One of the most popular tourist destinations in Central Texas is Hill Country, a scenic region with amazing natural attractions, quaint country towns and lovely hills and valleys. Austin is the gateway to this fantastic recreational area steeped in history and Southern charm. The Texas Hill Country welcomes more than 5 million tourists each year, and the clear rivers, towering forests and abundant wildflowers are just a few of the reasons they return again and again. From water sports and outdoor activities to shopping and golfing, Texas Hill Country provides a wealth of activities for all ages and interests.

The Texas Hill Country, just minutes from Austin, is full of natural attractions that provide the outdoor enthusiast with many chances to admire the scenery and recreate in Mother Nature’s playground. One of the top attractions is Enchanted Rock, a large natural rock formation more than 400 feet tall. Also top of the list is the Longhorn Caverns, where tours recall the days when outlaws, Native Americans and soldiers used them as shelter. Cool off at Barton Spring Swimming Hole and check out the wildlife at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch.

Quaint Southern Texas towns provide a glimpse into the rural heritage of the Texas Hill Country. Villages such as Wimberley, San Marcos, Buda, Burnet and Johnson City are all nestled in the rolling hills and provide tourists with shops brimming with handicrafts and antiques and fine dining in restaurants overlooking the natural beauty of the region. Enjoy Texas history at several museums that instruct and educate visitors on everything from early Native American life to cowboys and ranchers. Visit the towns of Bandera, Dripping Springs and Taylor for true historical attractions.

When folks are looking to get out of Austin for a few hours, they head to Hill Country and participate in just a few of the many things to do in the area. There are lakes and rivers that are perfect for swimming, fishing, sailing, boating or tubing. Staying in a bed and breakfast is a wonderful way to get away for a day or a weekend. Check out historically important architecture in any of the Main Streets in the smaller cities in Hill Country, or hike, bike and camp in any of the national and state parks in the area. Visitors to the area can even take wine tours, guided ranch tours and art gallery tours if that is the kind of recreation they enjoy.

While Hill Country is located in the center of Texas, it’s easy to see why the area is considered the heart of this great state. The lush abundance of natural resources and Southern hospitality creates a unique combination of relaxation and rejuvenation. Using Austin as a base to explore this amazing region is a wonderful idea for those seeking to maximize their time in Texas Hill Country.

Author Bio:
Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty in Austin, Texas. Eric currently manages his Lake Travis Real Estate website, his Austin real estate company's website, & his Austin real estate blog.

The presidential primary March 4th in Texas may decide which Democrat faces the likely Republican Party nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the final two Democrats left, face off in a tough, high-profile showdown in the Lone Star State.

The Democratic candidates are almost in a dead heat in the state, according to a Houston Chronicle poll. Texas voters in the Democratic Party primary are diverse, with just more than half either Hispanic or African-American. The 228 delegates will be split according to vote totals in the 31 state senate districts, with precinct conventions and a state caucus deciding the rest. Also, voter participation in the 2004 and 2006 elections for each district decides how delegates each senate district receives. For example, a heavily Hispanic district in south Texas with low voter turnout in the last two statewide elections could receive 7 delegates, while a high-turnout district in Houston gets 10 delegates, according to Chronicle. This complicated system of choosing delegates has some Democrats unhappy and calling for a change.

The estimated cost to campaign in Texas’ diverse markets is an expensive million dollars a week, and Senator Obama has been raising that much per day, collecting $32 million in January, while Senator Clinton just loaned her campaign $5 million, and some of her senior aides are working without salaries this month. After raising $13.5 million in January, Clinton announced Feb. 7th that her campaign raised $7.5 million in just one week; Obama’s campaign then went out and raised that much in 36 hours. That’s why Mrs. Clinton wants to debate Senator Obama once a week on television, since such publicity is free. So far, Mr. Obama has agreed to only one debate, and that’s in Cleveland, Ohio, February 26th on NBC. There’s also talk about one Texas debate.

Former White House Senior Advisor Karl Rove proclaimed on Fox News Feb. 7th that the Democratic nominee will come out of the Texas Primary, and that may be the case.
If Senator Obama momentum continues and he wins the most of the contests  Feb. 19th, as polling suggests, he will come into Texas ahead of Mrs. Clinton. Already in big trouble, if Hillary then loses Texas,  she would come into the Democratic Convention an underdog, if not outright loser.  If Obama loses in Texas, Hillary may still win the nomination. With Ohio also voting March 4th, Texas may decide which Democrat faces Mr. McCain November 4th.

 Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty in Austin, Texas. Eric currently manages his Austin Real Estate website, his Austin condos website, & his Austin welder website.

The business world is rumbling over Dell’s recent purchase of MessageOne.  The reason?  MessageOne just happens to be owned by Michael Dell’s little brother, Adam.  In addition, through a whole mess of investment funds, Dell’s parents and Adam’s wife and children are also part owners of MessageOne. 

Knowing the ownership of MessageOne makes it a little easier to understand why some people in the business world are scratching their heads about the $155,000,000 buyout.  Was this really a smart business move on behalf of Dell, or was it simply a scheme to keep all the money in the family?

On the surface, it seems that the transaction was all on the up and up.  Adam Dell wasn’t involved in the acquisition and he only stands to make close to $1 million on the buyout.  Dell’s parents will be making around half a million dollars, and the $12 million that is going to the personal family trust is being donated to charity.  Nonetheless, in a day and age when business executives seem to be routinely bending and twisting laws and regulations to suit their needs, it is understandable why so many are wondering if this transaction was really as innocent as it seems.

Perhaps the biggest question mark associated with the transaction is the fact that the purchase doesn’t really seem like a necessary one.  Most business analysts are having a difficult time understanding how MessageOne, which is a provider of email management services, really fits into the Dell business scheme. 

Still, MessageOne does report that it made somewhere around $40 million last year and Dell certainly has the marketing power to take the service to a whole new level.  And, let’s not forget that it is not unusual for successful companies in the technology field to branch off into other areas.  After all, Google recently coughed up $600 million to purchase Postini, which provides email filtering services.

Whether or not it was truly a clean deal will remain to be seem.  As the CEO of corporate ethics consulting firm Corpedia, Alex Brigham, put it “You would think [Dell’s] parents might have [also donated the proceeds to charity].  And Adam, too.  Then the deal would have been much cleaner and smelled much better.”

Author Bio: 

 Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty in Austin, Texas. Eric currently manages his Austin Real Estate website, his Austin Texas real estate company's website, & his Austin Lofts website.

A growing number of people in the real estate market are looking to buy a condo rather than to purchase a home or to rent an apartment. But, why are condos so hot in the real estate world? Here are the top five reasons why so many are looking to buy condos rather than other forms of real estate.

Reason #1: Condos Do Not Require Upkeep

One of the biggest reasons that so many people are looking to buy a condo is the fact that they do not require the same type of upkeep as owning a house. For those that hate mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, repainting the house, or doing other chores associated with homeownership, it simply makes more sense to buy a condo. In addition, many people simply do not have the time to maintain a home because of their careers. Therefore, a condo provides a practical solution.

Reason #2: A Condo is an Investment

Of course, those that don't want the upkeep headaches associated with a house could always rent an apartment. The problem with an apartment is that it often feels like money is being "thrown away" as you pay your rent and effectively help your landlord buy a piece of real estate. With a condo, you can still buy the place in which you live while still enjoying the same conveniences offered by an apartment.

Reason #3: You Can Take Advantage of the Amenities

When you buy a condo, you also buy rights to a number of amenities. Since all of the money put into the condo is shared by those living in the building, it is possible to afford many of lives little luxuries that are difficult to afford on your own. For example, when you buy a condo, you might gain instant access to a pool, an on-grounds gym, and more. Even better, you don't have to worry about the upkeep for these little perks either.

Reason #4: You Can Get More Space

Often, buying a condo is a good alternative for those looking for a large piece of real estate but that do not have the funds. If you want to buy a 3,000 square foot home, you may not have the funds for it. On the other hand, it might be within your budget to buy a condo that provides 3,000 square feet of space. In fact, there are some pretty good deals going on in the condo aspect of the real estate market right now that some savvy shoppers are happily taking advantage of.

Reason #5: You Want to Socialize

If you do not have a large circle of friends and you are looking to socialize more, a condo can help make this happen. When you buy a condo, you also buy into a community. Therefore, purchasing a condo can easily and quickly provide you with a whole new group of friends that you can get to know and enjoy.

There are many reasons to buy a condo rather than other forms of real estate or rather than renting an apartment. At the same time, a condo is not the right answer for everyone. Therefore, you should weigh the pros and cons of all of your options in order to find the right place for you.

Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty in Austin, Texas. Eric currently manages his Downtown Austin Condo Guide, his Austin Condos company's website, & his Central Austin Condo Guide.

The Internet has quickly become a valuable resource in a variety of ways, and apartment searching is no exception. In fact, using the Internet can be the ideal method for apartment hunting, particularly if you are interested in moving to a new area that is quite a distance away from where you are currently located.

Of course, searching for an apartment online is not without its risks. Therefore, there are a few things you should keep in mind when searching for an apartment through the Internet that will help guarantee a pleasant experience resulting in an apartment you love.

Use Many Sources

One of the biggest mistakes that apartment hunters make is using just one resource when searching for an apartment online. Keep in mind that different web sites will have different listings. Therefore, in order to achieve the most comprehensive look at the available apartments, you will need to check with many different sites.

When looking for sites with apartment listings, you should also utilize different search engines. Since each search engine has its on method of bring back search results, using more than one search engine may help bring back some different results. At a minimum, you should use the major search engines, including Yahoo, Google, MSN, and Ask.

Perform Searches

In many cases, you can get feedback from current and former residents of apartments by conducting a search of the apartment name. When doing a search of the name, it might bring up review sites or simply websites that that current or former residents may have set up. Read this feedback in order to give you a better idea of whether or not the apartment complex is a good fit for you. A nice perk to reading this type of feedback is the fact that it can give you an idea of the type of people that live in the apartment as well. On the same note, do some research into the area where the apartment is located in order to determine its level of crime and how close it is to the conveniences you desire, such as the proximity of the apartment to public transportation.

Look Before You Lease

No matter how perfect the apartment might look on the Internet, it is essential that you take a look at it before you enter into any type of leasing agreement. In order to make things easier on you, you should thoroughly research all of the available apartments and then narrow your choices down to less than ten apartments. Then, contact those landlords and arrange to see all of the apartments on the same day or within a couple day time period. This way, you can arrange for a trip to see all of the apartments in order to make your final decision.

If it is impossible for you to arrange a trip to see the apartments, ask someone you trust that lives in the area to look at the apartments for you. If this is not possible, make arrangements with the landlord to sign a lease that allows you to break the lease within a certain number of days without repercussions if the apartment fails to meet your expectations. Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty in Austin, Texas.

Eric currently manages his Austin apartment Guide, his Austin leasing agent website, & his Austin apartment Guide. Eric is committed to offering premium real estate services.