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Real Estate UpdateAmazing Growth

Gourmet GuavaLa Fogata’s Empanada

S A N A N T O N I OM

Blissful SurroundingsOh-so Elegant!

For All Your Real Estate Needs

Ann FitzGibbons | [email protected]

Keller Williams Sells San Antonio Real Estate

If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing. Upscale Real Estate Marketing | 877.660.096 | UpscleRealEstateMarketing.com

Dedicated to my career and my clients

FitzGibbonsandAssociates.com

Know The Name... Trust The ServiceAnn FitzGibbons has been a real estate

professional since 1991 and has been listed as one of the Top 50 Agents in San Antonio by the San Antonio Business Journal’s “Book of Lists”.

Ann brings a diverse background of career experience to her real estate business. She has a degree in Fine Arts with a minor in Education.

She was Curator of Education at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art and Adjunct Faculty

with the University of Alaska in Anchorage. Prior to her life in Alaska, Ann, a native of St. Louis

Missouri, she was appointed Director of the Skinker BeBaliviere Community Council in the

City of St. Louis, working closely with neighborhood development and business.

Living in San Antonio since 1988, with her husband and three children, she has been actively involved in many community, school and church

organizations and is committed to creating a better quality of life for the city. She remains

involved with Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, and other community organizations.

“I am dedicated to my career and my clients. I combine my diverse background and creative ability to achieve positive results for my clients.”

Ann FitzGibbonsBroker Associate

FitzGibbons and Associates

Keller Williams Luxury Homes International Alamo Heights

[email protected]

210.723.3093 Direct

With Ann’s local real estate knowledge and Keller William’s international presence, now is the time to sell your current property

or find your dream home.

Each office is independently owned and operated.

| Bill

Top 5 Companies in San Antonio, Luxury

Top 10 Offices in San Antonio, by Volume Sold

Data provided by BrokerMetrics based on SABOR Data from 4/1/14-3/31/15, $500,000+ Homes

Data provided by BrokerMetrics based on SABOR Data from 4/1/14-3/31/15

The 2015 real estate market is being characterized by experts as a “return to normalcy.” In recent years the market has been dominated by investors (lured by appreciating prices and foreclosures) who were willing to pay cash thus making it more difficult for traditional home buyers to compete.

New and existing home sales are expected to increase by as much as 20% in 2015 due to continued gains in the job market. Households will finally enjoy “real” wage gains. 2015 could be the end of bidding wars and all-cash offers. Home buyers with regular jobs and 20% down now have an opportunity to get into the market – either as returning buyers or first-time home buyers.

Many millennials have postponed home ownership in favor of renting. With more of that generation now starting families, experts predict that by the end of 2015, millennial buyers will be the largest group of home buyers. The first-time buyer market will return to more normal levels due to this increased demand from the millennial buyer. Also, with fewer homes underwater, baby boomers may finally start to downsize and move

closer to the grandkids.

Stan Humphries, chief economist for Zillow.com, “It’s been a tough market for buyers,” he says. “I think it’s going to get easier in 2015. Negotiating power will move back to buyers and away from sellers. It will be a much more balanced market.”

At the same time, foreign investors may still find the luxury US real estate market appealing because of economic instability in their home countries. The high end real estate market may still be dominated by cash transactions from foreign investors.

The San Antonio real estate market continues to show amazing growth. In January 2015 home sales in the area increased 5% from last year, with the average home price also increasing.

In addition to good prices and increased sales, San Antonio Board of Realtors (SABOR) reports that the types of home sales are improving. Homes priced in the mid-range ($200K-$500K) saw sales increase by 6%. Luxury homes over $1 Million also saw a 0.5% increase.

Angela Shields, SABOR’s 2015 President and CEO, explained that, “We have watched our mid-range and high-range markets increase over the last year, and 2015 looks to be no different so far. With our low cost of living, growing job market and continually low interest rates, homeowners are able to make their money go further.”

Elegance. How do you define it? When it comes to your home, it’s anything that makes you feel special, graceful, and sophisticated. Being in elegant surroundings—think of a posh hotel, a chic urban eatery, or even a grand museum—has an impact on how we feel. We feel uplifted and stylish, and in turn, we feel happy, like anything can happen on any given day. Here’s how to create an elegant room filled with the right elements so you’ll feel inspired to live a beautiful life.

If you want elegance, the size and grandeur of a room definitely helps set the stage. A living room with high ceilings, an open floor plan, and tall windows is a perfect place to start. Silk drapes can give a room a sweeping feeling of elegance with soft natural light streaming in from behind. Even if you don’t have those elements, simple tips can trick the eye. Hang your drapes as high as possible, just grazing the floor to give the room a feeling of height. To keep it airy and open feeling, select light paint hues or maybe an ethereal white. Light colors will keep the space soothing and inviting … you want a room of enlightenment. (Leave the darker colors for the den!)

Décor is usually minimal in sophisticated spaces, for clutter is anything but elegant. Artwork lends a refined touch to interiors, and adds splashes of color to more monochromatic rooms. Neutral area rugs and symmetrically aligned furniture keep the mood intimate and understated. Sofas and armchairs are more tailored and trimmed than their softer, sink-into-them cousins that are more at home in the family room. Wood tones are also mostly light, while lamps, frames, and accessories are done in shiny silvers and golds for a polished look.

Appoint your room with glass and metal end tables and coffee tables to achieve a free-flowing space. This is a room for discussions, music, and entertaining.

The final details for an air of joyful elegance: fresh flowers in beautiful vases, books on favorite artists and authors, and perhaps sculpture or a piano to make the mood sublime. We’re not talking stuffy … just setting the room with beautiful items that make you smile when you see them, that evoke memories and make you feel blissful and ready for anything that may come your way. Living your life in a beautiful and elegant setting can truly impact your happiness. Find your bliss!

Guava Empanadas

La Fogata210.340.1337 | LaFogata.com

In Good Taste

2015 REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE

Culinaria Festival WeekVarious Locations | May 13 – 17CulinariaSA.org | 210.822.9555Culinaria’s Festival Week features 18 distinct events over the course of five days. From food trucks to haute cuisine, beer to champagne, Festival Week truly offers something for everyone. These events highlight the best in San Antonio culinary experiences.

Brews and BloomsSan Antonio Botanical Garden | May 23SABot.org | 210.207.3250A casual evening of craft brew sampling paired with scrumptious food truck far and music, all set in the gorgeous, blooming botanical garden. Brews and Blooms – not your typical beer garden!

BBQ and Wine FestivalBlue Lotus Winery & Texas Mead Works | June 13BlueLotusWinery.com | 870.379.9463The inaugural amateur BBQ and Wine Festival. Join us for excellent wine and beer and a whole lot of entertainment. The event is a fundraiser for the local Boy Scouts of America.

Cave TourCave Without a Name | June 13CaveWithoutaName.com | 830.537.4212Eleven miles northeast of Boerne, in the heart of scenic, rolling hills of the Texas Hill Country, Cave Without a Name is a natural, living cavern. Some say it is the most beautiful in Texas. The tour is 60 minutes long and travels through six beautiful formation rooms.

Special OlympicsVarious Locations | June 21UnifiedRelay.org | 202.738.8511This summer more than 20,000 people from all walks of life will unite in a journey across America, including many right here in San Antonio. The relay will follow three simultaneous routes and pass through all 50 states, and it will run through San Antonio on Sunday, June 21. Become involved by running or walking in the relay, volunteering, or simply cheering the participants on.

MAY | JUNE 2015

Event CalendarBlissful SurroundingsINGREDIENTS

4 c flour1 1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 c vegetable shortening1 1/2 c water5 1/3 8 oz cream cheese, softened5 1/3 8 oz guava pastepinch of saltvegetable oil, as needed for fryingpowdered sugar, as needed for dusting

PREPARATION

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening and add water, tossing with fork. Gather into ball; let dough rest for 10 minutes. Divide into eight pieces. Roll out dough to size of small tortilla. Place cream cheese and guava on one side of the dough, then fold dough in half with the top half a little short of the bottom half. Pinch edges together so it doesn’t open when cooking. (La Fogata makes a rope design, but you can use the tines of a fork to press the empanada together.)

Heat oil to 375 degrees; fry until golden, about 3 minutes. Empanadas also can be baked (350 degrees for 18-25 minutes until lightly brown). Sprinkle on powdered sugar. Can be served with ice cream, if desired.

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