October 2021 Austin Residential Real Estate Market Statistics

Data compares October 2020 to October 2021.  Visit abor.com/marketstatistics for more information and for charts on additional counties in Austin's MSA.   

Visit us at Floyd Real Estate, LLC, if you are thinking about buying or selling property (residential, commercial, or land) in the Central Texas area.   We would be happy to advise you on your real estate related needs.  

Floyd Real Estate is a Texas real estate brokerage, TREC Lic. #9003790

Hiking: Guadalupe Mountains National Park

On the Tejas Trail in the Guadalupe Mountains

Have you wondered where the highest point in Texas is located?  It's Guadalupe Peak, way out in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas.  You can see the backside of it in the above photo which I took while hiking in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (GUMO).  The park is located about 50 miles north of Van Horn (which is about 120 miles from El Paso on I-10) and is relatively close to Carlsbad (home of the eponymous caverns).  Why am I posting about this?  I'm going in  2022 (relatively early, before it's too hot).

I've hiked in the park twice.  The first time was to the top of Guadalupe Peak.  The second time, I did the Bowl Loop (short version) which included going to the top of Hunter Peak and this (pictured above) sunset hike down the Tejas Trail.  On the second trip I also hiked Devil's Hall and visited the sand dunes (on the other side of the park, near Dell City).  Not only do I recommend visiting GUMO, but I also recommend any of the above excursions.  

Here are a few thoughts, compressed into bullet points instead of flowing prose:

• You must now reserve a campsite in the Pine Springs campground.  The freewheeling days of first-come-first-serve are over.  
• See my previous post on hiking up Guadalupe Peak.   Obviously, the above bullet point supersedes the previous point on Pine Springs.  Also, if you camp on the peak trail (backpacking style) you must now pack out your own solid waste (like you might do for your dog at the dog park).
• I highly recommend taking hiking poles.  There are plenty of areas with loose rocks and an incline.  My poles kept me from doing a face-plant while walking down the Tejas Trail.
• Pack plenty of water.   On the trails I have hiked, there is none.   Also, it's the desert and you will lose more water than you think.  
• Another thing about the trails: the Guadalupe Peak trail is well-trafficked.   Not so much for the other trails I've been on.  When I hiked up to the Bowl, I ran into one person over the course of several hours.  Cell coverage is almost non-existent, so if you go alone then let someone know where you're going.  
• Visit the Salt Basin Dunes at sunset.  The sight of the twilight on the sides of the cliff walls below the peak is fantastic.  

These are my preliminary thoughts as I'm planning for the upcoming trip.  I'll post an update about the trip (should it reveal itself to be a post-worthy experience).  

Looking East, From Top of Hunter Peak

Backside of Guadalupe Peak, Seen From Tejas Trail

Floyd Real Estate: AYLA Tailgate Sponsorship

 

Floyd Real Estate was a Championship Sponsor of the Austin Young Lawyer's Association ("AYLA") tailgate last Saturday.  Here's what I posted on our Floyd Real Estate Facebook page:

On Saturday Floyd Real Estate was proud to have been a championship level sponsor of the Austin Young Lawyers Association (AYLA) Tailgate for a Cause benefitting the YMCA Holiday Toy Drive. It was a fun event, and we appreciate AYLA's fundraising efforts for the Austin community.

 It's great being back out and sponsoring events again.  In September we had the real estate brokerage sponsor an AYLA Docket Call happy hour at Star Bar.   My wife and I enjoy working with AYLA as we were once active members and were both on the board (you can scroll through the archives for more on some of our past activities).  

Podcast Reviews Face/Off; I Recommend Some Movies

 If you have ever seen the movie Face/Off, you should listen to the podcast How Did This Get Made? review it.  I saw Face/Off in the theater and maybe once while procrastinating reading cases during law school.  I had forgotten how delightfully over-the-top nuts said movie is.  Thanks to the panel of comedians commenting and the source material the podcast is hilarious.  I was listened to it while training for a backpacking trip and kept stopping to laugh.  

If you're looking for good movies with Nicolas Cage, I highly recommend Raising Arizona.  It is a bona fide classic and should be viewed by anyone who likes comedy.  

My favorite John Travolta movie is Pulp Fiction, with Get Shorty in second place (you've probably seen the former, but if you haven't seen the latter it is worth watching).  If you want to watch a period drama about 1980's Houston (and that is a big "if"), then rent Urban Cowboy.  

Sci-Fi: Dune

 Like Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049, this movie needs to be seen on a big screen.  I'm not going to get into detail about the film itself (the internet is already full of reviews and commentary on it), but I will  say the visuals are amazing and it paces the source material well.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and am probably going to see it again at an IMAX.  

If you are unfamiliar with the Dune source material, Screen Rant has some good background articles (though I disagree with their review calling the movie "emotionless").  Also, this version of Dune is explicitly part 1 of a larger story, so don't be surprised when it ends abruptly (about halfway through the book).  Part 2 of Dune is slated to come out in October 2023.  

Zilker Area News: Ski Shores on Barton Springs to Become Lou's

Earlier tonight I read on Eater Austin that McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality has bought both locations of Ski Shores.   Each restaurant is now closed for renovations.   While the original Lake Austin location (opened in 1954) is being spruced up but essentially remaining the same, the landlocked Barton Springs location (formerly an Austin Java before a run as Irish themed Darcy's Donkey) will reopen with the name Lou's.  Eater Austin says Lou's will have a casual menu and should be open by March 2022.  

Trivia Night Update

 

As you may know, we had to cancel our live and in-person August trivia night.   We are currently aiming for a return to live trivia in mid-late January.  I'll announce the date/location here, but you can also follow the Floyd Real Estate Trivia Series on Facebook*.

*We have no plans to move trivia to the metaverse.