"Horseshoe Bay: Texas' Sweet Spot,
laid back and friendly, for a weekend or a lifetime!"

America's #1 vacation venue (NEW YORK TIMES, May 26, 2008).

~ON LAKE LBJ: ALWAYS FLOWING, ALWAYS FRESH, ALWAYS FULL, CONSTANT LEVEL ~

The internet's most current and comprehensive guide to development activity in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

415 MATERN ISLAND: This spectacular new lakefront home, the most magnificent ever built on a speculative basis in Horseshoe Bay ("HSB"), has 10,100 square feet under roof - 8,311 of which is air-conditioned.  The home's timeless, contemporary Hill Country design is widely recognized as "HSB's Finest New Home Offering Ever!"

It can be purchased direct from the builder, LBJ Lakefront Inc, and is available for $6,350,000, which amounts to $764 per square foot of living area. We can be reached at either 512/755-6226 or by email at www.kmartin@moment.net.

The extraordinary home accommodates every possible function – from entertaining world-class guests and top corporate executives to being a wonderfully warm and attractive setting to house and entertain three distinct generations (grandparents, children and grandchildren).  It was designed by one of America's Top-10 "green" architects and is on the cutting edge in every aspect, featuring the latest and best in practically every category imaginable, being HSB's most electronically advanced. 

In addition to our offering, as of November 7, 2008, HSB had six other lakefront home offerings listed as available in the $3,500,000 to $6,350,000 price range. These six had been occupied from two to 20 years - averaging 7.3 years. Although none of the six come close to matching the quality of our offering, their average asking price is $776 per square foot, about two percent more than ours.

Our home - perfect for casual lakeside living in a smart and elegant fashion - is located on the HSB West's lakefront, where most of HSB's newest, largest and most expensive lakefront homes are located. It's situated on one of HSB's best open-water lots, which is up to 189-feet deep and has the preferred eastern exposure, which provides cooling shade for afternoon lakefront activities. And, testifying to the neighborhood's quality, our offering is located between two of HSB's largest, finest, and most expensive custom lakefront homes.

LAKE LBJ - AMERICA'S LAKE OF CHOICE: The home is built on a private island in 23-mile long Lake LBJ - extraordinarily special in that it's America's largest constant-level lake. Such lakes are rare in that they require even larger lakes upstream and down - upstream to keep it full during droughts and downstream to catch overflow during floods.

On these unique lakes, one can build over the shoreline, which allows for maximum lakeside intimacy - like fishing off your shaded back porch. It makes for much more enjoyable lakeside living than typical lakes with their fluctuating levels can afford.

The home is situated such that the lake - continually refreshed by the through-flowing, 862-mile long Colorado River - can be viewed from each of its 92 Loewen windows, which are ranked as North America's finest.

THE PRIVATE ISLAND SUBDIVISION: Differing from all other subdivisions in HSB, Matern Island is the community's smallest, with only 30 lots - all of which front on the lake. It has no through traffic and no intersections, which minimizes traffic, holds down speed and eliminates blind intersections. It also makes for perfect leisurely strolls, walking the dogs, neighborly street-side chats, and the like. And being HSB's only completely lake-bound subdivision makes it more secure, and prestigious.

Its beautifully landscaped 1,200-foot boulevard and integrated common area is HSB's broadest - being up to 90-feet wide. It's also exceptionally noteworthy in being HSB's only Live-Oak-lined roadway. The 30-feet tall trees match in size and traverse the boulevard's entire length. 

The island has a Gated Entrance, one of the few HSB subdivisions so favored, and is further distinguished: a) by having its own private "Lighthouse;" b) by incorporating three beautifully landscaped, park-like "islands" with conversation benches within the street's median; and c) by being the only residential street in all of HSB with street lights.  

HSB HAS BECOME NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED: And time has borne out the HSB-Lake LBJ-Texas Hill Country concept!  HSB, along with its booming real estate market, continues to gain more and more national attention. 

Most recently, on September 12, 2008, CNN Money selected Marble Falls - HSB's twice as large sister city - as "one of America's six most terrific waterfront towns." These communities, located three miles apart, feed off one another.

On May 26, 2008, the New York Times called HSB and the surrounding Texas Hill Country America's #1 vacation spot. A more in-depth article had appeared in the "Escape" section of the Times' May 19, 2008 issue, entitled "Far Enough in the Heart of Texas to be Away."

Moreover, the LIVING, Southern Style magazine's Fall 2007 issue carried a feature article entitled "Texas Hill Country - A land of Dynamic Growth" in its "Ideal Destinations" section.

And confirming HSB's golf as among the country's best, the November 13, 2006 issue of Business Week contained an article written in conjunction with Golf Digest entitled "The Top-18 Emerging Golf Retirement Regions." It ranked the two-county portion of the Texas Hill Country where HSB is located as #3 among the country's Top-18 golfing destinations.

In addition, Southern Living's August 2006 issue praised HSB in an article entitled "Heavenly Horseshoe Bay." A similarly favorable two-page article appeared in the May 1, 2006 issue of Business Week, entitled "The Hills Are Alive."

THE CENTRALTEXAS ECONOMY: In a study released November 10, 2008, BizJournals found Austin ranked fourth among America's Top 10 Metropolitan Growth Centers. “Three Texas markets are members of the Top 10, with Austin posting the best growth record of the trio," attesting to the state's overall economic strength. The report adds,"Population has soared more than 8 percent in Austin in the past two years, and employment has jumped more than 10 percent. Raleigh, North Carolina is the only metro area that can match this short-term momentum."

Texas, the country's leading oil and gas producing state and corporate headquarters of most of America's petroleum companies, is projected to continue leading the country in most growth categories for the foreseeable future - as long as America's economy remains oil-based. And as indicted by BizJournals' study, Austin and central Texas lead the state.

The study also found that "the country's 10 fastest-growing metropolitan areas during the prosperous 1990s have continued expanding in the present decade, despite the erratic nature of the economy. All 10 of the markets registered population gains of at least 13 percent between 2000 and 2007, led by Las Vegas’ seven-year increase of 33.5 percent. Trailing Las Vegas among the Top-10 was Raleigh, followed by Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida; Austin; Phoenix; McAllen-Edinburg, Texas; Houston; Salt Lake City; Wichita, Kansas; and Charlotte, North Carolina."

HSB'S LAKEFRONT REAL ESTATE IS AMONG AMERICA'S MOST DESIRABLE: Texas Hill Country real estate in general, the Highland Lakes' portion in particular, and HSB's specifically are receiving their most intense interest ever.  And consistent with HSB's history, dating back to the Resort's founding in 1970, HSB's lakefront continues to experience the strongest demand, as evidenced by the fact that 40% of HSB's 2,400 dwellings are located there.

In that regard, on August 28, 2008, HSB's weekly newspaper - The HSB Beacon - published an article entitled: "HSB's high-end housing market blowing out Austin's." Whereas Austin's American-Statesman newspaper had reported on August 20, 2008 that Austin's $1,000,000 and up market was off 33% from the comparable period during 2007, HSB's was up 114%. The fact that HSB's high-end market is currently 147% stronger than Austin's - one of America's strongest metropolitan economies - speaks volumes about HSB.

Although strong demand reigns on HSB's lakefront, which is divided into HSB Proper and HSB West, it contains only about 800 full-sized lots. About 750 of these, amounting to 94%, are either developed or otherwise unavailable, making for an extraordinarily limited available supply.

Our company owns 32 of the approximately 50 that remain (see button above for "Our HSB LAKEFRONT LOTS"). The average asking price of the 18 available from others in mid-November, 2008, was $1,653,000. Considering that HSB's lakefront lots were sold for about $25,000 when originally offered in 1970, the $1,653,000 figure constitutes an average increase over the 38-year interim period of about 11.9% per annum. Better yet, since prices last bottomed in 2003 after the 9/11/01 tragedy, appreciation on HSB's lakefront has averaged about 15% per annum.

Accordingly, it should be safe to say, with 76% of the American public known to prefer waterfront living, that HSB's ultra-tight supply of properties on America's lake of choice means continued out-sized appreciation as demand keeps on overwhelming the limited supply.

HSB - THE CITY: HSB, a city of 5,000 people, is located about 45 minutes northwest of the heart of south Austin and about 75 minutes north of San Antonio's airport. It is exceptionally well suited as a R & R or second-home destination, being situated within 3.25 hours of driving time of five of the country's 19 largest cities. Moreover, it's situated in the "Sweet Spot of Texas" - being the only city so located (see button above for "ABOUT HSB").

THE "SWEET SPOT OF TEXAS." The "Sweet Spot of Texas" is the only locale where the state's four most favored contiguous provinces overlap. The four provinces are: the laid back and friendly Texas Hill Country, the gorgeous chain of Highland Lakes, the heavily folded Llano Uplift, and the colorful Central Mineral Region - all of which is typically hilly, spring-fed, Live Oak covered terrain. The 250 square mile area is also a geological paradise of the highest order, with rock outcroppings of practically every color and variety. Together, it makes for a very special setting (see button above for "AMERICA's SWEET SPOT").

HSB RESORT: For those who don't know, the city of HSB is built around HSB Resort, one of America's leading destination resorts and the best in Texas, featuring five world class Robert Trent Jones Sr, Tom Fazio, and Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses (the Nicklaus is under construction), one of the world's finest 18-home putting courses, a destination spa and fitness center, a 350-room Marriott Hotel, a variety of fine dining venues, the best in swimming and water sports, plus outstanding equestrian facilities. Furthermore, 1,500,000 feet of exceptionally fine shopping is available within 30 minutes' drive - all at one locale.

In addition, the Resort has one of the country's finest private airports - The HSB Jet Center - with a 6,000-foot lighted runway. It also has its own private airline - Air Horseshoe - featuring five Dornier jets with occupancies ranging from five to 30 passengers - all readily available for charter.

LBJ LAKEFRONT INC's "LAKEFRONT DESIGN-BUILD PROGRAM:"  LBJ Lakefront Inc, a purveyor of extraordinarily fine custom lakefront homes, is an exceptionally focused developer.  We operate solely on HSB's lakefront where we own 32 full-size undeveloped lots, constituting approximately 2/3rds of the available inventory.  We intend to build out this inventory for discriminating third parties through both "SPECULATIVE BUILDING," as in 415 Matern Island, and our "LAKEFRONT DESIGN-BUILD PROGRAM," which we are developing and hope to initiate next year (see button above for "OUR PROJECTS"). Since we plan to build out our lots slowly over the next dozen or so years, the program will be sharply limited to a mere two or three projects per year (see button above for "ABOUT US").

Last updated: 11/18/08.

Though we strive for accuracy in our reporting, we do not guarantee it. In particular, data can get out of date, so check things out before acting.