On a non-real estate related topic, the British singer, Adele, just announced that she has to cancel (again for the second time) her Austin, Texas date on her U.S. tour. It was scheduled for Wednesday, October 19th at the Frank Erwin Center. She has issued an explanation and apology on her official website, http://www.Adele.tv however, the site is a bit overloaded with traffic right now, so try again later. Here's a link to the her blog http://www.adele.tv/blog/352/important-blog
The is the latest ticket refund information via the Texas Box Office:
Customers who purchased tickets for the Oct. 19 concert:
· Online or by phone will be automatically refunded beginning Friday, Oct. 7 at noon. Tickets will be credited back to the original credit card used for the purchase. If the refund does not appear on the credit card statement by Friday, Oct. 21 or if the customer would like more information, they are asked to call (512) 477-6060.
· Using a credit card at the Frank Erwin Center box office, or using cash or check may obtain a refund by returning their tickets to the Texas Box Office point of purchase beginning Friday, Oct. 7 at noon or by mailing the tickets to:
Texas Box Office
Attention: Adele Refund
P.O. Box 2929
Austin, TX 78768-2929
Customers who purchased tickets to the originally scheduled Stubb’s show:
· May obtain a refund by returning their tickets to the Frank Erwin Center box office beginning Friday, Oct. 7 at noon.
The Frank Erwin Center box office is located on Red River Street and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please call (512) 477-6060.
Originally, I may be one of the very few lucky ones who was able to exchange the Stubb's ticket I bought through Craigslist who's seller bought from StubHub and they had bought from the original Stubb's ticket owner nonsense. However, I paid $160 via Craigslist for my ticket and had to track down the "owner" of the original ticket and that was a nightmare. Thank you LinkedIn! But it looks like all I might recover from this nightmare is the original price of the ticket....get this....$25!!!!
But in the end, I don't get to see a wonderful performer that I've been waiting to see for months and now I might be out $135. Oh Adele, if you read this, please come back to Austin, Texas very soon, once your vocal chords are well, and I will be in the audience cheering you on. I'll leave you with my favorite song off her 21 CD, "Don't You Remember" Thanks!
The Austin, Texas rental market is super hot right now. Prices are up and inventory is down. It all comes down to basic economics. When there is no supply, the demand is high, which means leasing prices have gone up and it's making a lot of renters panic. Take a deep breath and let's be realistic about what you are looking for. I've made a list of a few tips to help you (and your Realtor) while you are searching for a property to lease.
1.)Know what you are looking for. What does that mean? First - location. Narrow down your search based on where you want to live. Near a freeway? Near your job? Near your favorite park? Near Downtown? Lots of factors go into this and express to your Realtor your wants. Don't have them send you homes in North Austin when you want to live in South Austin. The more you narrow down your search, the better results you will have to choose from. Plus with the price of gas lately, it saves time and money for everyone.
2.)Fill out an application ahead of time. Your Realtor can send you a blank application (minus the address) so that way, they can tell you upfront if you are a Good prospective tenant for a future landlord. This application will include your rental history, your job history, your credit history, and your permission for a criminal background check. These 4 items are super important to pass with flying colors if you expect to rent a new place. If there is problems in any of these departments, just be honest, because it will come up once the application is processed. Lying on your application can be ground for immediate rejection, so the truth matters. Also, keep in mind that most owners/property management companies are looking for 3 to 4 times the amount of rent to equal your income. For example, if you are looking in the $1000 rental range, you must make at least $3000-$4000 a month on your paychecks to qualify. If you don't, then lower your price range.
3.)Be prepared to have your application fee and deposit funds ready to submit with your application. If you don't have current money in the bank to cover these 2 important steps, then you shouldn't be looking at rentals. The market is so hot right now that homes are being snagged up as soon as they are listed. By putting your deposit in with your application, it takes the property "off the market" and goes pending, so no other person can steal it from under you. Most companies do a "first come", "first serve" It's a competitive race right now and not only are you looking but many other persons are trying to rent as well.
Let me know how I can help you with rentals in Austin, Texas. I can set you up on an automatic search that emails you the latest listings to keep you in the loop ahead of other renters. Thanks for reading!
To increase ridership, Capital Metro decided in mid-January 2011 to offer daytime service for it's MetroRail line instead of just the commuter times in the early morning and evenings. Now in Austin, Texas, you can ride pretty much almost everyhour from 5:50 a.m. until 7:36 p.m. depending on if you are going North or South. Check out the schedule right here, http://www.capmetro.org/MetroRail/schedules.asp
For instance, one day, when I didn't have to take clients around in my car, I decided to get some exercise and took a 1/2 mile bicycle ride to my nearest station at Saltillo Plaza and caught the 1:18 p.m. train. I rode the MetroRail for about 14 minutes and got off at the Highland Plaza station right across from Highland Mall on Airport Blvd. Then I rode my bike to my Central Austin office on W. Koenig, approx. 1 1/2 miles away. It was a beautiful, sunshining, day with a slight breeze and arrived at the office with barely a sweat. With gas prices almost $4 a gallon here in Austin, my commute only cost $1 to get there and a $1 back. I even made the evening news below:
I made a two quick videos, one to show how you buy a ticket, and two, what you will see on your ride. I will definitely use this service more in the near future. They even opened up for weekends in March and evenings during SXSW music festival and with the increased ridership, they plan on doing more in the near future. Next weekend service...the Pecan Street Festival, May 7th, 2011. My birthday! Yea!
Last night, before I went to bed, I re-read my Time Magazine - Person of the Year - edition, you know the one with Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg on the cover. Somehow overnight, his face and an idea popped into my head. If you haven't read it, or seen his recent Oprah interview, Mark Zuckerberg is a RENTER!! That's right, one of the most wealthiest men in America, rents his home. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy finding leases for many of my clients. Most aren't ready to make the jump into home or condo ownership and I personally was a renter for many, many years. I think in my lifetime alone (and I'm 40 years old), I have lived at over 15 different addresses in my 20s and 30s, until I bought my first place. However, this is Mark Zuckerberg!! You know the guy that has most of us glued to his Facebook website at least once or twice in a day (if not more, with the invention of Smart Phones.)
Have you seen the prices in Palo Alto, CA? I did a quick search on http://www.realtor.com/ and found that in the rental section, there is only 7 places for lease. For sale, there are currently only 176 properties. I guess selection is very slim in that area of the Silicon Valley. Compare that to Austin, Texas and Realtor.com lists 4,795 homes for sale and 948 rentals on the market. I know the cost of living is way higher in California, but really almost 10K a month in rental times 12 months is throwing away almost $120,000 a year! You can at least get a starter condo for that price here in Austin. Save another year and you can buy a really nice house. And just think of the Mortgage Interest you could write off every year on your taxes? But you are Mark Zuckerberg, you probably wouldn't need a loan but it's a thought.
So to you Mark Zuckerberg (and I know you must have a Google Alert set up for your name, I would), when your lease is almost up and you are ready to make your first time homebuyer purchase, give me a call or send me an email. Why? The best part of being a Realtor is the out-of-state/city referrals. By being a part of the Active Rain network of agents, I found a great one right here. http://activerain.com/cdimond She can find you the house of your dreams in Palo Alto, CA, where your main offices are located and I receive a referral fee. It stimulates the economy (and my checkbook) and we all end up happy.
And by the way, just in case you come to visit your new Facebook offices in Austin, Texas soon, also feel free to call or email me, and let me treat you to coffee so I can explain the benefits of home ownership. And if you are interested in a second or vacation home in Austin, Texas, I would be happy to sell you a house here too. Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick, and Lance Armstrong would probably be glad to have you as one of their neighbors, I know I would.
p.s. Thanks for reading. And if anyone in Austin, Texas has friends moving out-of-state, or out-of the city, feel free to pass along my name and number/email too. You get a $50 gift card to the establishment of your choice and I will find them a great Realtor to help them with their new home search.
Not only do I work with Buyers and Sellers but I also work with Renters/Tenants and Owners/Lease Listings. A lease listing is when I market an owner's home for lease to try and find a qualifed tenant through many types of marketing including Craigslist. Here in Austin, Craiglist.org isn't as effective as it used to be in years past. In fact, now it's pretty much full of Apartment locators trying to do the ol' bait and switch. But that is not what this post is about. It's about the current influx of SCAMS on CRAIGSLIST.
For instance, this past summer alone, I know of 2 agents in our office that were targeted. One agent, we'll call him Agent A, was busy showing a client a ton of different properties in the Austin, TX area but his client, we'll call her Client A was getting frustrated with selection and prices, so she started looking on her own on Craigslist. Agent A gave a follow-up call to Client A and see how her search was going. She was so excited that she found a newer Duplex in Central Austin, built in 2010 with over 1200 sq. ft. for $900 and was going to meet with the owner to turn in money orders and their approved application. Hold up!! Agent A said this sounded too good to be true and asked his client for the address to confirm his suspicions. That same duplex was listed on the Austin MLS for $2700 a month!!! Client A was about to turn over money to some stranger and thanked Agent A for helping her almost making a huge mistake. Just goes to show that it's always good to have a Realtor on your side when looking for rental properties.
Agent B had listed a 3 bedroom/2 bath renovated home on a corner lot in Central Austin and posted an ad on Craigslist for $1600 a month. This house was located in a hot area of the Crestview neighborhood and the phone calls came rolling in. One Saturday afternoon, he got a call from an overly eager couple who wanted to see the place immediately and were very interested in putting in applications. Agent B went to meet them an hour later and gave them a tour of the house. They said they would take it and asked if they could turn in their apps with the $1000 deposit. Agent B looked puzzled, he said, the deposit is $1600 a month. The eager couple said, that is not what Craigslist said, it's said deposit was $1000 and first month's rent was $1000. That wasn't from the Ad that the agent had posted. Someone copied his pictures and detailed information but changed the price and email contact address. charminghome78@yahoo.com was not the listing Realtor's email address!! Someone almost scammed all parties.
Upon further investigation, here's the response below we got from emailing a request to see that address. Remember, do your homework with a Realtor before you turn money orders over to anyone. Google the address and see what other marketing is out there. And please do not fall for the drive-by and look at the outside line. Get an Austin Realtor to get you access to the inside of the house and prove it's legit. Has this happened in your town? Thanks for reading!
Greetings!!!
Thanks for your email.. The house is still available. I decided to rent the house because we are going to spend more time here in West Africa, about 7 years.. Let me start by introducing myself.I must confess that I am very new in this landlord business..However, My name is John R Carlin. I and my wife own the house located at (**** Lazy, Austin TX ).Due to my job as a civil engineer, I works for a German company called JULIUS BERGER CONSTRUCTION LTD, and now i have been transfer to West Africa to work in a branch in West Africa.I spent less time in the States so I could not get a hold on any Realtor to handle this rent issue, although it was when I knew how long we are going to stay in Africa that I decided to rent out the house. However,the initial plan was to sale out the House. which I tried, but sometimes the agents inflates the prize and it takes longer to sell.The house include the utilities like Heat, A/C in wall/window, Hydro, cable, Garbage Disposal, Fireplace , Fridge, stove, Dishwasher, Dryer, Breakfast Bar, Dining Table and Sofa Set,Refrigerator,Canopied deck overlooking nature.,internet access e.t.c. because of this reason and more we need a responsible person that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money , but want it to be clean and for you to take it as if it were yours.
The rent is: $1000 Security Deposit: $1000 For this 2BR/2BA. Pets Allowed:Dogs and Cats. Available :Available Now for move in. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF RENT APPLICATION FORM FIRST NAME:__________________ MIDDLE NAME: _________________ LAST NAME: __________________ PROFESSION: ________________ PHONE (____) __________ (CELL)PHONE (____) __________ (WORK)PHONE (____) __________ (HOME) KIDS _____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY ________ PRESENT ADDRESS: _____________________ CITY: _______________ STATE: ______________ ZIP CODE: ____________ HOW LONG? ___________IF RENTING WHY ARE YOU LEAVING? IF THIS APARTMENT IS BEING GIVEN TO YOU, HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING? ____________ WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN? ______________ IF YOU HAVE A PET, NAME OF PET: _____________ KIND OF PETS: _____________ HABITS DO YOU SMOKE? ______________ DO YOU DRINK? ______________ DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT? ____ HOW SOON CAN YOU SEND THE PAYMENT______________ ....................................................................................... TAKE NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY DRIVE BY AND SEE MY HOUSE FROM THE OUTSIDE AND IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RENTING GET THE APPLICATION FORM FILLED
The national website Realtor.com has just announced their Top 10 List of Most Searched Cities in the United States and 2 Texas cities have made the cut. San Antonio and Austin. Be sure that when your agent, such as myself, lists your home on their local MLS, that they choose the best 4 photos up front, because that is what shows on the Realtor.com website when someone seaches for homes on their website. Also, your real estate agent can also pay to upgrade and get all 25 photos (the max) onto the website as well. Don't forget about virtual tours too. The homes with the most detailed information, best photos, and virtual tours get more visual and physical showings than those with only one photo of the front of a home or in some cases, blurry photos. Make sure your agent is doing the best to market your home and see which agents really stand out. Check it out for yourself at www.Realtor.com or download their FREE app for iPhone, Windows, or Android phone at www.realtor.com/mobile/
The Top 10 Most Searched Cities According to Realtor.com
1.)Las Vegas, Nevada
2.)Los Angeles, California
3.)Orlando, Florida
4.)San Antonio, Texas
5.)Miami, Florida
6.)Phoenix, Arizona
7.)San Diego, California
8.)Austin, Texas
9.)Chicago, Illinois
10.)Tampa, Florida
I've personally heard from some of my sellers/owners after I've sold/leased their homes, (and some are now buyers/renters looking online) and they are grateful for how I marketed their homes with professional photos, virtual tours, social media, etc... and wish that more agents out there would really take the time and double check what is showing in cyberspace to get their homes sold/rented.
Have you searched for listings online and what are your thoughts?
Howdy partner, so I have this really good anonymous friend with great inside connections who gave me the scoop 2 weeks ago and now the Rodeo Austin concert lineup is on their official website. Here's the 2011 concert lineup for the Austin Rodeo at the Travis County fairgrounds, March 12th - March 26th, 2011 Mark your calendars, tickets on sale January 28th at 10:00 a.m.
On Friday, December 17th, the Nissan LEAF Drive Electric Tour came through Austin, Texas at the Domain shopping center in North Austin. Nissan had set up an enormous exhibit in the parking lot with detailed information about the new Electric car on the block. I was super pumped to be one of the first participants in Texas for this exciting event.
In January 2011, there will be two more stops in Dallas, Texas and Pearland, Texas. If you have the chance to make this event, I highly recommend you sign up now. Details can be found at http://www.drivenissanleaf.com But let's get to the good stuff below:
The Nissan LEAF is 100% electric. What does that mean? Well, for starters, no gas! That's right, no filling up the tank. This car has Zero Emissions to help the environment. The retail price estimated to be about $35,000. However, you will have extra separate cost options on how to "charge" the vehicle's battery. From what I was told, there will be 2 home options to choose from and then 1 for when you are on the road. The first home option would be to buy a separate hand-held charge (kind of looks like a jumper cable) that you can plug into a 220V in your garage, that takes about approx. 20 hours to charge the battery fully. The second home option would be to have a charging station installed by an licensed electrician (extra monetary charge) that could be a removable fixture in your garage but similar to a "gas" tank. See the photos to understand what I'm talking about. You could take it with you if you decide to move/sell your house, or it would be a great marketing tool for the future, if these vehicles take off. Similar to solar panels, you can market your garage as Green option with the plug-in station already installed. This option would take about 8 hours to charge your battery, so you can leave it plugged in while your are sleeping so the car will be fully charged in the morning. The last option would be to drive to some of the city charging stations that would be in and around town, such as at Whole Foods (while you are grocery shopping) and possibly in the near future, Cracker Barrel, for those freeway stops. In fact, the Whole Foods flagship store here in Austin, Texas has one. And you might even see our resident celebrity Lance Armstrong driving his LIVESTRONG Nissan Leaf around the Austin City Limits.
What is the catch? Well for now, the cars are designed to be drivin within the City Limits. Their initial charge only lasts for up to 100 miles. So therefore, this would be a most excellent choice of vehicles for a Realtor like me. Eventually, there are going to be charging stations on most of the heavily driven Interstate highways/freeways like I-10 which runs nearby from San Antonio to Houston and so forth.
p.s. I just recently switched from a 2006 VW Passat to a 2009 Chevy Malibu Hybrid to try and save some gas money. But 100 % electric would be awesome!
****If you liked my blog, PLEASE vote from now until January 20th, so that I can have a chance a winning a FREE Nissan Leaf. Just click on the link below, enter your email address, and then open the email from Nissan to verify it, so it counts. I don't have access to your email addresses and Nissan swears they aren't gonna spam you. It's just a 1 time only/per email address vote.
**** Good karma will come to you and please feel free to email the above link to your family and friends. ****
Also, if your curious how my test drive went, and to hear more detailed information about the Nissan LEAF, watch my YouTube video below taken my the lovely marketing rep, Brigette, as she videotapes me driving.
Live in Austin, Texas? If so , then maybe you have seen the new white and blue car2go Smart Cars zooming around in and around Downtown. Well now they are available for public use. Austin is the 4th largest city in Texas and is the only test city in the whole United States that got picked for this. Sign up now at http://www.car2go.com/austin/en/to get your FREE membership card (only for a limited time). Soon, they will be charging approximately $35 a card, so get yours now. All you then have to do is link it to a credit card for your usage payments. More information can be found on their online magazine http://www.car2read.com
The concept is simple. You need a car to get from point A to point B in Austin. Maybe yours is in the repair shop, maybe you don't even have a car. No sweat! 200 car2go cars are available in Austin, Texas. You can drive it anywhere within the Austin area, the catch is that you have to return it within the city limits to any public parking area, repeat, public parking area, so you can't park it in your driveway. Here's the map with the return areas highlighted in blue, http://www.car2go.com/austin/en/files/car2go_operating_area.pdf
Cost??? .35 cents a minute which includes gas, insurance, parking, maintenance, and mileage. Per Hour is $12.99 maximum. Per Day is $65.99 (based on 24 hour period) and if you go over 150 miles in one day, you will then be charged .45 cents per mile.
I have used it to personally to drive to Downtown Austin on a Saturday night for an event and then just left it there parked Downtown in a designated car2go parking spot and/or a city meter which is free parking for car2go members. This is an example of "closing" out my rental and making the car available to the next member. A one-way destination, where if the car was checked out by another member by the time I finished my event, then no problem, I could take a cab home instead(especially after a few cocktails).
Another time, I used a car2go that was parked near my condo in East Austin at the Livestrong building - to go pick up a client at his apartment - to go sign a new lease for his new rental at the other agent's Downtown office - and then back home (parked publicly curbside). This rental was not "closed out" until the end of my trip, so that no other member could use my car.
Once you get your membership card, you will understand the difference of a car available (blinking green) as opposed to one that is checked out (blinking red). It's a very roomy ride, even though it's a 2 seater, and it comes with a radio and built-in.
I was explaining it to my friend Leia while heading to lunch the other day and she asked, how does it work? In other words, how do they know it's you driving, keys, etc...and we filmed a short video. Enjoy! Also, would love your comments if you have used one or have any further questions.
So I've recently taking the jump back into blogging and my favorite is called "vlogging" or Video blogging. I want to feature from time to time, different places up and down my neighborhood on E. 6th Street. About a year ago, I did a video on You Tube with me in my car driving up the street showing a quick preview of the area retailers. (See previous blog posting.) Now I'm going to concentrate on showing one by one, more of my 'hood hot spots.
The video up above is from a local factory that produces tortillas, chips, masa, etc...that is distributed all around the Texas area. In fact, one of my You Tube viewers sent me a note that this place, El Milagro, was owned by her Uncle/Godfather. Her story is below.
My Uncle/Godfather founded "El Milagro" in 1950. All of the original "El Milagro" stores, Restaurants, and products were started in Chicago. All of them are still in operation in Chicago to this day. There are also " El Milagro" stores and restaurants in, Atlanta, and Austin. There is an " El Milagro" restaurant in Memphis, and also a taqueria " El Milagro" on you tube but those " El Milagro's" are in no way affiliated or part of the original Lopez family owned " El Milagro" restaurants, stores or products. for more information on the original " El Milagro" tortilleria's, and taquerias please visit http://www.el-milagro.com for more information and history. Thank you
Also, as a bonus, I have added my neighborhood map from Yelp.com to show you some of my favorite places in the area. Enjoy!!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
On Friday, December 17th, the Nissan LEAF Drive Electric Tour came through Austin, Texas at the Domain shopping center in North Austin. Nissan had set up an enormous exhibit in the parking lot with detailed information about the new Electric car on the block. I was super pumped to be one of the first participants in Texas for this exciting event.
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