A few months ago, Ricky Cain received a package from fellow Travis Country resident, Ramon Fouse.  Ramon had sent Ricky a copy of his children's book, The Crooked Little Christmas Tree, and the rest was history!

Ricky not only appreciated the gesture, yet after reading he wanted to ensure he could help Ramon get the book in front of other children that would enjoy hearing the story and reading it for years to come.

The Crooked Little Christmas Tree is available on Amazon for purchase, as well as on Cain Club for free!  Each free hardcopy on Cain Club will also be autographed by Ramon so long as you can pick it up from our office!  Simply go to www.cainclub.com to redeem your free copy today using your account, or sign up for a free account today!

Checkout the video below Ricky and Ramon filmed in our office!

EXTRA, EXTRA! Read all about it in next month's Travis Country Notes issue! 

Don't forget to submit your real estate questions to be featured in next month's Travis Country Notes! Enjoy Real Estate Tips and Tricks Courtesy of your TC Neighbor and REALTOR, Ricky Cain! 

Our column will cover any real estate questions or tips you may have. We take pride in being a source of information to all our clients, past clients, and neighbors. Simply email your questions to ask@thecainteam.com to be featured in our column. 

Our first column will be placed in the June issue of Travis Country Notes, accompanied by Monthly Market statistics for the amazing TC community. We look forward to serving any questions you have! Happy Friday!

EXTRA, EXTRA! Read all about it in next month's Travis Country Notes issue! 

We are excited to announce our newest feature in our Travis Country Notes AD, your personal Real Estate advice column! Enjoy Real Estate Tips and Tricks Courtesy of your TC Neighbor and REALTOR, Ricky Cain! 

Our column will cover any real estate questions or tips you may have. We take pride in being a source of information to all our clients, past clients, and neighbors. Simply email your questions to ask@thecainteam.com to be featured in our column. 

Our first column will be placed in the June issue of Travis Country Notes, accompanied by Monthly Market statistics for the amazing TC community. We look forward to serving any questions you have, and wish you a blessed weekend!

April showers bring May flowers...and events! It is time to get out and enjoy time with the family this month, and we've got you covered. Enjoy this month's events and activities blog for fun family-friendly activities. 

As always, tag us in your Facebook photos at our referred events for Cain Club points. We've got some amazing prizes with your name on it!

May 4: The Greatest Showman Outdoor Screening @ Community First Cinema

Mobile Loaves & Fishes invites you to a free movie night at our Community First! Village.
Grab chairs and a blanket, bring family and friends and enjoy this special screening of the Greatest Showman.

Come as early as 7:30 pm to explore Community First! Village, pick your spot and enjoy your favorite movie snacks from the Community Grille. Burgers, french fries, snacks, and drinks will be available for purchase (cards and cash accepted!).

The event is free, however, a $5 donation would be highly appreciated. Donations can be made electronically when RSVPing to this event.

May 5: Kindnesspalooza @ Hill Country Galleria

Saturday, May 5th from 12:00pm - 4:00pm

KINDNESSPALOOZA, a free family-friendly event, will be held in the Central Plaza by the Splash Pad on Saturday, May 5th from 12:00 - 4:00 pm. The Mrs band, an all-female pop rock band with a positive message, will be headlining the event. Teen music sensation Madison McWilliams is also performing along with other musical guests, including SaulPaul, Big Don and Courtney Santana.

In addition,...

Cain Realty Group is excited to announce an addition to our awards and honors, the 2017 Neighborhood Favorite award courtesy of Nextdoor.  In addition to being your Travis Country neighbor, we take pride in being Austin's Most Trusted Home Buying and Home Selling team. To continue to provide world-class home buying and home selling service we are eager to hear feedback on your experience. We appreciate everyone who takes the time to review us and would like to offer an incentive to do so!

For every review completed, receive points on our Loyalty and Rewards membership program, Cain Club! It's simple, just log in to your account, follow the link to the review site, complete the review, and we will award your points upon confirming the review. 

We are so thankful for an amazing year of serving our clients, neighbors, and friends. We look forward to serving you all in 2018 also. As always, if you or anyone you know has any real estate related questions, we are always a phone call away. Have a blessed Tuesday! 

We LOVE spending time and getting to know our neighbors, join us this Sunday for the Travis Country Boo Bash! The Travis Country Social Committee is putting together this great event for the whole family to enjoy. 

Have a blast with:

• 2 bounce houses - one for 4&younger and one for those over 5yrs old
• Halloween themed games and prizes for everyone
• FREE Pizza from Double Dave's so don't worry about cooking dinner!
• 5pm: annual costume contest. Be sure to dress up for the occasion - prizes are awarded for the best Halloween costumes by age group!

When: Sunday, October 29 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Where: Blue Valley Park - 4504 Travis Country Circle

The social committee is still in need of volunteers to make this event one for the books. If interested, please sign up at http://signup.com/go/MdqYFKd. If you are interested in volunteering for other TC events and would like to be added to the volunteer email list, contact the TC Social Committee at social@traviscountry.com.

We hope to see you and your family there for a spooky good time!

TC Annual Meeting

Please be sure to attend Travis Country's Annual Meeting Tonight!
Wednesday, April 19 - Blue Valley Pavilion
Complimentary Dinner served at 6 p.m. (includes paleo & vegetarian options)
Meeting at 7 p.m.
Please remember to vote!
(Humans only please - no pets permitted...even if they are adorable. Thanks for understanding.)

TC Notes Newsletter

Travis Country graduating high school and college seniors will be featured in the June 2017 edition of the TC Notes newsletter. Email the following information to tcnotes@traviscountry.com to feature your senior. Deadline is MAY 15, 2017.

• a picture of your senior
• school attended
• major activities
• post-graduation plans

The first Travis Country Spring Bird Walk of 2017 was a proven bestseller, thanks to the attendees who joined in on the fun in spite of light rains. Last week's event started with a cheery assembly albeit gloomy weather at Blue Valley. Both young and old folks enjoyed the views and community walk as our avian friends generously provided some wonderful sightings to our eager watchers. Here is a list of birds that were observed in the bird walk:

1 Blue-headed Vireo

1 Black-crested Titmouse

1 Great Blue Heron

1 Northern Cardinal

1 Yellow-rumped Warbler

3 Blue Jay

3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

5 Carolina Chickadee

8 White-winged Dove

9 Common Grackle, and;

40 Cedar Waxwing

Plans for succeeding bird walks are underway and announcements will be made at Travis Country's official Facebook page and the Travis Country Online website, so stay tuned!

Get the latest real estate news in your area! Travis Country Times is going digital. The official publication for Travis Country by Cain Realty Group is reaching out to a larger audience. If our hard copies aren't reaching your doorstep, you can easily access the latest news, trends, and all things Travis Country just by downloading our digital copy for the December issue here.

Get FREE access to the latest Travis Country market stats, real estate trends, investment advice, home design tips, and more, just by getting your very own downloadable copy.

Stay informed about the community! Download your very own copy and be in the know! Thank you for trusting Cain Realty Group, Austin's Most Trusted Home Buying and Home Selling Team!

The annual KW Citywide Food Drive has, once again, proven itself a success in reaching out to the people of Central Texas. This year's event managed to produce 12,653 meals through a combined traditional and virtual food drive effort, thanks to KW constituents who have dedicated their time and energy to make the Saturday event a wonderful success.

The food drive is an effort of Keller Williams to extend its culture of giving in the communities that it serves, and this year's location is Central Texas, with throngs of local KW realtors and their teams coming over to give a helping hand. Our very own Cain Team participated in the event, with members helping with food packaging and delivery amongst other KW realtors.

To show our support for this amazing and selfless culture, please allow us to mention and thank all the amazing vendors that helped make this effort possible: Independence Title, Santa Rita Ranch, Milestone Community Builders, 2-10 Home Warranty, United Lending, American Home Shield, Stewart Title, CenTex Foundation Repair, Juany Cleaning Service, Capital Title, Old Republic Home Protection, Austin Auditors, Send Out Cards, Leslie Moeller of Farmer's Insurance, Brittney Heffernan, and First American Home Warranty.

The Blue Valley and Hill Top Playscape Areas will be temporarily closed for ant treatments. Please be advised regarding the closing schedule that will be in effect this week:

Blue Valley Kiddie Playscape-- Closes on Monday (Sept. 19 AM until Sept. 20 PM), reopens on Wednesday (Sept. 21).

Hill Top Kiddie Playscape-- Closes on Thursday (Sept. 22 AM until Sept. 23 PM), reopens on Saturday (Sept. 24). 

Connect with Travis Country via Facebook.

Travis County firefighters are worried that drought conditions would return soon as summer's neutral conditions change to La Niña this fall. La Niña in Austin brings drier and warmer weather to Central Texas, affecting the area most in the coming colder months.

The Predictive Services Department Head of Texas A&M Forest Service, Tom Spencer, believes that the upcoming La Niña will dry up plants severely, encouraging drier conditions and warmer temperatures. Grass is expected to cure-- the lush greens will turn to dull brown/yellow-- the perfect recipe for wildfires. Experts are hopeful that rain will keep the cured grass from igniting, but damp ground will be difficult to come by in the coming season as rain chances are forecasted to be few and far. the Climate Prediction Center forecasts warmer, drier conditions from October 2016 through May 2017.

To prepare for this dry spell, Travis Country homeowners and residents in other communities are encouraged by the fire departments in the area to participate in mitigating risk by trimming overgrowth. Efforts by the local government to mitigate risk also include the implementation of an extended burn ban in the community.

To learn more about this developing news, you may access the KXAN report that was used as basis for this post here.

The official Travis Country Community Page has released details of the TC End of Summer Bash to be held at the Blue Valley Pool and Pavilion on August 20, 2016, from 5:00 to 9:00PM.

Hosted by the Travis Country Homeowners Association, the annual end of summer bash is a party that many TC families look forward to. Enjoy an evening filled with activities, games, and wonderful food-- all thanks to the collaborative effort of volunteers who just want to help keep Travis Country the magical community that it is.

To confirm your attendance, send gifts, or volunteer, you may access the event's evite here.

Travis County Commissioners have unanimoulsy approved a burn ban that would last until August 10 to prevent citizens from creating outdoor burning that might instigate a wildfire amidst very dry conditions.

For the past weeks, the vote for a burn ban has appeared in the Commissioner's agenda, but action was only taken last July 12. It was later disclosed that members of the commission initially thought the burn ban was unnecessary due to the rains and wet conditions of late May. However, the commission did acknowledge the need for a burn ban once conditions become drier.

The burn ban may extend beyond the initial August 10 expiration, depending on the county's climate conditions. As of now, 48 Texan counties have enacted a burn ban in a unified attempt to keep wildfires from starting. To learn more about this local news, you can read the article from which this post was based here.

The Austin Fire Department and Travis County have hosted a meeting today about the Wildland Urban Interface Code in its effort to reduce the risk of wildfires and help residents determine whether or not their home is at risk.

The Wildland Urban Interface Code is a "set of standards that outline best practices, strategies, and rules to cover everything from managing vegetation to building guidelines in areas where development and neighborhoods meet green space." The Austin Fire Department made it clear that the organization implements its own wildfire mitigation plan, but it is important for homeowners to do their part as well.

The official KXAN News Clip that covered this report can be watched here:

You may visit the official site of KXAN.com to know more about this important news update here.

The school board of the Eanes Independent School District has unanimously approved a $154.2 million budget for the upcoming school year 2016-2017. To meet the needs of the district, the board has approved withdrawal of $1.7 million from its fund balance.

To fund other school districts in Texas with lower property values, about 59% of Eanes' property tax revenue worth $82 million will be redistributed to  the state's "Robin Hood" school finance system. The amount is said to be more than what Eanes pays its teachers and staff at $62.1 million.

This school year's budget requires lesser withdrawal from the district's reserves, mainly because Travis county tax assessments are currently 9.7% higher than in 2015. Another bit of good news is that the Eanes Education Foundation donated $2.02 million toward teacher salaries. With 86% of the budget going to pay roll, the district stays aligned with its focus on hiring quality staff to maintain academic excellence in the district.

Read about how Eanes ISD placed second in Niche.com's ranking of "Best School Districts in the U.S." here.

In a list of best school districts in the United States, Eanes ISD placed second. We have yet to see if the direction of the school district will help it keep its top spot in the rankings of U.S. school districts.

Want to know more about the latest updates on Eanes ISD? Check out our blog or access the Statesman news article from which this post was based here.

Niche.com's latest list of best school districts in America features Austin's Eanes Independenet School District in second place, witth Pennsylvania's Tredyffrin-Easttown School District ranking first.

Niche graded each district using several factors, such as academics, health and safety, parent and student surveys, and student diversity. The site's parent/student surveys which weighed 10% of the district's actual grade was the only independently reported information among all factors considered. Academics was worth 50%; factors like poverty were not considered in the ranking.

Austin's Eanes ISD garnered mostly "A" marks except for the factor of student culture and diversity wherein it garnered a "B-". A local district fact sheet mentions that the population of Eanes ISD is 71.6% white. Overall, the district earned a grade of "A+".

Located in Travis county, the district is composed of six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school-- all of which serve a student population of over 8,000. The district reportedly spends $18,000 for each student and is esteemed to be the reason why the district is a top-performing one.

To read more about the original news article from which this blog post was based, please click here.