Special offer

Austin, TX Real Estate News

By TIM MONCRIEF, Over 2,000 homes sold…..
(Tim Monciref)
The Austin metropolitan area added 5100 jobs in March, a bit down from an increase of 6000 in February, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Unemployment decreased slightly to 6.2%.  The area has not seen a negative job growth since January 2004 when the dot com bubble burst hit our area very hard from 2000 to 2004.  Though this data may sound good, we were at 3.8% unemployment a year ago.  Perhaps the past few months are a mere up tick before a larger drop, but it is nice to hear a bit of good news now and then. Let's hope for some good news in the coming months for all..........
Comments 0
By Robin Scott, Broker, REALTOR® - Austin Texas
(Robin Scott, REALTOR®)
According to color experts and experienced REALTORS®, the color choices you make when painting your home can have a positive effect on the saleability. There are four areas that are the most distinguishing to a buyer - the front door, the living area, the kitchen and the master bath. The Front Door. The entrance of your home is the first and last impression that the buyer will have. Most importantly, make sure it's clean! It's helpful to have a large colorful plant at the entrance. Choose the color of the door carefully. It needs to be something that will stand out from the house and draw attention to it. For instance, a light colored door on a light colored house gets lost in the picture. Unusual colors like purple are a deterrent to many. Reds and other warm colors have the most appea...
Comments 4
By Robin Scott, Broker, REALTOR® - Austin Texas
(Robin Scott, REALTOR®)
When shopping for a home, buyers can become overwhelmed after looking at a number of properties. They seem to have endless energy to drive all over town, jump in and out of cars and climb up and down stairs; wanting to see as much as they can in a short period of time so they can make an informed decision on which home they want to make an offer. But after seeing just a few, they start to assign nicknames to homes so they can sort them in their minds. A house with a red door may be called "the red door house." One with a several dogs may be called "the doggie house." And one with an odor may be called "the stinky house." Although these nicknames help the buyers recall the other details of the house, a good association will make a lasting positive impression. Before you put your home on ...
Comments 4
By Robin Scott, Broker, REALTOR® - Austin Texas
(Robin Scott, REALTOR®)
Here are the easy to understand statistics: There are currently 107 active listings with an average price of $324,900> In April 19 homes sold. Average price: $265,380 Average price per sq.ft:  $105.18 Average days on market: 88   Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.
Comments 1
By Iliane Lorenz, Eco-Broker/Realtor
(Texas Capital Real Estate - Austin TX)
What's happening in building in Austin? The city of Austin offers a map about emerging projects in Austin on this website (5.6MB): Click here! The map shows some of the prominent projects in planning and construction. The maps are updated quarterly. Here are some details on developments: Fifth and Baylor (Austin Market District) 80,000 sqft office and retail building Town Lake Park Phase 3 & 4 between Ladybird Lake and Riverside Dr Legacy @ Townlake 31 story luxury high rise Stubb's an all time favorite in Austin is adding another 1,500 seats The so much discussed and still awaited Metro Line connecting Leander and Austin Find more information on www.TexasCapitalRealEstate.com Searching for homes in Central Texas? Click here! Iliane Texas Capital Real Estate www.TexasCapitalRealEstate.c...
Comments 3
By Iliane Lorenz, Eco-Broker/Realtor
(Texas Capital Real Estate - Austin TX)
The city of Austin is offering $10,000 to help first time homebuyers buy a home. The Down Payment Assistance Program (DPA) provides qualified, first-time homebuyers, with a zero interest loan to assist with purchasing a home located within the Austin City Limits. DPA funds cover the down payment and eligible closing costs and pre-paid expenses associated with buying a home. The borrower may receive up to $10,000 in a deferred, forgivable, 0% interest loan for 10 years. Or, you may receive $1,000 additional for borrowers in a Mortgage Credit Certificate Program, and up to $4,999 for people with disabilities. The loan is forgiven if the borrower remains in the home ten (10) years without transferring title. Otherwise the loan is due and payable if the borrower sells, leases, transfers ti...
Comments 0
By TIM MONCRIEF, Over 2,000 homes sold…..
(Tim Monciref)
Interesting to note, but I have analyzed the best to the worst days since I have been in Austin of actual contract written.  Mother's Day ranks as the worst day for traffic count for my listings for the past 15 years.  Fathers Day is in the top 10 of the worst.....?   There is something to that.  Sorry dads.........My mom and my daughter last month.  Not bad for 74.... Glad she does not read a blog, or she would kill me for telling her age....... Thanks for the genes and changing my diapers.......Have a great Mother's Day to all mothers and mother figures.   Happy Mother Day.....mom
Comments 8
By Iliane Lorenz, Eco-Broker/Realtor
(Texas Capital Real Estate - Austin TX)
In an effort to follow suit with other green-leading cities in our nation, Austin has taken pro-active steps to increase the energy efficiency of Austin homes. Starting June 1st, homeowners selling their property must now disclose the energy efficiency of their property to their buyers. Here's how it works. First, your home must qualify to need the energy audit. Your home qualifies if it meets these criteria: Built over 10 years ago Is in the Austin city limits Uses Austin Energy as an energy service provider There are a few exceptions. If your property is a condo, or mobile home, you are exempt. Also, there is a long list of energy saving tasks you can perform on your property approved by the city. If you complete three of them or more, your home is exempt. After an audit is done on a...
Comments 1
Clients often ask me "when is the best time to buy a house?" I tell them it depends on a number of factors: 1. Are you prequalified? 2. Do you have time available to actually go look at homes?  3. Are you ready to commit to your Realtor? 4. Are you tired of paying another persons mortgage and helping a stranger build wealth? 5. Are you ready to build your own wealth and receive a tax break? 6. Are you  ready to take advantage of historic record setting low interest rates under 5%? If you answered yes to those questions, then now is the right time to buy. The best season to buy is typically from April to October. There are multiple reasons that spring/summer is the best time to move.      1. This is when children are getting out of school, so it is easier to move. You won't have to rush...
Comments 4
By Betina Foreman, Realtor, C.N.E., with WJK REALTY
(WJK Realty)
Recently I had a visit with John Roop the Shady Hollow Home Owners Association Manager. I went for a quick visit as I had questions about the new water main covers installed on my street. I noticed the shiny covers had "City of Austin" stamped on them. I am a mile and a half south of the Austin City Limits, so I was concerned. The old cover was just a plain slab of metal. So I got nervous that maybe Austin was taking over the Shady Hollow M.U.D. in preparation to annex Shady Hollow.  I have lived through my town being annexed and fighting it unsuccessfully once in Clear Lake and I don't want to go through that again. Thank goodness John was on top of things. He said "no the City of Austin is not taking over the M.U.D. or annexing Shady Hollow just yet. In fact if/when Austin tries to a...
Comments 4
By Ki Gray, Austin Real Estate
Campaign posters and early voting signs have proliferated along the roads like wildflowers lately as Austin prepares to elect a new mayor and city council. Voter turnout for municipal elections across the country is typically low and Austin is no exception. Despite being known as a city for politics, Austin voter turnout for the mayoral and city council races is usually around ten percent. So, just how important is the mayor in a city that also has a city manager? The easiest way to explain the difference between the two is that the mayor is a political office and the city manager is a municipal employee, albeit an important one. According to a report by the Texas City Management Association, "The mayor and city council provide policy and political leadership for the city. However, the ...
Comments 0
By Donna Harris, Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator
(Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com)
We just received a water bill for the billing period of April 9 - April 27.  First, that's only 3 weeks.  Second, we actually moved out April 23, so the bill is actually only 2 weeks.  Third, for the 2 actual weeks of the bill, it was only me and a baby living in the house. How much water do you think one person plus a baby could use?? Since my husband likes to use Quicken, he's in charge of the bills. I don't look at them anymore, except my credit card, because I pay that one myself and itemize the expenses... Anyway, my husband comes to me this afternoon as wants to play a guessing game.  Guess how much the water bill was?  I'm like, "$35".  He laughs.  I'm like, "$15?" He says, "$220.26".  WHAT??!!  How in the world do people use enough water for $220.26.  I asked him if he's going t...
Comments 22
By Robin Scott, Broker, REALTOR® - Austin Texas
(Robin Scott, REALTOR®)
There is currently only 1 active listings in this area with a price of $275,000.In April 2 homes sold:average price - $268,288average price per sq.ft. - $125.20average days on market - 125Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.
Comments 1
By Robin Scott, Broker, REALTOR® - Austin Texas
(Robin Scott, REALTOR®)
There are currently 5 active listings in this area with an average price of $261,740.In April 3 homes sold:average price - $257,433average price per sq.ft. - $90.82average days on market - 49Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.    
Comments 0
By Robin Scott, Broker, REALTOR® - Austin Texas
(Robin Scott, REALTOR®)
Because of the size of Milwood, I've divided it in two parts. Milwood south of McNeil There are currently only 9 active listings in this area with an average price of $175,877.In April 5 homes sold:average price - $168,850average price per sq.ft. - $116.59average days on market - 49 Milwood north of McNeilThere are currently 25 active listings in this area with an average price of $214,340.In April 7 homes sold:average price - $173,571average price per sq.ft. - $106.82average days on market - 31Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.
Comments 0
By Betina Foreman, Realtor, C.N.E., with WJK REALTY
(WJK Realty)
Living and working in south Austin I read everything on our market and Austin in general. Recently Forbe's said that the 78749 zip code was one of the most active areas for buying or selling a home in the USA. So I thought I would post some market stats for a couple of the neighborhoods within that zip code. Maple Run is a popular neighborhood with more affordable homes in the 78749 zip. The homes were mostly built in the mid to late 1980's. There is a good mix of one and two story floor-plans. Most homes are on just under a quarter acre and a few have sprawling half acre or better lots. I have used a typical one story three bed two bath home with between 1300-2000 square feet as my example home. Currently the average price per square foot for Actively For Sale homes is $126.06. There a...
Comments 6
By Gayla Allen
(QuickImpress, LLC)
PowerPoint is similar to a word processor, except that it's geared toward creating presentations rather than documents. PowerPoint presentations consist of one or more slides. Each slide can contain text, graphics, and other information. You can easily rearrange the slides in a PowerPoint presentation, delete slides that you don't need, add new slides, or modify the contents of existing slides. You can use PowerPoint to create and present your presentations or you can use one of the following types of media to show your presentations: * Computer monitor: Your computer monitor, either a CRT monitor or an LCD, is a suitable way to display your presentation when you're showing it to just one or two other people. * Computer projector: A computer projector projects an image of your computer...
Comments 0
By Austin M.
(Austin.Realzi.com)
A recent article in Community Impact Newspaper talks about Austin-area appraised home values. In Travis County, values went up by five percent over the last year, with the average value being $296,747.  Last year's average was $281,623.However, values in Williamson County declined by about 1.33 percent. Last year's average was $191,072, with it being $188,523 this year. To answer the question about why Travis County appraisal values went up while Williamson County's declined, Travis Central Appraisal District chief appraiser Patrick Brown was quoted in the article as saying that it could be because of a "lag between the Austin housing market and that of the surrounding communities." The home values in the city of Austin actually went up at a faster pace than Travis County. They increase...
Comments 0
By Russell Lewis, Broker,CLHMS,GRI
(Realty Austin, Austin Texas Real Estate)
  The final event of the first first half of the Architecture at the Umlauf Series season (before taking a break from the summer  heat) and will take place Thursday, May 7th. The monthly series was founded and is produced by two of my associates at AvenueOne properties; Scott Harvey and Carla Umlauf (granddaughter of the esteemed sculptor) and is sponsored by our firm, AvenueOne Properties. The lectures take place at the beautiful Umlauf Sculpture Garden and the series is now in the middle of its hugely successful third season.  Camille Urban Jobe, AIA is the featured speaker. There is a minimal charge of $5.00 for the event but is free to museum memberss. Thanks again for your continued interest and support!  
Comments 26
By Robin Scott, Broker, REALTOR® - Austin Texas
(Robin Scott, REALTOR®)
Statistics from MARCH 2009 Compared to MARCH 2008 Homes Sold 1,421 - down 22% Median Sales Price $180,160 - down 4% Active Listings 9,704 - less than 1% changesource: Austin Board of Realtors The good news is that the number of active listings has little change because once inventory decreases home sales will rise again. Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.
Comments 0
Explore Austin, TX
Austin, TX Real Estate Professionals