Dorie Dillard's Blog

Good News Bad News

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:51:51 -0600

My brother sent me this picture and story and I have to admit this would stop you in your tracks!

Well, there is good news and bad news about my Christmas decorations this year.
Good news is that I truly outdid myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made me take it down. First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by. Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder, almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.

Kind of feel like I gave in to the man by taking him down but my neighbor did confirm to near miss accidents on the busy street next to my house. I think I made him too real this time! So it was fun while it lasted! Merry Christmas!

Dorie in Austin

Photographer Standing By

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:24:17 -0600

On my 2010 list of tasks to accomplish I wanted a new photograph for a fresh look on my business card, facebook, blog, our website, etc. No stuffy over posed photo but something engaging but professional. A friend and agent in my office used a professional Head Shot Photographer (no glamour shots) Korey Howell and voila a great shot! I googled Korey and immediately liked her work, smile, energy and the ease of navigating her website!

I booked an appointment online. I got to her studio a few minutes early and she was with another client. She jumped up, shook my hand while introducing herself (great direct eye contact and large smile) and let me know she was still busy with a client and would be done shortly (setting boundaries but not neglecting her client). What a treat...she is exactly as her website depicts, fun, energetic, full of ideas and has a great eye for taking pictures.

She quickly sized up my "character" husband Geno and got snapping our joint photos for our website. She goaded Geno into some great shots with all his clowning around. She downloaded the pictures and it was a breeze to pick out several shots, adjust the size and background and load them on a disc. She told Geno it was time for him to leave and we got on with my single shots! The next day we found one of the shots needed "us" enlarged and less background (didn't look right up on the web)..sent off an email and Korey was standing by and we got a revised shot back quickly.

Working with a professional who has systems in place, knows their work and gets the job done efficiently and economically is what we are looking for in all sectors of our life. Has Korey got my vote when I hear someone is looking for a good photographer? You got it! Her logo "Photographer Standing By" fits her work ethic perfectly!

Korey just shot Gracy Titles new photos and they are amazing! She is also handling St.David's Hospital doctors and staff. Visit Korey's website at http://www.headshotsbusinessportraits.com.

See our old photo (boring) and our new!

See my old shot (ugh) and now my new!

Dorie in Austin

No Better Time Than Now

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:15:53 -0600

The unemployment figures surfacing in the 4th quarter are not as bad as predicted, interest rates continue at record lows and the numbers of homes closing the fourth quarter are up significantly.

Doom and gloom were rampant the first two quarters while some buyers bought and sellers sold; not in record numbers but the beat went on for some. Admittedly there were many sellers who could not sell and foreclosures were at record highs. This third quarter held fast to a negative theme however the fourth quarter sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Kevin Brown with the Wall Street Journal says: "With soaring gold prices, rising commodity prices, a weak dollar on the interantional stage, record federal deficits and record low federal funds rate ~ mortgage rates cannot be sustained at the current, artifically low level.

Therefore sophisticated buyers purchasing now until the end of April 2010 (taking advantage of the tax incentives) will be the ones who reap the greatest benefits and reward at this very unusual time. It looks like the real estate marketplace in 2009 will go down in history as one of the great investment opportunities in this century!"

In Austin we have a dwindling resale and builder inventory and nothing close to our past builder's new home construction level. While Austin is continuing to experience job growth, apartment occupancy and rates continue to climb. With this scenario we as Realtors owe our prospective buyers and sellers to be acutely aware of current market conditions. This cloud of opportunity won't last!

Dorie in Austin

Phones Off ~ It Doesn't Hurt

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:29:30 -0600

Every year the gals in our office have a girl's only Holiday Party to kick off the season (and a reason to get together to laugh and have some fun). The pre-requisite is to bring a dish or appetizer to share, a bottle of wine (if they wish) and a $20 gift for the white elephant exchange. Now mind you this can be a funny item, a gift certificate, a holiday item: anything that might add some merriment as your number is called. Yes, we have the right to choose someone else's gift but that item can only be "chosen" 3 times and then it is retired for the evening. The person who draws #1 is the lucky one because at the end of the drawings she has the right to make a final choice out of all the gifts. The rules are the rules (supposedly, but that's another story).

The laughter and comradeship is a special event. Normally we are so busy we don't have time to interact meaningfully. Phones are shut off (you couldn't hear anyway) and for a couple of hours business will have to wait. Ahhh.....Realtors are capable of putting things on hold!

Dorie in Austin

Open House ~ Bottoms Up

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:29:42 -0600

One of my favorite clients, Jamie Smith, has a Mary Kay Holiday Open House every year for her friends, acquaintances, neighbors and past clients.
What a great way to shop in a relaxed, no pressure environment!

Cranberry Martinis, wine, ice tea, chocolates, fresh fruits & cheeses, crab cake martinis, holiday cheese balls and a wide assortment of goodies were artistically assembled!

Everyone grazed their way through all the rooms and checked out her Mary Kay products elegantly displayed just begging to be picked up and tested.
Diana Acker, a friend and neighbor helped Jamie keep the ball rolling smoothly throughout Jamie's 11am - 7pm open house!

She made a mean Cranberry martini and is known for her own martini parties that offer a wide assortment of yummy martinis (a martini for everyone)!

Jamie is an astute business woman and knows how to showcase her product. Make-up is a personal thing but if you're looking for professional guidance give Jamie a call at 512-249-5459 or check out her website at http://www.marykay.com/jamiesmith.

Bottoms up until next year's Holiday Open House!

Dorie in Austin

Hijacking Our Professional Image

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:39:52 -0600

We are always told the rating of a Real Estate Agent is equal or a step below a used car salesman! How can this be? It pains me as I work hard to maintain a professional image and perceive myself as a professional. I guess perception is always in the eye of the beholder. Why does the consumer view our profession in such low esteem and why do we feel our image has been hijacked??

1. Consumers view our job as easy; we drive around and show property in nice cars all day and just look at homes. They fail to realize the time we spend in weeding out homes from extensive talks with our buyers concerning their criteria, planning the tour, phoning for appointments and obtaining as much information about each selected property. This is just the initial work undertaken.

2. Many do not recognize the value of the service we provide (maybe because we do not communicate well our worth).

3. Everywhere we turn from the baggage handlers at the airport to our hairdresser we hear they are getting or just got their real estate license and are going to make a killing in real estate (really adds credibility to our profession).

4. When consumers call or email no one calls them back! This is a major problem for the public and sets the tone for their perception of agents.

5. In some transactions there are agents in need or are so eager to make a deal they make deep concessions which affect their credibility as a professional.

6. "Barking Marketing" turns consumers off - they don't care that you are number one in your office, they want to know what you can do for them.

We need to work to improve our professional image. The recent blogs on transparancy have been excellent. A first step is to be conscious of our reputation and image. We want to reveal our personalities to the public but need to remember our role as business manager for one of the consumer's largest assets.

Dorie in Austin

Holiday Poinsettias ~ Toys and More ~ Perfect Gifts

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:36:06 -0600

It's that time of the year where many participate in their favorite charity events. Christine Bennett who owns Elite Realtor Solutions is an integral part of our system in place for administering our listings.

Several years ago Christine got us involved in purchasing Poinsettias for our clients from the Austin Children's Shelter Guild. She picks them up and delivers them to us. It doesn't get any better than that!

Our office every year contributes a wide assortment of gifts for the shelter to make a special Christmas for these youngsters. Our office tree is up and we are gathering gifts up until Dec. 17th.

Dorie in Austin

AUSTIN, TX HOME FOR SALE ~ 9304 ROLLING OAKS TRAIL ~ ROUND ROCK ISD

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:44:24 -0600

NW AUSTIN ~ NORTHWEST BALCONES COMMUNITY ~ ROUND ROCK ISD~ WESTWOOD HS ~ EXEMPLARY SCHOOLS

4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, year built: 2007, sq.ft.: 2941 $400,000

A STATELY 2-STORY NEWER CONSTRUCTED HOME LOCATED IN A QUIET SECTION OF NORTHWEST BALCONES

The quiet elegance of the 2 story foyer will draw you to admire the numerous windows filtering in soft natural rays of light. Whether choosing to sit by the fireplace in the 2 story family room watching TV or spending time with the chef as dinner is prepared in this well-designed kitchen, the lifestyle triangle of this open floor plan allows for plenty of good conversation and laughter. The upstairs game room and media room will be the envy of family and friends. The downstairs master is tucked away for a special retreat any time of your hectic day.

All of this is located in the exclusive, private community of Northwest Balcones close to Talleyran Park, Balcones Country Club, an expanded public library, exemplary schools, shopping and major highways.

For more information, visit our website: http://www.reloaustin.com. Dorie Dillard is a Residential Real Estate Consultant with Coldwell Banker United in the Arboretum. Contact Dorie if you have any questi

ons or would like to visit our property at 512 346-1799 or email at dillard@reloaustin.com.

Dorie in Austin

Central Texas Economy in Perspective

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:46:12 -0600

Beverley Kerr, the Austin Chamber Vice President of Research paints a rosier picture than first projected for the Central Texas Economy. According to her article both Austin Board of Realtors and the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M are in agreement that Austin's existing home sales data through October 2009 reflect marked evidence of improvement.

See her complete article at:

http://app.e2ma.net/campaign/26685.e51cb1bd691334ab2e50f807b0c4d99e

Suzanne Jacobs with Gracy Title in Austin keeps us updated with the latest breaking articles on our Texas and local economy and sent us the following information to share with our clients and sphere of influence:

"After reviewing the latest article from Beverley Kerr she found home sales have been improving in year-over-year performance since last November for both Austin and the U.S. In fact, on a national level, the year-over-year change has been positive since June of this year. Although Austin home sales declined 7.4%, 20% and 5.7% for 2007, 2008 and 2009, the good news is the substantial increase in sales this October versus last October (38%)! And, since November was a record low last year (lowest single month of sales since January of 2004), we can expect an even better improvement for November '09 versus November '08.

Beverley shows how Austin home values have performed compared to the top 50 metros for the last year, 3-years and 5-years. Austin is ranked 4, 1 and 1 respectively. Austin, along with all of the major Texas markets, are the best performing metropolitan areas over the 5-year period."

This is all postive news for Texas as our Austin home values continue to outpace the majority of metropolitan areas. Of course, our wish is to see the rest of the country improve so we can get our national trend back on track in the housing market.

Dorie in Austin

Solitude

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:03:20 -0600

My brother sent me this picture off his back deck in Pittsburgh. I love the quiet peace he and his family get to enjoy even on a gray day!

They love sunsets and time to reflect in solitude on their busy days so they purchased this home two years ago. This view is like a chameleon it transforms itself to reflect the different seasons.

Dorie in Austin

Improving Austin! Canyon Creek Streets ~ NW Austin

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:47:43 -0600

The City of Austin has been undertaking a project in Canyon Creek the last couple of months. They have been sealing and micro-surfacing the streets and then striping the streets.

What a great job they have been doing and are almost done. The estimated completion was November 2009 but due to the weather and holidays will need to stretch this most likely into January.

We have a main Boulevard (Boulder Blvd) and then many streets and cul-de-sacs which are getting beautified!

Dorie in Austin

Instant Gratification Can Get The Best Of Us

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:18:38 -0600

I was going through boxes of old records that I can finally discard and came across some files filled with the old shiny fax paper only to find there is nothing on them. Totally disintegrated! It made me think of how we used to transmit data and documents back and forth and how long it took.

We'd meet with a buyer, write up an offer, take it to the listing agent (sometimes meeting halfway in a parking lot) and the listing agent would go meet with the seller and present the offer.

If we went back and forth a few times we could run through the same scenario or go verbally until we completed all points.

The fax became an accepted form of transmittal so it sped up the process, but oftentimes was not legible thus requiring an original to be drawn up after all details were formally agreed upon.

Then email entered the scene and became an accepted form of transmission of data and documents. Thus you could write an offer with or without the buyer, email to the listing agent, they sent it on to the seller to review, have them sign and email back and on it goes to the buyer. You can even get the offer on your phone and bingo in less than an hour it can be a done deal!

It can be lightening fast, no driving to meet the other agent or buyer or seller in the early dawn hours. No waiting for delivery of paperwork and frees us up for another deal, time with family or a run around the lake. We have to love this! We can now work 24/7 literally and grow to become despondent if our phone or email is not vibrating with offers or wanting to schedule a listing appointment or showing with a buyer.

Instant gratification can get the best of us.

Dorie in Austin

Hold On...

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:35:05 -0600

The end of the year is upon us and those buyers who have not made a decision are out trying to take advantage of the low interest rates and home prices. The lenders are driving us all crazy with information and data gathering overload.

The best advice I can give my buyers:

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!"

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Dorie in Austin

Sounds of the Season

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:50:00 -0600

Another annual event was held in "The Domain" in Austin as another Saturday night fireworks exploded at 8pm. The best spot to take advantage of the fireworks display is the parking lot between the Macy store and Dick's Sporting Goods which just opened!

On center stage (right out off the patio of North Restaurant) Christmas Carolers, complete with fabulous old time costumes, sang us our favorite Christmas music!

All that was needed were snowflakes falling (not likely) and the scene would be complete (it was a balmy 69 degrees).
Our church, River Bend, will be performing December 4th from 7-9pm for all who wish to see another excellent performance. Every Saturday night until Christmas there will be different groups singing and fireworks at 8pm..can't beat this to get you in the mood, bring the family...it's free entertainment!

The Domain continues to expand with the opening of the new Aloft Hotel as well as Forever 21, a retail store that opened it's second location in Austin; Dick's Sporting Goods who also opened their second location in Austin, Orange Cup and 1020 Art Glass and Home Decor that exhibits affordable blown glass art. Gloria's Restaurant is to open by the end of the year and will be offering Salvadorian cuisine. If you haven't been to the Domain then make this holiday season a time to get acquainted!

Dorie in Austin

Plan B

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:46:29 -0600

There is a lot of truth about not always succeeding with the first idea or plan drawn. Corrections, editions and several re-draws can occur.

Even then it may not be viable and the idea needs to be scratched. Feelings of failure can surface but need to be squelched with hope and determination to find the right answer.

The following quote says it all:

"The most successful people are those who are good at plan B."
James Yorke

Dorie in Austin

Thanksgiving Message 2009

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:58:30 -0600

I have received; as all of you have, many wonderful Thanksgiving messages this season.

I received one from Stefan Swanepoel that I felt truly communicated heartfelt Thanksgiving blessings for 2009 and wanted to share with all of you:

A day when we are asked to remember our many blessings.
Freedom...
    to think, to love, to live.
Life...
    whose most valued treasures are a special gift.
Happiness...
    that doesn't come from
    what we own
    but from the love of
    family and friends.
Thanksgiving is in...
    our gratitude and attitude,
    our giving and sharing,
    our well-being and health,
    and above all our trust and belief.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

Dorie in Austin

Canyon Creek Elementary Santa Toy Drive

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:51:49 -0600

Canyon Creek is working to brighten a needy child's holiday by accepting donations of a new unwrapped toy for the annual CCE Santa Toy Drive.

Starting on Tuesday, December 1st through Tuesday, December 15th ( a two week collection time schedule) please bring toys and help fill the Brown Santa bins in the hallway by the first floor elevator!

While you're out holiday shopping don't forget the CCE tradition of generosity to help provide a toy for a child in need. Contact Teri Bender at tdodge2@austin.rr.com for any questions.

Dorie in Austin

Austin Farmers Market

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:33:16 -0600

If you have never been to the Austin Farmers Market you are missing a treat! This event happens year round on Saturdays and Wednesdays. If you are looking to purchase home grown food and want to have fun while you are shopping then today is not too late to give it a try!

If you don't want to fight the stores getting ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow; Austin Farmers Market is open today, Wednesday, November 25, 2009, from 3:00pm-7:00pm at Triangle Park: 4800 Guadalupe Street, Austin,TX 78798! If you miss today's check out the events calendar below for a future fun adventure.

Every Saturday (year-round) and Wednesday (year-round) award-winning downtown farmers' market featuring local farmers with vegetables, fruits, herbs, eggs and cheeses; kindly raised poultry, pork, beef and buffalo; and beautiful Hill Country flowers. Also local bakers, honey, tea, juice, coffee, prepared foods and artisans. Celebrated chef's demos, gardening workshops, children's activities and live music from Austin's best local bands.

Saturdays from 8am to 1pm Rain or Shine, YEAR-ROUND. Free parking at 3rd & San Antonio, state parking garage. Downtown at Fourth and Guadalupe at Republic State Park.

Wednesdays from 3pm-7pm Oct.31-March 5; 4pm-8pm March 12-October at Triangle Park in The Triangle Rain or Shine; May YEAR-ROUND 46th between Lamar and Guadalupe. Free parking in the garage west of 46th and Triangle Ave. by the park.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Wednesday, November  25th                                       Saturday, December 5th
Austin Farmers Market                                                Austin Farmers Market
when: 3:00pm, Austin,TX   when: 8:00am, Austin,TX
venue: Triangle Park    venue: Republic Square Park

Saturday, November 28th                                               Wednesday, December 9th
Austin Farmers Market Austin Farmers Market
when: 8:00am, Austin,TX                                                when: 3:00pm, Austin,TX
venue: Republic Square Park                                         venue: Triangle Park

Wednesday, December 2nd
Austin Farmers Market
when: 3:00pm, Austin,TX
venue: Triangle Park

Dorie in Austin

When is Contagious Not Related To A Disease?

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:50:49 -0600

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration in church Sunday at River Bend Church led by our creative arts team. What a heartwarming music extravaganza!

We all were inspired to give thanks for what we currently have and what will come in the future. Carton Dillard exuded such enthusiasm and energy while leading the creative arts team...his manner was infectious and downright contagious! His arms were pumping and waving with such force you could feel the musicians and singers respond to his movements and direction. I thought of the defensive team coordinator for UT: Will Muschamp. He runs back and forth on the sidelines and sometimes on the field constantly shouting plays and directions to his football players. He is in the game with them and they are acutely aware of his expectations.

What do they have in common? Their exuburance for life and their job! Both display such a strong love for what they do it is downright contagious!

Do you display this kind of passion for your work? If not why and how can you bring yourself to that level of committment?

Dorie in Austin

An Eternal Optimist

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:14:48 -0600

There are many that feel they are an optimist...always looking at a glass half full...always thinking positive...always saying something good about a situation or another person.

But I believe a true optomist is one like Irv Kupcinet refers to:

"An Optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day"
... Irv Kupcinet

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Dorie in Austin

Austin's First and only China Town Center

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:19:54 -0600

If you have not been to China Town Center on Lamar Ave. you need to make it a priority soon! It opened in 2006 but took awhile to open all 180,000 square feet of retail space!

They have a wide range of authentic restaurants, stores and Central Texas largest Asian supermarket "MT Supermarket".

The center is located at the intersection of Lamar and Kramer Lane (1901 N. Lamar Blvd).
We went to TC Noodle House and had the most delicious authentic Chinese food! We went back the next day to take pictures and Geno could not resist going in to get noodles for his lunch. We will be back to check out the many other restaurants.
Their 2010 Chinese New Year Festival will be Saturday - Sunday, 2/20/2010 - 2/21/2010. Their past celebrations have been exciting and greatly attended. They are taking applications for performers and vendors so make sure you check out their website at: http://www.chinatownaustin.com

Dorie in Austin

FHA Requirements as of January 1, 2010

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:54:14 -0600

Marie Funston with Coldwell Banker Mortgage always keeps us updated on changes in the lending industry (which this past year has been numerous). For further information you can reach her at 512-750-7270 or marie@austinmortgageadvisor.com. Her latest advisory is about the new FHA Requirements being implemented as of January 1,2010:

Effective for FHA case numbers issue as of January 1, 2010, there are new requirements for FHA case numbers affecting all lenders originating FHA-insured mortgages:

The new FHA requirements are in line with the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), which became effective May 1, 2009, on conventional loans.

Here is a brief summary of the new FHA appraisal rules:

The appraisal validity period is reduced to four months for all property types. Previously, appraisals were valid for six months on existing properties and up to 12 months for new construction.
Appraisal portability. When a customer switches from one lender to the other, the first lender must transfer the appraisal to the second lender at the customer's request to prevent delays in closing.
Loan production staff is prohibited from selecting or recommending an FHA-roster appraiser. This includes anyone who is compensated for closing a loan, such as an originator (loan officer), loan processor, or anyone reporting to a member of the production staff.
Loan production staff is prohibited from communicating with the appraiser.

Dorie in Austin

Could Austin Soon Face A Housing Shortage?

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:29:19 -0600

It's an interesting market in Austin. I read many articles about our local market and one newsletter I like to make time for is written by Joe Thweatt with Land Mortgage. Contact Joe at 512-583-1008 or jthweatt@landmtg.com.

Joe talks about the possibility of a housing shortage in Austin. Is he kidding? His newsletter peaked my interest. Joe talks about the money stream for Austin homebuilders slowing to a trickle. The construction of new homes has been curtailed rather dramatically. Many home builders have lost spec homes to foreclosures or are "short-selling" them for less than it costs to build them.

Meanwhile, the existing home sales are selling. The Austin Board of Realtors reported last week that existing home sales increased dramatically in October of 2009 - up 38% over October 2008. 500 more existing homes sold this year over last. Of course, last year we realize October sales were down so we had to improve to get back to a healthier market, which has transpired.

The total number of existing homes currently for sale is down 10% from last year. Even more importantly is the number of pending sales is up 47%, just waiting for closing day!

There are two major reasons for this increase in pending sales:

1. Buyers wanting to take advantage of the first time home buyer tax credit. Now that the tax credit has been extended to April and it's been expanded to include more current and prospective homeowners.
2. The natural growth of the Austin area. There are more people moving to metro Austin every day and they need a place to live.

Joe could be onto something. The last few months of the year and the first couple of months in the next year are traditionally slow months for home sales. Tracking fourth quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010 will give us an indication of which way the wind is blowing. If increased sales continue during a normally slow time and bank credit is still tight for the builders, the local real estate market could find itself moving to a housing shortage.

Dorie in Austin

Thanksgiving ~ A Time to Give Thanks

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:48:32 -0600

There will be ActiveRain families taking off today or over the weekend to be with family over the Thanksgiving week. Many will be the destination point for other family members to come help celebrate.

Be careful and take time in the hustle and bustle to remember what the holiday is all about.

Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson) sums it up best:

"Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life...a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seed time and harvest, and the ripe product of the fear and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God."

Happy Thanksgiving! It is wonderful to have many things to be thankful for this season.

Dorie in Austin

Age Doesn't Matter

Dorie Dillard: Canyon Creek & NW Austin Living (Coldwell Banker United) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:49:55 -0600

When we were in Athens several years ago we visited the "Theatre of Dionysus" (Dionysus means Greek baby boy). It was a major open air theatre in ancient Greece built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis and forming part of the temenos "Dionysus Eleuthereus". This is dedicated to Dionysus the god of plays and wine (among other things). The theatre could seat as many as 17,000 and the acoustics are almost perfect, even today!

Dorie in Austin