Looking for a home in a great neighborhood? Check out Georgetown Village. This weekend, 4 builders are putting on a Home Tour where 7 model homes will be on display.
The featured builders are:
Green Builders, from the $190s Perry Homes, from the $240s Origin Homes, from the $240s Bowen Family Homes, from the $180s
There are also 5 resale homes available with prices ranging from $175,000-$240,000 (these homes will not be open - but I'd be happy to show them to you by appointment).
A home is one of the best long-term investments you can make, and with interests rates so low, now is a great time to buy! (100% financing is still available for homes priced under $288K for those who qualify)
As a Village resident myself, I'd be happy to give you a personal tour of the neighborhood and the homes available here. I just can't say enough positive things about this fantastic community!
If you have bought your home in the last year or so, you will probably be receiving one of these letters. It may even show the date you bought your home. That is public information that can be accessed by anyone.
Even though the letter states that the Texas Property Code is different from the Texas Tax Code, you do not need to file this form.
This scam is so prevalent that Williamson County released the following statement online back in 2005:
Homestead Exemption Forms Available for Free
Don't Pay for Filing Service
"Homestead exemption forms that allow a home owner to claim a tax exemption on a single, primary residence are available for free from the Williamson County Appraisal District, 510 W. 9th Street in Georgetown, on their Web site at http://www.wcad.org/ or at the Williamson County Tax Assessor's offices in Georgetown, Taylor, Round Rock or Cedar Park.
"Private companies are sending out mailings offering to file a designation of homestead form for a fee or to obtain a refund for the late filing of an exemption for property owners," states Williamson County Tax Assessor/Collector Deborah Hunt. "We want people to know that it is not necessary for homeowners to pay anyone to file for a homestead exemption or to obtain a refund for the late filing of a homestead or senior citizen exemption. Please don't pay for this service when you can easily do it yourself for free."
Please protect yourself and DO NOT send any money to these scammers.
Once again the folks over at the Williamson County Assoc. of Realtors have provided us with a great visual of how the Williamson County housing market is doing. Home sales will definately be lower this year than they've been over the last 3 years but likely higher than they were back in 2004. The seller's market has changed to a buyer's market. (see below)
What does this mean to you? Well, it depends if you're buying or selling residential real estate.
If your buying - you'll have more choices and more time to make a decision. You will also have more negotiating power because if a seller won't lower their price to one you're happy with, you can find another who may be able to. But remember, if you really love a home, and you're planning to live in it for at least 3-5 years, don't let a great home pass you by because it costs more than another.
For sellers - you'll have to be more competitive. Because buyers have more negotiating power than in the past, you'll have to step up what you are offering to them. Maybe its paying for their closing costs, or offering a decorating allowance, but the best offer is one of a lower price. You don't have to give your home away, but you do need to be realistic in your home's price and your bottom line. If a buyer really wants to buy your home, they should be happy to pay market value.
I'm always happy when I see Texas make the top of national lists. Well, here we are again...
Texas has passed NY on the # of Fortune 500 companies
Fortune 500 magazine has posted its list of the Fortune 500. And there's more good news for Texas: We're #1 when it comes to being the "home base" for corporate headquarters. With a total of 58, we've surpassed New York by 3 (they were formerly #1) and California by 6.
Low taxes, affordable land and a large labor force are the main factors cited for corporations moving to our beautiful state.
The Williamson County Association of Realtors recently compiled the last 8 years of residential sales statistics for Georgetown. Despite a small blip in 2002, Georgetown home sales have been climbing steadily. In 2005 there was a substantial jump in home sales, which, unfortunately, I don't think will continue at the rate it has been. Although I predict home sales to slow in 2008, I do think that the residential market will remain strong.
Thanks to good national press (see blog posting below) and all the great things Georgetown has to offer (including its proximity to Austin), I believe Georgetown will continue to see steady growth in home prices. Just be ready for your home to stay on the market a little longer than it would have 9 months ago.
Overall, I'm confident that Georgetown will weather the national housing woes and come out on top. And this is a great time to be a buyer! There are plenty of choices when it comes to available housing in this area for all price ranges and tastes.
This time we're #2 on Money.CNN.com's list of "100 Best Places to Live and Launch". What does that mean? It means we're a great place, not only to live, but to start a business.
It touts a business-friendly tax structure, entrepreneurial camaraderie, low utility prices, and scenic spaces as reasons that Georgetown tops the list.
For its cons, it advertises higher housing costs. Here's my take on it:
Although there are areas in Georgetown that have high-priced homes, there are still plenty of available and affordable homes (under $150k). According to the Williamson County Assoc. of Realtors, in 2007, The average home price in Georgetown East was $136,200 and $218,000 in Georgetown West. With those statistics, and knowing the local housing market, I think this article overstates that Georgetown's current housing cost is high. But if that's the worst they can come up with, I think that's pretty great.
If you already live in Williamson County, then you know that there are many new roads in the county, and many more are on the way.
But if you don't live here yet, or haven't lived here very long, finding your way around may be more challenging than it was just a few years ago.
With many people now counting on GPS or maps from sites like Mapquest or Google, I just want to throw out a little word of caution. Don't rely on them too much!
Because of the rapid growth in this area, not all of these programs are up-to-date. Although they do show all of the older roads and highways, they don't show all of the newer roads that criss-cross the area (DB Wood for example hasn't been updated on either of the aforementioned mapping sites).
To help you get around I recommend printing off a map from the city (or swinging by their office for a nice, large, colored map). You can also go to http://www.georgetown.org/departments/ds/maps/ to find all the maps Georgetown has to offer.
Good luck & drive safely!
**Realtors & other real estate professionals: Maps of the Georgetown/Williamson County area are great for new home buyers!
According to the City of Georgetown (Jan '08), The Summit at Rivery Park is in the zoning stage. Ground breaking and construction may begin as early as this summer.
The Summit development plans contain an eight- to ten-story hotel (320-420 rooms), conference center (accommodating 1500-2500 people), a six-story office tower, 2 upscale restaurants, four office condominiums, and parking garages.
The development is designed to keep the buildings' footprints as small and unobtrusive as possible. Building up, instead of out, will help to minimize the impact on the beautiful area along the North Fork and will keep urban "sprawl" at a minimum as well. Current zoning limits only allow a 45-foot vertical height, but an application to address this situation should be coming from the developers soon, if it hasn't already been been filed.
Renderings of the project were unveiled to the city in June by the LedgeStone Group.
I received a comment over the weekend from JK referring to Citigroup's new Georgetown data center.
Here's the scoop:
Citigroup bought a 55-acre site on SE Inner Loop in Georgetown in back in January of 2007. It has already completed construction on the new building and is up and running. The financial services expected to hire about 50 people (for current positions available go to: https://www.citigroupcib.com/careers) with an average salary of approximately $70k/year.
As for how it could affect home sales, it depends on a few things, such as:
--Will employees move here from out-of-town/state? -If so, we could see an increase in area home sales.
--Do local employees already own their home? -These folks may sell their current homes to move closer to work or possibly buy a larger home if their income is increased. Or they could choose to stay in their current homes; in this case the new employment wouldn't affect the real estate market directly.
--What about employees who currently rent? -With a new, stable job, some folks can't wait to invest in their own home. Again, this could cause an increase in home sales.
But no matter what the new jobs mean for the local real estate market, they will definately have a positive effect in Georgetown's economy. We'll have to wait and see how big it will be.
The neighborhood slogan of "Bringing Back the Neighborhood" truly fits this area. Friendly neighbors, abundant parks and greenspace, and lots of sidewalks makes Georgetown Village a great place to live.
The real estate market in Georgetown Village is still going strong. New homes being built in the community have contributed to the increase in the number of home sales and have also helped to increase the average sales price. The following table shows the last 2 years of home sale statistics, and if 2008 follows this pattern, the neighborhood should be in good shape in regards to resale values.
*As of 2/13/08. Compiled from information obtained from the Austin Board of Realtors. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
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.
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