The Texas Hill Country is the perfect setting for a bed-and-breakfast, which is why there are so many you’ll have trouble deciding which to visit. Here are a few suggestions, sorted by city, of where to go to relax and unwind.

New Braunfels: Lamb’s Rest Inn is a romantic getaway situated on the scenic Guadalupe River. Guests are served a full gourmet breakfast daily. The inn is less than a mile from the historic village of Gruene, Texas.

Another option in New Braunfels is Gruene Apple B&B. Snuggle up in the media room and enjoy a film on the 12 -foot wide screen, or take in the views of the Guadalupe River from your private balcony.

Wimberley: A little farther north, you will find Creekhaven Inn. On the banks of Cypress Creek, this bed-and-breakfast is within walking distance of Wimberley Square, but you may not want to leave the Inn. You’ll love this secluded paradise’s unique décor and hospitable staff.

Also located in Wimberley is Blair House. Blair House is overly attentive to the comfort of their guests, providing warm, friendly service, delicious food, and luxurious amenities.

Fredericksburg: Leave Austin and head west to Fredericksburg for a relaxing time at one of the many bed-and-breakfasts in this Hill Country town. A Place in Time B&B is a historic, traditional-bed-breakfast located blocks from Main Street. You’ll love the gardens on the premises and the wraparound porch that surrounds the building.

A second option to consider in Fredericksburg is the Cottages at Limestone on Main. Close to the historic shopping and restaurant district, this B&B is ideally located. Guests enjoy private cottages with a full kitchen, front porch, and a gourmet breakfast delivered every morning.

If you’ve fallen in love with the Texas Hill Country and a weekend getaway isn’t enough, let Texas Homesites show you land for sale in Texas. Beautiful home sites are available in master planned communities that have all the amenities you want. Begin custom building a home in the Hill Country and reap the benefits of affordable Texas living at a time when the national economy is unstable. For more information, find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter today.

A small town with an intriguing name, here’s what you need to know about Boerne, Texas.

By the numbers: Boerne sits 30 miles northwest of San Antonio and has a population of around 10,000. The city covers a total of 6.1 square miles. Statistically, Boerne is grouped with the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area.

Namesake: The town’s name honors Ludwig Boerne, a German author and publicist. He inspired many young men to leave Germany for America during the 1840s. Ludwig Boerne was part of the German Freethinker movement, which had no religion, and thus churches were not permitted in the city for many years. In 1860, a man named George Kendall wanted to build a Catholic church to honor his wife. He was forced to build south of town, outside the city limits. St. Peter’s Church now stands on Main Street, within Boerne’s present-day city limits.

Attractions: For a small town, Boerne packs a big punch when it comes to things to do and see. A short list includes the Agricultural Heritage Museum, Cascade Caverns, Cave without a Name, Cibolo Nature Center, Enchanted Springs Ranch, and Joshua Creek Ranch.

Legal notes: Interestingly, Boerne was named in a legal case that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court: City of Boerne v. Flores. The then-Catholic Archbishop of San Antonio, Patrick Flores, applied for a building permit to enlarge his church in Boerne. The 1923 mission-style church was located in a historic district, and his permit was denied. In his suit, Flores argued that under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, he had the right to enlarge his church building. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately sided with the city of Boerne, striking down the 1993 act Flores had cited as cause to expand the church building as unconstitutional.

Boerne is one of many Texas Hill Country towns to consider if you’re looking to buy land in Texas. Texas Homesites can show you land for sale in Texas in pristine, master-planned communities. Custom build a home in the serenity of the Hill Country, and enjoy big city amenities just a short drive away. For more information on Texas real estate, find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter.

In today’s society, we lock our front door and turn on the security system, sometimes making it difficult to get to know the new neighbors.  Here are a few helpful hints on how to win them over.

Be patient: Remember all the details of moving into a new home?  There are boxes to unpack, utilities to set up, and you’re extra tired.  Unless you’re interested in helping neighbors with the heavy lifting, don’t bother them until they’ve had at least a few days to get settled.

Introduce yourself: If you want to befriend them, don’t just wave as you pass on your way to work in the morning.  Be purposeful and knock on their door, extend your hand, and introduce yourself.  This is probably best done on the weekend when people are usually home and more relaxed.

Be on alert: You can learn a lot about your neighbors just by paying attention to their habits.  Maybe they love to garden or they get up early every day to walk or jog.  Do they have children, or are they an elderly retired couple?  Pick up a few pieces of information about them so that you’ll have a basis for conversation when the chance arises.

Offer advice: Whether they’ve moved across country or just across town, it always takes times to get your bearings in a new place.  Tell them where you buy groceries, where you take your dry cleaning, what your favorite local eateries are, where the best parks are, what streets to avoid during rush hour, or anything else a local needs to know.  If you’re serious about befriending them, suggest that you all go out to dinner at a local eatery.

Texas communities are notoriously friendly.  If you and your family are looking to relocate, let Texas Homesites show you the options available to you, from gorgeous home sites in master planned communities to golfing communities in Texas.  For more information about Texas real estate, find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter.

You’ve found land you love and you’re eager to begin custom building a home, but you need a floor plan.  Even if you find a plan you love, you will likely want to change things, which is one of the benefits of custom building.  Here are a few details to pay attention to when making final decisions about your new home.

Kitchen: Spend a lot of time hashing out the details of the kitchen.  You may even want to decide what you will store in which cabinets and use this to guide your placement of the major appliances.  Note the size and shape of all the cabinets so you don’t end up with cabinets you don’t use.  Many newer floor plans include built-in desks and a shelf or two for cookbooks in the kitchen, both options that add function and style.

Windows and doors: Carefully consider the placement of windows and doors.  Figure out what direction they will face when the house is completed.  For example, you may not want a wall of windows that face east in your bedroom, especially if you’re not an early riser.  Doors need to be practical.  If you have a deck or patio off the kitchen where you plan to grill and eat, be sure there is easy access from the kitchen to this outdoor space.

Ceiling height: Some homeowners want soaring ceilings while some prefer a more intimate feel in the home and opt for lower ceilings.  Before you build a home with 12-foot ceilings, think about practical matters like changing the light bulbs and dusting the ceiling fans.

Family Room: So often the television is the focal point of the family room.  Begin by deciding where the TV will be placed, and remember you’ll want to avoid a glare.  If you prefer the fireplace to be the focal point, either mount the TV over the fireplace or purchase an armoire that will hide the TV.

Building a home is an exciting venture.  If you’re looking to buy land in Texas, let Texas Homesites show you some available home sites.  Land prices are attractive, and it’s a great time to begin custom building a home in Texas.  Find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Austin is a wonderful place to live.  Whether you’re single and beginning your career, raising a family, or nearing retirement age, Austin offers something for everyone.  Here are 10 highlights of the Austin lifestyle.

1. Appreciate the outdoors: Despite the heat and humidity in the summer months, Austinites love to be outdoors, and the city has an abundance of places to enjoy nature year round.

2. Listen to live music: Known as the live music capital of the world, there is never a shortage of entertainment in Austin.  With over 200 venues that feature live music, whether you’re seeking blues, indie rock, country, or jazz – you can find it in Austin.

3. Embrace the nightlife: Take advantage of the college town atmosphere and lively nightlife in the Texas capital.  Visit Sixth Street with friends and have a drink or two.

4. Sample all the food: Don’t just stick to your favorite restaurants.  Austin is home to many unique eateries, so go out of your way to try as many as you can.

5. Educate yourself: Home of The University of Texas, it’s easy to broaden your horizons in Austin.  Even if you’ve completed your degree, there is always more to learn, so go to summer school or take a night class.  Austin offers endless opportunities to learn and grow.

6. Be sociable: Austin residents are friendly, so embrace the camaraderie.  Return a stranger’s smile, meet your neighbors, and strike up a conversation with friendly people in the park.

7. Love your community: Take pride in the beauty of Austin, because it is unique and beautiful, and so are the people who live there.

8. Cheer for the horns: You can’t spend more than five minutes in Austin without seeing a flash of orange and white, so go ahead embrace the Longhorn fever!  Hook ‘em!

9. Pay attention to politics: Austin is Texas’s capital, so local and state politics are always a hot topic, but national and international issues usually make their way into conversations as well.  Your mother may’ve taught you to steer clear of politics and stick to weather when conversing, but Austinites are informed and opinionated, and they believe that’s a good thing.

10. Beware of the bats: The Congress Avenue Bridge is infamous for the bats that live there during the spring and summer.  Mostly pregnant females, Mexican free-tailed bats arrive in March, migrating north to give birth.  They give birth in June and the bats and their pup hang around (literally) until early fall when they head back South.

Austin and the outlying Texas Hill Country are wonderful places to live, and land is available and affordable.  Find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter today, and let them show you your options when it comes to Texas communities and land for sale in Texas.

When you’re ready to sell your home, you want to put a sign in the yard immediately.  Resist this urge.  Selling your home is a process that begins before you advertise that your house is available for purchase.  Here are some tips on what needs to be done to attract buyers and close the deal.

Repair: Before putting your home on the market, make all necessary repairs.  Once the sign goes up, you’re inviting buyers to come inside and look around, so don’t assume you will have time to fix the leaky bathroom faucet before anyone asks to view the house.  Make a list of everything you need to address before interested buyers come inside, and complete each item on the list before putting the house on the market.  Replace burned out bulbs, retouch paint, and make sure faucets and toilets work properly.

De-clutter: Clean out closets so they appear spacious.  If you have to, rent a storage room to hold off-season clothing and anything else that you need to get out of the house to make it seem spacious, such as large pieces of furniture and exercise equipment.

Depersonalize: You love your belongings, which is why you will take them with you when you move.  Cease thinking of your home as yours and think of it as a commodity to be sold, which means you need to pack and store your personal items.  Potential buyers want to envision themselves and their belongings in the house, and this is easier when your personal photos and collections are out of sight.

Repurpose: Every room in the house should have an obvious purpose.  If the spare bedroom is cluttered with exercise equipment, Christmas decorations, and a desk shoved in the corner, buyers won’t know what the room’s purpose is, and thus how they could use the space.  Bedrooms should be defined as such with a bed, dresser, and a nightstand or two.  An office should contain only office furniture.

Texas Homesites is an excellent source of information on the Texas real estate market.  If you’ve recently sold your home and are looking to buy land in Texas, Texas Homesites can show you a variety of home sites in master planned communities that offer an array of amenities.  For more information, find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter today.

Texas is a fabulous place to live, and the beauty of the state as well as the numerous amenities Texas’ major metropolitan areas offer attract many rich and famous people.  Here are a few famous faces you might spot if you’re out and about.

George and Laura Bush: After eight years in the nation’s capital, the first couple headed home to Texas.  They currently live in a four-bedroom, single-story red brick home in the Preston Hollow section of Dallas, the same neighborhood where the couple lived before Bush entered politics.  The house has no pool (and no helicopter pad), and is a modest home compared to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but Texas will always be home for the nation’s forty-third president.

Michael Dell: The founder and CEO of Dell Computers lives in Austin with his wife Susan.  Their home is estimated to be worth more than $18 million, and it is one of the largest houses in the world.

Lance Armstrong: The seven-time Tour de France champion and Texas native owns two homes in Texas.  Born in Oak Cliff, Texas in 1971, his sporting career began at the City of Plano Swim Club when he was twelve.  Armstrong owns an 8,000 square-foot home in Austin, and is a Longhorns fan.  He also owns a ranch in the *Texas Hill Country.

Kevin Costner: The Academy Award winning actor has a home in Austin and sometimes appears at University of Texas baseball practices and games.  He is a longtime friend of coach Augie Garrido, who once coached at Costner’s alma mater, Cal State Fullerton.  Costner cast Garrido as the manager of the Yankees in the movie For Love of the Game.

Matthew McConaughey: Born in Uvalde, Texas, this Texas native and University of Texas alum resides in Austin with Camila Alves and their two young children.  McConaughey is an avid fan of the Texas Longhorns.

Many people who have the resources to live anywhere in the world choose to live in Texas, and it is truly a great place to call home.  If you’re considering buying land in Texas, let Texas Homesites show you land available in master planned communities or golfing communities in Texas that offer the relaxed, luxurious living you seek.  Find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about what the Texas real estate market has to offer.

If you’re planning a trip to Austin, you may be overwhelmed with all that the Texas capital has to offer. Here are five hot spots that attract Austin residents and tourists on a regular basis.

The Capitol: After the original capitol building burned in 1881, a nationwide contest was held to determine the next builder of the Texas State Capitol Building. The winner was Elijah Myers, and he crafted a stunning piece of architecture that visitors to Austin should take the time to admire. There are free daily tours of the capitol, which features information about the building itself, the Texas Legislature, and a little Texas history. These tours are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Austin’s Children Museum: This museum, located at 201 Colorado Street, is a place the entire family will enjoy. With interactive exhibits, science demonstrations, workshops, camps, and many other special programs, there is something for everyone at this museum. The museum is closed on Mondays, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (special evening hours until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays), and Sunday hours are noon to 5 p.m.

Austin Museum of Art: Located at 823 Congress Avenue, the museum’s focus is twentieth century and contemporary art. It’s worth a second visit if you’ve been before because new exhibits and hands-on activities are frequently added. Educational opportunities include performances, lectures, guided tours, and a hands-on art lab for children. On November 1 of this year, the Austin Museum of Art and the Arthouse at the Jones Center merged into a single entity.

Paramount Theatre: Don’t miss the oldest surviving theatre in Austin. Located at 713 Congress Avenue, the nearly century-old theatre once served as Sam Houston’s office and is a city, state, and national landmark. It currently features everything from film screenings to comedy to children’s shows.

Stubb’s B-B-Q: A popular downtown attraction at 801 River Street, at Stubb’s you can enjoy delicious Texas BBQ while listening to live music. There is a small indoor stage as well as a larger outdoor venue for musicians. Well-known musical acts often grace the stage at Stubb’s, so drop in for dinner because you never know who you might see.

Texas is an exciting place to visit, but an even better place to call home. For more information on Texas master planned communities, land for sale in Texas, and custom building a home, find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter. Texas Homesites can help you with all your real estate needs.

San Antonio is currently the second-largest city in Texas, and its history dates back to the 1600s. The city has played a major role in world and American history and is a fusion of multiple cultures. Here are just a few of the highlights of this fascinating city.

Spanish influence: Seeking to stake its claim in the New World, Spain sent missionaries to colonize the native people. In 1691, a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came to the area that is present day San Antonio on June 13, which is the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua, Italy, so they named the place “San Antonio” in his honor.

Mexican influence: Spain’s hold on the region was weakened by a lack of military support, as well as raids by neighboring Indians. A Spanish mission, Mission San Antonio de Valero, was secularized in 1794 and became a Spanish military installation known as The Alamo. Mexico waged a 10-year war against Spain for independence, and in the end won sovereignty over land that included Texas.

As settlers in the U.S. continued to head west, Mexico encouraged them to purchase land in Texas by offering the land at rates much lower than those in the U.S. After years of this practice, Americans began to outnumber Mexicans in the Mexican held areas of Texas. Santa Anna, the Mexican dictator, decided to end Mexico’s favorable policies toward the American settlers. Tensions began to build, and in 1835 Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

Independence and statehood: A pivotal and now legendary battle in the war for independence from Mexico occurred in San Antonio at the Alamo. One-hundred-and-eighty-nine Texas fighters held off Santa Anna’s 4,000 troops for 12 days, fighting to their deaths. The Alamo fell, but only 46 days later, Sam Houston’s troops won the Battle of San Jacinto, and Texas achieved its independence. In 1848, Texas joined the U.S. as the 28th state. German immigrants poured into San Antonio, bringing European architecture and cuisine to the already multicultural city.

San Antonio and the surrounding areas are wonderful places to call home. If you’re considering buying land in Texas, consult Texas Homesites. We can give you more information on land prices, master planned communities, and golfing communities in Texas. Find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter today.

Austin is well known as the capital of Texas and the home of The University of Texas. It’s an exciting place to live or vacation, but Austin is also a great place to work and do business. Austin boasts a diverse workforce, including many government workers, higher education employees, and a booming technology sector.

Beginning in the 1980s, Austin emerged as a center for technology and business, and in the 1990s adopted the nickname “Silicon Hills.” Austin is home to many companies, technology and otherwise, including several Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered there. Apple, IBM Corporation, National Instruments, Motorola, Freescale Semiconductor, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), Google (new in 2008), and Texas Instruments have prominent regional offices in Austin, and Dell’s worldwide headquarters are located in Round Rock, Texas, a nearby suburb. Companies are drawn to Austin and choose it over cities like New York or Los Angeles because of the well-educated workforce, the low cost of living, and the booming real estate market.

The Texas economy is faring well despite the national downturn. Austin remains a draw for businesses due to low local and state taxes. Low taxes coupled with an attractive pool of workforce talent, many of whom are educated at The University of Texas and desire to stay in Austin, means businesses continue to look to Austin as a beacon in an otherwise increasingly murky economic climate.

If you’re considering a move to Austin or the surrounding Texas Hill Country, consult Texas Homesites about the Texas real estate market. Some of the best land in Texas is available, and we can show you properties in master planned communities, including golfing communities in Texas. For more information about Texas land and Texas communities, find Texas Homesites on Facebook and Twitter today.