(Home equity loans) The Historic Moonlight Towers in Austin
No commentsBy Ki Gray
Most visitors to Austin notice the unusual streetlights strategically located throughout the city known as the moonlight towers, but most are not aware of the history of the towers. Probably the most well known of the moonlight towers is the one in Zilker Park which is used every year to represent a huge Christmas tree, when it is encircled with multi-colored lights and can be seen from miles away.
There are actually 17 moonlight towers in and around Austin, including the Zilker tower, and these lights have been in use since the late 1800s, when Austin purchased the lights from the city of Detroit. In 1894, 31 used mercury vapor lamps were installed throughout Austin, and at the time, these types of lights were used in many cities across the country, but Austin is the only city still using them today.
The lamps, which are perched atop wrought iron posts, give off a distinctive pinkish-yellow light, and the lamps illuminate a 3000 foot circle of ground. Even thought the lights appear to be one large lamp, they are actually made up of 6 carbon arc lamps, and the lamp poles are actually 165 feet triangular posts made of cast and wrought iron.
The 100 year anniversary of the moonlight towers was celebrated in Zilker Park in 1995, and some of those who attended the anniversary event still have the custom made shirts which were available for purchase at the event, with an original artist’s rendition of the lamps on the front and back of the shirts, including the date of the commemoration of the lights. These shirts are considered collector’s items now, and the lamps themselves are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Most of the moonlight towers are situated in or around the older residential neighborhoods which encircle the downtown area, such as Clarksville, Speedway, Bouldin Creek, and the Zilker Park neighborhoods, but some are actually located in the downtown area itself, such as the one that is located at Guadalupe Street and West 9th. During the time of the 100 year anniversary of the lights, all of them were taken down and restored one at a time and then replaced in their original location, and even though there were originally 31 lamps, there are now only 17 in operation.
Each moonlight tower is held up by a fifteen foot pedestal which is encircled with guy wires and a network of cables, and the lights are changed and maintained by the use of a ladder which is affixed to the towers. Each tower has a commemorative plaque as well, with a brief history of the lights engraved on the plaque. The lights have been in continuous operation for over 100 years, and during that time, the lights have only been turned off twice.
The first time they were turned off was in 1905 when the lights were unlit for week during a dispute between the members of the city council and the Water and Light Commission. The second time they were turned off was in 1973, when the national energy crisis required the city to turn them off to conserve energy.
The moonlight towers are another example of the uniqueness of Austin, as well as Austin’s intention of preserving our heritage and honoring its historical significance. Many people travel to Austin to see the annual lighting of the Zilker Tree, which includes a yearly celebration of the Zilker Moonlight Tower, so be sure to visit Zilker during the holidays and check out the beautiful, tall, lighted tower, which is lit to resemble a tree, or drive through the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods and take a look for yourself at these legendary lights!
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Escapeso Realty helps buyers and sellers in Austin Texas. Their site is filled with stats on the Austin Texas real estate market. Additionally their site has a free mortgage calculator and a search for Austin homes.
Working with Real Estate Investors….Could this be the perfect Niche Market for YOU?
By Peter Vekselman
Some realtors are looking into and considering a niche market in working with real estate investors.
As a real estate investor, I can tell you 2 things. Working with investors can be rewarding and lucrative OR it can be frustrating, difficult, time consuming and involve unwanted surprises.
The difference between whether this niche can be rewarding and lucrative or not worth your time and effort is education and training….of the investor.
1. Investors are in it for the money…of course. But I am sure anyone here who has worked with a real estate investor knows that they can be scattered, unethical, demanding, you name it. The reason is because they do not how to make good use of their time, how to search for the right properties, estimate costs to repair and fail to perform due diligence on the properties in question. They are not true entrepreneurs or business professionals and have no respect for your time, expertise and knowledge.
2. There are many first time investors out there who think this is easy business. You find a property or have a Realtor find you a property, you fix it up or not, you put it back on the market and it gets sold for a profit and away you go…To say that this is unrealistic and naive is an understatement.
3. As a real estate coach and trainer I and can honestly tell you the caliber of trained real estate investor professionals is head and shoulders above those who are untrained and quite frankly have no clue. Now, let me be clear, when I talk training, I am not talking get a couple of CD’s and books on how to get rich quick. I am talking about those who are serious about this profession, invest in their future and themselves and get the proper education and training to do the job right.
As Realtors you had to go through extensive training, take courses, pass state exams, plus you take continuing education courses because it is required to maintain your license and the bottom line is it is required in order for you to succeed in this business. Realtors who walk around aimlessly and think I get listings, I sell them and I pick up my commission check and that is all there is to it (you know the ones I am talking about) well they are just like untrained investors; they have not a clue…would you agree?
So what is in this niche market for you? Plenty!
If you decide to work with an educated and trained investor, here is what you get.
1. The investor appreciates that his or her time is money, so they understand that working with a knowledgeable Realtor in the areas where they wish to invest is invaluable to them. You save them this precious time.
2. An educated real estate investor will bring you repeat business, in some cases considerable repeat business in a 12 month period. That perk alone is worth considering this niche. You get to know your investor, what they need and want and you do not have to reinvent the wheel in selling yourself to them as you do when you meet a buyer or seller for the first time.
3. An educated real estate investor also understands that you can be of considerable help in “bird dogging” new opportunities for them.
4. An educated real estate investor has been pre-approved for his investments and you don’t have to try and get him pre-approved every time or shop lenders, which you may have to do with each new buyer you work with.
3. An educated investor realizes that they should not only buy from their Realtor but they should list their properties with a Realtor in order to get the highest return on their investment. It has already been proven that for sale by owner properties actually sell for and net less than homes sold through knowledgeable Realtors. Again, time is a big issue here and the trained investor knows that their time is best utilized in finding other properties and managing the rehab of those that they have found.
4. The educated real estate investor understands the value of long term relationships built upon trust, confidence and respect.
So if you are thinking of a new niche in your market, think about working with an educated and trained investor and reap the rewards.
I wish you all the best and may all of your real estate dealings be exactly what you want them to be. When you are in control of your destiny and business, success is almost a certainty.
Peter Vekselman has been successfully investing in real estate since 1996. He has completed over 1000 real estate deals, owned a construction company, been a private lender, and owned a property management
company. To learn more about Peter please visit
http://www.coachingbypeter.com.
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Invest in Real Estate in Croatia
By Ingrid Sure
Notably, the recent government encouragement to golf courses is one of the important reasons. There has been an increase in the volume of golfing tournaments, and for those who do not know, Jack Nicklaus, the champion golfer, has personally designed a golfing course in the proximity of Pula. This is a beautiful location with its scintillating seaside imagery and a definite tourist hotspot.
If you are planning to invest in real estate in a foreign destination, then Croatia seems like a favored option. With the way current real estate markets in Croatia are changing, this is perhaps the best and the right time to invest your money in Croatian Properties. Real estate management experts further point out that due to the increase in the number golf events held every year, the number of foreign tourists visiting Croatia has increase manifolds and this will further drive the real estate rates steep.
To get you started, all you need is to go to websites that offer services regarding property for sale in Croatia. There are numerous sites that will provide all the information you need free of charge. However, before you take any serious steps, it is advisable that you have yourself fully informed about all the practical aspects and the probable pitfalls. Getting online information for property in Croatia will not take you much time, but will surely help you from possible mistakes.
There are many property consultants from Croatia who give web based quotes and advice regarding investment in Croatian real estate. A good way to begin is by obtaining information regarding the rates from several real estate consulting firms in Croatia. This will give you a good idea about the current market trends. Similarly paying attention to the manner of pricing will also give helpful insights. This way you can yourself compare different properties for rates and easily deduce if you are being given inflated quotes.
Websites offering information and consultation on properties in Croatia will also have other features that you can use to get more informed. For instance, most websites will have discussion boards or forums where you can post your queries and study the responses you get from other people. Sharing your knowledge with other people who also have a similar interest in real estate property in Croatia will definitely help you too. These websites also offer weekly newsletters and emails to keep you update on the ongoing market trends.
Welcome to RealEstatesCroatia.com! Take a look at our offer of real estate property for sale in Croatia. According to the Law of Croatia real estate, foreign citizens and enterprises can be owners of real estate in all the teritory of Republic Croatia ( Istria, Kvarner, Dalmatia, Continental Croatia, and all Croatian islands).
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 11:35 am and is filed under realestate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
