buyers agent: Interesting Austin Texas trivia.....
- 11/20/08 03:33 AM
Here is a little local Austin trivia. I have had many of my relocation clients ask me about Austin and I am always happy to share what I know. Several clients say it makes them feel more like a local to know some of our history. This is the first installment of what I hope will become a regular blog topic for me. Have you ever wondered who William Cannon was, or what he did that was so important that there is a major street named after him in South Austin? William Cannon fought in the Battle of San Jacinto and was considered … (0 comments)
buyers agent: More good news for the Austin home market
- 11/17/08 08:20 AM
Here is the "Cliff Notes Version" of an article in the Daily Real Estate News regarding the best housing markets in the US. As always Austin is in the top 10. Surely we should get a medal for setting a record for being in the most top ten lists!?! Betina Top 10 Most Promising Housing Markets According to the Housing Predictor, which provides housing forecasts for 250 markets. They have determined the top ten housing markets where regional economies are strong and have excellent potential for increased growth. The following markets have avoided the national downward trend and remain solid. In fact they … (7 comments)
buyers agent: Travis Country West Open House this Sunday from 2-5!
- 11/15/08 02:51 AM
Won't you join me at my Open House this Sunday November 16th from 2-5 in Travis Country West. This home is about 15 minutes from downtown and is just off Southwest Parkway and Mopac. The house is a lovely 3-2.5 with a generously sized master suite downstairs. There is a nice flat backyard with some mature trees and a partially covered rear deck. The home has wonderful street appeal with lush native landscaping. The kitchen is a gourmet kitchen open to the family room. The formal living and dining rooms have hardwood floors, soaring high ceilings and arches with banks of tall windows for abundant natural light. … (10 comments)
buyers agent: Austin is earning the title "The Emerald City" one house at a time.
- 11/12/08 02:11 PM
Details of the proposed Austin Energy AuditIn an attempt to rename Austin the "Emerald City" because of our clean and green lifestyle recently Mayor Will Wynn proposed a new law. This law would force all home sellers to make "necessary repairs to correct energy inadequacies" to make their homes more energy efficient. The proposal was pretty controversial and many people had signs in their yards "Motivate don't Mandate!". We would rather see people rewarded for good behavior, than punished for not having the money to make the newly required improvements. This proposal might have even prevented some homeowners from selling their homes, as … (11 comments)
More builders around the country are looking to green building and energy efficiency to help sell new homes. In a softening market, some builders are moving forward with more energy efficient homes in an effort to keep sales steady. Several Atlanta GA builders are building "high performance homes" that use a minimal amount of energy and water. These "hybrid" homes are similar to the hybrid cars you see on the Toyota and Honda car lots. They may cost a little more up front but they save you plenty in the long run. The hybrid or … (5 comments)
buyers agent: Ten reasons to buy NOW
- 11/10/08 03:38 AM
1. Selectionis great right now. Homes are available in just about every area and at a variety of price ranges. The large home inventory on the market will allow you to choose specific qualities you want to find in your perfect home. 2. It's presently a Buyer's Market. We all know the best time to buy is when the most people want/need to sell. This gives you the most homes to choose from. If you buy now you will get more house for your money, and you will have much more negotiating power. 3. Homes are now More Affordable than ever. … (4 comments)
buyers agent: Project Free- Check it out. It may be the salvation of our energy crisis!
- 11/09/08 02:51 AM
Please take a moment to go to the Gen-We Project Freewebsite. This organization was started by people born between 1978-2000 and they are often called the Millennials. (I am too old to be in this group, but I applaud their efforts). They are dedicated to reducing or removing our reliance on foreign energy sources. If Kennedy could put a man on the moon in ten years why can't we all get off the grid? I am hoping that Obama will help us take the steps Reagan was unwilling to do. We need to eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels and move … (5 comments)
buyers agent: Home Buyers 101- Things every Buyer should know about the process of buying a home.
- 11/07/08 09:42 AM
What to expect when you start looking for a new home In order to make this easy for "first time home buyers" I have broken the process down. You have already accomplished the first step, selecting a "Buyers Agent"; the key is finding someone that you can communicate with that is knowledgeable about the area. As your agent I will help you through the process of finding the "right home" and buying that home. The first round of Forms you need to sign The Texas Real Estate Commission requires that Realtors give potential Buyers several forms. These forms help define … (4 comments)
buyers agent: Now is the time to buy in Austin because your housing dollar goes further in Texas!!
- 11/03/08 03:15 AM
Get the most bang for your buck in Austin Texas! According to Forbe's magazine the challenging economic times are far worse in other parts of the country. Texas has remained somewhat immune to the housing crisis. There is still a lot of value to be had for your housing dollar in Texas. According to Forbe's magazine "Austin and San Antonio lead our list of places where your money goes farthest. Residents of both enjoy affordable housing and promising prospects for job growth in coming years. Houston and Dallas also land in the top 10, at Nos. 4 and 7, respectively." "Texas, in general is an area that has … (0 comments)
You may have noticed in central Austin there are a number of neighborhoods that now have a "Historic" Designation". Most Native Texans are very proud of our heritage and we try to preserve our local history. To that end the City of Austin is now working with the Heritage Society of Austin and various neighbors to preserve the historically significant homes. This is a recent effort as the city just passed an ordinance in 2007 to designate "Local Historic Districts" to help preserve these areas. This designation may have come too late for some central Austin neighborhoods, … (0 comments)
The Austin Texas chapter of Habitat for Humanity in partnership with Meritage Homes completed construction on a home in Austin Texas for the Nealy family this month. As part of the process to receive the new Habitat Home the Nealy's have spent over 400 man-hours working on this home and other Habitat Homes alongside the contractors. The Nealy's also went to classes on financial management and home maintenance as part of the agreement. Habitat for Humanity is part of the new "Green Building" movement. Two of their recently constructed … (0 comments)
buyers agent: Downtown Austin condos HOA fees are they too high?
- 11/01/08 04:29 AM
With the recent building boom of downtown condos the face of Austin is changing. We can't go back in time and stop the building, but we can be aware of which properties charge the lowest HOA fees. If you are considering buying a downtown condo this is important information to consider. Some of these condos are charging over a thousand dollars a month in HOA fees. What you get for your money varies from project to project. I am including a breakdown of the most affordable HOA fees and the most expensive HOA fees for the downtown condos and lofts. The HOA … (9 comments)
buyers agent: Voting in the upcoming election? Do you need to know where to go? I have the answers right here!
- 10/31/08 09:26 AM
As many of you know the presidential election is coming up on November 4th. In the city of Austin we also have several issues to vote on this year. Due to overwhelming interest in this election there has been great early voter turn out. On the first day of early voting almost 20K people voted. Today, October 31st, AKA Halloween is the last day for early voting. This year is already a record breaker for early voting. So get out there Austinites and early vote. Two of the best reasons for voting today are: Wear your Halloween costume and scare the beejeasus … (4 comments)
buyers agent: National study shows Austin is number two in Texas for job growth!!
- 10/31/08 08:30 AM
Recently the Austin Business Journal announced an independent study that was done to track job growth around the nation. We all know the US economy has taken one on the chin this year. To make matters worse almost 400,000 jobs in the private sector have vanished. Our nations unemployment has risen from 4.7% to 5.7% just in the last year. However the news is not all so bleak. Texas has been the exception to the rule, and we have the top three of the nation's hottest labor markets. The winning cities are: Houston, Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth. They have long been the biggest … (3 comments)
buyers agent: Angels on the ground, a story to restore your faith in the human race.
- 10/30/08 03:34 AM
In this economy more hard working families are faced with the reality of losing their homes by foreclosure. I want to share a heartwarming story that will renew your faith in your fellow man, or woman. In 2004 Ms. Orr from Dallas Texas bought a home for $80K, recently she was laid off and fell behind in her payments. So the bank foreclosed on the home. After this happened this distraught woman went to the auction where her home was on the auction block. While at the auction she met Marilyn Mock of Rockwall Texas. Those of you from Texas know … (7 comments)
buyers agent: Blogs for dogs.... whoda thunk it?!
- 10/29/08 10:57 AM
I had to write about a cool website for your dogs. Its called www.Dogster.com and was created for people that love of dogs. Now once your pooch joins the site he or she can write blogs about their favorite hangouts like restaurants that allow dogs. Some dogs write about their favorite vet or groomer or post their diary to share with other dogs. My dogs are partial to the Town Lake jogging trail and Freddie's Place in south Austin. You can meet with other dog parents for play-dates. There are Groups just like many of the dating or networking sites. So if … (11 comments)
buyers agent: Fossil Fest 2008 is coming soon!
- 10/28/08 01:56 PM
Fossil Fest will take place November 8th and 9th and this will be the 18th year for it to occur. The creator of this festival is the Paleontological Society of Austin. They are a scientific, non-profit, community-based organization devoted to the study of fossils. Their goals are to advance the state of this science by educating the public, and collecting and identifying fossil specimens. This festival is popular with both fossil experts and amateurs alike. There will be various demonstrations, games and fossil exhibits. Do you think you have a fossil treasure collecting dust at home? Bring it to have the experts on hand … (2 comments)
buyers agent: 16 Things to know before you buy a property with a septic system.
- 10/28/08 03:11 AM
Things to know before you buy a property with a Septic System Some people find it odd in this day and age to have homes that rely on septic systems for waste-water removal. Septic systems are the "green" choice for waste water removal. However a septic system is really the only way to be fully responsible for your own waste-water and water usage. Instead of paying someone else (the water utility) to remove the waste-water and process and store it, you are doing it all yourself. It sounds like a big job, but its really not. If you can remember … (10 comments)
buyers agent: Lakeway is getting a new hospital!!
- 10/23/08 03:10 PM
They just announced that the "Lakeway Regional Medical Center" will be built by a private development company called... what else the "Lakeway Regional Medical Center Development, LLC". This will be a 54 acre project that is estimated to cost $250 million, and it will be 70-80% physician owned. This Saturday will be the official ground-breaking. The estimated completion of the project is 2011. The development will also have retail sores, restaurants, day care facility, hotel, rehabilitation hospital and various medical offices. They plan to have 25 emergency beds, and 70-80 licensed beds. Their goal is to be a full service hospital, … (4 comments)
buyers agent: Get the most bang for your buck in Austin Texas!!
- 10/17/08 04:20 AM
Get the most bang for your buck in Austin Texas! According to Forbe's magazine the challenging economic times are far worse in other parts of the country. Texas has remained somewhat immune to the housing crisis. There is still a lot of value to be had for your housing dollar in Texas. According to Forbe's magazine "Austin and San Antonio lead our list of places where your money goes farthest. Residents of both enjoy affordable housing and promising prospects for job growth in coming years. Houston and Dallas also land in the top 10, at Nos. 4 and 7, respectively." "Texas, in general is an area that has … (0 comments)
Here is a little local Austin trivia. I have had many of my relocation clients ask me about Austin and I am always happy to share what I know. Several clients say it makes them feel more like a local to know some of our history. This is the first installment of what I hope will become a regular blog topic for me.
;)
;)
;)
