independence title: Thankful Thursdays ~ Wrappy hour benefiting Austin Angels
- 12/05/19 06:03 AM
Last night many real estate agents who chose a child to buy for Christmas met at Maggiano's at the Domain, sponsored by Austin PT50 and Independence Title. They provided wrapping paper, ribbon, tags, food and wine and we wrapped until the presents were all ready for the Austin Angels.
The Austin Angels mission statement says it all for who they are and what they do:
"Walk alongside children in the foster care system, as well as their caretakers, by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentor-ship."
This year there are many families on the waiting list for Austin Angels assistance and these … (13 comments)
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independence title: TOO LATE! Another home sold in Vista Ridge Estates Leander TX
- 10/12/19 06:14 PM
I'm blessed to work with the most amazing sellers! A past client referred me to Sally who was moving back to CA to take care of her daughter who has medical problems and needed me to list her home. What a joy to work with! At closing her niece came out to drive her cross country. Look at her smile and sparkly eyes when we closed at Independence Title!
Sally is a woman of faith and told me God told her what day her house should go on the market, for how much and told her she would get full price. We listed on a Saturday morning (I usually … (7 comments)
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independence title: Austin area real estate sales are in for December 2018
- 01/24/19 01:49 PM
The Austin Board of Realtors® just released December of 2018 market stats which showed a decrease in the median price for single family homes in the Austin-Round Rock MSA (metropolitan statistical area) by .8%. Kevin P. Scanlan the 2019 Austin Board of Realtors® stated “2018 was the highest grossing year on record and for the first time ever the median price for single family homes in the Austin-Round Rock MSA stayed above $300,000 for 10 consecutive months.”
Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital at Independence Title, commented “Annual sales are still ahead of where we were last year and I don’t think … (11 comments)
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independence title: November 2018 a Record breaking month in Austin Area real estate
- 12/21/18 10:16 AM
November 2018 is another Record breaking month in Austin Area real estate
The stats for the Austin Area are in for November 2018 and looks like the real estate market continues in an upward direction. The median price is up 2%, the number of home sales is up 1% with the total dollar of home sales up 6% to a whopping 839 million. The number of days on market is only up 3 days and inventory of homes is under 3 months therefore still a seller’s market.
Sometihing to watch is active listings are up 12% over last year and pending sales … (9 comments)
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independence title: Learning inspires me.....Knowlege itself is power
- 12/06/18 01:41 PM
I'm so glad that Carol Williams is hosting the December Challenge to share a quote that inspires us. After an informative luncheon this past Thursday put on by the Austin Chamber for the Austin businesses and policy leaders I thought of a Zig Ziglar quote that resonates with me. "You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive life-changing content and by associating with and encouraging hope-building people." What a great few hours of learning and grasping the concept of powering forward in an Age of Disruption.
Continuing education and forums like this inspire me. Its so … (21 comments)
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independence title: Wrappy Hour ~ Gifts for Austin Angels
- 11/29/18 08:30 AM
A big thank you to Independence Title and Austin PT50 for another great "Wrappy Hour" event benefiting Austin Angels at Maggiano's Little Italy in the Domain. Acting as Caregivers to children in the Foster Care System by selecting gifts on their wish list was so much fun! Giving gifts that you know bring joy is one of the best ways to celebrate the spirit of giving during the holiday season.
It's events like this that make me proud to be a member of the Austin PT50.
AND if you're looking for a Realtor® in NW Austin who will give you the professional real estate … (6 comments)
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independence title: Are you following the trends in Austin's real estate market?
- 11/19/18 10:22 AM
Are you following the trends in Austin’s real estate market?
The stats are out for October 2018 and same song second verse is playing. The median price is up 8%, the number of sales are up 4% and inventory is holding tight at 3 months (remember economists say 6 months is a balanced market). Active listings are up and days on market are longer as buyers take more time in making a decision to buy. They are buying single family homes if priced right and perceived as a good value.
This is an excellent time for sellers to market their home but need to … (12 comments)
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independence title: Austin- Round Rock MSA Real Estate Update June 2018
- 07/17/18 12:35 PM
The first half of 2018 single-family home sales in the Round-Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) experienced strong and solid growth but declined in June 2018 according to the June & Midyear 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report released by the Austin Board of Realtors®.
Amidst strong housing demand we see home prices continue to increase and housing levels decrease. These consecutive years of record level sales set an unrealistic level to continue year over year. According to Steve Crorey, 2018 president of the Austin Board of Realtors®, “The Central Texas housing market remains strong and continues to move at a demanding … (10 comments)
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independence title: Dr. Jim Gaines says "Austin is Blowing and Going!"
- 06/29/18 09:34 AM
Independence Title recently sponsored a lively Central Texas Economic & Real Estate Forecast. Thank you Jen Clark for the invite, I appreciate you! Dr. Jim Gaines, Chief Economist for Real Estate Center at Texas A & M University was the speaker and one of my favorites. I look to Dr. Gaines, Mark Sprague and Neal Spelce for insight into what direction the wind is blowing when it comes to real estate!
Dr. Gaines said Austin is blowing and going! He told us he was going to tell us what will happen but not whenJ. Our economy has been in motion for 11 … (18 comments)
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independence title: Austin-Round Rock MSA Real Estate Update May 2018
- 06/20/18 08:51 AM
The May 2018 Central Texas Housing Market report from the Austin Board of Realtors has been released and no surprise here! The decreasing housing inventory paired with strong demand continues to drive the City of Austin’s growing affordability crunch! However looking at the Austin-Round Rock MSA, not much of a change; housing inventory decreased by 0.1% and the median single family home price increased 5% year-over-year to $325,000. The total dollar volume of single family homes increased 7% to 1.3 Billion!
Steve Corey, 2018 President of the Austin Board of Realtors, said “The City of Austin’s lack of housing choices disadvantages … (6 comments)
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independence title: What's on the Horizon for Austin in 2018?
- 01/22/18 02:36 PM
The big news coming from the New York Times on January 18, 2018 is Amazon named the 20 finalists in the fierce contest for its second headquarters. Frankly I was surprised at our city making the cut. Why? Downtown Austin is ranked #3 on the list for the most expensive cities to live and our transit system leaves something to be desired! Many of our city council members are still resistant to growth. These are not desirable attributes for large corporations looking to open mega headquarters.
Don’t get me wrong I love Austin and enjoy the quality of life, however, I’m being realistic. … (14 comments)
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independence title: Wrappy Hour ~ Benefitting Austin Angels
- 12/05/17 02:26 PM
This season has been full of wonderful gatherings planned to give back to the community and have fun doing it! Kara McGregor Sr. Vice President of Business Development with Independence Title Company teamed up with Austin PT50 for a wonderful event benefiting “Austin Angels.”
The Austin Angels mission is to walk alongside foster children and their caretakers by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building and mentorship.
We gave the gift of joy this season by each participant selecting a foster child and gift on their wish list. We brought our gifts to “Wrappy Hour” at Maggiano’s in the Domain. It was … (18 comments)
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independence title: Where are Austin Home prices headed?
- 08/11/17 11:29 AM
According to Forbes Magazine in their July 19, 2017 article by Samantha Sharf “Texas is Home to the most Over Valued Housing Markets in America” the article states Austin housing is over-valued and a housing bubble may be on Austin’s horizon. KXAN ran the story the first of August which many of you may have seen:
According to Neal Spelce’s Austin Letter “a housing bubble implies a bursting of the bubble could have bad economic consequences.” It only makes sense we should not take these reports lightly but must delve into other sources that know and study the Austin market extensively to get … (11 comments)
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independence title: FAQ: How much will I net in the sale of my home?
- 06/12/17 12:04 PM
A common question any seller will ask when considering the sale of their home is “How much am I going to net?”
This is a logical question after all this is a large investment. How much a seller is netting often determines their next purchase. The one thing to keep in mind is each state is different with fees that are commonly paid. Real estate is local and a net sheet may vary from state to state and is good to understand the net for the state you live in.
I have several on-line programs from local Title Companies (Independence Title, First National … (14 comments)
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independence title: Business Innovation Summit+Nat'l Forecast~Austin"Don't think small!"
- 02/01/17 11:43 AM
Thank you Jen Clarke with Independence Title for the invite to the Business Innovation Summit + National Forecast Update held at the Long Center. John E. Silva , PH.D., Managing Director and Chief Economist with Wells Fargo the guest speaker, focused on Business Innovation in the context of the new administration.
John stated there are 5 benchmarks for good decision making:
* Inflation
* Growth
* Profit
* Interest rates
* The Dollar
The main message for all of us as a business person is we need to be open and prepared for different approaches out of Washington. In the past years 2.1% has been the growth … (11 comments)
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independence title: Austin Economy ~ Post Election Wrap
- 12/13/16 02:04 PM
Each year I look forward to the Austin economic year end wrap and projections for the next year. Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital for Independence Title is my favorite economist because he tells it like it is and is not overly optimistic or pessimistic!
This year he entitled his re-cap “Post Election Wrap!” With all the controversy over the Presidential election he wanted to stress how the show would go on and our Austin economy would continue to expand and grow. We need to stay focused on how to handle the influx of new residents and industry expansion and … (17 comments)
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independence title: Mark Sprague "If it's all the same...I would choose Austin!"
- 07/26/16 01:43 AM
Independence Title is a wonderful business partner that supplies us with incredible forecasts from their economist Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital.
Mark presented our office an excellent program outlining the Mid-Year Economic Forecast for 2016 for Austin. He stressed 44% of the nation recovered from the economic downturn. What is normal for us is not normal for the rest of the country. For the last 50 years Austin has enjoyed a 3.5% appreciation year after year. Is Austin in a Bubble? NO! We have lots of land and Austin’s energy, health and education businesses lead the nation in job creation. … (14 comments)
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independence title: Austin Sellers: don't fall in the trap of "ego" pricing your home!
- 07/14/16 05:57 AM
I attended a valuable mid Year Economic Forecast for Central Texas sponsored by Independence Title with Mark Sprague State Director of Information Capital. The topics were enlightening with food for thought on our economy, the future and as listing agents.
Central Texas is doing well because of our job creation but the secret to Austin’s success is over the last 50 years we’ve enjoyed a nice steady, organic 3.5 % appreciation each year! We are not in a bubble like some try to label us. We have land and lots of land to build on. What is normal for us is … (42 comments)
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independence title: Austin PT50 Fashion Watching the Runway for Mobile Loaves and Fishes
- 06/17/16 04:46 AM
Amber Thomas created another memorable event for PT50 at the Mansion on June 16, 2016! What fun and even Amber walked the runway for a “wrap” of the 3rd Annual PT50 Fashion Show Fundraiser!
The guys stole the show with their modeling antics and produced many loud rounds of applause!! David Burton...you may have stolen the show with Ricky Cain closing following suit! Our own Coldwell Banker Lili Maliner modeled some fun outfits from Rare Trends and Jennifer Clarke from Independence Title rocked the runway as well as many others. Champagne flow coupled with yummy bites! Definitely an entertaining way to raise … (8 comments)
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independence title: Walking the Runway for Charity
- 06/09/15 05:37 AM
Yes, I am walking the Runway for Charity at the PT50 Fashion Show Fundraiser. This promises to be a wonderful event showcasing "What's hot this summer" with fashions from local boutiques. All of the money raised goes to an amazing organization called Foundation Communities. This organization creates housing where families succeed by providing people with an affordable, attractive place to call home, as well as opportunities right at their doorstep to transform their lives. Son John Dunham with Juice Homes will be walking too!!
The fashion show is Wednesday, June 17th from 2-4pm at The Mansion in Austin, TX. Tickets for the … (24 comments)
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Last night many real estate agents who chose a child to buy for Christmas met at Maggiano's at the Domain, sponsored by Austin PT50 and Independence Title. They provided wrapping paper, ribbon, tags, food and wine and we wrapped until the presents were all ready for the Austin Angels. 
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