Must-See Equestrian and Hunting Ranch
Dizzy Rooster Ranch
Acres: 56.7 Acres
Location: Lampasas County approximately 10 miles northwest of downtown Lampasas and 5 miles from downtown Lometa on paved CR 2080.
Description: The Dizzy Rooster Ranch is a one of a kind, must-see Equestrian and Hunting Ranch. Custom gated entrance with crushed granite road, mature oak and pecan trees, and hill country views. The 1500+ square foot, architecturally unique house comes fully furnished. All improvements were made in late 2008-2009.
There is a 60X50 all steel building/pole barn with 4 large horse stalls, a work shop, garage with concrete slab and 2500 gallon water storage, as well as a carport big enough for 3 trucks. The arena is 200X150 and has light poles as well as a 12X8 custom steel press box. There is also a round horse pen. The front 16 acres is fenced with lock tight wire as well as cross fenced near the house with steel pipe fencing.
Just below the house is the beautiful spring-fed Barkley Creek. The dam holds about 6 feet of water during normal rainfall years. There is also a 1+/- acre pond that is stocked with large mouth bass, hybrid perch, channel catfish and bluegill. At the pond there is a skeet range for practice shooting. The ranch has had extensive cedar clearing yet the owner has left many trees for wildlife cover. There are also 3 deer blinds and 3 deer feeders.
Wildlife: White Tail Deer, Turkey, Hogs, Fox, Quail, Dove, Coyotes, Beaver, Hawks and some free roaming Exotics. Fish in creek and pond.
Water: One well with a 2500 gallon storage tank, filter and water softener. Barkley Creek and Pond.
Improvements: House, Barn, Arena, Press Box, Pond, Pipe Fencing, Perimeter and Cross Fencing, Custom Entrance with Electric Gate, Crushed Granite Road, Deer Blinds, Feeders.
Minerals: Exact mineral conveyance to be determined at time of new title commitment.
See the Listing or Virtual Tour for more!
Original Texas Homestead
Original homestead on 26 acres in quiet area of San Marcos, with modern upgrades. Beautiful cleared land under big skies and minutes to town.
- 26 Acres in quiet area of San Marcos
- 2,468 SF two story home with 3 bed, 2.5 bath
- Remodel includes many energy efficient upgrades
- Country kitchen with Corian type counters, dishwasher, free standing range, refrigerator and breakfast area
- Formal dining room
- Foyer at entry
- Family room at front of original home
- 3rd living in addition includes closet for media storage
- 4th living/game area
- New master suite with sitting area, walk-in closet
- New garden tub and separate shower
- Two separate bedrooms share full bath
- Utility room with washer/dryer
- Two car garage
- Big insulated barn with bay doors for equipment, cars
- Pole barn with storage area for livestock
- Second covered barn for hay storage
- Livestock and electric fencing keeps livestock in separate pastures
- Panoramic Views
- Central Air/Heat
- Original well and water tower make this a picturesque Texas homestead
- Minutes to I-35, downtown San Marcos.
See the listing or virtual tour for more on this great homestead.
Highland Lakes Part Two: Lake Travis
The next westernmost lake from Lake Austin is Lake Travis. Created when the Mansfield Dam was finished in 1941, Lake Travis has the most notoriety in the greater Austin area as a recreational destination spot. Lake Travis is a spot for beautiful restaurants and campsites, popular for marinas and watercraft, and waterfront homes are consistently in demand.
Lake Travis is fed by both the Colorado River (as with all the highland lakes) and the Pedernales River, which flows into the southwestern portion of the lake. It is known as one of the clearest lakes in Texas, with its beautiful aquamarine tint to the water. Lake Travis serves as not only the primary flood control reservoir of the chain, but also a major source of drinking water for Austinites.
The bluffs of Lake Travis provide unparallelled views, and often privacy, in any Hill Country properties. Rivercliff and Rancho Estacia are both stunning waterfront estates on the Pedernales arm, each offering opportunities to own horses and land on this beautiful lake. Another property we just recently profiled, The Falls, is 315 stunning acres on a private cove of Lake Travis.
Part One: Lake Austin
Luxurious Custom Ranch on Miller Creek
Just listed: beautiful 4,950 Sq. Ft. custom home on 68 acres in Texas Hill Country. Sits on 800 ft on both sides of Miller Creek.
Home Features:
- Stone entry with custom wrought iron door & wood beam ceiling
- Full Commercial Thermador kitchen – 6 burner oven with griddle, 3 ovens, built-in microwave, ice maker, dishwasher, trash compactor, built-in refrigerator and freezer – All appliances have wood fronts to match cabinets. Kitchen also features Custom Beveled granite countertops, extra large island with breakfast bar, attached breakfast room, large walk-in pantry.
- Breakfast Room with buffet, shelves, built in TV, wall of mirrors and large stone fireplace. Formal Dining Room with Wall of windows overlooking creek, Solid wood beam and stained wood ceiling, Stone walls with arched passages. Wet Bar with Stainless steel sink, Wine fridge, built in cabinets and stone walls.
- Great Room with Huge masonry fireplace, Large stained wooden trusses with custom ironwork – 100% wood ceiling, Full glass wall overlooking pool and creek
- Master Bedroom with stone fireplace, wall of windows overlooking pool & creek, Built-in computer desk, bookcases, TV, His and Hers entrance into Bath/Dressing areas. Master bath with his & hers walk-in closets, Walk-in natural stone shower, rock walls with arches, Large Jacuzzi tub, Stone entrance to Exercise area, Vaulted ceiling with wood beams, Separate water closet.
- Exercise Room with Large windows overlooking creek, Wood wainscot, Mirrored wall, Music/TV. Utility Room with Sink, Built-in cabinets, Freezer area. Game/Media Room with 100% stain wood stairway, Wrought iron handrails, Walk-in closet, Built-in Desks, Built-in Entertainment Center, View of creek.
- Detached 4 Car Garage with Attached Breezeway to House
Exterior Features:
- Stone entry gate with communal gate operations, Intercom to house, 8 foot custom iron gates.
- Stone lined custom heated pool with pebble tech plaster, 6 person Hot Tub overlooking creek. Lighted stone walkway to creek. Flagstone deck around pool.
- Large flagstone terrace the entire length of house with Built-in TV and stainless steel gas BBQ Pit on terrace overlooking creek.
- Large (20 ft x 18 ft) BBQ Cabana with Full kitchen, TV & custom Commercial wood Burning BBQ pit
- Bath with outdoor shower, Large fire pit with built-in rock seats, Wrought iron fencing around fully landscaped yard.
- Approx. 3 acres of house, pasture is irrigated. Fenced horse pasture and antique windmill. 2×2, “no climb” fenced horse pasture. All fencing is new or excellent condition.
- 3 stall stable with 2nd floor office/gameroom. Tack and feed Barn, Hay barn, fenced paddock. Round pen/roping arena with square feed lot. Wood and storage shed.
- Well house with game cleaning area. 4 wells with 25 gal per minute capacity and rainwater collection system with 10000 gal collection tank.
- 3 RV hook-ups for guests
- 1 acre stock pond. Miller Creek is stocked with bass, catfish and perch. Other spring locations on property with the availability to add multiple other water features.
- Cedar has been cleared on all but 10 acres. Ag Exempt – cattle. Wildlife abounds: Whitetail deer, turkey, Axis, Seika.
- Fenced and gated garden with limestone planters
If you are interested in this property, or one similar, contact us today.
Take a virtual tour:
Highland Lakes Part One: Lake Austin
On the chain of six lakes that officially make up the Highland Lakes, Lake Austin is the closest to downtown, sitting just northwest of the heart of the city. Created in 1939 by the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) with the construction of the Tom Miller Dam, Lake Austin falls between the Mansfield Dam and the Tom Miller Dam. It provides flood control of the river, hydroelectric power, and recreation.
A great site for water sports, you can take one of the boat tours available, or bring your own. High cliffs provide shelter from the wind and make boating favorable, while also providing great sites for beautiful homes. It is also a spot for recreational fishing, stocked with largemouth bass, catfish and sunfish.
Mount Bonnell, the highest point in Austin, is a natural limestone feature, and has been a popular picnicking spot since the mid 1800s. From the brief hike to the top you can see over Lake Austin, the 360 Bridge (or Pennybacker Bridge), and to the downtown skyline.
Pictured: Private cove of Lake Austin from 1611 Westlake Drive
The Falls: 315 Acres on Lake Travis
This stunning piece of property features Lake Travis waterfront and views, with cleared fields and mature trees.
This property includes frontage on two paved, maintained county roads with a hard corner. The land gently slopes to the approx. 3700 feet of waterfront on deep Bee Hollow Cove on the Lake. Many waterfront and lake view build sites sit on the property, that is surrounded by high-end waterfront homes and ranches.
Located in the Lago Vista, water and sewer will be provided by the city. Lago Vista ISD is an exceptional school district, with Lago Vista High School rated as one of the top ten high schools in Central Texas (Austin Monthly). With the completion of the 183A Tollway, this area will not just be attractive to second home buyers from around Texas, but for primary residences as well.
This location would make an excellent personal ranch or land investment. Take your chance to see the listing today.
Big Changes in Lending in the Month of March
The Fed reiterated last week that in March of 2010, they will be ending their Mortgage Security Buyback program, a big part of what has kept interest rates low throughout 2009. It won’t be a sudden drop-off, rather a slow decrease in these purchases until March, when there will be no more.
With the Fed no longer spending the tens of billions of dollars monthly on mortgage securities, we will only have the private sector to fill in the gap. When that happens, we can naturally expect mortgage rates to rise. “The difference in monthly mortgage payments of 5% or 6% can be measured in tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan,” one writer explains.
The Atlantic Monthly writes that the credit markets need securitization, and warns that it will only become more difficult to borrow money (and those loans will come at higher interest rates) as the Fed program ends. “If you think banks aren’t lending enough now, then you’d find a world with no securitization much worse. Yet, that might be what you get if the Fed ends its program.”
Why would the Fed remove such a successful program? The analogy of a bike with training wheels is often given – if you want an economy to strengthen, recover and stand on its own, at some point you need to take the wheels off. If the Fed keeps rates too low for too long, inflation will rise higher and you will expect to see rates rise anyway. Home loan rates will increase as demand is met, naturally, with or without the Fed.
We can expect the end of the first quarter of 2010 to be a telling time for the economy’s recovery, but the heavy favor of the buyer and borrower is going to change. These will be some of the last months we’ll see that are such great markets for buying a home or land. If you are considering buying, you should begin your search now.
Rural Land Gaining in Popularity
According to the Wall Street Journal’s article (Green Acres is the Place to Be, 12/2), many new buyers are looking at rural land who weren’t before.
The reasons vary, but the result is definite: rural areas are growing in popularity. One of the most common motivations for buying rural land deals with the pocketbook: in the uncertain economy, land is standing out as a great investment. Many, expecially young singles, have been squirreling away savings, and are starting to look at something that they feel is going to be a more solid investment and a safer, surer bet than the stock market or even a 401(k). Land is a great asset, and even small plots have appeal to these “starter” groups. It’s “a hedge against an unpredictable future,” the Journal says. Also, the rural market is often stronger than the residential market, and so more rural land can be a great deal over real estate closer to, or in, a city. It’s proving to be a good option whether or not you plan to live on the land.
Another group of people looking at farms and ranches are people with more of a “back to their roots” mentality - interested in getting away from the rat race and pace of the city, and to a daily routine involving farming and ranching. This is a wide range of people with everyone from young families looking to get their kids involved, to empty-nesters and retirees who have spent entire careers in an urban environment. They enjoy making money, self sustaining, living green, or just having the fun of this lifestyle as a complete change of pace from what they were used to. “It’s a little like the pioneer spirit,” says one editor, “they still want high-speed Internet but want to feel like they are doing something else for their families.”
Some are looking for a way to get away from the city while still being close enough to work, and others may have been forced away from work and are looking to the next opportunity. For many, living on a Texas ranch is something they’ve “always wanted to do.” But for whatever reason, now seems to be the time that so many are feeling the motivation to give ranch life a try.
Dave Murray is your expert in central Texas ranch properties, as well as waterfront, luxury and development. Serving all your real estate needs from first time buyers to relocation, his team is the #1 Team in the #1 Colwell Banker Texas office, and top 10 of all Realtors in the greater Austin area.
New Listing: Double Horn Ranch
305 acre ranch featuring over 3,500 ft. on crystal clear Double Horn Creek and a deep pool perfect for swimming and fishing. 20 mile panoramic views of surrounding Hill Country from hilltop.
These 305 well maintained acres sit on beautiful, spring-fed, rock bottomed, year-round Double Horn Creek – with about 2400 feet on each side of the creek, and 1200 feet to the center of the creek. A waterfall spills into the very deep pool, perfect for water recreation. About 300 feet of Gridiron Creek spills into Double Horn Creek. A good road at the entry leads to a dam on the creek.
A big hilltop gives 20 miles of views of the surrounding hill country. A 25-30 acre cleared pasture is perfect for cattle grazing or a pecan orchard. The ranch is filled with mature trees: pecans, oaks, elms, sycamores, ash and more.
Borders large acreage properties including LCRA parkland. Ag exempt, taxes were $489 last year. Frontage on CR 404 and CR 402 – both are paved public roads. Electricity, telephone, septic and well on property. 15 minutes to Marble Falls, 25 minutes to the Hill Country Galleria.
See the listing or virtual tour for more information and pictures.
New Listing: The Hat Creek Ranch
This quintessential Texas gentleman’s ranch features a dammed creek forming a 3 acre lake & plantation style Texas limestone home on manicured grounds. Located in historic Walburg, just outside of Georgetown, it offers easy access from Austin via new SH 130.
The 121 acre gentleman’s ranch is on both sides of the spring-fed creek running through the property, featuring a dam forming a picturesque 3 acre lake. A 4,905 square foot plantation style Texas limestone home sits on manicured acres surrounded by shady oaks and pecans.
The recently updated home includes Saltillo tile and oak flooring, and recently plastered walls throughout the 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath main home with tall ceilings and open rooms. The big great room open to kitchen features fireplace, a wall of windows, and doors leading to patio and pool. The open kitchen with granite counters, recent appliances and big breakfast area is perfectly paired with the formal dining room with built in banquets.
The master suite has a balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds and lake. The master bath features big double vanity, garden tub, separate shower and walk-in closet.
Other rooms include an additional living room or office at the entry with built in shelving, a main floor game room with sitting area, half bath and doors to the patio, and three additional second floor bedrooms and two additional second floor baths. The second story features a big balcony at the landing with stunning views of the countryside.
The covered patio runs length of back with plenty of sitting areas, with refurbished pool and new limestone decking just off patios. A 3 car garage attaches to a covered entry leading into kitchen, and a detached garage workshop with 4 bay doors is also on the property. The entry and front border of property features classic white four board fencing.
Also on the property, one room fishing cabin with covered patio sits near the lake. 1 bed/1 bath foreman’s quarters with living and kitchen. For the equestrian, the property has 8 stall stables with fenced horse paddocks, a lighted riding/rodeo arena with new announcer’s tower, and is fenced and cross-fenced acreage form good grazing pastures for horses and cattle.
The listing and photos on The Hat Creek Ranch can be seen here. Or visit the virtual tour, here.





















