A wide variety of links this week - something for everyone:

Austin (Good) News

• Austin gets high marks in yet another nationwide ranking- Austin Business Journal: Survey: Austin high on most-desirable list. Perhaps this survey states the obvious (of course people want to move here!), but its nice to get the national recognition.
• Today Show Real Estate Expert (and successful investor) Barbara Corcoran calls out South Austin as one of four “up and coming” neighborhoods in the country. See the video - MSNBC - Barbara Corcoran on up and coming neighborhoods.

Green Building & Architecture

• I’ve seen a lot of architects make customer furniture, however there are several other venues for their design skills. Archinect points out some notable examples - Archinect: Architects’ Designs on Fashion and Boating
• Great news for green entrepreneurs - Techcrunch: Google Takes on Global Warming. See the full Google press release here.
• Even the famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center has gone ‘green’ with solar panels and LED lights - Apartment Therapy: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Goes Green.
• For those considering a remodel or addition in the near future (myself), here is some good news - The Real Estate Bloggers: Time To Rebuild The Deck, Or Lumber Prices Decline On Low Demand.

Real Estate

• Check out this listing: Lautner Designed Lucien Hubbard’s Desert Hot Springs Motel For Sale for only $495,000! Seems like a deal to me! I think a certain local modern blogger (and Lautner fan) may need to move to Desert Hot Springs, CA. For more cool listings with great photos checkout ArchitectureForSale.com.
• Another unique home in the desert (although not for sale), the USA Today tours magician Teller’s home - USA Today: Teller’s magical Vegas retreat speaks volumes.
• If you have $40 Million to spend here’s a great Richard Meier designed condo for you Curbed: On the Market: What $40 Million at Meier Gets You.
• Finally, read this post for a tough lesson on Adverse Possession - BoingBoing: Land grab case in Boulder incites anger and protests

Misc

• Google Maps adds terrain data Google LatLong: Explore new terrain.
• Perhaps some holiday gift ideas for your favorite bookworm NY Times: 10 Best Books of 2007.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy the beautiful fall weather while it lasts!