lamps.  I laugh out loud when I think back to the day when everyone, including myself, thought these items of interior decor were really cool... the newest thing.  And now when I preview or show homes, if these things are present, they are considered to be ugly, outdated, must be replaced or a redecorating allowance considered.  Even before those Harvest Gold, Avacado Green days, "wall to wall carpet" was worthy of an oooh or an aaah and wood floors were rejected.  But now wood floors are worthy of an oooh or an aaah.  How times change.  Sometimes I wonder how the interior decor we now think of as beautiful and the newest thing will look to our eyes in twenty or thirty years.

Garden Ridge Texas  78268
Garden Ridge, Texas is a small Texas town with a population of approximately 2,000 and growing. Garden Ridge is located about 3 miles west of Interstate 35 on FM 3009 (Natural Bridge Caverns Rd.) and approximately 4 miles northeast of San Antonio's  Loop 1604 and Rolling Oaks Mall via Nacogdoches Road  With this location Garden Ridge offers convenience to San Antonio  amenities while maintaining the atmosphere of a small town. One of the main streets in Garden Ridge is "Bat Cave Road".

Tourist attractions near Garden Ridge are:

Natural Bridge Caverns

Wild Life Ranch 

To search for home listings in San Antonio go to www.shirleyparks.com or call me at 210-414-0966.

Northern Hills is located in Northeast San Antonio, TX 78217 and is the site of approximately 1750 homes in the area bounded by Thousands Oaks, Scarsdale, Stahl Road, Higgins Road, and Uhr Lane.

Northern Hills is the home of the Northern Hills Country Club, 13202 Scarsdale St.

The Golf Club is an 18 regulation hole course of 6,627 yards winding among the homes located on the southern end of Northern Hills. The course is open to the public.

Northern Hills is located in the Northeast Independent School District.  Children are currently attending the following schools. Northern Hills Elementary, Clara Driscoll Middle School and James Madison High School.

To search for home listings in San Antonio go to www.shirleyparks.com or call me at 210-414-0966.

McArthur Terrace, San Antonio, TX 78217

McArthur Terrace is a subdivision located in the near North Central area of San Antonio. Located between Nacogdoches Road and Broadway off of Bitters. The area is convenient to Loop 410, IH 35 and San Antonio International Airport.

McArthur Terrace was established in 1965 and was a premier community north of downtown. Today the community remains an attractive area for buyers due to the location and the proximity to the following NEISD schools Regency Elementary School, Garner Middle School, and MacArthur High School.

To search for home listings in San Antonio go to www.shirleyparks.com or call me at 210-414-0966.