SimplySanAntonio HOMEOWNERS IN FOCUS
NUMBER 2
The sun always shines...(well almost always!) According to the U.S. Weather Bureau (a fact cheerfully reinforced by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce), the sun shines on this city 300 days a year. So it’s hardly surprising that SA residents should have such an affinity for outdoor activities. With over 200 city and county parks, pools, skateboard facilities, bike and jogging trails, golf courses, football and soccer venues etc., it’s easy to see why San Antonians take much of their exercise and sports activity out-of-doors, especially as we enter Spring and recognize a fast-approaching Summer with temperatures soon to rise above the 70s and 80s. New parks that have recently “hit the scene” include Phil Hardberger Park, at the intersection of Blanco Road and Wurzbach Parkway, where residents can walk, jog, bike, push baby carriages or study natural foliage and semi-wild animals; and Travis Park, downtown at Navarro and Martin Streets, more or less a performing arts park, where the City’s Centro San Antonio showcases all manner of arts performances, including the long-running Jazz’SAlive, along with food venues (food trucks) and the like for the pleasure of park goers. So join us now as we enjoy the warm weather, while easing into the hot weather with a quick or slow run (depending on your gait) around the park. See page 2 for a select list of area parks with links to trail maps
Spring has Sprung! Get fit NOW! Spring weather has arrived—finally! It’s the perfect time to lace up your sneakers and get outdoors for a dose of physical fitness combined with sunshine and fresh air. Reduce your stress, get in shape and feel good with our myriad of free fitness offerings. Fitness in the Park classes range from yoga and tai-chi to circuit training, aerobics and boot camps. We have offerings throughout the community for easy access. If you enjoy running on our park trails, choose one of our more than 35 parks with outdoor fitness equipment for the added benefit of being able to do strength training in the park as well. Then there’s Fit Mobile SA and Troops for Fitness among the on-going opportunities for San Antonians to get fit and get active. Be ready for swimming suits and shorts. Start toning now!
In issue number 2 of
SimplySanAntonio • AREA PARKS and TRAIL MAPS • STILL MOVING to TEXAS... • HOME REMODELING STILL POPULAR • TERMITES TAKE FLIGHT • SUMMER YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAMS • NEW 2-STEP AUTOMOBILE REGISTRATION
Links to selected Park Trail Maps with Accessibility Information Click each link to find a trail map. These maps, funded through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW)/America Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) grant, include information on grade, cross slope, surface and tread width collected through the High Efficiency Trail Assessment Process (HETEP). Trail Access Information (TAI) signage has been created and installed on trail locations to give park users detailed information from which they can determine if the trail is suited to their needs. • Apache Creek Park • Bamberger Park • Brackenridge Park • Cathedral Rock Park • Comanche Lookout Park • Crownridge Canyon Park • Eisenhower Park • Elmendorf Park • Nani Falcone Park • Friedrich Wilderness Park
• Phil Hardberger Park • John James Park • Leon Creek Greenway Central • Leon Creek Greenway North • McAllister Park • Medina River Greenway • Medina River Natural Area • Millers Pond Park • Mud Creek • Olmos Basin Park
• Salado Creek Greenway Central • Salado Creek Greenway North • Salado Creek Greenway South • O.P. Schnabel Park • South Side Lions Park • Stone Oak Park • Walker Ranch Historic Landmark Park • Woodlawn Lake Park
Texas Continues to Grow in Population By all accounts, Texas continues to gain population, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the state continues to dominate major metropolitan area growth, most notably in its largest, but also smaller, cities. In fact, the changes in population from 2013 – 2014 showed Texas with three of the top five fastest growing cities, with Austin at number one, Houston at two and, yes, San Antonio in fifth place. Other metro areas in the country are growing, as well. Rounding out the Top 10, split evenly between the South and the Mountain West were Raleigh, NC third, Orlando ranked fourth, Denver sixth, followed by Las Vegas, Nashville, Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth in tenth place. To be sure, Houston gained the most population between 2013 and 2014, adding 166,000 new residents. In fact, since 2000, Houston has risen from the nation’s eighth largest metropolitan area to fifth. And for the first time in U.S. history, two of the five fastest growing cities in the nation are in Texas, with Austin coming in at number one. San Antonio, so often overlooked in a state with cities such as Houston and Dallas-Ft. Worth, as a result no doubt of having a smaller metropolitan area (including New Braunfels) than the others, attributes its fifth place ranking in population growth between 2013 and 2014 to something over 25,000 new residents who have seen the light and have moved here. And if there are gains, there must be losses. The largest migration loss was rung up by New York, with Los Angeles and Chicago accounting for substantial migration losses as well.
Home remodeling projects continued to be popular and profitable in 2014 Home remodeling projects in Texas’ major cities continued to be popular and profitable in 2014, according to the 2015 Texas Remodel Valuation Report released today by the Texas Association of Realtors. The report analyzes the recoup costs in 2014 for more than 20 different remodeling projects nationwide, including in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, McAllen and San Antonio. Scott Kesner, chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors, commented, “With housing demand at an all-time high in Texas, even the smallest remodeling projects can contribute to a home’s resale value. Texas homeowners don’t have to make a large investment for their home to sell faster or at a higher price.” Four of the five Texas markets in the report showed gains in project recoup costs in 2014, excluding Houston, which showed small declines in recoup cost growth. For the second year in a row, functional remodeling projects were significantly more profitable than upscale remodels and additions. According to the report, the most profitable remodeling projects were dominated by those that boosted a home’s curb appeal. Steel entry door and garage door replacements ranked among the top five projects in most markets, recouping up to 113.2 percent and 107.6 percent of recoup costs, respectively. Siding, roofing and window replacements – and a new project, stone veneer accents – also frequently yielded higher returns than costs. Projects that maximized a home’s existing square footage and sustainability continued to be popular in 2014, but less so than in 2013. Basement remodels recouped up to 98 percent of project costs, but attic bedroom additions – popular in 2013 – were no longer a top project. Backup power generators, the most profitable project in the 2014 report, remained a top project in
only two markets yet still recouped up to 129.2 percent of project costs. Conversely, big-ticket projects and upscale additions were increasingly less profitable in 2014. The least profitable project in most markets – sunroom additions – recouped only between 29.3 percent and 51.8 percent of the total project cost, 10 percent less on average than in 2013. Kesner concluded, “The most profitable remodeling projects vary not only from market to market, but on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis as well. A Texas Realtor can explain which home improvements are typical for a seller’s neighborhood and are most popular among area homebuyers, as well as provide recommendations for reputable contractors who perform high quality work.” The Texas Remodel Valuation Report is based on survey data from the 2015 Cost vs. Value Report by the National Association of Realtors and Remodeling magazine. The Texas Association of Realtors distributes insights about the Texas housing market each month, including quarterly market statistics, trends among homebuyers and sellers, luxury home sales, international trends and more. To view the Texas Remodel Valuation Report in its entirety, visit TexasRealEstate.com With more than 90,000 members, the Texas Association of REALTORS® is a professional membership organization that represents all aspects of real estate in Texas. TAR advocates on behalf of Texas REALTORS® and private-property owners to keep homeownership affordable, protect private-property rights,and promote public policies that benefit homeowners. Visit TexasRealEstate.com to learn more.
Termites take flight April through September is when termites swarm here in Texas. Scientists still don’t have a clue as to what makes these critters congregate, but this event usually follows a rain shower and typically occurs in the late afternoon or early evening. These swarms serve one purpose: to strengthen the termite gene pool by reproduction of one colony finding a mate from another colony. In order to do that there has to be something that triggers a swarm simultaneously. This is also why so many of them take flight; the odds of them finding a stranger to mate with is relatively low, since their mating flight is short-lived. And as soon as they land their wings fall off. If they are unsuccessful in finding a mate, they simply go off and die. Winged reproductive termites leave the colony enmasse. It is a unique experience that can send waves of both sheer terror and amazement through the bones of any home owner. Look quickly because within 24 hours, it will all be over with little or no signs of it ever having happened. However, if a colony comes out inside of a home, and they cannot find an exit, you will find hundreds of their little wings, probably at a window sill, because they always fly to the light. At a distance, lots of people visually think they are seeing gnats flying everywhere. But up close you will observe an oblong body with no defined waist and two sets of wings of equal length. If you ever see this phenomena, called swarming, get a pill bottle and collect several specimens for a professional to identify to see if they have taken up residence in your home. If you wait, thinking that this mass of bugs isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, you will miss your chance.
Summer Youth Program Registration on Tap
DMV offering new Two-Step to Automobile Registration
Summer is right around the corner. Now is the time to plan for those great summer activities that will nurture and grow children while they’re out of school. That includes the Parks and Recreation Department’s Summer Youth Program. Registration for this affordable quality program began on March 28 and will continue until all centers have full rosters. Twenty-two Community Centers welcome youth ages six to 14 for eight weeks of recreation themed activities. The fun ranges from traditional sports to art exploration to fitness and nutrition to math and science enrichment. Something for everyone! For information on centers that still have availability, as well as dates for the Summer Youth Program school site registration, call 210-207-3000.
The state of Texas has stopped issuing vehicle inspection stickers and now has a “Two Steps, One Sticker” inspection and registration program. Under the new system, Texas vehicle owners will need to pass an inspection prior to renewing their registration. The familiar blue-bordered registration sticker will serve as proof of both inspection and registration. The first year of the program is a transition period, to allow vehicles’ inspection and registration expiration dates to align. Here’s what drivers will need to do: Now through next February, you will be able to renew your registration just as always, as long as your vehicle has a current, passing inspection. However, if your inspection and registration stickers already expired in the same month, your vehicle will need to pass inspection prior to registration renewal. When you renew your annual registration online, by mail, or in person at your county tax office, your inspection status will be verified electronically. From March 2016 and beyond, your inspection and registration will expire at the end of the month indicated on your registration sticker. You will have a convenient 90-day window prior to your expiration date to complete two simple steps: pass the vehicle inspection and renew your registration. Registration renewal will still be available online, by mail or in person at your county tax office (www.Bexar.org.) More information is available at the website: twostepsonesticker.com
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Call me with your real estate related questions.
In this fast-changing city and metro area in which we live,
Whether it’s your first time, or you’re moving up or downsizing, I represent sellers and buyers of fine homes, as well as investment and commercial properties.
it behooves us to stay in touch with the old as well as the new. Change touches all of us. Thus the mission of Simply San Antonio is to highlight change and how it affects us, as homeowners, so that we can
David Simon
make the most of the present and keep a watchful
(210) 573-0643
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eye on the future.
Realtor®, SRES
dsimon@phyllisbrowning.com 14855 Blanco Rd, Suite 403, San Antonio, Texas 78216 Your referrals are always welcome.