By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Single-family home sales and prices in greater Austin — including Four Points —  set all-time records in 2015, as well as records for the month of December.

“Four-Points is doing very well,” said Tom Radack, owner Bartlett Real Estate Group Keller Williams Realty.

Four Points experienced solid sales growth and price appreciation, he added.

“Stronger growth was limited as a result of less available inventory, but the median price rose by $33,525 to $493,525, 6.8 percent over 2014. Days on market increased from 25 to 37,” Radack said.

This chart, compiled by Bartlett Real Estate, compares annual home sales statistics from the Multiple Listing Service in the area since 2010. The Four Points subdivisions in this report are Comanche Trail, Grandview Hills/Parke, River Place, Steiner Ranch and Westminster Glen.

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Four Points Family Vision owner and optometrist Sherry Salkhordeh of Steiner Ranch is still in shock from the announcement on Friday, when she found out that her practice would close with the Walmart store closing.

By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Friday its plans to close 269 stores including the Four Points Walmart Supercenter, which affects more than 260 employees and businesses including Four Points Family Vision.

Business owner and optometrist Sherry Salkhordeh — a Steiner Ranch resident, wife and mother of three — is still in shock from the announcement on Friday, when she found out about an hour before it was released to the public.

The Walmart district manager called Salkhordeh, owner of Four Points Family Vision, on Thursday night and set an 8 a.m. meeting with her. She asked if there was anything bad but the manager said, “you’re not in trouble, you’re one of the best doctors (we have in Austin.) I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t really important,” the Walmart manager told her.

The next morning at that meeting, the Walmart manager told Salkhordeh about the closing of 154 stores in the U.S. including the local Four Points store.  

She was blindsided.

“It’s just not right, they should’ve given me notice,” she said. “Why they would do that… because I’ve built my practice and am working really hard.” Continue reading →

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

A joint venture opportunity on a popular shore of Lake Travis is available to investors looking to stake a claim in Windy Point Park, a 12-acre site near Oasis Texas.

Windy Point Park proprietors, the Robert Barstow family, are accepting offers.

“We’ve been marketing it for about six months and have had quite a few suitors. It takes time because these developers have to do due diligence,” said Neill McClung, principal and broker of McClung Properties, Inc., representing the Barstow family.

In a joint venture, the Barstows will essentially offer their debt-free land to developers in exchange for an interest in the project.

Aerial photo of Windy Point Park.

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By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

The Texas Department of Transportation has created a proposed short-term and long-term scenario to reduce traffic congestion on RM 620, as part of the RM 620 Feasibility Study, a $650,000 study launched by TxDOT in early 2015 and is expected to conclude in early summer.

The study is focusing on the 18.8-mile segment of RM 620 from SH 71W to US 183N by breaking the roadway into six sections and evaluating each section individually. Continue reading →

By KIM ESTES, LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News

Award-winning pet food and supplies retailer, Natural Pawz, is scheduled to open its newest store in Steiner Ranch’s Quinlan Crossing shopping center at 10 a.m., Jan. 9.

The Steiner Ranch location is Natural Pawz’ 18th store and its second store outside of the greater Houston area, where it was founded in 2005. The first store opening in the Austin area was in Round Rock last September.

“We are meeting hundreds of enthusiastic pet owners in the Austin area as we scout for new locations,” said co-founder, Biff Picone.

Already the store is reaching out to help the Four Points community even before opening. Last week on Dec. 29, Natural Pawz donated five new animal oxygen mask kits to Lake Travis Fire Rescue at its station 604, which services River Place, Steiner Ranch, Comanche Trail and Marshall Ford.

Natural Pawz Steiner Ranch donated five pet oxygen mask kits to Lake Travis Fire Rescue, ensuring that all five stations of the Travis County Emergency Services ESD 6 have enough in-use and back-up equipment to help save pets rescued in house fires. Kelly Green, manager of the new local store which is to open on Saturday, shows how the masks work with her Labrador Buddy.

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