A Home Office in your Living Room

A home office may not seem possible in you live in a small apartment, but Apartment Therapy.com has seven ways you can fit a home office into your living room.

You can use an end table as your home office. How?  By organizing your office supplies into decorative boxes and then placing them on a shelving unit that you use as a side table.  Make sure to leave some space on the top so you can work on it!  Another option is to place your workspace on in a bookcase unit with adjustable shelves.  You can even use curtains or a panel on rails to hide your office when it's not in use.

Another option for your living room office is a table located behind your couch.  This is a great place to keep your laptop and pay bills.  Using a chair or stool that can tuck completely under the desk will maximize your available space.  Want to have your home office "out of sight, out of mind"?  Place a partition such as a screen, shutters or a curtain in front of your desk area.

If you live in a two-story townhome or loft, the area under an open staircase is a perfect spot to tuck a diminutive workspace and some shelves.  Armoires, hutches or secretary desks are perfect for housing a home office that you can close up when it's quitting time.  Lastly, if you have a closet that isn't needed, this can be a great place to tuck a workspace.

Drought Conditions Improving

Drought Conditions in Central Texas are Improving, according to a new report by KVUE.com.  We have the recent above average rainfall to thank for that.

A year ago, the entire Central Texas area was listed as being in extreme to exceptional drought conditions, the most dire on the scale.  This May, Austin is now at abnormally dry and the Hill Country is under a moderate drought condition.  In fact, last year at this time, 82 percent of Texas was under extreme to exceptional drought conditions.  That percentage has dropped to 13 percent.

The drought started to improve this past December when we started seeing above average rainfall for the first time in nearly a year.  January, February, March and now May all have seen above average rainfall.  On May 17th 2011, Camp Mabry had only gotten 6.67" of rainfall for the year and now it has gotten 18.88" since January 1st, several inches above the yearly average. 

Some forecasts are predicting an El Nino weather pattern, which would bring above average rainfall and lower than average temperatures to Texas.  June 1st is the start of hurricane system and a below normal season is predicted, but above average ocean temperatures in the Gulf could bring more hurricanes to our neck of the woods. 

Thanks to the rain, temperatures are forecast to not hit 100 degrees until late June or July or even August if we continue to get a lot of rain.  By contrast, we saw our first 100 degree day on May 25th last year.

Looking for a great new Austin apartment to enjoy the more temperate summer?  Call A Plus Apartment Locators today and we'll help you keep your cool while finding a hot new place to live!

Austin Apartment Occupancy Rate Hits 95 Percent

Austin's Apartment Occupancy Rate has hit 95 percent, making it more difficult and more expensive to find a place to live.  Fortunately more complexes are being built and set to hit the market soon, but this offers little relief for current Austinites looking to move and new residents freshly relocating to the city.  I recently spoke to KVUE about what the current hot market means for renters.

Shea has more money than Leffingwell

Shea has more money than Leffingwell in her campaign chest, thanks to the fact that she loaned her campaign $65,000 of her own money, Statesman.com reports.  As the candidates head into the last week of the contest, Brigid Shea has about $30,000 more remaining in her war chest than incumbent mayor Lee Leffingwell.

Leffingwell was able to raise more than three times what Shea raised since the fall when the campaign began.  Leffingwell has collected more than $59,000 from supporters since early April and still has $54,387.  Shea only raised $30,854 during the same time period, but because of her loans, she still has $84,551 left to spend.

Austin City Council candidates are only allowed to raise $350 per person, an amount many local political experts say is not enough to run for a citywide contest.  Supporters are also allowed to solicit donations on a candidates behalf, which is called bundling.  Shea and others are against this bundling because they say it serves as a way for lobbyists and employees of big firms to have an unfair advantage for their causes with city council members.

Looking for a new Austin apartment?  Let A Plus Apartment Locating help you find the perfect place today!

Preventing Eye Strain

Preventing Eye Strain from sitting in front of a computer too much is more important than ever now that most of us spend eight hours a day or more in front of the bright glare of the screen.  Whether you're working or just surfing the web, Apartment Therapy.com has some tips to keep your eyes healthy and happy. 

Remember when we were kids and our Moms nagged us not to sit too close to the tv or we'd ruin our eyeight?  Well the same is true for how close you sit to your computer monitor.  If you sit too close, you may not go blind, but it will discourage you from blinking frequently enough which eventually leads to eye dryness.  Your monitor should be at eye level and you should be seated about 20 to 26 inches away from it.

Another tip for preventing eye dryness is to keep a bottle of eye drops at your desk.  When your eyes start to feel tired or dry, take a quick break and give them a couple of drops of rewetting solution.  Also, pay close attention to the lighting in your office, whether it be at work or in your house or apartment.  Overhead florescents and bright overall light can create glare and make your eyes have trouble focusing.  Instead, use a lamp focused towards the wall beside your work area and switch out bright fluorescent bulbs for ones with a soft and natural glow. 

Finally, if your eyes are still feeling the strain after following all this advice, it might be time to look into computer reading glasses.  These glasses are specially designed to reduce glare and just slightly magnify what you are reading on the screen to give your eyeballs a break.

Venture Capital Investing in Austin Hits 4-year High

Venture Capitalists are investing in Austin companies again, and at record levels, the Statesman.com reports.  In a sign that the markets are rebounding, there was a combined investment of $274.4 million spread out over nineteen companies, all during the first three months of 2012.

The majority of the investment was in established technology companies who already have a reliable product and revenue stream, but are looking to expand their operations.  The big winner was Drilling Info, a software and services retailer for the oil and gas industry, who received nearly $117 million.  Their top investor was a New York company called Insight Venture Partners, who also gave $40 million to another Austin company, Kinnser Software.  They sell web-based software that allows home healthcare nurses and doctors to access their patients' records remotely. 

Insight's managing director says that Austin is a great place to invest because of its "really good entrepreneurs who are building real companies" for the long-term, not to just resell to a larger company.  Most of these investments will go towards hiring new employees, who will then buy houses or rent Austin apartments, buy new cars, shop at Austin-area establishments, etc, creating a huge boost for the town as a whole.

Austin's Popular Rental Market

Austin's Popular Rental Market is getting even more tight, according to Austin Board of Realtors.com.  Austin has always had a strong rental market because of a large temporary population due to its large universities, local, state and federal government agencies, and start-up companies.  However, in just the past year, the market has gotten even stronger.

This more transient population is attracted to rental over home ownership because they want to have the freedom to move when they want.  Also, many people come to Austin and fall in love and decide to stay.  They rent because it has the advantage of allowing them to "try out" their favorite neighborhood before they commit by buying.

Other reasons for the strong Austin rental market is due to increased restrictions on residential and single-family construction loans that came after the housing bubble burst, a large aging population looking to downsize, and an increase in costs of home ownership for everything from HOA fees to insurance and taxes.

The Austin rental market is predicted to continue to climb for the next two to three years.  This results in more competition, and increases the importance on having a correctly filled out leasing application.  Using a professional Apartment Locator is going to become more important than ever to insure that you've crossed all your i's and dotted all your t's so your leasing application won't end up in the rejection pile.