Information about Real Estate

According to AXA, the global insurance specialists, the current state of the nation will see up to 500,000 Britons flee the UK in 2008, with a survey from HSBC revealing that Britain is now not even considered a good place to live by people from other countries.

So it seems that the UK is set to suffer considerably from the disastrous state of the economy, and from the government’s attempts to solve the significant financial problems that Great Britain is facing.

Added to these predictions and survey findings are the bare facts that one person is being declared bankrupt or insolvent in the UK every five minutes, over 100 properties are being repossessed in Britain each day, and average household debt has reached GBP 9,500 as the personal economic situation of Britons worsens.

Reacting directly to these worrying facts, Julian Walker, the Managing Director of Turkish property specialists Spot Blue, has spoken out about the choices that Britons realistically now have to face.

In a recent interview, Walker explained that in his opinion there is only one logical choice for British citizens who want to escape the winter of discontent that’s fast enveloping the entire nation:

“Britain’s economy is severely stretched and we have to accept that the fiscal landscape of our nation will never be the same again. It’s the real people who are being affected by the sorry state of the economy, and as every person in this country knows, we haven’t even begun to see the final repercussions of the crisis yet.

“As billions of pounds have been wiped off the stock markets and banks around the world teeter on the brink of bankruptcy, it’s the pensioners and soon-to-be-retirees who are going to be most radically affected in these very tough times.

“The value of pensions are being decimated, and as inflation has been edging upwards in Britain, the real cost of living for those in, or about to enter retirement is becoming worryingly ever more expensive.

“If people want to escape the UK meltdown and enjoy a comfortable and prosperous future, they increasingly realise that Britain is not the nation for them in retirement - and in our opinion at Spot Blue, Turkey is one of the few logical choices for those seeking the perfect balance of lifestyle and financial advantages.

“In Turkey, British retirees are made to feel welcome by the local people from the very first day of their new life abroad - and with HSBC offering over 18%pa on deposits, Britons will immediately see the value of living in Turkey in terms of the more positive state of their bank balance.

“With low property prices and the cost of day-to-day living in Turkey is a fraction of what it is in the UK - from council tax to heating bills, Turkey is significantly cheaper.

“The climate in Turkey’s southern coastal regions is also much warmer and sunnier than the British climate, which means that people spend far more time outdoors and engaged in outdoor activities, which is better in terms of health benefits.

“The shorter and warmer winters and longer spring and summers naturally reduce heating and fuel costs, and with all that additional sunshine, the local grown produce - the majority of which is organic - is healthier, tastier, more abundant and therefore very good value for money.

“We’re seeing greater interest among British retirees for property in Turkey, with those who contact us keen to benefit from our wealth of experience and local knowledge to help them find a house, make a home and start a brand new life in Turkey - well away from the British weather and the British economic turmoil.

“For the short to medium-term all Britons are aware that the United Kingdom will not be a comfortable, affordable, prosperous or positive place to be, and so we agree with AXA’s predictions and are confident in stating that ever greater numbers of Britons will chose expatriation over debt and poverty.

“In our opinion, Turkey is the number one choice for those who want to live a fantastic quality of affordable life in an accessible, stable and rapidly advancing nation.”

Spot Blue offers unbiased and impartial advice about buying property and land in Turkey, and it offers those interested in starting a new life in Turkey a wealth of local Turkish knowledge. www.spotblue.co.uk/

Marble Falls is a small city on the shores of the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country. The city was founded in 1887 by General Adam R. Johnson, and incorporated in May of 1907. Marble Falls is located 47 miles northwest of Austin and 85 miles north of San Antonio, so it is centrally located and accessible from two large metropolitan areas.

Marble Falls is in the middle of the Highland Lakes chain, and after the construction of the dam which created Lake Marble Falls, the marble falls themselves were no longer visible, unless the lake levels were lowered by the Lower Colorado River Authority, which caused them to be visible in certain locations.

Marble Falls, frequently referred to as the Gateway to the Hill Country, was originally founded when Adam Rankin Johnson traveled down the Colorado from Fort Mason to see the “great falls”, as they were called at the time, and obtained land grants with the intention of settling near the falls, until he discovered the certificates were worthless and settled instead in Burnet with his wife Josephine, in 1861.

Johnson had intended to help build a great manufacturing community, powered by energy from the falls, but after settling with his wife in Burnet, joined the Confederate army, and was later blinded by a rifle ball in combat.

Johnson later was employed by the land office in Burnet for years, where his reputed excellent memory and his son’s help allowed him to overcome the limitations caused by his blindness and succeed in making land deals. In 1887, he finally purchased land in the Marble Falls area, and built a home for his family there. The home faced south, directly toward the majestic falls, and his family members gave him daily reports of their beauty so he could visualize them as he remembered them.

The community later thrived and became a cotton center, known as “The Blindman’s Town”, and Johnson’s home, named Liberty Hall, was later purchased by Orphelia “Birdie” Harwood and her husband George, in the early 1900s, and was later named Harwood house, but is still referred to as Liberty Hall or Liberty House by some.

The house was bought in 1946 by Bill and Eunice Hall, and their son, and is now a commercial building, but prior to their purchase of the home, “Birdie”, as Mrs. Harwood was called, was elected mayor of the community, and while teaching at the local school, loaned supplies to one of her students, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who later went on the fame as a political force in Texas and later the president of the United States. Johnson along with his family, is one of the most notable early residents of Marble Falls.

In 1970, home mail service began in Marble Falls, and Horseshoe Bay, a beautiful lakeside resort replete with a golf course and various water sports such as boating and canoeing, restaurants, and other facilities and activities, was built on the shores of the lake. Lake Marble Falls itself was created in the forties by the construction of Buchanan Dam, along with Starke and Wirtz Dams, and the other Highland Lakes were created around the same time, by damming the waters of the Colorado River.

Lake LBJ is also very close to the city of Marble Falls, and two of the dams used to partially create Lake Marble Falls were rebuilt in the year 2000. Earlier, in 1980, a new high school was built to improve the academic performance of the area students, and ten years later, the internet was introduced in Marble Falls, allowing even more access to reference materials for the residents of the growing community.

Today, Marble Falls is an established community. The yearly Lakefest in August draws throngs of visitors, as do various attractions including numerous restaurants, a movie theater, many R.V. parks, a public golf course called Meadowlakes, and a plethora of gift shops, antique stores, bed and breakfast inns, and a variety of unique local attractions.

Marble Falls has a large community of retirees, as well as residents who spend their winters in the town, due to its mild climate. Some of the popular local restaurants include the Blue Bonnet Cafe and Russo’s Texitally Cafe, and Rockhopper’s Family Fun Center offers miniature golf and other games and sports.

If peaceful, rural living, as well as scenic beauty and numerous amenities are your cup of tea, come to Marble Falls and experience the best Texas has to offer!

Ki helps buyers interested in Austin real estate www.escapesomewhere.com his website has a free search of the Austin MLS www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_searchthemls.html along with updates on his Austin real estate blog www.escapesomewhere.com/austinblog/

Pflugerville is the name of a very rapidly expanding small city northeast of Austin, and there are many opportunities in the city of Pflugerville. The city was originally named for the Henry Pfluger family in 1849, and the city was first expanded after a dam was constructed in the 1850s on the Gilleland Creek which provided water for the train and facilitated the construction of roadways. The small city is situated on the Williamson County and Travis County boundary, so there are parts of the city in both counties.

The plat for the city of Pflugerville was registered in February of 1904 by George Pfluger and his son Albert, and many of the wooden downtown structures on Main and Pecan were built by Conrad Pfluger in the early 1900s. The first cotton gin in the city was also built in 1904, but was destroyed by a fire in 1931, but rebuilt later on the same site.

The first bank in Pflugerville was also administered by members of the Pfluger family in 1906, and it was named Farmers State Bank of Pflugerville. Mr. William Pfluger was the first bank president, and the first cashier was Mr. A.W. Pfluger. Also, the Pfluger Press initiated weekly newspaper service in 1907, and continued printing until 1942 on a weekly basis.

The city of Pflugerville covers an area of 11.3 square miles, and is 14 miles northeast of downtown Austin, and the city has one body of water, Lake Pfluger, which was built in 2005 as a reservoir and city park. In the census of 2000, there were 16,335 reported residents and 5,146 households in Pflugerville, but that number has steadily grown, and by 2005, the reported population was over 27,000, almost double the 2000 figure.

In December of 2007, the city annexed a few residential neighborhoods, and the estimated population following the annexation was over 35,000 inhabitants, including the new residents. With the recent expansion of the new toll road, State Highway 130, which runs through the city and intersects with State Highway 45 in Pflugerville, the city is even more accessible to Austin, as well as many smaller cities in the area.

The percentage of residents who are male is Pflugerville is about 49%, compared to 51% female, and the median home value in the small city is around $173,000. The residents are more affluent than average for a city in Texas, with the average median income being about $78,000 in the town, compared to about $44,000 for Texas in general.

There are three high schools in the area, although one is technically in Austin, but high school students in Pflugerville attend all three. Pflugerville High is the first and original high school, and Hendrickson High is in eastern Pflugerville, where there is a great deal of new development. Connally High is on the northeastern edge of Austin, but some Pflugerville students attend the school.

Most of the residences in or near downtown and central Pflugerville are older, historic homes on tree-lined streets, and there are three subdivisions, Brookhollow, Saxony, and Creekbend, that are connected to each other by the hike and bike trails that lead to and from the park, which the creek meanders through, alongside the trails. Most of the subdivisions in the newer, eastern area of the town are more modern and generic in style, so-called cookie-cutter homes.

The Pflugerville real estate market in general provides an affordable alternative for buyers to the high prices currently found in the Austin real estate market.

There is a Holiday Inn Express in Pflugerville for visitors, and many other nearby hotels, and diners can enjoy seafood in the town at Fish Daddy’s Seafood Inn while Mexican food can be found at Casa Garcia. Hakata Sushi and Asian Grill is a popular spot for oriental food, and Dazzle Coffeehouse is a popular spot for a coffee drink or hot cup of coffee.

Pflugerville remains a small city and therefore it does not have the same amount of attractions as larger Texas cities like Austin and Dallas. It does provide an option for people looking for a city that moves at a somewhat slower pace but is still close to a larger city.

Ki helps buyers interested in Austin real estate www.escapesomewhere.com his website has a free search of the Austin MLS www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_searchthemls.html along with updates on his Austin real estate blog www.escapesomewhere.com/austinblog/