Welcome to Jonas Woods.

Jonas Woods is a small neighborhood located off of Schertz Parkway in Schertz (78154). With three hundred and eleven single-family homes, Jonas Woods offers a community pool and playgrounds and is convenient to New Braunfels, San Antonio, Randolph Air Force Base, Fort Sam Houston and BAMC. Jonas Woods (map) is located close to I35, local shopping abounds along this growing area outside of Northeast San Antonio. If you’re looking for an out of the way neighborhood feel with close to everything access, Jonas Woods might just be the neighborhood for you.

In the middle of somewhere.

I was out in Medina County today, showing a home at 141 Medina Magic in Helotes 78023 to a potential buyer and I spent some time marveling at the Texas Hill Country views. While I was in the gated community of Oak Country (off of Bandera Road, a little south of the town of Bandera), I figured I’d take a drive through and check out some of the homes and scenery of the picturesque hills surrounding the community. As I drove deeper and deeper into the neighborhood, the road narrowed and was surrounded by tall grasses and bushes. I felt like I was far away from everything, in my own little world.

When I took this photo, I had just made a turn around in a rather treacherous part of the road, where most of the blacktop had washed out and been replaced with rocky dirt and the incline forced me to push the gas a little harder than normal to prevent myself from rolling backwards down the hill and into a creek bed.

One of the great things about San Antonio is our proximity to the Texas Hill Country and still having land that is nearly empty, save for the homes of a few people here and there. It’s nice to get away from suburbia and city living. I just may have to go visit this neighborhood again.

Equal Opportunity Housing

Karen Fiddler, a Mission Veijo real estate agent, recently wrote on her ActiveRain blog about an experience with a client that wound up forcing her to make a decision to drop the client based on discrimination and fair housing laws. Typically, when you hear the words discrimination or fair housing laws it is about an agent making a comment that is deemed discriminatory or in violation of the fair housing laws. This case, however, might help shed some light on why we, as Realtors®, sometimes can’t answer your questions.

Texas Real Estate Forms

Section 18.A. of the Buyer Representation Agreement states:

Broker’s services are provided without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status.

Section 21.B. of the Residential Real Estate Listing Agreement Exclusive Right to Sell states:

Fair housing laws require the Property to be shown and made available to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status. Local ordinances may provide for additional protected classes (for example, creed, status as a student, marital status, sexual orientation, or age).

Personal thoughts

When I get to either of these two sections when signing a buyer or seller to an agency agreement, I do the same thing every time. I read the statement (they are located at the end of the documents with several other important notices) to the client and add a note about my personal feelings on discrimination. Although I am only required to satisfy the law, I simply don’t discriminate. End of story. There’s no need for it in my business practice and I don’t have any reason to discriminate. It’s a shame these laws are even needed.

Fair housing laws were designed at a time when they were very necessary and they were a great idea – pushing us towards a more democratic, egalitarian society. If you experience discrimination in housing, you have rights and you should know them. The Department of Housing and Urban Development provides an excellent fair housing fact sheet and information on how to file a complaint if you feel you’ve experienced discrimination in housing.

In Karen’s case, she was being asked to help her clients find an area for them which matched their ethnicity. Although it has been argued before that this is not discrimination, for real estate agents, it is a dangerous question which could lead to a lawsuit. Unfortunately, as with all laws, the pendulum has swung further to one side than the original law (in my opinion) probably meant to. Realtors® should not steer their clients to particular areas of town based on race, religion, etc., but if a client specifically wants to live somewhere that fits that specific demographic, they should be allowed to and (again, in my opinion), their agent should be allowed to talk to them without fear of a lawsuit. Of course, the problem then is that the agent is acknowledging that there is some sort of separation between different areas (ie. that’s the Jewish part of town or that’s the area where all the Italians live) – and in the eyes of the law, that could be negatively viewed as discrimination.

The trouble with it is that if we didn’t need discrimination laws in the first place, we could probably talk more openly on the subject. I’ve always felt that part of the reason that discrimination still exists is because we spend so much focusing on pigeon-holing everyone. The Census wants to know your racial background. Demographic information for neighborhoods is often broken down along racial lines. By continuing to break everything down by these classes (race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status) we create our focus on the distinctions between them and allow the “differences” between us to be marked, tagged, and flagged – which can easily lead to discrimination.

I encourage everyone to be equal opportunity people and as far as my business practice goes, everyone is welcome.

As usual, I must disclose the fact that I am not a lawyer and therefore can’t give legal advice. The opinions I express about discrimination are in regards to my personal beliefs and although they follow the law, they are not necessarily one and the same as the law.

If you’re interested in reading about fair housing laws, check out this post by Patricia Kennedy, a real estate agent in Washington, DC, which opens up the question of whether the fair housing laws are unconstitutional.

photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives

MacArthur Park Offers Big Discounts This Weekend.

Mainstreet Homes in MacArthur Park (located in Converse – map) is having a huge sale this weekend (September 18-19). Ray Mata of Mainstreet Homes (pictured to the left) is the man to talk to. MacArthur Park currently has nine inventory homes available for immediate move-in, plus you can always choose to build a new home.

MacArthur Park offers homes from $120K-160K that are great for first time home buyers looking to live in the Schertz-Cibolo school district. Mainstreet Homes is offering discounts of up to $25,000, closing cost assistance, and upgrade packages. Swing by, take a look at their homes, and speak with Ray and see if MacArthur Park is just what you’ve been looking for. They’re even offering significant Realtor® bonuses (for those agents that might be reading this that have buyers looking in the area). Unfortunately, I’ll be away all weekend with my office for the RE/MAX Access Summer Shindig, so I won’t be here to show you around, but Ray Mata will definitely take great care of you – be sure and tell him I sent you over, he loves knowing where his business comes from. Of course, if you would like some help navigating the buying process after having seen the neighborhood, you can always give me a call.

Welcome to Cobblestone.

Located in the ever-growing Northwest corridor of San Antonio (outside Loop 1604), Cobblestone, is a newer community located off of Culebra Road in San Antonio 78254 (map). This growing KB Home community has floor plans ranging from 1,376 square feet (3 bedroom, 2 bath) up to a 3,728 square foot (3-4 bedroom, 2.5+ bathroom) home and offers exterior finishes in both brick and stone (or both).

This gated neighborhood has a basketball court, pool, club house, and a playscape and is close to shopping, dining, and entertainment along 1604 and Culebra Road. With less than 400 homes planned for the subdivision, it’s the perfect mix of large community without the mass sprawl of some other developments. Cobblestone homes have the advantage of no San Antonio city taxes and are part of the Northside Independent School District.

If you’re thinking of buying a home in the Northwest and would like more information about this community or others in Northwest San Antonio including floor plans, prices, and recent real estate market information and activity, head on over to the contact information page or simply click the “Call Me” button located in the right hand sidebar on this page (or any page on the site).

Narrow streets cause parking nightmares.

The Sagewood neighborhood, nestled between Bandera Road and Mystic Park (map), might be a nice little neighborhood, but some area residents are growing frustrated over parking issues. Traveling through Sagewood it’s not hard to see why there are parking restrictions banning on-street parking. The streets through Sagewood (Griggs Point, Kenrock Ridge, Knights Peak, Montana Bay, Moondance Hill, and Moonwalk Crest) are narrow and any parked cars along the street would make it nearly impossible to drive down the roads (emergency vehicles wouldn’t even fit).

A recent report on KSAT 12 News by Isis Romero gives you a good look at the street parking problems. Cars have been towed and ticketed by City of San Antonio Code Compliance for violating the parking restrictions.

Unfortunately, this parking problem isn’t going away anytime soon, which is a shame. When I lived nearby, my wife and I drove through the neighborhood occasionally around holidays – the sense of community amongst the residents of Sagewood is excellent (check out their Christmas light displays) and the homes are very nice inside. I’ve taken clients to look at homes there and they loved the home and the neighborhood, but every time, the parking issues have kept my buyers from making an offer.

Saturday and Sunday 12-3

I’ll be conducting an open house at 6747 Spearwood in Live Oak 78233 (map) today and tomorrow from 12-3PM. Located in the Auburn Hills at Woodcrest subdivision off of O’Connor Road and I-35, this three bedroom, two and a half bath home has just recently been completed (except for the sod and landscaping) and is being listed at $152, 969 (this price includes incentives tied to use of specific lenders, please ask for details). The price without incentives is $165,469.

Some of the features of this home: extended patio slab, radiant barrier roof sheathing, 9 ft. first floor ceilings, 42 inch upper kitchen cabinets, recess panel maple cabinets, 12 x 12 tile back splash in kitchen, and premium laminate kitchen countertops. The community features a pool, sports court, park, and playground with HOA fees of $302 annually.

Stop by and say hello.

Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling…or maybe just out for a drive to check out some homes, stop on by 6747 Spearwood and say hello. I’ll be there to answer any questions you might have about the home, real estate in general, or just to say hello to the neighbors.

photo courtesy of TheTruthAbout…

Welcome to The Trails at Alamo Ranch.

Like it’s sister community The Terraces at Alamo Ranch, The Trails at Alamo Ranch in San Antonio 78253 is a Ryland Homes neighborhood in the master planned community of Alamo Ranch. Located just minutes (map) from shopping, dining, and entertainment along Culebra Road and 1604, convenience is something you most certainly won’t lack.

A community lap pool, tennis and basketball courts will keep you active and refreshed during the summer months at The Trails at Alamo Ranch. Featuring larger homes from a selection of thirteen floor plans, The Trails at Alamo Ranch offers homes ranging from a four bedroom 2 bath 2178 square feet on-story home starting in the $221Ks (the Lasalle model) to the four bedroom three and a half bath 3565 square feet Chaucer model (a two-story starting in the $269Ks).

If you’d like to take a tour through The Trails at Alamo Ranch (or any other Alamo Ranch neighborhood) and see the homes currently available, contact me.

Welcome to The Terraces at Alamo Ranch.

Located in the master planned community of Alamo Ranch in San Antonio 78253, The Terraces at Alamo Ranch (map) is a community built and designed by Ryland Homes. With nearby shopping along Culebra and 1604, access to highways and hill country, it’s easy to see why this development has already moved into Phase II and released new lots to build new homes on.

Ryland Homes is currently offering sixteen different floor plans in The Terraces at Alamo Ranch, ranging from the Cheyenne, a three bedroom one bath 1556 square foot one-story home starting in the $170Ks, up to the Monterey II, a four bedroom two and a half bath 3330 two-story home starting in the $234Ks. With that many floor plans to choose from, there’s something for everyone in this Alamo Ranch neighborhood.

If you’d like to take a tour through The Terraces at Alamo Ranch (or any other Alamo Ranch neighborhood) and see the homes currently available, contact me.

If you’re thinking of buying a home in The Terraces at Alamo Ranch, you can view the homes currently available by clicking the link below:

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Welcome to Bridgewood Ranch.

Bridgewood Ranch, part of the larger community of Bridgewood, is a large development in San Antonio 78254 located on the Northwest side of town off of Leslie Road (map). Located close to shopping, restaurants, and entertainment along the Culebra commercial corridor at Loop 1604, Bridgewood Ranch is a great location in the Northwest. There are also four other communities to choose from in the development of Bridgewood.

The five local neighborhoods that make up the Bridgewood community are: Bridgewood, Bridgewood Estates, Bridgewood Villas, Bridgewood Ranch and Bridgewood Meadows.

With it’s excellent amenities, such as a pool, clubhouse, basketball court, playground, and soccer fields, Bridgewood Ranch is a very active neighborhood with a very active Homeowner’s Association

If you’d like to take a tour through Bridgewood Ranch (or any other Bridgewood neighborhood) and see the homes currently available, contact me.

If you’re thinking of buying a home in Bridgewood Ranch, you can view the homes currently available by clicking the link below:

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