Eric's's Blog

HOMES to Make you Laugh

PICTURES OF SOME WILD LOOKING HOMES OO

BUY a 2909 sqft HOME for only $169,990

Networking is best done face to face

WHERE TO INVEST-GET IN ON THE GROWTH IN ATX

Invest in Austin with a HELOC

Need a Laugh

Texas Growth-the next Vegas for investors

Austin Texas is a hot investment!!!

Dome Home complications

Green Building

Desert Landscape

Buy a foreclosure and save thousands

CLOSING COSTS

How old is too old?

Geo-homes and Loans-Question

How Can I get Friends to Stop Wasting my Time?

Its LIKE A TRAIN WRECK--YOU CAN"T HELP BUT LOOK!!!

Showing Disaster!!! Listen to this one----

Las Vegas Multi Family

2007-07-27T00:25:36Z

Ok tell me what you think of these homes? If you were going to list them what kinda price would you put on them. I know the land has a lot to do with it but lets just say the land value is 100 thousand and the homes are the only improvement on the land. Ya right...improvement. Any one got some good descriptions for these. Remember you gotta get em to the house if you want to sell them. I think the best one has gotta be the hut with the sat. dish on the roof. Nice touch and I would point out its wired for satellite and offers low utility costs with its eco friendly landscape and lots of shade.

2007-07-27T00:08:36Z

Ok some homes make our job really hard. I haven't had a home as bad as some of these but I once had a geodesic home (dome home). Any of you have pictures of so strange homes that are better than these winners. You'll love the diversity here and you gott ask yourself what were they thinking.

Kinda a little out of place don't ya think...I mean a little, right!

Check out the floating plane to the right of the sweet boat!

Its a shipping container home! What's wrong with living INSIDE the box?

What the F#$% is this guy thinking?

Nice add on!

Slight foundation problem...there isn't one!

Nice lines on that home... Who was your designer?

Did you get that stuff at Lowes or Home Depot? It's the sweetest home ever!

2007-07-26T23:27:54Z

Hutto Property - 129 Hanstrom Dr $58 per sqft WOW!!!!

http://www.buyorsellaustinhomes.com/

Search Austin Homes at this site.

2007-07-25T23:42:28Z

The Internet is an excellent vehicle for networking via bulletin boards and chat rooms. These communities allow people to connect on a regular basis and exchange info and ideas and get to know one another a little better. In addition, staying in touch via the Internet has no equal. I've found it to be a very powerful mechanism for regularly connecting with people with whom I already have a casual relationship. That's the key--that the Internet is a great tool for staying in touch with people you've already established a connection with. Granted, you may do some business with people that you've met on a Web community. However, for the most part, people do "repetitive" business with people they know and trust. I've seen some business relationships begin, develop and prosper via the Internet, but I've found that most repetitive referral relationships start through personal contact and are maintained via Internet communication. Nothing beats good old-fashioned face-to-face networking to start the process of building a relationship and trust.

2007-07-25T23:09:40Z

PRICES IN AUSTIN TEXAS ARE SUPER LOW. THIS IS A HOME I HAVE LISTED THAT WOULD BE SUPER EASY TO RENT AND MINUTES FROM DELL COMPUTERS AS WELL AS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. MANY OWNERS IN VEGAS HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF EQUITY FROM THE GROWTH IN PREVIOUS YEARS. AUSTIN IS POISED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME TYPE OF GROWTH. GET IN NOW BY TAKING OUT A HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT (HELOC). ITS EASY AND ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN AN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY. I CAN HELP YOU WITH ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS.

CHECK OUT MY WEB SITE AT http://buyorsellaustinhomes.com TO SEE MORE HOMES IN THE AUSTIN AREA.

Close to Dell and an Excellent Value
LARGE TREE COVERED BACKYARD W/ GOOD SIZE STORAGE SHED-LARGE MASTER BEDROOM WITH COFFERED CEILINGS WALK IN CLOSETS-LARGE WINDOWS-SEMI CUL DE ... [Read More] MLS: 5608459	3 Bedrooms 2.5 Baths 1,352 Sq. Ft. South Creek Round Rock,TX	$109,900

****sqft above does not count conversion which adds about 400 sqft

2007-07-25T22:59:36Z

Super Low Pice and Close to UT
Minutes from downtown Austin. Great area close to golf, schools, parks, shopping and more. ... [Read More] MLS: 6565845	2 Bedrooms 1.5 Baths 988 Sq. Ft. Austin,TX	$84,990

PRICES IN AUSTIN TEXAS ARE SUPER LOW. THIS IS A HOME I HAVE LISTED THAT WOULD BE SUPER EASY TO RENT AND MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AS WELL AS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. MANY OWNERS IN VEGAS HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF EQUITY FROM THE GROWTH IN PREVIOUS YEARS. AUSTIN IS POISED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME TYPE OF GROWTH. GET IN NOW BY TAKING OUT A HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT (HELOC). ITS EASY AND ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN AN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY. I CAN HELP YOU WITH ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS.

CHECK OUT MY WEB SITE AT http://buyorsellaustinhomes.com to see more homes like this.

2007-07-25T22:45:31Z

Need a laugh? Some agents take things too serious. I like to laugh a lot and also have daily cartoons on my website. They have to do with business or real estate and I think people appreciate the lighter side of things. You have to be real in real estate! All business is not a good thing. Who's with me?

Snapshots by jasonlove.com

2007-07-25T22:36:47Z

http://buyorsellaustinhomes.com/

Anyone looking for rapidly growing real estate markets need look no farther than Texas. Populations are swelling in communities statewide - from major metropolitan areas such as San Antonio, Houston and Dallas to mid-size markets including Brownsville, McAllen and Plano to smaller towns like Hutto, Little Elm and Fate.

In fact, U.S. Census Bureau data for April 1, 2000, through July 1, 2004, put many Texas cities among the fastest growing in the nation. In all, 38 Texas towns and cities added at least 10 percent to their populations during those four years. Another 55 places increased by 7.9 percent or more.

The Census Bureau has data from 1,191 Texas "places with census populations." Among these, 856 or nearly 72 percent either maintained their existing population or increased. Most of the ones that lost population are in rural Texas.

Overall, new Texans added between 2000 and 2004 pushed the state's population total from more than 20.8 million to nearly 22.5 million, a 7.9 percent gain. San Antonio led the dramatic changes posted in the major Texas cities. http://buyorsellaustinhomes.com/

As the nation's eighth largest city, San Antonio, is poised to move even higher in the rankings. The Alamo City had a 2004 population of more than 1.2 million, a four-year jump of 8 percent. The only other big city nationwide to gain more than 5 percent was Phoenix (Pop. 1.4 million). If San Antonio keeps growing at its current pace, it will pass San Diego, Calif., to become the seventh largest city by 2010.

Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, added 3 percent to surpass two million residents by mid-2004. Meanwhile, the nation's ninth most populous city, Dallas, added 1.8 percent and topped 1.2 million. Fort Worth's population increased 11.5 percent to almost 603,350.

Medium-sized Texas cities followed in step with their big counterparts and grew rapidly in the four years ending in 2004. Brownsville added 15.4 percent and reached nearly 161,300. Other Rio Grande Valley neighbors grew almost as fast. Laredo added 14.6 percent (Pop. 203,200); and McAllen jumped 13.4 percent (Pop. 120,750).

opulations in Metroplex suburbs grew as well. Plano (Pop. 245,400) added 10.5 percent; Grand Prairie (Pop. 140,320) posted a 10.1 percent gain; and Arlington (Pop. 359,850) jumped 8 percent.

Of the 100 fastest growing U.S. cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants from 2000 to 2004, 14 were in Texas.

Three Texas cities that posted relatively slow 2000-2004 population growth began to show clear signs of a comeback near the end of that period. While Austin's overall 2000-2004 population made it the 107th fastest growing U.S. city of 100,000 or more, in the last year of the reporting period, its 681,300 residents made it the 70th fastest growing.

El Paso (Pop. 592,100) was the nation's 79th fastest growing city from 2000 to 2004. However, from 2003-2004, it ranked 48th. Corpus Christi (Pop. 281,200) moved from 146th fastest growing from 2000 to 2004 to 93rd in 2003-2004. http://buyorsellaustinhomes.com/

And Texas' population growth has been recorded in even smaller markets. For example, Hutto increased 81.6 percent to 5,590. Little Elm added 72.5 percent, growing to 14,880; Fate's 1,540 residents were 49.7 percent higher from 2000-2004. Murphy grew by 49.3 percent to reach nearly 9,960.

Among other small Texas markets that added more than 30 percent to their populations were Selma at 41.8 percent (Pop. 2,200); Kyle at 38.7 percent (Pop. 14,000); and Venus at 32.2 percent (Pop. 2,157).

Not every Texas place posted a population gain. Abilene's population fell to 114,800 after it lost more than 1,120 during the reporting period. Beaumont declined some 1,570 to a total of nearly 112,300. Wichita Falls' population declined nearly 3,270; by mid-2004 the city officially had some 100,930 residents.

READ MORE ABOUT TEXAS AND SEARCH HOMES AT:

http://buyorsellaustinhomes.com/

2007-07-23T22:11:14Z

JUST LOOKING or THINKING OF BUYING? AUSTIN TEXAS IS HOT NOW!!!

If you are actively looking for a home in Austin, Texas or Central Texas, you will probably want to take advantage of my "Personal Buyer Gateway Search". Many of my past clients really like this feature because it keeps them up to speed with constantly changing market conditions. Real Estate is moving fast in TEXAS and this search will e-mail you when new listings are for sale in the Austin, Texas and Central Texas market, but only if they match your criteria. Simply E-MAIL a list of your property search criteria from most important to least and I'll be happy to set this feature up. You can also view Austin area Homes at http://www.buyorsellaustinhomes.com/ and browse through properties.

2007-07-20T22:42:10Z

Has anyone found a lender that will approve a Geodesic home. I heard Countrywide but so far they don't look good. This is a challenge on every level. The appraiser had some real issues with comps on this. I tried to go about a mile away and compare to the same size sqft and number of bedrooms. This listing is not an easy sell and the fact it is about to become a foreclosure complicates things if we don't git'er dun soon. Any advice is welcome.

2007-07-20T22:35:28Z

Many builders are going green. The energy savings is great but the housing costs are going through the roof where this hass strated. I think the technology needs to improve so costs can come down before we start requiring this in new homes. Austin, Tx recently had a bill that was perposed that resale homes had to pass energy star type ratings before they could be sold. Can you imagine if this passed. Many people would never be able to sell their home. It would have to be torn down.

2007-07-20T22:27:26Z

The desert continues to get hotter with the removal of the trees and grass. I know we are saving water but this year seems worse than last year. How about less water for California? They should ration water too. Is it just Vegas that needs to conserve? I say no!

2007-07-20T22:14:25Z

Buyers have been really talking about the foreclosures lately. With the 100% fincing that we saw in the recent past has made many of the Foreclosures a bad deal. They are sometimes actually priced above market value with all the fees and penalties that the bank has tacked on. If the banks take a larger than normal loss the home gets sold but is this really the only solution. I think banks are going to have to start working with some of these people and be a little more forgiving. If not the banks will face bankruptcy.

2007-07-20T22:03:09Z

There are lots of fees that you'll have to pay during the closing. RESPA allows the borrower to request to see the HUD-1 Settlement Statement that shows all actual charges imposed on borrower in connection with the settlement at least one day before the settlement. If you see a charge that doesn't make sense, or that no other lender has, it's time to ask questions.

Here's an example of what you can expect to pay at closing (some costs vary widely from state to state, so you should determine exactly what you will have to pay)

Discount and Origination Points: Points are equal to one percent of the loan amount. 1.5 points is equal to 1.5% of the loan amount. Discount points represent additional money you can pay to the lender at closing. If you pay more points it will lower the interest rate. Usually, for each point you pay for a 30-year loan, your interest rate is reduced by about 1/8th of a percentage point. Paying points can be good if you plan on living in the home for a long time.

Origination Points (Loan origination fee) charged by the lender for evaluating, preparing, and submitting a proposed mortgage loan. Origination fees are often expressed by a percentage. A one percent loan origination fee is equal to 1% of the loan amount. Some lenders add origination points into their quoted points while other lenders add an origination point in addition to their quoted points.

Application Fee covers the lender's cost to process the information on your loan. Usually, you must pay this charge at the time you file the application. Some lenders may apply the cost of the application fee to certain closing costs. Generally lenders do not refund this application fee if you are not approved for the loan or if you decide not to take it.

Appraisal Fee: This fee ($150 to $400 depending on the price of the home) pays for an independent appraisal of the home you want to purchase. The lender requires this estimate of the market value of the house for the loan. Factors to be considered in determining market value are: present cash value; use; location; replacement value of improvements; condition; income from property; net proceeds if the property is sold, etc. The appraisal is a critical factor in determining how much of a mortgage the bank or mortgage company will approve. After the appraisal is completed, the borrower is normally entitled to a copy of the appraisal from the lender.

2007-07-20T21:08:11Z

I recently talked with an agent David Mairs that was in his late 80's and still selling homes. He seemed to be fairly with it but who knows. I wonder if he really had a handle on all the high tech tools that have come to our field in the past 10 years. He did give me his card with an email address but I noticed there wasn't a web site. I wonder how old is too old to sell homes. I guess who am I to decide but I worry that if this agent were on the other side of the transaction I might get stuck doing most of the work and it might be like a trip in the "way back machine" to 1981 for the way the transaction was handled back then.

2007-07-20T20:51:14Z

2007-07-20T20:45:07Z

Ok I have some really great friends that want to buy a home. Its really a mystery what their credit is but about 5 years ago they were really struggling to pay bills. I suspect they were behind on some things and may have really done a number on their credit. Since then they have started a business and things are really going good. They are always taking mini-vacations and seem to be flush with cash. I did the typical speach with them about getting approved with a loan officer and they are putting it off. I have an auto search set up for them and they call about once a week or week and a half to go see some homes. This would be fine but they are a bit out of town and its taking a few hours out of the day to show one or two homes. This is compounded by their in ability to agree on something. I want to help since they are close friends but how do I tell them I'm concerned they are wasting my time esp. with no prequal?

Confused!

2007-07-20T20:32:01Z

Like this dog some homes are just UGLY!!!

AND THE WINNER OF PIMP THAT HOUSE IS THIS CRAFTSMAN!!!

How many times can we all count the number of sellers that think they have the best house and best idea out there? The last home is a safty hazard for those who live there or walk with-in 500 ft of this beauty. Sellers like this need a lesson in functional obsolesence. I really don't understand where the idea to spend more for the crane that lifts your single wide 50ft in the air than on your entire home itself comes from!!! Can anyone explain this or top this one?

2007-07-20T01:46:39Z

Ok I went to a home today and was completely amazed at how the people lived. The carpet couldn't have been more dirty if I left it under my 73' Ford with an oil leak. The dishes were so bad I could hardly tell the counters were tile and forget about the color of the bath tub!!! I'm waiting on the agent to caall for feed back. These people think they are actually going to sell soon. Can you believe some sellers not to mention the agent who took this monster on?

Hutto Property - 129 Hanstrom Dr

Single Family Property, Subdivision: Legends Of Hutto Ph 3, County: Williamson, Year Built: 2003, City view, View, Two story, Central air co ...
[Read More]

MLS: 9738534

4 Bedrooms
2.5 Baths
2,909 Sq. Ft.

Hutto,

$169,990

2007-07-19T21:11:38Z

The multi family investments are a good investment according to Robert kiyosaki who was on the Sirius radio FOX station today. I have a few single family homes that were purchased about 6 years ago. They went up in value in the first few years but have been just holding their value in the last two years. I question if Rich dad will soon become Poor dad with his investments.