Jim Gilbert's (austinhomesbyjim) Blog

the flatter it gets!" This observation about flattening dead possum was hanging on a post inside the 1879 Chisholm Grill, a restaurant my wife and I visited on our recent trip to Arkansas. We got off the beaten path (I-35) and traveled north on US 77 so I could photograph some Texas treasures-cou...

According to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, home sales in Texas were down from May 2007 by 14.9% My market area (Austin) was down 20.6%. In contrast to many areas of our country, median home prices are up in Texas (+1.3%) and in Austin (+6.1%). With the stock market news for June, I am wonderi...

Though there is real estate everywhere, some places are more special than others! Like Hot Springs Village. This gated community, located just north of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is home to about 15,000 retirees and other folks who want to be able to enjoy its many amenities. Amenities like nine golf...

"Think Green!" said the sign by the side of the road. This sign surely was intended to evoke thoughts of energy conservation, green building, etc. But on this day, my wife and I started thinking green in a different way, and found a new way to pass the time while traveling. We had a lot of laughs...

I hadn't planned on blogging today, but wanted to express a little thanksgiving! After a record number of triple-digit afternoons so far this June, the sky is still overcast at 1:30 PM today! At my last check, the temperature was only 85. It may yet get to 100 today, but some relief is great. My ...

I wish I had thought of writing something like this on Mother's Day, because I had two wonderful parents! Both are gone on into the presence of Christ now, but I remain very grateful for their influence on me and wish that I could thank them in person today. Most of all, other than the many sacri...

Here is a link to a very useful tool for capturing screenshots for presentations, websites, blogs, etc. http://www.wisdom-soft.com/sh/sh_free.htm. This version of ScreenHunter is free, though there are a couple of versions, reasonably priced, that are available. I use ScreenHunter often. Get info...

After over 20 years as a pastor, I resigned my last church and moved into another career in real estate. Studying had always been a strong point of mine, so getting my license was a challenge that I was able to handle without too much difficulty. I remember walking out of the testing location wit...

Anybody with eyes and ears (and a TV, or internet connection) knows that the mortgage lending and housing industries are in the midst of some difficult days. An article written by A. Mechele Dickerson in the May 22, 2008 Austin American-Statesman summarized pretty well how we got into this dismal...

I read in a recent post that buyers sometimes, with the help of their agent, make offers on more than one property at the same time. This is a something I have not done, and have not encouraged my clients to do. I believe I have been asked about doing this once. I have some questions: How common ...