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One of the most popular canine "meet & greet" spots in Austin, Texas is Bull Creek. This park has about 3-4 miles of hiking trails and is  located off Spicewood Springs near Loop 360 in North Austin.  There is an off leash area where the dogs can romp in the water and swimming holes that are deep enough for the kids to jump into. 

Free Credit Report

Taking advantage of all the outdoor opportunities in Travis, Williamson, or Hays Counties usually means owning a car and renting or buying a place to live.  Getting financing for a car or approved for an Austin apartment or buying a home in the Texas hill country depends upon what an important document has to say about you. 

So let's talk about Credit Reports and how you can take a look-see at yours for free.  On the internet, there are thousands of web links offering you a "free" credit report.  Most of those sites come with some fine print that requires you to provide a credit card because eventually after a free trial, your credit card will be charged.  Fortunately, there is a place you can go that was set up in accordance with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act that truly is free.

The name of the site is annualcreditreport and it is a centralized place for obtaining your free credit report from the three nationwide consumer credit reporting agencies--Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  What many Texas apartment renters and home buyers may not be aware of is there are two choices as to how you pull your report.  You can go on the free site and every 12 months and download a copy of your credit report from all three of the nationwide credit reporting agencies OR you can download one from each agency every FOUR months.  It is your choice.  If you are thinking about buying a home in Cedar Park, Round Rock, or in the Greater Austin area and have never seen your credit report before, I would suggest that you order all three at one time and take a look to see if there are any problems that you need to fix.  It would be a shame to get prepared to make a move to a new apartment or house only to find out there is an old medical bill from  Breckenridge Hospital standing between you and your big plans. Or how about the last student loan payment from your UT education way back when.   On the other hand, if you are not planning to make a move in the near future and you have a general idea that your credit is fine, then you might elect to obtain one report every four months just as a way to monitor credit activity.   And if you are worried about ordering your credit report over the internet, there are ways to order it my mail or telephone, so don't worry about that.  So here is the link for your free credit report:  AnnualCreditReport.com