HometownGeorgetown.com

Georgetown, Texas has been named the number two best place for small business by Fortune Small Business magazine, behind only Bellevue, Washington. The world is beginning to recognize what an awesome place we are. Give me a call at 512-876-6544 or send an email to Jenel@HometownGeorgetown.com if you’d like me to send you some more information on living and working in Georgetown.

I was at two title companies today, and I heard two tidbits I wanted to share with you. They are very different tidbits, but both equally exciting in their own way.

 While I was waiting in the lobby at Independence Title on Rivery Boulevard near Wal-Mart, a man came in to give the escrow officers some sort of coupon for The Cotton Patch, a new restaurant in town. In fact, the restaurant is so new, it hasn’t even opened yet. That’s the first exciting tidbit - the Cotton Patch will open for business this Friday, March 28 at Wolf Ranch Mall. I was interested to learn that they will not be open for breakfast. The man (presumably, the manager) told me that they will be open for lunch and dinner only. You can click the link above to see their menu.

The second exciting tidbit, I learned while bringing a contract to Georgetown Title on Rock Street. My experience is that sales are really picking up these days, but I wanted the escrow officer’s take. Since they work with REALTORS from every agency in town, they have a grasp of the overall market. So I asked if they had noticed an increase in business lately, too. The response I got was kind of a combination of a gasp and a groan, a major eyeroll, and then hearty nodding. They said they have a new assistant, and every time a new contract comes in, the assistant says, “Are you kidding me?” She can’t believe how much work is constantly flowing in. They said that Mondays are especially busy because of all the deals going under contract over the weekends.

According to an article in the Statesman this morning, sales of existing homes rose 2.9 percent in February. The experts had expected a small decline, so this increase took them by surprise. (I’m not sure what they mean when they say “a seasonally adjusted rate,” and the article doesn’t explain it. I’ve been very busy lately here in Georgetown, and I’ve been receiving calls and emails from new buyers with some regularity. Our upper-end price range is still suffering from slow sales, but I’m hopeful that they will rise as summer approaches.

 As far as new home sales go… Anecdotally, I can tell you that the sales agents of a couple of builders with developments here in town - Green Builders and Taylor Morrison Homes - told me that they’ve seen an increase in sales lately. Swing through a neighborhood with new homes, and you’ll see lots of “Sold” signs in the yards these days. If you’re interested in buying a new home, please call me. I can help you find the neighborhood and the builder right for you. My number is 512-876-6544.

The sales aren’t coming as fast and furious as I’d hoped they would be. In fact, this week saw ten fewer sales than the same period last year. A total of $2,638,172 in residential transactions closed this week in Georgetown East and West, as compared to $4,596,795 in 2007. We do have a lot of properties that went into pending status, where an offer was made and accepted, so I expect our sales numbers to rise soon. Two different builder sales agents have told me that their new home sales are increasing dramatically over the past week or two.

24 homes have gone into pending status this week. 14 of those homes are priced at under $200,000. Only one is priced at over $400,000. The pending homes have been on the market an average of 62 days, significantly less than the 94-day average for homes that saw a price change this week. 11 of the pending homes have been on the market less than a month.

13 homes were withdrawn from the market and 8 listings expired without selling. Of those 21 homes, 8 were in Sun City. 9 of the 24 pending homes are in Sun City, so don’t worry too much about the state of sales in that neighborhood.

I usually try to write about my Leadership group the day after the actual meeting, but work got in the way this week. (That’s a good thing - it’s good to be busy!) So here we are, four days later, and I finally have the chance to sit down and tell you about everything we learned.

We started out our morning at R.O.C.K. (The Ride On Center for Kids), a fabulous nonprofit that was started right here in Georgetown in 1998 by Nancy Willis (now Nancy Willis O’Meara). One of my Leadership cohorts is Joan Schroeder, who is Program Director at R.O.C.K. The program uses horse-riding therapy to enrich the lives and improve the health of people with special needs in Williamson County. For example, a child with cerebral palsy might do horse-riding rehabilitation in order to improve her balance and strengthen her core muscles. Does great stuff for her self-esteem, too! In recent years, they have begun to help soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they’re on the lookout now for veterans to help their wounded comrades as they receive this life-changing therapy.

After R.O.C.K., we rolled on over to Seton Medical Center Williamson (SMCW) near the intersection of FM 1460 and University Boulevard in Round Rock (not to be confused with University Avenue in Georgetown). I was surprised to see a Valet Parking sign outside the hospital. Valet parking? Really? At a hospital? But when you stop to think about it, it makes a lot of sense. A lot of infirm people visit the hospital. It’s nice that they don’t have to walk a great distance to get in.

The luxury doesn’t stop at the door, either. Behind the reception desk, there’s a beautiful water wall, with water cascading straight down over a mosaic cross. Mark Hazelwood, President and CEO of SMCW, told us that the water wall and the neutral earth tones of the lobby had been designed to lower the stress level of patients and their visitors as soon as they enter the facility.

SMCW was designed entirely to provide first-class service to the patients. They even offer room service, and not the “you get what you get” kind of room service at most hospitals. At SMCW, as long as a patient is not on a restricted diet, he can order what he wants from a room service menu, and so can his visitors. Mark Hazelwood was particularly proud of SMCW’s labor and delivery services. Every large, nicely appointed room has an extra bed so that family can spend the night with the new mom. The baby stays in the mother’s room as well, if possible. If you know someone who’s planning to have a family soon, be sure to tell her to check out SMCW when making the decision of where to have the baby.

We were also visited by Allyson Brandt, who is coordinating the Texas A&M Medical School program that is set to start in Round Rock this June. That’s right, Aggies in Longhorn country. Could be trouble.

Approximately 16 third year medical students will rotate through Williamson County over the course of this coming academic year. They will attend the same lectures as their peers in Aggieland, but they will attend through distance learning seminars (videoconferencing). Then they will get practical experience under the wings of a number of local doctors. Participating institutions include the St. David’s, Scott & White, and Seton hospitals in Round Rock, as well as the Lonestar Circle of Care, a group of 8 federally funded clinics that serve the uninsured and underinsured citizens of Williamson County.

Recently, Texas A&M was given a parcel of land along 1460 immediately south of CR-112. On this land, they will someday build their medical school. At the moment, they’re based at Old Town Square, at the junction of Highway 79 and I-35. This whole northeastern area of Round Rock seems to be turning into a medical corridor. It will be interesting to watch it develop in years to come.

Today, I attended the Business Network Lunch put on by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. This is one of my favorite meetings to attend, and I try to make it every month. With other groups, there are often guest speakers who, interesting though they may be, mean that you’re not given the opportunity to talk to your tablemates. You have to be polite and quiet and just listen while the speaker enlightens you. The Business Network Lunch is all about - you guessed it - networking.

ie, making connections.

ie, talking. You may not realize this about me, but I love to talk! (This will not come as a surprise to anyone who’s met me.)

Our lunch this month was sponsored by Tamiro Ventures, the real estate development folks who are bringing us Tamiro Plaza, which promises to be a beautiful addition to our downtown. Robert Choi of Tamiro Ventures said that his company redesigned the building three or four times before they were given the necessary permits to build. He said this with a lot of admiration for Georgetown in his voice, because this city is determined to retain our charm. We want development in Georgetown, but we want it to be development that enhances our town.

Tamiro Plaza, designed by Francisco Choi (it’s a family business), is under construction and is set to open this summer on the corner of Austin Avenue and 5th Street. Robert Choi announced at the Chamber lunch that they had just received confirmation that a high-end restaurant will open on the fourth floor, and this restaurant will have panoramic views of the Hill Country surrounding Georgetown. Other tenants will include doctors, lawyers, and businesses that represent “the first, the best, the only” business of their kind in the downtown area, according to the younger Mr. Choi. In just one year, we’ll see big changes along Austin Avenue.