San Antonio's First "Net-Zero" Home is Built

San Antonio's first "net-zero" home is being constructed in far north Bexar County on two acres, at a cost of $1.3 million.  Net-zero means that the home will use no more energy than it feeds back into the local power grid when complete.  The builder estimates the monthly utility bill will be about $50, which will mostly be to cover the gas and garbage pick-up.

The only visible signs that this home is different from others in the subdivision are the blue solar panels in the backyard, along with the 30,000 gallon tank that is part of the rainwater harvesting system, which funnels rainwater into underground pipes and then stores it in the tanks.  The water is then filtered before flowing indoors.

For more information on this unique San Antonio property, see the article in the San Antonio Express News by Karisa King, along with photos by Edward Ornelas.

11802 Sandman - Available in Enchanted Forest in North Central San Antonio for $224,900!

Come splash in your own back yard oasis this summer in Enchanted Forest!  Large in-ground pool and spa for the kids to enjoy when school's out, located in a private fenced yard on a greenbelt lot.  The lot is .28 acres big and is located on a green belt.

The home is big enough for a large family, with four bedrooms, three and 1/2 baths, and approximately 2700 square feet.  There's a large family room with beamed ceiling, hardwood floors, fireplace and built-ins, as well as a secluded gameroom with wet bar and storage room.  A full two car garage is also down.  A full bath near the utility room serves as a cabana bath for the pool.

Upstairs are all four bedrooms (18x15, 15x10, 13x11 and 12x11) along with two full baths and one half bath.  All of the kid's bedrooms have built-in desks and shelves.  The master bedroom has a nice walk-in closet.

Outside you'll find a 22x10 screened-in porch overlooking the pool, and a storage building.  The front yard is terraced and landscaped with native trees, rocks and plants for easy maintenance.

Children attend highly acclaimed North East ISD, with Harmony Hills Ele., Eisenhower Middle School and Churchill High School.

Give us a call to come take a look and make this beautiful home yours!

Happy New Year!

It's a new year, and there are hopes that the recession and its effect on local real estate are over.  Greater San Antonio Builders Association recently held their annual housing forecast where the outlook was for a slowly improving market in 2011. 

The highpoints of the discussion included:

• New home construction in 2010 was up 5.5% from 2009.  Projected new home starts in 2011 are expected to be up another 9%.
• Builders have scaled back production since 2007, leaving San Antonio with one of the tightest markets in the US in supply of new homes.
• Occupancy rates in San Antonio apartments are now above 90%, representing a pool of potential home buyers in the future.
• Texas issued more than twice as many home-building permits in 2010 as the next closest state, Florida.
• In 2010, the bulk of the new home sales in San Antonio were homes priced under $225,000.