Buffington Homes in Highpointe “Gateway to the Hill Country”

Buffington Homes is excited to introduce Highpointe to our list of premier Austin communities! This beautiful 740-acre gated master-planned community is a great place for families and active individuals. Located near Southwest Austin, Highpointe offers hill country living with the convenience of being located minutes from major employers, shopping and entertainment in the Dripping Springs and Austin area.

Enjoy family time or entertain your friends with Highpointe’s endless leisure amenities:

-Fire Pit & Barbecue Grill-

-Meeting Rooms & Kitchen-

-Various Children’s Playgrounds & Playscapes-

-Acres of Open Space-

-Natural Springs & Ponds-

-Texas Hill Country Views-

Keep your family active with the fitness and outdoor activities Highpointe has to offer:

-World-Class Amenity Center-

-2-Story Gym & Aerobics Studio-

-3 Pools & Water Features-

-Tennis & Basketball Courts-

-Soccer & Baseball Fields-

-Miles of Hike & Bike Trails-

Buffington Homes has 7 bold designs ranging from 2,553 SF to 3,593 SF starting from the $260’s with amazing features you won’t want to miss!

-Gourmet Kitchens-

-Arched Openings and Decorative Art Niches-

-Open Family Rooms with a Fireplace-

-Spacious Master Suites-

-Covered Patios to view the Hill Country-

-ENERGY STAR Certified-

And more!

Visit our website today at www.mybuffington.com or contact Reneé Esacove today for more information!

Reneé Esacove

Email:  resacove@mybuffington.com

Direct:  512.563.6693

Buffington Homes Highpointe model coming soon!

Lawn Care During Drought Conditions

Over the last 11 months we have experienced the driest conditions since 1895.  While remaining optimistic and hopeful for rainfall in our near future, here are a few ways to help maintain your lawns throughout drought conditions:

Manage Water Consumption

Always be sure to manage the water consumption to reduce the water needed to grow and maintain your lawn to allow it to survive under drought conditions. Install an automatic irrigation system to help ensure watering of only the lawn and not the sidewalks, driveway or roads. Automatic irrigation systems can also provide timers that can dial in the needs of any particular climate, grass species or soil types, allowing you to water accurately.

If you already have an automatic irrigation system, have it audited by a professional irrigation company to ensure the back flow prevention valves are in place and check for leaks, drips and other inadequacies. If you did not aerate your lawn in the spring, consider doing so this fall. Aeration creates small holes in the ground that allow water to soak deeper into the ground and help promote root growth.

Prevent Additional Yard Stress

A drought is one of those times when it could be best to just not do anything to your lawn. Mow as little as possible. Mow the grass high, at least 3-4 inches, or the highest setting on the mower. Also try mulching, let the clippings remain on the grass. Lawns tend to lose more water and nutrients through evaporation when clippings are removed.

You can view these tips and more in Kelly Burke’s article How to Manage Lawn in a Drought or Jane Frogge’s article Lawn Care Tips Save Water During Drought.

How’s your lawn? If you have tips that have worked for you this summer please share them.

Packing with Ease

Have you recently purchased a new home and are getting ready to move? Congratulations! Now it’s time to pack up your belongings and start your adventure in your new home. Exciting huh?  Well, exciting until you have to start packing. Here are a few tips to help ease the process of moving and to help keep your excitement.

Keeping Track

Once you get all of your boxes in your new home you’ll probably decide to unpack some boxes now and some later. Unfortunately you don’t remember which box you put your toothbrush in. Here’s an idea to help save you from searching through all of your boxes. When you are packing take a notepad and number the boxes. On your notepad put the number and what you packed in the box. This will help you keep track of what’s in each box and you’ll be able to brush your teeth your first night in your new home!

Connecting the Colors

Now that you have numbers on your boxes, assign a color for each room and apply stickers to your boxes. For example, blue for bathroom, purple for bedroom #1, etc. Also mark the rooms with the color stickers so that it’s easy to distribute the boxes into their correct rooms. This will also help the movers or anyone who is helping you move. 

Starting Early

Moving will be 100 times easier if you pack up items that you don’t need weeks before you move to your new home. You won’t need a TV in every room, extra linens, or all your décor so it wouldn’t hurt to get everything that’s not a necessity packed away. With only having to pack what you’ve needed on moving day you are guaranteed to have less stress.

You can view these tips and more in Coral Nafie’s article 12 Terrific Moving Tips When You’re Moving Your Home. 

Do you have any moving do’s or don’ts to share? Please share your tips with us.

DIY Projects on a Budget

Do you ever get tired of looking at the same old stuff around your house but don’t want to break the bank or tear down walls to change it? Here are a few DIY home improvement tips to help you rejuvenate your home without tapping into your savings account. 

Cubby Storage in a Spare Closet

Is your master closet crammed? Do you have an unused closet in a spare room? Find out how milk crates, a shoe tree and wheel boards can help you create cubby storage in a spare closet so you can enjoy the size of your master closet. Read more.

Creating Space

Do you love to look at magazines but don’t ever want to throw them away? Read more on how a couch arm, collapsible magazine storage box or commercial magazine rack can help you save space and keep things looking nice.  Read more.

Just Like New

Do you want to make a dramatic change to a room but have a tight budget? Discover how a little paint, family photos, or mirrors can help you easily change up the look of your room with a feature wall. Read more. 

For more fun and inexpensive home improvement ideas visit www.doityourself.com.

Starting Fresh in 2011

What’s your New Year’s resolution? Don’t worry, we all make them and even if we don’t stick to them it’s always a good thing to set goals for yourself. It’s what helps us stay on track and start the year off motivated. Do you need help achieving your goals? Here are a couple of places and tips to help you succeed. 

 Free and Fun Exercise for the Family

Take a stroll around Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) with the family. From walking and running to riding your bike and fishing you are guaranteed an entertaining and exhilarating workout.

Pack up the bikes and take a ride around the Veloway’s 3.17 mile paved trail. The trail is for bicycles and rollerblades only so you can expect a fast-paced, challenging, and safe ride for everyone.    

 Continued Education

Want to extend your knowledge and brush up on your professional talents? Austin Community College has plenty of educational opportunities for professionals by offering classes after business hours, corporate training, and online courses.

 Save More in 2011

Have you decided to save more money in 2011?  Don’t miss out on the following opportunities to Save Hundreds of Dollars! 

What’s your New Year’s resolution and how can we help?

“Okay Campers, it’s Cold Out There”

Aside from being a line from the movie Groundhog Day, it is really cold out there!  That doesn’t mean you have to freeze or your house should be in danger.  Here are a few tips on how you can stay warm and protect your house this winter.

• One big thing that people tend to forget is to shut their chimney chutes.  If you leave it open in the winter you are letting cold air in and if you leave it open during the summer, like your grandma always said, you are air conditioning the world.
• Make sure all of your windows are closed properly and locked to prevent drafts.     
• Close all the doors to unused rooms to stop the heat from circulating in unused space, saving more for you. 
• Don’t forget to cover any exposed pipes and spigots to prevent pipes from freezing and cracking.
• Keep a trickle of water running from the indoor faucet farthest away from your main water pipe (where water enters the house). This will help to keep any indoor pipes from freezing.

Find more tips from Sharon O’Brien’s Winter Safety Tips.  Warm wishes to you!

 Do you have any tips that we missed?  If so, we would love for you to share your thoughts!

Buffington Homes’ Happy Homeowners

On our website you can find over 50 designs with flexible options to choose from, over 60 immediate move-in ready homes and all the upgrade features you’ve ever wanted but Buffington Homes wants you to know more!  Find out more by seeing what our homeowners are saying about our homes.   

Building for Generations

“We bought our Buffington home over 14 years ago because we liked the detailed design and layout of the home.  Even after all these years, we still enjoy our home immensely.  When our children left home, we thought of moving into a smaller house but we couldn’t leave our home because it’s so comfortable.  When our daughter and her husband decided to build a new home, we were very excited that Buffington Homes was building in the extended Austin area.” – Jae, mother

“When we decided to build a house in Austin, Buffington Homes was the first place we looked at. We fell in love with the details, floor layouts and customer service provided. They have been wonderful when it comes to meeting our needs and the house is everything that we wanted. We are thrilled that mom and dad recommended Buffington Homes.” – Stephanie, daughter

Reducing Stress

“My experience with Buffington Homes was a very positive one.  Chris was phenomenal.  Always ready to assist me even in the minutest times.  Chris is an asset to the company and he should be commended for his excellent customer service.  Lalo began as my sales rep but Jan stepped up to the plate and assisted me.  Accolades again to Chris for reducing my anxiety level and making this purchase such a wonderful experience.” – Susie

Providing Great Customer Service

“I am so happy with my home. Nianne was very thorough and showed me several homes. She explained the whole process with me. I love her. She is awesome. Mike was excellent. I never had to email him or call him on anything. Everything went so smooth. Thank you all so much. Mimi, at the design center, was delightful. She understood me and helped me choose my selections. She let me take the brick outside so I could make sure in the daylight that I would like it.”  -Phoung

Have you recently purchased a home?  Please share your experience with us. 

2010: Great Year For Austin

2010 is over and even though there are exciting things in store for 2011 let’s not forget some of the best news Austin received over the past year.  Austin has topped the charts with Forbes, Kiplinger and more.  Let’s take a walk down memory lane and remember why we’re proud to live in Austin, Texas:

Topping the charts:

• March 2010 - Forbes named Austin #1 on the list of  Cities Where the Recession is Easing
• April 2010 – RelocateAmerica.com named Austin #3 on the list of Best Cities to Move to in the United States
• May 2010 – Kiplinger named Austin #1 on the list of  20 Best Cities to Live in for the Next 10 Years
• May 2010 – Kiplinger also named Austin #1 on the list of 10 Best Cities for the Next Decade 
• July 2010 – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics named Austin #3 on the list of Top Generating Cities
• October 2010 - Forbes named Austin #10 on the list of America’s Most Affordable Cities
• October 2010 – Forbes also named Austin #1 on the list of Fastest Growing Cities in the United States
• November 2010 – Milken Institute named Austin #2 on the list of Strongest Job Markets
• December 2010 – Forbes named Austin #1 on the list of America’s Best Cities for Young Adults

Cheers to a great 2010 and to a prosperous New Year!  Look out 2011, Austin is climbing the charts!

Buffington Homes: What to Expect in 2011

Buffington Homes has new and exciting news for 2011.  We’re changing, growing and keeping up with you to make sure we offer the best!

Stay tuned for our thrilling new campaign

Buffington Homes is ramping up a new and improved campaign to showcase the great quality of our homes, communities and customer service! 

Keep an eye out for new elevations

We’ve just introduced the D Elevation for our Caldwell and Jackson floor plans.  Check out the beautiful renderings below.  You can expect more to come in the New Year!  Visit our website www.mybuffington.com to view all of your options!

Caldwell – D Elevation

 1,772 SF

3Bed/2Bath

Jackson – D Elevation

2,179 SF

3-4Bed/2Bath

What Does ENERGY STAR Mean for You?

With each new ENERGY STAR qualified home from Buffington Homes, the future looks a little brighter. 

Our Homes Provide:

LOWER UTILITY BILLS

Our ENERGY STAR qualified homes use substantially less energy – delivering hundreds of dollars in annual savings.  Over the average 7 to 8 years you may live in your home, this adds up to thousands of dollars saved on utility bills.

LOWER MAINTENANCE

Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a low-maintenance home.  Tight construction and long-lasting, efficient equipment make our homes more durable, helping to minimize many of the maintenance problems found in typical homes.

COMFORT AND QUIET

Properly installed energy efficient features deliver better protection against cold, heat, drafts, moisture, pollution and noise.  Our ENERGY STAR qualified homes help to provide consistent temperatures, improved indoor air quality and greater durability.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Buying an ENERGY STAR qualified home is a decision you can be proud of.  Energy used in our homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants.  By using less energy, your new ENERGY STAR quality home helps to reduce the amount of air pollution generated.

SMART INVESTMENT

More than 725,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes have been built across the country.  By the end of the decade, more than 2 million homes are expected to earn the ENERGY STAR.  The trend is clear.  By choosing a home that has earned the ENERGY STAR label, you can be confident that your home will have an increasingly valued feature for years to come.